easy peasy scary mary make-up

If you are struggling for Halloween costumes, don't want to get all dressed up with the gear horns and fangs and all - last minute costumes don't need to be bought! Make up is an easy way of creating a great costume without all the jazz, sequins, hassle and money. So put away your wings and turn off your sewing machine - I have 2 fab looks that you can achieve with just your make-up bag

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The first look is POP ART - inspired by this image in particular:

 

 

I used GOSH Cosmetics 002 Mineral Powder and 17 Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer to form an even base. I then used a standard purple shadow to create my black eye, I applied Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Colour in 510 Red Passion to my lips. To then create all the outlines I used my favourite liquid eyeliner, Avon Extra Lasting Black Eyeliner.

The second look is VAMPIRE.. very easy and typical look.

I used the same base foundation and concealer.. I contoured with a standard black eyeshadow instead of bronzer, GOSH Cosmetics Forever Eye Shadow in 05 Grey, Avon True Colour Eye Shadow in Black Pearl and a standard deep pink eyeshadow as well as Barry M Special Edition Double Ended Shadow Pen in Black/Silver to create a super dark smokey eye. I used the same Avon eyeliner and used my Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara. For my lips I applied B. Brilliant Rich Colour Lip Gloss in Morello, the blood is the same Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Colour Lippie in Red Passion, it stays really well so no sticky mess like real blood or pigs blood or fake blood (more likely you will use that!).

What will you be this Halloween??

frankenstein's monster nails

Halloween is officially here, I have been waiting to post some halloween themed nail art since I started my blog in Januray. I waited till the exact day before because this is the prime time to actually do your nails for Halloween itself! Not a week before, or a month, don't do them so early they have chipped before your trick or treating session or big gruesome night on the town. I decided to go for Frankenstein's monster as a theme/inspiration - I love the story and find him utterly terrifying!

I gathered the appropriate tools and colours once I decided exactly how I would portray this creepy character onto my nails... I used GOSH Cosmetics Frosted Look in Silver for the bolts, GOSH special edition in Splish Splash for my base coat, GOSH special edition in Kind of Pink for the cut in his head, then I used my Mirror Mirror Nail Effects Pen in Black for the hair, some stitches and his brow and eyes topped with a dab of Color Show by Maybelline in Winter Baby. I also used two dotting tools and a long thin brush to create the look.. see below:

I decided his eyes were the scariest part of him so I used two nails to create the top of his head, adding in the famous stitches and bolts to complete the look!

Are these scary enough? What will you do with your nails this year?!

lush and lush again

I've mentioned my love for Lush Shampoo Bars briefly in the past and so I am finally going to show off to you and review my latest Lush hair treats.

Firstly it is the Trichomania Shampoo Bar, this white and creamy bar has a gorgeous coconut stench and lathers up much quicker than you expect. Get the bar wet in your hands and give it a good rub, then rub into your tresses a little, massage your hair and tah dah you are all lathered up and ready to go. Now, I have sworn by Lush shampoo bars ever since my first with experience them and here is why.. They last up to 3 months; cost the same as a large bottle of decent shampoo; smell divine; are full of natural and wonderful ingredients, no nasties allowed; and leave your hair feeling soft and smelling unreal. Need I say more?

I went to grab my usual block of Trichomania and saw they also have solid conditioners now, I jumped at the chance. I grabbed a small bar of Jungle Solid Conditioner. I don't know if these conditioners are new but I hadn't seen them before and I have to say I love Jungle so far. It has most of the amazing qualities of the shampoo however it is a little more difficult to apply as you don't get a lather but a creamy lotion, once you have the creaminess on your palms you can stroke the bar along the mid to ends of your hair and rub in to get soft and cocoa buttery locks. 

I can't recommend these bars more, a little goes a really long way and they are 100% worth it. I've turned my mother into a Lush lover, how about you?

a well-drawn bath

With the weather getting colder and the wind getting stronger we start to light fires and turn on the heating, we crack out the fluffy blankets and slippers and look forward to a hot relaxing bath after a cold journey home.

I personally change my bath routine regularly so no two baths are the same.. I am a shower person but a bath often hits the spot when my toes get colder and my friend starts telling me how her mum is going to make her nose a hat! Here are some luxury and value products to go along with a glass of wine and your favourite chill out music. 

LUXURY

Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Candle

This candle isn't just a gorgeous smelling, relaxing accompaniment to a soothing bath and a glass of wine after a stress filled week at work. This candle donates 10% of proceeds to Foundation Defence Against Cancer when purchased. It's intense aroma and scent was lovingly created by the founder of AA in her time of need and now comforts and supports those who need it most. It's a strong and warm scent that can bring you back to your feet.

Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil

Another intense AA product that fills the room with warmth and comfort. Made to relax and rest you with it's stunning ingredients including lovely camomile for a deep sleep. Adding a few drops of this to your bath can make  a whole lot of difference to your mood, I think it is the perfect blend for after a long day at work.

VALUE

Avon Warm Vanilla & Fig Bubble Bath

This is the perfect winter scent for a hot bubbly bath, if you want to add it to a bath with the AA oil then you have twice as much comfort and relaxation. Giving you a deep purple bath with a strong smell of vanilla and plenty of bubbles to get lost in.. there is no fault in it.

Sugared Raspberry Wax Filled Candle, Dunelm Mill

This candle has a sweet and warming scent, it is right up my alley. It is a fairly large candle with 3 wicks and has a burn time of up to 30 hours - meaning you can have it lit for a long, long, long cosy bath. It's low price means there is no special aromatherapy behind it, just a lovely glow and sweet scent (what are candles for?).

So go on, get your perfect bath drawn.. I am!

the invisi-brow

 Now I am sure I have reviewed brow kits on curiosity before now but I cannot for the life of me find a link. For those of you who are wondering there is a definition below that will help you understand this post...

Invisi-brow (n) definition: an eyebrow that is deemed invisible to the naked human eye. E.g. 'Look at that ginger girl, she has no eyebrows!' also known as: when the hair of an eyebrow is extremely blonde naturally

Not many can say that they have invisible eyebrows, I am unfortunately one of the rare few that can. I won't go into the whole back story but I have learnt in the past few years as a teenager, a beauty pr intern and a girl who loves make up that eyebrows are essential. I started using eyeshadow as an experiment to fill in my brows, getting darker as I got braver. When I realised there were fabulous brow kits available I jumped at the chance and got a GOSH brow kit for myself. It has 3 shadows and a gel - it's brilliant. I then advanced to a stunning Shavata brow kit with creme shadows that I still have in my make up bag. Next I think I will try the Sleek brow kit but until then I have discovered an easier solution.

I have recently been encouraged to try tinting. I thought it would be a perfect idea for my trip to Thailand to get both my brows and lashes done, so I treated myself and went to Shavata in Harvey Nichols. If you have me on instagram you will have see the results there, they were amazing and I swore never to go untinted again.

Since I daren't try anywhere cheap and tacky in the borough of Rochdale.. I was very excited to see a brow and nail bar had opened in Primark Manchester called Love Beauty by Monica Mohindra! I ran straight down there and got my brows tinted, as they desperately needed it, for an amazing £5. It's situated on the 1st floor in the back corner, nice and cosy and the ladies in there are lovely and very well trained. I am very happy with my brows.. next it's nails and lashes!

How would you or do you solve your sorry brow problems?

faking it

Writing a blog post on post holiday beauty, you would assume I would be talking about your typical skin care routine and hair treatments - well this is one instance where you shouldn't assume anything.

Following a holiday in the sun, you catch up with friends and show off your beautiful tan - wrong! Not everyone has this luxury.. 

So if you are one of the few who would love to be able to show off a tan to your friends or just like me you want to look less like you went away and  spent your time under a tree (which I did) then this tan is for you. The St. Tropez Dry Luxe Tanning Oil is the best tan I have used. Having been through a lot of fake tan I have used most graduals and instants you would find on the shelf in Boots. I have recently discovered what a lot of fake tan really meant when clearing out my bedroom.. 5 half empty bottles later I would still go right back to this tanning oil. However, avoid wearing it when you know you will be sweating a lot as it can rub off in patches - not hot.

I swear by St. Tropez, I find St. Moriz is a good cheaper alternative but I think if you have the money and don't want to worry about how the tan will sit on your skin/fade/blend then get yourself the the St. Tropez stands and shelves. I always thought all tan was the same as a youngster, it all did the same job and as a dancer I applied a lot of the stuff to get that subtle orange glow that goes so well with stage lighting. After switching tans every fading moment from instant to gradual, from mousse to lotion, from Dove to Boots own depending on the mood, or the special half price offer, for the past few years I have finally settled on my favourite brand for all of my tanning needs.

My mum uses the gradual to maintain her sunbed tan she catches so well and it leaves a lovely colour on the skin - no streaks or orange tint. The same goes for the instant mousse which I have been using for the past year, another advantage to this mousse is that it leaves a light colour after a shower. Now some may not want this and feel it stains the skin, if so I recommend using La La Madame Instant Mousse which is fairly resilient against light rain (light being the operative word there) and yet still washes off really well with a light exfoliation (no vigorous scrubbing necessary).

This tanning oil however is totally different, if you want to maintain a gorgeous colour for up to 10 days this is your best friend. Apply a light coat and give 8 hours to develop, it dries really quickly so you don't need to stand around nude yet the oil blends in really well giving the gift of absolutely no sign of streaks. Moisturise daily to maintain an even fade and you are laughing with your friends about how miraculous it is you finally caught a tan on your jolly hols!

Fake Tanning Tips:
1. Always use a mitt, no matter what type of tan - no streaks and no orange hands! And there are no excuses because they are cheap as chips..
2. Create a claw with your hand and brush the mitt lightly over the top to tan your hands with the remainder of the tan on the mitt
3. Let yourself dry...
4. Don't apply to peeling/burnt skin that might peel (without moisturising at least) to avoid patchiness
5. Use the remainder of the tan for your face, try not to use a full blob!

I also recommend the ever affordable options of the St Moriz collection. Alternatively I love Dove Gradual Tan as a daily tan application (I have used this before, during and after holidays before now to give myself a glow) or as a top up that smells divine. Rimmel Instant Tanning Lotion is a cheeky one to apply to legs and arms (maybe even chest ;) ) before a night out in any country and clean away in the morning before a trip to the beach.

get your backpacks out...

Hello boys and girls, I know it has been a long time but I literally got back from my month long adventure in beautiful Thailand 2 days ago. Now the jet lag is waring off and I have all the time in the world so blog my heart out.

My prep for my trip to Thailand involving lashings of fake tan (didn't last), resisting a hair cut (the humidity would just ruin it again!), veeting, shaving, sit ups and my new favourite tinting. I went to Shavata, 3 days before flying, in Harving Nichols and got my lashes and brows tinted. For a student it is a little pricey but they did a really good job - I wouldn't have gone anywhere else for my first tint as I was really nervous I was going to walk out with slugs on my face. They did a gorgeous job and I ended up getting a shape too (which once tinted I realised I needed!). Result? No more invisi-brow and non need for mascara on the beach.

Picking what to put in my rather massive backpack for my travels was quite difficult because I am so used to having piles of beauty products and a sack full of make up with me at all times.. So I had to narrow it down and adjust it to what I needed instead of what I wanted to take (this was very hard for me!). I managed to narrow it down to the above - after lots of deliberating with myself. While I was away my beauty regime changed and adjusted so I brought back some things I couldn't live without out there.

To start I obviously needed my sun cream, Soltan Factor 30 is normally perfect but it seemed it just wasn't strong enough to protect my ginger skin from the Asian sun. So I had to upgrade to Soltan's Invisible dry Factor 50 - (even using this I managed to burn my back red raw... ). When I packed I was determined not to be my milk bottle self and so I found the best and longest lasting fake tan I could find, St Tropez Dry Tan Oil - it (in normal weather conditions) lasts up to ten days. I unfortunately over estimated the stuff though, as it just sweated off in the humidity of Bangkok as soon as we arrived! So I remained pale, now I am back in English weather I have a healthy natural looking glow ;)

Then there is the essential tropical holiday things you need, like Insect Repellent (from Boots) and Bite & Sting Relief Cream (Boots again) that I couldn't have lived without considering the amount of bites we got out there.

Then things I convinced myself I HAD to take, like my long lasting Mitchum 24 hour deodrant (totally essential), and GOSH Forever eyeshadow for Half Moon and Jungle Experience, Super Stay Maybelline Gel Polish in Berry (melted off but I still reapplied it several times before it peeled away a day later) and GOSH mineral powder (again for partying but again sweated off ever so attractively).

While I was out there I got myself Nivea Dry Skin Therapy Serum as my skin was dry from the lashings of insect spray and sun lotion and 2 showers a day. This as well as Nivea After Sun Lotion were must haves for me the past 5 weeks. I also was absolutely fascinated by the amount of whitening make-up, moisturisers, serums and washes there were in the pharmacies in Thailand, it was extraordinary but then when I thought about it look at how much bronzer and fake tan we have over here! So I bought Pond's White Beauty Lightening Facial Foam - I don't want to try it yet given my recent fake tan top up but I will in a couple of weeks and pop up a review with some of the other products that were in the whitening ranges so you can see the extent of it.

As for my hair.. God knows it was a state and still is due to my desperate need for a hair cut.. but for those nights where I kept it down for an hour I smoothed it out with Shauna's Blow Pro Smoothing Spray (it did the job until the humidity kicked in)

So that's basically it! That is what I tried to survive with while out in the jungle (slash in cosy little hostels and cheap restaurants). It wasn't much but it got me through and compacted into the side pockets of my backpack rather well.. that is until the shampoo I got while I was out there burst.. oops.

I have to say it's so nice to be back after a hour long bath I feel clean, freshly blow dried silky hair, a full face of make up to make me feel pretty again and nice clean clothes that I haven't had to wear for 5 weeks. But it was an incredible trip that I could do again in a heartbeat.

Remember all the product names are links to where you can find them and more info about them! :)