Halloween Youtube Mix

So yeah, as I've said, I'm into theatre and theatrical makeup. So it follows that I should be posting some Halloween tutorials. Unfortunately I haven't had the time to prepare; if I'm gonna do Halloween, I'm gonna do Halloween right, damnit.

Instead, I've gathered a list of YouTube favourites I think you should try out. Enjoy!

 Playlists from year round costume/theatrical enthusiasts:

Julia Graf does mostly makeup with a passion for editorial style looks:



Kandee Johnson is a makeup artist who does lots of costuming and editorial looks:



Pixiwoo are makeup artists (Sam and Nic Chapman) who, besides being amazing, also love their editorials and costume makeup looks:



I had to make this playlist of Klair DeLys myself (She has two channels: KlairdeLysArt and KlairdeLysdotcom); she should really have one on her channel. She is an artist who does a variety of things including DIY props, editorials, every day makeup, and full costume looks. This is by no means a comprehensive playlist:


Threadbanger are a long time favourite of mine. They are amazeballs at DIY fashion and costuming:



Here are some special effects tutorials:

Miss Budget Beauty invited a guest vlogger for this one:



The Prince of Vanity stuck a pencil up his nose:



Pollyanne B zombifies her nails:



Some more costumes

Vintage or Tacky as Rosie the Riveter:



Miss Budget Beauty's Comic Book look:



Secret Life of a Bio Nerd's Mermaid costume:



And her fox costume (very timely):



And her Harley Quinn Costume (goes will with Julia Graf's Harley Quinn look):



Pollyanne B's Creepy Doll:



Mr. Kate's futuristic fairy:



Aaaand for those of you, like me, who never plan Halloween early enough, here are some last minute costumes:

MacBarbie07's Red Riding Hood with no-sew cape:



Andrea's Choice easy/last minute ideas:



Last, but not least, Daily Grace's cheap/dumb costumes:



I hope you have a fantastic Halloween! <3

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Tippety-top Tips: Handwash Your Facecloth

Everybody washes the washcloth/flannel they use on their faces every day, right? Right? Uh huh. Can't keep a straight face, can you?

The good news is with this Tippety-top Tip, you'll be less inclined to 'forget'.

Grab the nearest small bottle for storing liquid soap. You might use an empty sample bottle like I have, or a travel bottle you bought in a shop/store, whatever. Fill it up with your liquid laundry detergent. Et Voilà!

Set it next to your cleansers, and next time you wash your face, dab a little detergent on your cloth and handwash it. I wouldn't recommend using that cloth forever, but now you don't have to put it in the laundry for at least a week. Hooray!

<3

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Headline Colours

So I just subscribed to Love Me Beauty box (used to be Beauteco Box) last month using a voucher code from Miss Budget Beauty (heart), and got two extra products with my first box. 

Btw, I'm totally proud of myself for the way I convinced my hubby getting the box would be a good idea. It went something like, "But honey, I'm going to want to buy new stuff all the time anyway, see, but this way it's guaranteed to only cost £10 per month plus shipping! And I'll get loads of full sized stuff, not just samples, and easy cool high end stuff I wouldn't otherwise get my hands on. Yeah, it'll save even more money because I will get to try lots of stuff and not have to buy things I won't like. And... AND, if I sign up for a whole year, it'll cost LESS than £10 with shipping! Isn't that awesome?"

Anyway, one of the extras was a full sized bottle of the newly international nail polish/varnish brand, Headline Colors, in the colour Glamour. Although I find the premise of the brand appealing, my overall feelings are mixed.

Glamour is the gold shade in the spring/summer 2013 collection (the brand differentiates itself by only releasing new colours in small limited edition collections inspired by runway trends), and I think I'm in love. 

Pick some up!

This is the best representation of a metallic I've ever seen. The yellow hue is the closest to real gold, and they don't use a glitter, it's a pearl! Probably due to my typically contrary nature, I'm not a huge fan of sparkly things. Look at my wedding ring to see what I mean.

If you don't understand why I think this is so special, ponder this: when was the last time you saw gold sparkle? Probably never, unless it was cut worth facets to resemble jewels, but that's another thing. Last time I looked, my gold pieces shined, glowed, maybe even shimmered. The pearl finish of this polish absolutely shines without the gaudy sparkle, and with a good coat of Seche Vite the stuff really looks like molten gold poured on my nails Game of Thrones style, without all the tacky screaming and death. 

It lasts an average amount of time on my nails without chipping badly. (I don't like to say exactly how long because I never seem to get as much wear out of polishes that other people claim, not even in the best ones) I just wish they would do something about their packaging and the UK pricing. I think they source their packaging from the same place Hello Kitty does, and at £9 this brand costs more than both Essie and Sally Hanson. I'm just not sure it's worth it. 

My judgement? Pounce if you can get a deal or you have the money to burn. Otherwise I think Butter London is just as fashion forward and 3 free, but without the gimmicky runway thing. I think there's a reason why nail colours have their own trends; One of the other colours in this collection is a gunmetal grey. For spring and summer. Really?

The Hunt: Clinique Anti-Blemish Solution

Formulation: liquid
Shade: 04 Fresh Vanilla
Coverage: light to medium
Special features: contains Salicylic acid for treatment of blemishes

Initial impressions: It does the job without breaking me out more, has a demi-matte texture and looks fairly natural. I was, however, disappointed by the lack of lighter warm toned shades. Shade 04 is the darkest shade I could go with but leaves me looking somewhat ashey.

Wear: Overall the wear is average but oils may soak through after a few hours, so you'll want to have something around to blot with.

Other products used: Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot, Collection Pressed Powder, Seventeen Miracle Matte Concealer Crayon, Collection Illuminating Touch, MUA Correct & Prime, Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base

Favourite method of application: I prefer a stippling or duo-fibre brush. Applying it too heavily can lead to cakiness and finger or sponge application can be hard to blend evenly. Sponges (because you always dampen your sponge, right?) also have the tendency to dilute it quite seriously.

Final opinion: This foundation accentuates dryness, so I think it's formulated with oily skin in mind. It doesn't build very well; if you have a lot of redness, you'll want to use additional products to achieve a more even skin tone. It also tends to make powders look cakey, especially when you first apply it in the morning. Avoid heavy-handedness, and don't apply your makeup just before you walk out the door.

Length of use: 5 months


Who should use this: Definitely oily girls with spot/acne problems. Us combination and dry skin girls should probably avoid.

<3

Love Me Beauty - October 2013

There's still a little bit left in the month, so despite my camera and time issues, I wanted to show you this month's Love Me Beauty box. I went with menu 2 even though I wasn't really sold on this month's offering.

Before I go on, however, I should mention the letter subscribers received recently. In it, Love Me Beauty responded to customer complaints saying, "It has come to our attention that some products dispatched in our October box from our long term partner's Lord & Berry have not met the high standards set by Lord & Berry and ourselves." As "a gesture of goodwill and apology", they've promised a full sized Lord & Berry lipstick in next month's box. 

Now this is only my third box from Love Me Beauty, but I can say that I've always liked the majority of their products, and I've been reading reviews on them for some time and it's nearly always positive. It's unfortunate they didn't notice the problem before shipping, but I admire them for responding so quickly, publicly, and personally.

I'm also new to Lord & Berry, having been introduced to them in my first box. Sadly, I don't have high praise for what I know of their products, so I wasn't surprised by my own reception of the pencil and mascara. However, I did a little googling and I found that aside from the obvious manufacturing fault that many (but not myself) found, the reviews were mixed, even contradictory. 

So I still don't think we should all condemn Lord & Berry at this point. Aside from the fact they are giving us a free product in return, the problem could simply be an easy to remediate supplier issue; these things happen. Let's just wait and see.

Lord & Berry Smudge Proof Eyeliner in Smoke: I couldn't recommend this product to anyone in good conscience. No, I didn't find the manufacturing fault, but I did find the quality of the pencil to be rather inferior. It was streaky and dragged even on the back of my hand. I also found it nearly impossible to get a decent colour payoff on my eyelid. That said, I've read at least one review in which is was described as "creamy", so it's entirely probable that more than one manufacturing fault was present in what went out in the boxes.

Lord & Berry Scuba Mascara in Black: I've only tried a couple waterproof mascaras, but this is the only one that felt like rubbing waxy chalk into my eyelids. It was absolutely dry as a bone, and I don't think I could bring myself to try it more than the once.

Balm Balm Detox Bath & Shower: What a lovely combination of essential oils! Just sniffing it brings a smile to my face. I'm saving this one for a Grumpy bath day.

Weleda Millet Nourishing Shampoo: Now, I don't normally shampoo my hair, but I put it up with a lot of hairspray recently, and my cleansing conditioner didn't remove it, so I was willing to try this out. It left me very confused. There was no lather, even when I added more, and no indication on the packaging that it shouldn't, and I didn't feel like it cleaned my hair much at all. Ouch.

Amie Morning Dew Matte-Finish Moisturiser: This is a very light moisturiser, with a very delicate fragrance. I absorbs quickly, and does leave the skin looking matte, but I felt like it left a kind of film on my skin. I'll be trying it more than just the once, though.

 

Have you tried any of these products before? What do you think of them?

<3

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DIY tabletop lighted vanity mirror

I live in a shared house with a friend from uni. It's one of those old one bathroom Victorian terraces in which the architect didn't really have mirror placement in mind. Also, the lighting is awful for makeup application. I've been lusting after a lighted vanity mirror since discovering the modest dressing room accomodation at our local theatre last year; so when I was oggling mirrors on Amazon recently, I had a brainwave. There was this perfect table-top dressing mirror made of real Oak and it was only £35, it just needed me to slap some fairy lights on it! Fairy lights rule the world.

Originally I tried a string of warm white LEDs we use at christmas, but found them way too dim, so I picked up 3 sets of 30 superbright LEDs from Amazon. The gold one is for adding some warmth, rather than luminousity; nobody looks good in flat white light.

Materials:

• Large vanity mirror of some kind (the price has gone up since I bought it)
• enough fairy lights to light up your face from 2 feet
• Velcro squares
• Command hooks for fairy lights
• tape measure
• food clips or wire ties (anything that will serve as a marker and hold light strings in place)
• decorative bits and bobs (optional)

To start off, I measured the mirror on three sides, where I wanted the lights to be. I figured lighting from the bottom would be undesireable. I layed my tape measure out on the kitchen counter, making sure I had access to the 54 inches of space for putting the light strings together. Obviously one longer surface would be better, but my office is taking up a large portion of the dining table at the mo'.

Then I marked where the light strings would wrap around from the back, giving the battery packs enough room to be placed comfortably on the back side of the mirror. I used a food clip to keep the strings in place for when I started wrapping.

Because the mirror swivels, the battery packs need to be in line with the swivel point so they don't influence how smoothly the mirror swings back and forth. If you don't do this, the mirror may not want to stay in the position you put it in. I measured from where the string would wrap around to the bottom then placed the clips at that far in from both ends of the tape measure.

You'll notice I split up the strings and put one on the left. This is because I didn't want to put the battery packs on one side and end up with any of the lights on the back side of the mirror because the lightless part of the string wasn't long enough. If you've got lights with a lot of space between the battery pack and the first bulb, you don't have to do this and it might make the twisting easier. You can also get one string instead of three, if you can find a long set that is bright enough.

I twisted the strings together toward the closest end of the tape, bent them back at the end, then started wrapping the rest of the two light strings back around what was already twisted together. When I reached the clip again, I started twisting the two free strings together again toward the other end of the measuring tape.

All this twisting and wrapping is necessary because otherwise the light strings wont hold together and you'll have to attach each one to the mirror seperately. This way I only had to hook one string to the mirror and everything stays put. Of course, if you find one longer light string, all of this will be easier as you'll just be wrapping back and forth from end to end.

When I got to the third battery pack I clipped the other two strings to it where it wraps around from the back side of the mirror, then incorporated the third string into the twisting.

Like at the other end, when I got to the far point on the tape I bent the light strings back, wrapping the loose ends back around the already twisted bits. At this point it becomes necessary to start feeding the bulbs through the middle of the other strings. This helps to bond the whole thing together better and keep the twisting  and wrapping in place. You'll notice that each light string is made up of more than one wire; just stick your finger through the middle of the wires, where you want to connect two light strings,  and pull the LED bulb through.

For the rest, I just kept wrapping the loose ends back and forth, feeding the bulbs through other strings occasionally until the end of the last string.

Now to fix the twisted light strings to the mirror:

How many velcro squares and in what position they need to be depends on the size of the battery packs on your fairy lights. Mine fit 3 AAA batteries, so I pressed the two opposite sheets together as they were, then cut through the backing sheet width-wise, leaving two squares on the same backing sheet. The spacing was just right for securing my battery packs.

Take the backing sheet off one side then stick them appropriately on the back side of your mirror. I just eyeballed it, but if you're worried, you can use a level and/or ruler and a pencil to draw a line if you want. But I'm sure if it's not perfect, on this small a scale it won't make that much of a difference.

Be sure to leave both sides of the velcro stuck together as this will make it easier to place the opposite side in the right place on the battery packs. Then leave them alone for a bit to adhere.

Now you can place your fairy light command hooks on the front side. The great thing about these is that if I don't like the placement, which I didn't at first, you can remove them and put them somewhere else. I also ended up adding more later to support the lights where they needed it. The right side was particularly disobedient and I now have three by the swivel point. I also discovered that purchasing clear hooks is pointless as the command strips always come in white, as you can see in the pics.

The direction the hook is pointing is important as otherwise they will not hold your lights in place. The end hooks are placed pointing downward.

The swivel point hooks are pointing outward here, but I discovered they should be pointing inward in order to hold the bit coming from the battery packs in place.

The ones in the upper corners just need to be pointing upward. I put them on the diagonal because I thought the lights would hide them better that way. I also eventually added two more to the top edge, at equal intervals.

On the back side again, I removed the covers from the battery packs, made sure I had the orientation correct (otherwise the weight of the batteries could be enough to make them slide off!), then peeled the last backing papers off the Velcro and pressed the covers on. Try to make sure they're centered well.

After a few minutes, you can put the battery packs in place onto the covers. I suggest putting the light string at the front of the mirror, from underneath, then sliding the battery packs upward to lock them in place.

Now hook your light string in place. Sometimes only one wire strand is needed, but I suggest picking a couple strands from seperate light strings just to make sure it all holds together well.

Et Voilà!

You can do what I did and place a scarf over it, either for decoration or as below, to cover it up so I don't have to look at myself all day. But if you like looking at yourself in the mirror, don't worry about it!

I also had some pearl-headed floral pins from the centrepieces at my wedding party which I stuck into the strings for decoration, along with one perfect little dried rose and a couple bow-headed pins. Since LEDs don't give off much head, you can decorate these in all sorts of ways.

Now this did cost me a weighty £70 all told, but when you compare it to the purchaseable options from Amazon, you'll soon find it's a bargain just on square footage. Lit vanity mirrors  seem to go for way over half the cost at a small fraction of the mirror size. And if you're lucky enough to already have a tabletop vanity mirror, you're only looking at £30ish.

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Avon & Balance Me Haul

I've done maybe a little too much shopping recently, but I feel like I'm playing catch-up with the Avon products. It's also A/W offers season, and I have very little self control. Don't forget, if you're interested in any of the Avon products I mention, you can by them by clicking on the brochure link above. Without further ado...

Besides the highlighter I bought these to try out as demos, but they're all available for you to purchase in the current campaign 16. The whole bottom row of items are a giftset and I got the Antler bag on a discount with purchase. The palettes are also one set.

• Mega Mix 'N' Go Palette (pp. 22-23) - This is awesome, but I keep forgetting to use it because I keep in in the Antler bag for showing off to clients.
• Antler Cabin Bag (pp. 12-13) - Very simply and elegant bag and I love the mix of patent and matte finishes. Lots of room for stuff! I would actually consider using this as my Carry-on bag instead of my eons old backpack.
• Ideal Luminous Highlighter (not currently available) - The glitter is minimal, but sadly any glitter is too much for me :(
• Prepare to Party giftset (pp. 140-141) - love the clutch, I keep all my brushes in it these days. The lipstick comes in the colour Red 2000, which is on the scarlet side, but not too much so.

This is the Balance Me discovery box everyone has been all excited about. I'm reserving judgment until I can try these for a bit longer, but I'll admit I have high hopes for the hand cream and the face balm.

• Radiance Facial OIl
• Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm
• Super Moisterising Hand Cream
• Wonder Eye Cream
• Moisture-Rich Face Cream
• Rose Otto Body Wash
• Facial Expression Filler

One of the nice things about being an Avon rep is that I can buy from clearance every campaign; the bag and two of the lipsticks are such items. The eye makeup remover, eye brush, concealer and eye primer are gifts with purchase of the mascara in campaign 15, so the offer isn't available now.

• Conditioning Eye Makeup Remover (p. 34) - fairly good remover, but I don't think I'll get to it in ages, so I will probably give it away.
• Eyeshadow Primer (p. 34) - This is really good, it makes my MUA eyeshadow sticks really pop!
• Eyeshadow Brush with Smudger (not available in 16, ask me to order)
• Ideal Flawless Concealer Stick in Medium (p. 49) - has a really natural finish that I like, and decent coverage.
• Shine Attract Lipstick in Guava (not available in 16, ask me to order) - love love love this! Has a balmy finish, and the colour is divine. Think Bourjois Color Blast.
• Plump Pout Lipstick in Chilli (no longer available) - Now this is my kind of red! It's deep shade and has no blue in it! Yay! Can't comment on the formula yet.
• Ultra Colour Rich Matte Lipstick in Pink Cuddle (no longer available) - This is a middling to cooler nude pink shade. Sadly, I prefer a warmer one, though it's nice and I can see wearing it again.
• Cosmetic Bag with Pendant (no longer available) - ooh, isn't that an exciting description?!  It has a lovely teal interior and basketweave satin-type outside
• Mega Effects Mascara in Blackest Black (pp. 20-21)  - This reminds me exactly of Benefit's Bad Gal, only cheaper. Definitely dupe potential, and the brush is awesome. It's similar to a wand where the brush is bent 90 degrees.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think?

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The Hunt: L'Oréal Magique CC cream

Sticky-Tac rules.

Formulation: Liquid with smart pigment capsules
Shade: Anti-redness
Coverage: Medium

Special Features: Anti-redness & smart pigment capsules


Initial impressions: This was one of the first bases I purchased at the beginning of the summer. It was cheap, easy, and had anti-redness coverage. It didn't set me off right away as looking unnatural, although the colour seemed slightly off. It has a dewy reflection on my dry-combo skin.

Wear: Below average: doesn't stick to oily spots and runs at the merest hint of moisture.

Other products used: Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot

Favourite method of application: Fingers, definitely. You can buff it in at the end, but the formula is so liquid-y that it applies with fingers about as well as it could. Just watch out for some streakiness.

Final opinion: After the initial phase of necessity, I began using it for the gym and when I needed a quick trip to the shops. It's alright for that, but to be honest, there are better and equally cheap BB creams for this. I don't think it covers redness any better than a base with basic medium-full coverage, either. It also accentuates roughness in the skin and has an orangey hue. If you have very normal skin, maintain a relatively dark fake tan year round and don't plan on wearing it for more than a few hours, you might find this useful. But honestly, I don't think I would recommend this to anyone over other BB creams. Sad face.

Length of use: 5 months

Weekend Pamper #2: Sicko Pamper

So you know when you finish Uni, but cant resist going back to visit friends who are still there? And they give you 'Fresher's Flu'? Yeah, this pamper is for weeks like this. Or any time you're feeling under the weather, I guess.

Candles? Check. Bath additive? Check. Scents for unplugging stuffy noses? Check.

Duh. But you might be surprised to hear that one of my sicko essentials is a plastic neti pot from the chemist/pharmacy. In fact, this is my number one life saver because without it I'd have to shove acid (decongestant nasal sprays) up me nose all day, and nobody wants that. I still have to use a spray, usually right after rinsing my sinuses, but dramatically less so. The rinse helps the spray be more effective and vice versa.

It's obvious to focus your sicko bath on that aching body, but you can easily add something in to help keep the nose clear. I use Radox Muscle Soak bath powder and epsom salts for aches and pains, and essential oils to clear the sinuses. The Radox is probably difficult to get in the states, but any muscle soak will do, and the salts are difficult to get in the UK, but not impossible. Just don't fall for the boutique-y spa-labelled epsom salts like I did. People seem to think because they're rare, they can fool us into spending a lot of money by making it look fancier than it is. Just Google it, and you'll find a reasonable price for a large amount of the stuff.

Eucalyptus would be an excellent essential oil for the nose, but I didn't have any, so I used lavendar, cederwood atlas, and juniper. My Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It also has a wonderful minty/eucalyptus-y scent that works well.

Speaking of cleansers, I cannot recommend more than you never stop washing your face when you're ill. No one wants to add breakouts to sickness, and really, it just feeeeels good! I'm not strict about hygeine, but I find it to be rather cheerful when I'm not feeling well; so if I can get out of bed, I'll wash my face and shower. If not, I've got cleansing wipes next to me. Not least of all, hygeine exists to keep illness at bay; if you stay clean, you may fend off what's bugging you earlier. That goes for the sinus rinsing too!

Besides making your body feel better, it's helpful to make your mind feel better as well. Pop some oils in the bath just for the aromatherapy factor, like calming lavendar or cheerful bergamot. Then slather on a face mask purely for the sake of smelling lovely. Unfortunately, the one I used was discontinued ages ago, but it's a clay gentle exfoliator mask with the most lovely citrus aroma. It's my favourite morning or bad mood mask, and I'm running out! Eek!

It helps to use a mask that doesn't need to dry to work, because the next thing I suggest is a face, neck and shoulder massage:

I used this lovely video (Her dog is in the background the entire time! Heart!) to guide my through it. It was really lovely. I followed it up with a good scrub from my favourite body wash and scrub brush. I'm not a fan of sugar or salt scrubs, but if that's your thing you could do that too. I like the brush because it comes with a long handle and when I'm a sicko I don't have to move as much to get all my bits.

Rinse off the mask, then wash your face and your other bits, and finally just chill! The mask you rinsed off will mingle in the bath water and do nice things to the rest of your skin, and you can recover a bit from how difficult it is to move.

The last thing I do isn't necessary, especially if you're really ill. I do it because it's a requirement if I want to improve in dance and fitness, and because it helps loosen up stiff muscles and joints. As soon as I'm done in the bath, I quickly dry off then start stretching. It's important to do this while you're still warm from the bath. I stretch out my quads, hamstrings, gluts, hips, calves, feet & ankles, abs, lats & delts, biceps and finally triceps. If you're newer to stretching, This is a really good video that illustrates the type of stretching I do:

What's your favourite thing that makes you feel better when you're ill? Do you have a recommendation for a new pick-me-up face mask?

<3

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Face of the Day #1

 

I picked up brochures and orders for Avon the other day, so I thought a full Avon face was in order, well, nearly. Sorry about the baggy eyes and red flush in the photo at the bottom; I had to rush out the door after getting my face on, so this is after a few hours of walking around North Bristol. That and a particularly horrible (and by horrible I mean really lovely) friend of mine came for a visit last week and left behind her cold.

Here are the products I used:

FACE

Algenist Deep Wrinkle Minimizer - Okay, I'm the "Embrace your wrinkles!" type, but I've had this pesky smile line since forever that likes to catch all my makeup and become the centre of attention on my face. That's a no-no. So I picked this up from Space.NK to teach it a lesson, and boy does it! It doesn't make it go completely, but I'm cool with that.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Part of my GWP (Goodie Bag) from the recent Space.NK event, I was really excited to try this out, as I think I've just started a close relationship with Laura Mercier as a brand. I mean, since when does a whole brand just look that good on one face? This is not a silicone primer, so it felt different going on and seemed to soak straight in. The Invisible coverage foundation didn't go on as smoothly as with my Garnier primer, but it's still even and stayed put for the rest of the day.

Avon Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage (Page 60, in Golden) - I really like this foundation. You can really see the skin through it and it feels great on. I just wish I could wear it confidently when I'm not trying to demo the brand. Soon! My skin is improving on a daily basis!

Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer (naked) - As good as they say!

Seventeen Miracle Matte Concealer Crayon (light) - Annoyingly, I could only get this in light at the time, but if I put it on under foundation, it blends well and then I only have to put the tiniest touch on after. This blends and has great coverage, but doesn't stick to the dry patches. The fact that it's matte means that it downplays the bumps, helping to create the illusion of smoother skin.

CHEEKS

Sleek Face Contour Kit (light) - Yeah, okay, this is probably my area of least confidence. I've become increasingly embarrased about the fleshiness around my chin and cheeks, and I like to think that a little subtle contouring helps. I leave my forehead alone, but add shadow to the hollows of my cheeks, under the jawline and under the chin. I left the highlighting to another product:

Avon Ideal Luminous Highlighter - This isn't available this campaign, but why not try the Illuminating Face Pearls or Luminous Finish Face Illuminator on pages 60/61. It's a lovely highlighter, which I placed at the top of the cheek  and jaw bones, but it does have a slight glitter under strong light.

Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Copper - When I bought this it went to the back of my stash, but I've recently heard it's a beauty favourite, so I dug it up for this look. Sadly, it's hard to tell the blusher from my natural flush in the pic below, but I do like the way it applies with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush and the colour is very natural, which is how I like it.

EYES

MUA Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tints in Stay and A Girl Like Me -  I use these as an inner corner highlighter and base, respectively. They go on really smoothly after warming up, and I've only seen my shadow crease once, after a very long day, when I use this as a base. Also, I think Stay is the best highlighter ever: not glittery or powdery, which irritates my eyes!

Avon True Colour Eyeshadow Duo in Healthy Glow - This colorway is only available in the Christmas Flyer (pages 18 & 19) in a giftset along with the clutch, lipstick, eyeliner and mascara in the photo above. The True Colour shadows are velvety and highly pigmented. There was no fallout and they blend like a dream. I really wanted this colourway because I tend to go with more natural eyeshadow and the colours really suit my skintone.

Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliner in Blackest Black, pg 17 - Not as black as I would like, but nice and creamy without smudging all over the place during application.

Avon SuperShock Mascara, pg 75 - This was my first go with a plastic brush and I've got no complaints, but I think I need to find some sort of mascara masterclass, because I can never seem to get on more than one coat without pulling out lashes and making it look worse. (Update: On second application, I discovered that it's best to refrain from wiggling the brush, and to roll the brush rather than blinking or pushing the brush through the lashes)  I have to admit, though, I haven't tried a lot of mascaras. Do you recommend any?

Laura Mercier Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette - I love the way this doesn't really draw on your browbone, but coats the little invisible hairs that really help make your eyebrows look elegant. I actually don't do much with my brows because otherwise they'll look a bit crazy. Just a little on the top edge and to elongate them to frame my face better.

LIPS

Laura Mercier Anti-feathering Lip Pencil in Plumberry - Best lip pencil I ever tried, honest. I gave them up ages ago because they all sucked. All of them. They smudged or were too hard, did nothing for feathering, were the wrong colour: they were evil. And then I met Laura Mercier, and Nina the makeup artist (heart!) at last week's SpaceNK event. These pencils are waxy, preventing feathering, but go on really smoothly. And Nina gave me the best tip ever: choose a pencil in your natural lip colour! I have issues with my lips going flesh-toned at the edges which makes it hard to convincingly draw an attractive lip line, but the pencil evened out the colour of my lips which make it a cinch for the lip line. I actually think this is one of my best and quickest lip jobs ever.

Avon Ultracolor Lipstick in Red 2000, pg 11 - Despite turning out to be a scarlet (I don't do pinky tones very well), I actually like this colour. Normally I prefer darker or more crimson and vermillion reds. Though i have to admit, it does rather match my lovely shade of flushed. Also this is a crazy nice formula. It's super creamy and comfortable even after a long day, not sticky, and lasts really long. I'll have to do a comparison wear test soon to show you what I mean. What creamy lipstick do you recommend that comes in a similar colour?

This is actually Lava Love on my lips here, which again looks like a great orangey-red on the stick, but more like a watermelon red on my lips.

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The Hunt for Holy Grail Foundation

Note to self: Don't do this with round bottles, they will fall off and break, and then you'll have to publish one of your crappy shots, like this one.

When I moved to the UK, I came with a bottle of L'oreal True Match for wearing with tanned skin (that's Chicago summer tanned skin) and Physician's Formula mineral powder for every-day wear.  I try to avoid wearing makeup every day, so in the last three years I may have worn these a handful of times.

Last April, when performing for my university's Centre for Performing Arts, I think I realised what had happened to my skin over that time . Three years in sunny Bristol had left me significantly paler than someone of my Italian-Cuban heritage ought to be, and three years in university (at the ripe age of thirty-*cough*) left me with a face full of nasty, inflamed spots.

I wore the L'oreal as the perfect extra dark colour to prevent looking washed out under the stage lights.

source: Wikimedia Commons

After the debacle that was uni finished, I promised myself I would clear up my skin. Otherwise, I would not leave the house without wearing some sort of makeup. And so began my foray into the wonderful world of beauty and skincare.

Eyes, lips and cheeks are fun and easy, but foundation? Oh boy. I'm sure most of us have our stories about how we were forced to wander out of doors with cakey, oxidised, melting and off-toned foundation while searching for our Holy Grail. But, since I'm now a beauty blogger, it's becomes my resonsibility to come to the rescue, boldly publicising my skin shame so that some little someone out there might have one less day of abject embarrasment! Also, who doesn't love a little self-deprecation?

No matter how good at this you are, publishing a photo of it on the internet eventually becomes a form of self-deprecation. And this chick is talented.                              Source: Wikimedia Commons

So to start off, you should know about my skin, so you can put my advice in it's rightful place, be that the bin or top of your list. I would describe my skin as combination. Both sides of my nose can be so oily they'll melt foundation off within an hour or two, and the outer bits can be so dry I get rough, ashey patches. Awesome, right? At the moment I write this, I'm actually considering doubling up on skin care: one set for oily skin and another for dry. It's that difficult. And I'm still a little spotty. And by 'a little' I mean half a dozen active spots on a constant basis and dozens of acne scars that wont go away. And I have visible capilliaries.

Ugh, I want to go sit down with a pint of ice cream after writing that. Deep breaths, Jess. It'll be okay.

Right. So the point of this is the inception of my series of foundation reviews called 'The Hunt for Holy Grail Foundation'. In this series I'll review foundations as I try them, sharing the details of not just a day of wear, but what they're like over approximately a week. I hope you'll find it helpful and fun!

                              Interior design lust.                                 Source: Wikimedia Commons

I'd love to hear some of your foundation anecdotes or questions about foundation (I love researching!).

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Weekend Pamper #1

This is how I've always wanted the Internet to remember me:

 

My Space.NK goodie bag came with some fun cloth masks and a lovely Diptyque candle, so I did the obvious thing and had me a spa day. Everyone loves a spa day! Do the spa day dance! *Boogie*

Spa days, for me, require a bubble bath. I went straight for my Avon bubble bath in the new fragrance, Warm Vanilla & Fig. I didn't think I would like this scent, as I'm not a fan of food fragrances, and to be honest, when you open the bottle it's a little overwhelming. However, diluted in the bath, it's a very warm, inviting aroma that I find really comforting; perfect for a chilly autumn Sunday! It's available now, in the current campaign 16 brochure.

This lovely Diptyque votive goes well with the bubble bath with it's warm, clean scent. Apparently the Tuberose is a Mexican night flower, and according to Space.NK, the most expensive perfume ingredient in the world. Lush! They and Diptyque describe the scent as heady, sensual and floral, but luckily from me, I don't really get that from this votive. My nose is too sensitive for powerful florals, but instead I find the scent a delicate, indeed sensual, version of the companies' claims.

I was sure to lock the bathroom door this time, because my husband has a tendency to laugh when I wander around the house in my mud masks. Goodness forbid he walk into the bathroom and see me wearing these:

He'd have a heart attack, I'm sure. But I'm confident in the knowledge that the funnier it looks, the more it'll do, right? Right?? Both the Wei Ginko decolletage and Sarah Chapman Chin and Jaw masks are serums loaded into cloth masks. I'll admit, I'm not sure I understand the purpose of this method, but I do know the Wei mask evaporated rather fast after I removed the cloth, and the Jaw and Chin cloth felt a bit like Spanx for my face. And just like when putting on my Spanx, I was worried I might tear it while trying to sling it on. My tip is to stretch it out in the middle before attempting the ears.

Both of these are the sort of things that require repeat use to know if they work well. I can say that my decolletage certainly felt hydrated and soft afterwards, and I could feel the chin and jaw mask working (I get this worrying sensation like my throat is tightening, is that normal?), perhaps even more strongly than the Algenist Firming & Lifting cream which is showing fabulous results after two weeks of once daily use.

I would consider buying the Wei mask down the road for infrequent treatments when my cleavage is feeling dry and haggard. I just don't think I'd get much use out of it now, and hope regular moisturising can prevent me ever needing to. Maybe it would be a good post-sun/holiday treatment? Actually, what I could use is a boob lift. Is it wrong that I suddenly want to lather my breasts in Algenist cream? There are lots of firming lotions out there for it, and I mean, if it works on my chin...

The chin and jaw mask, though, just seems cost-prohibitive. £38 for 6 treatments is a definite no at regular use, yet it doesn't seem to have the visible results of a one-off treatment either. I did feel awfully posh, though, wearing both masks. I just needed some darling creature with soft hands to apply them for me and follow with a deep tissue massage, and I would've achieved spoilt nirvana. Otherwise a longer bathtub would be brills. Kthx.

What are your favourite pamper treatments?

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My Current Skincare Routine

I didn't know a thing about proper skincare a few months ago. I just knew you needed to wash it at least every day, and spots should be made to go away. Okay, that's more than nothing, but you know what I mean.

After watching YouTube gurus all summer I've come to know a few more things, but more importantly I know more about my skin. I think that's probably the most important thing to know of all.

My routine has changed frequently, mostly due to slow but steady improvements and the occassional plateauing. Has anyone else ever noticed that before? I've never heard anyone mention it, but I occassionally  would show great improvements with a product for a few weeks, but then it would stop. I would have to move on to something else to see my skin get better again.

I'm still improving, so there are likely to continue to be changes in the products I use, but will likely stick to the Caroline Hirons school of skincare. I encourage you to have a read, she's my kinda lady: ballsy, smart and no nonsense.

Anyway, my basic skincare is cleanser, exfoliator, toner, arnica gel, eye cream for dark circles, calming serum, moisturiser.

Here's the list of products I used in the last 24 hours:

• Cetaphil 
• Super Facialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil  - for when I wear makeup
• Boots Botanics All Bright Eye Soothing Eye Makeup Remover 
• Yes to Carrots Exfoliating Facial Cleanser - I know Hirons isn't keen on manual exfoliators, but I have a lifetime of roughness I need to polish off before I'm content with just a chemical exfoliator. This one has a gentler, fine grit to it. 
• Clarins gentle exfoliator - This is a nice exfoliator that would be great on its own as a maintenance product 
• Clarins Toning Lotion - I get the dry/normal one since I find the oily one way too floral, and Hirons doesn't see much of a difference in the two, from her own use 
• Avalon Organics Lavendar Luminosity Hydrating Toner 
• Arnica Gel - sold and branded by my local health shop 
• Garnier Caffeine Eye Roll-on - I just got this as my previous Boots Botanics roll on did absolutely nothing 
• S5 Calm Serum - I got this in a beauty box and fell in love. It has an immediate effect on my redness, though I have yet to notice any long term benefits. I'm seriously considering spending the money on the full size product 
• Matriskin Technology Collagen Serum - Just got this in my most recent box, and though I would try it out on my nasty forehead stress lines. Looking up this link is the first clue I had of it's retail value. Migawd. It had better give me Jennifer Lawrence's forehead if I'm gonna spend that much on it. This is really the only link I could find for purchasing it. 
• Avocado Oil - Any cosmetic/aromatherapy brand will do. I use this in a lot of DIY skincare and apply it directly to the drier areas of my face at night. 
• Garnier Moisture Match Shine Be Gone moisturiser - This is also brand new, but I loved the texture in the shop and it absorbed right away this morning. It's replacing using the Avocado Oil all over and during the day, which was just too much for my face. Before that, I used Avalon Organics Vitamin C day cream, which I really like, but I want to keep my treatment in the serum/cream phase and use a moisturiser that's focused on being a moisturiser.

It's a lot, isn't it? Whatever, I'd throw the kitchen sink at my face if it would make my skin clear.