Quick Tip: My 4 Multitaskers

Hello my lovely people,

I hope you are having a lovely day! I am so excited about all you new followers to my blog, and I would like to take this opportunity to say hello and thank you for your support! I really appreciate all of you and would like to say feel free to contact me at anytime!

So, onto my thoughts for today, did you know that you don't always need a separate product for everything? 

Well its true!  So I thought I would share with you a few tips I have learnt about multitasking products.

1. Concealer

Not only does it hide dark circles and imperfections, you can also use it as an eyelid or lip primer. Apply a small amount with your fingers and it will neutralise the base colour, help the colours you apply to pop and will help your products last!

2. Cream Blusher

I would have to say this product is the ultimate multitasker. You can use it as a highlighter (depending on the colour), lipstick, eyeshadow.... oh and yes, as a blusher!

3. Brown Mascara

Not only can this product be used as a lovely natural daytime mascara, but brush a bit through your eyebrows and you can add definition and shape in a flash.  Just please don't try this with black mascara, or you'll end up with slug brows.

4. Clear Lip balm

Not only can it heal your lips and give you a sexy pout, but add a touch of balm to the tops of your cheeks and you have a quick and easy highlighter!

Now we all know that Men are no good at multitasking, but us women are great at it! So have a rummage through your make-up bags and see how many uses you can find with your products!!

Are there any other multitasking products you use that I haven't thought of?

xxxx

8 Steps on how to make sure you're foundation lasts all day!

If you're like me and don't have much time during the day for touch ups to your make-up, then you want to trust that once you apply your foundation in the morning it will last all day with the smallest amount of interference.  So here are my quick tips to help your foundation last longer!


1. -  Start with a clean face, this will ensure your products glide on smoothly and your skin is clear of dirt and excess oils.

2. - Apply your moisturiser and leave it for 5 minutes to fully soak into your skin.  If after 5 minutes, you can still feel the moisturiser on your skin, then you are using the wrong formula and should opt for a lighter product.

If you have oily skin, choose a light-weight formula that will add hydration but reduce the appearance of oil and shine. For dry skin, use a rich, concentrated moisturiser that will add moisture back into your skin and help prevent flaking.

3. - Next step is to apply primer.  This product is made to help smoothen the surface of your skin to help any further products you use to glide on and stay on for long periods of time. A primer will act like a 'magnet' between your moisturiser and your foundation.

At the moment, I am loving Mary Kay Cosmetic's Foundation Primer (£14/29ml) but I also really like Benefit's Porefessional (£23.50/22ml) and Maybelline The Smoother Skin Retexturising Primer (£9.99/7ml).

4. - Once your primer has settled into the skin, apply your concealer and highlighter in the normal way. If you have heavy blemishes, you may need to apply additional layers of concealer on top of your foundation for a full coverage.

5. - Next step is to apply your foundation.  Do this in the way that is most comfortable for you, whether this is using your fingers, a sponge or brush.  Personally, I prefer to use a buffing brush as I feel this gives you a lovely airbrushed finish.

6. - Once you have applied your foundation, leave it to settle for 5 minutes.  Now I appreciate that not many people have loads of time in the morning, but if you want to help your make-up to last then it is important to allow your make-up to settle before applying the next layer. Perhaps you can use this time to do something else, like start getting dressed or have breakfast?  Personally I like to apply my foundation and then have my morning cup of tea.

7. - Once you have allowed your foundation to settle onto your skin, powder!! This is a very essential step if you have oily skin like I do.  Apply a layer of translucent powder onto your skin using a large powder brush, or try using a mineral powder foundation and buff into your skin using a buffing brush. This will set your foundation and help it to last.

8. - This step is optional, but beneficial if you have oily skin.  Keep a pack of oil blotters in your bag for touch ups throughout the day.  I say touch ups, but the blotting papers will gently remove the excess oil that sits on your skin and will leave a slight powder behind to help keep you looking matt throughout the day.

Now you should be set to stay looking pretty all day long!!

Enjoy my lovelies!!

Make Up Tip No.5 - How to make the most of your brows

All of us have them, but many of us forget that they need as much attention as our lashes or lips do when it comes to make-up.

When it comes to the shape of your brows, here is the general rule for shape.  Start by placing a make-up brush or pencil along the side of your nose, this is where your eyebrow should start.  Then turn it slightly so the brush/pencil is still resting on the edge of your nostril but is now running along the outside edge of the eye, this is where your eyebrow should end.  Finally, if you keep the brush/pencil at the edge of the nostril but this time run it through the iris of the eye, this is where the point of the arch of your eyebrow should be.

Image courtesy of http://www.beauty-advices.com

Once you have your eyebrows in the right shape, you should use make-up to define the brows. Now be aware I am not suggesting you have to colour your brows in like a clown, but just that with a light hand you can define the shape and colour of your brows to make them look perfect.

There are many different products that you can use for your brows, for example, pencils, powders and gels that can all be used to create the desired effect.  Whichever medium you choose, use light feathery strokes this will keep your brows looking natural.

Make Up Tip No.4 - How to apply Mascara

Applying mascara doesnt have to be as tricky as it may seem, so here are a few tips to help you make the most of those beautiful lashes.

Make-up does go off, all products have an expiration period and you should be aware of this if you are keen to keep a healthy make-up bag, for more information on this, read about it here.

The average expiration period for mascara is 3 months, this is because the tube of the mascara acts as a breeding ground for bacteria.  You see we all have very tiny bacteria on our lashes and as you use your mascara it takes off some of this bacteria and distributes it into your mascara tube.  Now although this sounds gross, it is purely natural and nothing to worry about.  But the build up of bacteria in the mascara tube is exactly why you shouldn't keep your mascara for too long.  In addition to this, don't pump the mascara wand into the tube as this brings air into the tube and allows the bacteria to grow faster.

Image courtesy of www.bestbeauty-tips.com

Now enough of the technicalities, this tip is to help you apply mascara. When starting a new mascara you may find the wand holds a lot of excess product, to remove this simply scrape the wand across the opening of the tube as this allows the mascara to be kept for later applications and not wasted.

Once you have the right amount of product on the wand, you should rest the brush at the base of your lashes, it is best to start with your top lashes as these will need the most product on them.  Personally I find it easiest to have my eyes half open and looking down slightly as this will allow you to apply the product with minimal risk of it transferring onto your eyelid. Once you have positioned the mascara brush at the base of your lashes, gently wiggle the brush from side to side in a zig-zag motion moving away from your eye so you are applying the product to the full length of the lashes.  Once you have done this once, move along the lash line and start again.  Repeat this action until your lashes are completely coated in mascara, you may like to apply more than one coat depending on the look you are going for.

If you find your lashes are looking a bit clumpy, try using a clean mascara wand to comb through the lashes to separate as required.

I hope this is helpful and that you enjoy reading my tips as much as I enjoy writing them!

Quick Make-up Tips: Colour

Although we have now entered Spring, when the weather is still cold be careful your skin doesnt look blue or dull. 

To help avoid this, stay away from grey, brown and blue makeup tones and steer towards using peaches and pinks. Opt for slightly brighter shades and you'll look perfect. 

Quick Make-up Tips: Lips

Try giving your lipstick shades a boost by combining lipstick with lip gloss!

This will add extra oomph to your pout for a great night out look.

Quick Make-up Tips: Cheeks

When picking a highlighter for your cheeks, choose a light champagne colour if you have fair to medium skin.  For darker skins, choose a pale gold shimmer.

Quick Make-up Tips: Lips

To add some extra volume to your lips, try using a high shimmer shade of lipgloss all over the lips. This will add dimension to the lips as the light bounces of the shimmer particles