2015 | September Favourites!

September's nearly over, which means? It's almost my birthday month! (and also, there's another favourites post coming for you!).

Beauty

My first beauty favourite is one from Benefit, and it's their 'Gimmie Brow' gel!

This is in the lighter shade of the two available, and what it does is add fibres to your eyebrow to give them the Cara Delasagne effect... Okay it's not actually described as that, but it makes them fuller and thicker, and just all out brow-tastic.

I've never quite worked out how to properly give my eyebrows that bit of oomph. Other people's are easy, but it's always worse when it's your own! This stuff is so easy to use, and you can see the tutorial on the Benefit website here.

It's more at the high end scale price wise, coming in at £18.50, but it's the perfect thing to treat your brows to!

Next up, we have a late addition to my favourites. I only bought this yesterday, (and immediately bought another on online after trying it), but it's amazing! It goes on so smoothly, and from past lip gloss experience I expected to need a few applications before the colour I wanted showed through, but one was all I needed! The colours are so bold and pigmented, and the wearability is amazing! I put this on, and 10 minutes later  I consumed a pizza... and the colour was still there! Barely any loss at all! It's not sticky, it just feels smooth, and gives your lips the perfect colour, and with the uniquely shaped want, if you're only using it on yourself, you don't  even need to worry about getting it right to the line of your lips, it does it all by itself!

This colour is called Aphrodite, and it priced at £5.99... I've got 'Lunch Date' on it's way to me in the post!

Skincare

I don't know what has happened, but recently my face has been a nightmare! Usually my normal Liz Earle products have done the trick to keep acne at bay, but this time, it hasn't even touched it! My face has been a plethora of acne, blackheads, and red patches, so it was time to take some drastic action.

I've been to my doctors before, but whatever they gave me just hasn't worked for longer than two weeks...

I decided to splurge and pick up some products from Perricone MD. I won't talk too much about them, because there's another blog post coming with a full review, but one week in and i'm very impressed, so keep your eye's peeled! 

They do come in at the higher end of the price tag, and yes my purse did suffer! But when it comes to my face, I will spend as much as it takes to give me that extra confidence boost when needed!

Experiences

September has been a month of spontaneity and awesome opportunities! As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I had the chance to be on set as a make up artist with SKEW magazine, and this weekend, I was asked to take part in a Hair Show with Toni And Guy! 

8 Models, in 3 hours... it was knackering, but so worth it!

Also this month, I decided to get some more tattoos! (Which you may have seen already on my Instagram).

I chose to get this one because the last time I had a tattoo, Donna my tattooist, insisted that I get something with some colour! So obviously, I went all out! Donna loved the artist that was the original inspiration for this image, so she loved doing it. Could this be the start of a full sleeve?

And for those of you that know me, know that I am completely and utterly obsessed with Harry Potter. So much so that I thought what better way to always have it in my life than to have him tattooed on my arm? (Judge me all you want, I don't even care!).

So that's it for another month! And just a word of warning, as next month is my birthday month, it's going to be jam packed full of favourites!

Happy reading!

On Set; With SKEW Magazine!

Photographer: Jason Rose

Make Up Artist: Emily Stansfield

Hair: Robert Jefferies

Stylist: Tracey Laycock

Models: Jakub Nowacki/James Palmer

www.skewmagazine.com

Last Sunday I had the incredible opportunity to work on set on my very first professional photoshoot! To say I was excited would have been the understatement of the century.

The opportunity arose when I saw on Facebook that the owner of SKEW (Johnny Clarke) was looking for a make-up artist who could do black eyes, bruises, and generally making someone look battered. Obviously, that's my forte right?

I've never been on set before. In fact, i'd never done any form of photoshoot before that hadn't been on myself, resulting in taking selfies in front of a mirror, so the nerves did kick in pretty much as soon as I left my car to meet the team in Leeds.

Bright pink make up box in hand (because why not bright pink?), Em Scissorhands was ready to take on the world!

This was my first model, (say hi to James), who sat in the chair with minimal facial hair, and a face that it almost felt a shame to trash. So when I was asked to make his facial hair, match his scalp hair, I was a bit stumped. Having never given someone facial hair before, I was a bit out of my depth. So what did I do? Wing it.

Stippling sponge, a mix of brown and black face paint with some eye shadow thrown in, sorted!

The second model was much more straight forward (this is Jakub). A pale face, pink lips, and a defined brow. 

With a few cuts and bruises thrown in for good measure!

I had the best time on this shoot. When it comes to working long hours, you just don't care when it's doing something you love!

I had such a great team to work with, which definitely helps to settle the nerves.

Days like these definitely help you to know that you've made the right career choice, and that you just need to keep pushing until you get where you want to be.

To check out the full editorial, head over to skewmagazine.com , and don't forget to check out my Facebook and Instagram to have a look at some behind the scenes pictures!

2015 | August Favourites!

Another month down, already! August has been so busy, but i've still managed to pull together all my favourite things from this month!

So, some of you may know this, but earlier this month we had a bath reinstalled at the house! We've been living with one of those massive walk in showers, and some days, it just didn't suffice with the relaxing factor! So obviously, when the bath was put back in, I had to get myself some bath bombs from Lush!

My favourite is definitely Frozen! (The blue one) It fizzes like a mad woman and has glitter in it. Play the frozen soundtrack in the background and you're basically Queen Elsa!

The larger pink one is a bubble bar. A little less fancy than the bath bombs, but they provide so many bubbles, it's brilliant!

Now, I've been on some adventures down south earlier this week, so I thought i'd treat myself to a few beauty bits i've wanted for ages but held back on buying.

There will be further reviews on these products, but for a first impression, they're pretty great!

The Collection eyebrow palette comes in Brown and Blonde, as I have fair hair, I chose the blonde. Inside each, there are 3 different shades, an angled brush and a 'clear brow mascara'. I usually go for the middle shade for day-to-day make up, and set it with the mascara, and it really does last all day!

I also purchased Benefits They're Real Mascara in Brown. I love the original, and I've been wanting to try a brown mascara for ages too. Brown mascaras really work to bring out your eyes, especially if your eyes are green, hazel, or brown (obvs). While i've been wearing this, I haven't needed to wear any eye liner, as it really opens up my eyes, where as a black mascara can make my eyes look quite small! It cost £19.50, but I definitely think it's worth the price tag!

Earlier this month, I received an email from Topshop saying they had added more items to the sale. I didn't want to buy anything in particular, but I thought, as I'd just been paid I might have a quick look.

I found these! They were £45 originally, but in the sale I think they were £15?! I'm a sucker for a bargain! They're a perfect fit, so if you buy them, you should go for your normal size. I wore them out the other night, and I had them on from 6pm - 2am, and my feet didn't begin to ache once! I could walk normally, no one had to wait for me to catch up because I was going too slow, and to say they're caged, my feet never got cold!

You go Topshop!

Now, the most exciting part of this month (which will be talked about on the blog in due course), was my visit to the Harry Potter Studio tour with my sister. I won't spoil it, (although, in my next post there will be plenty of pictures!), but I picked up this Pygmypuff keyring to go on my car keys, and I just love it! A fluffy pink key ring to go with my pink car!

So there's not many, but they are my favourite things from this month! Let me know in the comments anything you've been loving that you would recommend!

Lifestyle | Let's talk about First Dates

 First dates ay,, we've all been there!

After being single for a while, I thought maybe I should put myself out there for a bit...see what happens...

Now I met my ex through my brother, because they were friends and they worked together (yeah it was a bit awkward), so i've never really been in the dating world. Most of the time, I think it's safe to assume that that was a good thing.

But where do you start? I'm always busy at work, and my social life isn't exactly buzzing, so obviously the right thing to do was to go for a dating website, more specifically, Tinder. Yeah I know, don't judge me!

Source

So Tinder. You swipe left or right whether you like someone or not, and no-one knows which way you've swiped on them unless you've both swiped right, meaning you like the look of each other, and this then allows you to talk to each other. Sounds simple, yes?

Well it is. Maybe too simple. 

You get chatting with someone, everything seems to go well then, boom! Dick pic, in your face... Or the guys whose first message is 'Sex or pics'. A personal favourite, 'Do you like dragons?' ... 'Because i'm gonna be dragon my ball across your face later'...

So those guys are pretty much a right off straight away. 

Then there's the ones that you get talking to, who seem alright, who suddenly decide that they want you to be the new mother to their two children, and want you to get married and be a stay at home mum, baking apple pies and changing shitty diapers. Yeah, bye!

Source

Then we move over to the select few you dare to give your number to. The one's who seem normal, who you have a normal chatty conversation with, who will randomly send you a dick pic when you're innocently sat in the lounge eating your spaghetti bolognese, watching tv with your mum. 'So do you like animals?' 'Yeah I really like cats....' Hmm he must have sent me a picture of his pets... Nope! It's a dick pic!

Or, there's the guys who you have nice chatty conversations with who just stop replying, or you leave the staff room to do a root colour, forgetting that you haven't replied to a message until weeks later when you see that there message is still chilling there, without a reply, but by this time it'd just be awkward if you responded... yes it does actually happen.. Sorry Thomas!

But then there's a handful and by handful I mean a maximum of like, 2-3, who you actually think you might be interested in, and with the back up of a friend sat a few tables away, you agree to meet for lunch/ a drink.

Let me introduce you to a few of my first dates; NB Not all of these have come from Tinder, that was just the start point for this blog!

Mr 'I'm Better Than You Because I Have A Degree'

So it seemed to be going well, but then he asked me about my job, so I obviously replied saying that I was a hair and make up artist...

'So you don't have a degree?'

No

'Did you not get into uni?'

I never applied...

'I think you should do a degree, there's plenty of at home courses you can do, but there not as good as going to a real university, but at least it's something and you're not just stuck being a hairdresser'.

He walked home. Alone.

Mr 'So You're Coming Back to Mine right?'

I never actually went on this date. Because in the whole run up to it, this guy was suggesting that we 'skip the dessert and have pudding back at his'. 

How about no.

Mr ' I've seen your face on Tinder so i'm going to assume that I can sit down next to you'

So I was waiting to have a meeting with someone about joining the Fellowship of British Hairdressing. And some guy, who I didn't even recognise, decided to announce to the whole of Starbucks that he'd recognised me from Tinder, and decided to have a seat... 

The most awkward part? When the guy I was meeting turned up from the Fellowship, he stayed there... Sat chilling there like a third wheel on something that could have potentially been a turning point in my career... Bit invasive to be honest!

Mr 'I'm so casual and laid back, and i'm going to talk all night about my kid and my ex girlfriend who's a psycho bitch'

The dinner was fine. The atmosphere was okay. The fact that he talked about his son didn't even bother me, who doesn't like it when someone is open and honest? But going on, and on, and on, and on, about his ex girlfriend (who he was SO over by the way...), just wasn't cutting it. So I mentioned that maybe we should change the subject, to which he agreed. Which lasted for about 10 minutes...

Don't get me wrong, some first dates go well (obviously, or everyone would be single). In my experience, ONE of my first dates have gone well, but then I caught a bug the day before the second date, and well... that's a story for another time.

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Lifestyle | Saturday Nights and the Single Woman

Welcome to another post for my Independent Ladies series!

I'm not sure if I mentioned that it was going to be a series, but it is.... Well it is now anyway...

Now before people get high and mighty on me, like you did with my 10 Things I've Learnt While Being Single post, this is not me a) Having a dig at relationships or b) Man-bashing because I hate all men everywhere. This is simply a post to uplift other women, support women, and put my womanly stamp on the world by telling you what I, a single woman, do with my life, okay?

So, it's Saturday night, you're not working this weekend, so you want something to do right? I work every other weekend, and i'm always picking up extra shifts, so when I actually get a saturday night off, I basically have no idea what to do with myself. I don't have a partner, so I can just arrive home and be all 'so what are we doing tonight?', because i'm not going to get a straight answer from my cats. (No I am not a crazy cat lady, I just like cats...). But do you know what, this literally means that the world is my oyster. Obviously it'd be impractical to jump on a plane and jet off to god knows where, because I start work at 7am on a Monday, but you get the idea, right?

Even when you decide you want to do something, you don't know what that something is. Do I want to do something alone? Do I want to ring round all my friends and see if they're doing things I can mooch in on? Do I already have plans? (Probably not), or should I make plans for future Saturdays I have off?? So here's a few ideas, that will fit into all the above categories. Brace yourself, it's gonna be wild.

Going out

Whether it's with your mum, your sister, your friend, what a better excuse for a catch up than going to see a movie? Or a pub dinner? Or even to the cinema? It doesn't need to be a wild do just because it's a Saturday night!

Going out out

Everyone knows the difference between going out, and going out-out right?

I'm always a fan of a night out. Especially now that the people I work with make the effort to invite me out (one guy even organised a whole night out for me when I first started so that I could get to know all my other work mates).

The best bit though? For me anyway... the getting ready. I love getting all glammed up, choosing my outfit, my accessories, my make-up. Then when you look at yourself when it's all come together and you have one of those 'Dayymmmm guurrrllll' moments? Yeah, they're my moments.

When you actually go out, you just have fun! I'm all about the fun. Life's too short to not make it fun. So if you want to wear heels that are sky high, that you know full well you'll take off 5 minutes into the first bar because you feet are killing, so what? Just do it!

The key is to make sure you're with a group of people you trust, and that you'll all look after each other, and the night will be what you make it!

How about just staying in?

No i'm not a prude. I'm not boring, or lazy. Sometimes, after a long week at work, I just want to put my pyjamas on, watch a DVD and order a greasy take-away. So many times people have thought i'm rubbish because they'll invite me out and i'll turn down the offer because I just want a night in. Am I bothered? Maybe a bit at first, but 4 wontons down and I don't even think about it anymore.

Why not get the girls (or boys) together and have a night in together?

Whatever it is, it's your Saturday night, so do whatever the hell you want with it? Go wild, stay in, invite the neighbours tortoise over for a movie night. Just make sure you're weekend is well spent, and you're looking fresh as a daisy for work on Monday morning!

Lifestyle | Dealing with the Thoughts of Small Minded People

Two essential songs that you need to be listening to while reading this post...

1) Shake it Off - Taylor Swift

2) Who's Laughing Now - Jessie J

Not only do these two ladies epitomise the definition of 'Girl Power', but they are also the perfect songs to syke you up to deal with other people's negative thoughts.

Now, today's post was going to be a summer look-book, but firstly, the weather hasn't exactly allowed me to wear the outfits i'd chosen, and secondly, I feel like I need to make this point before I go any further with my blogging/vlogging. 

Those of you that know me are aware of the reason why I left the salon I worked at to be a support worker. To summarise for those of you that don't, I came home feeling miserable every day because the environment I worked in was so negative and awful that it drained the life out of you. Me and my collegues, (some of which still work there), were treated like rubbish for a less than minimum wage. I had to get out.

So you could say I was used to dealing with negativity. But entering the world of blogging was a whole new story.

You get bombarded with negative comments from people that don't even know you, and those that do 'know' you (i use that term loosely), think it's okay to judge you, and degrade you in front of others.

Let's give you a few examples.

On one of my blog posts where I posted a picture of my body, I received a whole host of negative comments. I'm too skinny, i'm promoting anorexia (what even...), and that I was ugly... even though they haven't seen my face...

Another example. My ex manager thought that it was okay to tell one of my best friends that still works in the salon, that I was unqualified, I couldn't do what I was claiming to do on my Facebook page etc, and that I wont get anywhere in my career now i've left that salon. That tiny salon that no one knows the name of...

Now I wont lie. It upset me. Because it's a natural reaction to someone being nasty to get upset. But what I have learnt, is that the opinions of those people don't matter.

I've been reading Carrie Hope Fletcher's book, an coincientally, i'm on the section about bullying. And what she says is exactly right. It's not you that's the problem, it's them! The people that know you are clearly jealous of what you're acheiving, or they wouldn't be wasting their time trying to convince other's that their small minded opinion is right. And the people that don't know you obviously have nothing better to do than sit behind the protection of their computer and send nasty comments, so just leave them to it!

I don't write this blog or make my videos expecting everyone to like them. I don't need hundereds and hundereds of views and subscribers to make me happy. I write it because it makes me happy. An if my writing can help or inspire just one person, then i'll be pretty chuffed with what i've done.

I've got so many things in the making to look forward to, and so much stuff to share with you all, I simply don't have time for people's negativity, and neither should any one else! The block button is there for a reason and it'll definitely come in handy!

The people that try and drag you down are the people that are already below you. Just bear that in mind.

Those that mind, don't matter. And those that matter, don't mind ~ Dr Zeuss

2015 | July Favourites

It's that time again! Another month down, another set of favourites to share with you all! I've got to say, these are my most favourite posts because I get to share all of the things i've been loving with you all!

First up, my nail saviour! It's Sensationail! 

Since leaving the salon I worked at, where I had my nails done by the fabulous nail technician every 3 weeks, my nails just seemed so boring! Going back to using nail polish after having gels for 2 years just wasn't working for me! so i treated myself to the Raspberry Wine starter kit... then 2 more colours... and another 3 colours when the 3 for £30 offer came along! My favourite set are definately the french ones. It's such a simple and elegant look for your nails, and so so easy to do!

Next up we have something I mentioned in my blog yesterday. Zoella's Candy Cream.

I wont go on and on about it, as you can read all about it in my other blog, but it  leaves my skin feeling so soft, and it makes you smell delish!

Let's move on to some fashion favourites.

I bought this cute little handbag from Topshop about a week ago. It looks small, which is what put me off buying it for so long, but once payday came around I decided to treat myself, and it's actually quite big inside! It can fit everything in, my purse, diary, notebook, lunch, there's just so much space that I didn't realise it had! It's called a Soft Duffle Bag and it was £38 from Topshop. It's still available online and in store, and if the other bags i have from Topshop are anything to go by, it will definitely be in it for the long haul!

Let's move on to the things described as the miracle for hair, PopBands!

Now, they do leave a slight kink in my hair, but it soon drops out, much faster than your average hair tie. They don't feel like they're pulling my hair, and they don't make my hair feel heavy (you know what I mean, right?) They're just so girly and pretty, the perfect addition to jazz up your ponytail!

Also this month, after wanting to buy myself it for ages, i got the Pandora October Birthstone ring.

The pink opal is said to bring the wearer true love and harmony, and i've always had a belief in the power of stones and things, so lets see how it goes!

Also this month, as childish as it may seem, i've become quite attached to my Piglet Tsum Tsum which i mentioned in my 'Get to Know Me' post.

He sits on my desk and acts like my little mascot for when I'm blogging! Not to mention he comes in very handy when my iPad gets finger smudges on it! The Tsum Tsum has definitely made Piglet much cuter and adorable, who'd have thought it was possible?

And last but not least, we have a song.  My favourite song this month that I could listen to over and over, and not get bored. My gym instructor has it on during spin class, it's on in my car, it plays on StrayFM all the time, and i just love it! 

Shut Up and Dance - Walk the Moon

Now I know what you're thinking. 'That's everyone's favourite just because it's most popular'... well that's the whole point, there's a reason why it's their most popular!

So that's that for this month!  I'll see you again next month for my next lot of favourites! As if it's going to be August next month!

Beauty | Zoella Beauty - New Collection!

She's done it again! Another fabulous set of beauty products to make you feel and smell delicious! I wont jabber on like I normally do at the start of a post, so i'll just jump straight in!

Now I didn't buy everything from the collection, but i'll tell you about what I did buy...

Fresh Fizz, the bath bomb you can use 4 times! With the signature tutti frutti scent that Zoe has across her collection, all you have to do is sniff this and you already start to feel cleaner! It's a very gentle product that cleans your skin without irritating even my sensitive skin! This relaxing bath fizzer is ther perfect addition to your bath at the end of a hard day! (Note: Using this with Soak Opera from her first collection is the best thing I ever did!)

Best.Sugar scrub. EVER! All the scrubs i've used in the past have just been too... scrubby I guess? Like they felt as though they were scratching of about 7 layers of skin. Not relaxing at all! This however, is so gentle on my skin, you can feel it working, but not in a painful way! In more of a 'gently-buffing-dead-skin' kind of way. My body has never been so soft! I use this everywhere except my face, (even my feet!) and every time I get out of the bath I feel like a brand new person, with baby soft skin!

I use this every single day! I use it after my bath to compliment the sugar scrub, and the tiny bursting beads inside this lotion really work to soften this skin. Even using this alone leaves your skin beautifully soft, and it smells so good. I can't remember how many people have asked me what perfume I'm wearing, and I tell them 'well actually, it's my body lotion'. I can get quite dry skin on my arms and legs, and this works wonderfully helping them to stay soft and not flakey.

This is my favourite item in the new collection. The cosmetic/coin purse. Now, I don't use it as either. I call this my 'essentials purse'. It's the perfect size to go into every one of my bags, and inside I have everything I consider as an essential to take out with me.

~ Carmex

~ Painkillers

~ Plasters

~ Hair pins/ties

~ Sanitary towels

~ A pen

~ Handcream

Yep, all of that fits inside this! So when i'm on my way out of the house and I check my bag, I make sure i've got my purse, phone, car keys, and my essentials purse, and i'm good to go! Instead of having all of these things rattling around in my bag, and having to hunt for them when I need them they're all in one place, and it's bright pink, so you can't miss it!

I love all these items that i've been testing out this month, and I can't wait to see what's in her next collection! 

Have you tried any of Zoe's new bits? What are your favourites?

Beauty | Rock Out with your Roots Out!

That's how the saying goes... right?

So it turns out, i'm actually allergic to the hair colour i've been using to colour my hair. Even though it's what i've been using while I was working in a salon, and it's the same brand I use on my clients, the last few times I used it, my head felt like a firey ball of death... Who'd have thought?

Action needed to be taken, As at this point my hair was pretty light, and my roots stuck out like a sore thumb. So I did what you absoloutely should not do, by any means, because it's a stupid idea... I coloured my hair one last time. 

I used my shae chart, because believe it or not I am actually a professional, and I chose a colour that was one shade lighter than my natural colour. I painted this all over my roots, and about 1/3 of the way down my hair. I then left his for 25 minutes. The normal amount of time you leave this colour on is 40minutes, so for the remaining 15, I used my comb to brush the colour that had already been on my roots down the rest of my hair shaft, to create a subtle ombre effect.

It actually looked pretty good!

So then we had the issue of my roots growing out. I needed to find some styles where it didn't look really obvious that i'd missed my appointment at the salon...

Here's a few i'm going to share with you guys. (The picture quality isn't great, but you get the general idea).

1) The mini beehive.

I'm a massive fan of the beehive, and this mini version is my go-to look ever since I had my hair cut short (such regrets!)

2) Half up half down top-knot type thing.

I have no idea what the proper term is, but you get the drift right? Take the top section of your hair, tie it in a messy bun, leave the rest down. It sounds simple but it actually takes me ages to get the bun just right! I just don't get how a messy bun can be called simple when it takes about 5000 goes every morning to make it look right...

 3) Curls curls curls!!

The simple curl itself can help the root colour blend into the rest of the hair, you can also tie some bits back to keep it away from your face. When it involves curls you just can't go wrong!

The key to roots, is blending, and keeping the hair back from your face. Natural colours are so on trend right now, that's why there's been a sudden increase in the amount of people having balyage and root stretches, these are just more high-end (and expensive) ways of allowing the roots to grow without people noticing!

Embrace it! O'natural is making a comeback!

Beauty | KarlaBrushes - Review

It's blog day! Today i'm going to talk to you about something i've been loving using for nights out, or just generally when I've been wearing my lipstick, and it's my Karla Brushes!

These were featured in my June favourites blog, ( http://emscissorhands.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/2015-june-favourites.html )

 and I just think they're great!

Lip lining is one of my pet peeves when it comes to make up, you have to do it or your lipstick will run, but I can never find the right shade, or it'll go wonky, and don't even get me talking about trying to overline with a lip pencil, because if it's not as sharp as a needle, it doesn't go right!

Rant over... so with these magic brushes, you can completely eliminate the need for a lip liner! Woop woop!

Each of these brushes have a purpose, which is outlined in the little card that comes with the brush. 

The ones I use mainly are the KL2 and KL3, as when I fill in my lips I use my actual lipstick, but when I use them on clients, (don't worry I have a different set for them!) I always use the filling brush, and I just can't put into words how good they are! They don't absorb any of the product, so what goes onto your brush gets transferred onto your lips, which also makes them so easy to clean because there's barely anything to clean off!

And because you create a lip line with the actual lipstick colour, the colour is always a 100% match! It's the small things!

Have you used Karla Brushes? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Beauty | MAC Fix+ Review!

15.50

A lightweight, mineral rich finishing mist that refreshes the skin and finishes makeup. Helps create an even surface for a smooth makeup application. Same Fix + formula with upgraded packaging.

(Taken from maccosmetics.co.uk)

I know recently MAC have had some bad press due to some bad customer service people have received at their counters, but you can't deny it, their products are pretty awesome!

For the past few weeks i've been trying out Fix+, which can be used not only to prep your skin but also to set your make-up!

I decided to put it to the ultimate test. A 12 hour day, sat in a hospital waiting room with dodgy air conditioning, while doing coursework, and stressing about being starving...

 This is how I started the day. 6am, Barely there make-up with eyeline, mascara, and of course some eyebrow pencil. 

 I needed this make-up to last me all day, because who wants to reapply make-up at a hospital?

On the face;

~ MAC studio fix liquid and power foundation

~ MUA Bronzed Perfection in Shade 1

~ Soap and Glory Brow Archery in Brownie Points

~ Maybelline gel liner in Dark Brown

~ L`Oreal Miss Manga Mascara in Black

This is my go-to look for everyday, nothing too over the top, that I can do in about 15minutes before work.

Now I was dubious, because i've tried setting sprays before, and they don't last very long, but this one, I was pretty impressed with.

I do a light spray before applying my make up and it helped it go on a lot smoother, I think I use half the amount of liquid foundation than I usually would, and I felt like my powders blended a lot easier when contouring.

Then once I'd finished, another light spray, and you're good to go!

Those of you that have been in a hospital waiting room for long periods of time know that you vary from being too warm, to too cold. You find yourself leaning in positions that aren't even comfortable, fighting to keep your eyes open. You're rubbing your eyes to try and stay awake, leaning on your face, massaging your temples, if there's any place your make-up just wont last, it's here.  And this is how I came out...

Now the picture is really bad quality, and the dark circles are begining to creep through, but after 12 hours, the spots are still covered, eyebrows still intact, and only the tiniest smudge of eyeliner has creeped across my face. Not bad right?

Definitely got the Scissorhands stamp of approval!

Beauty | 'Gotcha back bra, Faces be crazy!'

Now i'm really hoping that most of you can see the reference to the Big Bang Theory in this blog title, because if not, I just look a bit weird!

I'm paraphrasing obviously...

So, last week I was pretty ill, and I don't know about you guys but whenever i'm ill my face kind of freaks out a little bit and irrupts in an explosion of spots and red blotches, and I every time I look in the mirror it looks like my 15 year old self has come out to play. Not exactly what a going-on 21 year old who's trying to be taken seriously in the work place wants to look like, am I right?

I've faced an endless battle with spots for years on end. There isn't a single picture of me in my teens where I don't have spots on my face! But finally, after smearing god knows what on my face I feel like i've found the one. We get on so well and I feel like the best of me has truly been brought out.

Let me introduce you to Liz Earle... More specifically, let me introduce you to the products which have been sent from the angels above to save my face!

The first being the Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.

You literally just smoosh it on your face, over your make up and everything (it gets a bit messy if you're not careful), then when you've rubbed it all in you rinse it off with a warm muslin cloth... That's it. Morning and night. So simple! Now it's not magic, it doesn't immediately get rid of your spots, but it takes the redness down, gets rid of any dry bits, and makes it so much easier to apply make up over the top because it leaves your face so smooth and soft. That's the brilliance of it, it gets rid of excess oil AND hydrates your face so that you just want to sit stroking your own cheeks. Which yes, I do do.

The second is the Deep Cleansing Mask.

I only use this once per week as an all over mask, because I find that if I use it too often my face becomes quite sensitive to it. But you leave it on for 5-15 minutes, let it go hard, then wash it off with one of the sponges that comes with it, and it leaves your face glowing! So smooth, less redness, it's just awesome.

I have a thing for having a smooth face okay...

Now, using these products, as well as my knowledge of cosmetic camouflage has made dealing with my spots so much easier! any tips and advice you might need, feel free to drop me a message on Twitter or on my Facebook page and i'll be more than happy to help!

Prepare yourself, the vain before and after selfie is about to happen!