Let’s colour!!!

Hello all! Skirting out on my blogging duties again I’m afraid! But I suppose it just means that each time I do it means a much bigger, fatter blog as an apology!

And today’s is no exception! We’ve gone through the soft pastels of spring and now summer’s trend has explosions of colour all over your face!! The market is absolutely full of new and bright products from the top to toe, so whether you like your colour a little more understated on your nails or bold on your eyes and lips there’s something out there for everyone!

If you do like something a little more on the delicate side, try painting your nails with a bright jazzy colour. Painting your nails can be such an expressive way of having a bit of colour or even clashing with what you are wearing without it being as obvious. And good old Barry M is here to help! They’ve taken out a new range of “gelly” nail polishes. Designed to give you a gel polish high shine finish and colour. And with a massive 27 shades you’ll be spoiled for choice! Personal favourites are number 18 a hot orange and 15 a deep teale!

And if you’re felling a bit bolder here’s a recent discovery of mine…

Daniel Sandler’s watercolour blushers. I purchased a couple in more wearable colours (Chic and Mayfair) and they are just gorgeous. Really pigmented and easily buffed into the skin they give the cheeks a radiant glow rather than some powdery blushers. These bright beauties “Acid” and “Trip” look radioactive but are actually a little bit more delicate in and on the flesh.

Most summer collections will usually have the odd pink and turquoise and I find are so samie! This years collections have certainly gone a little bit more radio active too. 2 of my favourite on counter collections have to be YSL les blues lumiere and Chanel Reflets d’ete de Chanel. (Biased I know!)

These collections have just blown me away between the eye palette from YSL which is packed full of cool, rich blues and hot oranges (which by the way are just the most amazing clashing colour combination.. Promise! You won’t look like an Irn-Bru can!)

And Chanel’s nail and lip combination…. There moto for the collection is “mix.match.mismatch” and I can see why! Those with slight OCD would want to match…

Sweet lilac and Hello… It does as it says on the tin! a sugary lilac combination.
Tutti fruitti and Sexy… A jazzy coral .
Pink tonic and Happy… A vibrant hot pink.
Mirabella amd sunny… A blood red orange.

Or those of you who like to mix it up…

Or if you’re like me and can’t choose… I be wearing it ALL!!!

And last, brightest but certainly not least you have the holy explosion of radioactive colour which is the urban decay electric palette!!

This palette has taken the market and every MUA by storm! It’s chock full of 10 vibrant velvety shades that have massive pay off! My Instagram feed is full of make up enthusiast using this palette and I don’t think I’ve seen the same combination twice.

One of my favourite beauty bloggers did a tutorial actually using this palette and a few other things on this blog which I have linked as it’s useful to see. Colour is so hot (pardon the pun) right now and it’s so worth playing around and finding what you are comfortable with. I have always said there are no rights and wrongs when it comes to make up as it should be fun. However there are how to’s and not to’s so that’s why watching tutorials can keep you in check when it comes to colour. More coco cabana than coco the clown!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sls_8FLq4iU

So have a watch of the tutorial… Sorry it’s not my own… We have workmen in at the moment so it’s not the most ideal background noise! But the gorgeous Sam from Pixiwoo will take more than good care of you. However I did dable in the colour department as it’s not usually my thing… And I must say I could be converted! As always thanks for reading! Happy spending. Always let me know if you do purchase anything I’ve mentioned, I love knowing its useful!

Ciao for now! x

To BB or not to BB? That is the question.

Hi folks. It is soooo nice outside and I have so much paperwork to do! So I’m using my blog as an excuse to sit outside and do some kind of work 😊

Today’s blog does actually link quite nicely with the weather as it is all about BB creams. I had some lovely little ladies in the studio this week and because their gorgeous young skin doesn’t need a huge amount of covering up, I used it as an excuse to go BB cream shopping.

I purchased 3 of the leading brands that weren’t going to break the bank (all being under £10) as it wasn’t something I personally used but have always been intrigued to try.

First up to the chopping block was the Maybelline. On first application it had a great texture, likeable smell but I didn’t like the colour it left my skin. It seemed to wash me out and for those of you that know how pale I am, that’s saying something! However, after I had applied the rest of my make up it warmed on me. And then it all changed… It lasted really well and after a couple of hours of wearing it my skin had the most lovely glossiness (without looking like a grease slick) and all around radiance which my skin never has!! My skin hugely lacks colour and everything tends to go shiny on me. I really liked it and it has since gone missing and been found in my personal make up bag….

The second one up for the trying was the L’oreal. Now this one was the COMPLETE opposite. This tinted moisturiser had bags of colour, so much so that for my fair skin at the moment it was too much and it was the lightest shade. However the texture was very similar to Estée Lauder Day Wear sheer tint which is one of my must have holiday items! It didn’t really give any coverage, which is not unusual for a BB cream, which is why for me when I have a tan and I just want a bit of colour it’s perfect but for day to day it wouldn’t suit my skin.

And last but not least was the Garnier. I must admit I like Garnier as a brand and I tend to use quite a lot of their skin care items and their BB cream was like greeting an old friend. It had a great texture, great colour on application and it even covered a little too. I will say however that because it had the most texture of the three it was a little bit more work to blend in, but hey who said beauty was easy!? I did also feel a little shiny after a while but I am a self confessed bit of a powder freak and like being matte. Also… we had five 13 year old girls in a small room… Who wouldn’t break out in a little sweat after 5 hours!!

So.. All in all I think I could be a convert. I do like not wearing foundation in the spring, summer. Even more so when I’m on holiday. I hope this helps to all of you out there who are in the dark about BB creams. Remember, what works for one skin might not necessarily work for another which is why I haven’t told you which one to go and buy… I’ve given you the facts and what I thought now you can work out what will be best for you. However, here are some top tips when using a BB cream which will work for everyone!

1. Some BB creams say that they can be used as a moisturiser and while this may be true I urge you to continue to use your regular moisturiser underneath. If your skin is naturally on the drier side the moisture might not be enough for you and the colour will stick in drier areas.

2. BB creams don’t tend to come in a lot of shades, I found with the ones I purchased it was either light or dark. So be honest with yourself! You can always warm with bronzer, there isn’t much that will lighten if it’s too dark!

3. You need to work hard to get the perfect finish! Because of the high moisture content in BB creams, in my experience, I’ve found if I haven’t worked it into my skin thoroughly (especially if the colour is too dark) it can leave visible streaks. Combine it with your morning arm work out.. Two birds… One stone… Just saying 😉

4. Use a good concealer along with it. As I said it will not cover blemishes, dark circles etc so I use a concealer for all my pesky areas… Estée Lauder disappear concealer has always been in my kit as has the bourjois healt glow if your not looking to break the bank.

And lastly…

5. Treat it as you would your normal foundation. I think a lot of people panic that it’s completely different and it’s not. Use blusher, bronzer etc. I even had quite a dramatic eye with the first one and it was fine.

If you guys do buy any please please please let me know! I love to know if you guys find this stuff useful, makes me feel like I’m not just waffling.

Cioa. S.x