Fight the elements and smooth your luscious locks

Usually, I’m a bit wary of anti frizz syrums, because they run the risk of turning your freshly washed hair greasy as they’re full of all sorts of strange chemicals.

I stumbled upon this one by chance though; I got it free whilst buying Coppola’s brazilian blowdry set.  I have to say, since using it, it beats every other de-frizzer by miles.  It contains keratin, which infuses keratin protein into your hair follicles.  It therefore repairs the damaged hairs and strengthens  it.  The result: smoother, silkier and more manageable hair.

Application:  

Just a small amount  of this bright pink syrum smoothed into your hair before blow drying it really softens its and smoothes down the frizz.  It leaves no residue and really makes your hair smoother, shiner and most importantly much easier to manage and drag a comb through it.

The retail price is a bit costly at around £30, but instead of throwing away money on high street brands which don’t work, this is definitely an investment.  It’s also huge at a whopping 100 mls.  Mine has lasted over a year now and that’s saying something!

Pretty pink pout this Autumn!

Autumns coming and what I love most about this month is its intense colour pallet. Yes, pulling off those deep plums and mauves can be a bit daunting, so if you’re not quite ready why not opt for a daring shocking pink which just oozes confidence and feminineness.

YSL have a gorgeous new range, which is just bursting with different shades of pink.   Not only are they long lasting but all have a delicious fruity flavours.   They can be worn alone, or, for a more striking look on top of lipstick.  Remember to choose a lipstick which is a slightly paler shade than the gloss otherwise when the gloss wears off the contrasting colour difference will be too obvious.

What to team with a pretty pink pout? With such a strong beauty statement as a pink pout, keep the rest of your make up minimal with perhaps just a flick of mascara to open up your eyes.

A lip primer works wonders for keeping a daring lip gloss in place and prolonging its wear. Mac’s Prep and Prime  not only improves the look of lip products but lightly moisturizes lips preventing them from drying out and chapping.

Choosing the right foundation

For me,  when I go and buy a new foundation its a risk.  A heart stopping, panicky risk.  Waiting to try it on at home is like waiting for your number to come up on the roulette wheel.  Rarely, its one of those life changing  ‘can’t live without it’ miracle foundations.  Usually, I just think ‘Why did I waste all that money on something that makes me look orange and greasy!?’.  Here are some tips on choosing a foundation and review on my favorite foundation.

Tips on buying foundation

• Don’t try the colour out on your hand! It’s a completely different colour and texture to your face.
• Choose two colours.  One closest to your natural skin tone and one slightly darker. Going lighter will wash you out.
• Try the makeup on your jawline – and make sure your make up free when you do it otherwise you won’t see the real coverage
• Be careful with foundations with a ‘pink tinge’.  These can make you look very red.  Better to choose a more yellow shade and build warmth with a blusher or bronzer.
• Don’t buy it immediately, wait until you get home and see how it looks.  It will always look good in the shop, and the fancy packaging will lure you in.  It will be worth looking two-toned for an afternoon if it means finding your dream foundation
• Don’t buy a foundation which is more than two shades darker than your natural colour. It’ll be much harder to blend into your neck and the difference will be too obvious.

My personal favorite foundation (and believe me I’ve tried a lot!)

This foundation is perfect for all skin types. Benefit’s Play Sticks. Very little of the product can completely transform your face.  It provides a light coverage giving a beautiful natural look but can also be built up in order to cover those red areas or bags under the eyes.  It leaves no greasy residue and lasts for months.  Foundation is always a tricky one as often it can leave you looking orange or greasy but this light stick foundation really is one of those ‘miracle products’  that just works. The only negative I have to add is that there are few shades to choose from, especially for people with darker skin tones.  Oh, and it’s pretty pricey at £25.50 so definitely try and get it at the airport.

After the success of this product, I went wild thinking that Benefit was some kind of godly foundation creator and bought all the other types – Some Kind of Gorgeous, Hello Flawless and You Rebel.  These were all disastrous mistakes. All of which were more like tinted moisturizer and provide little to no coverage.  They are also fairly greasy and the fluid separates easily.

Last second mascara

When you’ve only got seconds to get ready, mascara is the one piece of make-up that takes little skill, can be put on immediately and entirely transform your tired face.  And, unlike foundation, it can be done in any old light as long as you’ve got a small mirror.

But, there is some forward planning which will make this 10 second application a whole lot easier, and that involves having the right mascara and the right application technique.

Technique

1.) Always apply mascara in a zig-zag fashion from the roots upwards

2.) Apply from the inner eye to the outer eye in order to draw the eyelashes up and outwards making your eyes look bigger.

3.) If you’ve got a few more seconds, first coat the eyelashes with mascara in a downwards direction in order to coat all the lashes.  The proceed with step  1 applying mascara from the roots upwards.  This will create a thicker and more wide eyed effect.

4.)Always remember to put mascara on the bottom lashes in order to open up your eyes.

Mascara

1.)  When applying mascara in a rush, don’t use waterproof.  It’s Sods Law that when your in a rush you’ll smudge it, and if it’s waterproof it’ll be more of a hassle to get off.

2.) Go for a mascara which is black and volumising.  Both are fool-proof when in a rush.  Colours are for careful planning and coordination with clothes and accompanied make up.  Blue mascara on its own will just look frightening.

3.) Fail-safe mascaras include Benefit’s Bad Gal and Maybelline’s the falsies  .  Both cover lashes from corner to corner in seconds whilst simultaneously adding length and volume instantly.

4.) Opt for a brush rather than comb wand, as comb wands add length but little volume.

Perfect Skin

             With perfect skin, comes confidence as when your glowing on the outside it makes you glow on the inside.   In fact, with perfect skin, all you need is a lick of mascara and your out the door!  So, get ready to chuck out those cover-ups and get ready to wow the crowd!

Perfect Skin 

In the morning:

1.  Cleanse –

Using warm water and a coin sized amount of cleanser, work slowly into the skin to remove excess impurities, cosmetics and dead skin cells.

• For Oily Skin  I would recommend a clear cleanser, such as Clinique wash-away gel cleanser as not only is it soothing and cooling but it absorbs excess oils.
• For Dry Skin it is better to use a creamer cleanser, I love Kielh’s foaming Ultra facial Cleanser as its very gentle and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth without drying it out too much.
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2.)  Tone

This plays a crucial role in attaining perfect skin as it prevents blemishes. By unclogging the pores of the dirt that collects throughout the day, blemishes are prevented.

3.) Moisturize.

Please please don’t use the same moisturizer that you use for your body on your face.  Not only is facial moisturizer more sensitive, but it also prepares your skin – either against the natural elements or your upcoming make up routine.

• For Oily Skin, Clinique’s dramatically different moisturizing gel is light on the skin and leaves no heavy residue.  It doesn’t leave the skin greasy and tightens pores thus perfect to use as  a primer under your foundation in the morning.
• For Dry Skin Simple’s Skin Hydrating Light moisturizer  not only keeps dry skin smooth and hydrated but is also cheap and lasts a long time.

In the evening

1.) Remove make up

• With a cotton pad remove all your make up. (wipes are better for quick fixes rather than really throughly removing make up.)
•  I would recommend Lancome’s Bi-facil  as it is gentle on the skin and leaves no oily residue.  It’s a bit pricey at £21.00 but its goes a long way, and doesn’t irritate the skin.

2.) Heal blemishes

• Dab some tea tree oil onto blemishes to let them heal over night.

 

Feel good in your skin and enjoy the results of this skin care routine.