Quintessential Brushes!

Try out this great 'Quintessential' Brush Set (£20) from Jemma Kidd Make-Up School, it is a collection of her favourite brushes for Eyes, Blush & bronze.
The Cheek Brush has a flat top which gives a great finish when blending your blusher or bronzer and there are 4 Eye Brushes, one for applying your base colour, another for applying colour to the lower lid, then one for blending colour into your socket line & finally one to define your lash lines that can be used wet or dry. The brushes are made with natural hair & their shape & defintion gives a great finish on your make-up, they even come with tips on how to apply your eye shadow - perfect!!!!

The Basics - Cleansing Benefits

One of the most basic pieces of advice really but you would be surprised at how easily this is ignored, also using a short cut such as 'All in One Wipes' will not throughly cleanse the skin & have the smae benefits as cleansing properly, there is no cheats way out of it I'm afraid!!!

Here are a few reasons to make sure you keep up your regular cleansing routine -

1 - To remove any grime and make-up worn throughout the day that can clog the pores.
2 - At night cleansing & moisturising properly will help to protect the skin from loosing moisture, during the day it helps to provide a good base for make-up.
3 - Helps the skin to re-new itself by removing dead skin cells & keeps the over all tone soft & supple.
4 - Lastly a little scary fact, going to bed even just 1 night without taking your make-up off will age your skin by 11 days!!!

Cleansing Tips -

Face Wash
Start with a good foaming face wash for your skin type to take the initial residue away & freshen the skin. If you have dry or sensitive skin then a gentle moisturising wash is best, oily/problem skins are best to opt for an invigorating wash with perhaps a light exfoliation in it that can be used everyday. There are many types of face wash on the market so take time to choose one that is aimed at your skin type.


Eye Make-Up Remover
Before cleansing make sure your eye make-up is removed, a soothing gel based lotion is good for this, however if you use heavy eye make-up or waterproof mascara an oily based product would be best.



Cleansers
Use cotton pads for this as they are the best for removing grime (same with eye make-up removal & toner), place a good amount on the pad & take across the whole face, for best results do this twice, it really does make a huge difference to your skin & will help prevent spots.
- Dry Skins should opt for a creamy cleanser that won't strip the skin & can help to add moisture
- Oily Skins should look for a gel based cleanser
- Sensitive Skins should go for a soothing cleanser with perhaps Aloe Vera or Green Tea.

Toning
Toning is pretty much an optional step but still beneficial & worth doing, it mainly removes any residue from your cleanser but some do have active ingredients such as anti-oxidants that are great for the skin.

Moisturising
Every skin type will benefits from a moisturiser, even the most oily skins, they work by creating a barrier between the skin and the environment as well as keeping the skin hydrated.

Again there is a wide range available these days for every skin type so depending on what you are looking for, whether it be anti-ageing, to include sun protection, for sensitive skin, to reduce oily appearance on the skin, there is a moisturiser for every type, so take your time to pick the one that you feel is right for you.
Also it is worth while investing in an eye-cream, the skin around the eye is a lot more delicate & your normal moisturiser won't be suitable, these can help protect this area & reduce puffiness as well as dark circles that none of us want!!!

Exfoliation
Lastly, try to ensure you exfoliate once or twice a week, this will help the skin to shed any dead skin cells from the surface layer brightening the skin & keeping it in great working order!!!

This Weeks Top Product! - Neutrogena Face Wash

I have tried many many face washes in my time but this one is by far the best 'Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 Wash & Mask - £3.79', I have been using it now for 2 years & to be honest I don't know how I managed without it before!! Great for all skin types really but particularly if you're prone to the odd blemish (or 2 or 3 or 4!!!!) & have the dreaded oily t-zone! It gives a great daily cleanse, helps prevent nasty spot outbreaks as well as reducing the appearance of blackheads, generally it's gives you much clearer & brighter skin. The best bit is once a week you can use it as a mask for 5 mins to give your skin a deep cleanse, what more could you want from a face wash!!!

Lash Fabulous!!!!

Get this great new mascara from Rimmel (Volume Flash Mouse Mascara), gives amazing volume without the clogging that this type of mascara can give & has a light mouse texture keeping your lashes feeling flexible & light, so no spider-legs!! It has received rave reviews already & is certainly the favourite new addition to my make-up bag!! As always it has a friendly price tag but does the hard work like any of the best brand names priced over double the ££'s!!

Love Is In The Air - Valentines Pout!

Get the perfect kissable Valentines Pout without the help of collagen!!! DuWop's Lip Venom (£12.95 at Miss Groovy) is the perfect plump-pout master, it's completely natural & with the aid of Cinnamon extract & ginger you can have a bee stung look that even Angelina Jolie would be proud of!! It works by increasing the circulation in the lips & will create a slightly tingle sensation, which will also create quite an impression after your valentines kiss!!

For a long lasting colour to your Lips on Valentines (that can withstand even the best of kissers!!) Try Lethal Kiss Lip Stain (9.99 at Miss Groovy), it will gently stain the lips & keep it's colour all night long, always make sure your lips are well moisturised with lip balm before applying either of these products to give you the best results. Choose from two lovely pinks - Peppermint Pink or Nougat Nude, they have a fab taste as well which he'll love as much as you do!
One last tip for applying lipgloss, to create a sultry kissable look, apply a finishing touch of gloss just over the 'bow' of your lip going over your lip-line at that central point (with nude to pink shades only)!!

Award Season Glamour!

With Awards Season pretty much in full swing now, the stars were out in their glad rags strutting their stuff on the red carpet for this year's Baftas last night, my favourite look of the evening was Sienna Miller's Classic Hollywood Glamour which is huge this season.





5 Top Tips on how to get this look -

1 - Matte Foundation to give a flawless finish (Try Chanel's Mat Lumiere)
2 - Black Liner, use a liquid on the top lash line to get a striking look (Try Guerlain's Divinora Eye-Liner - Very easy to use, almost does all the hard work for you!) . Take this in gradual stages from the inner to the outer corners, keep your hand steady by resting your elbow on a table while applying. For Depth on the Bottom Lash Line go for a powder finsh in Black (Try Guerlain's Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl), again easy to use & apply. Also just to note before the liner is applied, use eyeshadow obviously, but just opt for a nude natural base across the entire lid, your liner should do all the work for this look.
3 - False EyeLashes, to finish of this dramatic look, apply some false strip lashes (Try Mac's False Lash Strips)
4 - Bronzer, for a warm & glamorous glow to the cheeks go for a deep bronzer (Try Lancome's Star Bronzer)
5 - Red Lips, final finishing touch for the hollywood glamour look (Try Mac Red)

Neon Lips!

Hot new looks from this season's latest cat walk trends, neon bright lips to do all the talking!!




Get Mac's Lipmix in Orange (£10.50), hottest colour this season, get it quick before it flies off the shelves completely!!