Thursday 19 September 2013

House of Holland Nails

On my wishlish
I want alllllll of these!!! If anyones used these then please give me your opinion (: 

Tuesday 17 September 2013

The Cara Brow Sculpt

So girls who spend their days plucking, waxing and (the very brave ones) shaving their brows will be relieved to know that the less is more attitude is over and 'Cara Delevigne' look is in.

The problem for us mere mortals in achieving the Cara look lies in creating the thick voluminous brow that sets Miss Delivigne apart, but Maybelline are embracing the art of brow sculpting with this little beauty.


Maybelline Brow Drama.

These come in three different colours, so you can sculpt your brows to be as bold or subtle as you like. I've gone for medium brown - a shade much lighter than my actual colour for a more natural finish. 

The easy to use applicator makes it easy to whip it out and sculpt away without any mess or fuss. It's only £4.99 from Boots and with their current 'buy one get one half price' promotion, you can stock up for under a tenner or grab yourself another bargain!

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Wishlist for Autumn '13

Okay my beauties! Now I know that I do slip off the radar occasionally but I have been busy with salesplan at work - trying out all the new goodies to blog about and there are some really must-have products for this Autumn.

Here are the ones I'm reeeeally excited about!

Rimmel Stay Matte Cream Blush
The Stay Matte collection is a Rimmel classic, and for a while I thought that they might be discontinuing it because the suppliers were just not sending us any. But taa-daah! It's back and with funky new packaging. Tomorrow they release the new cream blush - and I'm lucky enough to have tried it and I know for sure just how good it is - it matches upto the skintone perfectly and isn't to brazen nor too subtle. The durability is good and the consistency satisfying - perfect to warm up your skin tone on a blustery autumn day.

Maybelline Babylips
I know this has been out for a while but I've only just realised how good it is. It claims to offer 8 hour protection and you really can feel the moisture in your lips after a fair few hours (maybe not 8). This product will be so useful to me when the weather starts getting colder because my lips always chap, and I won't get bored because it comes in 6 really cute colours - that leave just a yummy tint on your lips. I'm taking one of these to Lanzarote with me when I go back on the 27th.

Seventeen CC Cream
Not all Seventeen products sit well with me, but I'm pleasantly surprised by their CC Cream. The coverage is actually really good and long-lasting. Colder days are definitely not great on my skin so I'm grateful to have a product that I know gives something POSITIVE to my skin and isn't just a temporary fix. That is also coming to Grotty with me!

For all of you who enjoy my blog please feel free to follow me on Bloglovin', and I'm happy to look at other blogs. Bye for now!

Saturday 24 August 2013

Maybelline Superstay: In it for the long haul

There's loads of fab new products that I've tried recently, and I'm sure that any beauty blog you come across will give you tonnes of fab new products to experiment with... but I'd like to take a minute to appreciate an older product which I think is particularly underrated.

As part of the Maybelline Superstay range, these £8.99 (Boots) matte lipwands are fantastic value for money, because of their durability.

I reccommended these to a woman yesterday who was looking for something that would stay on during her wedding, and I let her test some colours out on my arm. Two days and TWO showers later, this is my arm...

You can still see the remains of what is "Fire Coral" and "Raspberry".

These wands leave a cool matte glossy finish that really do last a long time, and also come with a convenient lipseal that is tactfully on the other side, making it well worth the money.

Greasy Skin and Poor Decisions : My £25 Foundation mistake.

For those of you who are aware, I work at Boots' and occasionally we get double  discount days. These are a big deal because that makes Boots' own brand products nearly 50% off!

When our last double discount day coincided with a greasy skin week, I got a bit trigger happy with my bank card.

These are what I ended up with.

Your initial thoughts might not be of absolute "what the hell woman", but I'll explain why these were stupid reckless purchases.....

1) No7 Intelligent Colour Foundation
This is a popular foundation and fairly so; the clever formula means the foundation adapts to your skin tone, leaving a very natural finish.

This was a poor choice for me - the formula is incredibly greasy and generally targeted at an older market. The consistency felt horrible on my face and at some points I wasn't sure whether I needed to reapply because it had worn off my skin, or whether it just looked SO natural that it was fooling either me. Either way, there was definitely not enough coverage for my liking. The second mistake I made was bulk buying ..... Even if it was an absolute bargain at the price I paid, I now have an unopened tube that is completely useless to me. 

 2) Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Foundation.

I actually thought I'd really like this but it was just soo greasy. With previous creamy foundations, I've found that once the first application dries, theres still a fair amount of coverage, but this was totally wrong for my skin and whenever I put it on I felt like I was moving it around my face - not applying it. I'd reccommend this to anyone who suffers with dry skin though.

3) Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
I actually didn't mind this, at £3.99 it's cost friendly and there are some really nice, warm colours in the collection. However, I dislike the packaging as I always lose the lid - and as someone who likes to reapply on the go, this rendered the powder almost useless for me. In my opinion - all powders should have attached lids, preferably a mirror in there too, and a nice soft thick sponge to get your hands around. This was cost friendly, but felt cheap.

Back in style...

I'd just like to say a big thank you to the people who messaged me during the last month, asking about my blog.

I haven't posted since June because my laptop broke and I was between phones. Now I'm back with you on my Iphone and working on getting my laptop back on its feet so I can start making video's too.

Keep checking here for updates because two months is a long time and I've got ALOT to talk about. Please also follow me at twitter.com/lipstickbullet1, and if beauty blogs are your thing then try following us on #bbloggers for some great conversations and tips from some fab people!

Thanks guys!
Jess x

Sunday 9 June 2013

Bad Beauty Habits #2

So I had really good feedback in April about my post concerning bad beauty habits. Well here are a few more for you....

1. Girls who use any of the following motivational phrases...

"Eating is Cheating"
"The A Team"
"Team Skinny"
"I'm not eating today because I'm going out tomorrow"
"I had a snickers last Friday, I'm so fat"


You get the point.

It's not good for your body to constantly be abusing it with your bad eating habits. If you find yourself saying any of these things then you have a really bad attitude towards food and you might think you're motivating people around you to be more healthy, but actually you're just making them as messed up about what they eat as you are.

Eating sensibly, in reasonable amounts, a little of the bad stuff and a lot of the good stuff, and exercising is the only proven way to lose weight for good. Constantly starving your body isn't good for it and you might want to be really skinny, but the chances are you're going to end up really dead. And unless you're an absolute idiot, you'd probably prefer to be a bit chunky than dead.

2. Filing your nails in public

I see people doing it all the time and most people probably don't think it's anything to get annoyed about. Most girls probably have their own little cutely patterned nail files in their purses, ready to whip out and use whenever they have a few minutes of time to kill. And anything that comes in a cute pattern was practically made for people to see, right?

Except that when you're filing your nails in a public place, tiny little fragments of nail dust are falling from the file and into that public area. Just because you can't see it, doesn't make it any less disgusting. For me personally, it's up there with clipping your toenails in someone elses space, you just wouldn't.

3. Being really unhygienic with testers
Not only is this gross for everybody else - you aren't doing yourself any favours either. If you can comfortably go into a store, see a nice shade of lipstick, pick up the tester and put it to your own lips as though 30 or 40 germ ridden strangers hadn't done that exact same thing, then you need to reassess your life.

When you use a tester, there are certain points of your body that it is much more hygienic to test them on. Like your wrist, under your neck - the points of your skin where your natural skin tone comes through, because you're judging whether that shade looks good with your colouring.

If push comes to shove and you absolutely have to try it out on your lips, then ask the nearest sales assistant for a tissue and then after you've wiped the lipstick, using your finger applicate a small amount onto your lips and spread with your fingertips.

4. Dousing yourself in perfume
Perfume smells best when it's subtle and just lingers gently on your skin. Not everybody has the same taste and if someone doesn't appreciate your scent, then the last thing they want is to be smelling it 15 minutes after you leave a room.

If in doubt, I always follow the Marilyn rule . Marilyn Monroe famously quoted "Only spray your perfume on the places you'd like to be kissed". A spray in a couple of intimate places like the nape of your neck and your wrists will mean that nobody is choking as you walk past. Your perfume will last longer too.

5. Too Much Make-up
It's actually really uncomfortable trying to have a conversation with someone that's wearing too much make up. It's unprofessional too - you're actually coming across as more of an amateur and won't get alot of respect back for it. It was only in our very early school days that we thought the more make up we wore meant the prettier we looked - let's leave it there!

Travel Size Treasures

These little beauties will be saving my life while I'm on holiday...

Soap and Glory is fab, but it can be pricey stuff when you're on a budget. Luckily for holidaying budgeters like myself, they do a fair few of their products in the 50ml travel size containers. This will be great on holiday for getting rid of any dry or dead skin and keeping my complexion nice and refreshed in the sun. For only £2.50 it's a good deal whether you're travelling or just trying to spread out your skincare costs until your next payday.
This tube of Simple Moisturising Wash is one of my favourites. It's so light and good to my skin, with almost no abrasive ingredients. It has a more neutral ph balance - unlike many face washes and regular soap, which tend to be alkaline and this can dry up your skin horribly. It also comes in a 50ml tube for just £1.29 from Boots.
I love the Sun, but my hair doesn't. This Mark Hill Holiday Hair Cover Up Protection Spray is really handy in a 50ml travel spray, you can just whip it out of your handbag and keep your hair from drying out.

Sunday 2 June 2013

My Week Ahead

So I may be rather quiet in the upcoming week. Here's a couple of beauty things I'm trying to cram in before I leave for Lanzarote...

1- Drinking loads of water. There's nothing more upsetting than having a breakout of spots while you're on holiday.

2- Last minute dieting. I'm going to be eating whatever I want while I'm actually in Lanzarote, but for now I need to be good. I took a side-picture today to highlight my problem areas and I definitely would like to lose some podge around my middle. So it's salads and fruit all week!

3- Moisturise overload. Hot weather always dries up my skin so I'm going to be extremely kind to it this week and make sure it gets plenty of moisture. I'm also exfoliating at least once a day.

4 - Relaxing. Nothing is going to stress me out this week. Only 5 more shifts at work until all I have to worry about is sun, sea and cocktails.

5- Detoxing. Taking a breather from alcohol, as I'm sure there'll be plenty of it next week. I want to let my body have a bit of a break.

Essentially my life ^

Friday 31 May 2013

Macmillan Cancer Support

Having swamped you all with Blogs today, here is something I would genuinely like to talk about.

This week I was put in charge of fundraising at work for Macmillan Cancer Support. Everyone is so enthusiastic about the cause and I've had some great responses. I've come up with a number of ways to fundraise...

We'll be having store to store netball matches in honour of the charity (something my other half thinks is hilarious as I haven't played netball since year 9), in collaboration with some other stores in Didsbury there will be a raffle with a fair few stores donating prizes, and lots of family- fun events including treasure hunts and prizes for kids.

On the beauty side of things we're really using our expertise to bring something to the cause - we'll be giving £5 French Manicures and No7 makeovers free with donations to Macmillan, and we're always looking for idea's so if there's any area you don't think we've covering then please feel free to email me any suggestions.

In the meantime if you want to donate to Macmillan then please send any cheques to

Boots The Pharmacy
736-740 Wilmslow Road
Didsbury
Manchester
Greater Manchester
M20 6WF

Thanks everyone! Happy June for tomorrow :)

Drink your Skin Clear

In the last week my skin has gone from greasy, spotty and dull to healthy looking - in just seven days, and the solution was one of the most budget friendly treatments I could have used.

I wasn't drinking enough water. I was tired, bogged down and dehydrated. I even felt the skin around my eyes become a little bit too soft for my liking - and spent an entire evening convinced I was getting my first wrinkle.

Then this week I had the pleasure of speaking to a Skincare specialist who informed me that if I'm not looking after my body then it's definitely not going to look good - and this starts with good hydration.

Drinking a healthy amount of water actually made my skin go from something I was smothering foundation on top of to cover, to actually looking refreshed and renewed. I began by making sure I was drinking at least 500ml when I woke up in the morning, and 500ml before I went to bed at night. I don't particularly like the taste of water but with plenty of cheap flavoured varieties there isn't much of an excuse.

5 days later and with the help of Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose In It, and a decent No7 Protect and Perfect moisturiser :) My skin feels better than new.


Budget Product Swap

Okay so we'll all like to be able to afford luxury beauty products, but sometimes our favourite things can be a bit on the pricey side. However, there can sometimes be a more budget-friendly alternative to something that you won't even notice the difference.

I recently swapped my Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (£17.50 from Selfridges)
 For Maxfactor's Colour Elixir Red Lip Crayon (£4.99 from Boot's)
The colour of this Maxfactor red pencil is just as intense, the packaging is refined and classy, the texture is durable and smooth but not greasy - and there is a nice shimmer to the finished look.

The last-factor is about a couple of hours, but it's so compact that it's easy to whip out and re-apply easily - and it's useful to take on a night out and not have to worry about losing it.

Barry M Confetti Nails

This is what I'm excited about lately....

Barry M's new Confetti Nail Effects. Available in 5 colours...

    • Dolly Mixture
    • Marshmellow
    • Sour Apple
    • Bubblegum
    • Liquorice
These look great on their own or top coated onto a bold colour, and I'm going to pick up a couple for my holiday toes!

Tuesday 21 May 2013

The Budget Beauty Bag!

Okay girls, so we all reach a point in our lives where not only do we really need a new mascara or lip liner, but actually our whole make up bag needs an upgrade.

It's times like this that it really sucks to be on a budget.

Here are he personal beauty products that I would choose, on totally different budgets.

£40 Budget

 No7 Intelligent Colour Foundation Medium £15.50
 Bourjois Eyeliner Feutre Black £4.99
Maybelline Volume Express Mega Plush £5.99
Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick Collection by Rimmel £5.49
Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher £7.99

 Total £39.96

£25 Budget
17 Photo Flawless Foundation £6.49
Barry M Lip Paint £4.49
Rimmel Lasting Finish Mono Blush £3.99
Rimmel Scandel Eyes Mascara £4.99
17 Semi Permanant Liquid Eyeliner Tattoo Me £4.99

Total £24.95

£10 Budget
Collection 2000 Supersize Mascara £2.99
Natural Collection Foundation £1.99
Miss Sporty Eye Pencil £1.99
Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Lipstick £2.99

Total £9.96


Saturday 18 May 2013

Bargain of the Week

It should have been £11.50.
It's on offer for £3.50 (With a £5 off skincare/£3 off make up No7 voucher)
I got it for 91p with my discount card.

This tinted moisturiser by No7 gives really good coverage and a radiant glow, but also has a more natural finish to it than a basic foundation. It's also much better for your skin with triple protection and SPF 15.

Exceptionally pleased with my bargain!

Tuesday 14 May 2013

Natural Nails

This evening a friend of mine popped up on Facebook and asked me if I could reccommend anything for  strong, healthy nails.

She's going to Uni to study nursing and isn't allowed any fake or painted nails so she needs her own nails to grow strong and look good natural.  I gave her a couple of products to try ....Sally Hansens 'Maximum Growth' Daily Nail Treatment, Rimmel Nail Rescue, and I even suggested that she try some vitamins for strong nail growth.

Here are a few tips for keeping nails in good condition, without forking out for any products.

1. Keep your nails hydrated.
Rubbing vaseline or castor oil or any creams rich in Vitamin E into your cuticles can help them stay in good condition. Failing that, just use some Olive Oil from the kitchen - it's great for moisturising your hands and nails.

2. File your nails properly.
Filing your nails in one direction instead of going back and forth can make alot of difference. Also, avoid filing your nails after a shower, because they are at their weakest when wet and will break more easily.

3. Polish Properly
Adding even a thin clear polish to your nails adds a bit of protection.  If you're painting your nails then apply a base coat, two coats of colour and a top coat.

4. Avoid Acetone.
If it isn't absolutely neccessary then try to avoid acetone completely - it strips the nails and makes them brittle.

5. Use a softer file.
Those old-style rough emery boards are too harsh for nails and can cause small cracks and breakages.


Sunday 12 May 2013

Cover or Correction: What Is Your Skincare Offering You?

These days, any Skincare worth its salt offers you a solution to at least a few skin - related problems; we're well past the days where one product solves just one issue, and a womans dressing table had to be full of different creams and lotions.  Yet - plenty of women do still have draws just full of different creams - only now they claim to do several things instead of just one. With so many different products floating around - are we blindly throwing our money at products before we really understand why we need them?

One of the most popular items that I'm always asked about is the Nanoblur Optical Skin Cream. Now there are similar products that are jumping on the success of Optical Skincare, such as Garnier Perfect Blur - and I suspect that many more are yet to come.

I'll be really honest with you here - I've tried both of these products a few times now and I don't think they're actually offering me that much for the money. Yes, I understand that there can only be wonderous optical science behind the formula, but for me Optical Skincare feels like a bit of a con. I always feel that the result is minimal at best and I definitely wouldn't feel confident going bare-faced with just one of these products. It's easy to see the appeal to women, and I definitely applaud the idea of formulating a cream that will help women be more confident in their skin. But for me the most use I got out of these products was using them as a primer underneath my foundation - and I'm sure plenty of women will agree.

Personally, I would much rather something with a bit more coverage. And I like the idea that what I'm putting on my face is improving my skin rather than disguising its problems.

I have always been a believer that every girl needs a really good quality BB Cream in their make up bag. However, with the introduction of the CC Cream - these sort of products have even more advantages. Colour Correction has more benefits to me personally, especially with ones such as Maxfactor that have a lovely thick formula - it almost lets me indulge in my worst make up habit of caking the foundation on, on a guilt free basis.

Lastly, here is a product that I think is going to be just fantastic...
Seventeen have a foundation that is not only for coverage - but for the treatment of spots. I gave the product a go this month and at first I was sceptical. I'm not always a fan of Seventeen. Although their products are budget friendly, I often find the quality to be below standard. However, I was impressed with this - I thought the consistancy of the foundation was nice and thick with good coverage, but also spread well. I haven't used it enough to know whether it is a really effective spot-defence, but just knowing that products like this are on the increase is a good peace of mind - and I predict this is something that other brands will be bringing out in their own name very soon.


Wednesday 8 May 2013

Holiday Must-Have #1 Bourjois BB Soleil

 
Bourjois is one of my favourite make up brands for this very reason - when it brings out a product, it does it with style. The new Soleil BB bronzing cream - which I have now tried and tested, is definitely going on my must have list for my trip to Lanzarote in June.

Unlike BB Creams with a thicker coverage - this has a very sheer, spreadable formula that adds some summer colour into your complexion - with the added benefit of being great for your skin.

I will be using this on holiday, whenever I have a fake tan, whenever I catch the sun etc.

Not only is the packaging fresh cute and adorable, but this BB will look and feel so much better than clogging your skin with loads of foundation when its hot and you're in the sun. Give this a try and let your skin breathe this summer !

Sunday 28 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #27 Nailspiration

For anyone that uses Tumblr, you'll know that it's actually a great place to pick up little tips and tricks for beauty and make up. I'm constantly on there like a little ninja looking for something new that will inspire me.

Here are some cute ideas for nails this Summer, I can't wait to give some of these a go...
 Light pastel colours are fun and easy to do.
 These colour tips are gorgeous and really glam for those summer nights out.

 Nail wraps are a great simple and cost-friendly way to have cute, professional nails.
I love how clean and elegant these look - a really classy look.

 This three toned stenciled look is really bold and different and has great personality.
 Havinga different colour or pattern on just one finger is a good way of mixing things up, and is less boring than one row of block colours.

 A mixture of patterns can be cute and stylish, like this vintage wallpaper look
 If you're wanting to impress, experimenting with a nail pen can have a really interesting effect.
Mixing a bold colour with a delicate pattern can look exquisite, nail jewels are a great idea.

Saturday 27 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #26 The Makeovers

After some helpful advice on Twitter from other very kind beauty bloggers, I successfully managed to make over several of the lovely women going to the wedding. This is the first time I've ever done this for a formal occasion and I was very pleased with the end results.

Some of the problems I was having was that I had never given  makeovers to such a varied age-range of people. I always like to apply a powder base after the primer goes on but I wasn't sure how this would suit a more mature skin. Thankfully with some help from @BloodandGrace , whose blog can be found here I ended up foregoing this step and just mixing some foundation with a little moisturiser, and this worked alot better.

These are two of the lovely ladies who have consented to let me use their images for todays blog.

Shirley has a very medium/fair skintone, and a few of the problems shes come across is that she always opts for a darker foundation than she needs, and the result doesn't look quite right. However, she didn't want to look pale either. I applied a No7 Intelligent Colour foundation onto her skin - because it has a higher quality formula that adapts to the skintone. The I gave her a good dash of bronzer under her cheekbones, and blusher on her cheeks for colour.

Shirley isn't very comfortable with putting eyeliner on herself - but a tiny bit of eyeliner can make alot of difference so I just used a soft Khol around the eyes. The absolute making of this look though was the lipstick - Maxfactor Colour Elixir in Chilli Red - which goes beautifully with her vibrant cropped red hair. I was really happy with this look on Shirley because before she wasn't making the most of her colouring. Lots of women want to look tanned but if your hair is short and bold then it can look absolutely stunning against paler skin, as long as you put a bit of colour into the apples of your cheeks and wear something flattering on your lips then it a paler complexion doesn't need to wash you out.

Valerie is Shirley's sister and they have a very similar medium/fair skintone. However, Valeries blonde hair means that a much softer look suits her. I wanted to make her look alot more girly and feminine to compliment not just her hairstyle but her pastel and floral outfit.

I started off with a good No7 primer, and then used a brush to gently dab Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory into her skin. Then I lightly went over this with just a suggestion of powder. I was careful to put primer on her eyelids, Unlike Shirley who was wearing a metallic plum colour, I decided that a natural brown would suit Valeries colouring more.

Valerie also admitted that she wasn't fond of wearing lipstick because she had never found one that suited her. What I did was find a beige lipliner, and just went around the lips to enhance them. I then used a nude lipstick, and finished the look off with a cheap and cheerful lipgloss - Toffee Cream by Natural Collection. The touch of blusher really compliments the fairness of Valeries skin. This was a more complex makeover than some of the others - it was trial and error with finding exactly what was right for Valerie, which is something she has never made time for before.

Blog-A-Day April #25 Wedding Make Up

Hello there!

 Some of you who follow the blog regularly may know that recently I've been involved in a wedding, doing makeovers for guests. So I'll be doing a blog on the makeovers. Some of you may also remember that I made a big deal about finding good make up for myself on budget for the day, so I'll begin with showing you what I chose.

This is me on the morning of the wedding, I went with a cream and pastel pink theme for my outfit because it's elegant and feminine, and I wanted make up that complimented the colours so I went for a very minimal nude look. I probably would have done something a bit more extravagant with my hair but I was very pressed for time with doing other peoples make up. Here is a list of the make up I used for the day...

What I Used
No7 Stay Perfect Shine Free Primer (£12.50 but had a £5 off voucher).
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (£8.99) 
Rimmel Mono Blush - Smoked Oyster (£3.99)
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick - In The Nude (£6.29)
Barry M Bold Waterproof Eyeliner (£3.99)
L'Oreal Volume Millions Lashes Mascara (£9.35)
Lipcote Lipstick Sealer (£3.69)

The Mascara, Foundation and Primer I had at home anyway so I managed to get away with only spending £17.96 on make up in the run up to the wedding- and really that was more than I needed to. I could have cheated a bit more - if I had used lipstick with a bit more colour on my lips then I could have doubled that to smudge a bit of colour into my cheeks instead of buying blush, and I had an eyeliner at home but I wanted a waterproof one because it was an emotional day and I didn't want to risk having panda eyes all through the reception.

All in all it was a really lovely day and everyone complimented my choice of colours so I think things were a success!

Thursday 25 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #24 Just a note

Just wanted to share some thoughts with you today!

Firstly, I would like to thank all the people who have messaged me recently to say that my blog really helps them, I've recieved some really positive comments and the blog - which is still in its infancy-  is getting more and more hits daily which makes this feel really worthwhile!

Secondly I would like to throw something out there that has been in disrepute. Recently I had some really uneccessary comments from someone really unimportant about how I'm not 'pretty enough' or 'thin enough' to be a beauty blogger.

It got me thinking, why are women so awful to each other? Most women of the world are not perfect looking. I've been there - I've had a different colour face to my neck, I've had the worst hair days known to man, I've even left the house with only one hand of nails painted before. So what? I can look back now and laugh about it and share my experiences with you. I'd so much rather be that way than in a group of horrible girls who can only focus on how other people look, because they're so insecure about themselves.

Most women aren't perfect, but we go through our daily life striving for a perfect image, striving for a perfect set of white teeth, or to crinkle out the lines in our scrunchy faces, or to vanquish our shiny faces. Here at the lipstick bullet I don't want perfect readers, I want fat women, skinny women, short women tall women, frizzy women. I want women with weird toes and bad acne and dry skin. There's always something to improve, and we're not alone in wanting to fight our demons like that!

Well I'll leave now because it's the wedding tomorrow! The practise makeover's I've been giving have all gone really well and have turned into a nice little earner - a good beauty budget tip is paying friends to do your make up before a big event; most of the time they'll understand your colour pallette alot better than a stranger.

Thanks everyone!x

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #23 Tanning - Booths vs. Beds

I have something shocking to admit.

Before today, I was a tan booth virgin. *gasp*.

I've always been pale, so much so that my dad has nicknamed my legs the 'great white cliffs of Dover', but with a wedding coming up on Friday I decided that it was time to bring colour back into my life. These were the failed techniques I had used before....

Sunbeds
A few years ago I began to use sunbeds on a regular basis, and my tan looked really even and well. However, the long term damage that I witnessed through the experiences of a friend is horrific. You've heard the stories about what sunbeds can do to your skin - well it's true. Even if the multiple health risks don't put you off, because you're the kind of laid back gal that doesn't fear dying a very painful and undignified death. Really, who wants to even take a chance with that?

Not to mention how quickly sunbeds can become an addiction. It's just not sexy walking around thinking you look like this...

But actually looking like this....


Sprays
The only other spray tan I've had in my life was so bad that it's taken me all this time to go back for another one. It happened in the backroom of a hairdressers, where for £15 I got to stand there awkwardly in my knickers while some chavvy gum-chewing girl sprayed me up and down with some fake bake, while asking me about various scars on my body. The room was messy, the walls were dripping with tan and the podium I was stood on was so wobby that I ended up leaning on the walls - leaving massive brown streaks all down my arms. Needless to say, I've never been back!

Luckily though this time round was fantastic. I went to a place in Fallowfield, Manchester called The Sun Room. For £10 I was taken to my own little pod where in my own time I could get undressed, given wipes to exfoliate with, paper underwear and protective foot pads, and shown how to use the booth. It only took 5 seconds to spray me up and down and my tan is absolutely perfect!

In the Bed vs. Boots debate, Booths are a clear winner for me!

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #22 Maybelline Gel Mousse Mascara

So Maybelline have just released their first Gel Mousse Mascara and it is so cute.
I absolutely cannot wait to own one.


Monday 22 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #21 Make Up Tips for Older Women

So today I've been scouring the web for make up tips for older women, because on Friday I'm doing the make up of a few ladies that are over 50, for a wedding. I need some advice to make sure I don't fall into the same bad habits that older women often do with their make up.

These were the best bits of advice I found...

- Avoid dark colours on lips. I think I'm going to go with light seasonal pinks anyway. Dark colours makes lips look thinner , and I'm going for a moist plump look.

- Avoid powder foundations - they can enhance lines and creases in the skin and make complexions look too chalky.

- A light cream blush. I despise women who use too much blush and don't blend it properly. Just a dash of light cream blush should look respectful and dignified for the occasion.

If anyone has any other tips before Friday then that would be great! Please do comment.

Sunday 21 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #20 SPF Your Foundation

So the weather has been a bit better lately, and of course that means there's lots of outdoor socialising to be done. Most of you probably know - the sun is harmful no matter how hot it is outside, and if you're going to be outside for most of the day then I can't stress enough how much better for your skin it is to use a foundation with a sun protection factor.

Here are my three favourite foundations that are good for people on a budget, and give your skin the SPF it needs.


Maybelline New York FIT Me Liquid Foundation SPF 18 30ml
This has quite a smooth formula, and it lasts quite a while because it can spread very thinly but still give a decent coverage. It has an SPF 18 and is £6.79 from most drug stores. This is quite a nice product because it doesn't include any oil or waxes in the ingredients, so your skin has plenty of room to breathe.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation SPF 15 30ml
I want to start off by saying this is fine for me because my skin is very dry, otherwise you might find it quite oily. What helps is if you use a brush and use some powder to set it into your skin, but once it's on it looks fine and has a long lasting time. It's SPF and £6.99 for 30ml.

Maxfactor Ageless Elixir SPF15 30ml
This is a great sun-worthy foundation, because it's formula is designed to fight against ageing, which is something the sun naturally does to your skin. It has a SPF 15 and is a 2 in 1 Foundation and Serum. The shades are all nice and natural for a perfectly blended bare-faced look with a bit of extra protection - perfect for slightly older skin too. It's slightly more costly at £12.99, but for all the added benefits you get then it isn't too much more at all.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone, just don't neglect your skin in the sun - the biggest mistake you can make is exposing your skin to dangerous UV rays with little protection, and you'll regret it later on when your skin is dry and patchy!

Saturday 20 April 2013

Blog-A-Day April #19 In The Nude

After a really long week, I decided to indulge in some retail therapy, and I splurged a little bit on some new lipstick...
Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick 700 In The Nude

This is great for a nude look, whether it's the smooth barefaced look or just matte lips with stunning eyes, and it has a really good staying quality - which is how I justified spending £6.29 (a little bit under because of my discount card).

Moisture Renew is probably my favourite lipstick range by Rimmel, it's definitely one of their higher quality products, so really if you're going to buy Rimmel, you may as well buy good quality Rimmel.


Ignoring the fact that I have literally no other make up on in this picture please, this is me playing around with it. I love that it gives me a really matte nude lip and I don't have to worry too much about reapplying it.

£6.29 to find a colour I can use over and over makes it well worth the indulgence.

Blog-A-Day April #18 No7 Vouchers

I didn't blog yesterday, because I was intoxicated, and when I tried to get to my laptop I tripped over the bed and hurt my face. I'll do two today instead!

Those of you that know me in person may know I'm a No7 buff. Those of you that know me even better than that may know that I hate spending money, and No7 isn't the most budget-friendly brand ever.

But to be honest No7 is a really good brand to buy now more than ever, it's just been clinically proven that their anti-aging creams prevent the signs of aging. I mean clinically proven - that's huge! It is a scientific fact that they will make your skin look younger if you carry on using them.

So they're worth having, and if you're smart there are ways of getting around the price. For example, Boots do alot of 3 for 2 offers on No7 - so you're nearly always getting one product for free. This is good if you follow the standard procedure of serum, day cream and night cream. When it comes to your skin there's no way of cheating either - so really you need all three, at the very least you need a serum with your day cream.

Secondly...these...

These are seasonal £5 off vouchers by Boots, you may recognise them because at certain points in the year you're lucky if you can get out of Boots' without being given a voucher, but these are really handy for those of us that need their No7.

Some of you may be thinking - but what's £5 off when you're buying a few products that are about £22 each. But actually there are a few really good buys that you can get with them...

These wipes, usually £7 count as Skincare - so they're only £2 with your voucher. Or if you're feeling something more cosmetic, No7 Stay Perfect Nail Varnishes are only £3 - which for the amount and quality of the product you're getting is a really good deal.

So my little budgeteers, collect your coupons when they come along, be scrupulou, because lifes too short to spend the full amount when there are vouchers in the world!