More of my work...

Mwah xo

Life update

Hey guys! The other week I finished my make-up course which now accredits me as a fully qualified hair and make-up artist! (very exciting). It was an intense course but I'm so glad I did it as personally helped me really round of the skills I taught myself. I trained at MINK London which is an amazing make-up school and agency. There was so much variety in what was taught, from African bridal and airbrush make-up to special effects and make up for TV and Film. I honestly don't think there is anything we weren't shown. 

I really thought long before actually committing to the course as I know of a few make-up artists who have made it without any official training. I figured in the end it would only help not hinder to combine my self taught skills with training to show me things I probably would take to longer to find out if I taught myself, some clients also tend to feel more relaxed if you have some kind of qualification. That is not to say being a 'qualified make-up-artist' puts me above a self taught make-up artist as you can only be taught to a certain extent, and it is really down to creativity and initiative to further perfect the skill and create a success of yourself. I'm currently working on that as we speak, always looking for ways to put myself out there and doing little jobs here and there to build up my portfolio. 

I recently worked on set of an indie film doing hair and make-up. The whole thrill of the day confirmed that this is really what I want to do in life, the 5 am start, the constant back and for between locations, rushed off my feet, creative input and endless nose powdering didn't put me off one bit. It was an amazing experience and I cant wait for more.

Here is a recent shot from my portfolio....

Mwah xo

P.s. Photographers.... Holla at me :)

217 baby!

You've probably heard makeup fanatics rave about the infamous 217 brush from MAC. As a makeup freak myself I've really wanted to try the brush and experience its magical powers. That day finally came and I can safely say I'm not disappointed. It's like working with a magical blending wand. The real hair brush which is feather light on the skin is perfect for blending concealer into the skin, dusting powder into corners and blending out eye shadows. I also find it works well if you're going for a more concentrated strong contour line. It's definitely worth buying more that one of these brushes considering its multi purpose use or you'll have a lot of cleaning to do during one makeup application which won't be great for the brush itself. Make sure you treat your brushes with TLC because a good quality well treated brush should last a lifetime :) (making it definitely worth the £18) ...my advice = go and enlighten your life with a 217 brush!

Mwah xo

GIMMI BROW

So the newest product to be launched from Benefit Cosmetics line is finally here... and it's amazing!
'Gimmi brow' is a brush on gel that leaves natural looking fibres on the skin and hair for fuller filled out brows. The brush allows for precision and shaping. You can go for a natural look with this product and also for a full on intense brow by building. It lasts all day and keeps your brows in place and is also (Thank God) water resistant. I literally love this stuff. It comes in two shades, light/medium and medium/dark, having used all of Benefits brow products I find this one the easiest and most natural looking. It also works well with 'Browzings'. Don't get it mistaken for 'Speed brow' which is a translucent brow gel purely for setting the brow hairs whereas 'Gimmi brow' also applies colour.

But.. seeing as I'm giving an honest review I feel is should also tell you guys what I found to be the negatives (There are hardly any). If you have quite thick jet black eyebrows this product may not be for you and I would recommend 'Speed brow' instead because 'Gimmi brow' is so pigmented it comes out an ashy colour on jet black as the darkest shade is a dark brown. One other thing that isn't entirely a negative is that the brush holds a lot of the gel on it so it can get messy if you don't realise this. I recommend practising in the mirror a few times to get your desired look or even going to any benefit counter and asking them for a make up lesson in how to apply it once you've bought it. They would be more than happy to help.

Here is a before and after I did on a client.

 

 

Mwah xo

Pow lips!

Okay, so I heard about this Clip Lipnicure stuff through tumblr on Julie begins Blog. Julie Begin is an international makeup artist who is also a key inspiration for a lot of my ideas. I love her boldness and experimental use of colour. Here is some of her work ...

Anyway, back to the lip stuff, so I had to order it to try it out because I was really looking for a lip stain that had a killer pigment considering I have quite dark lips. This stuff is genuinely amazing. I ordered the Guilty pink colour as a safe option not knowing if it would look to bright against my skin. So it came within 2 weeks of me ordering it and along with it I got some cc cream and two interesting paper masks which are actually quite nice (weird but nice). It comes in a cute little lop with an applicator top. The colour is AHHMMAAZZEEE... I was literally so shocked by how bright and well it coloured the lips. It is also non transferable and has a super matte finish so lasts literally over 7-10 hours (roughly timed). Iv'e been wearing it daily and have discovered cute different ways to wear it. by dabbing a small amount in the middle of your lips and blending it out gives a sultry look. If you line your lips with a darker colour and put the lipnicure after it gives a diva-licious pout. and obviously on it own it gives an awesome pop of colour.

Here is is on me... (apologies for the quality...)

This was using the lip liner method :)

Here are all the colours they do

Go grab yourself one :)

Mwah xo

AJ Crimson BB+D cream

I recently ordered the AJ Crimson bb + d cream for only $10!!! (plus shipping costs which still only came to £18). AJ crimson make-up is company in the US that do make-up for all skin types. I've heard a lot about it and from the reviews felt it was really time I ordered some for myself. I actually am in love! Its always been impossible to find a bb cream for darker skin tones so when I heard about this i felt it was a requirement for me to buy, use and review! Honestly... I love it! its super light weight (as a bb cream should be) but has a really nice coverage. Easy application and blends very well. The only thing I found slightly annoying is that because I had to colour match myself over the computer screen I did end up getting a shade very sightly darker than I would normally go for. The blending qualities means I can still work it and it looks fine but WHEN I order my next one I'll probably go for a shade lighter. Other than that I have no complaints, good price, good name, good quality.

Here is how it looks one me (excuse the posing)

And here is where you can order yourself one! (Hurry its a limited time only sale!)
Click here to buy the bb+d cream!

P.s I will be meeting the man himself at The Make-up Show Live on October 6th in London. Excited is an understatement! :D

Mwah xo

25 things you probably didnt know about me

Okay so I see quite a few bloggers with '25 things about me..' etc. and  always feel its a nice touch as it helps readers get to know the person behind the blog so I decided to do one :D

1. I giggle after almost everything I say
2. I have a serious fear of saliva..
3. I have size 8 feet
4. I have a huge girl crush of Ciara
5. I'm a Geordie lass (Arguably a Mackem) but no longer have the accent :(
6. I'm 5 foot 6, average kinda height
7. I looove to cook
8. My favourite hobby is probably shopping...
9.  I feel lonely very easily
10. I have a little cry to myself every time I walk past MAC <3
11. 'Lets stay together' is one of my favourite TV shows
12. I get slightly obsessed with investigating crimes that fascinate me
13. I love to write and make short stories
14. I love to draw even though I'm hopeless at drawing
15. Making films is kinda my thing
16. My dream in life is to become a successful freelance make-up artist worldwide :D
17. I live in dream land
18. I'm very impatient
19. My favourite film is Silence of the Lambs
20. My favourite movie is White Chicks and Mean Girls
21. I am absolutely infatuated with Tigers
22. 2 Chainz is my idol....
23. I enjoy buying people presents... like way too much
24. I fall asleep anywhere, its quite a problem actually
25. Im a selfie queen...

Make-up show live!

Guyyss! this is so exctiting. The Makeup show live is on October 6th at the Hilton Metropole in London. Buy your tickets and come down, the day will be amazing, with seminars from top make-up artists, workshops and goodies! Its also a great opportunity for networking. Ill be helping out so will be taking lots of pics for the blog for those who cant make it, I can guarantee you wont be disappointed, ticket information is here... --->  http://makeupshowlive.com/tickets/ (student tickets available)

P.s. AJ cromson will be at the event! Words cant explain my excitement, if you havn't heard of him check him out on YouTube. He is like a makeup God! http://www.youtube.com/user/askajcrimson

Mwah xo

One dimensional face!

So during a phone conversation with my girl Lauren (http://vividwinter.wordpress.com/ - check out her blog its amaazzee!) the phrase 'One dimensional face' popped up. After lots of confusion and giggling we decided that the term is actually very real in some cases.

Okay so the definition below wasn't extracted from Oxford dictionary but I feel like it should be in there. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with people who like simple make-up and don't layer up! The issue I have is when people who intend to make there faces up only use one dimensional make-up, i.e a layer of foundation... and that is all. Make up is supposed to accentuate what you already have so by masking your face with foundation and leaving it at that you are really not doing your make-up or your face any justice. The key thing to remember is that foundation is just an element of make-up  not make-up itself. Even just applying blusher will create a dimension, by highlighting your cheeks your are bringing out your cheekbones and creating angles in your face. Eye-shadow application can create another dimension by contouring the crease and making your eyes pop. My favourite way of creating dimensions to your face is by contouring. contouring is simple and looks natural (if done correctly), but makes such a difference to you make-up  I believe contouring is what differentiates a plain natural look to an edgy natural look. Contouring the eyes, the cheeks and the nose will really sculpt your face and you can control how dark you want your contour colour to be or how bright you want the highlighter to be dependent on how made up you want to look. I feel like contouring should be in everybody's life as it is simple, emphasises and flatters. If darker contouring really isn't for you or you don't feel comfortable appyling it, try doing the reverse and really highlight areas you want to stand out, i.e your brow bone, the apple of your cheeks and just under your nose. This will not change anything about your face but will affect the way light hits your face giving a structured and flattering glow to your face. Hope this helps guys. Keep contouring <3 

On·e Dimens·ional Fa·ce  

/One dymenshional fayce/

Exclamation When make-up is worn in a one dimensional form. i.e. no contouring, blusher or bronzer, no angles are created in most cases giving a flat and non flattering look. 'But your face... its so 'One dimensional!'

Synonyms flat, simple Mwah xo