Highlight me....

Highlighting is when you use a product either cream or powder based which contains light reflecting particles, when these particles catch the light they trick and create an illusion that makes things bigger. 

 

The lips are one area of the face that women are always trying to make appear larger with the use of make-up. Whilst lining the lips is important to achieve a fuller lip many don’t realise how much a touch of shimmer/highlighter can drastically change the size of your lips.  I find using a cream highlighter like N07 skin illuminator works best as it is easier to blend and tends not to sit on the skin, however if you would prefer a powder based product I recommend Bourgois Light Concentre de Lumiere. 

 To instantly open up your lips and makes them look twice as large apply the preferred highlighter to your cupid's bow and drag down along the center of your lips then carefully apply a small fine line of highlighter along the bottom of your lower lip, applying the highlighter in these areas will draw attention to the middle of your lip and create an illusion of bigger lips.  Remember that whilst it may not look like a drastic difference in your bathroom, once outside it will be a lot more noticeable due to lighting, therefore don’t go crazy otherwise you will end up looking like you've been eating glitter.

Highlighting can also be used to create bigger eyes, simply take the same highlighter and dab it in the corner of your inner eye, this technique is a favorite of celebrity make-up artists.

This tip is easy to play around with and there are loads of ways to work with highlighter, I've only mentioned two but experiment and most importantly have fun.

DEEP HAIR CONDITIONING

Coconut is a favorite natural beauty product among the stars, with a less than designer price tag it’s cheap and delivers amazing results.

 Coconut Oil can be used as a body moisturiser; the small molecular structure allows the oil to seep deeply into the skin, providing intense moisture perfect for winter when your skin is dry and irritated.

The best way to use this oil is as a deep moisturising hair conditioner. It stops protein loss of damaged and un- damaged hair and when left on the hair as a mask for half an hour helps to create smooth shiny locks which scream hydration.  No need to buy an expensive deep conditioning salon treatment, instead use the natural goodness of coconut oil to bring your hair back to tip top condition.

 HOW TO CREATE YOUR COCONUT HAIR MASK

Step 1

Pour 1 cup of hot water into a small bowl. Scoop 3 tsp. of coconut oil out of the tub and place in a container, next place the container into the hot water, this will turn the solid coconut oil into an oil consistency.

Step 2

Massage the coconut oil gently into damp or dry, concentrating on the ends.  Spend up to 10 minutes working the oil through your hair

Step 3

Wrap the hair in cling film or cover with a shower cap, you can leave this product on your hair for an hour or if you need it overnight.  Shampoo twice to make sure there is no build-up of oil left in the hair.

Dramatic nails !

FAKE IT BABY

Haven't been able to do a post in ages, been a busy bee, which meant painting nails has been a hassle. I have been using false nails instead.... not the conventional french polish ones but more exciting dramatic ones like the ones above. 

These stick on nails have made regular appearances on nights out because they add instant drama to any outfit. The above sets of nails are both from Boots. The gold ones are from 17 and are £5.99 and the Umberto Giannini Painted Lady TALONS - Black Bobble Artificial Nails are £8.50. The reason I am loving stick on nails is that they are quick and easy to apply as well as easy to remove and you never have chipped nails!! They aren't super long which means they are easy to wear throughout the day without getting annoying.The glue in both of the sets lasts long especially the Umberto Giannini glue which lasted for 4 days before a nail came off.

GET THESE TO COMPLETE ANY OUTFIT 

Super Liner

This Gel eyeliner is smooth, highly pigmented and very easy to apply. Gel eyeliners have been on the rise in the make-up world and it's great to find a high street brand getting a very tricky product so right!!!

 The gel eyeliner stayed on all day, which was a massive bonus, my eyeliner (regardless of the primer I use) tends to end up all over my eyelid and very rarely stays set all day, so I was ecstatic when I came home from a 9-5 day and found my eyeliner had stayed in place all day, and through a grueling spin class!!! Don't worry this doesn't mean taking your eye make-up will be a struggle, it washed off very easily.

 After recently trying Mac fluid line in backtrack and applying to my water line i was left with irritated eyes, this is far from the case with super liner, felt comfortable all day.

The brush is stiff enough to create a straight line but soft and flexible enough to work with. The brush is the perfect size, nice and small creating a immaculate line on my eyes.  What i would say is that the brush dried hard if you leave the gel liner on so make sure to wash your brush thoroughly after each use.

This product is a must try!! will really compete against Mac and Booby Brown. Favorite thing is the gel's extreme black pigment and staying power.

LOVE H xxx

Designer Lift

GREAT FOR COMBINATION SKIN AND SKIN THAT CRAVES A LUMINOUS GLOW

If you have an oily t-zone but dry cheeks this foundation couldn't be better suited to you. It promises to adapt to your skin type and balance out oily and dry areas alike. Since the weather has been getting increasingly colder by the day it has affected my skin making it extremely dry. Since using this product I found it was very moisturizing and made my skin feel comfortable and soft.

Used on my friend before a night out

Giorgio Armani say that is a high coverage foundation, I would argue that if you were to apply two coats you would achieve a high coverage finish but applying one coat is defiantly a medium coverage. I prefer medium coverage so this wasn't a problem for me but don't go expecting a full coverage foundation. It's designed to give the skin a luminous lift hence the name designer lift, it did feel like it smoothed out any lines in my skin which is great.
When we are younger our skin has a higher blue light retrodiffusion and as we age our skin loses this colour which is what gives the skin a natural radiance. Designer lift works by using a blue pigment to help give back lost radiance. Always love to try out pioneering beauty breakthroughs so tried it out on my mum's face (older skin, sorry mum) and it seemed to do the trick. Even if you are young this works in the same way but adding more radiance and leaving a dewy glow on the skin.

Compared with Luminous Silk it did seem to have a thicker consistency and felt creamy upon application yet still manages to feel light on the skin. What I would say is that a little goes a long way you only need one pump and even that's leaves excess. A great purchase !!

LOVE H xx

Raspberry Nails

Totally LOVING this Nail Paint by BarryM in shade Raspberry. Perfect for autumn/winter

If you are looking for a really deep red, you can't go wrong with this colour :)

LOVE H xx

Rouge D'Armani

Hot Red Lipstick by Giorgio Armani 

Featured in the campaign with Megan Fox 

Brow Stencils

 PRICEY VS CHEAP

The shape of your eyebrows can ultimately define the entire structure of your face. This is why a good brow is so important, prices of eyebrow waxing and threading are on the rise, so i want to show you a product which can give your eyebrow shape. Without the pain of going to the beauty salon.

K Co brow powder an stencils cost £22.99 and comes in a great set with 4 different colours (bare in mind this set is for blondes) which you can mix to create the colour best suited to your natural eyebrow. The clever stencil can be simply placed over the eyebrow and filled in using the powders to create a flawless arched eyebrow.

The problem i have with this product is that I already have an eyebrow pencil/powder that I like and forking out £22.99 seemed like a lot of money for one stencil. So I went digging and found a set by W7 called brow bar which only cost me £2.99 !!

 For £2.99 this set contains 4 colours, 3 stencils which allow you to mix and match the shape and thickness, a eyebrow brush and a eyebrow comb and these simple instructions

1.Comb/brush eyebrow hair upwards
2.Place eyebrow stencil over the eyebrow in desired position
3. Brush the eyebrow with a colour shade that matches your hair
4. Carefully remove the eyebrow stencil from the eyebrow.

K Co is ten times more expensive than the W7 brow bar and only contains one stencil compared to W7 which has 3.

W7 brow also allows for the desired shape of the brow to be customized which K Co doesn't. K Co's powder formula may of better quality than the W7 powder however if you already have a preferred eyebrow filler then it is a no-brainer as to which set to choose.

Sensuous Nude

If you are looking for a nude lipstick which wont drain you of colour if you have a paler complexion, look no further than Estee Lauder's Pure Color Lipstick in Sensuous Nude. Paler complexions tend to avoid nudes however this has a gorgeous soft peachy tan to it which compliments all skin colours. 


This lipstick is also perfect for the colder months as has extreme moisturizing properties and feels silky and smooth on the lips. 


It was  created by makeup artist Tom Pecheaux who used his time as a chef as inspiration for this colour. he took the idea of the macaroon and decided to do a lipstick that had a creamy center but a beautiful outer shell. These lipsticks have a moisturizing core and a firmer pigmented shell wrapped around it. They really do taste delicious with subtle fragrances of sweet vanilla.

The staying power of these lipsticks isn't the best I've seen and i have yet to find a lipstick which has staying power and still moisturizing  This is the best I have found, but make sure to keep it in your handbag close by for touch ups throughout the day.

LOVE H XX

What was in my beauty chest this week....

I've taken the iconic "what's in my make-up bag" and decided to do a "what's in my beauty chest" for two reasons,

1. Too many products to fit in my make-up bag
2. Watched Pirates of the Caribbean yesterday ;)

Products: Chanel- Hydra Beauty Serum, Clinique-Repair wear, Yves Saint Laurent-Le Teint Touche Eclait, Bourjois-Delice de Soleil Bronzing Powder, Yves Saint Laurent- Touche Eclait, Mac- Select Cover up (contouring), Bourjois-Healthy Balance powder, Models Own- Eyelash Curlers, Bourjois- Volumizer Mascara, Estee Lauder - Pure Colour Lipstick in Sensuous Nude, Soap&glory-Archery (eyebrow pencil) Bourjois- Light Concetrate de Lumiere, No7-Lip pencil in Nude, Ecotools- Kabuki brush and Blending brush

Favourite product this week- Yves Saint Laurent- Le Teint Touche Eclait
Best high budget buy- Estee lauder pure colour sensuous nude
Best low budget buy- Ecotool brushes- Kabuki and Blending brush
Fashion Essential- Earmuffs
Perfume- Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb

Have spoken about most of these products, the ones I haven't done yet I will cover this weekend

LOVE H xx

PEACHY

Barry M- Peach Melba

How cute is this nail colour, especially on tanned skin.  Slightly sad as this is probably the last time i will get away with wearing a  peachy shade now that  we are moving into winter (Snowed last night WOOO!)  I love Barry M polishes, they are easy to apply and they have a fantastic shade range. I promise to do a more seasonal shade next time. 

LOVE H xx

Radiant by Benifit

Can you believe this only cost £10 !! Amazing present idea for a friend this Christmas with some great gems inside. Will do a proper video review after I've had time to see how the products feel on the skin etc.

Moisture prep

Triple performing facial emulsion

It's potent eye cream 

Total moisture facial cream

Foaming clean-Face cleanser

refined finish facial polish

LOVE H x

Perk me up please

My mummy bought me this benefit set as a present for being her favorite :) I think this product is such a great concept. Inside the Perk Up Artist are custom complexion correctors which you can use on their own or mix and match. 

Pretty self explanatory the correct, corrects any pigmentated skin for instance in the winter my nose tends to light up like Rudolph the reindeer so i use this to calm everything down and bring the colour back to match the rest of my face. The cover works the same way a concealer does by cover any blemishes that the foundation hasn't masked. Finally the Brighten, lifts and draws attention to certain features of your face.It comes with a double ended brush but my dad hoovered it up :(. I never really like the brushes as i feel concealer should be applied with the finger as it helps warm the product up.

These can be used on their own or you can mix them together, for instance mixing the cover and brighten together and applying under the eye to create an illuminating concealer which brightens the eye area. 

The best thing about this product is that you can throw it in your bag and touch up your make-up throughout the day.

Mr Bright

Recently rekindled my love for benefit, Haven't worn any of their products in over two years but after getting my eyebrows waxed and tinted (recommend them however slightly pricey) today I decided to purchase a new set Finding Mr Bright this set me back £28.50. Inside this cute little box contains everything you need to brighten your skin for the winter months.

Girl Meets Pearl:  This is a great highlighter that has an extremely sweet smell to it. Use it along the arch's of your eyebrows, cheekbones, center of your nose and cupids bow. Apparently the smell is meant to relax you due to the hints of chamomile, not sure how much of this is true? Really easy application no need for frantic blending, seeps into skin nicely.  Great brightening effect with this highlighter, immediately gives a rather tired looking face a lift.

Posie Tint:

Unlike Benetint this product is more of a gel formula which is great as its easier to apply and less watery  Doesn't have a scent unfortunately however its a great pick me up when added to the lips or apples of the cheeks for a rosy red cheek look. I also feel this product goes a long way, make sure to blend properly so you don't look like you've been stuck in a sunbed for an hour.

High Beam:

This well know product is made to highlight underneath your brow to create an impression of a bigger eye by lifting the brow. It actually won Style magazine's best illuminating lotion/cream award which must count for something!! Don' let the pink colour put you off I really do think it suits all skin types.

Erase Paste:

Sorry if your super into this product and punching the screen in anger when i say I don't like this concealer., I found this concealer to sit on the top of my skin without melting in. Perhaps if you have more supple skin around your eye area it could work for you. Good example of how make-up can be great for one person and terrible for the next. I do however recommend this product if you need heavy coverage for skin problems such as acne. 

THE SET AS A WHOLE

In conclusion I think this set and a lot of sets by Benefit are really great present ideas. It contains some really lovely products which are great for travel. Take these minis in your hand luggage and apply just before landing to give yourself a perk. Also the case doubles as a keepsake box once you remove the inner packaging.