Ballerina bun for long/medium hair

This hairstyle is very simple to achieve and also looks very elegant. In my opinion you could use it for both casual and evening looks, but you may prefer one or the other.

You will need :

• Hairband
• Doughnut Ring (in your hair colour)
• Hairbrush - Tailcomb or backcombing comb
• Pins!
• Hairspray ( if needed/wanted)

To start, simply tie all your hair into a high ponytail. If you have a fringe or bits you want to keep down then do. Depending on what look you want, either tie your hair into the ponytail neatly, or leave it scruffy if you want a more casual look.

Once you are happy with your ponytail, take your doughnut ring and slide your ponytail through the hole in the middle. Then part your hair over the ring in sections until the ring is hidden with your hair, and wrap your hair around the outside tucking under the ring as you go. The longer your hair, the more times you will need to wrap your hair around the ring.

Then take your chosen pins, and pin around the outside of the ring to keep it in place. Use as many pins as you need but try to keep them hidden!

To finish, spray your hair with a bit of hairspray for extra security, and also to get rid of any stray fly away hairs. If a casual look is what you wanted, perhaps even take a few strands out to give it that 'messy' look.

Have fun!

Leopard Print Eye Makeup

First of all i am sorry for my lack of blogging recently! Have been super busy and also had my birthday so i've been out doing things. Thinking of making my birthday haul/day my first youtube video so let me know what you think.

I've jumped ahead a bit as i haven't shown you lot my basic eye looks, and have gone straight to a more complex one, but i love this so much and am pretty chuffed with myself that i managed to do it first time!

Step 1: After applying the skin makeup (see blog post about foundation and american lips to read on how i did the skin) i got two different purple eyeshadows, a dark blue, and a black and filled in her eyebrows blending them all together. I had a picture that i was referencing too, which is on the beautylish app if you are interested. I then got my aquacolours (kryolan) and using a thin brush, dashed each colour lightly and randomly across the eyelid and browbone in a rainbow like pattern, going green to yellow to orange to pink to blue to purple! I then waited for this to dry. (You must keep the eye closed or opening it will smudge the look while wet)

Step 2: I then took a black liquid liner, believe it or not the one i was using was from Primark! And then created leopard print shapes and dots in the shape of a cat like eye. This requires a steady hand and a lot of patience! And again, do not open your eye until dry!

Step 3: I then took a silver glitter liner, from beautyUK and added glitter into a few of the leopard print shapes.

Step 4: To finish of the eyes, i added a line of black liquid liner with a flick, following the natural shape of the eye and also the shape of my pattern. I added a white kohl liner in the inner corner of the eye (MUA) and took the black liquid liner under the eye about a quarter of the way.

Step 5: To complete, i used a black kohl liner (MUA) and took it the rest of the way along the bottom eye line. I then blended it with a grey smokey coloured eye shadow (kryolan) , and then mascara to finish! (max-factor).

 Step 6: To complete the look i added a bright red lip using NYX lip palette. I then also lightly teased her hair, to make it look more 'wild' like the whole cat look i created, and parted it in the middle. ( Hair is naturally curly)

Beehive 60's hair

In the 60's the beehive was a popular hairstyle, and it was also featured a lot in the modern film of Hairspray based in the 60's. There are a few ways you can go about doing a beehive, but for my hair type (fairly thin) this method is the better option as my hair tends to fall flat quickly after backcombing.

If you do have thick hair, or if your hair seems to work well with backcombing, you just simply part your hair into sections at the front of your head, and back comb them all. (Backcomb a lot for a more dramatic beehive). Then you smooth it over by combing all the sections together and setting them in place with hairspray and grips. Youtube video can be done on beehives if requested.

Another way to create a beehive is to use crepe hair.

Here i parted the hair so that there were pieces separate from the front and back, and behind the front section i placed a little wad of crepe hair, and used hair grips to keep it in place. I then flicked the front section of the hair back, so that the crepe hair was hidden, and left two sections of hair at the front of the face in a middle parting. I then smoothed the beehive over with a comb, and pinned it at the back so that it was secure!.

With the back of your hair you are then free to do whatever you like, ponytail, bun, or even just left down and curled. I have just left the hair at the back as to how it was before i started on it, as i was only showing off the beehive.

Make-Up: Basic Foundation and American Lips

Foundation is a commonly used item of make-up, and is used by most women in their every day look. There are a wide variety of foundations ranging from powder, to cream, to liquid, to mousse. The most vital thing when looking to buy foundation is getting the ride shade for your skin, seems obvious, but you would be surprised at how difficult it is! There's not really an easy way to do it (unless you use the new No7 machine, but that is only for No7 products) you just have to try a few and blend it into your skin and find the closest match. Try to refrain from testing foundations on your hand, as the skin tone on your hand will be completely different from that on your face! You also have to bear in mind that your neck may also be a different tone from your face, so you may wish to buy two different shades, 1 for face and 1 for neck, to give you the most natural look possible.

Extra Tip: Liquid foundations are probably the best for an everyday/daily look, cream foundations are more for photoshoots/film, as they are a bit thicker and need to be that way to show on camera, they can look a bit 'cakey' so they're not ideal for a daily basis!


The Look: 

For this look i have used charles fox products (except lipstick, brand unknown) :

• Foundation - cream based
• Concealer - cream based
• Eyeshadow - powder based
• Translucent Powder
• Blush - powder based
• Lipstick - 3 different colours

To start : I applied the foundation using a sea sponge (alternative is latex sponges) and a foundation brush. I let the sponge soak in water for a while and then rinsed it out before using. I then put the sponge in the foundation and applied it to the face, and then using the brush, blended it out so it created an even look. I applied the foundation right under the eyes, eyelids, ears, neck and lips (to create a base for lipstick) so that the skin was completely covered and looked flawless.

Then i took a dark shade of concealer, and as my model had a round face shape, (analysing a face shape before shading and highlighting is important i.e - oval, square, round, long) i applied it at the sides of the chin area, under the cheekbones, and at the sides of her temples, and then blended using my concealer and foundation brush so that it removed the harsh lines and looked softer and natural.

Next i took a light shade of concealer and applied it under the eyes, around the sides of the mouth and nose, chin, and a V shape on the forehead, and again blended. This is to highlight key areas of the face, and also adds to the shading.

I then took a dark brown shade of eyeshadow, and using an angular brush, i filled in the eyebrows, following their natural shape.

To set the foundation and concealer i then used my translucent powder, and with a blusher brush just dusted all over the face.

To finish off the skin, choose your favourite shade of blusher and apply to the apples of the cheeks (just above cheek bones) using a blusher brush, and apply to the sides of the temples to give more definition. 

Before:

After:

For added fun i created american flag lips!

Product Review: Lush Bubblegum Lipscrub

So it's very nearly winter again, and my lips really don't agree with this time of year. Due to the harshness of the winter wind and temperature, my lips suffer from that horrible chapped look. BUT! I have seen numerous  beauty gurus on YouTube, feature this scrub, and when i went shopping in Watford i was in Lush and thought i would try it out.

Packaging: I really like the packaging, and although the pot is very small, it is very compacted and there is a lot in there. A little goes a long way! The pot is easy to open/close and is also secure so i can't see it spilling out whilst in my handbag.

Price: This lipscrub from memory was £5 something, which yes is pretty pricey for a lipscrub, but i was willing to pay the price as my lips needed it, and i wanted a good quality one over a cheapy nasty one.

Quality: The scrub really does work, it is really easy to use as well. It doesn't take long, it works straight away and leaves your lips feeling and looking a lot smoother.

Personal Thoughts: My favourite colour in the world is pink, so this lipscrub appealed even more to me. Also, it is scented very strongly of bubblegum, and it smells amazing. An added bonus to this product is that once you are done, instead of washing it off your lips, you are allowed to lick it off! It is edible (in moderation) and tastes so so good. mmm.

Note: Please don't eat too much of this, although it says you can, it doesn't mean devour the whole pot, it will make you ill!

A definite repurchase! 

Fringe Hairstyle #1

Just by styling your fringe, it can completely change the look of your hairstyle, and this is a first of a series of fringe hairstyles.

Firstly, you want to curl your hair, using whatever method you like (see my older post about curling hair methods if you are unsure). You don't want your hair to be too tightly curled, so if so, gently brush it out.

Once your curls are ready, simply take the front section of your hair, and curve it so it makes a 'swirl' sort of shape. Then simply pin it in place, and add a bit of hairspray for extra security if needed. Done!

French and Fishtail Plaits

These two plaits are simple to style once you have the hang of it, it just needs a lot of practice and patience. I thought i would blog about them as they differ from your normal plait and add a bit on interest to your hair due to their complex appearance. (not complex to style)


1. French Plait

French plaits are pretty much a normal plait except they are 'more attached to the head'. In my opinion this one is harder to style than the fishtail but you may disagree. You can use french plaits anywhere on the head, i.e- could have them coming from the side, straight down the back, or even just the fringe. (depending on length of hair) Short layered hair will obviously not go into a french plait, so you do need a bit of length, and having layers can cause more difficulty as shorter bits may stick out and cause the plait to look messy or uneven.

This plait is just done straight down the back, and to start, brush your hair so that its scraped back. If you have a fringe and want to leave it down, then do, and just scrape back the rest of your hair. Take a small section from the front and start plaiting that as you normally would do with a normal plait. Only cross over the strands ONCE each, and when you come to cross over the strands again, add a bit of hair from the next section and keep joining sections of hair whilst plaiting. On the side view photo you can see how the different sections are woven into the plait. French plaiting is just a normal plait but adding more sections of hair each time you cross over the strands. Once you get to the bottom, you can just normal plait until the ends of your hair and secure with a hairband. 

The exact same process applies for wherever you want the plait to be, just scrape your hair in the direction you want the plait in.

2. Fishtail

The difference with a fishtail is that it only really uses 2 strands of hair, rather than your usual 3. Again you can have a fishtail plait at the back of your head or to the side. To start, divide your hair into two sections. Then take a small piece of hair from the back of one of the sections, and cross it over to the other section. Hold in place. Then take a small piece from the opposite section (again at the back) and cross over to the other section. This plait gets easier the further down the hair you get as it can be fiddly to get it tight and neat at the top. Carry on crossing over your sections until you have no hair left to cross. If you take bigger sections whilst crossing over you end up with a different looking plait than you would with small. Either way works, it's just down to personal taste!

- As this is fairly difficult to explain over text, i may put up a youtube video demonstrating the processes. Information on how to find it will be in my next blog post if i choose to film.

Product Review: Sephora Mango Body Butter

Hellllooo!
So on my first ever blog, i mentioned this product that i bought whilst on holiday in France. If you live in the UK then you will know that there sadly isn't a Sephora :( I'm not 100% sure of all the countries that do, but the 2 that i know for definite are the USA and France, so if you're wondering i would google it :).
The body butter i have bought comes in a variety of different scents, i spent ages sniffing them all and decided mango was the most delicious.

So as you can see from the photo above, the tub is 200ml, which in my opinion is quite a lot, as i've used it many times and hardly any seems to have disappeared! The lid is just a screw on, so it's not hard to open and close. ( i hate products that are hard to open) I like the packaging, it's simple but looks quite classy, and the tubs are coloured to your scent. By this i mean if you were to buy strawberry your tub would be pink, etc. Obviously it's very hard to describe a scent, but just think exotic, mango (obviously) holiday, cocktail smells, just a reallyyy fruity smell, so if you like those sort of scents then this is for you!

The actual butter itself is really moisturising, and even though it is heavily fragranced, i haven't had any reactions to it, and my skin can be quite sensitive. The scent sticks with you for hours which i like, as i like to smell nice! And so does the moisture, my skin is left feeling soft for ages. One thing i wouldn't recommend is applying this to your legs straight after you've shaved them/waxed them. It. Stings. Apart from that, i would say it's perfectly fine to use anywhere, except the face. I would say my skin type is a little on the dry side, more when i just come out the shower, so i found this really 'locked in' some moisture and i'm very happy i bought it :). Would definitely repurchase this product if it was easy to get my hands on, and i'm not 100% sure on the price but i remember it being in the 7-10 euros region. So it is very affordable!
Let me know in the comments if you've ever tried Sephora's Body Butter range, and tell me what you thought! <3

4 methods of curling your hair

Before i started my course at the Make-Up Bus Ltd, i used to curl my hair by simply using a curling wand, or using my straighteners. Other times i would tie my hair into a bun, let it dry, and take the hairband out resulting in curls. However i have learnt some new methods, that are fairly simple and thought i would share them with you! :)


1. Velcro Rollers.

Velcro rollers have been around for a while, and are more effective if used in damp hair. The pictures i have shown are used in dry hair, so the curl won't be as effective. In my opinion, this is the hardest method to use as the velcro likes to stick to any stray bits of hair in the way verryyy tightly and can sometimes end up in a tangled mess, but with practice and time, you shouldn't have a problem :).

My course gave me this model head, (real human hair) which is a little freaky, so apologies, but it is much easier for me to practice on rather than myself, and is easier to show you what i'm doing step by step. In the picture above i have placed 6 of the biggest size rollers i own, which aren't the biggest ones you can buy but hey ho. You should separate the section of hair on the top of your head, from the sides of your head, and take small pieces of hair at a time and roll the roller down it. Be careful and keep the ends of your hair tucked into the roller or you will end up with nasty looking straight ends with your curls :(. Once rolled down, the velcro on the rollers should enable it to sit on its own roots without the need of using pins or clips to keep it in place.
Once you have finished your 6 big rollers, (use less/more depending on the length of your hair), start to pay attention to the sides of your head. Again, i have used the biggest size for the first layers at the side, as the hair is thicker at the top as there's more of it. Once you get a bit lower, move on to the medium size, and continue the same process. You may even have to roll some in at an angle to fit them into the gaps you may create. This is perfectly fine!

Once you are happy with it, carry on rolling the sections of hair left, using the very smallest size for the hair sections at the bottom of your head. Or use the small rollers for any thin sections. You should end up with a full head! To finish off, you can either, spray your head with water and then blow dry (if placed in damp hair already then obviously you can skip out the water stage), or spray your head all over with setting spray and leave to dry. Then take out the rollers one by one, and you should have lovely curls!

2. Heated Rollers.

Heated rollers are applied in the exact same process as the velcro rollers, except from the fact that they will not stay in place on their own and clips will be needed to hold them in place! As they are heated, they will provide a far more effective curl, and by effective i mean, more obvious and tighter curls. Be sure to use a heat protecting product to avoid any possible damage to your hair, and wear cotton gloves to avoid burning your hands whilst putting them in. The picture i have shown of the effect it gives, is when i lightly brushed the curls out, in order to style the hair into an updo. Do not brush your hair if you want tight curls.

3. Cool Sticks.

Cool sticks is just what i call them and what the teacher at my course called them, they could have many other names! Cool sticks can also be used in either damp or dry hair, and amazingly, they can give proper corkscrew curls without the need of your hair being damp or without using heat (hence why the name is cool sticks). They are applied in the same process as the rollers in regards to sectioning, but are slightly different to use. 

They look complicated, but all you have to do is wrap the hair round the stick (the sticks will be straight at this point) and again make sure the tips/ends of hair are tucked away, and then tightly roll the stick down towards your scalp. (hate that word) Once you have reached your..scalp.., realllyyy tightly roll the stick so that it hurts, and then fold the ends of the stick up. If you don't roll them tightly, they will not sit in place and will just flop about and do nothing to your hair. Beauty is pain!. Here i have used only 2 different sizes, bigger ones on top, smaller ones on bottom. To complete, spray with setting spray, and the longer you leave them in, the more effective your curl will be.

I put them in my sister's hair, but being 11, she was very fidgety and didn't want them in long so i took them out as soon as i put them in. However my sister's hair is naturally dead straight with no movement in it, so you can see from the short time they were in, they have already created a wave, and slight curls. I proceeded to putting them in my own hair and ended up with ringlets!. 

4. Hot Sticks.

Easy to guess what these are, exactly the same as above except for the fact they are heated ones! They will give a more defined curl, and will last longer. Make sure you wear cotton gloves to avoid burns!.