Beauty | Bare Minerals Make Up Lesson Part Two

Hi,

On Tuesday I wrote about my trip to the Bare Minerals counter inside Debenhams at Intu Milton Keynes. You can read the first part here.

Once my foundation, concealer, powder had been done it was time to start on my eyes and lips.

I opted not to have any eyeshadow applied, it's one thing that I just don't wear, for someone who can't see much at all without my glasses applying eyeshadow can be really tricky and it never looks good.

I did go for some eyeliner, but rather than going for my usual black or brown and even more recently Navy blue, I chose a gorgeous purple, the lasting line in Endless Orchid. It was really subtle on but you could definitely see the definition it added to my eyes. Another product on my list of must haves!

Mascara was a must for me, I always find that it makes my eyes stand out from behind my glasses and also makes me look a little less tired! The mascara used was the Flawless Definition in black. It gave me a good amount of definition and didn't make my lashes too long, there is nothing more annoying that having my lashes brushing against my glasses and leaving smudge marks.

Last of all were lips! It's only in the last couple of years that I've started wearing lipstick, I'd always been so self conscious of my big lips the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to them. Nowadays I can't get enough of reds, pink and nice dark berry. Josephine first of all used a lip pencil in the shade Vibe all over my lips and then went over the top with a lipstick in the colour Queen, it was this gorgeous dark plum colour. I loved it so much I had to purchase it straight away!

The final look!

If like me you are a bit of a novice when it comes to make up I would highly recommend one of these make up lessons. I learnt a lot and now feel more confident about applying make up - especially highlighter and blusher, two things that I've stayed away from before as I had no idea where to apply them. I'm looking forward to my next lesson. Thank you Josephine!

Beauty | Bare Minerals Make Up Lesson

Hi,

Last week I made a trip to the Bare Minerals stand in Debenams at Intu MK. Since finding out about their free make up lessons I was super keen to book one to improve my make up application.

If you didn't already know the Bare Minerals counter do free make up lessons. There are 7 to choose from starting with Lesson 1: The Bare Beauty Signature Look through to Lesson 7: Beautiful Bride. You can choose any of the lessons but, I decided to start at the beginning and go for lesson 1.

Now, my make up routine is really simple as I don't wear any to work during the week. I was forever torn between 10 extra minutes in bed or putting on concealer to hide my dark circles, fortunately I spend 90% of my day looking at a screen so I don't really have to let anyone see my panda eyes!

I met with the lovely Josephine who was going to guide me through my first lesson. First of all we went through some skincare questions, what is my skin type, what skincare I currently use and what sort of make up finish I was looking for. After that she cleansed my skin, explaining about each product as she went along. Next I applied some moisturiser, eye cream and, something new to me, primer.

I'd already tried the Bare Minerals liquid foundation at the Intu A/W event back in September and was impressed with it then. We did a colour match, this is something really important for me, I've tried many foundations and been left looking ashy, grey or too dark. Josephine tried 3 on my cheek and it was clear the middle one was perfect, you could barely see it on my skin. I realised whilst I was sat there that I currently didn't own a foundation, only concealer. I've wasted so much money over the years with the wrong tones and formulas so I wanted to take my time choosing a new one. I already know that I will be purchasing this one, even at 8pm that night it was still in place and didn't give me that heavy caked on feeling.

My favourite thing about the lesson was that Josephine would explain what she was doing, show me on one side of my face and then I would do it on the other side! This meant that I could check if I was doing it right and also gain a better understanding of where to apply products.

After foundation, Josephine concealed under my eyes with a powder to cream finish concealer. I've never seen this before so wasn't too sure about it at first but once it was on I was surprised, it really brightened under my eyes without getting into the lines. For an evening look I would have concealed other areas but for a daytime look under the eyes was enough.

Next it was time for some blush, just a small amount on my cheeks and a light dusting on my forehead. This was followed by bronzer and highlight. Now, I won't go into too much detail here as I'm going for my second lesson soon which is; contour and highlight!

So, this is the first part of my make up lesson. I'm splitting it into two parts as one post would be super long!

Beauty | Mens Haircare Guide

tHi,

Haircare, one thing I have spoken about a number of times on my blog - products I like, don't like and how it's the bane of my life! This time though it's the turn of Mr C, I'm going to hand over the blog to him today so that he can share his favourite haircare items and one product that is currently on his radar, a new Men's Trimmer.

Whilst most men might be worrying about thinning hair as they get close to the big 4-0, this is one thing that Mr C doesn't have to worry about. He has been lucky enough to be blessed with the thickest black hair I've ever seen. Having this thick mane of hair does come with some issues though like finding the right shampoo, a good strong comb and so many trips to the hairdresser it's like a second home! Anyway enough of my rambling, I'll let Mr C carry on with his hair guide.

GROOMING

One thing that is important to me is keeping my hair looking tidy. I do have to make regular trips to the hairdressers (my hair seems to grow so fast), but that can be quite expensive so, in between trips, I try and keep my hair looking relatively tidy at home. My most recent hair trimmer gave up on me a few weeks ago, so I have been doing my research into a new one. The Panasonic multi groomer is one of two that I have been looking at, not only does it have an attachment for hair trimming which will help keep my hair in shape after I have been to the hairdressers but, it can be used for keeping my beard looking sharp and maybe a little manscaping (Nat says my legs could do with a little attention!). There are lots of other additional features such as being cordless, an adjustable hair comb attachment and it's washable too.

You can watch a review of the trimmer here.

HAIR CARE

Now, my days of gelling my hair into that perfect style are long gone, adding moisture and preventing hair loss are now high on the list for me. I normally use Dax but, recently I've been using some of Natalie's hair care products and they seem to be doing the trick! My personal favourite is the Palmers Coconut Oil spray, not only does it smell good but it leaves my hair feeling smooth, soft and lot more manageable. Due to my hair being so thick and my scalp so dry, I have to wash my hair daily so I also use Schwarzkopf Total Repair Shampoo. I have tried so many other brands over the years but none of them have worked as well as the current products I am using. Very occasionally, if I have time/can be bothered, I will use a conditioner (usually whatever expensive stuff Nat has left lying around)!

So, that's my hair care guide. While it may be short and simple it works wonders on my hair! And to be honest, it has to be like this for me to go through it on a daily basis. Thank you for reading.

*Sponsored Post

Lifestyle | That forgotten feeling

Hi,

Stress, its an easy word to use right? In my twenties the things that 'stressed' me out were finding the perfect outfit for a night out, who wanted to go out at the weekend, finding a boyfriend, simple things hey! But, what about when you really suffer from Stress.

To me it feels like it's one of those things that is rarely spoken about but, it should be. It's not classed as an illness but it can cause serious illnesses such as heart disease, asthma, stroke and diabetes if it isn't under control.

It took one particularly bad week, that I ended up in the doctors sobbing my heart out, to realise that I really was stressed. Not just a little bit, but a lot and it was affecting my health. Months of not sleeping and waking up in the middle of night with a racing heart, not being able to catch my breath, constant headaches, tightness in my chest and dizziness all began to take its toll. Stress induced panic attacks, scary right? I can tell you it most certainly is, every time I had one at night I was certain that I was dying.

My GP was excellent, she let me ramble on and tell her what was going on in life and why I felt like this. I walked away with a prescription and feeling literally like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The results weren't instant though, I'm still trying to get back to my usual self. I still have a long way to go. It made me realise though that I had forgotten about me, I had stopped doing all the things I enjoyed like blogging, gardening, reading and generally having fun. Sometimes you have to be a bit selfish in order to look after yourself. I've made myself small targets each week whether it's having a nice long bath, doing my nails, doing a spot of gardening or forgetting about housework for a day and just reading and having fun with Mr C. Today as I'm tying this I'm at home sick, sometimes the anxiety is so bad it makes me physically ill. But I listened to what my body needed, rest and chill out time, hence writing this super long post! I also listened to a Podcast for the first time!

So, if you are feeling stressed, depressed or anxious please don't be afraid to go and see your doctor. I know a lot of people think that they are wasting their time doing this but don't, there is no shame in having to take tablets or seeing a counsellor, help is there if you need it. And, remember you are not alone, there are many, many people also going through the same thing as well. Look after yourself.

I've added a few pictures from my recent weekend away to Darlington to see my best friend. We laughed, talked, shopped and ate the best ice cream ever! It was really what both Mr C and I needed!