My New Job Kicks My Old Jobs Ass!!

Have a look at what I did at work today!! This is what happens when you have a shop full of gorgeous girlies and a big bag of makeup haha.

I really don't know why I uhmm'd and ahhh'd about my career change for sooooo long...I TOTALLY LOVE MY NEW JOB!!

This is Claire, one of the stylists at the salon where I work. When she volunteered to let me do a look on her I don't think she quite knew what she was letting herself in for aha...

I wanted to do something quite bright and dramatic for Claire as she never really wears a lot of makeup....

Claire's hair was styled by the very talented and very lovely salon owner Susan...

...her hair's actually really straight so it was curled around a tail comb and set with heat to make tiny little curls that were then back combed and scraped up to give it some height.

This is the gorgeous Ashleigh! She just screams Vargas Girl to me...what about you?

Her features are perfect for the vintage pinup look, and I've been itching to do this on her since we met...

Ashleigh's hair up was styled by Claire. I wanted some vintage rolls so Claire worked her magic...

...then after some shots we decided to change it a bit. We took part of it down and Ash put some waves in it.

Gorgeous!! I absolutely LOVE the hair!!

So there you have it!! My fab day at work. I'll have to post some of the nails I've done recently too. Hope you like the looks :D

Speak soon xx

Sucker Punch!!

I know there's a lot of these looks around at the minute so I'm sorry, but I just had to do one. My Makeup today is based on Baby Doll from Sucker Punch. Now before anyone says anything I know I don't look like Baby Doll...she's blonde and beautiful, and I'm quite the opposite!! I just couldn't resist doing the look though, I think it's stunning! Ugh I can't wait to see the film, the misters taking me later...soooo excited! The imagery that I've seen so far looks absolutely beautiful, I can't wait to get even more makeup inspiration.

Hmmmmm...I thought I'd be brave today and include a full face shot :S

Excuse the hair, I'm growing out my fringe and it's driving me crazy! And don't even get me started on the messy brow Aaarrrrghhh!

So there it is! Hope you like it. Has anyone else tried this look yet? Or even seen the film? Hope it's good :D

Speak soon xx

10 Things I Love About Summer!!

I've been getting a bit excited lately, what with all the gorgeous weather we've been having...my favourite time of year is here again! So I thought I'd do a post on what it is about summer that makes me happy :D

Number 1...

Bold, bright makeup looks! I Love em! I know you can wear these all year round, but when better than SUMMER!!

Number 2...

New summer shoes! I would wear flip flops every day of the year if I had a choice! I literally have to have them pried from my feet when the rain and snow come, so imagine how excited I am when I can wear them again :D

I got these little beauties (and two other pairs) the other day :D

Number 3...

Maxi dresses! They're cool (in more ways than one), comfortable, and hide a multitude of sins...a girls best friend ;)

Sadly this is not me in my maxi dress, it's actually from Look.co.uk

Number 4...

I like mine big!! Get your minds out of the gutter people...I'm talking about Sunnies. Think Victoria Beckham or Nicole Richie and your on the right lines.

Now I'd never wear these little apple sunnies from ASOS.com but I do think they're super cute :D

Number 5...

If there's one thing that always puts a smile on my face it's flowers. I have very fond memories of spending lazy afternoons in my Nans Rose garden,or looking out onto a sea of orange Lilies at my Mums house. Sadly the Mister does not understand my love of flowers and just thinks they are a waste of money!! That said he does occasionally surprise me with a lovely bunch :D

I'm not sure where this picture is from...I just think it's pretty!

Number 6...

You can't have one without the other...one of my most favourite things ever! Butterflies!

I quite often like to visit the Butterfly House near to where I live, it's set in a really beautiful park.

Number 7...

Now I know some of you may not understand this one, but I'm putting it in anyway! I absolutely Love Buzzy Bee's...only the Bumble kind though.

I think this picture is bee-utiful haha sorry I couldn't resist. I only wish I could remember where it was from.

They're so fat and cute and fluffy. Not like their evil cousin THE WASP!! Them I do not like!!

Number 8...

Now I don't know anyone who doesn't like the next item on my list...

Scream it...ICE CREAM!! I love the colours in this picture from bluecottonmemory.wordpress.com

Number 9...

Where better to enjoy number 8? Yep that's right...the beach.

I may live in the UK but there are still some beautiful beaches where I live...

This picture from arts-link.com is incredible! If I didn't know better I would think it was taken somewhere more tropical.

Number 10

One of the best things about summer for me are the light nights. There's nothing better than getting the bbq going and having a few beers with friends. Just sitting in the garden watching the sun go down...AMAZING!! Sadly we don't have a garden at the minute, but we have some very lovely friends who invite us round to theirs :D

If one picture were to sum up the joy of summer for me it would have to be this one from weheartit.com

So there you have it, my top 10 things I love about summer. So what about you? What are you looking forward too? What puts a smile on your face? I'd love to know...

Anyway hope you like the post!

Speak soon xx

I think I'm turning Japanese...

I'm still slightly obsessed with the Geisha look after my recent stint at Muse. I haven't got round to re-creating that look yet, but when Hoz was up I thought I'd have a go at another one. It's not by any means a Geisha look, but it is inspired by elements of this type of look. Whaddayathink?

I really love this picture!! Hoz will probably kill me but I just had to put it in haha

The eye colours are mostly from the Coastal Scents Metal Mania palette and the 88 Colour palette, and the aqua is Mac's Liquid Line. I'm really loving this again lately and it seems to be appearing in all my looks. The lashes are ah-hem...Girls Aloud!!

Anyway hope you like the look...

Happy Easter Everyone :D

Speak soon xx

Macaroooooned!!

Totally un-makeup related post today! I've been baking and I just wanted to show you my wares haha. I made Snickers Macarons mmmmm...

I got the recipe from Tartlette, my favourite food blog. Not only are Helene's recipes delicious, but her photography is stunning. She has one of the most beautiful blogs I've ever seen. Unfortunately my culinary expertise are none to match that of the blogs author, but I did my best. So this is my breakfast today...

Arrrhhh who am I kidding!! This is my real breakfast haha...

If your interested in the recipe follow the link. I changed it a bit cos I'm a little less committed...

Hope you like it :D

Speak soon xx

The Glitterati...

No I'm not doing a review of a British Rock band from Leeds...it's the NYX Glitterati Cream pallet silly!! After my recent post My Mister's Gorgeous Sister a lot of you have been telling me that you've heard really bad things about The NYX Glitter Pallets so I thought I'd post some swatches. I'll be honest it's not the best or the easiest thing I've ever worked with, but weirdly I still like it...maybe it's cos it's just sooo darn priddy!

I have the GGCP 01 Glitterama Pallet and NYX describes it as:

"Multipurpose gel-based glitter combination in a pallet! With 21 delicious shades to choose from, you can sparkle up you face, body and hair any day!"

The first buggit thing about this pallet is that I couldn't get in it!! I can only assume it's a one off flaw as I've not really heard anyone else moan about the packaging, so we'll let that one slide...even if I do have to open it with a knife every time I use it :S
When I do eventually get into it and swatch it on my fingers I'm mesmerised!! The colour selection is amazing, the colour payoff on my fingers is incredible, it's not even tooooo bad on my arm. I can't wait to try it...

...and that's where the problems begin!! Try as I might I just can't get the same payoff on my eyes as I do on my fingers or my arm :( Admittedly some are better than others, the density of glitter in some of the shades is a lot greater than in others and it tends to be these ones that have the better payoff. The others seem to have too much gel which almost obscures the glitter!! I've also found that this gets worse the more you touch it as the gel starts to cream a little and goes opaque, then you can barely see the effects of the glitter at all. The swatches in the pics are all done with 4 swirls of the pan and one swipe onto my arm so you can see the inconsistency.
I've tried all kinds of ways to apply these to get a decent effect. Straight onto the skin, over shadows, with my fingers, with a brush. I've even tried the little foam applicators that come with it, and if that's not desperate I don't know what is. I don't think I've used one of these since I was about 6 and I used it to smear blue eyeshadow all over my face!!

That said, the little foam applicator wasn't too bad if you just want a light effect. The only way I can get the same effect on my eye though is to trowel it on!! No seriously, I spread it with a small pallet knife. But this in itself presents further problems as the product is too thick and starts to crease. I just can't win!!
So I guess all in all this pallet is ok if you just want a light smattering of glitter and you're not bothered about the inconsistency between colours, but if your looking for a full on Drag-tastic glittery look this is not the product to go for.
On the whole I do really like NYX products, some can be a bit hit and miss but most are good value for money. Given that the glitter pallet is not very expensive I'm glad I have it...even if it is just to look at haha!! No honestly I think I will use it again. I'm going to persevere cos if I can crack it I think it could be fabulous!!

Hope this is helpful :D

Speak soon xx