Skin Type 101

I always tell my clients that the route to getting beautiful makeup is great skin. The first step to looking after your skin is knowing your skin type so you can buy the appropriate products. So I have listen all the skin types and their characteristics below to help you identify you skin type is.

Normal Skin

• Neither Oily nor dry
• Blemish free
• Fresh, healthy appearance
• Not many specific problems
• Little to no fine lines
• Firm with a good muscle tone
• Smooth texture
• No visible pores

Combination Skin

• The pattern of oily and dry areas can change from time to time, owing to environmental factors, age, hormones, diet,medication so the skin care needs to be adjusted accordingly 
• Oily T-Zone
• Visible blemishes on the T-Zone
• Fine lines and wrinkles around the area
• Slight flakiness and redness on the cheek area
• Complexion can seem dull and lifeless

Dry skin

•  Dryness increases with age
• Skin feels gaur immediately after face has been washed
• Skin feels rough and slightly flaky
• Noticeable fine lines and wrinkles
• There are small pores and skin is quite matte in appearance
• Skin is easily burned

Oily skin

• Overly enthusiastic skin due to over active oil glands
• Shiny in appearance
• Makeup comes off quite easily
• Enlarged pores
• Skin may be coarse and thicker in texture
• Blackheads, whiteheads and acne are common

I hope this helps you identify your skin type. You can also wash your face, let it air dry and then check for the listed characteristics.

Currently Obsessing : Mint

Currently Obsessing : Mint Green 

Ted Baker travel kit
$49 - psyche.co.uk

Essie nail polish
beauty.com

Stila mint eyeliner
beauty.com

Make up store cosmetic
$28 - nelly.com

Forever 21 eyelash curler
forever21.com

Forever 21 cosmetic
forever21.com

Gucci Guilty

I'm one of those people that usually have just one perfume but lately I have been into perfumes quite a lot, I'm actually building a perfume collection. My recent purchase is the Gucci Guilty. Love.Love this scent . I purchased the perfume along with the lotion. I was shocked that I actually liked it because I usually like the floral and fruity scents but this is far from it. Its mature and classy. The scent doesn't last as long as I would like it to considering the price but I still like it none the less. 

The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes

I'm all for neutral eye shadows so much that I find myself just buying them just because you can never have enough neutral in your makeup kit! I sound crazy don't I?

 Yes to this awesome foursome!

It's the weirdest packaging I have come across yet. Its four eye shadow cubes in their own little plastic cubes and a lid placed in a large cube which has a lid too. It's such a task to get to the actual eye shadow, especially if you have long nails. I wish It was in a simple flip-open pallete, however it's still an amazing set eye shadows.

Why I love it:

The eye shadow is highly pigmented

Beautiful neutral colours with the right amount of shimmer

Why I hate it:

The packaging! A box in a box, in another box sigh* 

Other than the packaging I absolutely love it, this is my everyday go to pallete, I can't go wrong. I can use the colours for soft smokey eye during the day and pair that with a bold lip for a  night time look.  The Shimmer Cubes are available at The Body Shop online and in store for $40AUD/ £16GDP

Have you tried the cubes?  What did you think of them? let me know in the comments below :)

Smokey Eye For Beginners

I have been meaning to start filming YouTube videos for a while.The last time I filmed was a year ago *covers eyes* The inconsistency will now stop, so expect a YouTube video from me every Thursday at 6pm EST :)

I was rained this week and had nothing to do so I thought 'Hey I should film a tutorial'. This is a super easy smokey eye.

Products Used:

FACE:

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation 'Shade 05'

Mary Kay Concealer 'Bronze 2'

No7 Transluscent Powder 

Sleek Contour Kit 'Dark'

Estee Lauder 'Plush Petal'

EYES:

Sleek Kohl Eyeliner 'Black'

Crown Brush 'Smoke It Out Pallete-Black'

Nars Eyeshadow 'Abyssinia'

Sleek Contour Kit 'Dark'

Illamsqua Masquara 'Raven'

LIPS:

Estee Lauder Lipliner 'Brick'

Baolishi Lipstick 'No 49'

Calvin Klein 'Radar'

I hope you enjoy the video and please subscribe to my channel, I will be posting up a video every week!

Top 5 Makeup Looks From The MTV Movie Awards

I didn't actually get to watch the show  but I did manage to catch the stars arriving on the red carpet and here are my favourite looks in no particular order. 

1.Rihanna

Getty Images

Her makeup is always flawless, but I love the bronze eyes and that nude/brown lip combo. It's very simple yet striking.

2. Iggy Azelia

Getty Images

Iggy looks so cute! I love the water liner, it opened up her eyes.

3.Nicki Minaj

Getty Images

 Oh Nicki how you look amazing without all that makeup! This is a Nicki I could definitely get used to I do wish the makeup artist went easy with the highlighter on the eyebrows and possibly combing the beginning of the eyebrows with a spooly to make them less harsh.

4.Rita Ora

Getty Images

Subtle smokey eye, bare cheeks and bold lips? Yes please! Rita always has the same makeup at every event but I can't help but love it.

5. Taylor Swift

Getty Images

Simply beautiful!The right amount of colour on the lips, cheeks and eyes. Love it.

Did you manage to watch the show? What were some of your favourite looks?

Bobbi Brown Is The New Editor For Yahoo Beauty

Yahoo just got more beautiful!

Bobbi Brown has announced on her blog that she is now the Editor in Chief of Yahoo Beauty. This year couldn't get any better for her as her latest book 'Everything Eyes: Professional Techniques, Essential Tools, Gorgeous Makeup Looks," hit the shelves this month and it has been doing relatively well.

Bobbie mentioned that the site will feature product reviews, tutorials and original content. I have never gone to Yahoo specifically for beauty but now that one the best Makeup Artists is the Editor in Chief I will definitely be checking the site more often!

Mary Kay 'True Dimensions' Lipstick

I have to say, about 5 years ago you would not have seen me using Mary Kay products. Mainly because back then their products weren't so great and yet over priced! However in the last 3 years I have seen an improvement in their makeup not so much their skin care. 

This is the 'True Dimensions' Lipstick in shade 'Mystic Plum'. 

What I love:

Long Lasting (worn for 9 hours)

A little goes a long way

The packaging is pretty and can double up as a little mirror

Its so moisturising, so it wont dry up your lips

What I hate:

The buying process, its not stocked in any shops so you have to find a Mary Kay consultant in your area to purchase from. Lucky for me my aunt in my consultant but I can see it can be annoying for some.

Yummy But Healthy Pancakes

I love pancakes, but we all know they aren't the healthiest right. So I made myself some healthy pancakes.

What you need:

1 very ripe banana

1 egg

2 tbsp(s) of Oats 

3 strawberries

1 tbsp of organic honey

Juice of your choice (mine was orange juice) 

Let's get cooking:

1. Place the oats in a blender and blend them till they have a flour like consistency 

2. Mash the banana in a bowl.

3. Mix the egg into the mashed banana

4. Mix the oats into the banana and egg mixture

5. Cook the pancakes on medium 

6. Cut your strawberries into fours

7. Place your  pancakes on a plate, put the strawberries on top and drizzle the honey over them

8. Yummy in your tummy :)

You could  also serve the pancakes with blueberries too.

A yummy but healthy breakfast. Try it and let me know what you think.