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Sunday 28 November 2010

Fixing Broken Eyeshadows

One of my favourite eyeshadows broke last week when I stayed over at a friends..
And I figured it was the perfect opportunity to do a little ‘How To’ post showing how to fix it..

First thing I did was to take it out of my palette and place it on a clean surface (preferably one that you can wipe down after your finished in case you spill anything)

Then crumble the broken fragments into a fine powder (the finer the better) just try not to spill any over the sides of the pan.

Next comes the alcohol ;) technically any type of alcohol would work so long as it has a high percentage but the higher the percentage the better. So I opted for surgical spirits- or rubbing alcohol if you’re from the U.S. (the lower the alcohol content the longer it will eventually take to dry) Just pout a tiny bit in the lid.

Then.. the trick with this is to apply as little as you can to make the shadow into a paste (the closer to a liquid it is the longer it will take to dry and it might not set properly)

Make sure you also have a coin that fits the pan (for mac & urban decay a 2p works perfectly) and have either some tissue or scrap fabric ready for the next step...

This is perhaps the only remotely tricky bit. Take your coin and wrap it in the cloth/tissue as tight as possible, then press the coin into the shadow to ‘set’ the paste.

This may take a few attempts if this is your first go but... then you're done!

Simply pop it back into the palette to dry and you’re all finished :)

Mine only took about an hour to dry but I tend to leave them at least overnight just in case!

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Top 5 Winter Polishes

Wether you realise it or not most people change their polishes to suit the seasons – I definitely do!

This winter I’ve been loving some of the stunning deep colours that have been brought out for the party season and I figured I’d show you my Top 5 Winter Polishes (although technically it’s still autumn for ages, I class November as the start of winter)
-obsessed with this glittery gold background :)

BarryM CranberryI’m not sure why my camera wouldn’t pick up the colour properly but it’s a little darker than this - it does however look the exact same on the nails as it does in the bottle so if you’ve seen this in store you know exactly what to expect. Berry shades are always on trend for winter and this year is no exception :)

BarryM NavyIf you watch fleur you’ve probably already heard of this little number but if you’re looking for a classic wintery shade this is it. It’s deep and a little bit sultry but you can get away with it for everyday!

Clear

With all the dark polishes seen in winter sometimes it’s really nice to just have clean simple nails -this particular clear polish isn’t anything amazing (it’s just the one I have)

Model’s Own ChampagneI recently did a NOTD featuring this here. So all I’ll say on this is it’s perfect for the party season – enough said :)

Collection 2000 Inca Silver
I’ve had this for ages now and I seem to use it all the time but it never seems to be getting anywhere near the end! On it’s own I actually don’t think it’s anything special but over a dark base (such as BarryM’s Gray-which I don’t like on it’s own either) I think it looks really pretty & is perfect for the festive season!

Friday 19 November 2010

Top 5 Winter Must Haves

1. Clinique all about eyes rich.
I use this all year around just because I love the rich consistency and how quickly it sinks in. But during winter it’s even more important to keep your eye area hydrated and this does the job perfectly. Clinique has three different ‘all about eyes’ formulas; the original ‘all about eyes’, the rich version(my favourite) and their anti-gravity one. I love all three depending on the weather and how my eye area is but if you want something lighter opt for the original or if your skin is very dry try the anti-gravity one – I use the anti-gravity as a night cream and the original in summer :)

2. St Ives Blemishes Fighting Scrub.
Exfoliating is great all year around to refresh your skin, but particularly in winter when its very easy for your skin to get dull. This is my current favourite because it’s so easy to notice an improvement after using it - instant gratification. (the gentle version is great if you want to exfoliate more often or if you simply prefer a softer version)

3. Soap and Glory Flake Away.

Again exfoliating really is key in the cold weather to keep your skin healthy. This is my favourite body exfoliator- it smells yummy and leaves your skin soft and moisturised (I won’t ramble about it too much as I’m planning to review it next week!)

4. Lush Charity Pot
I bought this on a whim to try it and I love this as a hand lotion (not so keen on it as a body lotion) but you really do need only a tiny blob for both hands otherwise this can be really greasy if you use too much - smells delicious though! This is just the trial size pot, but I’ll be getting the full size as soon as I get chance to go to Lush.

5. Mac’s Mineralize Skin Finishes

-this is porcelain pink if you’re wondering :)
Or any highlighters that’ll help you achieve glowy, radiant skin. I use Mac’s MSFs but benefit's moonbeam or highbeam are gorgeous liquid highlighters too :) (In case it wasn’t obvious I have a phobia of getting dull skin in winter!)

P.S did you notice the festive background? Cue all the Christmassy themed posts :D

Saturday 13 November 2010

NOTD Champagne

I was pretty excited about this colour in the bottle but it looks even better on the nails :)
I’ve no idea how to quite describe the colour, a rich nude silvery shade with a metallic, glittery finish and bronze and gold undertones.
Because of the metallic finish it alters slightly depending on the light and the background – I’m going to be wearing this constantly during the festive season (I can’t wait to start some festive posts soon!)

Monday 8 November 2010

NOTD Lilac

Out of all the eyeko polishes I think this one is often over looked so I didn’t think it’s be amazing but I love it!
It’s the exact same consistency as vintage polish – you definitely need 2 coats but then you get a lovely opaque colour :)
A lot of people have said this is similar to barry m’s ‘berry ice cream’ but this one is a touch darker with lots more blue undertones & I think it’s much more wearable in autumn and winter!

-I’m definitely going to be getting more of these little polishes :)

Thursday 4 November 2010

FOTD Travelling

Just a quick little FOTD of last week before I left for London – I travelled alot last week so the make up was limited :)

Face:
Bourjois ten house sleep foundation
Benefit’s erase paste
Elf’s tickled pink with benefit’s sugar bomb on top
Benefit’s high brow

Eyes:
Sleek’s storm palette – I used to slate blue tones
Maxfactor false lash effect mascara

Lips:
Boot’s rose bud – I’d forgotten how pretty this was :)