Eyebrow Routine

'Ello

After getting compliments and comments on my eyebrows, I thought I'd put up a step-by-step post. So this is exactly how I groom and fill in my eyebrows. 

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the shite quality of the photos. Being a student, I can't afford a snazzy camera so just pretend they're really high quality. 

Step 1:

This is how my eyebrows look before I touch them. I tend to deal with them after I've completed my 'base' makeup (foundation, concealer, power etc.) but before I do my eye makeup - aside from a little eyeliner. 

The lovely Imogen Brown shapes (waxes) and tints my eyebrows (click her name to check her facebook page out) roughly every 4 weeks when I'm back from uni.

Step 2:

I got this spoolie/angled brush with a random set, probably a brow set. I thought about buying a decent one but I like it being short - as I have a lot of control over it. 

Every month or so - or whenever I notice my brows getting out of hand - I groom them by trimming them. I have really thick, dark hair so my brows tend to get long and straggly, if that's a word...

Anyway, I brush the whole eyebrow upwards with a spoolie so I can see which wanderers need to be tamed. 

Step 3:

 With a pair of nail scissors (because I'm a tramp) I cut along the top line of my brow. You can use any scissors you want, but obviously I'd advise a pair of small ones. 

This is what they look like after I've trimmed them both.

Step 4: 

Luckily because I have really dark hair, I can get away with using just any black eyeshadow to fill my brows in. Most people will have lighter hair than myself so just try a few colours out until you find a good match for you.

Using an angled brush, I start filling my brows in from the arch, so around the middle of the brow - because this is where you want the darkest colour. I draw an outline over the top of the brow to shape them and then do the same with the bottom. So, you should have two lines that create the outline of the arch.

Step 5:

Next, I fill in the space between the outline. So, half of the brow is filled in.

Step 6:

DO NOT ADD MORE EYESHADOW TO YOUR BRUSH.

I like my brows to be lighter towards the start of them - so nearer the nose. So, without adding more eyeshadow (there will still be enough on the brush), draw a faint line along the bottom half of the brow that you haven't filled in.

Step 7:

Then, with upward strokes (still not adding more eyeshadow), fill in the rest of the brow. I start from the point nearer the arch then work in towards the start of the brow so they continue to get lighter. 

Step 8:

Finally, to make them look a tad more 'square' I just press the brush vertically against my skin at the point where I want my brow to end - or start, whatever. But do not add more eyeshadow to the brush, or you'll have a stupid-looking dark line at the start of your brow. 

I then obviously do the same to the other brow. 

Here's what they look like finished.

Try it out and send me some photos via twitter or instagram with #charlottesbrows in the description. 

Twitter - @charl0ttehoward

Instagram - @charlottehoward

Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions!

x

New Year - Jan 2015

2015

Year of the green wooden sheep/goat.

Whatever that means. 

Being honest, I'm not one to make new year resolutions; they're never fulfilled and you can set goals at any time of the year. So the answer is 'no'. I don't have any.

What I do want from this year however is to be happier than the last. Last year was a bit up and down for me; this year seems appropriate to promise myself to create my own happiness, rather than relying on someone else to make me happy. 

Instead of creating goals for myself that I definitely wont keep, I thought a better idea would be to think about positive events I have to anticipate in 2015.

Here's what I came up with:

1. My 20th birthday on 26th Jan.

2. Being reunited with my Flat18 bellends at the end of Jan.

3. Finishing 2nd year of uni, hopefully with at least a 2:1.

4. Summer - no stress of exams or coursework; actually having time to work to save money; fingers crossed travelling somewhere to get my tan on.

5. Starting my 3rd and final year of university. Hopefully at the same place this time. 

6. Moving into a house with my top two bitches in Canterbury - more of Anna's delish cooking.

7. Thinking about what I'm doing with my life after uni: Where the shit am I going to live? Do I get a job or apply for a masters course???

8. Not being fully skint from spending all my dolla on student accommodation. 

9. Driving more often when I'm back home in Nottingham.

10. Obviously, coming home for Christmas again. 

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2015. All t' best.

x

New Year's Eve 2014

HELLO 2015,
and erm you...

Here's a late NYE post for your eyes to enjoy. 

New Year's Eve is always expected to be a big night, yet always ends up being shite. Spending last New Year's Eve behind a bar wasn't one of my favourite things to do, so I promised myself I wouldn't work this time around; this time I would be at the better side of the bar. 

All of my lot from school decided we would do the Sawley shuffle again, like we did on Christmas Eve. Pretty self-explanatory really but for those of you who are a bit dim - we basically shuffle/stumble round the pubs of Sawley. 

But since we're students and we like to skimp and save however we can, it was only appropriate to drink a bottle of Pimm's and a bottle of wine before we stepped foot in a pub. 

Downing a load of alcohol to old school tunes

('Dancing in the Dark' by DJ Cammy

and a shit load of Neyo, Mario and R. Kelly):

Apparently we required a family photo:

Pub #1

This is Mark.

I have no idea who Mark is.

Mark took a liking to me and followed me round.

I spent a lot of the night hiding:

Actually really enjoyed this New Year's Eve! Got to spend it with all my school friends and my best friend of 16 years, or something ridic, was my midnight kiss.

Hope you all had a smile on your faces entering 2015!

x

Date Night Outfit

First things first, the title is misleading. By 'date night' I mean Mystery Man and I sat in my room, watched Top Gear, ate chocolates and took the piss out of the fact that I'm a hobbit and he's younger than me. But I rather liked my outfit so I put some shoes on and made Mav take some photos for me...

Loving turtleneck jumpers and high necked tops at the moment! I've been pairing them with everything - mini skirts, midi skirts, jeans and trousers. Very Kim K esque. This dark grey turtleneck was a Christmas present from my mum, the sleeves are full length but I decided to roll them up as I didn't have to brace the freezing cold outdoors. On the bottom half I went for a black midi skirt with a centred slit and zip detailing. The shoes I wore for about five minutes are black with a cut out heel and buckled ankle straps.

Outfit:

Jumper - New Look

Skirt - G21 at Asda

Shoes - New Look

Accessories:

Necklace - Unknown. (Mum's helpful explanation was 'a shop in Derby').

Watch - Rotary

Rings - Pandora

Makeup:

Skin -
Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 103 True Ivory
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Classic Beige
MUA Bronzed Perfection Bronzer
Natural Collection Blusher in Sweet Cheeks
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 005 Silky Beige

Eyes -
MUA Smokin Palette (also used on brows - black)
MAC Mineralize Duo Eyeshadow in Love Connection
Seventeen Make Your Mark Eyeliner Pen in Blackest Black
No7 Fanomenal Lashes Mascara in Black

Lips -
No7 Precision Lips Pencil in Plum (Yes, I did a Kylie Jenner and overdrew my lips to try it out, but took it off before said male arrived)
Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Lip Balm in 200 Keep Mauving

I'll keep you posted; I'll let you know if I allow him to stick around or show him the door. You listening Haz?

Biya

x

Christmas 2014

Happy Holidays!

Obviously leading up to Christmas we're more than likely to have a few too many alcoholic beverages. I found my mum's boyfriend, Matt, walking back from a night out when I was driving home from work. He didn't recognise the car or me until I shouted at him.

The Monday before Christmas I decided to join my Auntie and my three little cousins to do some last minute shopping. Here's the youngest witch annoying me with a scarf.

The sibling also made an appearance for Christmas. Don't mind the Dog's rolls - her diet starts in January.

Christmas Eve - Pub crawl with my Dad, his girlfriend Lorraine and Jack. But bumped into a few of my school friends. 

Christmas day:

Routine stairs photo - my Mum and Dad used to make us sit at the top of the stairs before we were allowed to go down to see what Santa had got for us. We still do this every Christmas, and as you can see we look happier as the years go by.

Routine reaction photo - once again my Mum always took a photo of our reactions when first seeing our presents. So obviously we annoy her now by pulling faces.

The pig doesn't miss out on presents.

Yes this is my mum with her foot on my knee - she's well impressed that she bought us matching slippers. 

Fat pig.

Always wanted to swap Zoe for a bulldog. Dream came true.

Usually Jack and I don't buy presents for each other. My mum thinks it's funny to buy our presents and wrap them so we don't know what we've got each other. But she decided to have a year off being Santa.

Yep. Me just opening a Macbook. Love ya brah.

I bought him cufflinks... 

Went to my Dad's gaff after dinner. We watched The Emperor's New Groove and Uncle Buck whilst he fell asleep. 

Christmas tea. Nothing beats cheese and biscuits.

We had friends and family over in the evening to drink and play games - like Keith Lemon's 'Don't show your teeth' which was a laugh.

Boxing day snow. The tree being outside was originally weird, but at least it looks pretty in the snow. For the record, I hate snow. The noise it makes when you step on it makes me cringe, I hate being cold and I have a massive fear of falling over; we don't get on well. I was driving when it started snowing and left the car at the local leisure centre because I was scared of driving in it. Somebody else had to drive me home and Mother had to walk to get the car in the morning. Soz about that Mav.

Then I got drunk and took selfies with my bitch.

Hope you all had a fab Christmas!

x

Growing Old

Hiya

You're probably expecting an upbeat festive piece at this time of year, but I'm afraid it's a bit of a sombre one. For me, Christmas is a time to spend alongside your loved ones so I've been reflecting quite a bit.

This Sunday I visited my Nanna, as I usually do when I'm back from uni, but this time was harder than usual. She's a typical Greek grandmother - makes English words up, tries to force feed you and isn't happy unless she's running round after you. However, she now struggles to walk, forgets an awful lot and is sad pretty much all the time. Coping with Parkinson's, dementia and depression isn't something that anyone should have to do. It isn't fair.

I really can't imagine going from once being an independent woman to feeling trapped in a house, and in a body that is about 50 years older than your mind.

You can imagine how hard it is watching this all happen and get worse as time passes by, I'm sure many of you have been through a similar experience. Yet it's just as hard watching my Dad having to cope with seeing this change in his Mum. Nobody likes seeing their dad cry, so it's extremely difficult having to be the strong one in these situations. If only we could turn the clock back a few years so I could have my Nanna back, the one I knew before illness.

It's one thing watching one member of your family deteriorate but I can't help thinking about something like this happening to others too. My parents, my brother, my friends? I can't even begin to imagine that. 

Old age is scary. 

Getting older is scary.

Things like this make me think: Are bad things happening more often? Or am I just getting less ignorant each year?

Hope you're all okay.

Charlotte

x