Base Routine: High Street and Budget Brands

'iya

Incase you were wondering how I do my base/skin makeup (I know you probably weren't), here's a step by step of how I paint my face:

1. Moisturiser

Not going to bother explaining how to moisturise...

2. Foundation

Usually, I pump the foundation onto the back of my hand (using around 1-and-a-half pumps). Using my fingers, I blob this around my face then using an angled face brush, I buff the foundation into my skin using circular motions.

3. Concealer

Using one of the concealers shown, I conceal under my eyes, the creases of my nose, the high-points of my chin, my nose and the middle of my forehead.

Note: Use a light concealer to also act as a highlighter.

4. Contour/Bronzer

Next, I press the bristles of my bronzing brush, like a pencil, to create a thinner and more precise tip. I then use the bronzer to contour my cheekbones, my nose, under my lower-lip, my upper forehead (near the hairline), and my jawline.

5. Blusher

Using the same brush - so the colours blend more easily - I apply blusher in circular motions on the apples of my cheeks, on my cheekbones and up towards the temples. 

6. Concealer

Using a stick concealer, I then highlight my face. I apply this under the bronzer on my cheekbones - for a more defined line - down the middle of my nose and up to the middle of my forehead - in the shape of a tree - under my eyes in triangles, and on the high point of my chin.

7. Blend

To blend the products together I use a sponge.

8. Highlighter

After blending, I apply highlighter down the middle of my nose, to my lower-middle forehead, above the blusher applied to my cheekbones, and on my chin.

9. Powder - all over to blend

To tone the shimmer of the highlighter slightly, to blend further, and to set my makeup in place I apply powder all over.

10. Highlighter 

When everything else is done, I usually apply the shimmer highlighter to my cupid's bow ready to apply lipstick.

Products used:

Moisturiser: 

No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream

Foundation: 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation (103 True Ivory)

W7 Face Blender Brush

Concealer: 

Natural Collection Cover-up Cream (Fair)

Bronzer: 

MUA Bronzed Perfection

Blusher: 

Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks (Sweet Cheeks)

Stick Concealer: 

MUA Hide and Conceal Cover-up Stick (Light)

Boots Soft Cosmetic Sponge Wedges

Highlighter: 

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter (Iridescent Gold)

MUA F11 Brush

Powder: 

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder (001 Transparent)

Ciao

x

Short Hair Tutorial

Ite geezers.

A while ago I had a request for a tutorial explaining how I style my hair...

This style is pretty much the only thing I ever go for as I'm not a fan of my mop being straight. So, here's my everyday/every-night/every-time-in-existence hair styling routine:

1. Not a step, but this is what my hair looks like wet.

 2. Instead of drying my hair straight away, I clip it up out of the way then do my makeup first. There's no particular reason for this, I just don't like dealing with wet-through hair.

3. There is no trick or technique to how I dry my hair.

All I do is run my fingers through it to give it some volume - I don't brush it at all - whilst I blast it full pelt. 

 4. When it is pretty much dry, I clip all my hair up again so I can deal with the under-cut parts of my hair.

Using Nicky Clarke Classic Short Style Straighteners, I curl the undercut hair and then just the ends of the longer sections until I reach my fringe.

By the way, I'm currently in the process of growing the under-cut situation out, which is why I have a random shorter section under my longer side.

Also, ignore the photo of me spraying my hair with heat protecting stuff, you should probably do this but I never do; this is purely for show and I wont tell you what make etc. it is because it's irrelevant.

 5. Next I take a small section of my fringe and straighten it, but curl the very end under. I then do this to the rest of the sections of my fringe/the hair that falls forward.

 6. After the long side is sorted out, I straighten the shorter side and back of my hair so none of it is sticking up and going awol.

7. You can leave it here if you wish, but I like to mess my hair up a bit after. I do this by taking a small amount of styling paste (L'Oréal something or other) and basically scrunch it into my hair and flatten any fly-aways. Obviously any styling paste/wax/putty - what a gross word - will do the same thing. 

Top two photos are the back of my hair before the paste, and the bottom two are after. Not much difference but who cares.

DONE.

This usually takes me less than ten minutes.

Yet my makeup can take me 2 hours...

If anyone else has other requests for posts then hit me up!

xxx

Room Tour: Home

Since I've been at home ill for the past two weeks and don't have anything interesting to write about, I thought I'd do a little room tour.

(Details at the bottom of the page)

Wooden Storage - IKEA

White Drawers - IKEA

Lampshade - Argos

Table Lamp - Argos

Mirror - Argos

Rug - Argos

Curtains - Argos

Headboard and Cushion covers - Handmade

Quilt and Pillow Covers - Tesco

Bulldog Cushion - Tesco

Grey Blanket - Tesco

Magnetic Pin Board - Home Bargains

Daughter Photo Frame - Clinton Cards

White Hanging Heart - eBay

3 Piece Hanging Hearts - eBay

Candle - Eadie & Wallace 'Sweet Tangerine Burst'

Candle - Yankee Candle 'Fluffy Towels'

Faux Flowers - Wilkos

Jean Paul Gaultier Coke Bottle - Covent Garden

Name Painting - Somewhere in Disneyland, Florida

xxx

Mother's Day

Mummy

Happy Mother's day to my mum/best friend/rock/advisor/taxi driver/cleaner/chef/reminder.

Thank you for encouraging me to be who I want to be, do what I want to do, go where I want to go.

 You have never held me back and have supported whatever decisions I make. 

You tell me that you should have listened to your mum's advice, because in the end she was always right - as are you.

You know me better than anybody else and have done more for me than anyone else could.

Sorry for scarring you for life!

Love you.

Mentioning only my mum would have taken less time, but there are more women - who are mothers themselves - that have inspired me, influenced my decisions and had a huge impact on my life.

Nanna

Knowing you for only 2 and half years of my life could make me sad, but I'm extremely grateful that I had at least that time with you.

Hearing stories about you is one of my favourite things; I realise how alike we are and how much we would have enjoyed each other's company as I got older. Yet I feel like I do know you like I would if you were here now: Putting salt in your brother-in-law's tea instead of sugar/dunking him under water/carrying my mum by her legs into the sea - it's clear where I get the whole laughing at other people's expense thing from, along with my dry sense of humour.

Yet you had your sensitive side. I know you were a great wife to my grandad (and I quote, his "head gardener"), mother, nanna, foster mother and dog carer.

Hearing your voice and watching you on family videos is something I could never get bored of.

You will always be a part of my life, and mean as much to me as everyone that is still around now does. You're with me everywhere I go.

Love you.

Nanna Barbara

You are one of the bravest, kindest, funniest women I have ever come across.

Not many women would move from Greece to England, or any country for that matter, alone.

Your short-term memory might be lacking these days, but hearing you tell stories from years and years ago like they were last week fills me with so much happiness. 

I love the fact that you moved to England over 60 years ago yet you sound like you moved here yesterday. Especially since you make up words (just a few examples):

The Pickles = The Beatles

Knackers = Knackered

Forest putt one = Forest scored a goal

Blummy thing = Bloody thing

Motorbike = Wheelchair

The thing I regret the most in life is not being interested when you tried to teach me Greek. I would love to be able to have a conversation in your native language now.

And to anyone that has seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding: it's funny because it's true. You can't go round to a Greek woman's household and not be offered a stupid amount of food - I actually feel bad when I say no!

Thank you for being completely selfless and being a great mammy to my dad.

Love you.

Auntie Jackie

I wanted to thank you for being around so much when I was a child.

Your house was pretty much my second home - I slept over, my friends came round, I had a rabbit at your house etc.

Spending time with you was, and still is, always entertaining - for example, me doing your hair... Can't really believe you let me do that over and over again. I can actually hear you now saying 'wowww' as you looked in the mirror, obviously dead impressed with my styling techniques (essentially just tying bobbles round and putting clips in, until your head was covered).

Just for the record, your children aren't coming anywhere near my hair.

It's weird to think Aimee is now the age I was when she was born! But I had to pass the 'witch' title onto someone, and she's doing a damn good job.

I would love to spend more time with you and the girls over Summer. So if you ever need a break, I'll happily babysit (if I can keep the witches in separate rooms).

Also, thanks for my dog.

Love you.

xxx

Bear With Me

You may have noticed there has been an extreme lack of blog postage in the past two months (it's more probable that you haven't realised or don't care) - but here's my excuse:

In a previous post I mentioned that I hadn't been sleeping well, which I put down to a mental disorder. I'd love to tell you that this isn't an issue any longer but it is quite the opposite - lying in bed with the annoyance of pounding and aching in your forehead and cheeks is far from the relaxing state of sleep.

This has been ongoing and pretty much continuous for two months now, so one day I decided enough was enough. After calling 111, I was told that I needed to see a doctor within 24 hours or sooner. Five hours later I received a call to tell me I had an appointment at the hospital at 10:30pm. 

As if a further hour in the hospital waiting room wasn't frustrating enough, the supposed 'doctor' informed me she wasn't a doctor at all, and wasn't allowed to diagnose anything. My blood pressure and temperature were checked, along with her prodding at my face to check my sinuses.

"Does this feel uncomfortable at all?"

Obviously. You're poking me in the face.

So all this lady told me to do was to book an appointment with my GP on Monday.

Mate, did I really need to come to the hospital at 10:30pm for you to tell me to phone my doctor?

I was told that I need to see a doctor within 24 hours, so I get an appointment with someone who isn't a doctor?

Good one.

All-in-all that was a massive waste of my time, except non-doctor-lady suspected that I have chronic sinusitis and will probably have to have a CT scan on my head.

Woo.

For now blog posts wont be as frequent as usual (not that they were anyway), as my days currently consist of me lying in a dark room wanting to rip my face off. 

Hope you're all well anyway!

Cya 

xxx