Miners lip gloss exclusive!

Hello everyone, as you may know I am signed up to the database for Miners Cosmetics, so I receive any of their latest products and test it out for you all. On Thursday I got some of their new lipglosses in the post which was very exciting!

The range is called Cocktail Kiss Lipgloss and they are currently exclusive to Harrods but will be up for general launch in mid November. Its called Cocktail Kiss Lipgloss as they are based on some actual cocktail recipes.

This lipgloss is called Mudslide and as you can see in the photo it  contains lots of different  brown colours,  perfect for people with olive skin tones. I think this lipgloss is nice and comes out quite thick so only a smaller amount is needed for an even coverage. It smells like cocoa butter too!
This is based on the cocktail Mudslide. To make the cocktail mudslide you will need:
Mudslide;25ml Baileys
25ml Khalua/ Tia Maria
25ml Vodka
25ml Double Cream
Thick Chocolate Syrup

Place your serving glass in a freezer for a few minutes or so before hand to ensure it is cold enough to decorate. Swirl the chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass (like the effect in the lipgloss tube!) The pour in the Khalua or Tia Maria before filling the glass to the top with crushed ice. Pour in the cream, baileys and then finally the vodka. You could add some chocolate shavings on the top too. 

This Lipgloss is called Flirtini like the previous Lipgloss this one contains different  swirls of pink shades. Which I really like as it'll create a slightly different colour look everytime. I really liked this lipgloss as I think it worked with my fair skin tone well, provided an even coverage which could be used day or night and it was really sweet smelling as well.

Flirtini cocktail;
25ml raspberry vodka
15ml chambord
25ml cranberry juice
A squeeze of a lemon
50ml champagne

Pour all the ingredients  into a cocktail shaker apart from the champagne. Add ice to the shaker and shake well for twenty  seconds. Strain into a martini glass, making sure no broken ice gets into the glass, then finally top with the champagne and its ready to serve, enjoy!

This lipgloss is called Manhattan, similar to the lipgloss above yet is a darker pink colour . It has swirls of red, pinks, and  small bits of purple entwined into it giving it a great colour, and even coverage. Likewise to the other lipglosses this one I think smells really nice too, and tastes nice if like me you lick your lips whilst wearing lipgloss and swallow some ha!

To make the Miners Manhattan style cocktail you will need:

Manhattan;
50ml whiskey
20ml Sweet vermouth
3 to 6 drops of bitters
1 maraschino cherry with the stem (optional)

Firstly pour the whiskey, vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass also filled with ice and stir gently without bruising the spirits, for approximately three minutes. Strain into a martini glass and drop the cherry in if you wish. enjoy!  

Hope you enjoyed my post!

A x

Max Factor Eye Brightening Mascara

Hello,

I thought I'd write this post about some new mascara I've seen recently by Max Factor. This mascara has been described to brighten eyes for specific eye colours. They have a selection of three for blue eyes, brown eyes and green eyes. If like me you have trouble finding the right mascara for you, which lengthens your lashes as well as them not irritating your eyes and giving you a thick, sticky look then I would recommend this mascara for you.

When I first saw it I thought it was odd, how could there be different mascaras for different eye colours, however each mascara contains different ingredients like light reflective particles which will brighten the eye and make them appear a little bit bigger as well as gem toned colour beads which are supposed to customise the reflected light, which will enrich the eye colour making them appear a lot brighter in my opinion.

As well as this the mascara promises to lengthen the lashes by up to 300% which is perfect for a night out. However I would say after trying this I couldn't really notice any difference with the colour bead particles, I don't think it made a particular difference to eye colour but it did make my lashes look a lot longer!





Thanks for reading, hope you liked it

A x

Skin types

Hiyaa,
So I've decided to write this blog post about different skin types. The reason behind this is a bit long winded but basically back when I was working at Boots I remember I used to get lots of people coming in asking me what skin type they are to make it easier to buy skin and make up products. So I would like to impart my 'knowledge' with you all :)

There are five basic skin types to get started with but this can change due to illness and various other factors. The five skin types are- Normal, dry, oily, combination and sensitive.

Normal;
A normal skin tone has an even texture with a smooth and supple surface. This also means it will have a proper balance between the oil and the moisture contents within your skin, therefore meaning it isn't really either dry or greasy. If you have a normal skin type your pores will usually be quite small and your skin tone will be quite even. Your skin will look clear and you'll rarely develop spots or blemishes.

Dry;
A dry skin tone as suggested shows a dry skin type and also could include dry, flaky skin too. Dry skin can sometimes be more prone to wrinkles and lines because of the inability for the skin to retain the moisture as well. Dry skin often has problems during cold weather meaning more moisturisers would be needed. 

Oily;
An oily skin tone as implied in the name suggests that the overall appeal of the skin can be a bit oily.People with oily skin tend to also be prone to black heads, white heats, and spots. If you have oily skin you'll need to cleanse the skin daily.

Combination;
This is probably the most common skin type. As suggested in the name, the skin is a combination of both oily and dry skin with certain areas of the face either more oily or more dry. With combination skin there is usually a central part (the T- zone as its nicknamed) which is across the forehead, nose and chin. The dry and oily parts of your skin should be treated accordingly, different products for the oily and the dry skin parts. 



Thanks for reading!
A x

Recessionista! - Nails

Hi!

One of my friends recently said to me that she disagreed you could get the same quality look nails by using a cheaper nail polish compared to a more expensive one. So I bought some cheaper nail varnishes to put this to the test! 

Beneath is the just two of the things I bought. I got a Miss Sporty nail varnish in a fuchsia shade, and I also picked up something called Nail Constellations from MUA, which when applied onto wet nail varnish recreate the look of  'caviar nails'.

 I'll post a blog in the week using the new pink nail varnish, but I thought I'd show how I used the nail constellations to recreate the look of the caviar nails.

As always I took off any little bits of old nail varnish with a cotton pad and some nail varnish remover. Buffed my nails and filed them into a neater, more manageable shape. Then I used a base coat so none of the darker colour pigments will go into my nail and possibly stain it. Once the base coat was dry I applied my first layer of black nail polish. Once this was fully dry you can start using the little beads. I think its easier to do it one nail at a time, so I applied another layer of the black polish to my nail, as it was still wet I poured the nail beads over the nail until it was almost if not fully covered. I then patted it down gently into the nail varnish so it stuck. As you can see in the picture below the other nails aren't quite finished yet and need a bit of a touch up around the edges. Once the beads were fully set and dry I added a top coat to keep them secure.

The nail constellations by MUA were from Superdrug and cost £3

Thanks for reading, A x

Bourjois Queen Attitude Khol Kajal

Hello all, hope you've had good weekends!

Yesterday I treated myself to a new eye-liner pencil. I decided to take a change and instead of getting Benefit Bad Gal Kohl eye pencil which I've used for ages and created a really jet black look, I got Queen Attitude Kohl Kajal by Bourjois..(as seen below)

More recently I tend to use liquid eye liners rather than eye-liner pencils but I thought I'd get this one as it looked really good and quite different to conventional eye liners you normally see. The lid to this eye liner has a long piece of ribbon on the top which you pull the lid off with, which makes it look really cute and unique I think. 

Looks a little bit like a lipstick

So prettyyy! Looks like the coolest crayon ever!

For my eyes today, I went for a dramatic black look using Benefit's  They're Real mascara and also I used the darkest black shade from the Miners eye shadow trio (Humbug) along the upper eyelash line. 

And here's what it looked like. I really like the dramatic effect it gives and I was really pleased as it stayed on all day :)

Hope you enjoyed, A x

How to get whiter nails

Having whiter fingernails to me, brightens up your fingers, making them look clean and healthy. Sometimes maintaining this healthy look can be quite hard to maintain so I've found out some quick ways which you can achieve this look!


You could use denture tablets. This will make your nails look cleaner and healthier if you follow the directions on the box for dissolving the tablets, and then soak your nails in the solution for a few minutes. You may do this a few times a week, dependant on your nails and when you want to.

Secondly you could try squeezing the juice from a fresh lemon or two and then soaking your nails in that for a few minutes. Then wash your hands after and apply a moisturising cream onto your hands and nails because the lemon juice may cause a slight drying effect on your hands and nails. 

However if you have a staining that has not gone all the way through the into the nail, but is just on the surface, you can use a good quality nail buffer/shiner and gently buff them to remove the stain.When wearing polish, always make sure to use a good quality base coat, especially with the darker shades of polish.Finally apply a clear polish to make them shiny if you do this twice a week you will find that it should help.

Any clear polish and nail strengtheners can often cause nails to go a yellow ish colour, just as any colour can. Some nail varnishes have chemicals like formaldehyde and toluene in them, which can dry your nails out after repeated long term use, making them weak and brittle. 

Alternatively there are also a selection of different nail whitening pens available in shops, which you colour the underside of the nail tip, I generally do this overnight as I won't be touching anything and also giving it time to stick to the nail. 

By taking calcium tablets or even eating/drinking more things with calcium in can largely improve the colour of your nails and make them stronger and shinier. 

Equally you could try this method:If you soak your nails in a bowl with some nail whitener tablets to soften them and ensure all the grime is out from under them and also making them appear whiter at the same time. Then gently buff over them with a 4 way buffer using each side until each nail is clear of imperfections.Nail whitening tablets can be bought in Superdrug for £2.99



Hope you enjoyed!

A x

Pink Polka dot nails

Likewise to the other blogs about nails I've done if you copied the nail designs I've done you don't have to stick to the same colours I used, especially for this design as it is a fun design and looks really nice. I did a polka dot pattern using a pink shade by Nails Inc and then used a white Models Own nail art pen.

I started by cleaning off the nail varnish off of my nails and used a base coat. Once this had dried I applied a coat of Nails Inc Warwick Avenue polish. Once this layer was completely dry, I then used a final layer of this polish, so the colour was really clear and gave it a shine.

Once my nails were completely dry I then got to work on the polka dots. To keep the nails looking as great as possible, it's best if you do the polka dots in strategic, neat lines as it'll look better when finished and it'll be easier for you to do.

Instead of doing the polka dots in random dots, its best to do them in neat lines, with alternate gaps between the lines below them. Like a brickwork pattern, for example start with one dot in the middle at the top then place two either side. The line below you should place polka dots in between the gaps of the line above.

To finish off your nails, don't forget to apply a top coat so your polish is less likely to chip.

Thanks for reading, hope you like it!

A xo