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Showing posts with the label make up

Is there such a thing as Brand Loyalty and what creates it?

When I watch beauty Vlogs on YouTube or read a beauty blog I am always surprised by how many people brand hop.  When I first started wearing make-up as a child it was about what colour you liked - it was the 80's and I was around seven so blue eyeshadow made sense.   Once I hit my teens and my skin started breaking out and becoming more sensitive I tended to go for the products aimed at my age and skin type - Clearasil anyone? But then as I left school and all that baggage behind me I moved on to more luxury brands that matched my skin. I remember experimenting with brands including Clinque and Dior which just didn't work for me, before settling on Lancome, which I used for around ten years.  Ten years is a long time to be loyal to a product and it wasn't just one product either. I used the whole range, from skin car through makeup everything I had was Lancome - why?  Well at the time I started using it, being brand loyal was a bonus. Your skin care and makeup were tail

The Art of Cleaning Make Up Brushes

I love makeup.  I have worn it everyday since I was about 8 or 9 years old.  I've tried hundreds of ways of applying my make up, experimented with colours and changed my look from heavy to light to somewhere in between over the years. The one thing that's always remained a constant though is on a regular basis cleaning my tools.  My grandfather always said you can tell a good workman by the way they treat their tools.  I'm careful with my make up brushes and renew them every few years as they start to loose hair and shape. Currently I have two sets which I use combined, this also allows me to have one set cleaned and using a second set while they dry.  I have sensitive skin and I can always tell if I've left it too long between cleansing sessions.  Usually I try to wash my brushes once a week, usually they are okay for two weeks, longer than that I start to notice my make up isn't as smooth as I like and my skin may start showing signs of breakouts. To clean m

Spring Cleaning my Make Up Kit

As we move towards spring, not that it currently feels like it’s anywhere near with all the white snow outside my window, I checked my make box to see what I might need to refresh.   Following a cold but not bitter winter I’m almost out of moisturiser so I booked a facial with the Clarins team to assess my skin needs.   Spring Cleaning my Make Up Kit  As my skin is extremely sensitive to new products sessions like this allow me to talk to a professional about my skin care routine and try products to ensure I have no reaction before I buy.    My advisor was great and we had a lengthy discussion about my skin before she started. For the facial she used One Step Cleanser  Eye Make Up Remover  Hydra Quench Mask Double Serum  Ever Mat Foundation 105 I had been using Multi Active Day and Night Cream for around three weeks by this point and we agreed this was still the right cream for me.   We did however decide that my foundation had become a tad da

Christmas MakeUp & Beauty Routine

Tis the season, for chaffing wind, chapped lips and flushed cheeks from the warmth of the central heating! So, as the weather grows colder, strangely not as cold as you would expect for early December my beauty routine shifts up a notch. I have sensitive skin at the best of times and it really lets me know when it doesn't like a product, in the winter even more so. Generally day to day I work in a office or in my home office.  My day job can put me in the way of dust, water on occasion smoke and other pollutants.  I also go to the gym which is heavily air conditioned and walk my dog in the cold, wind and rain. So by the end of the day my skin is in need of TLC. Currently my brand of choice for skin care is Clarins, I find in the winter especially it soothes and repairs my skin without causing me too much excess oil or sensitivity. This winter my skin routine includes Double Serum  Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs  Toning Lotion with Camomile   Instant Eye Make U

Autumn Make Up Haul

I'm an autumn/winter person, bring on the cold weather as far as I'm concerned!  It's not just that the colours are deeper and warmer, the clothing is cosy, layered looks are great, I love boots rather than sandals,  its more beacuase I really don't do well in the heat, I tend to feel uncomfortable and clammy.  In autumn and winter I think I come in to my own. As it's September, I have changed the majority of my wardrobe back to warmer, darker coloured clothing.  I always keep a few lighter tops out just in case there's a few warmer days.   I love the change in wardrobe I start to feel like I have a whole new lot of clothes to wear and it hasn't cost me a penny. I have however needed / wanted to buy some new make up and that is what this post is about. Kate Upton Modelling Bobbi Brown Autumn Collection  1. Foundation & Base I tend to change my foundation if I can from season to season.  This spring/summer I have been using Clarins (spring

Skin Happy - Andalou Naturals - Organic Skin Care

In an attempt to economise my beauty regime, I started looking for a lower price bracket brand which would still give me great looking skin, be organically based, but go easier on my wallet.   I am someone who reads reviews and listens to recommendations and I do have an unhealthy obsession with Pinterest and Youtube, they are great distractions but can also be extremely inspiring.   It was on one of my early evening trawls through YouTube which often help me relax and clear my mind while writing, that I came across a vlog about  hair care routine for growing out your hair, now I know I’m really talking about skin care but there’s a connection I promise.   So I was watching this video and  the product being discussed was from a brand called Andalou Naturals.  Now I dye my hair, I’m naturally very dark but prefer a lighter look, so I’m always battling to keep my hair in good condition despite the colour processes and my love of using hair tongs.   Intrigued by the recomme

My Make Up Bag - Currently Trying - Clarins

Now, I’ve told you about my makeup journey, I used to use make up as a mask now I tend to use it to enhance my features.   I’m no longer afraid of being seen without make up, but I do prefer to have a paired down routine rather than no makeup at all when I’m nipping out somewhere.   Currently I’m overhauling my makeup bag, chiefly because of my sensitivity I need to know what’s out there that works for me.   Over the last two years or so I’ve altered my diet – I still eat too many cakes and biscuits but I tend to eat a lot more veg, and even grow it myself.   I also try to eat more Organic food products as I find them more palatable and I find I feel better eating more cleanly.   Mind you I still indulge so I’m not a complete saint but I try to find a balance between the two! Anyway, looking at my organic eating I decided I’d try and find something more Organic for my skin.   So I started with Clarins skin care and I’m glad to report I’ve had no reactions to their skin care.