False Eyelashes: Tips & Tricks

False Eyelashes: The Foolproof Guide

Back when I stumbled across the beauty blogging community, applying false eyelashes was something that completely eluded me. After years of reviews, tutorials and general chit chat, I'm a lot more skilled and thought I'd share what I've learned in the hope that someone similar to my 2012-self can be aided. Of course I'm not a makeup artist or any kind of expert, these are just the things that make my life a bit easier. 

Its the Little Things...

Hey Everyone!
When you're feeling a bit down, its essential that you have a kind of mental list of things to do that improve your mood. I've never really had one, but its been developing over the last little while and I thought I'd share the beginnings of it with you.  

1. Fresh flowers

I've never actually had a bunch of flowers until my mum bought me some a couple of weeks ago (how cute?!) I never realised how such a simple thing could brighten a whole room (and your mood.) I now want to have flowers in my room permanently- though I'm not sure how well that would go down with my hayfever.

2. Doing nails/ having pamper sessions

No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, looking down at nicely done nails or smelling new body lotion definitely improves my mood. Also, the time spent doing my nails is so relaxing.

3. Inspirational quotes

Ok, I realise sometimes there's a fine line between uplifting and cheesy, but I always manage to find a lil feelgood quote on Pinterest lying in bed at night. Wether you're looking for fitness inspiration or determination to succeed you can be certain that there are words written in fancy fonts against cute backgrounds awaiting in the realms on the web.

4. Lighting candles

If you read this post, you'll know I'm a big fan of candles. I'm working my way through this strawberry one pretty quickly, and although it doesn't quite live up to the amazing scent of my fig and herb, its still good to have a candle burning in the background when I'm studying or on my laptop. Also, while you're looking for a little cheering up, why not pure some good karma out there and send a friend a card or happy note. When I received this cute card from Melanie I was over the moon!

What are your best mood lifting tops?

Hair: Haul, Mini Reviews, Summer Styles & Chit Chat #AD

Hey Everyone!

I had quite a few random bits and bobs to talk about all under the umbrella of 'hair' so I thought I'd just write one bumper post. 

Haul

Firstly, I have finally caved and bought a Tangle Teezer! It is pretty weird getting used to not having a handle but I love it already. I don't have particularly tuggy hair anyway, but it really does just glide through your hair. One of the main reasons I bought it was because my hair falls out constantly and I have noticed an improvement over the last few days using this. What surprised me was that this is great for backcombing-adding a bit of subtle volume without the frizz. This means tousled hairdoos are a lot easier. Another plus is that its really easy to remove the hairs that get caught in the bristles. 

Also, when I got back from Africa, my mum had got me a few bits and bobs (big treat) including these Bed Head minis. 

Ombre

You may remember a while back I had my hair slightly ombred and I thought I'd give you a quick update. It was pretty subtle at first but since I've been in the sun its really lightened at the bottom. Though because they've been coloured, the ends of my hair have been pretty dry lately.

The Importance of a Trim

To combat these dry ends, I had a trim a few days ago. I really don't acknowledge often enough how important having a trim is. My hair instantly looked healthier and those nasty split ends were stopped in their tracks. I've also found in the past that after a snip my hair grows a lot faster.

Favourite Summer Hairstyle

All year round, I have 3 hairstyles: down, sleek straight ponytail or in a bun. In attempt to change this mundane routine up a little; today I tried a doo I saw on pinterest and I am 100% in love and will definitely be wearing it more. Its a twist on a plain ponytail, with the hair gathered as if you're beginning a plait and then tied at the crown. I was amazed at how much volume it created.

Top Tips for Growing Your Hair

Get the ends cut off every couple of months

Minimise the amount of heat you use on your hair

Brush your hair! It seems obvious, but it will stimulate the production and spreading of natural oils. 

Massaging your scalp for a few minutes each day to increase blood flow.

I've heard that fish oil is good for hair growth- has anyone tried this?

Extensions

And you know what, if you are just too impatient for your hair to grow to your desired length- why not try extensions? Clip in extensions will transform short hair and you'll be able to experiment with many more styles. These extensions by Remy (here) are made of real human hair, so will blend with your own hair perfectly. 

seekhair.co.uk offer a huge range of clip in extensions at affordable prices, so you will be able to achieve luscious locks whatever your hair type.  Just remember- give your hair regular breaks from extensions and you may want to invest in a good conditioner to combat any damage.

This is a bit of a random post (all my posts seem to be a bit odd recently- hope you don't mind). I thought it'd be useful to share what I've learned over the past little while and was interested to see if you shared the same experiences. Also, if you would like to see a post on my current hair care routine, let me know.

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Review | St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse in Medium

Hey Everyone!

In general, I'm not a big on fake tan. I think that for day to day, the performance of application simply isn't worth the time and tend to embrace my pale complexion. However, once in a while, I enjoy having a fake tanathon night and waking up in the morning all bronzed and glowing. This year, I decided to go all out with fake tan for my holiday as I'm more of a factor 50 all over kinda gal than laying out sunbathing for hours one.

I bought St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse in shade medium for £2.99 a few weeks ago. Having used it before, I have found that for best results you should shake the bottle well before use, put a few pumps onto a fake tan mitt (which gives a more even application than bare hands or plastic gloves) and apply it to skin in circular motions.

For me, 5 pumps per leg and 2-3 per arm will leave a lovely colour that's far enough from my own skin tone to look bronzed but not fake. What I love about this fake tan is that it has green pigmentation which I think combats the orange so there's no oompa loompa side effects. 

Because it is instant, you can see the distribution and colour as soon as you apply- which makes life easier for those who tend to miss patches.  

The tan is wash off- which is ideal if your just looking for a bit of colour for a night out, as long as its not going to rain! If you apply it every night/ every few nights though, the colour builds up and leaves more long lasting results. I put it on every night or so for a week and I would say it took me another week for the colour to fully wear off (including exfoliation and daily showers).

My only complaints about this tan are the tell-tale fake tan biscuity smell which intensifies overnight as you heat. The colour does also tend to cling to dry areas (especially knees) which I tried in vain to combat with exfoliation. 

In addition, as I mentioned, the colour basically runs off if it comes into contact with water- I had a bit of a mishap with a unruly tap which resulted in green drips running down my leg and a small white patch. Finally, if your using this, be careful not to fall over (yep, only me!). I had yet another mishap involving very high heels and uneven grass- I kind of collapsed to the grass and got back up and the tan has mysteriously disappeared. But as long as you can stomach the smell and are stable on your feet you shouldn't have a problem.

Me wearing St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse-apologies for the horrendous mess in the background :( 

St.Moriz is definitely my favourite fake tan- it is extremely affordable and gives great colour pay off.

Have you tried it before?