Highlight Your Skin

I have wanted a YSL Touche Éclat for as long as I can remember and I was finally given one for my birthday this year.

It’s one of the most amazing beauty products ever created and a must have for any woman’s make up bag.

Touche Éclat is designed to rid your face of dark circles, fine lines and any signs of lack of sleep.

This complexion highlighter works wonders, once applied it gives you the appearance of having a full night’s sleep, making you look refreshed and glowing.

I personally can never seem to get enough sleep and my average amount would probably work itself out to be about 6 hours a night. I constantly feel tired, but this wonderful invention actually hides the fact that I look tired.

People will never know that you’ve been out all night partying…unless you’ve got a raging hangover that is!

When I wore Touche Éclat for the very first time I couldn’t believe the results. I really did look refreshed and in fact I thought it was the best my skin had looked for a very long time. My boyfriend even commented on my appearance and said that it was the nicest I’d ever looked.

It’s also so very simple to use. All you do is press the end of the pen a few times and then gently sweep a couple of strokes underneath your eyes, by your mouth, nose and around your brow area, then blend into your skin.

You can wear it over foundation or on top of your natural skin. So it can be used at any time, day or night.

It comes in 7 different shades, for all different skin colours. Therefore you’re bound to find one to suit your skin. 

At £24.50 it’s a little pricey, but if you’re in need of a product to hide those late nights and to give you a ‘just been to the spa’ appearance, then I would say it’s well worth the money.

I’d certainly recommend Touche Éclat to anyone!

Pamper Your Hair

Sometimes after vigorous hair styling with hair dryers, straighteners and curling irons, or even just using a little too much product, my hair is left feeling dry, brittle and in need of some deep conditioning.

I have never been one to use those leave in conditioning hair treatments, as if I did, I'm pretty sure I'd wake up looking like I'd poured a vat of grease on my head, rather than the shiny, gorgeous hair you're supposed to end up with.

For all the people who have the same problem, I have recently discovered a fantastic solution. A product which not only does the same job as the leave in conditioners, but also only needs to be left on your head for a total of 3 minutes.

This amazing product is none other than Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor.

Strangely, I have never used any Aussie products before this, but have always been told by friends how good they are. Luckily, Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor definitely lives up to expectations.

This deep conditioning treatment helps reconstruct damaged hair, mends split ends and helps keep your mane more manageable and looking luscious.

The best thing about this conditioner is that it even smells amazing. Although it does remind me of those little tablets you used as a child to determine how much plaque you had on your teeth, (I actually loved the taste of them...but hey that's just me).

At a reasonable £4.69 per bottle, why don't you try it for yourself and see if it works wonders for your hair like it has done for mine!

Creme Eyeshadow Revolution

When I was younger and first started experimenting with makeup, I always used to love creme eyeshadow; it was fun, colourful and easy to apply.

However, I found that it never used to stay on my eyelid for very long. After a mere an hour, it would crease and move further and further up my eyelid, until it was nearer my eyebrow than my eyelashes.

As a result, as I got older, I moved onto powder eyeshadow, which I found far more effective and lasted much longer than creme eyeshadow.

That was until I discovered Estèe Lauder's Double Wear Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme. This product is revolutionary to the creme eyeshadows of the past and a must have for all the makeup fiends out there.

The ShadowCreme is guaranteed to last up to 15 hours and won't budge until you take it off with makeup remover.

It's also extremely easy to apply, all you need to do is sweep a layer of Shadowcreme across your eyelid, with your fingertips or shadow brush, (if you want a more dramatic look, do this a couple more times) and voilà! You now have stunning, flawless eyes that will last for hours!

Despite it being slightly pricey at £16.50 per pot, it's definitely worth every penny. Not only will the pot last a fair while, but it really does what it says on the tin...you won't be disappointed!

Tried and tested by me, this product is an amazing way to achieve stay perfect eye makeup for an entire day!

Horse's Hair Brush

Last year, I bought this Andrew Barton hair brush from a beauty sale at one of the magazines that I was working at.

As it was the merchandise of a professional hairdresser, I thought it would be a decent brush, one that would last me a fair while.

When I got home I was dying to try it out (as I am with all new beauty products), but to my disappointment it was really not very good.

It felt as though I wasn't even brushing my hair properly, it only brushed the top layer of hair, leaving the undersides still feeling tangled.

The bristles on the brush are extremely hard and sharp and constantly seemed to be scratching my scalp.

On Andrew Barton's website, he claims that this brush is designed "to enhance your hair's natural beauty and shine."

He also deems it to be "kind to your hair with softer, more flexible pins to help reduce hair breakages."

http://www.andrewbarton.tv/hair-group/products/brushes/

All of this sounds fantastic, until you get the product home and try it out for yourself!

I have even tried to get rid of the brush twice. Once to my sister, who refused to take it, and the second time to a friend, who commented that it was more like the brush she uses on her horse, rather than a hair brush for humans!

So I think that says it all really, an epic fail by professional hairdresser Andrew Barton!

Cracked Nails

There has been a new invention in the world of nails recently and that is cracking nail polish. It is a fantastic creation and one that is so simple and effective.

I have only seen two brands on the market which make cracking nail polish and they are BarryM and OPI.

However, I'm sure as the craze catches on even more than it already has done, more and more brands will start producing it.

OPI is the more expensive of the two, at around £10.50 a bottle, but it has a larger range of colours (black, white, red, blue, silver, navy and turquoise).

BarryM is most definitely the more affordable nail polish, at an amazing £3.99 a bottle. However, it only has a limited number of shades (black, white, pink and blue).

On the other hand, price is very much a factor, as you can buy two colours and it still won't add up to one bottle of OPI. It also works just as well as the OPI equivalent, so why pay more!

To get the cracked effect, all you need to do is follow a few simple steps.

Step 1 - Paint your nails with a contrasting shade to that of your cracking nail polish and leave to dry.

Step 2 - Paint one layer of cracking nail polish on your nails. Make sure you have quite a lot on the brush the first time, as several strokes will ruin the effect.

Step 3 - Once the cracked nail polish has dried, use a clear coloured top coat to ensure long lasting nail colour and a shiny finish.

There you have it, amazing nail effects without spending a fortune in a salon!

Pressed Or Loose Powder Blush?

With so many different products and brands on the market, it is sometimes hard to decide which one is best for you.

This is most definitely the case with blush. There is pressed powder, loose powder and creme blush, so how do you know which one to choose?

I have not yet tried creme blush, so I will concentrate on the other two: pressed and loose powder blush.

Pressed powder is the easier of the two products in my eyes, as all it takes is a few sweeps of powder to the apples of your cheekbones, brushing up towards your hairline.

Loose powder is slightly more difficult, as you need to be aware of the amount of powder on the applicator. With this product, it is best to start off with only a very small amount and build up the colour from there.

To get rid of any excess powder, tap the brush lightly on the lid of the container, and this will ensure that you have an even coverage on the bristles of the brush.

With both of these products, you will need to slightly blend the powder in with your foundation, to get a more natural look.

It is best to invest in a good quality brush, as compact brushes are too small and will not cover the areas that you want, without numerous applications.

A good quality brush will also enhance your blush, making sure that you get the best look possible. Not only this, if looked after, it will last far longer than the blush itself.

My personal favourite is pressed powder, as I prefer the barely there look and I find it much easier to blend than loose powder.

However, I'm very interested in other people's opinions on all three types of blush. So feel free to leave a comment below telling me which one you love and why!

Cleansing Routine

Everyone needs a daily cleansing routine, whether you're male or female, whatever your age or skin type, your skin needs to be cleaned, exfolitated and sufficiently hydrated.

Having a cleansing routine also creates a fantastic natural base for make-up; ensuring a smooth, flake free surface when putting on foundation or concealer.

I use Clinique's 3-Step Skin Care Regime each day and it is a fantastic way to obtain and maintain glowing, healthy skin.

The first thing you have to do is identify your skin type.
Skin Type 1 - Very Dry to Dry
Skin Type 2 - Dry Combination
Skin Type 3 - All Skin Types
Skin Type 4 - Very Oily

The Skin Type that you are will determine which Clinique 3-Step products you buy.

The first step is to cleanse your skin. For this Clinique provides a specially formulated soap, which comes in either a liquid or a bar.

There are three different types of soap:

Mild (for skin types 1&2)

Oily (for skin types 3&4)

Extra Mild (for skin type 1).

The second step is to exfoliate, using Clinique's Clarifying Lotion.

This comes in a number of different formulas, for each of the different skin types:

Clarifying Lotion 1 - for very dry to dry skin

Clarifying Lotion 2 - for dry combination skin

Clarifying Lotion 3 - for all skin types

Clarifying Lotion 4 - for very oily skin

Anti Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion - for all skin types.

The third step is to moisturise.

There are two different types of Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturiser. A lotion, for skin types 1&2 and a gel for skin types 3&4.

The results that you get from using these products are instantaneous, but are also still visible over a period of time. Making your skin continuously feel healthier, smoother and brighter.