January Favourites and OOTN 28/01/2012

I'm going to try and do Monthly Favourites, it may not be every month as a lot of things don't tend to change, but when I find an amazing product I will be sure to update! So as January finally draws to a close I  hope you enjoy my top picks for January. 

Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation shade 115 – Being so pale I’m almost translucent, it is an absolute nightmare to find a foundation colour that actually matches my skin, and Illamasqua has such a great range of colours. I initially bought the Light Liquid Foundation for my kit, I have 6 colours in total, but I tried this out and was instantly impressed with how good the colour was for me. I’m not a great fan of the consistency of this product, as its quite dry and doesn’t have an amazing coverage, so what I’ve been doing is using predominately the Illamasqua foundation and adding a small amount of Revlon Colour Stay in Ivory which I find adds a bit more to the coverage, and it stops the Illamasqua L.L.F looking too dry on my skin. I will hopefully be investing in the Illamasqua Skin Base foundation; however the closest Illamasqua counter is in Cardiff, which just isn’t convenient, so I’m dubious to buy it online without testing it out first! If anyone has tried it and think they may be my colouring let me know how you’ve found it!

Liz Earle – Cleanse and Polish – This doesn’t need any explanation; you can find my review here which will tell you why I love it so much!

Lush – Snow Fairy – I bought this at the very end of December when Lush had their half price sale of all their Christmas lines. I had heard so much about it on YouTube as everyone seems to be addicted to it, so I thought I would pop in and see what all the fuss was about. It smells so good! I would liken it to the smell of the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub. Such a sweet smell, which may not be to everyone’s taste, I also couldn’t resist the name. Let’s face it, anything to do with fairies I’m all over it (If you hadn’t realised already my name means Fairy). Not only does it smell amazing, it lathers up so nicely, the bubbles are so soft and creamy and it makes your skin so smooth! Unfortunately they are only brought out every Christmas, so I bought two bottles, and I’m trying to use it sparingly.

Aussie – Luscious Long Shampoo and Conditioner – I’m going to confess something terrible right about now, I haven’t had my hair cut in nearly a year! I know, terrible, shoot me down, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I had it all cut off really short (well, short for me, it was shoulder length) back in 2010 and since then my hair has been growing so slowly, that now I have it at the length I want I’m just too scared to go and get it cut again. I will eventually because the ends are so dead. But I’ve been using Aussie’s Luscious Long range and it’s been so good for my hair. It smells amazing like all of Aussie’s products, but it also makes my hair so soft, and it feels thicker too. I can swoosh it around and it feels like I’ve just stepped out of the hair dressers, it may not look like it, but it certainly feels like it. I don’t know all the ins and outs of the products, but I think it’s definitely benefited my hair

On Saturday night it was one of my friend Dannie's Hen Night and the theme was the Letter D (for obvious reasons) and I went as a disco ball! Here are some pictures from the night!

Foundation - Revlon Colour Stay - Ivory & Chanel Pro Lumiere in 10 (discontinued)
Blush - La Femme Golden Rose
Contour - MAC Studio Tech foundation in NC50
Mascara - BM Beauty Lash Curling 
Jewels and Mirrors from The Range

Top - From a boutique in Tavistock - £25
Disco Pants - River Island sale 3 years ago £10
Shoes - New Look, customised by me
Fake Tan (I KNOW! Hold the applause) - Beyond Bronze by Fake Bake - Instant in shimmer Light

REVIEW | BM Beauty Lash Curling Mascara

Following up from my BM Beauty review from December, which you can find here, I thought I should talk about my favourite product that I was lucky enough to try out.

         

            I’ve always had issues with my eyelashes. They’re very straight and very blonde. Long enough to be noticed, but without mascara it looks like I have none. And I have never found a mascara that can hold a curl in my lashes for a whole day, without them looking crispy and hard. I’m not a massive fan of waterproof mascara, because I don’t like to sit and scrub at my eye for hours on end to make sure I’ve got every last bit off.

            So when I saw BM Beauty’s Lash Curling mascara I thought I would give it a go, and I have been amazed with the results. The formula isn’t too wet that you have to keep your eyes open in fear of panda eyes, and it’s also not so dry that you have to spend half an hour dragging the brush through your lashes to get a good amount of product to coat your lashes. The Lash Curling mascara coats your lashes easily with just one application and dries quickly without your lashes going hard. And you can build up the product easily to get a more dramatic look.

No Mascara 

One Coat

  

Two Coats

Three Coats on top lashes - One coat on bottom lashes

            I’ve also found that with this mascara it curls my lashes on its own without having to use curlers before hand, which is great because when doing my own makeup I do like to skip steps if I can get away with it (probably not the best confession to make, but I’m sure you won’t tell anyone) so this mascara really has become an essential part of my daily make up routine. I will definitely be re-purchasing when this tube runs out!

            The mascara wand is a bristle brush which is great, as I find plastic mascara wands scratchy and often achieve a more sparse look, whereas BM Beauty’s mascara not only curls my lashes, it also makes them look thick as well. All of BM Beauty products are free from animal testing, and the mascara is infused with minerals and nourishing oils and waxes. It retails at £12 for 8ml and can be purchased from the BM Beauty website here. 

            For anyone with already super curly lashes, they also have a Lash Thickening mascara :)

            Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog by clicking “Join This Site” on the right hand side of the page. And you can also follow me on twitter @FaiBassett

Fai x

*disclaimer* I am in no way affiliated with BM Beauty, I was given this product as a thanks for helping out on the BM Beauty stand at the Clothes Show, I am not being paid by the company to review their products, and all opinions are my own. 

Why I Chose Make Up

So many people ask this question, and I can understand why. The make up industry is one that not many people can get their head’s around. People know about it, but not always do they understand it. Over the past few years make up artist’s have had a new platform to show case their talent, and more and more people have become interested in the industry by finding make up tutorials on YouTube, and reading the blogs of make up artists as it’s become to the forefront of social media.

I have always been interested in makeup, mainly because I love colour and experimenting, but also because I suffer with bad skin, and I’m also incredibly pale. Finding ways around and having to create my own foundation cocktails by mixing different colours because I have never found a single foundation that suits my skin got me more interested in the other side of make up. It wasn’t just about creating looks with amazing colours; it became more about wanting to know how to make other people feel better about themselves.

A lot of people have the opinion of “you shouldn’t wear makeup because it’s fake”, but I completely disagree. Wearing make up can change a person, yes, but it only enhances a person in the sense that it gives them the confidence to step outside their front door without having to feel embarrassed or self conscious about the way they look. There is nothing in make up that seeps into the brain that changes personality, trust me. I’ve been there, and I very rarely step outside without a full face of make up. And wanting to do so doesn’t mean that I’m conceited, wearing make up makes me feel confident enough to walk with my head held high, and I wanted to be able to make other people feel that way too.

Of course, you can create alter egos for yourself with the way you create your makeup, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t the real you. Everyone has so many sides to them, that so what if one day you want to wear no make up at all, and the next day you want to wear black eyeliner and red lips? You shouldn’t be made to feel bad about wanting to either, no matter what other people say about “being natural” you can be natural and wear make up. If you don’t feel confident enough, or you just want to even out your skin tone that little bit, it doesn’t mean this isn't the real you!

And this is the reason I chose make up artistry as a career. Of course I still love creating amazing looks and trying new things, but the feeling of creating a look that gives someone more confidence to go and do something they wouldn’t usually do is so much greater than anything else, because I know what it feels like.

Very short entry today, but I think people are so often judged by their appearances, whether it’s because they’re not wearing make up, or because they wear “too much”. And it needs to stop. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make yourself look that bit more flawless. And let’s face it, anyone that says they prefer a person without make up on is probably lying…because they clearly haven’t seen me when I wake up ;)

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog by clicking “Join This Site” and follow me on twitter @FaiBassett

Fai x

Common Misconceptions About Acne Prone Skin

Dry Skin Doesn’t Break Out

I have extraordinarily dry skin, but I also suffer from acne. Even where I break out, which tends to be in the same place every time, I don’t suffer from oily skin. My skin is very evenly dry; I don’t suffer from an oily T-Zone. Another thing people think is that not cleansing your skin properly and removing makeup, which of course can cause problems, but be aware not to just jump to this conclusion for people who suffer from acne and just assume they’re dirty. It is certainly not the case in most situations. The actual reason that people suffer from acne is because of a hormone imbalance. And I’m talking about real acne, not just the occasional spot here and there. This is why women a lot of women are prescribed the contraceptive pill, as high testosterone levels can cause acne. It can also be caused by infection, so antibiotics can also be prescribed to clear up the skin. So if any readers are suffering from sever acne, please don’t automatically assume that it’s because of your skin, a lot of the time its your body causing it, so go and talk to your doctor and see if you can get referred to a dermatologist :)

Dry Skin Needs Water

Obviously, this is not the case for me as I have sensitive skin and react badly to water. However water is useful for dehydrated skin, not dry skin. Dry skin lacks in oil, and therefore using face oil, such as DHC cleansing oil, is brilliant as it feeds the skin enough oil but also cleanses the skin from impurities at the same time. (DHC Cleansing Oil review is on its way) Of course, this also goes along with the oily skin causes break outs, but in fact using oil on my skin calms my skin down. Of course I can’t speak for everyone as everybody’s skin will react differently. I am just speaking from my own experience :)

Acne Is Only In Your Teens!

This one is the one that gets to me the most. Of course in some people’s situations, yes, they only experience acne in their teens; however my skin has got worse as I’ve got older. When I was about 13/14 I didn’t suffer at all, but when I got to the age of 16 I started to get break outs, and it got worse from then. Obviously now I am more aware of skin types, and I am able to feed my skin what it needs so I can keep it under control to a certain extent, however it doesn’t stop it for good. I know people who are still suffering from acne break outs who are certainly over the hormonal hell that is puberty! I think that a lot of people get confused with acne and getting the occasional spot. The spot treatments that you can get in pharmacies such as tea tree oil based treatments will work on the occasional blemish, but acne is an infection under the skin, that needs to be treated from the inside, out.

Of course, as I said before I can only speak from my own experiences, however I think it is important for people to be aware of these misconceptions as so often if you read up about skin care it can be so vague, and especially for makeup artists out there, you will always come across people who have such different skin needs, and often times you can’t just refer to the books.

I hope this has been interesting to read. I thought I would write about it as I’ve always shouted at the t.v, and got annoyed at books I’ve read when they say something so generic. Obviously I don’t blame them in anyway because of course they can’t always delve into all details. I just think it’s important as I feel that some people who suffer from acne might automatically assume that they have oily skin, just because that what is always said about break out prone skin, and it may not be the case. You have to know your own skin and its needs and not just assume that other people know best :)

Thanks for reading lovelies. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog by clicking “Join This Site” so you can be alerted of any new posts, and also follow me on twitter @FaiBassett

Fai x

Change of Schedule!

Sorry for not posting a proper post today. I had a blog all planned out but had to change the subject at the last minute. I want to keep up with the whole Monday and Friday routine, so just thought I'd give a quick little update to tell you whats going on :)

Fai x

Its All About the Pout

In my opinion taking care of your lips is the most important part of your skin care routine. I’ve suffered from very dry lips in the past, so I make sure I look after them as much as possible. Most people forget about their lips, especially in the summer, when they can become extremely damaged from the sun. The skin on your lips is incredibly delicate, so using a lip treatment with an SPF in it is very important. My lip treatment of choice is Blistex Relief Cream, which is a medicated cream that you can use for cold sores, but it is also a great moisturiser for chapped and sore lips. I use it every day, and I have no encountered any side effects, so although it is a medicated cream it hasn’t caused any problems. Blistex Relief Cream doesn’t have SPF so during summer I will use a separate product. I also use a lip scrub before bed, I use the sugar lip scrub available from Lush which come in a variety of different flavours, these are great as once you’ve massaged them into your lips you can just eat the remaining sugar, and they taste great :P

Using lip scrubs and keeping your lips in the best possible condition is vital if you want to create flawless application of your favourite lipsticks, especially if they are a matte finish. Before applying lipstick make sure your lips are well conditioned, and if you need to, use a scrub to ensure there are no dry patches. Let the lip treatment sink into your lips so there is no oily residue left over as this can cause the lipstick to streak.

I’m not one to wear lipstick everyday, as my lips are very highly pigmented naturally, so just a bit of lip balm will be enough to create a natural bitten look. However, I do like to wear lipstick to create different moods. I have 4 favourite lipsticks which are all very different, as I like to mix up my makeup.

Number 4 – Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick – Crème 477 Black Cherry (link)

Is my most recent purchase, I was looking for a deep black red for winter, as I love the look of heavily matte bronzed skin and dark cherry lips for Autumn/Winter, especially on crisp sunny days (days such as today). Bronzed skin can easily be forgotten about during the winter months, but a good matte bronzer, to contour and warm up the skin looks great, and paired with deep cherry black lips it looks amazing. I found it very hard to find the right tone, as a lot of these colours that have been brought out are very cool toned, edging on the purple/blue side. However, Revlon’s Black Cherry has the right amount of red, yet still keeps that black, dark colour without looking like you are wearing a red lipstick. The only downside I would say about this colour is that it doesn’t apply well to the wetter part of your lips, so you are often left with a tide line where the lipstick has slid off when you close your lips, applying, blotting with tissue, and re-applying is essential. Also, as it is a very dark colour, I would recommend using a lip brush to create a full on look, or with your finger blotting it into your lips to create a more sheer look.

Number 3 – Maybelline New York COLORsensational 148 Summer Pink

When I’m feeling pretty and girly I often opt for a soft pink lip, this is the one that I reach for. It’s a really nice metallic pink, that’s super easy to apply as its opaque in one application and very smooth and moisturising, and its one of those lipsticks that you don’t have to think about when applying, mirrorless application is really simple with this lipstick as its not an extremely bright colour and applies a bit like a coloured balm more than a lipstick. It also has a slight scent of sherbet and vanilla, which isn’t overly offensive, but if you are sensitive to smells then this might not be the one for you, saying that, the scent doesn’t transfer over to taste, so unless you’re going to be walking around with your lips stuck to your nose, it will go relatively unnoticed.

Number 2 – 17 Mirror Shine Bee Hive (link)

This is another easy to apply lipstick, and it is incredibly smooth and moisturising. This colour is definitely a “my lips but better” colour and its almost a perfect colour match to my actual lip colour, with just a bit more of a neutral undertone. In the picture you can barely see the colour, but the shine is beautiful, and you wouldn’t need to apply a gloss over the top of this. And surprisingly this isn’t sticky at all, even with the high gloss finish. I wear this lipstick quite a lot as you can probably tell, in fact, I have two. The only downside to this lipstick is that because they are so creamy and soft they do tend to melt and break very easily. So a trip to the fridge is sometimes needed alternatively you could decant them into a small pot and use from there, as they don’t like to stay in bullet form.

And finally

Number 1 – GOSH Soft’n Shine Lip Balm – 41 Kiss

Don’t let the name of this product fool you, this is in no way a tinted lip balm, it has all the qualities of a lip balm, brilliantly moisturising, but the pigment in this lipstick is insane! You need the smallest swipe and the colour is opaque straight away, and very glossy. It also smells similar to MAC lipsticks which is a pleasant vanilla scent. I love this red, as it is a true red, its not too orange, and its not too pink either. I also really love that the bullet is small, so its easy to apply straight from it, instead of using a lip brush as you can get into the corners of your lips with out going over the lines. Unfortunately, this product is discontinued, I don’t know why GOSH decided to stop making these lipsticks, they are absolutely amazing, but I’m sure you will be able to find them on eBay

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Remember, every Monday and Friday I update here

You can also follow me @FaiBassett on twitter for updates. You can also find a blog post written by me for The Academy of Makeup’s blog here

Thanks for reading guys :)

Fai x

*Disclaimer. I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this blog. I have provided links for the products that I could find on line. All of the products mentioned can be found in Boots and Superdrug throughout the UK

REVIEW | Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

So I’m sure most of you have heard of Liz Earle’s cleanse and polish, it’s a bit of a cult product in the YouTube and beauty blogging community. Everyone talks about the benefits its given to their skin, however I’ve always been dubious to buy things online, I’m a bit of a sceptic when it comes to delivery charges, I rarely buy things from online web stores when I can just stroll into town and buy it without having to pay £4 P&P. So when I visited Leeds in August, after stumbling upon the Thomas Sabo shop (purely by accident, but I did drag my boyfriend back there on 

many occasions to gaze at all the beautiful charms) I also found the Liz Earle free standing store that’s just 2 doors down in the Victoria Quarter. On that first occasion I didn’t venture in as it was closing time, but I made a mental note to remember it was there and to go in the next time I was in Leeds. Having said that, it took me until October to actually purchase my first Cleanse and Polish starter kit, even though I’d visited Leeds many times before that, it just slipped my mind, because a lot of the time I was in the city centre I was rushing around in between lunch with the boyfriend and catching a train home.

I moved to Sheffield in October, so took the 40 minute train journey into Leeds just to visit Liz Earle, it may seem like a massive effort and you’re probably thinking that it would be easier to just buy online, but Leeds is a beautiful city, and if you’ve never visited, its definitely worth a go, in fact Victoria Quarter in itself is worth a visit anyway, especially with the new freestanding Illamasqua store which opened recently.

So I’ve been using Liz Earle since the end of October, and I cannot believe the difference it has made to my skin. I have extremely sensitive skin, so sensitive in fact that I’m allergic to water, I have to try very hard to use products which don’t contain too much water, and as much as I can I avoid using water on my face at all costs. However, with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, although you need to use water to remove the cleanser after you have massaged it into your skin, using the muslin cloth that is provided in the starter kits, I find it much more gentle to my skin, as the cloth is absorbing the majority of the water, and once it is rung out enough, it is mainly the cloth that is removing the cleanser that is left on your skin. I then dry my face with a towel straight after to avoid the water that does come into contact with my skin drying into it, as I find this is where my skin gets the most irritated. Straight after doing that I apply a decent amount of e45 cream to my face to make sure it’s hydrated again.

The difference it has made to my skin is incredible, it’s far softer than it used to be, and although I do still suffer from acne, the redness dies down dramatically after use. I also find it prevents spots from becoming angry and painful. It also makes foundation go on far easier, I rarely use primer anyway, but using the Cleanse and Polish I find creates a more even base for your foundation, and makes the blending process softer. Another great thing about using the Cleanse and Polish, it makes my moisturiser sink in quicker. I have to use e45 cream as my skin is incredibly dry, and the e45 cream doesn’t have aqua in the ingredients, the only water they use in e45 cream is purified water, which is the last ingredient on the list, which means it’s also the smallest amount. However, I found that the moisturiser can take a long to sink into the skin, which is annoying, especially if you’re trying to get ready in a hurry, because putting foundation over a heavy moisturiser can be an absolute nightmare if it’s residue is still sitting on top of the skin!

Now that I live back in Devon, and we don’t have any Liz Earle stores, or concessions down here, I have had to purchase my most recent bottle on the Liz Earle website, however, paying £3 for P&P doesn’t bother me anymore, because I honestly don’t think I could live without this cleanser. In fact, I ran out just before Christmas and couldn’t afford to buy anymore for a few weeks until I was paid. And let’s just say, as soon as I had money in my bank, I made my order for a 200ml bottle of Cleanse and Polish. After using it for the first time in 3 weeks, my skin definitely let out a massive sigh of relief! My skin finally felt clean again!

There are however, two downsides to Liz Earle, firstly, now that I can’t just pop into the store, my Liz Earle loyalty card is feeling neglected even though I’m still purchasing. And secondly, a slightly more serious downside, they have changed the packaging. It is now in a squeeze tube rather than the pump, I find this really inconvenient as I do tend to use a lot of product, and with the pumps I could regulate how much I used, and I knew that two pumps would be the same amount each time. Now however, I’m squeezing the bottle and sometimes I’m not using enough, so the next time I do it I go overboard and use far too much! I’m not sure if this was a conscious decision for Liz Earle, and they’ve done this so people have to re-purchase more often, but I much prefer the pumps, as I’m sure a lot of people do also.

But I think even with that downside, my love for this product will not diminish at all. And I’m pretty sure I will be using the product for a very long time! I’m also looking forward to trying new Liz Earle products, so if anyone has any recommendations leave them as a comment below and I will look into them!

With my first purchase from the website I received 3 samples of their sheer tint foundation, in all three colours, so I’m looking forward to trying those out. Although, I’m a bit dubious, as my skin is so pale, it’s almost see through, and very rarely do colours match my skin! But once I’ve got around to testing it out I will probably do a review, and if it’s not a suitable tone for my skin, I will probably use it on my mum!

You can purchase Cleanse and Polish from the Liz Earle website, along with all their other ranges.

Liz Earle products are also available from QVC

Thanks for reading guys!

Look out for my new blog posts every Monday and Friday

Fai x


*disclaimer* I am in now way affiliated with the Liz Earle brand, all opinions are my own, and all products mentioned have been bought with my own money. I have not been sent these products for review purposes

MAKEUP IS ART - Review

This Christmas I was lucky enough for my sister to buy me this beautiful book, MAKEUP IS ART - professional techniques for creating original looks. As I unwrapped it I saw this incredible artwork on the front cover

The picture I've taken doesn't really do it justice, in real life you can see the shine of all the diamante's and it just blew me away completely. Needless to say I sat and read this book for most of the morning on Christmas day, just completely awe struck over the pictures inside.

But lets get down to an actual review. This book was created by the founder of The Academy of Freelance Makeup Jana Ririnui, with the help of makeup artist and creative director Lan Nguyen. The book has everything that any student makeup artist needs to know, and also is a great refresher for any trained makeup artists too! I found reading it made me remember a few of the little bits and pieces that you do tend to forget if you don't keep up the practice (oops!). The book is broken up into different chapters which cover everything, from skincare to backstage and catwalk makeup!

The last few pages of the book have amazing advice on how to build portfolios and how to get work in the industry, to build up a client base and getting your name out there!

Even after you've read through this book, the pictures are so inspiring its difficult not to just pick it up and flick through. Its also a great way of thinking of new ideas, and to get your makeup stash out and re-creating the looks on yourself. There are an amazing variety of wearable looks, and some beautiful creative pieces, using rhinestones and crystals, that really get my creative juices flowing, because I'm a sucker for anything shiny!
In fact, this book is going to be a great inspiration for when I dress up as a disco ball a the end of January. There will no doubt be a F.O.T.D and O.O.T.D for that, because I'm going to a big glittery mess! Love that.

This book is available on the AOFM website here and I would highly recommend it for any aspiring/student makeup artist, and for every makeup artist who is already working but just likes to have a good look through some beautiful work that others in our field do!


Thanks for reading!
Fai x

*disclaimer - I was given this book as a Christmas gift, and I am in no way affiliated with the company

Happy New Beginnings

So its finally 2012, the year of the London Olympics, which isn't really that exciting considering they've been talking about it for the past 6 years. It will be just like Christmas, all the hype, then 2 weeks later everyone's forgotten about it and will get back to their normal lives again!

But, 2012 is the year where a lot of people are going to try and fit in as much as they can and do everything they ever planned to do, because of those damn Mayans! However, I will be joining them, as much as I'm aware that it's very unlikely the world is going to end on the 21st December 2012, I want to make sure I get as much as I can done in the 364 days left of this year. I mean, this year is a good one already, because it's giving us an extra day in February.

In 2012 I'm going to be turning 21, a proper adult! I'm not really one to make new years resolutions, because as I've heard said before it's just the opportunity for everyone to communally fail at something. However I will be making sure I make the most of this year, starting with this blog. I'm going to try and get at least 2 blog posts up every week. If something really exciting is going on it may well be more, but we shall cross that bridge when we come to it. I want to start getting reviews up, face of the day, OOTD anything and everything beauty and makeup related. My first review will be up this week, on the "Makeup Is Art" book I received for Christmas, so keep a look out for that!

This year is also going to be the year for traveling, as much as I complained about traveling so much last year (I spent a total of nearly 80 hours on trains in the last 5 months of 2011). This year I want to go further, and visit more cities in the UK.

And last, but definitely not least, work. This year I'm going to start pursuing my career properly in the makeup industry. I'm going to get as much experience under my [brush] belt and start my book.

So here's wishing to a fantastic New Year!

Fai x