Review and Swatches: The Balm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette

Hi Beauties,

YouTube is both a curse and wonder for me, as I find so many amazing brands that I never knew about, and on the other hand I lust after all these brands that I cannot seem to get my hands on (Too Faced *cough*) lol.

So many people have raved about The Balm, so when Retailbox launched this palette, I had to get my hands on it with the Mary Lou-Manizer.

The Balm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette - RetailBox

Burst Studio Makeup Brushes - Burst Studio  *Sponsored Product*

If you're looking for cool toned eyeshadows, this should be right up your alley.  These are all natural earthy colours, and you'll be able to create so many different looks.  From natural day time to full on glam.

PS - Sorry that I photographed dirty brushes ;) I suppose I wanted to show you that I actually use them haha. But seriously, these are the best makeup brushes and they're right up there with Sigma and MAC, and I used these 4 to create the eye look shown here.

I know it's such a cliche to say that a shadow is buttery soft, what other word describes it best?  And that's exactly what these eyeshadows feel like, my fingers just glide over them.  They're all true to the colour in the pan, but as with most eyeshadows in this category, there is some fallout but not too much - and what I mean is that you'll be able to easily swipe away the little bit that has fallen out without ruining the whole look.

This palette has both shimmery and matte eyeshadows, and I like that some of the darker eyeshadows like Silly has a bit of shimmer in it.  Once applied you don't actually see glitter, it just helps create shadow/depth in a look.  Another way to use darker shadows is to create a smokey liner instead of using a pencil or liquid eyeliner, you just spray a bit of Fix+ or another setting spray on an angled brush, dip it into the darker shade and apply as you would a liner.  This is really an awesome method if you're not into a heavy makeup look, shadows looks more wearable and softer - so give it a try if you haven't.

The white colour called Sassy is by far one of my favourite white shimmery shadows!  I love creating a smokey eye, and this is so stunning on the eyelid, with Selfish in the crease and outer corner and then you go full glam and smoke it out with Serious.  It's a stunning look and I love wearing this on a night out or for date nights.

How cool is the names of all the shadows - and you'll notice they all start with an S.  Awesome indeed.

If you're an eyeshadow hoarder like I am, I would highly recommend this, just because you can create a full eye-look with all of these shadows together, but because they're "basic" shadows you can incorporate them with other eye shadows for different looks.  If you're anything like me I'm sure you feel like you can never have enough lol.  

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Tutorial: Wearable Smokey Eye

Hi Beauties,

I hope you're having a fab week so far?

I'm literally counting down to the weekend, well truthfully I've done so since Monday.  This is going to be a proper movie weekend as two of my favourite movies are being released:  Hangover 3 and 3D Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  As you can imagine I'm going to do minimum blogging this weekend, but I really wanted to get this tutorial up, it's one of my favourite looks all year round.

This is one of my go to looks, I adore purple shades and it works particularly well if you're dark-haired with brown eyes, and you can create a wearable smokey eye with colours other than black or grey.  It's also really easy, if you're not very good with make-up applications I assure you that you'll get the hang of it quickly:

Optional Step: 

 

Start with an eyeshadow base, I love this one from Essence, I find that if you do wear a good quality foundation like the Gosh X-Ceptional wear, that you don't particularly need a primer or base, I normally do this if I want my look to last the whole day.  Just spread a dollop of this all over your eyelid, it dries quickly and also helps create a crease-free look.

Take a highlighting colour, I don't know what the name is of this as NYX haven't listed the names on their palette, normally 2 - 3 shades lighter than your skintone is the perfect highlighting colour.  Dab a bit at the arch (or highest area of your eyebrow), this helps to define and lift your brow bone.

The colour I've chosen is 'irresistible purr-ple' which is such a gorgeous and flirty colour, take the deep shade and pat it onto your lower eyelid area.  I use a patting motion instead of sweeping, which helps intensify the shade of the eyeshadow, and also minimises any fallout.  Take the eyeshadow only up to your crease line, when you look directly into the mirror you are suppose to just see the purple line sticking out very slightly.

Take a big fluffy blending brush, and in a downward movement blend, I'm not using a transition colour here, lightly use small circular movements from left to right and blend it in lightly.  The reason you're holding your brush in a downward motion, is so that your eyeshadow colour doesn't drag or smudge out (like I mentioned before you don't want your colour too high up from your crease line, if you hold it upwards you'll drag the colour up and out and go far above this line), instead when you hold your brush downward you're merely blending.  As a test try it out, you'll notice a massive difference.  Be careful not to overblend, blending is merely creating a soft line, if you do struggle use a transition colour, that is a shade that is 1 - 2 shades darker than your skin tone, which you lightly buff over the area you're trying to blend in and it helps create a smooth soft line.

Using a lighter colour of your choice (white also works well), dab into the inner corner of your eye, this creates the illusion of bigger eyes.

 Optional Step:

 

By now you should have a really lovely and wearable eye, if you're not used to wearing make-up I'd maybe suggest that you skip this step and instead try it for a night out.  Of course I'm used to wearing loads more, so this is a wearable day look for me ;)

 

With a tapered brush, dip into the dark charcoal eyeshadow of the NYX palette, and create a horizontal v-shape, rub off excess eyeshadow and lightly blend with the tapered brush, then in a downward motion blend all the colours with the big blending brush. 

Using this Essence liquid eyeliner, which is my absolute favourite!  I much prefer a tapered felt liner than a brush, but everyone likes different application methods so you may have to try various ones to see which you are most comfortable with.  The easiest way to draw a winged eyeliner, is get a smaller mirror (free standing), rest your arm on something (a table for example), then draw a line at the outer corner of the eye.  Don't worry if you messed it up a bit, you can either draw over it and manipulate it the way you want, or if you made a big oopsie take a q-tip or earbud, dip in a teeny bit of water and rub off.  Once you've drawn your little line which acts as the base for the liner, in small strokes extend from the outside to the inside.  To make your eyes appear bigger and give it a lovely shape, make sure your liner is thicker on the outside and tapers into a very thin line to the inner corner of your eye. 

 

If you're not familiar with liquid eyeliners, it'll take some practise to get used to it and figure a style that you like.

 

Alternatively:  For a more wearable look or for any novices out there, use a normal black kohl or eyeliner on the top lid then lightly use the back of the liner to smudge the line, creating a softer but still dramatic enough look that gets you noticed.

 

PS:  I didn't wear any eyeliner on the bottom and I rarely do, I find that it makes my eyes appear very small, plus my eyes go red very quickly, and that seems to aggravate it a bit. 

For a wearable look I don't pack on mascara, however, the Gosh Boost Your Lashes is very buildable and you can create very dramatic eyelashes if you want to.  I didn't curl my eyelashes with a curler, I used one coat mascara, whilst still wet I applied the Essence fibres, then packed on two more coats of mascara.  Don't forget to do the top of your lashes with your first coat, especially if you need volume, it really helps loads to do a quick sweep at the top of your lashes then the "underside" - LoL is that event he right word?

 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that some of my tips and tricks have helped you.  Let me know if there is any tutorials you'd like to see?

 

Hope you have a fab Friday tomorrow! 



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Tutorial: How to get Big Glamorous Hair

Hi Pretties,

One of the things I get asked the most and stopped often in shops for is how I get my hair so big, whether you love it or loathe it, but it surely gets your attention.

I know big hair isn't for everyone, and just as a little side note, I've worn my hair big and teased for years, way before Jerseylicious became popular, I guess you could refer to me as the South-African version of Jersey {although I've heard that not everyone looks like that in New Jersey so no pun intended}.

Like I said, this hairstyle isn't for everyone, you need confidence and attitude to pull it off as you will get attention!  I don't really care what people think of it, whether you like it or not, it's not going to change my opinion on it, and I've heard it all, a client once referred to me as "the girl with the big hair" LoL, I don't mind it, thank God we all have different tastes and styles right, otherwise the world would be rather boring.  So if you do love having BIG and glamorous hair, here's all my tips and how-to's.  This isn't the healthiest thing to do to your hair but truthfully neither is blow drying, straightening and colouring, so the best thing to do is try and put back as much goodness as you can by regularly using treatments and always using an intense conditioner, heat protectant spray and serum.

What you will need:

 

Velcro rollers (large sizes)

Bobby Pins - to secure the rollers

Brush

Teasing Comb

Hairspray, I prefer the orange one from Perfect Touch, it's my holy grail hairspray!

Serum

STEP 1:

 

I just blow dryed it straight with a big round brush, then using various large size rollers rolled the top section of my hair and heated them up with my blow dryer with a spritz of hairspray on each roller and let it set for a few minutes.  As you can see you'll already have loads of volume in your hair and if you're not a fan of teasing or going too big, you can easily leave your hair like this, with a few spritzes of hairspray you'll have a lovely glam look for day or night without going over the top.

STEP 2:

 

Section off a piece of hair in a kind of square shape just at the crown of your hair.  I don't like teasing all of my hair just the top section which gives more than enough volume.  Split the section of hair in smaller pieces so you end up with a piece of hair that is approx. an inch thick (2 cm).

STEP 3:

 

Take the section of hair as per Step 2, spray hairspray just at the roots of your hair, don't spray higher than approx. 4 cm, taking your teasing comb or any other preferred comb, and tease just at the roots, I don't tease a lot, maybe 3 - 4 strokes, then take your hair dryer and dry that section of hair where you sprayed hair spray for a few seconds.  Using the blow dryer helps set the hairspray and helps so you don't have to tease as much.  Repeat each section the same.

STEP 4:

 

Take your hands and spread the section you've just teased and blow dryed, spreading it evenly and making sure there isn't any gaps or holes.

STEP 5:

 

Like I've mentioned before, I tease only the top square section at the crown of my head, after teasing and blow drying take a brush and lightly brush over the teased area to smooth it out, make sure there isn't any gaps or holes.  What I do after this step normally is take my hand and brush through it all with my hand, creating a shape I'm happy with, then I also lightly tease the right side of my hair as I do have loads of volume on the left (my fringe is that side).

 

This step takes practise, there is no set shape that suits everyone or that everyone likes, some people might prefer more of a bump like they had in the 50's, or more of a side swept area and just a little piece that is back-combed, it'll take a few tries for you to figure out what you like most and what suits you.

STEP 6:

 

Once you're happy with the look and shape of it, spray, spray ... and spray some more!  I use my hand to kind of press my hair up for a bit more volume, but you'll figure out what you like once you've played around a bit.

STEP 7:

 

Almost finished!  Take the bottom of your hair and lightly brush it out so your hair falls nicely and still looks soft and touchable {although you've just sprayed the living daylights out of it LoL} it's just a matter of illusion that's all ;)

And there you have it!  Lovely big glamorous hair ...

 

This truly isn't difficult to do whatsoever, the tricky part is figuring out which shape is the most flattering to your face shape and style/taste, which will only come with practise.

 

What I love about this hairstyle is that it stays voluminous for days afterwards, I never comb it out, all you're going to do is break off your hair and that's not cute and it's unnecessary.

 

I hope you'll give my tips and tricks a try, and let me know if you do, I'd love to see some pics!



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How To Clean Your Precious Jewels

Hi Pretties,

I hope you've all had a gorgeous weekend?

This post might be considered slightly odd LoL, but I wanted to share with you how I clean my precious jewellery.

My husband gifted me with the most beautiful Jenna Clifford ring when he proposed, now although they do offer professional cleaning services, which we do 1 - 2 times a year, it is somewhat inconvenient as I don't get my ring back the same day etc., so my mom actually shared her tips and tricks on how to clean white/yellow gold jewellery with diamonds, which she has been doing for years and years and it has proven to be safe (non abrasive) and works like a charm:

Before:

 

After almost an hour of soaking you can see the residue/dirt coming loose.

After:

 

 

 

All the goodies you'll need to bring the sparkle back:

 

<3  Dish washing Liquid

<3  Container/Glass

<3 Hot but not boiling water

<3  Old (or new) toothbrush

 

Use a small amount of dish washing liquid, pour it into a container/glass, use hot but not boiling water, put your jewellery in and let it soak for about an hour.  You'll see all the dirt coming loose from your jewellery, it's quite gross really but I use a lot of hand cream during the day, and although I moisturise my hands without my ring on, I guess the residue somehow still gets on it.

 

After you've let it soak for a while, remove your jewellery, open the tap with lukewarm water, then gently scrub your jewellery with the toothbrush.  You'll already see such a big difference and it will already sparkle and glow, gently rinse and wipe clean with a cloth.

 

My camera doesn't do the ring any justice, but afterwards my ring could easily give Edward a run for his money LoL :-)

 

I hope you enjoyed these, let me know if you have any jewellery cleaning tips and tricks.

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{NOTD} Candy Stripes and Sparkles

Hi my Lovelies,

I hope you've had an amazing week so far?!

 

 

 

 

 

Don't you think my nails look good enough to eat?  Hehe ... indeed they were painted in all ice-cream colours, I truly wish I had talent when it comes to nail art, but I'm afraid the best thing I could come up with, was just to give a strip in the middle.

 

I painted my nails with Essie in French Affair, with my accent nail in Mint Candy Apple, and with a stripe of Mint Candy Apple over the French Affair, I then used Essence Nail Art Twins Glitter Topper in 02 julia.

 

I love using glitters on my nails, but it's usually such a hassle to take it off ~ but it truly just makes nails pop and look super pretty and girly.

 

In case you're wondering, these nail polishes are not cruelty free, I still use some of the cosmetics I have because it was rather expensive, until such time that I've managed to at least replace them.

 

Have a fabulous Friday beauties :-)

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Review: Clip in Hair Extensions

Good Morning Beauties,

There is probably nothing more womanly and beautiful than long-mermaid hair.  And recently on a quest to achieve just that, I found an amazing supplier of 100 % real Indian remy extensions, and as fate would have it, that night after opening my much anticipated glossybox for the month, they gave me a discount voucher for R150.00 ~ I barely needed any encouragement thereafter to make the purchase.

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

 

My Purchase:

 

20inch (50cm) Straight in Chocolate Brown - Normal Price R1 250.00

1 x Brush (Specifically designed for hair extensions) - R35.00

 

It includes 8 strips or pieces:

 

1 x 20cm (8inch) hair strip with 4 clips

2 x 14cm (6inches) hair strips with 3 clips

3 x 10cm (4inches) hair strips with 2 clips

2 x 5cm (2inches) hair strips with 1 clip

 

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

This is an optional step, basically you are lightly teasing the section the hair-clips would grip onto.  I would suggest doing this if you have very fine/limp hair, or hair that is not easily styled, you can also do this if it's your first time and you're a little unsure if the hair-grips will stay (which I assure you they will).  Just gently tease the section as to avoid damage to your hair.



 

 

You will start off with a 3-clip piece, I'd say about 1-2 cm section from the nape of your

neck is best (this picture is the second 3-clip piece), putting in the first

clip as low as possible to where the hairline starts will help your hair

to blend in better.  The hair grips simply click shut, it's super easy to use and the grips

are made of a very sturdy material.

 

Hair after using two 3-clip extension pieces.

 

 

Using the one 4 clip-in piece, section a piece of hair right above your ear lobes,

approximately 1 cm from your ear lobes, it stretches from ear to ear but not covering to

the hairline, so there will be a 2-3cm piece of hair not covered on the sides

where you've just placed the extension.

 

 

Now it's time to play around with the 2 and 1 clip extensions, placing them in

at random where you feel you need it most, I usually apply a strip each of the

2 clips on the side, making sure that it hides the hair falling over my shoulders,

and then using the 1 clips at random where I feel I need more volume.

 

Make sure that you can't see any clips, as long as you always have a nice section

of hair covering the extensions, I'd say about 1.5 - 2cm thick would suffice.

 

 

My storing box and tools used to clip these in.

 

When I ordered these extensions I was very sceptic to say the least, I've heard of so many stories where people purchased what they thought is real human hair, only to find out it's been mixed with synthetics, not only do they not feel soft to the touch but also smell terrible when any heat comes in contact with them.  I was pleasantly surprised .. they are super soft and feels exactly like my own hair.

 

All the Important Info to Know:

 

~  Treat them like you would your own hair, you can style them, use heat and even colour it, although they do advise it is best to go darker rather than using peroxide on them.

~  You might ask so what is real Indian remy hair, I'm not going to bore you with the facts apart from that it is unprocessed human hair.

~  Remember that they are not attached to cuticles anymore, thus the best shampoo and conditioner would be one that is made for dry hair.  I have the Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo and Conditioner.  They do advise that you don't wash your clip-in hair too much, approximately after every 20 wears or so, depending on how often you wear them and what styling products you use on it.  I will be doing a complete wash and care post on them soon as I've only worn them a couple of times.

~  Do you also believe "The Higher the Hair the Closer to Heaven?"  If so, make sure you've styled and teased your hair before clipping them in ... whatever you do never tease clip in extensions.

~  They are lightweight and it doesn't feel funny having them in, there is no damage to your own hair so you can wear these everyday, or for special occasions only.

 

Overall experience and Verdict:

 

I love my hair extensions!  They have absolutely amazing customer service, their response was really quick and although they do offer a standard national post office service included in the price, I requested a door to door delivery at an additional cost, although they had a slight delay as I had placed my order on the Thursday, they contacted me to advise of the delay and I got my delivery on the Monday.  They also helped me select the correct shade by asking me to e-mail a picture through, the colour is absolutely perfect and matches my hair perfectly.

 

Hair extensions only last 6 - 12 months, depending on how you take care of them, how much heat you use on them etc.  When it's time to replace mine, I will 100 % re-order from them.



 

 

 

You can order yours online or for more information:

 

ClipInHair



 

Wondering what I'm wearing?  Have a look at my OutfitoftheDay post yesterday.

 

Have a fun Sunday pretties!

 

 

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