Amy Winehouse Hair and Makeup

I have always loved big voluminous hair, and doing a beehive hair style. I was browsing the internet and it suddenly occurred to me that I should do a hair and makeup look similar to Amy Winehouse. I love big bold eye makeup, and big hair, so it only made sense as she did both, to recreate her signature look.

I started off with the makeup. Even though Amy's look is quite bold, it doesn't involve many products to recreate it. The key to this look is the eyes. If you get this bit sussed, then everything else just falls into place. I started off as I usually would any makeup look, with my foundation and concealer. This just gives my skin an even finish and creates a fresh base to work with. Looking at pictures of Amy, she doesn't have thick or fancy eyebrows, so I just filled out sparse areas in mine with a brown/grey eye shadow using an angled brush.

I then placed a cream coloured base shadow all over my eyelids, before adding an orange colour to my crease. I then took a liquid eyeliner and created Amy's signature extremely thick wing. It felt very odd plastering this much eyeliner onto my eyes, but I soon got used to how it looked. Without it, you just can't achieve her signature look.

Once I had made my eyes as even as possible, I added a pink blush to my cheeks and lined my lips with a pink liner and covered with pink lip gloss. This completes the makeup.

Now comes the fun part! I love creating a beehive, and Amy's is just that one step further. I began by separating the top half from the bottom, tying the bottom out of the way. Using a backcombing brush, I backcombed the entire top half of hair to an immense volume. Normally, this is enough for a beehive, however, to get the extremely high hair that Amy has, I placed a hair donut at the crown of my head and pinned it in place. This just gives that extra height beneath the hair. Bringing the backcombed upper half over the donut, I smoothed and pinned it into place at the back of my head.

For the lower section, I took my hair straighteners and roughly curled my hair. Once curled, I then brushed with my backcomb brush to add volume, and create a slight messy look. I combed my fringe and pushed it to the side. Add lots of hair spray and a flower to finish it all off.

I have uploaded a video on my YouTube channel, where you can see all the products I use, and how I completed each step.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTA-ihlPuMc

 

xx

 

 



1950s Hair and Makeup - Dita Von Teese

I absolutely love experimenting with makeup and new looks. I got my inspiration for this 1950s makeup and hair from Dita Von Teese. Her hair and makeup always looks fresh and flawless, and this is what I have tried to create today. All the makeup products I have used, apart from Mac Russian Red lipstick, are available in drug stores for a small budget. You can get a very similar colour to the Mac lipstick, so if you don't have any high end products, this look is still easily achievable!

For this look, I first browsed the web for pictures of Dita Von Teese to get a rough idea of what the end result should look like.

The hair would be best achieved if you have rollers, which will enable you to get those thick waves that are a signature look for Dita. However, I do not, and so created this look with only hair straighteners and hair grips. I curled my hair in circular motions away from the face, and folded up to create a shorter looking hair style. I also curled my fringe back away from the face, and pinned into place in a roll shape.

Now for the makeup! I wanted a nice flawless base, so I first applied my usual foundation as I normally would, and then applied another, slightly lighter foundation on top. I used a beauty blender to get the smoothest finish as possible.

Eyebrows are thick and dark for this look (something my boyfriend dislikes! ha). I used an eyebrow pencil to fill out and draw the basic shape. Then smoothed and set them with some eye shadow.

For the eyes I used a liquid eyeliner to create a reasonably thick line on my lid, and added a small wing. I then applied a couple of layers of mascara to finish them off.

The red lips are key to this pin up style look, and I lined mine first with a lip liner, making my lips slightly fuller and rounder as I did so. I then went over with a very red lipstick to intensify them, and added a darker red to the edges to create definition.

The cheeks are contoured, not to heavy, but to create a shadow and give shape to the face. Add bronzer to the temples as well, to further shape the face.

For the blush I only used a small amount above the contour and blended it down into the bronzed area.

Highlight the upper cheeks, forehead, chin and nose. Add a small amount to the bottom lip over the rest lipstick to create the illusion of light reflecting off of them.

Dita has her signature beauty spot, and so I couldn't complete this look without adding one myself.

I am very happy with how this whole 1950s inspired hair and makeup look turned out, and will definitely be doing it again in the future. It made me feel very glam!

 

I have uploaded a video on the exact steps I did to complete this look on my Youtube channel- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVyJBhT2uBY

 

xx

 

 

Dog Training

From my first post, my goal number 4, was to train my dog 'Flo'. I mentioned that I had already made a positive start to this goal, and had booked my first session of training with a professional dog trainer. Saturday was our first session, and I would like to tell you how it went.

 

 

I'll give you a bit of background information of my main concerns, and the issues that need addressing in the training process. Flo is a very anxious dog, and gets nervous in many situations. As she is a large breed dog, she tends to deal with 'scary' situations by barking and putting on the 'I'm a big dog' front and tries to be scary herself. For obvious reasons, this is my main concern and I don't want Flo scaring anyone!(except maybe intruders...). She also has a bad habit of jumping up, pulling on the lead, and severe separation anxiety.

 

The trainer operates in 2 main sessions that include unlimited telephone calls and emails to help in between and after the sessions. In our first 2 hour session, we began by going through the main issues again in more detail (these were briefly discussed on the telephone when booking the sessions), and the trainer explained the way he was going to train myself to train Flo. The problems tend to be with the trainer, as the dog picks up a lot from their owners, and is often due to lack of knowledge on how to train your pet the correct way.

 

 

Whilst talking, we put the dogs (we have another family dog, Jake) in the other room. This immediately highlighted the separation anxiety. The dogs barked together and were getting themselves into a state. The trainer advised perhaps separating the dogs, to help defuse the situation. This helped slightly, but it took a good 10 minutes for Flo to gradually get quieter.

 

In the session including Flo, we went through some basic training exercises. The dogs need their minds exercised as well as their bodies, to keep them content. We did the 'find the food' game, which she wasn't too interested in to begin with I must say. She was more concerned about what a strange man was doing in our house and doing all these unfamiliar things. We also encouraged Flo to walk through a hoop and through a tunnel to build her confidence. The trainer discussed how to begin teaching 'walking to heel', the prevention of jumping up, and how to gradually decrease the separation anxiety.

By the end of the session, Flo has by far had enough for one day, and was becoming quite agitated with the trainer, so we called it a day.

 

I went out and purchased some essential items to aid the training process.

Item 1.

House lead. This is not to be confused with your dogs walking lead, and should only be used when in the house. It aids in the prevention of jumping up, and keeping your dog at a distance when necessary, but not shut away.

Item 2.

Smelling salts. These are used when the dog jumps up. If this happens, release the finger covering the smelling salts, and the dog should associate the nasty smell with the contact of jumping up a person, not the person themselves. So this should deter the bad behaviour as it results in a not so nice consequence.

Item 3.

Training treats. Used to reward the dog when they have done a good behaviour.

Item 4.

Pet Corrector. This is a can of compressed air, and can be used to put a stop to certain unwanted behaviours such as barking.

Item 5.

Training line. Used for long walks, and enabling you to put into practice recalling your dog from a distance.

Item 6.

Rope Ball. I shall be using this toy as a reward for good behaviour, and it won't be out to be played with all day.

Item 7.

Thunder Shirt. This claims to provide gentle, constant pressure, creating a dramatic calming effect for most dogs.  I'm going to be 100% honest as say this wasn't recommended by the trainer, however Flo gets cold at night, so even if it doesn't seem to make any difference to her anxiety, it will keep her warm!

 

I'm am looking forward to put what I have learned into practice, and have been asked to keep a daily diary of our progress, so it is easy to see where needs improvement. I am booked in for my next session on the 24th of this month, so will update you again soon.

Passion For Fashion - Buying On A Budget

Buying on a Budget

I'm sure I am far from being alone when I say I love clothes! However, my bank balance does not.

When I first discovered my true love for fashion, I used to save all my money and splurge it on unnecessarily expensive items from the likes of Topshop and River Island. I soon realised I was getting very little for my money and was struggling on a limited income to justify any new purchases.

But my craving for new clothes was still there and burning away inside me, so it was time to look at alternative ways of buying fashion pieces on the cheap. I used to like to change my image on a regular basis in my late teens, so I was always looking for new items to add to my ever growing wardrobe.

So what options did I have?

 

Car Boot Sales

For a couple of years now, my mum and I have travelled to car-boot sales, not only to hunt out a bargain, but to sell our own unwanted goodies! We began going to sell items and to begin de-cluttering the house and our wardrobes. The first few we sold at were very re-warding, and it was a good feeling to get some extra cash for bits that had just been sat un-used in the house. You also know that they are going to someone who will hopefully male use and recycle you old items, instead of just throwing them out.

After selling a couple of times, we soon got the 'car booting bug' and decided to go and have a look around as well as selling on our own things. I truly can't recommend going to a car boot sale enough if you are on a budget, or are looking for ways to save some extra money. I often pick up brand new clothes that still have the label on for £1 of even less! And it is not just clothes that they are good for, I also browse for home ware items, as I am gathering pieces for my new home when I move out. You can find almost anything from lawn mowers, to stamps, to a pogo stick! I have even see cars for sale! For me, this is the best way to fill my wardrobe with an endless supply of clothing on a very cheap budget, and if you are lucky enough, you can even bag some things for FREE. I have had some bandanas for my dog and a Fred Perry polo top that cost me absolutely nothing.

Here is a link to a useful website to help you fine your local car boot sales http://www.carbootsales.org/       

Depop

Depop is a selling/buying app where anyone can sell new or used items, and again, not just clothes. It is fairly similar to eBay, but you are not charged any listing fees, and you are able to private message users and negotiate prices between one another. You are charged a selling fee of 10% which is the same as the eBay charge. Many users ask you to purchase their items through the friends and family route on PayPal, however, I refuse to pay this way, and would strongly recommend nobody else does either. This is an easy way to scam people, and unfortunately I am a victim of the scamming and so speak from experience! If you make a payment through the friends and family link, you can't get your money back if something goes wrong. For example, the seller I bought an item off mysteriously disappeared a day after I had paid!!

You can search items in the search tab. For example 'Topshop' or 'Size 12' or 'Peterpan Collar'. This will then bring up all the items that have your search word in their description. Unfortunately, some users and taken this as an opportunity to "tag" as many things as possible on their item so more people see them. Great for the seller, but it becomes slightly annoying when you search 'Topshop Coat' and get hair extensions come up in the results...completely unrelated!!

If you happen to find a seller and like their style, you can follow them, meaning all their future posts come up in your feed and are easily found in the future.

Here is a link to find out more about the Depop app

http://www.depop.com/en-gb/

EBay

EBay is something I use a little less in recent days, purely due to the fact that an item costing 99p, is immediately bumped up to £4 due to postage charges. This is not the fault of the sellers of course, but it is enough to put me off buying an item, unless I really want something and can't find it anywhere else for less. However, you will find brand new items that are still out in the shops that have been listed on eBay, purely because its too much hassle for the seller to return, or they have missed the returns deadline/misplaced the receipt. In this case, a bargain is to be had!

Hers is a link direct to the eBay website

http://www.ebay.co.uk/

Jumble Sales

Jumble sales seem to be something of the past more recently, but there are still a few that crop up! If you are lucky enough to know of a regular one or have one local to where you live, then I envy you! I believe this is because the majority of people now have to be more careful with their finances, and don't buy as much with disposable incomes anymore.

I managed to find a few jumble sales at the link below

http://www.gumtree.com/all/uk/jumble+sales

Sales

I always have desired items saved on my favourite websites wish list. I love to browse through clothing websites, even when I know there is no way I can afford them on my current budget. This is when I wait for the sales to come in to play. Pretty much every item goes into the sale at some point, and especially when it is an end of season item. The key is to keep checking your wish list to see if your saved pieces have been reduced in price since you last looked. This is where you need to time it right to enable you get the best possible price and are still able to get the item in question in your required size.

 

So there you have it! All the little secrets I follow to keep my wardrobe chocker block on a small budget. More recently, I have narrowed my image down to a look I am happy with, and I think being able to buy lots of clothes with little money has helped me define my style.

 

  

 Where is your favourite place to buy on a budget?

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



1960's make up

1960's Inspired Make-Up

If you have ventured through my blog pages, you may already be aware that I am a keen lover of the 1960's. I enjoy taking time to look up different make up looks that were worn in that particular decade, as well as the hair styles and fashion.

Today, I am going to focus on a fairly bold make up look. I have loved experimenting with make up ever since I was a little girl, and I still get immense satisfaction when I complete a new look. I don't buy any high branded make-up for myself, so this look is easily affordable on a budget. All the products should be readily available in your local drugstores, or a very similar product will be a suitable alternative.

So...less of my waffling. Lets get to the make up!!
 

Whenever I think of skin from the 60's, I think of 'flawless and fresh'. So I applied a light coverage foundation all over my face and neck, and then use a concealer to cover up any blemishes that are still showing through the base. This is not 100% vital, as I know many people do not like wearing foundation.

I kept the eyebrows very natural, and only filled out areas that needed it. I did not alter my natural shape.

Applying an eye shadow base is very important for a look that has this much shadow involved. I used a white cream stick shadow all over my lids and right up to my brow bone. A powder base layer was then applied in the same colour shadow all over my lids.

Here's where it starts to get messy! You need a darker colour to apply to the crease of the eyelid. I used a medium brown, and then blended out to get rid of the harsh lines. You then need to pick out a dark brown shadow. Taking a small detailer brush, I carefully drew a line of shadow from the inner side of the crease, and dragged it out across to the outer edge and drew it out into a flick. This doesn't have to be a very neat line, as it is just the guide for the black shadow. This the goes over the guide line to make it more defined and stand out.

 

Once you are happy with how the shadow is looking, it is time to move on to the eyeliner. I personally find liquid liner easier to work with, and can get a finer detailed look using it. Draw a reasonably thick line from the inner corner of the eye and bring it out to mimic the shadow line that you have created above. The two lines should run parallel together. Now you should see the eyes are coming along nicely!

Take a white pencil eyeliner and fill in the gap between the eye shadow and eyeliner. Apply some to the inner corner of the eye and along the water line. This helps to give the allusion of a bigger 'doll like eye' and opens your eyes up.

Take a black pencil eyeliner and place it along the bottom lash line. This doesn't want to be a really thick line!

Now apply lashings upon lashings of mascara. The more the better! When applying to your bottom lashes, make sure you get the lashes to clump together to get that signature sixties eye makeup look.

To the cheeks apply a nice peachy or dusky pink blush, but don't get carried away. Just enough to get that naturally flushed look.

Add a nice nude lip to finish it off.

 

And you're done!

Add a beehive hair style to completely make this look authentic.

Here is a link to my YouTube channel where I have uploaded a video of myself creating this look step by step 1960's Inspired Make-Up look

 

xx 

 

 

It's 2015!!



Its 2015!!

 

New Year, fresh start! That's the attitude I intend to start and carry throughout the year of 2015. The past year has been one of the happiest at times, and yet one of the most difficult. Like most I am sure, I have found myself particularly struggling at the last year, and occasionally wanted to give up and run away from everything! However, I am still here, and feeling stronger thanks to the help and support of my gorgeous boyfriend Corey and my small, but truly amazing family.

I intend on starting every day on a positive thought, and making the most out of the year to come. So here comes the New Years Resolutions *cringe!*. I don't plan on setting myself New Years Resolutions as such, just a few goals so that I can look back at this post throughout the year, and will hopefully be on track with a few targets.

 

Goal Number 1:

Blogging on a regular basis. This is something I have never been good at! I currently have 2 other blogs, which have been left untouched after a few months of writing. This is mostly due to lack of motivation, and not organising my time. So I intend to use a diary, and plan posts to write by set days, to keep me updating this new blog at least once a week.

 

Goal Number 2:

Linked slightly to my previous goal, keeping a diary. Now this isn't going to be something that I am going to be documenting all my secrets in! I need to find a way to organise my time better, so the plan is to use a diary to do this. I shall have set days where I shall dedicate time to my particular hobbies and interests, and try my utmost to stick to the schedule.

 

Goal Number 3:

Now this is quite a large goal, but one that has been there for a rather long time now. This is the year I want to move into my own place. I am currently still living with my parents, which I must say is rather nice, however, I need my space and they I'm sure would love to have theirs. I am saving up with my boyfriend, and hope to be settled in our own place by the summer.

 

Goal Number 4:

Train my dog! Now this is quite a silly thing to set as a goal, however, it is very important to me. My dog is by no means a very naughty dog, although there are many areas that need improvement. I have already started the process, and have booked myself and Flo in with a dog trainer, so I shall keep you updated!!

 

Those are the only goals I am going to set myself. I want to be realistic, and wanted to set myself achievable goals, that I am able to work at everyday.

 

What are your goals for the New Year?