Exciting news!

Ah, well it was freshers week last week at college and there were lots of different stalls with free things and one stall had a massive sign saying "FREE COSMETICS". Now how could i resist? I went to investigate and it was a stall for Alba Science. Alba science is a research organisation in Edinburgh that test cosmetics, toiletries, sun care and household products. Now I signed up as I love trying new things and I got talking to the head lady and told her about my blog and they are interested in working with me and help them get some new volunteers.

Now if any of yous are interested click on the link and register online...now it wont hurt and you get to try out new products or improved ones


http://www.albascience.com/

Sun is Shining but am not burning!

Now i will put my hands up and say I have not been the best with sun protection. As am soon turning 25 this means I fall into the mature skin category.(That right skin on a 25 and over is mature skin) I have to start making sure am doing the best for my skin as I can and wearing sun factor is a biggie!! How many of you think "ah, its cloudy I dont need any factor!" WRONG! so so wrong! The UV rays are so strong they still penetrate the grey clouds we see a little too often in the UK! Now I have sun factor in my moisturiser and also in my foundation but some times the sun factor given on the jar isnt nearly as high as it says. This is even true for some of the sun creams available so make sure your using a high factor.

FACT:

Did you know that mixing your sun factor with your moisturiser or foundation almost half's the SPF of the sun cream! So mix a factor 30, you only get a factor 17 coverage...scary huh??

So I have been experimenting with some and have found a really nice light face sun cream it from the Avon sun plus collection. Now this is a cream which is a factor 30 and as a bonus it has a sun block stick (its clear so you dont have mad colours striped across your face or ghost out your face)

Its quite a light cream and I have been putting it on before my moisturiser but this sinks right into the skin and doesnt leave any oily films on your face so applying my moisturiser didnt leave my face like an oil slick. I love the smell, it smells like watermelon which I really like. The smells doesnt hang around it and you cant smell it after you have out it on.

There are alot of sun protection in Avon and they are very afford able.



























I will be using this everyday and topping up through the day with the stick as its perfect size for my hand bag! Now come on guys it takes two secs to put on and will keep the nasty sun damage off your skin and keep it young! Fake tan is the way forward, dont fry for a tan!

AM very very sorry!

I have been away for so long! sorry guys its because I have been so busy going home to see my gorgeous nephew and enjoying the summer holidays.

He is 5 months now, time has flown in so fast and so have the summer hols. This mean am back at college doing what I love...BEAUTY!

My college have changed to city and guild so have two routes you can take for level 3 (general and massage) I have chosen the massage route. It just looked better!( aromatherapy, body massage, Indian head massage and stone therapy as well as all the other stuff you normally do) I am only 2 weeks in and its already heavy going...on my hand! Massage is Hard!! But am still loving it!

I have already done my dermalogica skin training(Wednesday) and I was already a fan but got distracted with other beauty bites but I am going to buy all my faves again and will review them when i get them. I love dermalogica!!!

see you guys soon!

Am an Auntie!

Very exciting week! I became an auntie for the first time this week to gorgous Iain Alexander Macdonald! He is named after my daddy and also my papa and he is amazing! I have never been a big baby lover until I met my beautiful nephew. Working in the nursery am surrounded by children of all ages but have always been more comfortable around the older children, I dont know why maybe it because they are so small and delicate or the fact all they do is poop and sleep but this has all changed. I am biased because he is family but hey am allowed to be.

I was there with my sister for the birth, I wasnt suppose to be but circumstances changed and there i was welcoming this little bundle of joy into the world. It was amazing! I just love him so much and as i dont have children of my own I have never felt this kind of love before! Its deep and unconditional am sure its nothing like the love a mother and child has but it still feels excitingly strong! I still havent come to terms that thats him here forever and I will always be his auntie!(I dont care what my other sister says, I will be the cool auntie!) I will get to buy him all the designer wee outfits mummy can never justify and take him walks and as I am a nursery nurse as well I will be able to help further his development. Its exciting times!

As I had like 8 hours sleep the whole of last week due to claire being in labor then not and then again back into labour I needed serious skin treatment when I got back home.

I have really got into using organic products since being told of all the nasty horrid chemicals that are in everyday beauty products but alas on a student budget its bloody hard. I have found something though which is pretty nice.

Its a pretty new range called Organic surge and i bought it in Boots at £5.99 its on special offer so I thought I would give it ago. I one i chose was the super intense daily for dry skin the ingredients is full of organic essential oils and pretty much that. It smells like Turkish delight with is yummy. It fulls quite odd in texture straight after you put it on, almost waxing which at first put me off but this lasted only seconds as it melted into my skin making it feel soft and smelt too good to eat!

Cons: NO SUNSCREEN! So remember to put your sun protection on before you use it.

Pros: All the packaging is recyclable and its made in Scotland so no long travelling(go carbon footprint)

It has no sodium lauryl, laureth sulphate or parabens

I would buy this again and proply try the other products in the range too.

Too wax or not to wax!

hello y'all! I am in the last few weeks of my beauty therapy course (7 weeks exact) and its all very exciting. Though i have a very busy week ahead of me. I have a make up acessessment and a facial one too but after that no more! Yah!

I was reading an article in allure just this min about the Brazilian wax. I think the bikini wax isn't as much as a must have as it is in USA and other countries.( how else do us scots stay warm) not am not saying we don't look after our lady gardens but its quite an expensive up keep I feel in this country and home waxing can take alot of time. What do you think?

In America its the norm where we over the pond are abit slower in catching up. In the salon we always have ppl coming in for waxing but bikini seems to only be had by the people going on there holidays. Why is this? too expensive? too little time? cant be bothered?

Talking to others they all seem to say "take the lot off" as British are we too much of a prude to get it all out for a therapist (who has seen it all before and doesnt really care, I know)
I have had lots and lots of waxes and dont find the experience to embarrassing though the first was rather a strange experience it now feels like the norm!
Are you put of with all the options? What is the difference between a brazillian and a hollywood? or a bollywood and a shaped? It quite confusing!
This is slowly becoming more and more popular in the UK but its not just waxing that we are years behind. Our whole beauty industry is light years behind. Who is Britain has a weekly facial? Prices are too high, too many to choose from will we ever get there?

I lovea the fake bake!!

this is the body polish, tan lotion and skin smoothie

At college we did our fake bake training. I have always loved fake bake and have used it since I was 19. I have tried them all, st tropez, zen tan and more affordable high street brands. I always go back to Fake bake, I like the colour and its very manageable and you can easily build it up to a deeper colour.

The lady, karen who was training us was super fun and was a great laugh. She filled us in about the new fake bake formula which now has no parabens. Now i am not an expert about ingredients but I know paraben are a cause of cancer and I try to avoid products with these in them. You will be surprised how many of your fave products contain them. naughty naughty!

We used the fake bake original which works on all skin tones but fake bake also have fair and extreme. I have never used the fair but I have used the extreme which is for the extreme tanners which I am but I dont like to look that "fake" My sister uses this as she like the " I am almost black" look.

We applied the exfoliate to EVERY inch of our clients body(girls in our class) and removed it. If doing this at home I do this in the shower, less mess and easy to remove. The the lotion is applied all over the body. At the end of it I looked a big reddy muddy mess (the colour guide so you can see i you have missed a bit) and had to head back home on the bus. I got many a stare and felt very sticky. I normally do this before bed as the colour takes 6-8 hours to take and I dont notice the stickiness.

Fake bake is def my choice of tanning its safe and leaves you with a deep believable tan that last for up to 5 days.

I really want to try the airbrushing tan that fake bake have. It looks like an easy way to keeping your face nice and tanned.






What you fave tanning product??

Sorry I cant help myself!

I am so sorry! It has been so long! My computer has exploded and I am too tight to buy a new one so using my BFs when i get the chance!

I have been converting the new GAGA lippie from MAC but its completely sold out! I have been assured it will be back in very soon! I love the colour so bad. I was in Mac yesterday and tried it. AMAZING!!

So as i said I was in MAC and you know I cant go in that place and not bu something! I have had my eye on a few things at the moment and NONE where is stock gutted. Firstly I wanted the naked lip liner from the too fabulous range(You all know about my love of nude lips) but alas SOLD OUT! Tho my Mac artist, Kelvin recommended In sync which is the closest nude colour they have. It is a lovely nude reddy colour that goes well with all my nude lippies I have. I also got fashion snoop which is a cremesheen gloss from the too fab range.




Its not at pigmented as it looks in promo picture but is a glossy sheer nude pink with a very glassy look which is great! I also purchased a dazzleglass which I wouldnt normally have picked because i dont like glitterly glosses but was surprised by this one. I couldnt feel the glitter in the gloss, it wasnt gritty at all and it was (just as it says on the ti) dazzly! lol It made my lips look gorgeous and interesting! Great for a night out I say! It got this in Moth to flame and guess what! Its a nude!Its a natural beigh with a violet peal through it lovely. I wear the In sync lip liner under it to add a more pigmented colour and also so make it last longer!

London Town!

Jelouse?

You shud be!

I am TOO FABULOUS!

Sorry to my readers, been MIA ,college is really busy and work getting me down. Haven't had much time to do anything other than those two things. This makes me sad, tho lots of beauty things to report but i have no idea where to start.

Well I tried and tried to get my hands on the ZOEVA palette how funny is this they deliver to England but not Scotland! Eh why? But dont worry i did get my hands on one that is really close and its a big brand in Germany! They have the 88 palette but its called Fralein woman German if i have spelt this wrong) Not had much chance to use it but i did do some lovely green eyes.

I like to palette very much, I got it on ebay and it was ridiculously cheap! Ten pounds plus postage and packaging.

I also go some lovely make up brushes from the small company and what can I say, They come pretty close to my Mac ones. soft and usable! Aw lovely!

Right the case they come in is naff but look at the red wood finish!

Worldskills

Hello y'all! I entered the worldskills competition through college and house heats were last friday, we had to create a complete look but focusing on make up. I chose a 50's pin up dita von teese style look. It went reallt well but i think i was a little over my head as some for the girls went right out there were i played safe.

Well the photographer thought i should have got second according to my tutor which i think is a big complement. well here is the finished look please let me know what you think??