Cosmopolitan Superblogger Masterclass review

On a hot and humid day this June hundreds of bloggers gathered at Altitude 360 in Millbank London in anticipation of Cosmopolitans Blogger masterclass.

We were offered water, orange juice or champagne on arrival and waited expectantly to be let in for the event.

The show started a little late and on the panel was a number of established bloggers and the Digital Content lead for Cosmopolitan. They included:

• Vicki Fogwill - Social Media Manager Next
• Fleur De Force - Beauty and Lifestyle vlogger
• Kat Williams - Founder of cult wedding site Rock and Roll Bride
• Joe Williams - Founder, MD, and chief SEO trainer at Zen Optimise
• Ali Luke - Head of content and blogging training at Zen Optimise

 The event aimed to offer new and existing bloggers the chance to learn fantastic new tips and ideas on how to attract more followers and make your blog shine.

For new bloggers there were some great tips with advice on where to host your blog, how you should keep your blog as your main focus and social media to compliment your posts.

Many of the panel advised that if you were going to approach brands you should think about your proposal as many PR companies are inundated with requests and want something that stands out, that has structured, quality ideas.

Put effort into creating your blog and building your audience and the brands interest should naturally follow.
"If you want to make money you should see your blog as a business." Ali @ Ali Ventures.

Try to be consistent with your blog and post content regularly on a similar time each week. This way your audience can come back on those days and see new content.

Top tips

• Guest posting is fantastic for getting your name out there especially if you're a new blogger. Try to structure your requests to each blog so you focus on their unique selling points and you're not sending out a blanket email to everyone as they often go straight into the delete box.
• Figure out what makes you different or weird and stick with that as people like you will find you.  @Rocknrollbride
• Be consistent and be yourself as it can take ages to get a following. @fleurdeforce
• Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that is a great tool for new bloggers and recommends the best keywords to use for your post.
• Self hosted Wordpress is the recommended platform to host your blog, however Blogger is still just as good, especially for newbies.

The event included a goodybag for every attendee worth £30. Check out what I thought as I saw the items for the first time in this exclusive video.
On a personal note I was a little disappointed by the event as many of the points were aimed at new bloggers and did not really explain how to get more followers. The goody bag offered a few useful items but a lot of it I probably won't use, especially the food items which didn't really appeal.

How to create doughnut inspired nails with this easy to follow nail tutorial

Pink sugar glazed doughnuts are a favourite for many, so what better way to celebrate all things sweet then with a Doughnut inspired nail tutorial.
What do you think? Are there any nail tutorial themes that you would like me to recreate? Comments welcome :)

How to create a super easy star sparkle nail tutorial

Star Sparkles is my latest super girly nail tutorial that combines pastel pinks with sparkly golds. The tutorial is really easy to follow and guides you through step by step in how to recreate the look for yourself.

    

So how was it for you? Did you find the tutorial easy to follow? Thoughts are welcomed :-)

Find out how to keep your lipstick on for up to twelve hours with SheerSense Liquid Lip colour

Many lipsticks are launched promising to be that revolutionary new product that last for up to twelve hours with amazing staying power. Whilst we all buy into a bit of glossy advertising, these long lasting lipsticks often fade after three hours, are sticky or drying and even leave colour stains on your lips (Maybelline is a big offender).

So when I heard there was a new product being launched that actually lasts up to twelve hours I was keen to see if it lived up to its pretty big claim.

Loved by celebrities like Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Aniston, SheerSense Liquid Lip colour comes in 35 glorious shades and aims to provide long lasting colour that doesn't dry your lips, is waterproof and doesn't kiss or feather.

The product is made with natural ingredients and with 35 shade to choose from you can mix and match to create your own custom shade. The Shea Butter in the LipSense gloss is perfect for moisturising your lips and repairing them throughout the day.

If you use it regularly SheerSense Lip Colour is designed to last for 4-6 months depending on the  use, and has the lifetime of 3 years if you're more of a casual user.

The colour pigments are so intense that it's the perfect lipstick to show up in your birthday, wedding or anniversary photos.

As the product has quite a unique formula it has to be used in a certain way. To apply:

• Shake the bottle well before each use
• Apply to clean, dry lips
• Part lips and sweep colour from the outside corner in (it's important not to sweep the brush across your lips)
• Use three layers for long lasting colour and let each layer dry for around five seconds before applying the next
• Apply the moisturising gloss to seal the colour and make it last longer

On application of the Fuschia shade I felt the colour was quite sharp and pigmented, and that initially there was quite a odd tingling sensation. My lips did feel a little bit dry after applying which was a little disappointing considering they claim the product isn't drying. Over the course of the day the lip colour started to wear off and after around four hours only a tiny bit remained. Unfortunately this is just another lip product that makes claims that don't hold true. On the plus side it didn't really leave any colour patches and it pretty much all faded away.

In retrospect of the price of the product and its longevity I can't really say it is great value for money. Despite this it does have a lovely bold colour that looks great when applied and it can certainly be updated throughout the day.

I give it 3/5.


You can get SheerSense LipSense Liquid Colour for £22, LipSense Glosses for £18 and LipSense Oooops! Remover for £10 here 

Advantages

• With 35 shades available you can mix and match shades to suit you
• Pricey

Disadvantages

• As LipSense Lip Colour needs to be applied in a certain way a few people may consider the product to be awkward to use  
• Doesn't last anywhere near as long as it claims to

Exclusive interview with makeup artist to the stars Olivia Newman Young

Do you aspire to be a makeup artist, getting stars ready for their big moment on the red carpet? If you're stuck for inspiration and wondering if you'll ever get there, Olivia Newman Young, makeup artists to the stars, gives her top tips.

"I have always been around make-up. When I was very young my oldest sister use to use me to try out makeup looks on for the weekend out. She use to do one side one colour and then a different style on the other side and see which one she likes best. I have always been obsessed with photos in magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and recreating the looks. I use to just do it for myself on the weekends, but now I am lucky enough to have beautiful models to express my ideas on."

"I was part of Thomas de Kluyvers team for a Vogue Italia shoot shot by Ellen Von Unwerth where we had around 20 models/talent in to do make-up on. Amongst those were Jourdan Dunn, Rita Ora and Suki Waterhouse."

"In this industry it is competitive and tough to get a break. There are a lot of people who don't succeed in it because they just give up. My advice would be to find a side job assisting a top make-up rtist and don't give up!"

"I initially assisted some of D+V agency's top make-up artists for a couple of years. Now I am freelance."

"For myself I like a plum stained lip, blusher on cheeks and a golden greasy eye. Very Rosie Huntington Whiteley. I love her make up."

"I did Millie Mackingtosh's Makeup for the BAFTAS just the other week. We filmed two BAFTA looks for my YouTube channel so people can see how we did it and what we used."

"Maybelline Volume Colossal Express mascara."

"I don't really have one fave. Different brand excel in different areas. I do love shopping in Space N K though. They have lots of lovely brands."

"Angelina Jolie, hands down, she is soo beautiful, her bone structure is to die for."

"My best tricks are all on my Youtube channel for everyone to see ."

"Make up is to enhance someone's beauty, not to cover it up or change it."

Do you like Olivia's work? Has her advice helped you in forging a career as a makeup artist?

How to create a Golden Green eyeshadow look with Maybelline's Big Eyes quad eyeshadow in Grass

Do you find that you stay away from green eyeshadow as you're not sure it will really suit you? Combined with colours like gold, green eyeshadow is actually quite wearable and can look great with different skin tones and eye colours.

I used Maybellines Big Eyes eyeshadow in Grass to create a golden green eye look and I have to say it's not as scary as it looks!

Do you use green eyeshadow on a daily basis or would you save it for special occasions? Love to hear your thoughts!

NYC Expert Last Lipcolour Rouge A Levres in Love My Latte

Eager to see if the lower end cosmetics perform just as well as the higher end I picked up NYC Expert Last Rouge A Levres lipstick in Love My Latte.

NYC Expert Last Lipstick comes in 15 gorgeous shades, aiming to give amplified colour and long lasting shine that  lasts up to 6 hours. 

On inspection I found the lipstick to have a lot of intense sparkle in the dark berry shade. The lipstick felt smooth and moisturising on my lips but there didn't seem to be much of a colour change. The finished look was quite polished and gave my lips a velvety shine.In some ways this lipstick is more like a lip balm as it adds very little other then moisture and a little sparkle.

The product has quite a limited life cycle and does slip off pretty quickly if you have anything to eat or drink.

For its low price tag this isn't the worst lipstick you could buy as it keeps your lips moisturised and adds low key glamour with its shimmery set. However if you're a lover of vibrant pillar box red lipsticks this probably won't be your cup of tea.

I give it 3/5

Advantages

• Low key glamour with the shimmery setting
• Leaves lips feeling moisturised
• Velvety finish

Disadvantages

• Doesn't really any any colour 
•  Has a short shelf life

Available for only £1.99 in all good Superdrug stores. See NYC for all available shades.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 232 Tisse Venitien

You might have seen it in Glamour or Cosmopolitan and now it's time to put Chanel's Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow to the test.

Chanel's Les 4 Ombres is a multi-effect quad eyeshadow with four highly pigmented shades to create the signature looks of Chanel. Available in 8 different colour palettes there's a look for every season and outfit you have in your closet!

The product is lovingly packaged with a exterior box, velvet pouch to keep it in and a handy guide. It has a mirror and two applicators which makes it perfect for applying on the move.

The shades can be worn on their own or combined to create a array of different looks. If you're struggling for inspiration the look book is great for providing a how to on creating Chanel's iconic looks.

When swatched I found the green, silver and dark grey were heavily pigmented but the peachy pink was a lot lighter.

Using the guide I decided to recreate Chanel's Almond look.

1. I applied the green shade from the tear duct, shading out into a small half circle which ends a third before the exterior lashes end
2. The dark grey shade was applied upwards in a triangular shape
3. Finally the ombre silver shade is applied with just a slice of colour near the edge of the eye and swept upwards

 

I love the vibrancy of Chanel's 4 Ombre palette and how well the shades blend together. Whilst I only created one look for this review I'm only too excited to try out the others to see how they look.

I give it 4/5

Advantages

• Comes with a handy velvet pouch and style guide
• Most of the shades are highly pigmented and vibrant
• With a mirror and two eyeshadow applicators it's great for easy on the go application

Disadvantages

• Whilst the peachy pink shade is only a highlighter it doesn't have much intensity 
• Quite expensive

You can get Les Ombres Venitien for £40.00 at Boots