How to look good at work

Going to work doesn't mean you have to slack on your makeup. Whilst it may not be appropriate to wear false lashes and heavy foundation to work you can work a number of products into your routine that make you look great without trying too hard.

This little guide uses mostly Avon products, unfortunately I can't point you to where you can buy them as they're no longer available, but you can obviously buy products wiht similar colours and consistencies.

1. Once you've applied your base get a lengthening mascara and apply to your top and bottom lashes.

2. Get a creamy brown eyeshadow crayon and slowly shade the eyelid area. A crayon with a silky texture will add a little more allure to your eyes.

3. Get a hot pink blusher and apply to the apples of your cheeks for that cute just been for a run look.

4. Looking pale? Bronzers great for giving a little warmth to areas that would naturally catch the sun - the nose, cheekbones and forehead.

5. Last but not least get a hot pink lipstick to seal the deal. It will give your lips a feminine tone without looking too much like you're getting ready for a night out.

Voila, you're ready to show your work colleagues what you can achieve by revamping your routine.

Seventeen Flawless Poreless Primer: How does it perform? Tried and tested review

Seventeen Flawless Poreless Primer is a smoothing skin perfector that helps to hide pores allowing for makeup to stay on longer.

As the tagline claims it's for skin that's flawless, poreless and gorgeous.

The colour of the primer is light beige in the compact but unlike most primers I have tried I was surprised to find that this one was virtually transparent all when I applied it (hence no swatch). With minimal colour it's good for all skin tones which is a real bonus. It felt very silky and smooth on the first touch but if you really run your fingers around it becomes more greasier.

Now I don't think I have many  visible pores so that part of the product won't really work for me. It was quite hard to apply as you can't see it and it was pretty greasy but I did manage to smooth the product somehow over my face. I didn't use powder with the primer and found that the oily areas of my T-zone felt a lot more matte. Once dry the product was quite silky and left my skin smooth allowing for easier foundation application.

It comes in a compact pot which again is unusual for primers but whilst it looks like there's not much there, the product does go a long way. Unusually for compact products it doesn't have a mirror so there's no chance of sneakily whipping it out on the train to touch up your makeup.

Overall a average product that helps to smooth your skin and keep your foundation looking great for just that little bit longer.

I give it 3/5

Get yours for £5.99 at Boots

Advantages

• The transparent colour means it's great for all skin tones
• Has a mattifying effect
• Makes skin smoother
• Your foundation just glides on
• At under £6 you can't go too wrong! (it rhymes, amazing!)

Disadvantages

• No mirror
• Encourages skin to become oiler in patches

Hide the worst of your blemishes with Seventeen Heavy Duty Undereye Concealer

Blemishes suck. False stop. Seventeen help to wage the war with those pesky spots and under eye circles with thier heavy duty under eye concealer Phwoarr Paint.

The product reminds me of Benefit's Boi-Ing industrial strength concealer in some ways as they both aim to cover the worst of the worst. It has a smooth creamy consistency that quickly warms to touch and a handy mirror for application on the go.

I do have quite bad dark circles so I focused on that area. As you can see from the picture the darkness is instantly covered, although it's better to use only a small amount as too much makes you look a bit like a panda. The light reflects off the concealer and makes my face a lot brighter.

Overall a great little product that does the trick and hides those blemishes that you don't want the world to see.

I give it 4/5

Advantages

• Comes with a useful mirror so you can apply it anywhere you go
• Creamy consistency that's easy to apply
• Blemishes are covered instantly

Disadvantages

• If you apply too much the texture can go all flaky and the covered area will look mottled  

Get it for £5.49 at Boots

Accessorize Aqua Marine 3d nail manicure review

Accessorize 3D Nail Manicure in Aqua Marine gives you everything you need to create stand out nails without paying through the roof.

At only £6.00 you'll get a light green nail varnish with a pot of shimmery turquoise glitter specks. With a simple guide on how to get started on the back I gave my toes a little update.

1. Paint your nails
2. Dust the glitter on to each nail so it is completely covered
3. Pat the glitter together to make it more compact

Birchbox August review and reveal

Bored of Glossybox? Perhaps it's time to try Birchbox, the upper class, more sophisticated monthly beauty box.

If you were reading this blog a few years ago you'll probably remember my posts on Birchbox. It started off with Carmine, a really fun beauty box that only ran for a few months. They were bought out by Jolie box and then renamed to the now Birchbox. Initially I wasn't too impressed but after seeing a offer for six months of Birchbox for 6 months I decided to give them another go.


So here's the low down.

August is of course holiday season and Birchbox wanted to reflect that in this months box. It comes with a really cute insert to help you getting ready for your holiday including a packing list, advice on a easy summer up do and the best products to keep your skin looking great this summer. I love the little wash bag it comes in and feel it certainly makes a change to the traditional draw string cloth bags.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Refreshing Bath Shower Gel
A luxurious multi purpose body wash/bath gel that helps to moisturise the skin and leave it smelling great.

On sale for £7.15

Number 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect
Does your hair love to tangle when it's wet? This super handy conditioning spray helps to make your life easier by detangling and protecting your hair from heat and sun damage.

On sale for £20.00

Liaison De Parfum
It may not be cheap but it certainly seems pretty and is perfect for adding a little romance into life and travel.

On sale for a eye watering £105.00

Sarah Mcnamara Beauty New York Miracle Skin Transformer Hydroactive Microderm
Get skin looking tip top with this skin friendly exfoliator. With micronised magnesium-oxide crystal and natural extracts the product works to smooth, refine and polish for gorgeous summer skin.

On sale for £25.00

Wild About Beauty Powder Eyeshadow
She might not be in the charts anymore but Louise Redknapp has been busy making her name in the beauty world. Wild About Beauty is a long lasting, satin textured eyeshadow from Louise and Kim Jacob's new range. It's all paraben free y'know.

On sale for £13.00

The Proposal by Tasmina Perry
It's only a taster but Chapter 1 of this romantic comedy is destined to get you rushing out to buy the book. Spanning 1950's London and present day NYC this spellbinding and romantic novel will draw you in.

On sale for £7.99 

Get your Birchbox here

Makeup Revolution Intense Salvation Lip Lacquer A Love Like That review

 If you haven't heard of Makeup Revolution yet you soon will!

Makeup Revolution is one of the latest budget brands to hit the shelves offering quality without the large price tags.

Currently available exclusively online and at certain Superdrug stores there's a fantastic range of lipsticks and eyeshadow, with a  supporting range of other products.

With the most expensive item, a Awesome Eye Palette in Nude and Smoked at £12.00 I'm amazed at how cheap the products are. I feel that this brand is very similar to MUA and I  loved MUA's innovative budget buys when they first launched.

With a real love for all things lipstick I really wanted to try Makeup Revolution's lip lacquer and thought I'd give A Love Like That a go. The product aims to give intense colours, high shine and long lasting gloss and leave lips looking kiss-tastic.

The product comes in pretty fancy gold packaging with professional branding but I did feel the lip title Salvation Intense seemed to look odd and out of place.

The colour slips on easily and my lips didn't look overly sticky so it was more matte then some lip lacquers that I have tried. The ruby red shade left my lips smooth and shiny although it did seem to smudge quite easily, especially on the corner of my mouth. After a few hours the lacquer had pretty much disappeared so it's got a relative short shelf life of around 4 hours.

Makeup Revolution's Lip Lacquer A Love Like That doesn't promise you the world and disappoint you. It's a average product and is great for casual wear that won't break the bank.

Get yours online at Makeup Revolution
I give it 3/5

Advantages

• Fantastic budget buy
• Not as sticky as other lip lacquers I've tried

 Disadvantages

• Seemed to smudge quite easily
• Short shelf life

Win a fantastic pamper package

Are you feeling stressed?

Perhaps you'd like to chill out with this lovely pamper package competition prize.

With everything you need to put your feet up and pamper yourself you'll soon be feeling like your old self again.

Included in the prize are:

• I Love...Mango and Papaya Mini Box of Love
• Cadburys Dairy Milk Oreo bar
• Sparkly green nail varnish
• Beauty tool kit

To enter you need to follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below. The competition will end on 17th September 2014 at 12am. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Give your nails a holiday with Summer Holidays nail tutorial

We're all going on a Summer holiday, where our dreams can come true. Whether you're heading off to Barbados or good old Bognor we all get that holiday feeling. Now your nails can feel it too with this fun Summer holiday inspired nail tutorial.

How to create really simple nautical nails in this easy tutorial

This is a really simple nail tutorial that focuses on one nail as your 'feature nail'. Show off  your sailor style to your friends with Nautical nails.

Five top tips to fake a gorgeous glow

Glowing skin looks good and makes us feel great, so how do we achieve it without the budget of a movie star? Follow these five simple steps and the compliments will soon be flooding your way.

Keep it hydrated
Well hydrated skin really glows with energy so start by cleansing your skin. Wipe the cleanser off with a micellar water rather then a toner as it can dry the skin. Pat the skin dry and apply a moisturiser that has luminising qualities, and finish off with a luminising primer.

Try Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

It's all about luminosity
Your foundation should be nourishing without oiliness so try to aim for a luminous foundation. You want your skin to glow, not shimmer so you don' t look like you're heading to the roller disco with your friends. The idea is to make your skin show and to have dimension so you don't end up covering all your nature beauty in foundation.

Try Japonesque Luminous Foundation

Glows for darker skins
If you have darker skin it's all about using dimension and depth to create a glow. Use a base that is a few shades lighter then the skin under your eyes on the top of your cheekbones, on your T-zone and on your chin. Blend a slightly deeper shade in everywhere else and keep powder to the central vertical of your face with less on the sides so it can catch the light naturally.

Try Daniel Sandler Invisible Blotting Powder


Highlight
Highlighting is the best way to accentuate a feature such as your eyebrow bone or cheekbones. Warm up a pea sized blob of cream highlighter and lightly dab onto your cheekbones, brow bones and the bridge of your nose to subtly draw attention. If you're pale go for a pearl shade and a gold or champagne shade if you have darker skin.

Try Technic Highlighter

Everyone Can Highlight
Oily skin? Fret no more  as you can still achieve a gorgeous glow. Use a light moisturiser all over then apply a mattifying primer on areas such as the T-zone. Do the rest of your makeup as shown above and then blot any remaining oily areas with blotting powder.

Try L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Magic Blur

Want a glow without the hard work? A few drops of these mixed in with your foundation or used alone will show your skin in a flattering light.

Dior Capture Totale Dreamskin

Terry Cellularose Brightening CC Lumi-Serum

Fake it the easy way with Seventeen Falsifeye HD mascara

Are you bored of faking it? No, not in that way!

Seventeen are aiming to take the beauty industry by storm with their Falsifeye HD! mascara. It's time to throw the false lashes in the bin and embrace what nature gave you with a little help from this little beauty.

With claims of defined lashes with added volume and length this high street brand wants to show that you don't need to pay a lot to get that false lash effect.

Through research Seventeen found that:

• 94% of women saw more definition
• 93% saw separated lashes
• 92% saw long lasting results

 It's not unusual to see such good research statistics on beauty products, especially as they're done on a selected portion of the community. So enticed by the excellent statistics and the picture of the before and after on the front I was keen to see how it really performed.

The brush was a standard slimline plastic flexible brush with close together bristles. On applying the mascara I wasn't disappointed - my lashes were instantly defined and they certainly seemed a lot longer. A few of my lashes clumped together but nothing major and I love the fanned out effect the mascara gave my lashes. The product was long lasting and I didn't find it running down my face half way through the day.

On the downside, as products are rarely perfect, the plastic brush was really quite stiff and made my eyes feel irritable and sore when applying.  As downsides go it's relatively small and if you can get over that you'll have a mascara that holds its own, helping to define and lengthen your lashes so the only thing you'll need to fake it is Falsifeye mascara.

I give it 4/5

Advantages

• Defines lashes instantly
• Lashes are visibly lengthened
• Great budget buy
• Long lasting

Disadvantages

• The plastic wand is quite irritable on the eye 

How to create a smokey eye for a evening out

Rimmel's Glam Eyes HD in Black Cab makes smokey eyes even easier to recreate with the colour coordinated grey palette.

The Union Jack theme really represents how British Rimmel is and defines the London look. Each shade was really pigmented and I noticed a real shimmer when swatching the eyeshadow.

The light really reflects on the eyeshadow and with a couple of falsies and a bold red lipstick will certainly have you turning heads. The one major issue I found was that when I applied the powder to the brush it started to flake away and fall out which will lessen the longevity of the product.

I give it 4/5

Advantages

• Coordinated colour palette
• Each shade is highly pigmented and has a real shimmer to it
• Highly reflective shades
• Unique union jack design

Disadvantages

• If you press a little too hard on the shadow it falls out in clumps, especially the centre highlight shade