Tuesday 24 December 2013

Beauty Tip of the Day

Don't forget to powder! 

I use a powder everyday to set my foundation, reasons to powder -

* Make your foundation last longer
* Reduce shine
* Give your skin a more finished look

Also I find it easier to take powder in my bag with me to touch up my face rather than taking my foundation.

I use maybelline 24hr waterproof powder, I've always used Mac's skin finish powder but at only £6.99 for maybelline it's a bargain, and I really love the soft finish.



Do you use powder?

Hannah x

Monday 23 December 2013

MEN'S Beauty Tip Monday - Shaving Series 3/6




3/6 The Razor!

Obvious tip but make sure your shaving head isn't blunt. It's recommended that you should change you razer after 5 uses. Using a blunt shaver won't cut down the hairs but it will be enough to irritate the skin.

Another thing regarding the razor is not to press too hard. Pressing harder will not make a closer shave but instead will drag on the skin. Lighter short strokes are better for your skin than long strokes that cover a whole strip of your face. 


How often do you change your razer?

Hannah x

Sunday 22 December 2013

Beauty Haul & First Impressions

Well what can I say, I've had a very exciting weekend of beauty purchases! ;-)

On Friday I got Benefits Boi-ing concealer, and yesterday I went to Urban Decay and got Naked 3 and my first 24/7 liner.

So I thought I would do a first impressions post so you can see what all the fuss is about! I will be doing a proper review after using the products for a couple of weeks.

So my first purchase...

Benefits Boi-ing concealer! Loved the packaging for this, same high standard as all of the benefit products. I used this today for the first time and so far it's living up to the hype, so lovely amd creamy to apply, and great match for my colouring. £17.50




Next is my Urban Decay mini haul.....

24/7 liner in Bourbon. It really does glide on, so soft and pigmented! It was so hard to choose my colour but I'm glad I went with Bourbon, it's more dark bronze than brown on my skin with a metallic finish. Wore it all day to today, was quite surprised after nearly 9 hours, and getting soaked in the rain it's still on, no touch up required, really is waterproof. £12.50




And finally, my most exciting purchase NAKED 3!!!!!!! £37 Its in a lovely light pink tin case with rose gold lettering. Really love the packaging! And I was quite surprised how good the closing mechanism is for a tin, no way that baby is popping open in my make up bag! :-)


Here's a close up.....
You can't see just how beautiful some of the colours are there, they really are beautiful and sparkly!


Here's the comparison between Naked 1 & 3! I loved the packaging for naked 1, the brown velvet with gold writing, it was so original. I think for my skin tone Naked 1 will be more evening shades now, and Naked 3 will be my every day colours, except for Blackheart which I can't wait to wear on my next night out! 




Overall my first impression of all 3 products is that they are all great! I always do my research and read/watch product reviews anyway so I knew they all had great reviews but I like to test things out for myself as well and give an honest opinion. So after a couple of weeks I'll do a full review when I know how the products wear etc. 

What make up was your favourite or most exciting buy?

Hannah x

Thursday 19 December 2013

Beauty Tip of the Day - Simple smokey eye



I get a lot of people asking how to do a smokey eye, there's not much to it, I use a simple method that I change up depending on the colour, occasion, daytime or evening look etc. 

For a basic smokey eye I suggest getting 3 eyeshadow colours, a light, medium and dark, and follow the following steps. 

As you grow in confidence change it up, add more colours, throw in some glitter, or go heavier with black shadows for a night out. The more you practice the more creative you will become.



1. Start off with an even skin tone on the eyelid with a primer, concealer or eyeshadow base

2. Apply your lightest shade all over the lid

3. Apply your medium shade to the outer 1/2 of your eyelid

4. Apply the darkest shade to the outer corner of your eye

5. Apply the darkest eyeshadow shade under your lower lash line and apply mascara, & eyeliner if you want

That's it your done! 

What's your favourite colours for a smokey eye?

Hannah x

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Winter Make Up - My Winter Nails Wishlist!

I was going to tell you about my favourite nail products that I'm currently using and show you what they looked like on etc, but my nails right now are hideous!!!! I'm currently having a bad hair and nail situation where my hair is falling out and my nails are breaking off, lovely isn't it!! So rather than ruin the lovely products I was going to show you I'm going to show you what my Winter Nails Wishlist is......


Starting with butter London's Horse Power Nail Fertiliser! It uses a herbal ingredient called Horsetail, which is meant to have amazing effects on strengthening and repairing your nails. Which is exactly what I need, however it comes with a £17 price tag so for now it goes on the Wishlist!!

Second is a product that's been out for a while now, Revlons Scandalous nail enamel. How beautiful! I've tried to buy this a couple of times now but it's never in stock! As you know I'm a bit of a magpie and I tend to be especially drawn to pink shiny things, so I would like to add this to my collection! It's around £6 so great price for such a pretty thing!


Essie, Essie, Essie.....I'm in love....with a nail polish....again!!! This is Essie's Sole Mate, a rich deep plum perfect for this time of year! Of all the colours I'm showing you today this is number 1 on my list!! Total perfection! 

Just read this description from Essie - 

I created this intoxicating, rich plum shade as a love potion for women who were looking for true love. I had found my soul mate and hoped that every woman in the world would find hers too. What can I say? I’m an eternal optimist and a romantic.

Gorgeous. You can now get Essie in super drug and boots which is great, and they are around £8.

And again! This is Belugaria, one on the new polishes from Essie. It's described as a jet black nail lacquer laced with highly textured matte glitter with flashes of rainbow holographics. Enough said!! Absolute beaut and I need it in my life! Not a fan of a plain black nail varnish, but a black GLITTER nail varnish - I'm all about it!!!


And last but by no means least - the perfect red carpet RED!! Dior Rouge 999, This iconic red has been perfectly designed to fuse to the nail to prevent chipping, and create intense colour and shine. As this is a little special it's around £18 and can be picked up from a Dior counter in selfridges or debenhams.



S


D

So those are the products that have made my Wishlist this winter, what's on yours?


Hannah x

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Winter Make Up!!


I've have been asked a lot recently what lipstick or eyeshadow I'm wearing, or what nail varnish I've got on so I thought this week would be all about my Winter Make Up Bag!

Today will be my go-to lipsticks of this season so far. I will however start with apologizing for the lighting in these pictures, I've been trying to find a good light all day to do these lip products justice, and bad lighting paired with taking pictures on my iPhone means they are not great! A problem I will try and fix ASAP!!

I thought I'd break the products down into the following -

Favourite :

Lip Balm
Nude
Party Lips
Gloss
Lipstick


My favourite lip balm at the moment is the Baby Lips by Maybelline, and I'm using Hydrate. Which I love, and always carry round with me to keep my lips hydrated on cold winter days. These are available in most drugstores and supermarkets, for around £2.99

My favourite Nude at the moment is Loreal Collection Privee by Julianne. This really is the perfect nude for me, and it's a really creamy formula that feels great on the lips. I think it's great they have a nude for every skin tone, they have six shades and they are around £8 from a drugstore.

My favorite party lips! This is my Ultimate favourite from Mac's dazzleglass range called Bare Necessity. This picture really doesn't do this product justice, it's so SPARKLY!!! You can wear it on its own like I have on the picture, or layer it over your favourite lipstick to add that extra special pop! It's £17.50 so you have to love it to buy it - which I do!!!

My favourite winter gloss. I've really been into deep berry shades recently so this gloss by Rimmel has to be my favourite. It glides on your lips, it's lightweight, it's not sticky and it smells GORGEOUS! Technically it's not a gloss it's a lip lacquer, but I would compare the high shine and applicator to a gloss. It comes in 13 colours, and this one is called Galaxy, and is around £6.50 in most drugstores.

My favourite winter lipstick! No surprises I've gone for a Soap & Glory product in this mix but this lipstick is my fave!!! Not normally one to go for a Matte but when I swatched this in boots I knew I had to have it!! It's their Super Colour FABU lipstick in powder coat matte in the colour Pom Pom for £9.00 in Boots, it only comes in 3 colours :-( but I love everything about it, including it's very stylish packing!


Those are my winter favourite lipsticks, what are some of you must haves for this time of year?

Also please check out my instablog @princesshannahs


Hannah x



Sunday 15 December 2013

MEN'S Beauty Tip Monday - Shaving Series 2/6

Tip 2/6 - Exfoliate!!

A gentle exfoliatation shouldn't just be part of a women's beauty regime, you guys could really benefit from it too! 

A gentle scrub will open up the pores, and raise the hair for closer shaves. It also prevents In growing hairs and removes dead skin and dirt that can cause infection. 

Some mens exfoliators that got excellent reviews on the boots -

Low Price - 
Botanics £3.99 Buy HERE



Medium Price - 
Bulldog £5.29 Buy HERE



Higher Price-
Clinique £18.00 Buy
 


Also Sainsburys have got a 50% saving on the Loreal Men Expert facial range, my husband really likes their products, and they do great gift packs to that are well worth looking at.


Let me know if you have tried this and how it worked for you.

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Week - Eyebrow Week! Instant Eye Lift - No Surgery Required!!!

Today I will show you how to give yourself an instant eye lift without spending a fortune!!

Time to get out the highlighter again! I use Soap & Glorys Arch De Triumph (didn't realize how many soap and glory products I used until I started my beauty tips!) You can buy it HERE from Boots for £8.00.

All you need to do is draw a line of highlighter under the whole of your eyebrow and blend so there's no harsh lines.

Below are pictures, the top of each picture is without highlighter and the bottom is the highlighted/fake lifted eyes! It's only a subtle look, some people like it more defined, or more of a bright white color, I think the pink toned is better, less harsh. Unfortunately for me I have got eczema on my eyebrow bone so it's also highlighting that as well! :-(






Is this something you do already, or will try? 

Hannah x

Friday 13 December 2013

Beauty Review Friday - Eyebrow Week - Brow Archery by Soap & Glory

Yesterdays tip was how to fill in your brows, so todays review is what I have been using for the past couple of weeks to fill in mine.

Soap & Glory's - Archery, Brow Tint & Precision Pencil




I absolutely love this product!! I have used every day for the past couple of weeks, and I highly recommend it.


This is such an easy product to use so if your struggling with getting the right shape for your brows I would give this a go.

I like a natural look when it comes to my brows, but I feel like I have to put a lot of work in to cover up all the gaps and make them look full without making them look to thick and drawn on. When I got this to try at first I mainly used the pencil as I didn't have the right technique with the tint, but now I mainly use the tint and occasionally add the pencil when needed. I would say though if you like a fuller look this product is definitely buildable.

The tiny precision brush allows you to draw on individual thin hairs for a very natural look, with the tint making it last all day and night. I normally put my makeup on around 8am, and take it off around 10pm, I would touch up others parts of my make up when needed, but I can guarantee that I wont need to touch up my brows! Which for me is perfect, less to put in my already overcrowded bag!!

It comes in two colours, Love is Blonde & Brownie Points, I use Brownie Points and its a perfect match for me.

This is only £10.00 which I feel is a real bargain.

You can get from a boots store or click here to buy from boots online.

Nice work Soap & Glory!!!!!


Hannah x

Thursday 12 December 2013

Beauty Tip of the Day - Eyebrow Week - How to fill in Your Eyebrows


Filling in your eyebrows can be a bit of a nightmare if your not sure what your doing! You don't want to look like a clown that's used a marker to colour in your eyebrows, you want them to look natural like no effort has been made!

You might be one of the lucky ones to have perfect Cara Delevingne brows that don't need anything, or you could have my hardly there brows that need a little help!

Three things to follow to get your brows right - get the colour right, don't be heavy handed & practice!!

The colour

The rule I use is if you have light hair go 2 shades darker, if you have dark hair go 2 shades lighter. I would never recommend using black to fill in your brows unless your used to it already. 

Don't be heavy handed

Trends in make up recently have been the flawless no make up look, so you want your eyebrows to compliment, not stand out. The key is to use light stokes with a eyebrow pen, liner or shadow and fill in gaps as needed not to draw on your eyebrows.

Practice

Your not going to get it right first time, you may find it will take a couple of practice runs before you're ready to leave the house but you will get it eventually, the more your practice the quicker you'll become.


This is how mine look day to day normally! (Sorry about the lighting in this picture) As you can see I've only filled in gaps, this is my natural brow shape. I use Soap & Glorys Brow Archery and I'm doing a product review on that tomorrow! 



Do you fill in your brows? If so what do you use?


Hannah x

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Beauty Tip of the Day - Eyebrow Week - Methods of Eyebrow Shaping &Aftercare

Firstly, can I just say I have been working on this blog post on & off all day, just as I've nearly finished ready to publish it somehow has been deleted!!! All of it!!! So now in a bit of a temper I'm starting again!!

So yesterday I showed you how to choose an eyebrow shape to flatter your face. Today we're looking at how to remove all the unwanted hair. Tomorrow I'll be showing you how to fill your brows in, because if yours are anything like mine they need more work than just shaping before I leave the house!!

The main 3 ways to shape your eyebrows are - waxing, tweezing or threading.

My preferred method is waxing. I think it's quick, and removes all hair for a smooth area for your make up. I am a fully qualified beauty therapist so I can wax my own eyebrows, but before I could do my own I went to salons or had a mobile technician come to my house. It normally costs around £6-£10 depending where you live, and if it's done in salon or at home. Here are my before & after pictures - 


P.s I have grown my eyebrows out purposefully for this weeks Eyebrow week!!! 



As you can see in my after picture, after waxing the area becomes quite red, this is the one draw back for me for waxing. Not everyone will go red, but for those of us that do what are some ways to help? To cool and sooth the area I would take cucumber out of the fridge and place it on the red area for 10 mins or so, not only is this cooling but it's also really relaxing and refreshing. Other times I put a damp cotton pad in the freezer for a couple of minutes, and then place that on the area until the area is cool.

But what if we're in a rush, or on our way out? When you go for a wax you should be given some aftercare information of do's and donts after a wax. One of those donts is not to put make up on the area for 24hrs. However sometimes I need a quick fix so I don't look crazy going out or to work, so I use mineral powder and lightly dust a layer over the red areas, it covers the red but it still allows skin to breath.

Another method is Tweezing/Plucking. I only use tweezing to remove hairs in between waxing or to tidy up any hairs that waxing didn't remove, I never use tweezing as a method to remove all the hair but a lot of people do. The best tweezers I've tried are Tweezerman.



These can be found online at -

http://www.feelunique.com/p/Tweezerman-Point-Tweezer-Stainless-Steel   £20


Or in a Boots store for -


I highly recommend them for the precision they give, I have them in my kit that I take to clients as well.


The other option is Threading. I have never tried threading before, but I have seen it done in places like debenhams, and it is something I will try next time I see someone doing it. When I do I'll let you know! 


How do you keep your brows in check? 


Hannah x

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Beauty Tip of the Day - Eyebrow Week!

This week is going to be Eyebrow Week. I'll be showing you how to shape your eyebrow, methods of shaping and aftercare, how to fill in your brows, and how to get instant lift without surgery!

Today is about getting the shape for your brow. When it comes to eyebrows there isn't one size suits all! it all depends on the dimensions and shape of your face.

There are 3 simple steps to finding where your brows should start, where the natural arch should be, and where they should finish.

All you need is a straight line like a make up brush to find out the points.
(Please excuse the state of my brows, I have let them grow out purposely for this week!!)

Firstly, where should you eyebrows start -


Place your make up brush down the side of your nose, that's where your brows should begin. For me everything inbetween on both sides I wax.


Secondly, you need to find the arch of your brow.
Look straight ahead, the brush should be placed on the corner of your nose, looking straight ahead the brush should also line up with the centre of your eye, the section of your brow that the brush goes through, that is where your natural arch should be.


Thirdly, where should you brows should your brows end?
The brush should stay on the corner of your nose, but now should be inline with the outer corner of your eye, where the brush reaches, that should be the end of your brows! (Also that angle is perfect for your winged liner - but that's for another day)

Now you know what the shape of your eyebrow should be, tomorrow I'll be showing you ways to remove unwanted hair and aftercare for when the hair has been removed.


What methods do you use for your eyebrow shaping? 

Hannah x

Monday 9 December 2013

Men's Beauty Tip Monday - Shaving Series 1/6

For those of you who have been following my Instagram account @princesshannahs you will know Monday is my Beauty Tip of the Day for Men! 

One thing I thought I would investigate after talking to friends and family was some shaving tips, how to make the process more comfortable, with a lot less irritation and inflammation afterwards, as I found this is one of the main things men struggle with. A painful shave can cause a red inflamed face, and then not being able to shave for a couple of days to allow skin to settle, not ideal if you need to look cleanly shaved everyday for work.


Tip 1/6 Shave Last! 

When you have a bath or a shower, wait until very last minute to shave. This will give the warm moisture time to work on your skin, to open up your pores, and soften the hairs. This will allow the blade to glide across your face instead of dragging and causing pain.



Let me know any tips you have or if this tip helps you.


Hannah x

Sunday 8 December 2013

Beauty Tip of the Day - Brush Week! How to Clean Your Brushes

There are two types of blush cleaning, a quick clean that you would do weekly or to quickly clean a brush you need to use again while applying make up, or the second kind of clean is a deep clean that you would do monthly (or every time you use them if you are a MUA).

I use Mac's brush cleanser, for a quick or deep clean. But today I'll talk about deep cleaning your brushes.

What you'll need - A brush cleanser (I'm using Mac's brush cleanser), a towel, dirty brushes, and a sink.



This is how I do it - 

Step 1 - Take a brush, and lightly dampen hairs with warm water with brush facing downwards
Step 2 - Put some mac brush cleanser in your hand and swirl the brushes round in your palm
Step 3 - The cleanser will form soapy makeup layer on your hand, and you will see your brushes getting cleaner
Step 4 - Then use your hand to massage cleanser into brush hairs to clean further
Step 5 - Then rinse the brush under the tap taking care not to allow water to go back into the brush
Step 5 - Finally lay the brush on the folded towel, on a slight angle with the hairs facing down so any excess water drains onto towel not back into brush. 

They will probably take the night to dry, maybe a bit longer for the bigger brushes. I leave them on the dressing table in my bedroom not in the bathroom.

It's important to take care of your brushes to keep them at their best, the more you look after them the longer you'll have them. Also you need to clean away the build up of dirt and bacteria so not to spread to your face and give your skin problems!

It can be a long process cleaning your brushes but it's worth it!!

What do you use to clean your brushes, and how often do you do it?

Hannah x