Eye moustache| HD Brows before and after

I am rubbish at looking after my eyebrows. The hair grows in all directions and in some places there isn't enough hair. I'm just too lazy half the time.

I've tried plucking, waxing and treading my brows which I've found great, but there has either been some hairs not removed or they're not actually shaped for my face- just..tidied.
Tidied is good but for me, I found my eyebrows to be particularly unshaped and to be honest, they were really doing anything for me. Last July I stumbled on an advert about HD brows and looked at this in more depth. They actually do 7 steps to the perfect brow.
I was interested to find out more so contacted a woman who did them. She was lovely and explained that the treatment consists of tinting, waxing, treading, plucking, trimming etc. They measure your face and ask how you'd like your eyebrows to look and also can put makeup on your brows to make them look fuller and more defined.

I have loved getting HD brows and have done it since. I don't think I would have them done any other way now! I still have a lot of progress to do (I have some areas that need growing and taming! (Blogpost to come about a hair regrowth product I've been trying)) but overall I love the look of my brows already.

Here is my before picture when I had them done today:

As you can see, I tend to leave my eyebrows in-between sessions apart from the middle.. mainly because I know if I start plucking I will ruin the progress I've made so far with them, which in my opinion is quite a lot of progress. So sometimes its worth walking around with a bit more hair on your face than you'd like! haha

This photo is after- so excuse the redness!

In these pictures below, I've popped a tiny bit of makeup on them to add more definition.

If you are unsure about what to do with your eyebrows I would really recommend trying HD brows. The only issue is finding the right beautician to do it. Luckily I've had two ladies (the first one moved) that have both been great!

Prices vary, depending on who does it but again- I feel that what is done for my eyebrows and the quality is great for the price I pay.
To find out more click here: HD Brow website

I hope you enjoyed this post and hope to see you soon!

Love C. xx

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How to| What makeup brush does what?

When it comes to makeup brushes, it can seem a bit intimidating. There are so many shapes, sizes and densities that it may seem difficult to distinguish what brush does what?

For that sake of this blogpost I'm going to use one of my previous blog posts on the Zoeva Brushes to show you how and where I use the brushes on my face.

1.  Foundation
Recently I've been using the 'Silk Finish' brush as my foundation brush. I use a liquid foundation as I find powders and mousse's quite drying for my skin. I find that it blends the foundation out really well on my face without leaving brush strokes or wasting product. Other options for this are brushes like a 'stippling' brush or you could even use a 'beauty blender' which is basically a clever sponge but makes your makeup base look flawless- I'm eager to try one of these.

2. Concealer
I tend to apply liquid concealer and dab it in with my finger, especially under my eyes. However, when I do use a brush it tends to be the 'Concealer Buffer', again, in dabbing motions so as not to pull the under eye area or move the concealer away from the area that I'm trying to conceal.

3. Powder
Some girls may find that they do not need to powder they're face, especially if they are not susceptible to an oily T-Zone (forehead, nose and chin area). However for the girls that find after a few hours their nose gets oily, then powder if a must! I tend to use a large fluffy brush. The one from the Zoeva collection is lovely as is soft and fairly large. However, I do alternate between that one and one I got fairly cheaply off eBay which is a bit bigger and just as soft.

4. Bronzer
This is the same as the powder for me, as the large brush covers the areas of my face that the sun would naturally hit very quickly and effortlessly.

5. Contour
Now contour can be different, depending on what product I'm using. If I'm using a powder to contour then I tend to actually use my Eco tools 'mineral powder' brush from THIS set as it is flatter and can fit nicely into the hollow of my cheek. However, if I'm using a liquid or cream bronzer I will tend to use the 'Face Shape' and blend out with the foundation brush if necessary.

6. Blush
I'm only just starting to like blush, I was always afraid of it and to be honest I'm not sure why because there are so many beautiful blushes out there! I guess it was to do with precision and me being scared I was going to look ridiculous with big pink circular cheeks! At the moment I am using a powder blush and to apply it I use the 'Luxe Sheer Cheek' which is soft and angled. This brush is great because I can apply it lightly in the exact place I want it to be.

7. Eyebrows
Some Eyebrow products have the tint (colour) and brush in one, like the 'Gimme Brow' from Benefit. However, if you like to switch up what you use and like to wear powder then I highly recommend using either the 'Winged Liner' brush or the Mac '266'. My preference if the Mac brush as the bristles are more sturdy to apply to colour but the Zoeva brush can do the same job. To brush to hairs into shape you can use a spooly or even a brow setting gel like the one I use- Rimmel Brow Gel Clear

8. Eyes
In my opinion, you CANNOT use and blend eyeshadows without brushes. From my experience, the eyeshadows are not put on accurately and are smudged in places you don't what it and are not blended well.  I like to use the 'Soft Definer' to apply the main colour to my eyelid and then either blend it out or apply a slightly darker colour to the crease and blend with the 'Petite Crease'. These are both excellent brushes that I really enjoy using. If you're applying gel eyeliner or a dark eyeshadow to line the eyes I really like the 'Winged Liner' brush for this too as it is super soft to my eyes yet accurate in where you're placing the product.

If the Zoeva brushes are too expensive, especially if you're just trying brushes out- then I would definitely recommend buying cheaper versions (I quite like Eco tools) and use the Zoeva kit as a guide.

Love C. xx

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Color. Love. Makeup.| Zoeva Brushes

Zoeva.

You may have heard a heck of a lot about these make-up brushes, but you may also have heard nothing at all.

For those of you who don't know much about Zoeva brushes or those of you who just want to know what they are like- keep reading!

Firstly, how beautiful is the packaging? I am a sucker for rose gold things even though I prefer wearing silver. The rose gold hardware near the bristles and on the writing just add that extra bit of class.

I purchased the Rose Golden Luxury Set which comes with 8 brushes for daily make-up use and a high quality make-up bag.
The Brushes:
106| Powder
102| Silk Finish
127| Luxe Sheer Cheek
110| Face Shape
142| Concealer Buffer
227| Soft Definer
231| Petite Crease
213| Wing Liner

The face brushes are dense but super soft and I actually found that my previous (cheap off eBay) brushes just moved the product around my face leaving stripy brush marks, whereas these just buff the product effortlessly into my skin. I actually thought it was my foundation that was wrong for my skin- it just goes to show that if you have the right tools to start with you can create a more flawless make-up look.

The 'pick up' and 'put down' of these brushes is amazing and I found that I definitely didn't need as much product as I usually did (which was actually wasting product as it was still in the bristles of my previous brushes).
This set has both natural hair and synthetic taklon bristles making them ideal for liquid, cream and powder products.

I thought I'd show you my first make-up look, personally I was super impressed with my foundation application- the brush just seemed to blend it perfectly.
For some of you who know the Mac 266 brush, I will say that the Zoeva Wing Liner is softer around the eyes and in my opinion make applying eye shadow around the lash line more comfortable. However, as the Mac 266 is more sturdy I do prefer this for my eyebrows.

I hope that this review helps those of you interested in the Zoeva brushes. I would say that they are a great set of high quality brushes, especially when you are first getting started and would highly recommend these to anyone.

What are your opinions and impressions of these brushes? What brushes would you recommend?

Love Claudia xx

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10 Beauty Hacks| From me to you

So today I thought I would share 10 tips and tricks that I find useful either on a daily basis or once every now and then. These are personal beauty tricks that I use and I hope you find them just as helpful as I do!

1. FOUNDATION
Mix foundation with moisturiser- this will help keep your skin moisturised during the winter months, it will help your foundation last longer (especially if you're waiting for pay day), and it will help add a natural dewy glow. I find this great, as the cold harsh wind can dry and irritate my skin.

2. MOISTURISER
Lay your moisturiser on its side to allow the cream to fall to one side of the pot to avoid it getting underneath your nails!

3. EYELINER & EYESHADOW
Place sellotape under your eye, following the bottom waterline and then out to where you would put your eyeliner flick. Use this as a ruler to get a straight winged liner and to get a straight even line when applying eyeshadow.

4. ACNE
Apply a couple of drops of lemon juice to acne to help lighten the scars. If you have sensitive skin then diluted it down in some water.

5. SHAPED EYEBROWS
Stray hairs in your eyebrows? Apply Vaseline and comb into the desired shape, do this for up to 3 months or until the stray hair is no longer..err stray?

6. SPLIT ENDS
Part your hair down the middle into two sections. One at a time, twist each section tightly, then using your index finger and thumb, lightly backcomb the twist. This will help you identify split ends so they can be trimmed away! Hurrah!

7. UNDER EYE CIRCLES

Apply concealer in an upside down triangle under the eyes (big base along the underneath of the eye with the thin tip down) this will help cover dark circles better.

8. PLUMP LIPS

If you want to make your lips plump like Kim Kardashian, try adding a few drops of peppermint oil to your lipgloss!

9. BIG EYES

Use a white or light shimmery coloured eyeshadow by the tear duct area of your eyes to create an illusion of bigger brighter eyes.

10. CONDITIONED HAIR

Coconut oil is a great way to repair damaged hair. Apply evenly throughout your hair and leave overnight (yes your hair will look super greasy but it’ll be worth it, place a towel over your pillowcase to protect it from the oil). In the morning shampoo twice to get rid of the oil and condition. Va-wala! You have beautiful soft shiny hair!

Hope you find these tips useful!

What tips do you have? 

Love Claudia xx