Chatty Everyday Makeup Vlog

Hello Lovelies,

First up, Happy Monday to you!
I held off uploading this as the lighting is so terrible (hello wintry dark dank days!), but my husband literally made me upload it.. and i mean pinned me down until i agreed to do it... hes supportive like that 😂
But the thing to remember, just like when i first started blogging i guess, is that we all start somewhere and amateur vlogging is making a comeback apparently haha!
Anyway, my everyday makeup routine is here for your perusal.
Enjoy (and subscribe too, that would be swell!)

Semi Permanent Eyebrows

I have mentioned a few dozen (million) times here that i have been eyebrow challenged for as long as i can remember. Having over plucked my eyebrows to a thin dark line in the 90's they just never grew back. The thin dark arch of a line was just horrendous and unbelievably unflattering.

As time moved on and so did eyebrow trends, to bigger bushier, darker and fuller style brows i tried to grow them back. But nothing happened. A few stragglers, i managed to grow a shape of a hook but that was it. 

I purchased every eyebrow growing serum and potion on the market in a bid for better brows. I spent hundreds in the hope they would stimulate growth. But nada.. Nothing more than a few wobbly hairs in pretty much the wrong place.

Having accepted my eyebrow fate i have then spent the past 11 years trialling every eyebrow product on the market. Pencils, powders, gels, creams, you name it i've tried it in every brand going. Some more successful than others ( FYI Eyelure is my favourite eyebrow pencil) but there's just no denying the fact that when at that glorious time of day when I wash my makeup off, it was depressing to see no brows looking back at me. Just a thin scraggly line.

Plus the times when you go swimming, wear a hat or accidentally scratch your brow and suddenly you have a smudged brow that's missing parts.

It may sound silly to some, but i never felt like me when i didn't have my bros drawn on. Every morning the first thing i'd do would be cleanse and then draw my brows in. I just couldn't stand my face without them. My face feels like me again as soon as brows are present.

Eyebrows really do emphasise the features and frame the face. Without them i just feel like a big potato head.

Semi permanent brows were really starting to take off a couple of years ago, but at £250+ it always seemed like something unobtainable for me.

Back in June a good friend of mine booked herself in after her sister had had her brows done at Beauty Within Caerphilly. She was blown away at how good they were and booked herself in immediately. After a cuppa and a chat and me unveiling my lack of brows to her (which i never do with anyone other than my husband and the kids) she called the salon and booked me in there and then and paid my deposit (i know.. how kind is she!!) My appointment was a few months away as i had summer to get through but it was booked. I was going to have my brows sorted.

As my appointment arrived I was excited to finally have brows. 

Michelle and the ladies at Beauty Withing were wonderful, putting any worries (not that i had any, i was just excited for brows!) and my mind at ease. Michelle's expertise shone, she is an absolute pro and i happily put my brows in her hands.

The Procedure

So what is Semi-permenant makeup?

From Beauty Within's website

Pigment is implanted into the dermal layer of the skin using a state-of-the-art machine designed specifically for the cosmetic market. These digital systems are very different to conventional machines and inks used in conventional tattoo studios.

The treatment lasts around 1-2 years and is carried out in accordance with strict health and safety protocols using single use sterile needle cartridges. Your technician will offer you the very best treatment, which will be both subtle and effective.

So like a tattoo but semi permanent makeup doesn't penetrate as deep as a traditional tattoo, hence why it isn't forever.

The procedure can take about 2 hours from start to finish. 

First up a numbing gel is applied to the brows and left to set in for half an hour.

Looking ever so attractive with my numbing gel and cling film

After the numbing gel has sunk in and eyebrows are comfortably numb Michelle gets to drawing out your perfect brow, working with what you have and adapting them to give you the perfect shape brow for your face. Michelle took a great deal of time and patience to get the shape sketched just right before setting to it with the needle. 

Its worth noting here, as this was a major plus point for me, that they do not take away any brow hair you may have, they keep what you have as opposed to taking it all off and leaving just a drawn on line, which i was totally against as i'd seen with other semi permanent makeup artists do. Michelle doesn't do that. She shapes what you have and works with it instead of removing it, which was perfect and just what i wanted.

She also talked through the colours with me, and what she had decided would be best for me and explained the fade down period in the next 4 weeks.

We went for a 3/4 dark brown with a 1/4 golden in there for a natural look and also to make sure the fade out wasn't to beige.

By this point the numbing gel is applied again to see you through the next stage where Michelle sets to drawing your new brows with the needle application.

I wanted to mention as its the thing i've been asked the most, but it didn't hurt at all, i was comfortable and there was no pain at all. Just some light pressure on the brows and forehead ( i did have a headache afterwards but i'm super sensitive to headaches and i think it was just from all the excitement and having my head faffed with 😂 I'm often the same from the hairdressers)

The procedure took another hour or so of individual hair light strokes being drawn in, evaluated and then more done again. Michelle would sit be up and look at the brows and then carry on until she was completely happy.

The area stays numb through out so I didn't feel a thing. She will also only do as much as she feels the skin can take as, even though you can't feel a thing, the skin is still undergoing a bit of stress.

The results

I walked out feeling on cloud 9. I had eyebrows for the first time in years . 

We went for a natural shape that can be made bolder in my next appointment(more about that in a mo). The arch and colour are natural and the shape is simple but such a huge improvement on before.

Before And After

This is straight after i got home on the day, no redness and no pain.
They cleared straight away just leaving great brows.

I was simply amazed at my brows and instantly loved them. For me waking up each day with brows is amazing, having them still there after a shower and not washing off again is just the best. I feel happy to go makeup free (like above) now i have my brows it just makes things so much easier. It also knocks about 5 minutes off my makeup routine as my brows were the one thing that always always took the longest (and never ever turned out the same each day)

Aftercare

Michelle talks you through everything and explains for the rest of the day you dab/bathe the brows every hour or so with sterile water and a cotton pad.

Then each morning and night for the next week you apply the provided barrier gel to keep the brows protected against the elements and any water/makeup etc. This helps them retrain their colour.

Fading is to be expected in the next four weeks and they can be known to fade a little patchy. This is all part of the process.

I have my appointment for Oct 12th where i will have round 2 of the procedure. 

This will be where we decide if i want to go bolder or darker and filling of any patches.

So yes, its fair to say I am supremely pleased so far with the results, i shall keep you posted on my top up next month too but i can see this being something i keep up.

It gives me the confidence i lacked, it makes me feel prettier and that in turn makes me happier.

Do you have a thing for good brows like i do?

If you're in the south wales area i highly recommend Beauty Within Caerphilly, their expertise are second to none and i am super happy with my results.

Monthly Favourites: Beauty & Accessories

 I wanted to start sharing my monthly favourites with you all as some months I feel like i have some real best buys or pieces that really stand out.
I love to read these from others and it's great to go off a recommendation.
Mine will most likely be a complete mix of things, make-up, beauty products or accessories, whatever has really taken my fancy for the past month


 1. Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation
I actually bought this about 6 months ago and didn't get on with it at first. I usually opt for a medium-high coverage, matte finish foundation and the Bourjois Healthy mix is very glowy and a light to medium coverage. But my skin was looking a bit sad after a long old winter and so i thought i would try it again to see if it could take me from dull to dewy. The feel of the foundation on the skin is beautiful, for a high street product I have to say application is super, it blends really well and leaves the skin feeling velvety soft. The coverage is enough to even out my complexion and it gives a lovely healthy glow (as the name would suggest) Its lighter than my previous foundation so it feels perfect for Spring when i don't want to feel caked in make-up. The only thing i would say is on my oily skin it doesn't last all day, but then from a light coverage that's to be expected. I would definitely recommend this if you're in the market for a glowy lovely light summer foundation.

2. Maybelline Super Stay Setting Spray
Speaking of making make-up last, I bought the Maybelline setting spray on the recommendation of a family member and it definitely helps to finish the look and set make-up nicely. I've noticed my make-up stays intact for longer than usual when spritzed with this, and again through the sweaty summer months this will be a God send. My only negative would be the actual spray could be a bit finer, more of a mist would be better, as when you spray it does produce quite a lot of product, but held far enough away from the face (which is obvs recommended) then its fine enough and you learn to work with it.

3. Maybelline The Blushes Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
I bought the Maybelline products on a 3 for 2 deal at my local Superdrug, but this was a product I'd been eyeing up for a couple of weeks. I love a pinky eyeshadow so this palette looked pretty and very wearable, there aren't any colours in it that i wouldn't wear which was really appealing, i always hate it when there's a couple of colours in a set that never get touched, normally the really bright green or blues, not for me thanks. But yes, this one is all round lovely. They also do it in the nudes colour-way which is equally appealing and again very wearable. Colour pay off of the eyeshadow is good with a little layering, they apply smoothly and evenly and the fallout when applying is minimal.
All round a nice set really.

4. Wunderbrow
As an eyebrow challenged lady (over-plucked like Madonna in the 90's, but alas mine never did grow back) I am always on the look out for good eyebrow products. I have little hair on my brows so its really hard to get that natural brow look. I've tried gels, pencils, powders, crayons, you name it, i've tried it. So when i saw this advertised on facebook it looked appealing. I invested my £20 and thought it would be worth a punt. At first i wasn't sure, when i applied it it looked too light, but it did dry down a shade darker thankfully. It felt a bit weird, crispy almost. BUT the longevity is amazing. I can sleep in the stuff, gently wash my face and my brows are still there. As i worked my way through the bottle i actually got better at applying and found less product was better. And as a testimonial statement of how good it is, i've just ordered another.

5. Barry M Gelly Nail Polish in Pomegranate
i am normally an accents of red kinda gal, love a red nail , red bag , red lip, you name it. But lately i've been opting for a pop of pink. Delicious girly pink. Its nice for a change.
This nail polish and...

6. Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip colour
this lipstick have been my new best friends. I actually bought this accidentally thinking it was a red, and was momentarily devastated when i opened it and found it was in-fact raspberry pink. But i just went with it, and actually now I really love it. The formula is matte so no shine, and the lasting power is really good as is the great colour pay off that you get with a matte lip colour. As a matte lipstick it isn't as drying as some others i've worn, but sometimes by the end of the day i will feel like a nice a nice swipe of lip balm, not horrendously so, but just to add a bit of moisture back in.

7. Ghost Eclipse Eau de toilette
I have been wearing Ghost perfumes for years. My first perfume i ever bought with my first pay-pack was this Ghost perfume, every time i smell it I feel transported back to being 18 again. Marvellous memories. But for summer i love to switch to the Eclipse scent. Its orangey and fresh and summery, and really smells beautiful.. i highly recommend this if you like fresh floral fruity scents that aren't sickly and with a hint of musk.

8. Coconut Bodyshop Range
Coconut is one of my most favourite scents. Probably because it evokes memories of sun, warmth and travel. But as soon as the dark winter months are over i love to switch to coconut, it really does perk me up. I love the Bodyshop range, the scent doesn't smell artificial (if that makes sense?) and are always so gentle on the skin.

9. Onyx and Tassel Necklace
I've been obsessed with the necklace, its goes with everything! Simple tee, a dress, well you name it and it goes with it.

10. H Butler Leopard Print Powerbank Bag
Again another obsession, the fact that this bag is pretty AND practical just makes it perfect in my eyes. The powerbank for charging my phone is just a life saver and of course, leopard print, need i say more.

Do you have any recommendations this month? 

I'd love to know any thing you recommend, i love to try new products!

Face Base.. Talking Primers/Foundations for Great Coverage

Starting at the very foundations(heh) literally today. Get the base right and the rest of your face just sits perfectly, am I right ladies?
Something I am hugely appreciative of is great make-up.
I've said it before and I continue to say it as, I think its so easy to think that maybe I naturally have good skin from the photos I post here on the blog. But I want to be honest with you, I do not have great skin and therefore have to work at it.
The photos you see are always me fully made up with my war-paint on.
For me its not spots so much that I have to deal with but uneven skin tone. I don't have a beautiful clean palette to work off. I have prominent reddish undertones (rosacea) and dark circles, so getting a good base is absolutely imperative to my make-up routine.
Its something I have worked hard on for years and trialled many, many products to only feel let down or like its just not quite what I wanted.
So if you are looking for high coverage without feeling caked in makeup this may help you. I hope it does.

Starting with the very base.. primers

I recently saw the new No7 colour balancing primer in a magazine and thought it looked like it had potential. The green colour balancer works as a neutraliser against the redness of my skin, and even though I can still see pink hues, I have to say it does help take the severity off the redness, especially if I'm having a particularly bad flare up (read : stressed/drank to much coffee..so all the time then really). Now, beware, it comes out bright green, like Kermit the frog green and you think to yourself, 'Am I really gonna put this on ma face and not like a giant frog??'  But rest assured, it blends down beautifully. Not only is it a colour balancer, it is also a primer which helps keep my make-up in place much longer than when I go bare back.

So this is my first step(after cleansing and moisturising earlier that morning), please take in to consideration i am stood in good lighting here and in real life the redness is more apparent.

Another product worth mentioning is the Benefit Porefessional to minimize some of my rather prominent and unwelcome obvious pores. Again, using a little of this across my cheeks where its needed to help with a lovely smooth base. I apply this after I have applied the primer and fairly sparingly as it could be a little greasy if you over did it.

Next up the all important Foundations

Now I need a high coverage foundation. I am currently using the Chanel Perfection Lumiere after feeling the Lumiere Velvet wasn't giving me enough coverage. I'm really interested in trying the Estee Lauder Double Wear as I've heard such good things regarding its maximum coverage (Have you tried it? Id love to hear what you thought if you have!) 

What I am also really enjoying is the Bourjois Air Mat. For a daily foundation the coverage is superb, the price tag is small and it lasts majority of the day. When you apply it, it has a very yellow tone which again helps to settle any redness. It is also extremely matt, so it does what it says on the tin basically, but for me that's great as I love a matt base. I feel if I want to add some 'glow' i can do that with highlighter if I require.

But today I went for the Chanel Perfection Lumiere.

As you can see the coverage over all is pretty decent with just a hint of redness on the cheeks still, but its definitely very comfortable to wear and gives me the clean base i require to then apply the rest of my face.

Concealer and Highlighter

For any redness that's seeped through the above processes I then take to them with the Collection Lasting perfection concealer, which is just ace. It has such high coverage and is literally a few pound. I finish with the L'oreal La touche Magique under my eyes to rid those dark, dark bags.

Tools

Because I layer up my make-up its really important to have the right tools for the job. The real technique brushes are my weapon of choice but what I love to death is my Real Technique mircacle sponge.. It blots away any excess make-up, leaving a lovely natural well blended finish on the face. Do you use one? I honestly can't recommend it enough.

 And then the completely finished look, with uh, soft focus I might add..because that helps EVERYTHING.. if only life was soft focus.. oh wait it is when I take my contact lens' out maybe I should try that more often, the world would look all peachy and fuzzy all the time, ha!
But yes, this is my face (hello) with all the make-up. Complete with eyes, cheeks and lip make-up.

If you'd like to know more about any of the other products I'm enjoying at the moment then let me know in the comments.
I love to talk beauty products so any tips or products you'd recommend I'd love to hear.