DIY hair mask for damaged hair

Is your hair dry and/or damaged? This handy DIY hair mask is a life saver! You will find all the ingredients in your kitchen cupboards which makes this mask much more inexpensive then any shop brought products. As well as being cheaper it contains no harsh chemicals or alcohol which can further dry out your hair… Enjoy!

Sixties Inspired Makeup Trending This Spring/Summer Season!

This season’s fashion trend is a major blast from the past! During the spring/summer 2013 catwalk the flashy 60’s makeup could be seen displayed by all the hot designers like Chanel and Louis Vuitton.  Although you might be surprised to hear that the trend is not largely placed in the clothes for once, but in the makeup! The makeup trend is both bold and subtle all at the same time.

The main traits of the makeup trend include strong and thick brows, eyeliner that’s bold and nude lips. This lip look comes with no gloss, just bare.  The fashion takes a back seat with the look being completed with square silhouette dresses and short hemlines that taper at the thigh.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is no go-go- dancer- 60’s look; this is more of a teenager-during-the-60’s-look.  The pouty and nude lips is what brings the most attention to the look. It’s the absence of color completely that makes the lips actually stand out. To give the eyes a bold but not overwhelming appearance, heavy black eyeliner should be applied in the crease of the eye. Only apply the makeup to the outer creases of the eye, applying it to the inner eye would ruin the entire look. Chanel has a silver eye shadow that gives a hot, retro 60’s look without being overwhelming. If you want a more go-go dancer look for this season’s trend than this is about as flashy as you can get!

If you’re looking for a more controlled, barely-there look to compliment those nude lips than you may want to go with a peach colored eye shadow from the Louis Vuitton line. Along with the eye shadow, you want to cap it off with the classic black Michael Kors eye liner to complete that run way 60’s look everyone is talking about this season!

One of the boldest styles on the run way was the lips covered in orange gloss and the Bambi framed lashes! This is clearly for the ladies who want to pay more tribute to the night-life of the 60’s. This season’s flash back fashion will last clear through next season!

The European Union Bans Cosmetic Testing on Animals

After 23-years of fighting to end cosmetic experiments on animals, the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments has finally received their wish.  All member countries of the European Union must follow the rules of banning all cosmetic testing on animals. The rules went into effect as of March 11. All cosmetic brands including high-end brands must abide by this new rule that is aimed at the protection of animals.

As mentioned before, the long running debate on whether animal testing should be banned or not has been going on for years. According to the members of the ECEAU, the current European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, is the major reason for the dramatic change. They also blame the old commissioner for continuing practices that may have weakened the ban on animal testing and allowed it to continue. According to their words the commissioner allowed for them to practice the safety of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients until companies found an alternative way to do so.  The current commissioner Tonio Borg was more sympathetic to the plight of the animals.

The new methods for testing cosmetics may be more complicated but it is said to spare over 12 million animals a year from being tested on to see if cosmetics are safe. The cases of brutal animal testing came to light in the 90’s when people started hearing of the awful experiments animals were being subjected to in the name of beauty. 

Some experiments included, rubbing chemicals into the eyes of rabbits or the shaved skin of rabbits to see if there was any irritation to the body. No pain relief is given to the animals while such a painful experiment is being administered. Another painful testing method uncovered is one where animals are force-fed to eat chemicals or even beauty products so that scientist can see if they develop any illnesses such as cancer. They’ll also breed the animals to look for any birth defects in the future. If those aren’t bad enough for you, the most widely unaccepted from of animal testing is considered the lethal dose method. During the legal dose method animals are fed as much of a product as possible until they die to measure what the lethal dosage for that cosmetic product would be.

The people who have fought long and hard consider this ban a huge victory in animal rights. Because of the horrific nature of the experiments, it is easy to see why.

How To Keep Your Makeup Brushes Clean

Make up brushes of good quality can cost a lot of money which means you want to take great care of them so that they will last a long time. Brushes should be cleaned if used on a regular basis once a week, twice a week maximum.  Cleaning beauty brushes is not only important to the longevity of your brushes, it’s also important to your health. Maintaining the cleanliness of your brush helps to get rid of dirt from your skin, old and dried makeup, oils from your skin, bacteria from your skin and dead skin cells. Also, not cleaning your brush can render it incredibly hard. You always want a soft brush to give you the best makeup look possible!

Cleaning your makeup brush can be an extremely easy process! The first step you want to take is to turn the brush downward and run warm water over the brush hairs.  Turning the hairy part of the brush down into the water insures the metal part will not get wet and rust. A fancy makeup cleaner is not needed to clean your brushes. Simply take a mild shampoo or hand soap and pour it on your finger tips. Massage the soap in the hairs of the brush before placing it back under the water.

Once the brush is under the water stream, squeeze the brush hairs from the handle to the tips over and over. You can feel the dirt and grime of the brush coming off of the brush under the water.  Shake the brush off after pulling it from under the water and examine the texture of the hairs. If the hairs continue to feel heavy and hard, place the brush back under the stream of water and continue rubbing soap up and down the brush.

When you feel the brush is completely clean lay it sideways on a paper towel.  Also, be sure to shape the brush so that you don’t have a splayed out brush. A splayed brush can make it really hard (and uncomfortable) to prepare your makeup. Make sure you let the brushes dry completely before you apply your makeup. Rotating your brushes will insure you always have a brush to use even when others are being washed.

How to Contour Your Face and Make it Look Thinner

Contouring your face is a simple beauty secret that allows you to slim down your face and make it picture perfect.  There are only three make-up tools needed to pull off the perfect contour technique: a blush, bronzer and highlighter. 

Bronzer is a great way to help contour the face since it should always be a shade or two deeper than your natural skin tone. There are many beauty stores such as Sephora or Beauty Steals where bronzer can easily be purchased at. Bronzer should be applied parallel to the jaw line to make sure that your cheekbones pop beyond the fleshy parts of your face. Bronzer should also be placed from the bridge of the nose straight down. This technique is used to make your nose look longer as well as thinner. It’s important to blend the make-up at this stage to make sure your skin looks as natural as possible. At the end, apply a thin amount of bronze make-up on the jaw line and chin to elongate your face to give it a more model-like affect!

Blush should be applied carefully above the bronzer on the apple of your cheeks. Like the bronzer, the blush should be applied parallel to your jaw lines. Lighter colors are essentially better for making the apple of your cheeks stand out but, a darker blush can be used if it truly does not match your skin tone. A cream stick is great for applying the exact amount of blush needed to the angle of your cheeks.

A highlighter is a classic secret that celebrities use to add the finishing touches to their contour faces.  The rules for applying the highlighter to your face include adding some makeup to the bottom and top part of the lips to make them stand out. Cover a small bump on the top of your nose with the highlighter and run the highlighter over the eyebrow bones.  To add misty glows to the entire face add a bit of the highlighter over the blush applied to the apples of your cheeks!

It may take some time to perfect the blend of blush, highlighter and bronzer to the shape of your face,  but once you do you’ll never go back to applying makeup the same way again.

Teddy Bear's Picnic

I have always had a deep love of Italy – I believe it to be the most stylish country in the world. For starters its fashion celebrates curves and empowers the women’s body, they also have such a strong passion for love, life and humor… and as for the food well what can I say… fantastico!

But do you know what I really love about this country? The designer brand Moschino and their cutest invention to date – the Gennarino bear Iphone case. This is not ‘new’ news but I know those of you who are not hardcore fashion follower may also love this cute teddy phone case! He may not be the most practical but I would be proud to sport him on my Iphone and he only costs £34.00 from the online boutique or in-store.

www.moschino.co.uk

Benefit Dear John Movin’ on Facial Cream

I am really excited about this new arrival at Beauty Steals - Benefit discontinued the cream recently but I know so many people loved it and still want to buy it... so now you can!

Here are some reviews from Makeup Alley on how amazing the cream is:

OH MY GOSH! This is seriously the best moisturizer i have EVER used. Upon application it left my skin super soft. Although it appears to be a thick cream in the container, it actually absorbs instantly and does not leave a greasy residue. It is just l-u-x-u-r-i-o-u-s. This is coming from someone who strays from any moisturizer as they all break me out. I mean usually all i can use is a dove bar, but i have found the answer to my moisturizing problems :D. It is expensive ($40 CAD) but honestly worth it.

The best moisturiser I have used, and I've used a few! Although,in my opinion, it is expensive, a little goes a long way so it's worth it. I bought my pot over a couple of months ago now and I've got over half the pot left. It's great for when I come out the shower and my skin is really tight as I have sensitive skin and it sinks in pretty quick too and doesn't leave a film on top of your skin or that nasty greasy feeling. I put it on about 15 minutes before I do my MU. Its not too thick or thin a consistency and has a neutral smell. When I eventually run out I will definitely be buying this again. I also love the packaging and the little Dear John note inside...genius :)

This stuff is great. I have combination oily/normal skin, and I have never been able to find a moisturizer that didn't break my skin out even further. Enter Dear John. It keeps my skin nice and moisturized, from the winter when I slather it on religiously to prevent dry skin, to the summer, where I might skip a day if it's a hot day and my skin is greasy no matter what I do. And it never causes extra breakouts. I'll definitely keep using this. I wish they had an anti-aging formula, but this is great! I've been using the same pot since February and still haven't run out, even though I hit the bottom of the pot last month, it just keeps coming!