Conquer the Curl

  So it's finally time for me to talk 'Roller Lash'! This product has been the exciting little addition to every girl's makeup bag over the past couple of months and now I know why! This week I was given the opportunity to work alongside the Benefit Cosmetics gals on their 'John Lewis' counter in Southampton, where we worked as a traffic stopping team to promote the new revolutionary mascara that's making the press go wild!

 

  You're probably asking yourselves the exact same thing that I was when I first laid eyes on it; why on Earth would you bring out a mascara when we already have a best seller in our midst.. Well the great thing about Benefit is that they're constantly looking for new ways to satisfy our every need! Like a shoe, 'They're Real!' may fit like a glove in one makeup bag, but you just can't promise that shoe will fit every girl's routine the same way: they put their hands up and openly admit, 'They're Real' is not for everyone, and there is scope for something else to help out those gals who are still wanting more than their current No.1: we've mastered lengthening and volumizing our lashes - now it's time to conquer the curl!

 

  The difference between 'They're Real' and 'Roller Lash' is that the latter has a lighter, wetter formula combined with its secret weapon: an innovative Hook 'n Roll brush, which is covered in tiny, soft hooks that catch, lift and curl lashes, regardless of your eye shape and size. The curve-setting formula contains pro-vitamin B5, so it conditions your lashes, and has an ink black, satin finish that'll hold for 12 hours. Whereas the formula of 'They're Real!' has a thicker consistency, resulting in finer lashes often being weighed down, making it harder for them to look lifted. Despite people's efforts to discourage me from using something that resembles a medieval torture device, they have always played an essential role in achieving my everyday flirty lash, yet since the emergence of  'Roller Lash' into my regime it has been "Goodbye curlers" and "Hello effortless curls!" this brand new miracle worker gave such a defined curl I never knew could be achieved. It has quickly become my favourite everyday mascara, that can easily be layered for more intensity, and with this carefully formulated product comes the promise to make any lash type - even the straightest and shortest - curved, defined, and thicker without clumps. This mascara will help make eyes look wide awake and bigger than ever, and here's how:

 

Short & Straight - it's all about the hooks on the wand that grab the shortest and straightest hairs separating, lifting and curling in one swipe. The abundance of tiny bristles allows each lash to be individually grabbed. The result: all eye shapes, even the smallest, look wide awake!

 

Long & Twisted - if you've got length but not definition, brush the wand from root to tip to give your eyelashes major curves without clumping. I hate when mascara gets stuck between lashes, but with this brush you can actually feel it hook and separate.

 

Light & Flat - for blonde or light coloured lashes the ink black satin finish gives them a natural, yet noticeably darker shade. The wand will catch and help lift them all day long. Usually I would re-curl my eyelashes throughout the day, but with 'Roller Lash' Benefit's 12 hour promise of effortless curls is a given when put to the test!

 

  Personally, I steer clear of waterproof mascara at all costs, so with 'Roller Lash' this is yet another pro to the product for me. However, while I do find it easier to remove than the notoriously tough-to-budge 'They're Real!' it still offers that same great staying power. Both mascaras retail at £19.50 which is an extremely reasonable price for a high end mascara. Using this new super-curling mascara from Benefit Cosmetics is truly an eye-opening experience: it gives lashes major curl for a wide-eyed, wide-awake look. The brush is universal and works with any eye shape or size, and varying lash types (it works especially well with short or straight lashes that won't usually hold a curl). The mascara itself is inky black with a satiny finish, doesn't smudge or flake, and contains provitamin B5 for lash-conditioning benefits. The result is a dramatic, but not overdone, look that lasts for up to 12 hours. Plus it's easy to remove. Now for the answer to whether it's right for you... It's a no brainer!

 

 

 

 

Melanie

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An Insider's Perspective Part 1: Outfitters to the Gentry

  I am writing of a matter not widely addressed by the public, yet it has played on my conscience for a considerable amount of time now. Until you have worked in fashion retail you cannot quite comprehend the shallow image and scandalous ethos underlying these reputable brands. Having Been employed by two major companies in the industry, it has come to my attention just how damaging the pressures can be.

  I am not the first, nor will I be the last to be pushed out of a major corporation for my unwillingness to conform but it begs the question "If the customers knew what was going on behind the scenes would they still shop there?"

  I started off in fashion retail in Winchester where I worked for an 'outfitters for the gentry': at the age of 16 having a job your friends and foe lust over seemed appealing, and the idea of an abundance of free clothes and generous discounts rather compelling.. I admit, I did lose my morals temporarily! My first day in the job I was in awe of my coworkers: they all wore fancy heeled Chelsea boots and trotted around the little store like their presence truly made a difference. I shadowed an older girl for my first shift, she led me round women's wear and tutted at the site of a size 14 at the front of a rail "BIG sizes remain at the back!" this was the first thing I learnt about working here: you were anorexic, a size 6 or irrelevant! The store was rifled with stories of sex, drink and bullemia causing unplanned pregnancy, which to a girl just out of senior school seemed a foreign concept. Size applied to our clientel too; the younger, skinny and prettier you were, the more your needs mattered.

  I lived out the rest of my days here constantly in fear of being the next one talked about; "that other young girl's a mess, did you hear about what happened last Tuesday?"; "did you see his girlfriend the other day? She asked me for a size 6... I brought down a 14" this idle gossip didn't just come from a midweek girl either, there was a definitive hierarchy that I was too naive to figure out until I had become engulfed by it. This hierarchical society consisted of those worthy of our manager's inner sanctum: her little white room, that was a complete contradiction to any peaceful connotations. This white room lay home to a handful: those with a higher wage,  and then full-frontal ass licks! These were the sort of girls that would latch their workload onto the back of a newbie, such as myself, then once our petty little four hour shift was complete and no one was around to object, would bask in our unsung glory.

  For me, Saturdays were immoral. Adoring husbands in hope of a second look from their wives would swarm the store by the dozen, kids hanging off one arm and a thick wallet the other, asking myself and other associates advice on the latest fashion for a lady. Never were we plain and honest "Oh yes, this two hundred pound tightly fitted blazer would be perfect for your wife's volumptuous physique!" See, our sales pitch was comprised souley on a manager's last bid for a cash bonus at the end of each month: we worked on a philosophy of our buyers sheer willingness to swipe a card, and not their lifelong custom.

  Growing up I lived in the clothes provided by this Great British mockery; the garments always felt personal and exclusive as word was barely out on this West coast treasure, but through business and commerce came destruction of a once family run business, and with it all morals perished. We talk of the pressures in the media for the next generation to be skinnier than the last, and endorse clothes warn by girls stripped from the streets of poverty ridden countries, still carrying the physique to match. Working under the false pretention that to represent a company claiming to be 'truly British' you must be on the brink of hospitalisation for that size 4 figure we used scrapes of fabric to stock down to now leaves its lasting mark on a young employee. Conformity wheedles its way into the minds of the employed and are perception of beauty is contorted to that of a corporation's underlying message: ever wondered why a size 14 seems so few and far between here? "BIG sizes at the back" my opinion is just some food for thought.. Next time you're browsing why not look, though?

Melanie
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Contours and Highlights: your guide to - Step 2

  Contouring the face can make a huge difference to your appearance. With each high and low light you are adding a whole new dimension to the face and have the ability to accentuate  your best features. Contouring involves three main stages: highlighting, contouring and blush. However, in an attempt to keep the information overload to a minimum I thought I would blog about these stages separately.

This is my second stage, so we'll be focused on contouring!

  Contouring is a technique previously reserved for runway models and fancy shoots, with the now ever-so popular influence of the makeup gurus in the blogging world this nifty technique based primarily on the art of illusion goes from exclusive to essential in every girl's daily routine. so what is it exactly? "Contouring is giving shape to an area of the face and enhancing the facial structure through makeup," says Beau Nelson, makeup artist to the stars "It's not supposed to be noticeable - just a subtle definition." this is where many of us lip up.. Subtlety is key! In other words, this is not the time to go dipping your blush brush into some bronzer and adding a brown stripe under your cheeks. It's all about the artistry - accentuating something that's already there. Here are some tips on accentuating natural beauty:

Starts soft - Building pigment as you go allows you to follow the contours of the face clearly. Use a circular motion to sweep under the jawline, the sides of the temples, and under the cheekbones, with an angled cream brush: think of this area as a '3' shape.

Stick with matte - Contouring with a bronzer shan't work unless manipulating dark skin. You need to find something that creates the illusion of an actual shadow; formed when light hits the skin, typically having tones of beige, brown, taupe, and grey. For ultra-light skin tones, YouTube guru Lisa Eldridge recommends using a darker pressed powder from MAC. For darker skin tones I recommend trying a Bobbi Brown bronzer, matched a mere shade darker than that of your complexion.

Build & buff - As your work progresses you may notice a lot of sharp-looking lines, you can soften these by dabbing with a clean cotton pad or sponge to remove demarcation.

Less is more - Contouring the lips, nose, and the eyes can be a bit much for a fresh young face. Skip these areas and add them at your own discretion: as I said, subtlety is key. If you're hesitant with regard to the idea of going in with dark shades of taupe and grey, here's a solution: get two different shades of foundation, focus the lighter shade in the centre of the face and the darker along the perimeter, under cheekbones and along the jawline by dabbing with a damp egg sponge to ensure there are no harsh lines.

Brushes matter - Start with a smaller, fluffy eye shadow brush to allow precision. You should buy two: one for contouring and the other for highlighting, as darker shades may taint your highlights, just about every makeup artist in the world swears by MAC 217. Another great trick is to adapt a fan brush into your routine in order to feather products into the hairline, under the jawline and around the cheekbones, thus allowing for a natural yet airbrushed finish.

Customise your complexion - if you're using powders to contour you'll achieve a more matte finish, if you use creams the result will be more dewy. I recommend using cream based products, since they're easy to blend and build on. As I mentioned in my previous tutorial on highlighting, an advantage of working with cream/liquid based products is that you are getting lasting wear from the product, which is ideal for daily use.

 

This picture demonstrates clearly the idea

of our facial contours as a three.

 

 

 

Melanie

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LOTW tutorial 1: Michael Kors inspired Messy Pony

LOTW - Michael Kors inspired messy pony

   My look of the week takes its inspiration from the Michael Kors SS15 runway at New York Fashion Week, the revival of the messy pony. News like this is great for an avid sleepyhead like myself, so I jumped at the chance to create my own! This simple to do and long-lasting take on the classic ponytail ticks all the boxes for me as you no longer have to worry about a loose wisp of hair taking away from an otherwise flawless look.. Instead you just work with it!

  The look I created in the above picture is formed of five easy steps:

1. Wash and rough dry your hair - it is important to stick to products that work well for you rather than using any curl defining treatments such as a specialist conditioner or serum as often these are silicone based, which I find weighs down hair leaving it heavy and therefore lacking volume - which we need for this to work! blowdry your hair so it's almost dry to touch, just with a little moisture left. 
2. Sleep on it - yes seriously! The best way to develop an effortless beachwave is to tie your hair up in a relatively tight and neat bun, spray it's entirety with hairspray I recommend buying a level 4/medium strength spray as your hair holds its place without becoming sticky or matted
3. Take down your bun - with your head back, carefully take down your bun. We do not want to lose the loose strands of hair around the frame of your face as they effortlessly supply an endearing and youthful touch. Move your finger tips from root to tip just below the crown of the head to loosen the waves in your hair.
4. Backcomb the top section - sectioning of the top section of hair, backcomb your roots ensuring any hair that will be noticeable from our ponytail remains smooth
5. Pull back - pull back the hair into a loose pony, easing away any unsubtle lumps or bumps. Once you are happy with the result tighten the elastic to adjust the height your ponytail will sit at.

*  If you opt for a high ponytail I recommend securing under the ponytail with bobby pins facing the open end upwards and securing under the elastic for maximum hold *

This look combined with a natural complexion is perfect to accompany you and your wardrobe in the transition between Spring and Summer this year as it's convenient if you have little time to get ready and serves a purpose in terms of practicality, if you're rushing from A to B with a busy schedule, as it holds throughout the day.

Let me know how you get on!

Melanie

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Contours and Highlights: Your Guide to - Step 1

  Contouring the face can make a huge difference to your appearance, with each high and low light you are adding a whole new dimension to the face and have the ability to accentuate your best features. Contouring involves three main stages, highlighting, contouring and blush. However, in an attempt to keep the information overload to a minimum I thought I would blog about these stages separately.

This post is all about highlighting!

  Highlighting can help to bring attention to a particular area on the face and can help to achieve more pronounced features, such as your cheekbones. You should aim to target areas that the light naturally hits. There are five main places that people tend to highlight on the face: 

1. Below the eyes - this makes them 'pop' and works beautifully with a dramatic or smokey look. This can also help to eliminate dark circles underneath the eyes. If this is something that you particularly struggle with then I recommend using a salmon colour highlighter because that is particularly effective at cancelling out bags. 

2. Below the brow line and centre of the forehead.

3. Above the Cupid's bow - This accentuates the lips and enhances their shape. This effect can also be enhanced further by adding gloss to the centre of the lips to make them appear significantly fuller.

4. The highest point of your cheekbones - applying three dabs of high beam to the highest part of the outer cheek, just below the eye and using a contour brush sweep the highlighter in towards your nose creates an appearance of incredibly define and high cheekbones.

5. The nose - this is a really useful method when trying to create the illusion of having a slimmer nose.

Highlighters come in both powder and liquid form. I tend to use both, depending on the look I am aiming to achieve. However, I would recommend using a liquid highlighter for a night out because they last for a longer period of time in comparison to the powder which seems to sink in to the skin more. When applying your liquid highlighter pat the product in to the skin rather than rubbing it in as this can remove the foundation from the skin.

The high beam highlighter by Benefit is my go to product for highlighting (£19.50)

Melanie
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My Bootea 14 Day Teatox review

  Just recently I received the 14 Day Teatox from Bootea. The product claims to perform an 'intensive cleanse of your digestive system to help achieve the results you want, leaving you feeling energised and motivated to reach your goals... Sounds great!

  The Course of this specific teatox consists of a two week period whereby you consume 14 daytime cleanses (to be drank when you wake up) and 7 night cleanses (to be drank every other day) the course is quick and easy to prepare as it's just like making your typical cup of tea, and the herbs each bag is infused with work well
together, making for an enjoyable brew.

  Bootea recommend 15 minutes each day of exercise to accompany the programme and suggest a diet plan to follow. As I'm not exactly looking to lose too much weight, just shape up, I chose to not follow a diet plan (I'm relatively healthy anyway) so as for my experience I lost 7lbs in just a fortnight which I believe to be a healthy yet substantial amount, as I was pleased with these results.

  Whilst Bootea is a quick and easy route to weight loss, the aftermath of the night time cleanse can be more than a little inconvenient the next day! I experienced minor stomach cramps around midday after using the every-other-day teabag that accompanies the daytime detox, this resulted in a dart for the nearest bathroom! Of course, the clue is in the name 'cleanse' as it does exactly that: I just wouldn't advise consuming this product if you're to be in a formal working environment the next day!

  As the summer months approach I've started working more towards my typical 'summer body' so shall definitely consider repurchasing Bootea's teatox, most probably the 28 day plan combined with a diet of predominantly fruit, veg and white meat.

Melanie
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If you are interested in trying the same teatox here is a link to this specific product http://www.bootea.com/collections/frontpage/products/14-day-teatox

Depression: a continuous struggle

  Depression can become a compelling neurosis when played into the wrong hands. Each wall of inner protection you have built up over the years is ripped from you like a plaster from a healing wound, until you are helpless. Helpless and alone. People try to understand, but how can you begin to understand something you cant see, that inner entity exists only to its host.

  I have been fighting depression now for the past 2 and a half years and don't believe it is a disease that an individual can be cured from, only numbed of. It fights with your unconscious mind, flaring your emotions into a sense of uncontrollable disarray if left untreated. With my experience I have begun to develop simple coping mechanisms to overcome its interference in simple day-to-day, such as giving myself time limits before I become too worked up by a busy day's activities, which has made a substantial difference when overcoming my anxiety.

  I have received a lot of support from my family and friends with managing my symptoms, but still I feel misunderstood and penalised by the majority. It is clear in my character that I lack confidence, which is constantly recognised and played to my peer's advantage in a working environment: I thrive on praise which can result in my being pushed to take on a heavier workload and then punished when I occasionally do not excel. When you are not accustomed to the struggles of someone suffering with the illness it may be hard to make allowances, but in no way is this acceptable. Depression is often overlooked as just being a 'label' created by celebrities and die-hard excuse makers, but it is real and definitely not easy! I agree, in some instances medication prescribed can be a little placebo; this is generally in cases of mild anxiety experienced by teens, but depression does not fall under just one category. As a result of my employers ignorance I have left my job and remained without work for the past 2 months, which has been refreshing although a lack of routine has left me feeling a little incomplete.

  I have begun to realise that you just cannot please everyone: where you offer someone an explanations, they then throw at you a counterargument. Therefore I am working on pleasing myself.

Melanie
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I have touched vaguely on the idea of Mental Health: if you or anybody you know could be suffering from similar symptoms to those of my own here is a link to a symptom checker conducted by the NHS which could play an important role in the correct diagnosis for you https://www.nhs.uk/symptomcheckers/pages/symptoms.aspx?sat=DHASmentalhealth