Ah! May! Zing! - A quick little grumpy post

My obsession with Strictly Come Dancing seems to slowly be turning me into Craig Revel Horwood. Could be worse, at least I'm not turning into Brucey!

I adore the OTT makeup on the show, but I have one pet hate

PATSY KENSIT'S EYELASHES. They make her look all gammy-eyed and are very distracting from the dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJI-obJXGEo&feature=related

Watch the first 10seconds of that clip and you'll see what I mean, they resemble Venus Flytraps whacking shut.

Patsy would be better off using individual false eyelashes and slowly building them up for a more natural look. The strip-lash doesn't suit all eyes as we have different sized and shaped eyes, if they're not sitting correctly on you it could be that you need to trim the strip down (always cut from what would be the inner corner).

Rant over, I can't wait for next week's show :)

The humble eyebrow

Eyebrows not only frame the face, but they can also enhance the beauty of ones natural eye shape, and accentuate the look you're going for: be it an everyday or sophisticated look, the best place to start is the humble eyebrow.


"Practitioners in the field of facial aesthetics, such as make-up artists and cosmetic surgeons, have long appreciated the influence of eyebrows on attractiveness (eg Cosio and Robins 2000). During the 18th century, in fact, in Western Europe full eyebrows were considered so essential to facial beauty that some upper-class women and courtiers would affix mouse hide to their foreheads."

Ok - So, I wouldn't go as far to say if your eyebrows are looking a little lackluster that you need to go shave the nearest animal and stick it to your face... just don't ignore your eyebrows.

Ideally when shaping your eyebrows you will want them to begin parallel to the innermost corner of your eye, and end diagonally from the outer corner of your eye (see image below). When plucking or threading your eyebrows always pull the hairs out in the direction of growth and pluck from below the eyebrow. If you pluck from above the eyebrow you will end up with a permanently grumpy look. The point of arch usually appears naturally, ensure that you do not take out too many hairs if the arch becomes too high or skinny your eyebrow shape will look unnatural and a little McDonalds 'M'. If you find plucking a little too painful then either pluck them after a hot shower (the heat will open up your pores and allow the hairs to be tweezed out with ease) or rub a little ice on the eyebrow area just before tweezing to numb the pain.

If you've never shaped your eyebrows before and they're airing on the side of werewolf then it's advisable to get them shaped professionally and then you can easily maintain them by following the shape given.


The best tweezers I have ever owned are Tweezerman's slant tweezer, they cost me £17 (expensive - but a god send) or you can buy the mini version for around £12... but I find them a bit awkward to use so would recommend getting the normal sized ones. For that pretty hefty price tag you get a lifetime guarantee and free sharpening (I've never used this service but if I do will let you know)

Top Tip: If you're going for a 1950's look, after you've added the brown in for extra definition, apply a small amount of either a blue or purple eye-shadow in to the brow. I promise it won't look like you have, but it just makes the whole look pop. 

I used this technique on Hannah's eyebrows: 

Because Winter HATES YOUR FACE

http://www.visit4info.com/advert/Winter-Hates-Your-Face-Gillette-Toiletries-Range/87073


I saw this advert and I had to think wow, over the top much?!
Rather than starting a hate campaign to stop Winter from being oh so unnecessarily abusive to your face I will instead tell you why it is so important to moisturise all year round.

You may be thinking, but I have oily skin, adding moisturiser in to the equation is surely a recipe for disaster? Wrong! By not using a moisturiser your skin has been over compensating and producing more oil. Invest in a good lightweight matte finish moisturiser such as Dermologica's Active Moist Lotion with ingredients such as lemon and burdock this moisturiser will help to balance out your skin's natural oil levels, at around £20 see it as an investment in to your long-term skin health.

For those of you with dry skin who are not already moisturising, shame on you. Next time you're in the chemists grab yourself a Simple Kind to Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser at less than £4 It would be rude not to! Within a few days enjoy your newly soft and healthy looking skin.

I have the dreaded (and most common type of skin) combination! My moisturiser of choice is the well known Simple - Hydrating Light Moisturiser, at less than £2 a bottle it is most definitely a beauty bargain. I use it religiously - fabulous as a base to any make-up it will give your foundation a much more even appearance even on a bad skin day. My foundation has an SPF in it already (MAC's studio sculpt), however on the rare occasions that I do venture outside without any make-up on I always wear a more intensive moisturiser that contains an SPF. I am currently using No7's Protect and Perfect Day Cream, It's priced at £20.50 but is currently on 3for2 in store.

Reep the rewards now - and thank me later. Not only will your have a much healthier glow from the offset but in years to come you will be benefiting from having protected your skin from sun and wind damage.


Remember, NEVER use a body moisturiser or a perfumed moisturiser on your face - these intensive creams are not meant for your face, and the perfumes will just irritate the delicate skin around your eyes.