Tag: Products

The lovely team at The INKEY List recently sent me some goodies for a new range they have launched!

Starting a skincare routine can be daunting as heck. What order do you do things, what things should I put on - is there anything I can realistically leave out? Do I have to spend all that money? Now I'm no skincare specialist, and I'll never claim to be one. If you've a thirst for knowledge about all things skincare then I wholly recommend Caroline Hiron's Skincare - The No Nonsense Guide - it has incredible advice in it and more knowledge than you could ever imagine! There's also two incredible skincare specialists I recommend in Nottingham if you're looking to get specific help. 

However, here are my tips for all skincare types!

Everyone should experience luxury when having their makeup done! After all, it's a special occasion and you deserve to feel truly fabulous, from a wedding day to a day out on the town! That said, I don't think that any animals should be harmed for us to feel this good.

It's why I've been a cruelty-free makeup artist now for over 10 years. That means I won't support brands that sell in countries where animal testing is required for their products to be sold. No products in my kit have been tested on animals, and a very large portion of it is vegan too - which means that there are no animal derived ingredients used either. 

Sadly there's a lot of brands out there that do still test on animals - Nars, MAC, Dior, Bobbi Brown, Benefit, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Elemis, Clinique, and Armarni, to name a few.

There's no need for animal testing in this day and age. You can absolutely have luxury products that are cruelty-free! I will always endeaver to go above and beyond to make sure the items in my kit will deliver impeccable results. 

So here's a few brands that I keep in my kit that you can be assured also have good ethics!

Introducing the first-ever eyeshadow palette from award-winning Nottingham makeup artist Ms Moo Make Up; Bridal Eyes!

Bridal Eyes is a vegan and cruelty-free eyeshadow palette designed with ALL skin tones in mind. It has 9 highly pigmented colours in a range of matte, shimmer, and metallic eyeshadows in some of the most popular shades used by Ms Moo Make Up.

The square palette is lined with synthetic leather with a cardboard outer sleeve. There’s a mirror in the lid of the palette, with the Ms Moo logo in silver holographic foil.

Summertime, the weather is free and easy... and our faces are at risk of slipping around like they are on a slide at a waterpark!

(by Ed Godden Photography, one of my recommended suppliers)

Sarah from Rock n Roller Hair is a font of all knowledge relating to wedding hair. She's also the absolute go to person for all things hair extensions, as she's trained in ten different methods. Who know there were 10 methods to even know about?! She's super calm to work with on a wedding morning, and we always have a giggle together. I asked her about her experience in the wedding industry and how she's finding lockdowns and not being able to work...

Someone asked me at a make-up lesson recently what my favourite budget product was. In my make-up kit, I have got a whole range of products and brands and I'll always try to find a high street version of a premium brand. Not always easy but I do try! However, here's 5 products that are all £10.00 or under that I wholly recommend you get for your kit.

"Do you use MAC make-up?"

It’s a question I get asked a lot as to what make-up brands I keep in my kit. When a potential client enquires, I go through a few names (the big brands and the smaller ones) but there’s noticeably one missing which would often be in other make-up artists’ kits. As I then say that I don't use their products before I've had a chance to explain I feel it sometimes goes against me as I then have to justify why I don’t.

Man, I have so many brushes. I bought a few single ones when I started getting into makeup then my lovely friends bought me a whole roll of makeup brushes and I didn’t know what many of them did; so many new and exciting things, I was gobsmacked! I now have two brush 'kits' (my personal one and my professional one), and I’ve changed many around when I’ve found better quality ones. That said, I don't spend loads on my brushes; there are a few specialist brushes that I've splurged on and some have been fabulous, some have been atrocious but it's one of my mid-range brushes that's my favourite make-up brush.

I apply SPF to my face each day; so much so that I probably remember to do it more than I do brush my hair!

After my little rant a few weeks ago about mascara shelf life, I figured I'd do a little guide on the shelf life of other products that are likely to be in your make-up bag.

There are a bazillion (yes, that's a word!) of articles for the shelf life of make-up but I don't think people really realise why it's so important.

Here's my list of year-round goodies that you absolutely MUST have in your make-up bag or on your dressing table.

Vaseline is one of those things ingrained in us that it's moisturising and good for dry lips. In reality, it doesn't moisturise dry lips at all; it causes a barrier over your lips and gives a sense of false hydration :/ Even on their site, they say that it's absorbed into the skin but another question says that it provides a protective barrier; which is it?!