I love my
makeup brushes, I really do!! I waited a long time to get makeup brushes and
now that I have them I really appreciate them, so you can imagine that loosing
some of them is pretty tragic :(
Some of you
may know that I’ve been doing a Makeup Course which means that I was travelling
to Brisbane with my bag of makeup goodies, I have a lovely Zuca Bag which holds
everything nicely enough but my problem was my brushes, the brush belt I had
just wasn’t cutting it, I’d roll all my brushes up in it after doing my work
but when I came to get them again next time some of them had fallen out and
found new homes amongst all my other stuff or they were just missing :(
urghhhh!!!! So frustrating >:(
This is when
I set about looking at a few sites in search of something better to store my
brushes in. I still needed a brush belt and I didn’t want to be moving them out
of one thing and into another all the time.
I watched a couple of youtube videos to see what was around and then
came across something that just might work :D
The ‘Makeup
Artist Brush Belt with Zipper’ by Sedona Lace looked like it just might do the
job!! YAY
I have a
couple of makeup pallets from Sedona Lace which I find great, I have the 28Neutral Pallet (which I love) and the 10 Blush Pallet and I’ve reviewed them
both earlier last year so when I realized they had this handy little brush belt
I was very happy :)
I decided on
the ‘Vortex Professional Makeup Brushes
with Brush Belt’ because like I said, I’m missing a few of my brushes and they
needed to be replaced, also, it’s good to have a nice supply of brushes in my
professional kit.
The complete
set of brushes with brush belt sells for $79.95
The brush
belt alone is $19.95
The brush
set alone is $69.95
The zippered
brush belt is amazing, it keeps all my brushes safely in one place while I’m
travelling and nothing falls out, it’s faux leather (of course) and has a
really good sized adjustable belt. The zip goes all around three sides and keeps
your brushes safely inside. I would have like the belt to be about an inch
bigger just because I do have a lot of brushes (like most makeup artists) and
maybe he belt could have adjusted more to fit smaller people better.
The brushes
themselves I’ve been trying out for a few weeks now, I actually removed all my
other brushes from my bedroom so that I would only use the Sedona Lace brushes
and see how well they really worked. You can see that I’ve been using them in
my last few videos.
I must say I
was very happy with their performance, I only had a problem with the eyebrow
brush being a little scratchy. My favourite brush would have to be the angled/bent
liner brush, it makes applying eyeliner so much easier.
These
brushes have had very little to no shedding. It’s common for most makeup
brushes to shed a little when they are new and maybe the odd hair or two during
their lifespan so the shedding on these brushes
was nothing out of the ordinary.
The kit
comes with four (4) face brushes, eight (8) eye brushes and a lip brush. You
can purchase it with or without the brush belt and I do think that they are great
value for the money.
Brushes
included
Jumbo Fan –
FB01 – Face Brush
Tulip
Contour – FB03 – Face Brush
Dome Contour
– FB05 – Face Brush
Flat Top
Buffer – FB07 – Face Brush
Universal
Blender – EB09 – Eye Brush
Flat
Synthetic – EB11 – Eye Brush
Synthetic
Blender – EB13 – Eye Brush
Pointed
Crease – EB15 – Eye Brush
Brow Spoolie
Duo – EB17 – Eye Brush
Bent Liner –
EB19 – Eye Brush
Detailed
Shader – EB21 – Eye Brush
Angled
Detail – EB23 – Eye Brush
Capped Lip
Brush – LB25 – Lip Brush
Please
remember that these are called ‘Professional’ brushes for a reason, they are
not your basic brushes, this is not a kit you would probably buy for your first
brush set but rather an ‘add-on’ brush set to complete your range of brushes.
The
packaging was very secure, they arrived in a well padded box with the brushes
in a nice organza bag. They also come with a pamphlet which explains what each
brush is used for.
Before I get into it, don't forget my Romwe Giveaway in the post below, it closes on the 20th July and you could be the lucky winner of $200 worth of prizes!!!!!! :D
*****************************
Shopping online can be a little daunting for every one, I know my very first online clothes shopping experience wasn't too great and actually put me off shopping online for a while.
The first thing you should have when shopping online is a way to pay for your purchases, that could be either paypal or some sort of credit card. Not everyone has credit cards these days (I don't) so you can purchase the pre-paid kind to use over the net. I buy mine from Australia Post, they have a variety of cards from pre-paid visa gift cards to reloadable visa cards. Be sure to follow the instructions on the card and don't try to use them before they are 'activated' which can be within 1-2 days depending on the type of card.
Just for the record, I've never had a problem with either Paypal or pre-paid Visa, I find them reliable and secure and you're using your own money so you're not getting into debt!! :)
Shoe Shopping
Ok, back to shopping online, most of the things I've bought online have been clothes, If you want to purchase shoes I would definitely read the size guide thoroughly and be sure you know what your size is, international sizes are very different and can be a bit confusing so don't order any shoes unless you are confident with the sizing. I ordered from The Iconic because it is an Australian site and I am confident that the sizings listed are the same as in Stores in Australia and also that if they didn't fit, they have a great returns policy (that I also read thoroughly) :) I'm also a bit fussy when it comes to shoes, I like to know that they are going to be comfortable so I prefer to buy them where I can try them on.
Clothes Shopping
There are so many online clothes sites and you can spend hours looking through their catalogues and 'pretend shopping' haha :D, the beauty about online shopping is that you can put things into a wish list basket and think about it for a while as you continue to browse, the bad thing is that there is such a huge variety that you can quite easily over spend :D Lots of things seem cheaper online (especially compared to Aussie prices) and you can get carried away. Remember if you're ordering from overseas that you may have to pay shipping fees on top of your purchase so be aware that something really heavy may cost quite alot to ship.
Anyway, what most people are concerned with is whether the garment will fit them??? No one wants to wait for a parcel just to find out the fit is wrong :( that can be very disappointing.
Most (I would hope all) online stores have sizing charts, you will probably find these near where you choose the colour and size of the garment when ordering, have a good look around and find the 'size guide' button. Sometimes the Size Guide can be found on the tabs at the top of the site or down the very bottom of the store page. Just because you are a small, medium or large in your own country doesn't mean the size will be the same overseas. The size guide will have definite measurements that you can go by. Take the time to measure yourself (or get someone to measure you correctly) and compare the measurement to the guide in the store and also read the garment description for any other sizing notes. The store sizing guides will change from store to store and from garment to garment (because of different branding) so it's very important to read them on each item before ordering anything!!! :)
One Size garments can be a little deceiving too, my idea of one size fits all is that it should fit everyone from small to large, but my idea of 'small to large' may not be everyone's idea so once again you need to refer to the sizing guide and garment description to see what measurements it will actually fit. Remember to check out the length too, that dress on the model may look the right length in the photo but if you are shorter it may come down to your knees :/ check the length too :)
Have a good look at the photo .... does the garment look well made? Is the garment 'fitted'? If it is fitted then you will have to be very accurate with your measurements and compare them very carefully to be sure the garment will fit, always allow 1-2cm extra (just so you can breath, hehe). Things with elastic waists or corset style backs will always have a little bit of forgiveness in the sizing which can be a great thing. If you are considering buying a formal gown online I would strongly suggest the corset laceup style back :)
Take a good look at the style of the clothes you like, is it a style that will suit your body shape? Just because the model in the photo may look hot doesn't mean you will! Don't get carried away with new trends if you know they won't look any good on you, if possible get a second opinion from a friend or someone you trust :)
Does the colour look ok? Well that's a difficult one, most computers are calibrated (colours set) differently so the colours may not always be exact in real life. Rule of thumb, don't buy something in a colour you don't like even if it looks great on the model.
The only bad experiences I've had with online shopping is where the garments were supposed to be 'Custom Made' to my measurements and did not fit!!! I would definitely prefer to buy from a size chart now.
Another thing I highly recommend is googling reviews on the stores themselves, don't just rely on youtube and people you 'like to watch' but read and watch a variety of reviews from trusted sources.
Recommendations
I can't really give a huge list of places to shop from, I've only bought from a few online clothing stores myself and have been very happy with their products so far.
This Giveaway has now closed, thank you to everyone who entered, Winner has been notified :)
Romwe ‘EuropeanCup2012’ Giveaway
For many around
the world the Euro World Cup is something to get excited about, in Australia we call it Soccer, my boyfriend loves it and plays every week :D As a special
treat from Romwe.com I have another great Giveaway for you. This time one lucky winner will receive over $200.00 worth of prizes!!!!!
$100.00 to
spend at Romwe.com
USB programmable
‘LED Message Fan’ (value $35)
Quartz Pocket
Watch (value $89)
And all you
need to do to enter is register over at Romwe.com and then come back here and
leave me a comment (something sweet is always nice :D) along with the email
address that you used to register at Romwe ….. soooo easy and if you’re already
registered at Romwe half the work is already done.
Good luck to
everyone, the Giveaway will close on 20th July, 2012.
As a teenager I've always got the odd spot or two on my face but after I started my makeup course I noticed that I was breaking out a little more than normal. I was applying and removing makeup from my face a lot more than what I usually would and I think that my skin was getting aggrevated from all the attention. I stopped wearing makeup in the mornings because I knew I would only have to remove it and more products would be applied to my face once I was at the Academy and then I'd have to remove that before heading home again, there's something about wearing zombie makeup in public that doesn't go down too well these days :/ I was cleaning my skin in the evenings like I always have but I was still breaking out!!!
So when I was asked if I would like to try out the Konjac Sponges from KUUKonjac.com I thought they might be interesting to try.
Within the first week of using a Konjac Sponge to clean my skin I noticed a difference to my face, it was clearing up a little and I had not broken out again either :D Over the next couple of weeks I've noticed a nice improvement in my skin and I've had heaps of products on my face with Assessments for my course, not just makeup but adhesives, latex etc so my skin has been through quite a lot but has not suffered as much as it was previously, YAY!!!
So what is a Konjac Sponge? Let me enlighten you a little :)
Konjac is a fibrous jelly like food made from a type of Southeast Asian root vegetable called 'Konnyaku', this jelly is then mixed with calcium hydroxide (lime) to make the sponge, Konjac has been used by the Japanese as a beauty treatment for over a century.
The sponges are very soft once wet and are all handmade. They are suitable for all ages and skin types and are great for babies. They are 100% natural, have no preservatives, colours or additives and are biodegradable.
They are said to stimulate blood circulation, cleanse, sooth and encourage new skin cell growth.
Ok so how do you use them? Easy, just rinse the sponge and massage it until it absorbs the water, in a circular motion start cleaning your face with the rounded side. You can use it alone or add a little of your favourite cleanser. Once you've finished just rinse the sponge out a few times and gently squeeze any excess water out (do not wring) and then hang it up somewhere to dry. The sponge gets hard once it's completely dry so all you have to do is rinse it and start again the next day.
You can sterilise the sponge if it gets dirty by either boiling it for about 4 mins or putting it in the microwave. The sponge is supposed to last 2-3 months and once it's old you can just throw it in the compost or the garden.
There are four different sponges in store:
KUU Konjac Pure - suitable for all skin types - $7.95
KUU Konjac with French Red Clay - suitable for mature, dry or delicate skin types - $8.95
KUU Konjac with French Green Clay - suitable for oily to normal skin types - $8.95
KUU Konjac Baby - suitable for children and adults, square in shape for easy holding - $8.95
After using the sponge for a few weeks now I can honestly say I'm very happy with the results, my skin is still not blemish free yet but it hasn't had nearly as many nasty breakouts either so to me that's a giant plus and I will keep on using them!!! :D I would recommend these sponges to anyone who enjoys natural products on their face and for anyone looking for a good cleansing routine, especially if you have sensitive skin, remember you can use the sponge by itself so it makes them pretty economical too :)
Well I know this year is going pretty quickly but honestly, I can't believe that July is almost here and that my course is almost finished :( Next week is my last week O_O
For years I've been so excited to do a makeup course, it's always been on my mind and now it's almost over. What a wonderful time I've had too, learning new things and hopefully improving my skills and creativity. They have been long days and they have been interesting days, I've had many little experiences on my train trips and it's really opened my eyes to the world outside my own little life. I've loved being in the city even though I get up just after 5.00 am and don't arrive home 'til sometimes after 7.00pm. My little adventures were fun too, even though I may or maynot have gotten lost :D
So what's next? Well I'm not exactly sure, I know I want to work with makeup but whether this is just freelance or in a salon or store is not known, I've even played with the idea of more study but don't want to get lost in a sea of courses and become a 'professional student', hehe .... if you know what I mean. :)
It's all good though, I had originally put this year aside as a 'gap' style year (without the exciting overseas trips :P) haha so I'm comfortable with what I've done so far, I may even just find some good part-time employment so that I can still have time to grow a freelance business too :) I'm pretty sure something will happen and life will fall in place.
While I'm here I may as well share with you a few things I've been enjoying for the past few weeks, I haven't done a 'favourites' type post for a long time so why not :D
Konjac Sponges - These wonderful yet simple sponges are just great for cleaning your face, 100% natural and very gentle to the skin, they sell for $8 - $9 on the KUUKonjac.com site. I will have a full review on these sponges up shortly :D
photo property of KUUKonjac.com
Cheese - Yep that's right, cheese :D I probably like cheese too much (at least my mum thinks so) so I've opted to try some 'better' cheeses than the regular yellow type. I'm loving ricotta and feta cheese in some of my dinners. Apparently white cheese is better for you than yellow cheese .... I'm not too sure about that and not fully convinced that any cheese could be bad for you :D hehe it just tastes too good :D
Smoothies - These are great, I used to have them a lot in summer because they are delicious and I've started having them more often over the past month or so. They are really filling and see me through to lunch time when I'm at my course. Usually they are made with coconut, banana and blueberries but they are still very delicious without the coconut and just adding an extra banana and water instead. You can see my 'Smoothie How To' video HERE
Movies - I've seen a few movies recently (thanks to the rain) and it's not the movies that I'm taken with it's actually the makeup in them, I find that I now analyse makeup application rather than enjoying the movie :P but of course what I really love about the movies is that I get to snuggle up with my boyfriend for a couple of hours :D
Gym Ball - I recently bought myself a 'Celcius Gym Ball' from Rebel Sport for $39.95 to replace the chair in my room, with all the travelling I do (about 3-4 hours a day, four days a week) I need to get my body moving as much as I can to combat all the sitting I do. I'm loving it so far, it's fun to work with and also comfy to sit on and I've seen a little improvement already :) yay!!
photo property for Rebel Sport
I hope you enjoyed this post, I've been running short on time this last month and even my youtube videos have been a bit scarce :( but hopefully once my course is finished I'll get back into some sort of routine :)
Hair
extensions are wonderful accessories for us girls, they can give you that extra
bit of confidence on that special night out knowing your hair looks fuller and
longer. They can make that simple braid/plait look like something very
special!!!
Last year I
was sent a set of hair extensions that I did a little review on and that I wore
quite a lot, of course over the summer months it’s a little impractical to wear
extra hair as it’s so hot and humid where I live but now that the cooler
weather is here again I’m loving extensions.
I was recently
asked if I wanted to try out some ‘salon’ extensions that were only available
through hairdressing salons and were top quality and it got me to thinking what
is the difference in clip in extensions???
So I’m going
to be talking about a few different sets of extensions and telling you the
difference in price, weight and quality that I personally found and hopefully
if you’re looking to buy some yourself it may be of some help.
These sets are
all advertised as being 100% human Remy hair. The main points to consider when
buying extensions online is the length of the hair and also the weight,
obviously 90grams of hair is going to be almost half the weight of the 160gram
sets. The pieces are not going to be anywhere near as thick as the heavier sets.
You should decide
whether you want the extensions for length or fullness, and decide on what
colour closely matches your own hair if you want a seamless look. If you are
wanting to dye your extensions then always try to buy a shade lighter than what
you want. It’s much easier to dye hair darker than lighter.
When
something is advertised as Remy hair it just means it is the ‘highest quality’
human hair whether it’s from brazil, india, china or wherever, it’s the highest
grade for that hair. You can easily
curl, straighten, dye, braid and style remy human hair just like the hair on
your head. The hair is a full cuticle hair that all runs in the same direction
(from cuticle to tip).
Having a
sturdy clip on your extensions is very good, you don’t want those clips flipping
the wrong way or being too obvious on your head so the colour of the clip is
important too, try to get them to match the colour of the hair extensions.
Clips should be securely sewn on on at least three sides. Sometimes after many
uses these stitches can come undone and it is a simple thing to sew them on
again.
When you
hear the word ‘weft’ being thrown around, think of the 'weft' as being a curtain of hair sewn together at the top so when weft is referred to it means is how many layers of
hair are on the extension piece (not to be confused with how many clips are on the piece). A double weft would be two layers of hair, a
quad weft would be four layers. Be sure if the extensions are more than one
weft that they are not positioned directly on top of each other which would
make a thick band. They should ideally be placed above each other in a ‘step’
pattern which would make the band thicker but flatter against your head.
22" clip in extensions in #4 (medium reddish brown) they cost approx $110 last year but I think they sell for $99 now.
These
extensions have been through a lot of use, they’ve been styled in lots of ways,
washed numerous times and even dyed and they still look pretty good. I never
actually liked the clips on these ones as they are silver and not attached very
well and now that I’ve seen different types of banding I don’t really like this
banding either. You should check with
the website to see if they have changed their clips. These extensions are a ‘double
weft’ extension sewn directly on top of each other which means they have a bit
of a ridge when they are on.
15” clip in
extensions in colour #2 – 90grams - $49.95 (on sale) – they come packaged in
plastic bag
These were
quite a surprise when I received them, they are much smaller than what I
expected and very light, the ends seam to look a little ‘scruffy’ too. To be
honest I’m not sure why you would really want such a lightweight set, I know if
you have fine hair a lighter set is required than normal but these just seem a
little too thin to me although if you are someone with very fine and short hair
they may work very well. These are ‘single weft’ extensions.
10 pieces - 18”
Delux clip in extensions in ‘Melted Chocolate’ – 160grams - $165.99 – packaged
in plastic
I was quite
happy with this set, the larger piece is really nice and full, it’s called a
‘quad weft’, I can wear this piece just by itself and it makes quite a
difference. You can also purchase this piece alone for $55.99 which is a pretty
good idea. The band and clips on the larger piece are sturdy and strong with the wefts sewn in a stepped pattern and the
hair itself styles up beautifully. The smaller pieces have a smaller and less
sturdy band and are ‘double weft’ pieces sewn directly on top of each other. I have noticed that a couple of the clips have come unstitched in places already so I will have to restitch them.
Hairvenly
Extensions (Australian site so if you’re in Australia the postage would be much
quicker)
10 piece - 20”
Delux clip in extensions in ‘Dark Brown’ – 160grams - $159.00 – come packaged
in plastic
This is a
beautiful set of extensions, all pieces are solidly constructed and all have a
wide band, secure clips with silicon and with plenty of hair on each piece. I’ve worn these
quite a bit and they have styled up perfectly and have performed very well.
Hairvenly Extensions also has a YouTube channel which demonstrates how to care
for your extensions along with some great style ideas - HERE. These extensions are
also ‘double weft’ extensions sewn in the stepped pattern.
7 piece - 20”
luxury ‘ultimate volume’ clip in extensions - $425.00 – colour matched to your
hair
Available
from salons only – packaged in silk organza bag inside a thick cardboard
cylinder.
This set is
the first set I’ve owned of ‘salon quality’, I wasn’t really sure if there
would be much of a difference between this set and the last two sets I showed
you but even when I first opened them the quality and thickness in this set was
obvious. From the packaging to the actual performance and feel of these
extensions (they actually feel like satin) there really is a sense of luxury.
This set is also cut with a more blunt end rather than a natural layered end
which is great for those that want that look or want fullness right to the end
(which is great for braiding too) and because they are only available from
salons you could easily get them cut to suit your style while you’re in the
salon. All the pieces have a sturdy band and well placed clips with silicone
strips for extra girp. If you are someone who wants to wear extensions on a
long term basis it would be worthwhile to invest in something like these. You
can also get sets suitable for fine hair which are 5 piece sets. These
extensions are advertised as being ‘ethically’ obtained (so no poor Russian prisoner
had to give up their hair against their will!!) and they are ‘double drawn’
which means all the hair strands are the same length all the way down and they have been
thoroughly checked twice.
********************************
So overall,
are the salon extensions really worth the approximate $200.00 more than the
online extensions? Well they certainly are beautiful and seem to be of a
excellent quality and if you can afford to pay for that luxury then I say go
for it, if on the other hand you are a teenager with limited funds, I can quite
happily recommend the extensions from ‘My Fantasy Hair’ and ‘Hairvenly
Extensions’.
Putting in
extensions is quite easy once you’ve had a little practice and there are
hundreds of ‘how to’s’ on youtube to show you how, heck I even have a simple
one myself – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDH_QuaUxaM&feature=plcp :D
MyFantasyHair has a great slideshow that shows you where to place the pieces - http://www.myfantasyhair.com/Style_Guide.php Remember, you don’t need to
wear every piece in the set, I quite often just wear one or two of the larger
pieces, one parallel to the top of my ears and the other just above. The size of your head will also determine how many pieces are best for
you to wear.
Caring for
hair extensions is pretty easy, you need to remember that extensions do not
produce oil like your normal hair so they will dry out quicker. Simply giving
them plenty of loving care, especially when you wash them will keep them
looking healthy. Always apply a heat protector when you’re styling them with
anything heat related. Deep condition the ends occasionally too with argon/moroccan
oil or something similar.
It’s not
necessary to wash your extensions after every use, because they don’t have
natural oils they don’t actually collect as much dirt and dust but of course if
you use a lot of products in them they will need washing when you think they
need it. Normally after about 4 wears is
a good time to wash. When you wash them, use a gently shampoo for dry hair and
then condition them with a conditioner (leaving the conditioner on for about
5-10 minutes before rinsing) you can then use a deep conditioner if you like. Don’t vigorously scrunch the hair when
washing, just gently massage the shampoo in and then rinse out.
It’s always
better to let your extensions air dry rather than using a hair dryer, you can
lay them on a clean towel to dry but I prefer to hang mine over the towel rail
over night. Using wide tooth combs and brushes or special loop brushes on them
is best but not when they are wet and you should NEVER sleep or swim in your
extensions. It’s best to store them in a clean dry place, I store mine in boxes
so they stay clean and out of the dust, some people like to hang them up.
So I hope
this post was of some use to you, here's my video :)
Congratulations to the Winner for this Giveaway, Lorna - 'dupy80 at yahoo . com . ar':)
Thank you to everyone who entered!!
I love these giveaways from Romwe :) I love it when the winner finds out they have won and how excited they are.
So here's the latest Giveaway for you, this time the prize is a gorgeous backless dress, this is the dres that I wore in my 'Nina Dobrev' video which I'll link below. The dress comes in three colours and the lucky winner will be sent one of these plus $50.00 to spend at Romwe plus a secret gift will be sent to the winner as well!!! Not a bad prize at all me thinks :D
All you need to do is
1. Share this giveaway in some way (twitter, facebook, blog etc) and post the link in the comments
2. Be registered at Romwe.com and leave your email you registered with in the comments
3. Follow my blog (that would be nice :))
This Giveaway will only take place on my blog to avoid all confusion and will end by 6th June, 2012 :)
I wore this style dress in this video (at the end)
