Time with a good friend ...

It's strange after you leave school, you're starting a new life really and all the school socialising from past years come to a close. This is all good of course, it's life and it's getting out there in the real world and living your life but sometimes it's a little lonely ... I mean I have plenty of people to talk to and there's my family and my wonderful boyfriend but occasionally you really miss the friendship groups of your school friends.

Whenever I get the opportunity to catch up with someone from school I do, it's good for me because it's someone different to be with and have a laugh with. We may not all get to hang out as much any more or do things as a team but we are still in each other's life to a certain degree.

Last week I got to spend the day with my best friend Juanita, we do this every so often, get all glammed up and head off to take pictures of each other, so much fun!!! :)  This time was extra special because she's just had her braces taken off and looks amazing (she always has), she also allowed me to do her makeup for my portfolio (practice makes perfect) and best of all we had such a great time together.

We headed off to one of the local beaches in the area and posed and strutted for the camera, haha :D we even grabbed a ladder from her dad's shed and used it as a prop ... did we get some strange looks? You bet we did haha, but we didn't care, as long as we were having fun.

The theme of one of the photos was like opposites, we each wore the same dress from Romwe.com, Juanita in the black version and myself in the pale pink. The contrast with her blonde hair and my dark hair worked great and we were very pleased with the photos.

The weather was absolutely perfect, we have the best winters in the world here in Queensland, I mean look at that water!! :) and the day was perfect.

Remember to make time for good friends because they are a wonderful refreshing change to everyday life :D

Romwe Winner and Outlet Clearance Sale!!!

The Winner of the wonderful World Cup Giveaway from Romwe.com was ...

kingabojanska @ hotmail . com

Congratulations!!! :D

Also, just a quick note to let you all know that Romwe has a sale on right now with savings up to 75%, also if  your order is over $60, you can get extra 15% off til 31st July. 

The code is: clearance15%

Loosing My Brushes!!!! Sedona Lace 'Vortex' Brush Review

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

Photo property of Sedona Lace

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.

Here’s atutorial where I’m using all the brushes from the kit, there’s also a Giveaway to some lucky viewer for the ‘Vortex Professional Brush Kit with Zippered BrushBelt’ in this video which closes on 3rd August, 2012.

Guide to Online Clothes Shopping .... a few tips

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

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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.

Topshop 

Romwe 

Koogul

The Iconic

Sportsgirl

I think I will definitely add to this post over time and add any new information and stores that I'm happy with as I find them.

Let's hope this post is helpful to some of you :)

Giveaway Time Again!!!!

This Giveaway has now closed, thank you to everyone who entered, Winner has been notified :)


Romwe ‘European Cup 2012’ 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 20^th July, 2012.

Konjac 100% Natural Sponges - Review

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  :)

How Time Flies + Some Favs

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 :)

Thanks for reading and have a great day <3