Quick Tip: Get More From Your Moisturizer

Moisturizers work by absorbing water from the air and imparting it into your skin. If you notice that your skin gets drier in winter, it's most likely because the air around you is drier too; there's no water to be absorbed from the air.

One thing you can do to help keep your skin hydrated is fill up a spray bottle with water and spritz your face before you moisturize. This substitutes the water lost in cold weather and keeps your skin supple.

Sorted ;)

-Em

How To: Stop Your MAC Numbers From Wearing Off

MAC brushes are notorious for having numbers that just wear away with the slightest of use. I'm sure there are other ways but this is what I do to stop it, and I haven't lost a number yet ;)

To do this you'll want to have;

the brush(es);

a roll of sellotape; and

a clear nail polish or top coat.

First, cover the area you are working on with kitchen roll or newspaper. This is not necessary but brushes are round and if they feel so inclined, they will roll all over the place :)

Next cut off a strip of tape and stick it onto your top or trousers. Pull it off and stick it back on again. Doing this a couple of times will pick up lint from your clothes on the strip, taking some of the 'stickyness' away. If you stick tape straight on the brush handle, you could strip the paint off, so just be careful.

Now the idea here is to tape around the number so that you can 'paint' some clear polish right over it, stopping it from wearing away. Taping around it makes it neater but of course you can skip the whole taping off bit and just paint straight on if you want it a bit more rustic :)

Put a strip of tape along the bottom, top and both ends; this should create a rectangle where the MAC symbol and number are free. Smaller brushes are a bit finicky and you may need to cut the tape to fit. You'll probably find its easier to tape larger brushes like the 150 or 187.

When your brush is taped and ready, you can then paint over the number and the MAC symbol with a clear polish :)

Leave the brush to dry and set for 10-20 minutes. It's important to leave your brush to fully dry before you try to peel the tape off. When it has set, peel the tape off slowly piece by piece.

This has never come off for me, and I wash my brushes religiously.

I think it goes without saying that it will come off if you put acetone (the ingredient in most nail polish removers) on it, and probably take your number with it; so no mani/pedis near your brushes girls :)

Obviously, you can do this with any brush that has it's numbers stamped on like MAC do.

Brushes With Coloured Ends??

Also, if you have ever seen MAC brushes with coloured ends, and wondered how?? where?

Use this same technique and wrap the tape around your brush, about a centimetre from the end of the handle. Paint the end using any coloured nail polish that takes your fancy et volia! Coloured brushes!

MUA's use the coloured ends to distinguish their brushes from other artists'; especially if they are doing a big show like London Fashion Week.

Well, I hope this has helped somebody, happy painting! :D

-Em

Minimizes Hair You Say?

Whilst I was wandering the aisles of Boots in the market for a new deodorant (the oul nivea one was like dabbing yourself with talcum powder) I stumbled across this little number

'For underarms that look and feel hair free for longer!' Happy days.

Now I should mention; this is not new, it has been out for a while now and I have used it once before but I never bothered to check if it was actually 'minimizing'.

So I thought I'd give it another whirl and see if all the fuss was worth the buck - I can't remember exactly but I'd guess it goes for around €3.50.

It comes in two 'flavours' - wild rose and nature fresh - and has all the usual jargon like 'lasts 24 hours' and '0% alcohol' and all that good stuff. So;

The Plan of Action

So the jist is I'll use the minimizer on the right, normal dove on the left and in a few weeks I'll report back and see if there is a difference. Coolio :)

I'm not sure what I'm expecting from this. I think two options;

a) absolutely nothing will change and I'll have odd smelling armpits;

b) it will make it seem as though I have less hair and I'll have odd smelling armpits.

Yey for useless experiments! :D

-Em

What I'm Using Right Now 'Tag'

I say 'tag' because I wasn't actually tagged but I love reading these types of posts so I thought I'd share!

Shampoo: Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect - I love this shampoo even though it's a tiny bit blah.

Conditioner: Now conditioner is a funny one for me - I don't use it everyday and I sometimes feel that it stops working for me if I use the same one twice in a row. So right now I switch between Tresemme Moisture Rich and L'oreal elvive Nutri-Gloss.

Styling Products: I occasionally use a spray of L'oreal Elnett Very Volume hairspray, but only if it's being uncooperative!

Shower Gel: Palmolive Aroma Therapy - the orange one. It was on sale :)

Body Moisturizer: The Body Shop's Body Butter, the cocoa one. It's for super dry skin and it smells good enough to eat :)

Deodorant: Some nivea one that leaves horrible white marks.

Fake Tan: I'm Irish, I don't mind being pale!

Cleanser: Boots essentials makeup remover wipes to take off the majority (not the cucumber kind, i hate the smell) and then Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2-in-1 wash and mask. Luckily, I don't really get acne but I use this to stop any that might be thinking about making an appearance.

Exfoliator: A sample I got from Clarins of their one step exfoliating cleanser and I really like it. I may have to invest in a full size!

Primer: Smashbox Photofinish. Personally, I like the way it smooths out everything but I know some people have problems with it causing milia on the skin, which are small little white marks that are harmless, but really annoying.

Foundation: Right now it's MAC Studio Fix Fluid, but I don't think that the powder-based formula works for me in the winter. I need a foundation thats more moisturizing.

Foundation Brush: The MAC 187 brush - maybe it's me, but i just can't get any other brush to work without looking really streaky.

Concealer: Concealer from the Benefit Realness Of Concealness palette for under my eyes and Benefit Erase Paste on any redness.

Powder: MAC Mineralize Skifinish Natural.

Blusher: It changes but I've been reaching for Nars Orgasm a lot lately. I love the colour with my skintone but I sometimes wish it was more pigmented. Benefit Coralista is pretty much the same colour with more pigmentation.

Bronzer: Nars Laguna.

Highlighter: I almost always neglect highlighter...but if I remember I would just use whatever shadow I used on my browbone! So lazy...

Eyeshadow Base: UDPP - when I bought this I didn't know that it works better on oily lids but all the same it does what it says on the tin.

Eyeshadow: Well they change everyday but today it's a neutral eye using a cream colour on the lid, taupe in the crease and a matte dark grey to deepen - they all came from an old No.7 palette that I had long forgotten about and found today :)

Eyeliner: MAC Fascinating Eye kohl to brighten up my lower waterline and Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on the upper waterline, which if you haven't done it before sounds odd but it makes lashes look thicker.

Curler: I have an eyelash curler by Mister Mascara set that I got in Boots, but I rarely use it!

Mascara: Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara - I'm in two minds about this. I don't see the point in the wand; it's just a gimmick IMO. But I don't hate the formula. I wish it made them thicker, but it's good at lengthening.

Lipstick: Barry M lip paint in 132.

Lipgloss: MAC Pinkarat Lusterglass.

Nail Colour: Even though autumn is about deep reds and purples, I'm still in love with pastel shades. I can't help it :) Right now I'm wearing a 17 nail polish in Pinking Shear which is an opalescent pastel pink.

Of course I tag anyone who wants to join in :)

-Emma

Well...it's a blog!!

Erm...

...ehm...

Now that I have the fecking thing what to say, what to say??

:)

Well for starts, this blog will be mainly posts regarding makeup, hair, fashion, skincare, nails; pretty much the entire superficial world and all who dwell within it ;)

Um, so yep thats kinda all I got for the time being!

-Emma

*Em's Amazingly Awesome Blog 'Coming Soon!'*