Nail Art || Watermelon Nails #4

Polishes used:

Pink - Sinful Colors "Island Coral"

Green - China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover"

Light Green - E.L.F. "Mint Cream"

Black - Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard "Study Date" (black end)

How To

This is probably the easiest way to do a watermelon nail look. It works great as an accent nail or as a full manicure. You will want a dotting tool, pencil, or toothpick.

Step 1: Apply a whitebase coat.

Step 2: Apply the pink coat. Leave a french-tip. Don't worry if it looks messy on the edge, we will be cleaning it up later.

Step 3: Apply the green tip, remembering to leave a white line (as thick or thin as you design).

This is where you can use the dotting tool to add white to clean up the edges of the green and pink layers.

Step 4: Add the black polka dots with your clean dotting tool.

Step 5: Optional Add lighter green straight lines with the dotting tool.

Don't forget a top coat!!!

This isn't my favorite look, but it is nice for working with the dotting tool and the different layers/color.

Why Women Will Never Ditch Their Make Up Bag

Why Women Will Never Ditch Their MakeUp Bag

Looking good inspires many women to feel good about themselves. Some of them prefer being all natural whereas others love using artificial enhancers like permanent perfection makeup. There is so much variety involved in make up! You hear a lot from make up creators about how they talk about make up to women, creating an ideal that doesn't exist, but we women still buy into the ideal that it is enough to make us feel good about ourselves everyday.

Here are just a few reasons so many women can't live without make up. Which reason do you associate yourself with?

It Disguises Flaws

Makeup masks any imperfection that an individual might have. For example, when concealers are properly applied on the face, darker spots often found below the eyes can be concealed. Foundations often disguise flaws very well. 

It Enhances Appearance

With makeup playing a big part in catwalks trends, makeup creators often use these trends to appeal to everyday women. Some women are inspired to copy catwalk trends which allows they to feel creative and portray another part of their personality. 

It Augments Definition

Makeup adds definition to the desirable facial features. Cheekbones and eyebrows are popular ways of augmenting definition. Lip liners help accentuate contour and regain fullness of the lip shape.

It Boosts Confidence

Individuals who are sensitive and overly conscious of their body flaws can rely heavily on makeup. However, with makeup, all these blemishes will be masked, forgotten about enough that you feel nobody notices them. For many women, putting on makeup is an essential daily routine that they cannot skip. Many of them cannot go a day face-naked, because it gives them confidence knowing that they look attractive.

It Exhibits a Person's Sense of Style

Wearing make-up enables you to display your sense of style to the world. It also allows you to play around with different exotic colors and shades to create your own personal style.

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The beauty industry is among the industries with the highest number of jobs globally. The demand for beautician services is constantly growing worldwide with the majority of clients being women. Professionals who offer these services are in high demand everywhere. Having a Hair and Beauty NVQ Accreditation is highly desirable to employers when looking to join a salon to start your career. 

How to Look Beautiful Naturally + Recipes

Hi all my friendlies!!! I had so much fun writing my last "essay" that I thought I would do it again! This time, I want to talk about looking beautiful naturally. Here I gooooooo........

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How to Look Beautiful Naturally - 4 + 1 Essential Tips for a Flawless and Bright

Make up certainly comes in trends. If you open up a magazine or look around, there are dozens of examples constantly marketing make up brands, telling women that the next big longest-lash mascara is made by them. If you are a regular wearer of make-up you will understand that sometimes you wish you didn't rely so much on make-up. However, sometimes it can be provide a fun way to look different from your everyday self.  If you ever dare to go bare, there are a few tricks to help you discover the real, natural you, and it doesn't mean to throw all your make up in the bin; it is about making your make up go a long way and looking at yourself and appreciating what you have got. You can look sexy and youthful at the same time. You can do things like covering up one blemish instead of your whole face or use a lipstick and nothing else. I admit that I have had to spend many hours in the mirror experimenting (along with researching ) for the best natural products to become a reflection of my true self.

So. Let's embrace what mother nature gave us and learn how to look more beautiful with these simple tips and tricks without a full bag of make up!

Exfoliate Your Skin Regularly

Exfoliating is truly under-rated, but you should do this twice weekly. Not once, twice. Your skin pores store tons of dirt, dust and cosmetics over time, which is why you need to carefully exfoliate your skin on a regular basis. Exfoliating your skin helps you eliminate the dirt and dead cells from your skin, thus improving its appearance, keeping sebum production at minimum and preventing acne. To your delight, there are countless scrubs you can possibly make at home, using ingredients you have already in your kitchen. 

Try this simple recipe:

Mix two tablespoons of honey 

with one tablespoon of brown sugar 

and apply this scrub on your face, massaging gently.

Easy peasy!

Make sure to use a scrub only two times a week, otherwise you risk damaging your skin and removing its natural protective hydrolipidic film that prevents infections and other undesirable outcomes.

Wake Up Tired, Puffy Eyes with Cucumber

Many of us experience restless nights every now and then and we wake up with tired, puffy eyes and dark circles under them. You might be tempted to reach for your beauty bag and pick up the concealer, which will help you even the skin tone, mask the puffiness of your eyes and make your face look more awake. But what if there is a simpler solution for these two common issues? Wake up your puffy eyes with iced cucumber, which you can keep in the fridge overnight to be fresh and efficient. Apply it directly to your eyes and leave it there for a couple of minutes. Your face will become brighter and more awake instantly, with no makeup needed.

Zap Blemishes with Arnica and Tea Tree Oil

When blemishes appear, there is a simple way to successfully get rid of them: anti-inflammatory arnica and antibacterial tea tree oil. Again, you might want to reach for your concealer or primer to mask them, but this will not be as efficient as completely removing them. 

Try this recipe:

Mix half a teaspoon powdered arnica extract 

with one tablespoon of tea tree oil. 

Apply this mixture directly where your blemishes are using a cotton pad. 

Use this treatment at least once a week, and you will notice your skin getting more B-E-A-Utiful over time.

Moisturize Your Skin Everyday

For your skin to look youthful and beautiful, moisturizing is a must. However, you don’t need to buy those expensive products you’ve seen in magazines to obtain a smooth, firm skin! – not only are they completely inefficient, but they can cause more harm than good. Ridiculous. Making your own moisturizer is definitely a better option, and thankfully, you need only a few ingredients.

Try this recipe:

Try mixing one tablespoon of coconut oil 

with one teaspoon of olive oil, 

a teaspoon of aloe vera gel 

and half an avocado (mashed). 

Use this mixture every day, and your skin will become brighter, smoother and younger in no time at all!!!

(Why didn't mom ever teach us this?!)

Use Face Masks for Absolute Beauty

Beyond moisturizers, anti-blemishes remedies and scrubs, you certainly need to use face masks to achieve a perfectly beautiful and youthful skin. There are hundreds – even thousands – face masks you can make at home, with ingredients that range from olive oil to watermelon, avocado, coconut oil, aloe vera, plain yogurt and even cosmetic argyle. Depending on what you want to attain, you should use ingredients accordingly. To moisturize your skin, 

Try this recipe:

Mix half a cup of mashed avocado 

with one tablespoon olive oil, 

one tablespoon plain yogurt 

and some aloe vera gel. 

To make a mask that can fight off acne, try mixing a tablespoon of cosmetic argyle powder with half a cup of mashed avocado, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice and half a cup of mashed watermelon.

Voila!!!

By using these simple tricks, which are available on You Tube, your look will improve over time, and the best part is that you will never have to invest money in expensive and totally inefficient products again. If you really need to reach for the make up bag, try limiting what you use and wear a pretty pink or reddish lipstick to instantly add color to any complexion.

Chic Beauty Academy courses include make-upand beauty training where Sam has studied to become a make up artist putting her skills to the test for photo shoots and weddings.

Nail Art || Watermelon Nails #3

Polishes used:

Pink - Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Mighty Mango"

Green - China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover"

Light Green - E.L.F. "Mint Cream"

Black - Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard "Study Date" (black end)

How To

This is something that looks best as an accent nail. Its not too difficult as long as you take your time. You will need a dotting tool of some sort, like a pencil or a toothpick.

Step 1: Apply a base coat.

Step 2: Create a sort of half-moon shape in green. If you want, you could also do a solid line.

Step 3: Using your dotting tool, add a thin white line either on the green or between the green and pink. Now our rind is almost complete.

Step 4: As that dries, use the dotting tool to create a rounded triangle-ish shape for the seeds (3-4 seeds).

Step 5: Use the dotting tool to add either straight lines or squiggly lines in the light green. Now our rind is complete.

Apply a top coat, and you're finished!

Nail Art || Watermelon Nails #2

Polishes used:

Pink - Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Mighty Mango"

Green - China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover"

Light Green - E.L.F. "Mint Cream"

Black - Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard "Study Date" (black end)

How To

This look is a little more advanced than the first watermelon look, but it is still pretty simple. You will need a dotting tool (or pencil or toothpick) and a sponge. I used the blending wedges by eyeslipsface, but I know that you can get "beauty wedges" at the Dollar Tree.

Step 1: Apply a base coat of pink/red.

Step 2: Apply the gradient with the sponge.

To do this, paint a line of white on your sponge with a line of pink right under it. You want the colors right next to each other so they will overlap and blend.

Next, pat the sponge a few times on your nails. If you want the white to be more opaque, let your nails dry and repeat the application. I went a different route, which I will explain as we go.

Step 3: Add a line of green.

Step 4: Add the seeds.

This is pretty easy. Using your tool, put a small dot of black on your nails. Then, pull towards you quickly. This should create a rounded triangle.

You will notice in the image that I have a white line on top of the gradient. I did this with the dotting tool as I wanted both the gradient and the solid line.

Step 5: Use the (dotting) tool to add light green squiggles (or straight lines) to rind of the watermelon.

Add a top coat, and you're finished!

5 Ways To Save Money On Make up/ Beauty Regimes

Hi everyone! So I have a little different type of post for you today! I thought I might share some tips on how to save money on make up!!!!!! Fancy, right? Well, let's get started!

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5 Ways To Save Money On Make up/ Beauty Regimes

Based on a study of 2,000 women, it has been estimated that women spend on average $500 a year on make up alone and spend this on around 38 different products and services. With the rise of inflation, but wage packets unchanged the hard economy is a major stumbling block for women.  People often look to ways they can cut costs, but women, did you know there are savings to be made in your make up bag? Make up doesn't have to cost an arm and leg and get a hold of your emotions, because beauty brands are out to make you feel insure and by into their beauty secrets. Make up brands just market their products differently, the secrets don't necessarily lie in the make up itself. So be aware and be savvy. 

Here are a few simple alternatives to keep your make up costs from escalating:

1. Make Your Own

As a woman, you may be surprised to know that you can come up with a quality beauty product. Reading through the ingredients listed on a beauty product, you will notice that most of the ingredients are easily found in the market. Such include aloe vera, glycerin, almond oil, avocado oil, eucalyptus oil and much more. In fact, your home-made product is more likely to be more effective and safe. Therefore, look through the products, or go online and get handy tips on making home-made make-up and beauty products. NB: Prior to applying it on the face, always test the product on the skin.

2. Try Doing It At Home First

Normally, the fee charged by the beauty shop or salon is inclusive of their labor; because you are paying for their experience and skills. If you really can't do beauty DIY yourself, then research your local colleges, they are now offering salon services ran by training beauticians and because they are training, you can actually pay a quarter of average salon prices.

3. Find A Beauty Course Looking For Practice Models

Getting the satisfaction of well groomed hair or beauty perfection comes at a cost. The more established a parlor is, the higher the prices can be. Thousands of beauticians train every year to become qualified and because of the practicality of the training, some of the assessment is required to use a model for demonstration. This is perfect opportunity to get some free beauty services for free. Register with some local chic hair and beauty courses at training academy’s and colleges so you can be called up for a free pampering session.

4. Shop Online

Maybe it is out of habit but travelling to the beauty store to buy your makeup or beauty products isn't the only place you will find that sells what you like to wear. Shop online and you are guaranteed to find your products cheaper. The internet offers e-retailers reduced costs which means they are passed down to the consumers. The internet is fast becoming an aggressive selling market and competition is fierce, so if you are a first time buyer of a e-commerce shop, more often than not, they will offer you a first time discount and voilà! you have saves money and cost of travelling, which all impacts. To find the exact match of your product online, have the product in front of you and type in the information like for like.

5. Use Codes, Coupons and Vouchers

There are many ways you can accumulate code and coupons, but choose wisely which ones you decide to use as they might not be cheaper after discount than the products you usually buy. The internet offers hundreds of websites that guide consumers to shops and e-commerce sites for great deals, for example HotUKDeals

Nail Art || Strawberry Nails

Polishes used:

Pink - Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Mighty Mango"

Green - China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover"

Black - Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard "Study Date" (black end)

How To

Here is another really simple one to do. You will need a tool to do the leaves (dotting tool, toothpick, or pencil will work just fine)

Step 1: Apply a base coat. (Red or pink or variations there of)

Step 2: Apply a line of green and let it dry (just like the watermelon rind in the last tutorial).

Step 3: When the line of green is dry, put about half a drop in the middle of the line. Using your tool (I used a tiny dotting tool), pull the wet polish towards you. I've seen this done with 3-4 fat leaves, but I like the look of having lots of skinny leaves.

Step 4: Add the seeds. I chose black, but I have seen the seeds several colors (yellow, black, pink, and green), so its really all up to you. 

Put a drop of the seed polish onto a plastic or glass surface (a.k.a. something non-absorbent). Using your tool, dip it into this polish and proceed to makes dots on your nail.

That's all there is to it! This is another look that works great on every finger or just as an accent.

Nail Art || Watermelon Nails #1

Polishes used:

Pink - Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Mighty Mango"

Green - China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover"

Light Green - E.L.F. "Mint Cream"

Black - Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard "Study Date" (black end)

How To

This is a pretty easy look that any beginner can do. It looks awesome on every single nail or as an accent nail. I like to wear this on my ring finger nail and my thumb nail. You will want to have either a pencil, a dotting tool, or a toothpick to draw the watermelon lines and the seeds.

Step 1: Apply your base coat. In this picture, I did two coats.

Step 2: Draw a line with the darkest green. I free-handed it and it turned out fine.

Step 3: Add 3-4 seeds. I feel like 4 seeds keeps the look balanced. 

To do the seeds, put a drop of polish on a plate or plastic surface. Dip your tool (I used a dotting tool) into the polish and make a dot on your nail. Dip it a second time, and dot in the same place, this time pulling towards you. This creates a rounded triangle look.

Step 4: Add the husk lines. Using the same technique as mentioned above, make the husk lines with the light green. Instead of simply pulling up, though, make a squiggly line. You can make them as thick or thin as you want.

Step 5: Finish with a top coat.

ELF Eye Enhancing Mascara Review

No, I don't have before-and-after pictures for this one, I just wanted to drop a plug for this mascara.

ELF (eyeslipsface) has a lot of cheap mascaras and a lot of inexpensive ones. Is there a difference? You can bet your sweet keister there is. For one, both have to cost very little. A cheap mascara doesn't do its job as well as other similarly priced mascaras, etc. An inexpensive one is a great buy.

Alright ... there are other factors also ... but we are missing the point!

ELF has a lot of mascaras for $3 and less. The one I want to talk about is the ELF Eye Enhancing Mascara, specifically the blue one. (Blue mascara?! Don't worry ... its more like black with hints of blue.)

image from http://elfcosmeticsblog.co.uk/2013/06/28/new-studio-eye-enhancing-mascara-plus-little-give-away/

This is one of 2 of my favorite mascaras from elf. The formula is lasting, doesn't irritate my eyes, and isn't clumping. Of course, the clumping could be from the interesting wand ... but either way, this is worth the money! ($3)

A mascara I would recommend not buying from elf:

e.l.f. Essential Regular & Waterproof Mascara Duo

Its a dollar but it is by no means waterproof or worth the $1.

Venus Snap Review

This review is a little late, but here it is!!! (Also, here is a quick Instagram video ...)

http://instagram.com/p/pFTmekNtOP/


SO! This review is on the Venus Snap. I got it in a box from Influenster about a month. I was a little scared, since I haven't been having the best luck with Influenster products recently, but this one was a hit.

(image from www.themodernausten.com)

To start off, let me say this is a 10/10 product ... not something that comes along all the time. I am rather picky about what I consider a "good" razor, and this one simply fits the bill.

My standards say:

1) There must be at least 4 blades.

2) There must be a strip of gel to moisturize my legs and to help avoid razor burn.

3) The handle cannot be square (you know, like the cheap-o disposables?)

That's it. This razor took care of all of that, plus had some bonuses.

Bonuses:

1) SIZE.  It is tiny enough to fit in my purse or travel bag without any fuss (which means if I decide to go swimming after a long day of work, I can take care of business easily).

2) The razor heads are disposable. I can take any Venus (and maybe other brands, I'm not sure) razor head and attach it to the body.

Well, let me explain about the razor head that is on the Venus Snap. Firstly, it is the Gillette Venus Embrace.

Love it.

The shave was close, smooth, and there was no razor burn. Thanks, Influenster. This is probably one of my top 5 products I have been sent.

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Want to know more about this razor or getting free stuff from Influenster? Check out the reviews on the Influenster website.

http://www.influenster.com/review/gillette-venus-snap-with-embrace