Disappointing Beauty Products #4

Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Facial Scrub (Supermarkets/Superdrug/Boots £3.99 for 75ml)
Simple claim that this " Oil Balancing Facial Scrub is a perfect blend of active ingredients and exfoliating goodness to remove dead skin cells, dirt and impurities. Clinically proven to reduce blackheads and blemishes in just 7 days. "
I used this as instructed but did not see any change in my skin or amount of blackheads. After 3 weeks I didn't see any changes and I felt that this was as ineffective as water. I was disappointed as I love this brand and the oil balancing ranged seemed perfect as it's for sensitive and oily skin. Unfortunately this didn't work for me.

The Body Shop Lip Butter in Honey Mania (The Body Shop £4 for 10ml/9g)
This does soften lips during the day but is not very moisturising. It feels similar to Vaseline in the fact that it acts as a barrier but doesn't feel soothing at all on chapped lips. The smell is very sweet but not off-putting. I'm currently using this to soften my elbows and around my fingernails and cuticles instead.

 Dr Organic Royal Jelly Lip Serum (£3.10 for 10ml Holland and Barratts)
The packaging states this is a  'intensely regenerating and revitalising' that 'instantly moisturises and restores the condition of the lips.'  I've never tried a lip serum before but  from this description I imagined it would be an intense moisturiser, but I this feels like a very light version of a lip balm.  I loved the smell fruity mango and ginseng and the fact it's organic with lovely ingredients such as organic royal jelly, Shea better, olive oil, African coffee tree oil and mango butter. It's also free from parabens, SLS, harsh preservatives and artificial colours. As far as the packaging goes I loved the tube it's more hygienic, although  stiff at first but then it gets easier to squeeze. However I was really disappointed, on the lips it made my lips feel dehydrated as if I've just eaten salt and vinegar crisps that have made my lips dry and uncomfortable from the salt. It also tingles a little this might be the ginseng or the bioactive effect it claims to have? Overall I would avoid this one.

No 7 Lash Adapt Mascara in Deepest Black (Boots £12.95 for 7ml)
I'm not sure if this is being discontinued or not. I loved this at first, it lengthens, adds volume holds a curl and suitable for sensitive eyes. The wand has a soft bristle brush. No 7 claim that this is a buildable mascara that can be layered without up to 6 times for more volume, which is does with minimal clumping.
The shiny silver packaging is gorgeous, and makes it look more expensive than it actually is.

The problem came when I wore it for my birthday and ended up with panda eyes when I got off the dance floor which ruined my photos, I was really annoyed. This is good enough for everyday use as long as you stay off the dance floor and avoid the gym and humid weather. For the price there are probably better ones out there

.No 7 Extreme length Mascara in Black (Boots mini sized. Full sized £12.50 for 7ml)

This mascara has a plastic bristled brush which No. 7 claim is unique because of it's flexible plastic bristles, it doesn't look different but does help to separate lashes, reducing clumping. No 7 also say that the brush helps to catch the small lashes in the corner but I think having bristles on the tip/head of the brush would be more effective. This mascara doesn't really have much of an impact, it adds a little length but in no way is it extreme. It doesn't give any volume to the lashes either. I would say this suits those who like lashes defined but are after a soft, natural look. This is also hypo-allergenic so suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. However I wouldn't buy again because there are cheaper mascaras out there that have more impact than this.

25 Ways To Get into The Christmas Spirit

As I get older I find it harder to get into the Christmas spirit especially after losing a close family member, so I've put together a list of things to get in the festive mood and enjoy the celebrations.

1. Spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and tune into Channel 5, Netflix or The Christmas channel for a marathon of Hallmark Christmas movies. If Hallmark movies not your thing (they are quite cheesy) then re-watch your favourites- I recommend ELF or Arthur Christmas. Also check out black and white classic Christmas films on Dailymotion, Youtube or rent via Amazon or Apple. 
2. Make a Christmas wreath- There are loads of helpful tutorials to guide you on Youtube see here.               
3. D.I.Y some baubles using nail polish for a marbling effect (see here.) Or buy some refillable baubles and fill them with feathers, gold star confetti or beads. I also love watching D.I.Y Harry Potter baubles on Youtube. 
4. See a pantomime, musical or ballet show. I've always wanted to see The Nutcracker.
5. Visit winter roof top bars and terraces. 
6. D.I.Y Christmas cards  Look on pintrest for inspiration and how to guides.                           
7. Go ice skating-either the seasonal outdoor skating rinks or local ice rinks
8. Have a go baking gingerbread men, mince pies or Chocolate truffles-they make great gifts.
9. Drink Mulled wine and read a Christmas novel beside a proper fire.
10. Attempt to make a gingerbread house.
11. Create a playlist of festive songs whether it's traditional choir music or classic cheesy songs. Check out my favourite ones here. 
12. Go late night Christmas shopping when all the lights are on. Or check out the big window displays like the ones in Oxford and Regent Street.
13. Go Christmas decoration shopping, I recommend checking out The Range.
14. Buy some Christmas themed bedding try Asda George or Dunelem. 
15. Buy a festive jumper. pajamas, socks or a mug. 
16. Stuck for what to buy friends and family? Read gift guides in magazines, Youtube or blogs to for gift ideas. Write them inside this Christmas planner.
17. Write Christmas cards. I always do this to Christmas music while eating mince pies.
18. Treat Yourself to an advent calendar whether it be a chocolate one, an alcohol version, a candle or beauty calendar.
19. Have a bath with a festive bath bombs like the ones from Lush here.
20. Watch Youtube videos for ideas to buy or D.I.Y Christmas decor. They are also good for ideas on wrapping presents with a festive touch. I like Hermione Chantel's D.I.Y Christmas Tutorials.
21. Take a winter walk whether this be a tour of all the outdoor Christmas lights in your neighbourhood, the annual Christmas lights switch in town or a jaunty walk through fields and fir trees.
22. Paint your nails. Choose glitter, Christmas colours such as red, green and gold or Christmas themed nails such as snowflakes or father Christmas. 
23. Shop at a German or U.K. Christmas market. 
24. Go Carol Singing or attend a carol singing service.
25. Host a tree decorating /trimming party. This is an American tradition but like Black Friday it'll eventually be adopted here. This is a party for friends and family to decorate the tree together while drinking and eating baked cookies, cakes etc.

If you're based in London or are planning a day trip check out the Christmas activities 

Visit Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Attractions include a giant wheel, magical ice kingdom, Christmas markets, a circus and ice rink. For More info see here.

Southbank Winter Festival (Waterloo) You'll find Christmas markets, a Christmas tree maze, express train choir performances and a cider Lodge  see here.

Kew Gardens have a Night time trail.  There's a garden of fire, Santa's grotto and carols. for more info see here.

Go Ice skating in the historic surroundings of Hampton Court Palace (see here) or checkout the ice rink meets nightclub at Somerset House (see here) or at the  Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens there's an ice rink as well as ice carving, a Christmas tree maze, street entertainers and food and drink see here for details.

Go on the London eye at night to see the city in lights or book special tickets with Hotel Chocolate and prosecco. 

Hogwarts In The Snow  Leavesden (near Watford) It's not really London but not far to drive to. I couldn't miss including this Warner Bros Studio Tour where Hogwarts castle is in snow, the great hall is decorated for Christmas and the tour  includes a trip to the special effects department. Hogwarts in the snow tour goes on until 1st February 2015. For further info see here

Carol singing and concert music at  St Martins in the Field  for more information see here

Visit the Ice bar in central London for a winter experience for dinner or drinks see here for more info.

MakeUp Revolution Salvation Palette Run Boy Run & Vivid Blush Lacquer Liquid Blushes Review

Desire- unblended semi dried

These liquid blushes are similar to ELFs HD blushes in their packaging with the air tight pump dispenser. However I haven't tried ELFs HD blush to compare the two. The bottles are small but you only need the tiniest bit. The consistency is a thick slightly creamy liquid (See picture above un-blended) which blends easily so you don't need to use much.- about a quarter of a pea or third of a pea. I've tried various brushes to apply these the best were Bobbi Brown's foundation brush and the Zoeva 122 petit stippling brush. 

However it is so easy to over apply so I make up I have powder or foundation brush to cover any excessive blush. You have to be careful when pushing down the nozzle so that it doesn't give you more than you need and end up wasting the product. Additionally sometimes if it hasn't been used in a while the blush may have dried blocking the so a clean pin is needed to unblock it. These packaging issues aside I really like these. The blushes dry fairly quickly (if you use a small amount) but it does give you enough time to blend them, but once it sets its hard to remove are long wearing. It dries to a matte finish and both are very pigmented but once blended it looks pretty natural on the face but they do show up and I think these colours would suit most skin tones, although black/women of colour may need something darker and brighter. For the price (£3) these are brilliant. They can be found here at Make Up Revolution or at Superdrug Online.

Many of Makeup Revolution's Salvation palettes contain eye shadows that are very similar to each other. I chose Run Boy Run over the others because it was the least similar to the Redemption Iconic 3 palette I'd purchased previously. The Salavation palettes are limited edition palates and Run Boy Run contains a mixture of neutral and brighter colours that are wearable on a day to day basis.

The packaging is simple but looks sophisticated with rose gold lettering on a shiny black case. There seems to be a Charlotte Tilbury rose good lettering trend at the moment. It has a good sized mirror and is bigger than the Sleek and MUA palettes(16cm long by 8cm wide and 1cm thick)  housing many more eye shadows (18 in all). Overall it looks more expensive than it is, a thumbs up for the pretty packaging, something which is often sacrificed in order to maintain a lower price point in budget make up brands. The packaging is sturdy and not too big so would be ideal for travel such as for weekends away, being able to create anything from brown, taupe and pink daytime neutrals, blue, grey,  brown and purple smoky eyes and bright pop of colour with the cranberry 'Break out from Society' shade. I like the mixture of colours as it makes it more versatile to use.

There are 12 shimmer shades and 6 matte shades in the palette. The shimmers are full of pigmentation and are easy to use and pick up on the make up brush. I'm impressed with the longevity of the colours in the first and second row lasting 8 -9  hours, nearly all day on my oily-ish lids without fading and that's without an eye primer! The last row contains six matte shades, from white to warm browns and then cool taupes and a black. These seem to be the neutral shades. The first two shades (Follow Me and Head To The Hills) were difficult to swatch, with Head To The Hills being difficult to show up especially as it's close to my skin colour. These need a primer to stay on and are softer and chalkier than the others, to be honest this row is wearable and usable  but a little bit of a disappointment compared to the amazing quality of the others in the palette.

This is tremendously good value £6 for 18 shades! For the amount of colours and the quality of the shadows (the 6 shades on bottom row aside) you are getting a lot for your buck! Since these are limited edition palettes I'd snap them up while you can.

Salvation Palette Run Boy Run £6 from MakeUp Revolution (which ships internationally) and Superdrug online and instore.

The Autumn Tag

With Autumn now upon us I've decided to have a go answering the autumn tag by the lovely Georgina from Makeup Pixi3. Hopefully it will give you all a chance to get to know me a bit better too!

1. Ok we're talking Coffees what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/ Coasta/Cafe Nero etc?
The Luxury Hot Chocolate from Cafe Nero, it's so rich and chocolatey its to die for! It's also delicious as a takeaway/contraband drink sneaked into the movies!

2. Accessories - what do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves? 
It's all about Snoods for me: they're great because there's no trailing scarf and they're harder to lose because the fabric is in a loop. My favourite is Oliver Bonas animal snood. I might look for some touch screen  gloves this year.

3. Music - what's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn? 
I don't really change my music according to season and I only get the Christmas music out a week or two before the big day otherwise it's too much.At the moment I'm listening to a lot of Taylor Swift, Trespassers William, Lissie and Ellie Goulding.

4. Perfume - what's your favourite scent for this time of year?
I generally stick to my signature DNKY Be delicious see my DNKY Be delicious review here

5. Candles - what scents will you be burning this season? 
I don't use candles because it triggers my asthma.

 6. What do you love most about Autumn?
Sunday night period drama wrapped up in a fleece blanket. I also love watching the leaves turning orange and red and yellow. Also seeing conkers because it was a school  obsession when I was growing up so it reminds me of that.

7. Favourite make up look?
In the past it's been a grey/silver smoky eye with pink lipstick but now I'm more adventurous I'm going to start using Maybelline's colour tattoo in Pomegranate  and wear more berry lipstick.
I also love Bobbi Brown's pot rouge (Blush and lip cream)  in powder pink as it gives that flushed just come out from the cold look.

8. What are you looking forward to most in Autumn? 
My birthday and Christmas! Also finding a nice pub in London with a fire to sit and read and start my writing  (I'm in the process of writing a novel) if anyone has any suggestions please let me know in the comments.

The Unsent Letters Of A Make Up Fan

This post is inspired by Gaia at The Non Blonde's hilarious post: Dear You- Unsent Letters, A Very Cranky Edition and I decided to have a go writing letters of my own, only these are mainly fan letters.

Dear Sephora,

I would love you to come to the UK, fall in love and make a home here. I appreciate that you send care packages to the UK but it's not the same. While you have many properties in Europe(9 in total:France,Spain,Italy,Portugal,Romania,Turkey,Czech Republic,Greece and Poland) I live in hope that you will one day also settle here. You don't have to give up your American citizenship.

Have a think, sleep (beautifully) on it,

Love your biggest fan.
____________________________________________________________________

Dear L'oreal Paris,

Please don't be offended but sometimes less is more. Your lipsticks are too perfumed and it can put people off, especially those with allergies. It would be wonderful if you could perhaps have an unscented version or at least tone it down a little, make it a bit more modern and contemporary, we don't all want to smell like little old ladies.

Sorry not sorry,

Bought No. 7 lipsticks instead.
____________________________________________________________________

Dear Lorac,

I have always admired you from afar, from your beautiful Pro Palettes down to your lovely lipsticks. Unfortunately I can't afford the air fare to whisk you back to Britain.Perhaps someday you'll make my dream come true?

Yours hopefully,

A British beauty blogger.

Quick Make Up Collection Declutter

I decided to have a quick clear out of my make up collection, so I rooted through my all my nail polishes and streamlined my eye shadow palettes.  Unfortunately genius that I am I gave away some items before writing this post. While I've conditioned myself like any other beauty blogger to photograph new make up before I use it, I forgot to keep hold of all of these items before I gave them away, so forgive me for the Orly stock photo.

ELF 32 Eye shadow Palette
This was a free gift with my first ever order from ELF, and it actually put me off buying eye shadows from them as the wear time on these is incredibly bad, the shadow just slides off within an hour or less (I have moderately oily lids.)  However paired with a eye primer these last as long as other eye shadows. I don't feel they're good quality and apart from the peach shadow I don't feel I'll miss the other colours. My Smashbox Wondervision Mega palette (holiday 2013) has a lot of similar colours and of better quality.I don't find myself using this palette on a regular basis. The glitter shadows are bad they look cheap and tacky and as if they come from a child's make up palette. Don't get me wrong I'm not hating on ELF- I actually love their long lasting eye shadows and cream shadows I just didn't like this palette.

Sleek  Supreme Eye Shadow Palette
I went through a phase of buying every sleek eye palette release as they are usually very pigmented and good value for money. But after awhile I realised that many of the colours I already had in other palettes and now I only buy those palettes that are truly different from what I have. I find these shades are very ordinary and honestly a bit drab. I'm going to rescue the third shade bottom row for a cheek contour shade and maybe the matte yellowy beige at the end of the row for an natural looking eye shadow base.

MUA Matte Ever After Eye Shadow Palette

I decided to throw this out because many of the shades didn't show up on my skin and I felt the brown shades weren't unique and could be found in other palettes I had.

MUA Lip Pencils in Brooding Plum and Red Drama
These tend to smudge and I have better lip liners in these colours that work better.

Downton Abbey Nail polish in Satin Pink

This came as part of a set and while I felt I would wear the other colours (a red and dark purple) I felt that I wouldn't really wear such a pale pink. I was hoping it would do for a french manicure but I was wrong.

Orly Nail Polish
Unfortunately I gave this away before noting down the colour it was probably Coutry club Khaki or Dare To bare. I actually got this free with a magazine but after experimenting with the Greige trend I felt it wasn't for me, I didn't feel it looked very flattering on my nails.

6 Iconic Perfume Bottles and The Stories Behind Their Design.

 1. Chanel No 5 by Coco Chanel 1921

                                    Source changes made. Right Palace De Vendrome Source

When launching her perfume in 1921, Chanel famously said 'I always launch my collection on the 5th day of the 5th month, so the number 5 seems to bring me luck- therefore I will name it No5.' The abstract name matched the distinctive smell which separated it from the flowery scents with flowery names at the time. Chanel no5 used synthetic ingredients including a blend of rose and ylang ylang that was much less floral.In contrast to the overly decorative perfume bottles at the time Chanel's bottle was very simple and austere. The inspiration for the bottle isn't clear: it is said to be influenced by the whiskey decanter Coco had, others say it was the Charvet toiletry bottle that once belonged to her then-love Captain Arthur 'Boy' Capel. The final design by Jean Helleu didn't deviate much from the squarish shape Chanel had in mind. The clipped corners of the Place de Vendome match the clipped corners of the Chanel bottle.The bottle reached iconic status in Andy Warhol's famous pop art prints and since 1959 it has been on permanent display in New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Chanel have even launched No 5 perfume shaped handbags.                          

2. Shalimar designed by & for Raymond   Guerlain 1925 

Right fountains from Shalimar Gardens Source

Shalimar was inspired by the Shalimar gardens in Lahore, Pakistan and the love story of it's royal residents. Part of the Shalimar gardens was commissioned by love-sick Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1619 , where he would walk with his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. When Mumtaz died in childbirth three years after her husband succeeded his father to the throne, he built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his wife. Shalimar also means 'temple of love' in Sanskrit. Europe in the 1920's had a fascination with the East, with it's exoticism, khol-eyed beauties, passion and addictive substances. The bottle is inspired by the garden's fountain, the curves are the basin and the blue transparent fan stopper represents gushing water. The bottle was manufactured by Cristal Baccarat (who along with Lalique first turned the perfume flacon into an objet d'art.) The perfume was displayed at the Decorative Arts Exhibition in 1925 and won first prize. Recently the bottle has been redesigned by jewellery designer/socialite Jade Jagger, a more pared down version that doesn't alter drastically from the original. 

3. L'Air Du Temps by Nina Ricci 1948

L'air du Temps was launched in 1948 after World War II, in a spirit of harmonious joy. The conceptual themes are universal peace, purity, freedom and love. The perfume was to represent the symbol of femininity and eternal youth.  L'Air du Temps is also the air that we breathe, the mood of the moment, the reflection of each era. L'Air du Temps… An unequalled moment of emotion.The original bottle of Nina Rici L'air Du Temps was created by Marc Lalique, considered one of the greatest perfume bottle designers of all time who influenced by art noveau made perfume bottles an objet d'art. He worked with Francois Coty, Roger & Gallet,Houbigant, Molyneux and Worth. His design was a sunburst with a frosted glass insert and stopper. Then in 1951 his design changed to two frosted doves ontop of on a swirled flacon/bottle which encapulated the concept of Peace. Limited editions aside the bottle has remained to the present day. The limited and speical editions have all had doves in the design with variations on the number of doves, the color of the doves and the color of the bottle. The exception was in 1996 when Lalique made a winged version of the bottle that did not have the doves see far right above.

4) Classique by Jean paul Gautier 1993

To me this bottle of a woman's body always reminds me of Madonna's pointy gold bra (also designed by Gautier for her Blond Ambition Tour) but this design has roots further back in history. Shaped like a tailors dummy it references the fashion houses dressing famous stars. This design was heavily influenced By Elsa Schiaparelli's 1937 surrealist bottle called Shocking. Shocking was based on Mae West's corseted hourglass figure. Mae West asked Schiaparelli to design her costumes for The 1937 film Every Day's A Holiday. Schiaparelli based in Paris would not travel to Hollywood and West could not go to Paris. A compromised was agreed when a torso with West's measurements was sent to Schiaparelli's Paris Workshop. Incidentally Shocking was Frida Kahlo's favourite perfume. The designer of Jean Paul Gaultier's classique bottle is Saint Gobain, while Gaultier personally designed the boxes.Today a tin can contains Jean Paul Gautier's perfumes, the unusual choice is because Gaultier likes to use everyday objects and turn them into art. The Eau De Toilette is in a frosted glass bottle and a silver metal can, while EDP comes in a bottle dressed in a lacy dress and in golden metal packaging.

 5) CK one by Calvin Klein 1994.

Left Source Middle Source Right source

This perfume epitomises the 90's, appealing to disaffected, sexually ambivalent, grunge generation X. Popularity for this 'new' unisex brand went through the roof. Because the perfume was marketed as as unisex the bottle design was kept very minimalist to appeal to both sexes- Fabien Baron designed a flat screw top bottle, reminiscent of a hip flask or gin bottle keeping the look edgy. The adverts were shot unconventionally in black and white, using moody looking androgynous models to emphasize the unisex brand. Clever marketing on the back of the current zeitgeist ensured CK One broke industry rules and records,  selling 20 bottles per minute at its peak. 

 6) Flower by Kenzo. 2000

Kenzo's artistic director Partrick Geudj wanted the bottle design to be based around a flower because of the floral scent but he also wanted the flower to symbolise peace after being inspired by the photograph above taken by Marc Ribaud during a March for Peace in Vietnam in Washington' (21st October 1967.) It showa a girl holding a flower as she faces a line of soliders holding bayonets guarding the Pentagon. The resulting design by Serge Mansau is a tall narrow glass leaning to the side like a flower in a breeze and a trompe l'oeil image of a flower which makes it look as if there is a flower inside the glass vase bottle. Serge Mansau has also designed Ô by Lancome, Declaration by Cartier, Eau de Rochas or Diorella.

A Chocolate Lover's Wishlist: Celebrating National Chocolate Week 2014

 To celebrate National Chocolate week The Chocolate Show offers demonstrations, tastings, truffle rolling, even couture outfits made entirely of chocolate! It's held at London's Olympia is still on until 19th October and tickets can be bought on the door so if you're at a loose end pop in. If you're not near London there are other events around the country for more details see here. There's never been a better excuse to dig deep into a box of Quality Street. You may not have known it but this week is chocolate week, and it's not over yet.

Personally I haven't really tried many chocolate flavoured body care or make up- but I do remember a certain chocolate flavoured lip gloss from the body shop in the 90's. It was more chocolate fudge/cocoa than a true chocolate taste and smell and was a browny pink colour! I should really go and try their current chocomania products. Anyway to celebrate chocolate week I have put together a chocolate beauty wish list that's almost good enough to eat.

1. Looking just like a box of chocolates, these gorgeous handmade bath bombs will make your bath extra special. The box includes vanilla bath creamer, chocolate orange bath creamer, coffee mocha Bath meltz ,chocolate bath mallow, double choc chip bath gem and chocolate Buttercup. From

Bomb cosmetics £9.99 

2. This is one of The Body Shop's best selling body butters in Chocomania. Currently it's half price £2.50 for 50ml and £6.50 for 200ml

3. If you like the smell of Terry's Chocolate Orange then this will be right up your street. Not only does it smell like chocolate it contains Shea Butter, vitamin E, Pro vitamin B5 and is free from silicone and Mineral oil. This Body lotion with Chocolate & Orange Extracts with Shea Butter is from Aromacare £12.95 Amazon.

4. Faith in Nature Chocolate Shampoo. This shampoo has a blend of Organic Cocoa and Vanilla infused with Sage. Holland and Barratt £5.59

5. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer smells like chocolate Cult Beauty £25 

6. Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. Like the bronzer this palette contains cocoa powder infused eye shadows  Debenhams /Beauty Bay £45

7. Estee Lauder Pure Colour Nail Lacquer in Chocolate Foil a lovely colour but unfortunately doesn't smell like chocolate. John Lewis and other Department stores £14

8. Put some colour into autumn/winter pale cheeks with Bourjois Delice de Poudre bronzing powder. With flecks of gold and it smells like chocolate. Boots £7.90

28 Blog Ideas for Beauty and Fashion Bloggers

Kaboompics changes made

1.  How to guides: for applying fake lashes, creating smoky eyes, for contouring, concealing.

2. Post Technology expertise. I've seen a few 'Techy Tuesday' series and Html tips which I've always found useful.

3. A post on making the most out of social media for connecting with readers and growing your blog.

4. A list of useful apps for bloggers, Photographers, fashionistas and beauty bloggers or apps you use regularly.

5. Routines: Showing your go to make up look, morning and evening skincare routines or how you     style your hair for work.

6. Wish lists: picking out products from eBay, Etsy, Beauty Bay, Topshop, Asos, etc that you'd like     to buy or a theme such as make up brushes or a handbag wishlist. I loved this photography equipment wishlist by The Life Of a Beauty Addict (here).

7. Blog Love. Create a post on favourite bloggers or posts you've liked.

8. Create a post on your favourite instagrammers, Youtubers or Pinterest boards.

9. Google any forthcoming days/weeks that are devoted to particular causes such as national feet day, mental health week and stopover (stopping smoking) and create a post inspired/tie in which will also increase awareness.

10. Recreate looks from make up campaigns, fashion campaigns celebrity pictures in magazines,    videos, reality shows such as X factor.

11. A post on News and current affairs. Whether this your opinion on new make up technology such  as the nail polish that tests whether a drink has been spiked Mary from Strikeapose (here) wrote a good article on this. Or blog about more general topics, following the incident where Beyonce's sister hit Jay Z, Makeupmonster (here) wrote a blog article on whether assaults towards men are taken seriously. The Huffington Post and Jezebel are good websites/blogs for current affairs news.

12. Write a dupes posts or look for less post.
       
13. Write about what got you into blogging, first experiences of make up or forays into fashion (disasters.)  Blog about what you love and what bugs you about blogging. Jane from British Beauty Blogger (here) is very outspoken about blogging issues whether this be about the magazine/blog divide or fake bloggers or giving an overview of the beauty blogosphere (here.) While Makeupmonster (here) offers more discussion by asking readers their opinions on blogging issues.

14. Interview someone. They don't have to be famous. Someone in the field such as beauty PR, marketing, make up artist, photographer, a vintage clothes store owner, a vintage compact   collector or another blogger.

15.  Blogging and photography tips, these aren't just read by beginners I think everyone appreciates tips that help us improve.

16. School subjects think HISTORY of make up/fashion, SCIENCE reading ingredients     lists/good/bad ingredients. ENGLISH a list of beauty quotes, book reviews on make up or   autobiographies of someone you admire or important person in the field such as coco Chanel. DESIGN the prettiest and ugliest packaging or branding.

17. Do a tutorial/face of the day/nail of the day/outfit of the day post.

18. Best picks of a particular brand /one brand tutorial.

19. Review experiences of spa days, salon treatments, personal shopper/Make up swaps/swishing  parties.

20. Review tools of the trade:make up brushes, sponges, eye lash curlers, hair rollers, hair dryers, tongs straighteners, nail plate kits etc.

21. Blog about make up storage/clothes storage.

22. Seasons change. Summer: bikinis and sun protection, winter months Dealing with dry skin, wearing woollens, Spring pastels and spring cleaning (aka chucking out old clothes/make up) Autumn colour palette for nails/clothes/make up.

23. Make it personal. Write a post about how you deal with any issues you have such as having acne, eczema, anxiety issues.  Use your experiences to give tips and advice on how you dress with big boobs (Annie from A Little Opulent does a great post here btw) how you make thin hair voluminous etc.

24. Complete a tag -there are many online and readers love getting to know the person behind the blog.

25. Write about beauty and fashion hits, misses and favourites.

26 Invite a guest blogger or participate in a collaboration. If you have no one in mind you can do a blog call out post to ask if anyone is interested.

27. Look back at your old posts and write a new post with links to your favourite posts. Or write a post that groups old posts together so they are easier to find in one go such as List of all the blogging or beauty tips or How to, posts.

28. List all the current sales: highlight the best offers or list all the voucher codes available  money saving expert is a good place to start.

Top 13 Worst Beauty Product Names

This post was inspired by Jane Cunningham at British Beauty Blogger and her post on Badly Named Beauty products. These are my Top 10 worst product names that I've come across- enjoy! (Updated 2020)

1. Illamasqua Bacterium Nail Polish
   Just what you want to paint on your nails- bacterium- sounds enchanting! To me this just brings to mind all those toenail infections, athletes foot, fungus etc...so very unattractive.

2. Simone Chickenbone Chicken Poop lip Junk  'crafted from ingredients you want to put on your skin.'

Firstly this product does not contain any chicken poop/ poo/ droppings, whatever you want to call it. None. At. All. So why call it Chicken Poop Lip Junk? Apparently the name was inspired by creator Jamie Labor's grandpa, whenever she complained of dry lips he'd tell her 'Put some chicken poop on your lips so you won't lick 'em!'  Despite the fact that it wasn't easy to sell something called Chicken Poop the name stuck. Jamie's perseverance paid off as now over 700 stores across USA, Canada, Australia and the UK have it in stock. It's also not tested on animals and the only animal ingredient is  beeswax.

3. Kat Von D Selektron Liquid Lipstick 
Selektron is an anti-semetic term used by the Nazis to  refer to the selection process in prisoner concentration camps. Because of the rightful furfore the shade was renamed Beloved. Kat Von D's notority (anti-semintism, anti-vaxxer, dodgy rascist boyfriends) became too much for the brand owners which has now re-branded as 'Kindness Vegan Discovery Beauty' and Kat Von D has stepped down from the company.

4. Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips
    I guess this brand didn't want to forget it's roots as a humble balm used to soothe nipples of breast feeding women. From the name it also sounds ideal for runners complaining of nipple chaffing. But with a name like Dr Lipp surely that's all you need? The name is slightly confusing and would probably appeal to a wider audience and to more men if the word nipple was dropped?




5.  Nail Polish in Erektis Klitoris
It sounds like an X rated Harry Potter Spell.

Photo from Bridge Mistress Reddit

6.  Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish in Watery Waste
Talk about running down your product, this is almost like an own goal from Maybelline. This name does not sound good. It makes you think the nail polish will be too runny and that the colour is nothing special and suggests it in fact be a waste of money.

7. Too Faced Granny Panties
Normally Too Faced gets called out for it's sexually explicit names but this one is at the other end of the scale- Granny Panties doesn't scream attractive or desirable. Then there's the scenerio when you get asked what lipstick you're wearing and you reply 'granny panties.'

8.  Bleach Nail Polish called Jizz..and it's white. That is all.

9. Flesh Beauty Firm Flesh Thick Stick Foundation
This sounds like a something you'd hear on a phone sex line 'Firm Flesh Thick Stick Foundation'' Flesh Beauty also reminds me of those American Tan orange brown stockings making the name both sexy and unsexy at the same time what a feat!

10. Urban Decay Desperation Eyeshadow and eyeliner 
I know Urban Decay is an 'edgy' brand that prides itself on being 'anti-barbie' but surely we don't want to actually aim for create the  look of desperation, surely that's not a good look on anyone.

11. Urban Decay Lube in a Tube
    Yes it rhymes and it's catchy but this just sounds gross and tacky. I know Lancome has ownership over  Juicy Tubes but surely Urban Decay could have come up (no pun intended) with something a little more sophisticated and more appealing?

12. Nars Deep Throat Blusher
  Orgasm sounds sexy but deep throat sounds like it would be more attractive to men than women and to me suggests gagging. Surely you don't want to associate your product with gagging?

13. Smith and Cult Nail Polish-Porn-a-thon

There seems to be a tradition to use sexual innuendos to name nail polishes. Smith and Cult 's nail polishes retail at £19 and the name seems cheap and cheesy for a high end brand. 

12 Tips For Blogging Inspiration

For the next three consecutive Mondays I will be posting a Blogging tips series which I hope will be useful and I'd love to hear some feedback. Here goes...

1. Read magazines and blogs, for information on the latest trends, inspiration from the cover star's hair, make up and style or reviews on the latest products (Brands like Revlon and Maybelline release products in the US before they hit the UK) You may see a blog-post and feel you can expand further or put your own twist on it.

2. Take a trip to Boots, Superdrug or the department stores (or Sephora if you're lucky enough to live near one) list trends, swatch the newest products, spray the latest perfume release. Tour the high street for the latest fashion and compare which brand does the trend best.

3. Watch TV and films. Recreate the make up or style of favourite characters, celebrities on chat shows or  from reality shows.

4. Talk to family and friends. When I mentioned I was starting a beauty blog I got asked questions such as recommending the best waterproof mascara, my opinions on organic skincare etc. Ask them what sort of things they would like to know.

5. Ask friends and family the next time you notice and like their new outfit and make up look where it's from. You could also ask their advice on tips for dressing different body shapes or make up for different colourings.

6. People Watch, whether in the park in summer, waiting at the bus stop on a cold day, waiting for a friend to show up or even in a doctors waiting room, take a look at what people are wearing, their hair and make up. Is there someone who hasn't quite managed to pull something off? This could become a dos and don't post or an advice guide. Does someone make a really odd choice look great? How? The most common advice to writers is to earwig (for perfect dialogue or inspiration for ideas) whether on the bus or in a shop queue, perhaps you overhear something you don't agree with- this could become an opinion or rant piece.

7. Use your experiences. Write down what you know since you've started blogging this will boost your confidence and may develop into an advice post or humorous take on blogging.

8. Use your experiences, if you've recently attended a wedding, prom, races such as Ascot or even  nights out, take a look what people were wearing (perhaps a certain style or colour is fashionable) and how they did their make up and hair.

9. Take inspiration from social media, whether this be a twitter bloggers chat or from Instagram and Pinterest pictures.

10. Read and watch the news. Use topical subjects to write an opinion post, or bring awareness of a certain cause close to your heart, broadcast your enthusiasm for the next advancement in beauty technology or take inspiration for the latest outfits from a celebrity wedding/court hearing or film premier.

11. Take a look back at the posts with the most views and read the comments, are there any questions that need answering, or is there anything you feel you left out? Use these posts to expand or write similar posts.

12. Take time out to recharge your batteries. Sometimes ideas flow when we're more relaxed. And when you do get back to blogging it won't feel like a chore but a joy.