Estée Lauder Double Wear

Hello again, all! Sorry for me being a bit quiet recently, I've gone back to college this week and have been busy busy! But it's my day off today and have taken the time to show you one of my latest make-up purchases.

I have been trying out a lot of different foundations recently to find the perfect one for my very pale skin. My skin is rather dry too so I have to be careful in what I choose or else my skin will just flake off, not cool. I was after a full coverage foundation which isn't too cakey and kept my pale skin tone. I came to the decision of buying Estée Lauder Double Wear and bought it in the shade Ivory Rose.

Oh, and before we start I would like to say I have not edited these photos because it looks like I have in a few! Just a bit of good lighting.

This is my face without any foundation. Just eye make-up and brows. 

This close up shows you some redness I have to my skin. My main problem area for this is around my nose. So let's slap on the foundation and sort that out.

There we go, much better! As you can see the foundation gives a very smooth and radiant effect which also avoids a cakey look. The colour is the perfect match for my skin. Before I apply my foundation I use a day cream moisturiser by Nivea. I use an Urban Decay foundation brush to apply my foundation which I love and use a buffering technique to make sure it as all blended equally.

This is the finished product! I apply Rimmel Stay Matte powder over the foundation and then use Hoola Bronzer by Benefit to contour. The lipstick is Chili by Mac! 

I highly recommend this foundation if you are after full coverage. It comes to a cost of £28.50...ouch. BUT, I would say it is worth it. I received a tester from Debenhams which I gave to my sister and she has fallen in love too!

 Also, before this I was using Clinique Superbalanced foundation which is a medium coverage which I also loved. But the bottle was insy tinsy and lasted only a couple of months. I have faith that this will last me much longer!

Betsy Jo

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Winged Eyeliner

As promised on my last post I am doing a quick tutorial on how I do my winged eyeliner. 

Winged eyeliner is a big statement for the 1950's style and is my default make up for everyday. Whether it be on it's own or with eye shadow it will always work for me.

I have used many different products for eyeliner, as I have been wearing it daily for around 3-4 years! But, for Christmas last year my mum bought me the Diorshow Art Pen and it is by far the best I have ever had. It has the perfect shape to quickly apply flicks, whether they be big or small.

At £24.50 it is a rather pricey product. But, considering I have had it since Christmas and I still have it shows it is a worth while investment.

Righty ho! So, start with drawing a line from the corner of your eye upwards, in the shape of the first picture. Make sure you don't start it too far out as it can make your eyes look too long and a bit funny. This line will determine the size of your flick, I like mine quite big but obviously it is completely up to you and depends what works for you!

Then, by starting just above of your first line, draw the second line. Draw backwards going towards your nose, use quite a lot of pressure so the pen doesn't stagger and create a messy line. Repeat until the line is to the desired thickness and then by pointing the pen towards your eye fill in the corner following the shape of your eye.

Then you just need to fill in the gap using the same technique as the second line. As you can see in this picture the pen is the perfect size to just do quick simple lines!

All done! Easy peasy lemon squeezy huh?

Remember girlies and guys, practice makes perfect!

Betsy Jo

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Big Beautiful Brows

Yesterday, I submitted a post to Make Up Addiction on Reddit using my picture from my Purple Power post asking advice about my purple lipstick. They all seemed to love it, and a few also asked about my eyebrows!

I thought it would be a good opportunity to show you all how I do my eyebrows. It is pretty simple and I don't use any spectacular products, just a MAC eye shadow (in shade Carbon) and a Real Techniques angled brush.

The eye shadow is very, very black and I chose this to match my hair... Well half of it anyway!

Here are my natural eyebrows. Pretty thin, pretty boring! I get my eyebrows waxed every 4 weeks and don't usually ever pluck them (mainly because it makes me cry in pain). You will see at the end of the post how different I look with my eyebrows done, good eyebrows are very important.

It looks like I have excessively photo shopped my face but I think it is just the lighting! 

I dab the brush in the eye shadow, I try not to have too much on there to start with as it's better to build it up progressively to avoid them being too dark. I start off at the corner, with the longest part of the angled brush facing my nose. I then brush a line to the arch, then down from the arch to the end of my brow. Simples!

Once I have that line I just fill in the rest of the brow using short brush strokes. I like to exaggerate my arch as it gives me a better looking resting face and a less of a miserable b*tch face.

I then turn the brush round so the longer part of the angled brush is facing my forehead and pull back some of the starting hairs. This gives the brow a more natural look.

I always use a matte skin matching eye shadow under my brow too.

All done!

I'll be doing a winged eyeliner tutorial next so make sure to come back soon. Keep up to date with my posts on Facebook!

Betsy Jo

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Purple Power

I'm treating you all to two blog posts today!

I thought being as in my other post I was wearing this stunning purple lipstick by Mac it would be good to show you all a closer look.

You've probably all seen or heard about Heroine. It was very popular when it was limited edition and now it's been made permanent! As you know I am a big fan of red lippy but I wanted to try something different. I recently tried pink but I've now gone even more adventurous with purple!

I wasn't sure how it would suit my vintage look but when I put it on I felt like it is what I've been missing all my life! It is perfect for spring and enables me to be a more bright and bold for my favourite season.

Who knows what colour I'll go next... Watch this space!

Betsy Jo

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Victory Rolls

My previous hair tutorial on hair quickies seemed popular and I wanted to show you all how I do my victory rolls with straight hair. No curling, just a sh*t load of back combing and hairspray!

This is my super duper boring straight natural hair. It is also recently washed which is always more difficult to style so I've chosen the worst possible hair to have when wanting to create victory rolls. But it is possible and easy once you get the hang of it, trust me!

First you need to section your hair. I would suggest using a side parting as it is more flattering to the face, in my opinion. Divide the hair by putting your thumb at the tip of your ear and following the line back like in the photos.

Once you have got your two sections then put the rest of your hair up to keep it out the way!

If you're a regular here you'll know these are my hair saviors. I use the brush for backcombing and smoothing and the spray as a hairspray. But, to be honest for this style you could use any hairspray!

Start with the bigger section of hair and backcomb, backcomb and backcomb! Do most of this near the roots but also a little towards the end of the hair to make it easier to shape. Smooth it out and spray with hairspray.

Make a loop like in the second photo, it doesn't have to be super neat because you can tidy it up with pins. Roll it down until it meets the head and use a hair grip to pin it in the middle.

As my hair is quite layered I always get wispy bits of hair here and there. The best way to get rid of these is using the hairbrush shown above to smooth it against the rest of the hair and spraying with hairspray. Then run your hand over it and grip where possible. 

Once the roll is looking a bit tidier then grip into place. Remember to use hair grips that match you hair colour!

Then start on the other side. Do the exact same as you did on the first bit. This may need a little more backcombing due to it being thinner. Don't worry if it looks like a birds nest because you can easily smooth it out!

You don't want the roll to far forward so place it just a little bit behind the other and grip! If you find yourself using endless amount of hair grips, don't worry, it's for the best!

Pinch the two rolls together and put a grip directly facing them through the middle where my finger is pointing.

Now just the finishing touches. Some hairs may need a little tidying and the back so don't be scared of a little more gripping!

I then also just push my rolls down with my hands to get the slanted shape I like them to be.

And, the finished product!

I do love vintage curls but I am so lazy and don't have much time so I usually keep to straight hair.

Hope you followed this okay!

Betsy Jo

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Pink to Make the Boys Wink!

As you all know, and if you don't, I LOVE LIPSTICK! In my previous blog post about lipsticks I showed you some of my reds. Up until recently I've been a bit of a snob and turned my nose up at any lipstick that isn't red.

But, I took the plunge and have bought a couple of pinks! I love to explore new looks, and when I wear pink lipstick I feel rather cute and love to dress with light blues and yellows.

The two I have bought are, MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in the shade Funk and Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Showy.

I have had my eye on the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers for a while and they finally had them in my local Superdrug. These are £3. Yes, £3, your eyes aren't going funny! The Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm was recommended by my friend, Laura, and are £7.99.

Top - Revlon
Bottom - MUA

 

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm

I absolutely adore the colour of this balm. I'm very picky with lipsticks, if it doesn't look like I'm wearing any unless you're at least only a meter away, what's the point? I was worried that because this was a balm that it would lose it's strength of pigment. But, it doesn't! It's so moisturizing and doesn't peel, oh and smells of mint! 

Because it's such a nice day and I love the sun I thought I would take a photo of these outside too. Please excuse my squinty eyes!

MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer

This one is a little darker which is great for when I want to wear navy's and black's. I am so impressed with this product. The pigment is amazing and it is so long lasting! I know some of you will be thinking, "Is it as good as the Lime Crime ones?". I haven't ever used their products, but this is so good I would probably say yes.

I love this product so much I am going to by all the other colours, so watch this space!

Selfies in the sun are hard!

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions!

Betsy Jo

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Hair Quickies!

Hello again! I don't know about you gals, but sometimes I feel super lazy with my hair. I see all the beautiful curls and creations girls do with their hair and I just think to myself, where do they get the bloody time?! 

If you're like me, having to get up six times a week before 7am for a not so glamorous job and college. I really don't have time (or energy) to create the fabulous full on vintage inspired hair everyday.

So, I've done this post to show you how I compromise with quick do's with straight hair! Oh, and I got my roots done and wanted to show off my lovely colours.

Number 1

This is my natural hair.

Take the front of your hair and using a curling iron (mine is 19mm) roll the hair towards your face. Pin and spray. I use my favourite spray by Trevor Sorbie called "Curl Creator" (see more on my other hair tutorial).

Leave pinned hair for around 10-15 minutes to cool. I usually do my make up in this time. 

Once you have taken it out. Backcomb with a thick bristled brush to create height.

Then shape with your fingers, using the technique in picture three. Pull it down gently but still keeping height. You may need to brush underneath to smooth the curl.

Take a section of hair from the side of your head around the size of the first picture. Bring it to the top of your head and grip in place. Do this for the other side too (this will work for both middle and side partings).

Fix your front curl with a couple grips by tucking it under and gently sliding the grip in.

Alternative look with the front curl. This is great for when your hair is in an unwearable state and can easily be cute-ified up with a hair accessory!

Number 2

This look is pretty similar but with a different front.

When I usually do this style I just do it with all over straight natural hair. But, in these pictures I have brushed out the front curl I created in the other look. I think this is a much better way and advise you to do the same if you have time!

Take a larger section of the front of the hair and backcomb it all. Smooth the hair out then bring round to the side of the head and twist it slightly to the shape in picture 3 and grip!

Then, bring a small section of hair from the other side of your head and grip it so it meets your first section.

Finally, bring another small section from underneath the first and grip where the other two parts are.

Spray with hairspray!

Tah-dah!

Number 3
If all else fails I always go with the quiff. Even with my shorter front of hair it is easy to achieve and takes less than 5 minutes.

Use a large section of the front of your hair. Most of the 5 minutes is spent backcombing, but this is essential to enable you to get the right texture of

 hair to style it. Spray with hairspray whilst you're at the stage of picture number 2.

Make sure you smooth it out gently so it keeps volume but still looks neat. Pinch the tip and pull back, then push forwards against your head to get the shape of picture 2.

Slightly twist and grip!

Betsy Jo 

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My Trip to Lou Lou's Vintage Fair

I've been naughty again...

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to get the day off work and help my mum with her stall at Lou Lou's vintage fair in Norwich. I haven't been to one in a few years and I was super excited!

It's always been a great event, but this one was better than ever (and expensive, for me).

So as I said I was already super excited, but nothing could of made me as more excited as when I saw someone selling Collectif!! 

As you all know I LOVE Collectif, I hmm'd and haa'd over all the lovely dresses she had, but fell in love with this one. Unfortunately they no longer have it on the website, but there are a couple on Ebay for auction!

The shape of this dress is just right, I'm not usually a fan of pencil shape dresses but this is so flattering.

Earrings - Collectif

A gorgeous lady called Alice Brown was at the vintage fair with her amazing hair fascinators. I've never had one before but I tried this on and thought it was perfect. I wear a lot of red, so I can wear this a lot! 

Follow her on Facebook for more - Alice Brown's Cupboard  

I then discovered Bad Kitty, who also makes and sells hair accessories. Kitty is a lovely lady who has a great range of stuff.

One thing I bought off her, was this hair clip. I wear the sides of my hair up a lot and this is perfect to hold it in place at the back. 

These amazing head scarves were also from Bad Kitty. I wear my hair up a lot when I'm too lazy to do anything too fancy with it, and I find head scarves are a great way to brighten up the hair do!

These have been made to really good quality, and are a great shape to tie up tightly in the hair and stay comfortably!

Visit her shop at http://bad-kitty.co.uk/ and follow her on Facebook - Bad Kitty

Lou Lou's Vintage Fair is in a lot of places in the UK, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for one near you!

Betsy Jo

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Pucker Up!

If there was one thing I could rescue from my house if it was burning down, it would be a red lipstick. I can't leave the house without it! All women look beautiful with it and I have done this blog post to show you a range of my collection at different prices!
Apologies for inconsistent lighting, but I have chosen flash/no flash depending on what shows the colour best!

MUA - Shade 1

To start with, the cheapest! This is by MUA and is shade 1. It is glossy to start with but throughout the day I find it sets more and has a 'matte' look. Before getting really into make up I used to wear this all the time. I love the colour as it has a rich purpley tint to it making it different from your average red. I wear this with darker clothing like blacks, greens and purples. The lipstick is quite staining to the lips making it long lasting! And the best part, it is only £1!

Mac - Ruby Woo

Now, this is a favourite with a lot of vintage and retro gals! Yes, it's the one and only Ruby Woo by Mac. I LOVE this lipstick, it is an amazing colour that really just slaps you in the face. I wear this with lighter colours like blues and pinks. To enhance the shape of my lips I use Cherry lip liner also by Mac with this lipstick. What I would suggest with this lipstick, and with all their matte finishes, is to completely remove the lipstick and re-apply when you want to touch it up. This is because it can dry your lips out and make them peel! This must need lipstick comes to a price of £15... Not too shabby!

Chanel - Incandescent

I was treated by my lovely boyfriend at Christmas to this gorgeous lipstick by Chanel, shade Incandescent. This is part of the Rouge Allure range and are described as 'luminous intense lip colour'. This has a more orangey tint to it which works amazingly with the satin finish. I also line this with Cherry and like to wear yellows, oranges and reds with this. For £25 you are paying mainly for the brand, but I think the money is so worth it as it is just so divine!

Betsy Jo

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