the sun is shining, the weather is sweet

Here in London we have amazing weather! Our usual grey and gloomy skies have been replaced by bright blue, clear loveliness!!

However, all this beautiful weather highlights how terribly unprepared our city is for heat!  Our underground (metro/tube) has no air conditioning. So i will just leave it to your imagination how pleasant a rush hour train journey (squished together with a thousand other people) is at the end of a long hot day!  You really can end up looking like a hot mess!

But I have a handy set of beauty tips and products which help me stay looking fresh and feeling cooler.

At home:

- I steer away from foundation in the summer months, and use a tinted moisturizer/BB cream (or just concealer where necessary).  A lot of us girls become really dependent on foundation, when we actually don't need it!  You will really feel much fresher throughout the day without a heavy foundation!

If you do however prefer to use your usual foundation, make sure you apply a good primer before, and use a setting spray after! Primer and setting sprays are regularly available now from most make up brands in drugstores etc.

A friend once told me that she opens the freezer and pops her head in right after applying her foundation - this apparently helps set it too!!  (well it will at least cool you down! haha)

Out and about:

- Blotting sheets: There is nothing that icks me out more, than seeing sweaty faced ladies piling on powder!  I always carry a little pack of blotting sheets in my bag during the summer months, to gently blot and absorb the extra moisture on my face before applying any powder to matify. You can find these in everyday supermarkets, drugstores and high end make up brands. You could also just get a facial tissue, peel the layer sheets apart and blot your face with this!

1. Bobbi Brown blotting papers.  2. The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissue.  3. Boots Skin Clear Shine Blotting papers.  4. Clean&Clear Oil absorbing sheets


- Facial mist: After I've 'blotted' any extra unwanted moisture from my face, I then spray a mist of wanted moisture! haha..it cools you down straight away and absorbs into your skin in an instant!  I would recommend a water based mist, rather than the cream based options - more cooling and refreshing!You can find a variety of options, but I would recommend then Avene Eau Thermal Water Spray!

- Water: keep a small bottle with you all the time, and sip regularly throughout the day to keep hydrated.  But it's actually better to drink cool room temperature water, rather than very cold water, as your body will generate heat after to compensate for the heat loss.

 

You can also hold your wrist under a cold tap for a few seconds, this is a main pulse point so cools your blood down, which can help you feel cooler.

 

An one last random tip - the temperature of our feet really affect how hot/cool we feel.  So forget about any closed shoes, and embrace sandals/flipflops (anything strappy and airy) whilst you can!

 

 

 

Hope this was helpful! Enjoy the weekend!! : )

 

xxx

Tips & Tricks - Part 2

Hey hey,

Since my first post on tips & tricks (link!), I have come across some more which I want to share with you:

Better lipstick application? - Smile when you apply it, doing this will ensure complete coverage.

Want your perfume to be all over? - Spritz your fragrance on your ankles and knees! Scent rises so will give you an all over coverage.

Want to give yourself a pedicure? - Try using fresh pineapple or Kiwi skins as an exfoliant. 
They contain bromelain (a meat tenderizer) which will help exfoliate rough and dry skin on your feet. Rub the fleshy part on your heels for a few minute, rinse and moisturize.

Have a red spot on your face? - If you have any 'clear eyes' eye drops around, dab this on the are.  Eye drops for brightening eyes, contain vasoconstrictors which shrink blood vessels (to make your eyes appear whiter) - this will take away the redness of a spot and also reduce any inflammation.

Want your lashes to be covered from root to tip? - Use thick card (like a business card) when applying your mascara. Hold the card up along the inside edge of your lashes, then sweep the mascara wand against it.  Doing this will stop your eyelashes 'bending out of the way' of the brush, and you will coat all your lashes all the way to the tips.

Want younger looking skin? - Don't just use powder as part of a routine,  only use it if you need it! and when you do, use it sparingly. Powder can settle into the fine lines on our faces and make us appear older.

Yellow stained nails? - If your nails appear yellowish after months of wearing dark nail polishes - try scrubbing them with a nail brush and whitening toothpaste! it helps!

Do you know any good tips and tricks?

Megan xxx

Tips and Tricks!

Here are a few beauty tips and tricks I’ve picked up in the past. Thought it would be interesting to share them with you!

-        Want to keep your face mattified and even? Dab your finger over a stick deodorant and pat it onto the areas that you want to appear more matte and where you want the pores to be less visible.  It works!

-        Want to create a matte lip? – apply one coat of your chosen lipstick, then lightly dust on some face powder.  Follow with a second coat of lipstick.  The powder draws out the oil from the lipstick – giving a more mattified effect. This trick also makes your lipstick last significantly longer.

-        Have hard to curl eyelashes? – run your eyelash curlers under hot water or blast them for a few seconds with a hair dryer to make your own ‘heated eye lash curlers’.  You can also opt to use waterproof mascara as this formula dries faster than the regular one, and will help set the curl.

-        Do you get red patchy skin (like between your brows/chin/cheeks?) – steep a bag of green tea for 1 minute, then remove it from the water and let it cool down. Dab it all over your face, concentrating on your problem areas – the antioxidants in the tea reduce the redness/inflammation.

-        Run out of shaving cream? – use conditioner! I think this is actually better than shaving cream. The conditioner softens the hairs making it easier to shave, and also allows a closer shave.  As an added bonus, your legs are left silky smooth.

-        Tired of your perfume wearing off?- Dab some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the areas that you want to apply the perfume to (wrists, sides of neck etc) then spray your fragrance on top. The perfume adheres to this and doesn’t disappear as fast as it would from dry skin.  Also – if you’re wearing a dress/skirt, spray your perfume onto your knees and ankles, as scent rises.

-         Want thicker eyelashes? – With an eyeshadow brush, lightly dust a face powder or matte eyeshadow onto the tops of your eyelashes, then apply your usual mascara over this.  This instantly makes your eyelashes appear thicker.

-        Want to get rid of rough/dry skin? -  Cut a lemon and rub onto the areas you want to improve – (elbows/heels). The citric acid helps remove dead skin.  Be aware that this can also have a lightening effect.

-        Want your make-up to last?  - Typically it is advised to use a primer before and a setting spray after applying your make-up.  But if you don’t own or want to buy expensive primers/setting sprays there are other options: use aloe vera gel as a primer (which you can find cheaply anywhere e.g. here) this works well as a base for makeup. To set your face (now, have an open mind…), open the freezer after you have finished applying all your make-up, close your eyes and put your head close to let the cold air hit your face.  This will help set your makeup. You can also spray a fine mist of hair spray over your face.

-        And my final tip is not to always follow the rules with make up.  Use lip-stick on your cheeks, blusher/bronzer on your eyes etc.  When you start experimenting with your make up and using it in different ways, you will discover so many new looks.

I will update on tips/tricks regularly when I come across more!

 Are there are tips/tricks that you know of?

Megan xxx