Sunday 30 August 2009

GHD IV Styler

My latest toy...

The new GHD IV Styler...

This isn't an official review but I just wanted to let ya'll know because it's very exciting indeed. I've got some pictures of the baby and a photo comparison of the GHD against my old ye faithful SCPs straighteners.

I shall do a thorough review on the toy when I've had my fun with it!







PS. I love it already!

Thursday 27 August 2009

TIme for school ...soon!

Hey wassup girls!
It's time for school come September (at least in the UK) and I know, I used to dread it too! So the last thing you want to worry is about getting back into the quick morning make-up routine. For me school meant waking up late and putting make up five minutes before rushing out the door or even applying it in the car...or on the bus! The mixture of products I've used have good staying power, they are quick to use and relatively inexpensive!

Have fun girls =^_^=


I've gone for clear natural skin by using a tinted moisturiser and just a powder and concealer. I've not used foundation because it's too time consuming, easy to get wrong in a rush and can become too cakey for the day. Don't suffocate your skin and use something light. I've also used a colour calming base which helps red blotchy skin in the morning.

For the cheeks and lips, I'm using a lip/cheek tint which takes two seconds to apply and is easy to keep in your pencil case! Use a fresh bright pink as usually these tints are quite sheer.

For eyes I've only used a black liner on the upper water line and the outter thirds for bottom lash line. I wouldn't suggest too much eyeliner for school and definitely not any Amy Winehouse-eque liners because it's easy to smudge and it can take just too long. By using liner sparingly you'll look more natural and effortless. I've apply some black shadow just to set the eyeliner and finished the look off with some waterproof mascara.

Done!


Face
Pond's Hydro Nourishing Skin Cream
No7 Colour Calming Base
Boots Botanics Instant Glow Tinted Moisturiser
ELF All-Over-Cover-Stick
Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder (transparent)
Mememe Highlighter
2True Lip and cheek tint

Lips
2True Lip and Cheek Tint

Eyes
Lancome eye kohl - Noir
Maxfactor eyeshadow - Onyx
GOSH Amazin' Length and Build Mascara Waterproof
Benefit Browzing - Medium
Benefit Eyeshadow - Brown
Shu Uemura Eyelash curlers

Acne and Scars (The cure and the cause)

Acne is very common and is especially developed during the teenager years. The best way to treat acne is by, of course, preventing it. However I never get asked how to prevent but how to treat it as a lot of us get acne from a very early age, even before we have any understanding of cosmetics, skin conditions and beauty. And just what are scars? Basically, without going into too much science, scars are the aftermath of any skin tissue injury and repair. Scars can come from cuts, grazes and any inflammation to the skin. When looking at acne scars, the injury is caused by the inflammatory response to bacteria, sebum and dead cells in the sebaceous follicle.

Acne

There are some mandatory steps that need to be taken so let’s start from the very basics. When facing acne we must keep skin, fingers, pillow cases, flannels, make up brushes and anything that comes into contact with our faces, as clean as possible. This is because bacteria transfers from one thing to another and this not only spreads acne but can worsen it.

Second of all it’s important to find the right products for your skin; usually I would suggest products that are not too harsh for the skin. Contrary to the common mistake a lot of people make, harsh chemicals can make skin even sorer and irritates skin as opposed to zapping spots and ‘treating’ it. I believe in being as gentle to the skin as possible and starting from home made remedies and if that really doesn’t work then using products which contain natural ingredients.


There are many ways to ‘treat’ acne, all of which are suited for different people, different circumstances and skin types. If you have severe acne I would always suggesting going to a dermatologist and also a nutritionist. While a lot of things can treat acne externally it’s important to look at diet; and also as I am Chinese I have a basic yet thorough understanding of Chinese medicine therefore I really believe in the science behind it. If it is ever possible it would be a great opportunity to go to a qualified and reputable Chinese herbal doctor who can look at your body and deal with these problems internally as well.



Acne Scars

There are many ways to fade out scars once you have them. Starting from the very natural remedies, you can try oils such as Vitamin E oil or Jojoba oil; use this topically on skin day and night and within time scars fade gradually. You can also try using products with ingredients such as aloe vera and royal jelly which also helps with skin repair.


If after all natural skin remedies do not work for you, it is an idea to look at processes such a microdermabrasion. This process not only used medically to treat acne but also the scars. This pain free procedure is often used in spas, skin specialist and doctors and now products are marketed as microdermabrasive. The surface of your skin is removed with abrasive material and this is supposedly very effective for scars which surface above the skin. Similarly you may want to look into processes such as chemical peels but this can relatively expensive.



Alternatively there are other products in the market shelves which can be bought to use as home such as Dermatix, bio oil, cocoa butter and the Egyptian Magic. You can also be prescribed medication called Retin-A® which is supposed to treat black heads and acne, but there is a risk of thinning skin and flaking skin.

Overall I would say that scars can be treated in many different ways and while I have a lot of them, I try not to let the worry of them take over my life. I have scars from spots, chicken pox and lots of burns and scratches which just come from life. From my experience I find that natural ingredients such as vitamin E and cocoa butter help a lot to keep scars from darkening. I also have found from experience that my scars seem lessened after every summer due to the vitamin D that you get from the sun. I haven’t found any medical explanation of this but this is just what’s happened with my skin.

In conclusion I would say that if a scar is bothering you a lot go to a skin specialist or dermatologist and take it from there. Blindly applying products to the skin can be time consuming, expensive and risky. In the mean time I would suggest looking up natural remedies and apply religiously to those areas.
Your scars the markings and story of your life, like wrinkles and aging, sometimes it just cannot be avoided and while we can’t fight what happens in life, we can embrace it and accept it. So don’t let something as small as a scar break down your self confidence and go out there and enjoy the sun. Just remember to apply some sun screen!


Peace x

Monday 17 August 2009

BarryM Nail Paint - Grey

I went to Boots today just to get some stock (i.e. cotton pads, facial toner, make up sponges etc etc) and I came across BarryM (obviously, like who doesn't just gravitate to there?) and I noticed they were giving away their limited edition of dazzle dust if you purchased products worth over £6. I did have a look at it but it is quite a regular lilac, I'm wondering whether I missed the point but I decided against it.
Just as I was about to bypass all the rest I suddenly eyed up something I had not even noticed before.

Grey nail paint?

Without hesitation I picked it up and along with their Topcoat/ basecoat. Before I talk about the basecoat I just want to say how amazing grey is. I've recently had this new obsession with the colour and I can't stop wearing grey. Am I subconsciously preparing for the winter months ahead of us?
I just love grey, it's such a versatile and chic colour. I also love that it can be gothic yet edgy pretty cool.


I decided on an alternative french manicure. I've used BarryM grey, black and their topcoat/basecoat. The white flower is done using Sally Hansen Nail art pen in white. Those pens are the bomb btw. I didn't get them at first but OMG!

Back onto the Basecoat by BarryM. This is probably one of the best, inexpensive, drugstore
basecoats. This is one of the first one's I ever bought and
I have tried others but always gone back.
It's crazy to even think so deeply about a see-through
nail polish but the beauty of this product is this; no flaking, a less offensive smell,
it's a nail hardener, top coat AND basecoat in one.
I've also go China Glaze's Fast Forward top coat and I'm just not understanding
this product. For some reason if I use it it makes me nail polish peel off very, very
quickly. Needless to say, in my disappointment and in much need
of a topcoat, I went back to trusty BarryM.



Outfit of the day:




Long black t-shirt (Primark)
Purple vest dress (River Island)
Black leggings (H&M)
Big black belt (Dorothy Perkins)
Black heels (sorry you can't see this! Arms didn't stretch far enough!) (Clarks)

I love today's outfit, it really spoke out my mood; rebellious, daring and
rather sexy. I've also used MAC's cornflower on my eyes :)

Saturday 15 August 2009

Anime Make-Up Series: Sailor Jupiter

Welcome to episode two of my Anime Series. As you know I'm doing Sailor Moon first and the second sailor I've tackled is Sailor Jupiter i.e. Mako-chan!




Products used: (left to right)
Sally Girl - Snow
BarryM Kohl - #20
GOSH Eye Kohl - White
MAC warm eye palette - sweet joy (dark green)
MAC- Typographic



Also used: Suki Palette (purchased from Hong Kong)



x Peace x

Monday 10 August 2009

How to wear leggings (for short, thick bodies girls ^_~)

Really there is no rocket science to this. I've been battling with my body image and confidence for a long time. Within my circle of friends, I've always worn the slightly more outgoing/outrageous clothes and I pride myself for being more daring than I feel.
When leggings emerged from the fashion scenes I did not know what I was to do. I've never been into following trends but this was a trend I wish I could - but didn't know how to. Surely leggings would NOT flatter my shape and in turn make me look EVEN shorter and would highlight my lumps and bumps?
This was confirmed to me when eventually I began to see bigger girls doing it all wrong. It always looked - very unflattering. This scared me into thinking that I couldn't do it.

Until today I finally just got too annoyed. I'm so tired of jeans and I'm not going to keep avoiding these tops just because I wouldn't have leggings to go with. And I refuse to keep living in these jeans.

I looked at the types of leggings there are; there's different materials, lengths, colours and qualities. I asked myself, what would be great to break into that will flatter me and will most importantly - be fuss free.

The answer is cotton - thick enough to hold you in, thin enough to keep you looking slim. Colour? Black is good to start off with- or try dark navy. Length is always tricky but I know that as I'm a mere 5ft 1 (approx 151cm) tall, I can't wear anything cropped because this tends to make me look stockier than I am. Unless I wear heels in which I barely do. And really, would I spend that much money on a pair of leggings? - Probably not.

I headed to H&M and I bought my very first pair of leggings for £5.99. These are comfortable and very well made.

If your body shape is similar to mine you might wonder, what you can wear for with it to flatter your body shape.
Right now I'm really into vests with longer, draping sides. This gives the illusion that I'm leaner as it skims my lumps and bumps but the short length in the middle keeps me looking my height as opposed to 3ft tall. I love that you can wear these over a long sleeve or even alone.




Top: Primark £5
Leggings: H&M £5.99

Top: River Island £6 (sale)


I love baggy tops like this. Be careful, if you're short
like me, it can swamp you. Find one that is a) off the shoulder
to give you more dimension, b) that the end is closer to your bum than you knees,
and c) is made of thin material which will look nicer for your shape

Top: Primark £5

I also stumbled across this beautiful 80's feel short cropped top.
The short length means it will keep my legs long, as long as it's fitting and
flattering. I would NOT wear leggings with this despite it pairing up with
the 80's feel. I know that my shape would not suit that.
Instead I wear black fitted straight leg jeans.

Top: Primark £5





What other staple is there other than black pumps?
Pumps: Primark £4

I also picked up a Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner is Diva Red for approximately £4.
This means only one thing - red lip tutorial!

Peace x

Thursday 6 August 2009

Hot, bronzed, summer look

It's late and I couldn't upload this but this is my FOTD. There is nothing I love more than a smokey look with a metallic twist. Apart from maybe a smokey metallic look that is reminiscent of a hot, bronzed, summers day :)



Tuesday 4 August 2009

FOTD 4th August 09

Rather than the usual curly ends, I opted for sleek straight hair today and used my name Angelfish Spray wax which is my new favourite over the usual Lee Stafford. I'm wearing nude lips (Revlon Nude attitude) with thick liner (MAC Blacktrack gel liner) and some glitter (Too faced glitter eyeliner)

Enjoy x




Monday 3 August 2009

Revlon Matte lipstick + mini haul

Hi everyone,
As a treat for myself I went out to Boots and thought that I'd buy something nice for myself. I ended up buying two lipsticks, both from the Revlon Matte collection. I've always said I've never been a 'lips' person which basically means that I tend to focus my make up on skin and eyes and tend to leave lips bare or with lip balm. However I've been trying to venture out into this area and build up my collection and confidence with statement colours.

Me: No lip colour, au natural


Below I'm wearing Revlon's 'Nude Attitude' which is such a warm nude colour. I've been looking for the perfect nude colour because I always tend to find ones which are either to pale or too brown. I think I just have found ones perfect for my lips and skin tone.






Below is a picture of me wearing the infamous GOSH Darling. This lipstick is loved by one of my favourite gurus, Lollipop26, that is why I went out to buy it before I even tried it. I realised later that it made me look anaemic and like I did not have any colour in me. It drowns me out because of its cool pink tones, where as Revlon's Nude Attitude is a honey toned nude which is perfect for


Left to right : Revlon's Nude Attitude Vs Gosh's Darling


Nude attitude


Nude attitude


Left to right : Revlon's Nude Attitude Vs Gosh's Darling




Also you may recall a few blog entries ago I came up with a 'pin up' look which a few of you liked. It made me think about the idea of wearing red and looking for the perfect red colour. This is one of the first statement red colours I've voluntarily bought. This is Revlon's Strawberry Suede


What does everyone think? I will have to make this work one way or another and I love that it has a beautiful matte finish.


Other things I bought:



Angelfish hair wax spray


Rimmel Clear Complexion Transparent powder



Cutex strengthening




Peace x

Sunday 2 August 2009

Interview look - go get that job!



Products used:

Face:
- No 7 Colour Calming base
- Revlon Colorstay Foundation
- MAC MSF Medium Plus + Medium Deep
- Benefit Coralista blush

Eyes
- Lancome 9 Mini focus palette ( Moonlight, Coleur Cafe, Tulipe Noir, Cream)

Lips
Estee Lauder - Crystal Nude


Cream: Bottom middle
Coleur Cafe: Middle row, right
Moonlight: top middle
Tulipe Noir: Top left


Hope you enjoy! Good luck!

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