Gorgeous Festive Glamour - False Eye Lashes

Get some gorgeous glamour on on full show this festive season, false lashes are the best beauty weapon when looking hot to trot & area red carpet favourite!!! There are a number of options to go for & I've noted down some of the best products to opt for when trying them out as well as the best application tips. For an instant glamour fix that is easy to do yourself, strip lashes work the best, they will normally come with an adhesive specifically for that purpose, it's a latex based product & looks white but once they're dry it'll become invisible.

To keep it looking realistic take the lash without glue & place on your lash line first, then take them off & at the side of the lash that is to be placed nearer the inner corner of your eye, take a pair of scissors (nail scissors are best for this) & cut in a slight diagonal from the inner corner to the middle of the lash strip, this will give a more definition to the outer corner of the eye which is the best option to go for as a full strip can tend be too heavy (we don't want to go for the drag-queen look this season!) Then run the edge of the strip along the glue & fix as close to your natural lash line as possible, once dry apply some of your favorite mascara to finish the look, this will help to disguise where your own lashes meet the false ones & give fantastic definition to the eye, for best results apply them before you apply liner to your top lash line.

The best strip lashes I have worked with are from Mac (£7.50), they have a really extensive range to choose from, they also do a half lash which saves any DIY cutting for your self, also they come in a great box so you can save them for another day.

To keep them in good condition clean off any glue by taking a cotton bud with an oil based eye make-up remover & clean off any glue.
To give an even more natural finish which is perfect for a Wedding Day look opt for individual lashes, a little more trickier to apply but they give a beautiful soft finish. I normally apply up to 6 lashes going from the outer corner to almost half way over to the middle. Each individual lash will have about 3 small lashes on them so no more than 6 is normally required. Best to get a pair of tweezers for this as it can be pretty intricate work, start at the outer corner, place the 'bulb' of the individual lash in the glue & place right on the lash line & continue until you have the desired effect. After the glue is dry again apply the mascara to finish off the look. If you would rather leave this to the professionals then most Salons will do this for around £5-£10.
For Individual Lashes there a number of Products, but Eylure (Around £5) are great & can even last up to 6 weeks - just be careful when removing your eye make-up! Also in most cases it's best to opt for a medium length as that will normally give the depth you will need.

Glam Lash - Michelle goes Glam for Glasgow’s Big Build Appeal

Pop Idol Star and STV presenter, Michelle McManus has added a touch of glamour to Marie Curie Glasgow’s Big Build Appeal becoming the face of the Caledonian Therapy Academy’s (CTA), new product ‘Glam Lash’.
Marie Curie’s loyal supporters at the CTA have pledged to donate 5% of all ‘Glam Lash’ profits to the Big Build Appeal, which is raising £16.1 million for a new Glasgow hospice. ‘Glam Lash’ eyelashes are semi-permanent extensions that can last for up to 3 months, with no damage to the natural lashes – a must have for every girl this party season.
Michelle McManus said: “Being a Glasgow girl, I know what a fantastic job Marie Curie does. The Big Build Appeal is a great cause as a new hospice will allow the charity to continue to care for people in Glasgow for years to come. I’m so glad to help fundraise with the CTA and I hope lots of girlies go glam for a good cause during the party season”.
Work began on the new hospice in April 2008 and the building is now clearly visible. All is on schedule for the hospice to be fully operational by spring 2010 and every single donation brings Marie Curie one step closer to their fundraising target. The Big Build Appeal has now reached £14 million but still needs all the support possible to help raise the remaining £2.1 million.
Karen Milne, capital appeal fundraising manager said: “The Caledonian Therapy Academy has been a great supporter throughout the Big Build Appeal. We are so grateful for their continued fundraising and are delighted that Michelle has come on board to help. Supporters like these are vital in helping us reach our £16.1 million target.”
Louise Prunty, director and principle at the CTA Said: “We are so excited to have Michelle's support in our fundraising efforts for the Big Build Appeal Michelle is an inspiration, who women across the country can relate to. With Michelle’s support we will hopefully put Glam Lash on everyone’s Christmas list this year, allowing us to generate lots of cash for the Big Build Appeal.”

If you would like to follow Michelle’s lead and get glam for a good cause this party season contact the CTA on 0141 334 0080 or visit www.ctacademy.co.uk . For more information on how you can help the Big Build Appeal call 0141 531 1383 or log on to www.bigbuild.org.uk.

From Computer Screen to TV Screen - British Bedroom Make Up Girl Hits The Big Time!

I'm already a huge fan of Lauren Luke who has had the most amazing last year, the 28-year old single mum from South Shields has become an Internet hit through her online make-up tutorials on You Tube & is set to become a millionaire business woman after being snapped up to launch her own product range on TV shopping channel QVC.
Lauren Luke, a former taxi dispatcher whose YouTube DIY make-up tips have been viewed over 65 million times, will made her TV presenter debut on Thursday 17th December.
Lauren, who describes herself as an “every day looking girl”, first started to experiment with make-up as a way to make herself feel better after being bullied at school. She began recording and uploading online demos from her pink and black bedroom in 2007 quickly amassing a loyal following of over 300,000 fans. Now she is aiming to take on the beauty industry with an affordable product range that encourages people to experiment with colour.
She says: “I always dreamed of having my own make-up line where I could develop products that made people feel special - that I myself would be over the moon to wear. The excitement that comes from makeup is something very personal. We all have our own reasons for being so excited by it, mine is definitely because of the colour and the fact it can bring out the best in everyone. We are all doing the same thing with make-up but with our own personal edge.”
Beauty industry experts are predicting big success for the Lauren Luke range – with QVC already being inundated with enquiries despite the products not yet on sale.
Alison Young, beauty expert at QVC, comments: “She already has a huge fan-base who love her unscripted, unrehearsed and down-to-earth tutorials. If she translates that approach onto the TV screen we are sure that her product range will be a huge global hit and help inspire people to follow in her footsteps and make their dreams a reality.”
Check out the exciting new product range on TV Shopping Channel QVC, a few of the pallates are below -

By Lauren Luke - Make-Up Kits


By Lauren Luke - My Smokey Classics


By Lauren Luke - My Sultry Blues


By Lauren Luke - My Vintage Glams

Protect Your Hands From The Snow This Weekend With Neutrogena Norwegian Formula

“Nothing gives your age away like your hands,”… or so the saying goes. With your hands being one of the most exposed areas of your body, it’s no wonder that the skin is more susceptible to dryness, age spots, wrinkles and other signs of skin damage that we try and hide in a pair of gloves! So whatever your age, when the temperature drops it is even more important to look after your hands.
Luckily, Neutrogena is ‘on hand’ with its beauty classic; the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula range of hand creams to keep hands soft and smooth. The Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Creams are the UK’s favourite1, with one hand cream sold every five seconds2. The glycerin enriched formula instantly relieves and soothes dry chapped skin, protecting your hands even in the harshest conditions, leaving them noticeably softer and smoother.
The Norwegian Formula story began at sea over 30 years ago where Norwegian fisherman reported soft supple hands despite the harsh conditions. Neutrogena discovered that the oils in the fish they were handling contained moisturising properties and so they developed a synthetic version of these oils which to this day is integral to the Norwegian Formula range. Today, there are five hand creams in the range:

Norwegian Formula - Concentrated Hand Cream, £3.69 for 50ml:
The number one and number two selling hand cream in the market1; this glycerin enriched concentrated formula protects and provides immediate and lasting relief for even the most dry hands and comes in two variations, scented and unscented - containing over 200 applications in every tube!

Norwegian Formula - Fast Absorbing Hand Cream, £3.99 for 75ml:
Keep hands hydrated and comforted with this instantly absorbed formula. The light, non-greasy texture instantly melts into the skin for an immediate feeling of comfort and moisturisation, leaving no stickiness or residue.

Norwegian Formula - Hand & Nail Cream, £3.99 for 75ml:
A luxurious rich hand cream that melts into your hands and contains panthenol for complete hand and nail care. Its innovative formula makes nails twice as strong and helps soften cuticles as well as intensively moisturising and nourishing the skin.

Norwegian Formula - Anti-Ageing Hand Cream, £4.49 for 50ml:
Fights the signs of ageing, with an SPF 15 to protect skin from the damaging effects of the sun, and Active Soy to help protect against the appearance of brown spots, leaving hands soft and smooth.

Dry Skin Solution To The Cold Winter Weather with Skindinavia!

With our cold snap taking hold, it's not the best news if you have dry skin as the cold winter air can make it even worse. The result is often fading, creasing or settling of your makeup into fine lines and pores. There are a couple obvious solutions to help keep your skin and your makeup moist.
One is to moisturize regularly and the other is to use a sulfate free makeup remover at night. You don't need to go for super expensive moisturisers and makeup removers. As long as they both include a few key ingredients you are in good shape.

Here are three very basic ideas that are the cornerstone to keeping skin young -

1. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!!! Even if you are 25 years old or 55 years old, choose a quality moisturiser with some SPF, but don’t be fooled that ANY good moisturiser is an anti-aging treatment.
Now you do not need to spend £100 for a quality moisturizer, but don’t be silly enough to think the £5 products are just as good. Look for some basic quality ingredients like aloe, shea butter and hyaluronic acid. One other specific ingredient to seek out is NaPCA, which mimics the salt in your skin, it has hygroscopic properties that pull moisture to itself, which is constantly hydrating.

2. Invest in an excellent makeup remover. If you sleep with makeup on, it will continue to dehydrate your skin through the night. Use a top quality, sulfate free, makeup remover.

3. Turn your foundation into a moisturizing treatment. Skindinavia have come up with a pretty novel idea, which is to turn the foundation you have on into a moisturizing treatment. Instead of drying, it can actually turn your foundation into a secondary moisturizer. That doesn’t mean a watery mess, it means greatly slowing down the foundation’s ability to steal moisture, and then have it give back the water it takes. This may sound complicated to achieve, but it’s actually really simple.

Skindinavia's 10 Years Younger Makeup Finish is designed to prevent foundation from drying out, simply spritz it 2-4 times over finished makeup. It takes about 3 seconds to do.



It chills the makeup surface which causes drying to slow down greatly, and then it is loaded with a six hydrators that bring more needed moisture to the makeup surface. The result is glowing, dewy foundation that holds in place up to 16 hours. Use this and a quality moisturizer and the difference will amaze you!

Check out the Ten Years Younger make-up finisher.

Xmas Brush Sets - Benefit

Christmas time is always the best time of year to stock up on some make-up new brushes, as all the cosmetic counters have their festive brush sets on offer, plus they're always better value than buying individually.
One of my favourites this year is 'Benefit's Betty Brushes Up On Beauty' which contains four of the most essential brushes for applying make-up, firstly is a blusher brush (doubles up nicely as a powder brush too!), a concealer brush, fluff brush for blending your eyeshadow & a hard angle brush for your eyeliner.. All packed beautifully in the Betty pouch! £19.50 Each from Benefit Counters Nationwide

The £12 New Year Detox - Cure Your Hungover Skin!!

Just like the rest of our body, in the New Year skin is in need of a good detox. The combination of the party season and cold weather has taken its toll, and spring still seems an eternity away.
We need colour, we need radiance and we don’t want to pay a fortune for it.
The Lily Lolo mineral foundation is a snip at £12, especially when compared to other highstreet alternatives, what’s more – the promise of no chemical nasties; no chemical preservatives, no parabens, no Bismuth Oxychloride or chemical dyes means the products contain the minimum of ingredients (all natural ones) that really perform.
We can all detox our bodies’ safe in the knowledge that we’re not adding unnecessary toxins though the makeup we use.
It’s well known that mineral foundation is actually good for your skin, Lily Lolo mineral foundation includes just enough Mica to give skin a fabulous healthy glow, this mineral has light reflecting properties (instantly minimising fine lines), creating instant radiance, and Titanium Dioxide which has healing properties.
The soft silky powder has a very faint shimmer to it instantly hiding a tired and stressed winter complexion, the results are flawless, glowing healthy skin.
Minerals make a New Year resolution that’s easy to keep – I promise to look after my skin, and buy more natural products.
Lily Lolo foundation saves skin at only £12, and is available in 16 shades from www.lilylolo.co.uk
The full collection is available online and at selected salons nationwide. Prices range from £3.50 - £18.00
A full list of natural ingredients is available online.