Makeup powder

I remember before I was into the whole makeup and beauty thing I used to dread the site of makeup powder because I was afraid of the chalky look. Since then the industry has updated the ingredients and uses of makeup powder to make it more user friendly and useful.

Uses of Makeup Powder:
•    Take away excess shine / oils (sebum) from your skin
•    Helps foundation and eye shadow set in and last longer
•    Adds smoothness to skin surface

There are two types of makeup powder in the market: Loose and Pressed Powder

1: Loose Powder
•    Normally applied using brush
•    Loose powder is more popular as it is easier to apply
•    The quality of the brush you are using can effect the success of the powder application so ensure that the brush has a good density of soft natural fibre bristles

2: Pressed Powder
•    Normally applied using a powder puff
•    Can easily be used to touch up makeup during the day

Tips:
•    If you over apply makeup powder simply take a clean powder brush and gently remove the excess by smooth strokes
•    Ensure that the powder (which ever you choose) is blended in properly before applying eye shadow
•    Loose Powder: After dipping the brush into the loose powder gently shake off any excess and apply to the face focussing on the oily parts like the T zone and blend in

You can in most department stores or makeup boutiques purchase makeup powder to suit your skin type, for example if you have oily skin then it is likely that you will need a specific makeup powder designed to soak up the excess oils (sebum) that your skin produces.

Any questions or comments, let me know below.

Pretty x

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Skin Tone

Making sure you know your skin tone before you go out and buy those must have beauty products is as important as knowing your shoe size before you buy some shoes.

What some of us do is to assume that we have a certain skin tone and go out and buy foundation only to realise that we may need to buy another as the last one didn’t match our skin.

Skin tones can be broken down into the following 6 types (use this list to identify your skin tone):

Skin Tone (6 Types):
1: Very Light:
•    Tanning: Likely burn / very rarely tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Red / Blonde
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Blue / Green / Grey

2: Light Skinned:
•    Tanning: Sometimes burns / rarely tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Light / Dark
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Blue / Green / Hazel / Brown / Grey

3: Light Intermediate:
•    Tanning: Sometimes burns / usually tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Blue, Green, Hazel, Brown

4: Dark Intermediate
•    Tanning: Rarely burns / often tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Dark Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Dark Brown

5: Dark / Brown
•    Tanning: Naturally brown skin
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Black – Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Black – Brown

6: Dark / Black
•    Tanning: Naturally dark skin
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Black – Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Black – Brown

Example of the famous orange foundation look: Woman has skin tone of dark intermediate, she then goes to the department store and buys foundation made for very light skin tone. Goes home applies it correctly only to realise that it makes her look orange or chalky, oh dear.

Once you have identified your skin tone there is less chance of you buying the wrong products for your skin, and when you apply the right foundation for your skin tone the difference is amazing.

Any good makeup counter will provide you with a colour spectrum to match your skin type (but doing your research before hand is always a bonus).

What is your skin tone?
Any questions or comments let me know below.

Pretty x

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How to Grow Hair Fast

We have probably all been there when we feel that our hair has just stopped growing and doesn’t look as if it is getting any longer, and all we want to know is how to grow hair faster.

I recently spoke with a leading hair stylist and another who has actually studied hair at university (I know, I never knew you could actually study hair!) and the main highlights are below.

“Think of your hair as a seed planted in soil. If it is good soil the plant will grow strong and long, if you don’t feed it good soil it will not perform as well”

This is very interesting (linking our diet with hair growth), she suggested that there are a number of items that make up hair growth:
• Our genes (not jeans!)
• Our diet
• Hair maintenance

Unfortunately we can do very little about our genes, unless we want to be at the end of a scientific experiment. But what we can control is our diet and maintain our hair.

About our hair:
• The average head holds around 125,000 follicles of hair on a healthy head with each one producing one strand of hair
• Speed of hair growth: roughly ½ inch per month (6 inches per year), however, this can slow down with age
• Lose on average 100 hairs per day

Diet & hair growth:
• Protein is pivotal to healthy hair growth (90% of hair is protein and also chains of amino acids) – lack of protein can lead to hair thinning
• Vitamins: B (inc Biotin),A,E,C and K (just google which foods are high in these vitamins and make sure they are included in your diet)
• Also omega supplements are advised (if you are vegan there are still some supplements that you can take) – ensure you purchase from a reliable supplier. Omega oils are not naturally produced by our bodies and can also aid in joint related problems

Hair Maintenance
• Ensure you cut your hair every 5-8 weeks (mainly to get rid of split ends which will stimulate growth) – remember your hair only grows at ½ inch per month
• Wash hair and condition on a regular basis (only use hair products that are suitable for your hair type)
• Try to get a regular head massage
• Stress can be related to hair issues – so identify the root of the stress and get rid of it (yoga normally advised)

I have tried to keep it brief so that it is easier to follow, but in a nutshell if we look after our hair it will look after us. Let me know if you have any questions or comments below.

Pretty

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