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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Makeup Tools

So many brushes! Confused? Well don’t be, I have tried to explain the purpose of each of the pictured makeup tools in brief below.

1: Powder Brush
Generally used to dust powder onto the face normally after foundation to give a matte finish

Tips:
o    Don’t pick fat brushes as this will just pick powder up and drop it down on various parts of the face leaving excess powder scattered around (Bigger is not always better)
o    Only use a good quality brush as the finish might understate all your preparation makeup application
o    Use a medium sized brush
o    Ask a makeup counter if you can use it on your skin before purchase

2: Blush Brush
You guessed it, used to apply blusher

Tips:
o    Not too large and not too small! But just right. If it is too large you risk applying it to a wider area than intended. Too small and you will suffer streaking in application
o    Should be firmer than the powder brush
o    Ask a makeup counter if you can use it on your skin before purchase

3: Lash Comb & Brow Groom
Can resolve mascara build up by combing through; can also ensure even distribution of mascara. The brush side is used simply to neaten up the brow area. You can also get these in two separate brushes instead of a combined.

Tips:
o    Makeup artists tend to use in a slower motion than when they apply mascara
o    Don’t over use as you run the risk of minimising your mascara

4: Eyeshadow Brush
Used to apply eyeshadow over the entire eyelid or around the rim of the eye area

Tips:
o    It is quite common to have more than one type of eyeshadow brush as they come in various sizes and concentration
o    Concentrated: Applied around the rim of the eyes
o    Softer: Application over the eyelid

5: Eyeliner Brush
Used to carefully spread eyeliner, the brush allows for differing styles depending on the pressure applied to the brush.

Tips
o    Thinner Application: Use brush lightly (fine tipped brush)
o    Thicker Application: press a little more firmly this will spread the bristles and a wider line
o    More widely used with liquid products

6: Lip Brush
Used to simply add definition to the lips

Tips:
o    To accentuate the smooth lip line you will need a flat brush
o    The method and the angle you apply the lipstick will have a big impact on the overall effect (This will be covered in a separate posting on lips coming soon)

There you have it, as promised I was going to keep the makeup tool session brief. Let me know if you have any questions. The applications and uses of these makeup tools will be covered in greater detail in upcoming posts.

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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