Beauty Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Katie Charlotte Blogs

Blossom Dandy by Essie

‘Blossom Dandy’ is one of the beautiful shades from Essie’s 2015 Flowerista collection and is perfect for summertime. A gorgeous bright duck egg shade, it has a hint of mint without taking anything away from the blue tones.

I’m obsessed.

I have been searching for a shade like this for a few weeks but all the polishes I have seen seem to be too blue or too green – I wanted that famous Tiffany’s colour.

Using the Essie base coat and two coats of colour, the drying time was great and I didn’t have to endure any smudging (I’m a fidget which always proves problematic painting nails!)

I can’t comment on the staying power as it’s only been on my nails for a couple of hours but Essie polish usually lasts a good 5 days before chipping. During the hotter months (or week, in the UK) I change up the nail colour quite a bit so longevity isn’t too much of an issue for me, but I have a feeling I’m going to be opting for this shade quite a bit…

You can find more details on the Essie Flowerista collection here.

What do you think of this colour? Have you bought any shades from this range?

Celebrating with Tonic Beauty

Last week I was kindly invited along to Tonic’s 1st Birthday bash in Cheltenham.

It’s funny how you can live in a fairly small town and work around the corner from somewhere for a year but never know a place exists – until now. Tonic is an elegant and cosy Beauty Salon in the Suffolks, offering a variety of treatments that include manicures and pedicures, waxing, makeup and spa treatments. Stepping inside my friend and I were greeted with smiles from it’s founder and Beauty Therapist Kerry, along with an intimate gathering of locals who joined to celebrate.

Prosecco flowing and delicious canapes provided by their neighbour Bhoomi, a South Indian restaurant, the room was full of chatter and excitement. It was great to speak to entrepreneur Kerry and find out more about the range of treatments and brands they use – their ethos is to ‘provide exceptional treatments in a calm and welcoming environment’ which I could pick up on during a sample treatment in one of the adjoining rooms.

The first salon in Cheltenham to offer the elite Parisian skincare brand Yon-Ka (this stuff smells incredible!), they use exclusive salon brands and a premium waxing treatment by Lycon UK. Visiting salons can be a daunting experience for some, including me, but from first impressions the staff at Tonic make you feel really welcome and comfortable during your visit. I’m excited to book my first treatment with them next month before I head off on my holiday!

Canapes devoured and goody bags in hand, we said our goodbyes to the lovely Kerry and headed off out into the rain.

Happy Birthday, Tonic!

You can find out all of their information here and you can even book your beauty treatments online!

Contour with Benefit

Last month I was kindly invited to go along to Benefit cosmetics blogger event in Bristol for a ‘summer contour’ masterclass.

After all the introductions were made the lovely Kirsty, Benefit’s boutique manager in Debenhams, informed us on their charity month in May called Bold is Beautiful campaign which will help raise money and awareness for Look Good Feel Better & Refuge charities. If you purchase any brow wax service at Benefit during May you will receive a complimentary full sized Gimme Brow product, and 100% of the profits from the brow wax services will go to the two charities. Check the website for details on your nearest brow bar.

As we sat down ready to learn about how to contour for summer I got chatting to the lovely Bea whilst swatching some of the products in front of me. We were shown two contour looks: the Kim Kardashian contour which is slightly more time consuming but looks incredible for an evening look, and then a more natural and easier contour. I’m always eager to learn new techniques for applying products but was especially keen to find out how to create the former contour look.

Kirsty began the Kim K look on Bristol’s Benefit beauty consultant Brooke using Boi-ing concealer (choosing two of the five shades available), explaining which areas to highlight and where to contour.

Highlight should be applied under your eyes (think of a triangle shape, taking the concealer above your cheekbones), above and between the eyebrows, down the centre of your nose and around your chin.

Contour using a concealer two shades darker than the highlight, take it under your cheek bones, down the sides of your nose, across the bridge of your nose, around your jaw and hair line and alongside the highlight on the chin. You can also apply some contour above your lip, a trick I hadn’t tried before.

Once you have done these two stages grab a sponge (or brush) and it’s time to blend blend blend.

When it’s shown in these simple stages it seems far less daunting then you may have initially thought. As someone with fair skin this look would usually be out of my comfort zone but I have attempted it since using products I already own (ideally I would be using Benefit’s Boi-ing concealer in the shades 01 and 03) and I love the extreme glamour it creates! Although perhaps not a look I would wear if I was just off to do my grocery shopping…

Alternatively, you could use their best selling Hoola bronzer for a slightly easier and daytime friendly contoured look. Brooke demonstrated this more familiar method on Kirsty, who then created the same look on myself after the class. Hoola is a slightly darker bronzer than I usually choose to wear and was initially unsure how it would look on my paler complexion, but I was impressed with the bronzed finish (another product to add to my never-ending wish list). It really slims the face and by taking an extra bit of time to get it right, the rest of your makeup can be kept as simple as you wish – or channel your inner Kardashian!

I have seen many tutorials on YouTube but being shown how to do in reality was far more helpful, and of course we were able to try and recreate it ourselves using the products. Now I’m no contour-pro just yet but with the right tools and the lessons I have learnt above, I’m excited to have a contoured summer glow!

A big thank you to Kirsty for putting on a great event.

Let me know in the comments your favourite Benefit products and how you like to contour.

D.I.Y Floral Nail Art

It will be no surprise to many of you who have read my blog from the start or follow me on Instagram that I love nail art. I love the process of painting my nails and creating something fun, inspired by other nail art or fabric patterns. When I saw this floral manicure on Lauren Conrad’s website (via Pinterest) I had to give it a go!

It’s perfect for spring/summer, and the only thing it really requires is patience! If you haven’t got a steady hand, ask a friend of family member to help. I painted mine whilst watching American Horror Story, so I had a good excuse not to watch all the gory bits…

Materials

Brushes – You don’t need to spend a lot of money on professional nail art brushes. I use these fine art brushes from The Works, but you can pick similar ones up in any arts and crafts store for super affordable prices.

It’s all about the base…

Step 1 – It’s important to protect your nails and I use Essie’s All-in-One base coat. It may be slightly pricier than many drugstore products but I’ve found this particular one dries the quickest and leaves a super smooth finish, sometimes I use it by itself on days between wearing polish for a ‘my nails but better’ look.

Step 2 – Choose your base colour. I alternate between bold colours, pastels and nude shades, and as I haven’t worn this beautiful blue in a while I was inspired to create something with it. I can’t fault Rimmel’s Rita Ora collection – the formula and longevity is fantastic and there is a great range of shades to choose from. This one in ‘Breakfast in Bed‘ has a slight shimmer to it but only noticeable in certain lights. I always suggest two coats for the best coverage.

Step 3 – Choose a pale pink shade (I used Barry M’s Gelly nail paint in ‘Rose Hip‘) and paint two splodges on each nail. This is to create the shape of the rose so it doesn’t need to look perfect.

Step 4 – Use a fuchsia pink to create the petals, and draw ‘c’ shapes on the pale pink splodges with a fine brush. Each nail will look slightly different and this really adds to the ‘DIY’ effect.

Step 5 – Similar to step 4, use a white polish to ‘highlight’ the petals and add dimension. An off-white like Barry M’s Gelly Nail Paint in ‘Coconut’ is perfect!

Step 6 – A dark green shade is needed to create the stems – I used Essie’s ‘Stylenomics‘ as it’s a great green grass colour. Draw one or two small lines next to each rose, again each one doesn’t have to be the same.

Once it’s dry, add another layer of Essie’s All-in-One coat for shine and protection.

Ta-da!

Follow me over on bloglovin’ and tweet me photos if you give this a go @kcallen_xo

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

I’m forever on the hunt for a new mascara. One that lengthens, volumises, separates and doesn’t leave any nasty clumps. As a big mascara junkie I’ve always got more than one on the go but I’m eager to find just one that will do the same job that three are currently doing.

Rewind a few weeks to when Maybelline launched this pretty pink metallic mascara, I had to get my hands on it! I used my trusty Boots points to pay for it, currently on an introductory price offer of £5.99 (will go back to £7.99 in a few days!), and off I went home to test it out.

Initial thoughts…

I found the brush really interesting, shorter than Maybelline’s The Falsies mascara but had a similar curve to it which I love. Curved wands make it easier to apply the product to the top and bottom lashes, something most mascaras can struggle to tackle, and this one does both jobs with the two curves perfectly.

The brush is firm and does a great job of separating the lashes whilst doing some sort of volumising magic on them. The clump free formula make it easier to layer the mascara on, perfect if you are wearing it day to night. You haven’t got to worry about any smudging as it dries quickly and gives you a really pretty, natural look.

Removing mascara is one of my least favourite things to do usually but using my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser this mascara is pretty easy to take off. If I’m feeling lazy I use my Simple makeup remover wipes, but they don’t remove it very well without a lot of rubbing so I would suggest using a stronger and softer solution. This does prove that the mascara doesn’t budge and still looks great from day to night without any necessary layering, always a good thing in my book.

I’ve used it every day since purchase and it’s a new favourite in my makeup collection! I actually might go and buy another whilst it’s cheaper…

What mascaras are you currently loving?

A Blogger’s Guide to Blogging

Tomorrow is Katie Charlotte Blogs’ second birthday. It feels like I’ve had this little online sanctuary for so much longer, whilst at the same time these two years have gone by in a flash.

I’ve encouraged a few of my friends to start their own since I got the blogging bug in 2013 (although it dates back further to 2011 where I started Girl About Town, how so much has changed!), so as the anniversary is approaching I thought I would write up my own experiences and pass on some advice to those who want to start blogging or have just dipped their toes in the water and need a few tips.

Why you should start a blog…

For me it has always been somewhere I can be creative and combine my love for writing and photography. Whether you want your blog to be an online diary of your travels, a place to share your recipes or perhaps you have a passion for fashion and beauty – blogging is a fun hobby that can turn into a full-time business if you pursue with it hard enough.

I used to struggle with finding a hobby that I loved. Whilst many of my friends were out playing different sports, I lacked enthusiasm to do the same so I began reading beauty and fashion blogs in my spare time instead. It wasn’t long before I decided to start my own blog, writing about things I was passionate about – beauty, fashion, food, travel and the media! Four years later I’m still blogging and enjoying it more than ever.

Everyone has something unique to say. You never know who you might be inspiring and what you write could make a difference to a stranger’s life – helping others in one way or another is one of the greatest aspects about blogging.

Finding your passion…

Do your friends admire how you dress and do your makeup? Perhaps you like to experiment with cooking and are always being asked for that tasty recipe you made for friends? When you begin to think about what you enjoy and what you are told you are good at it becomes much easier to pin point what you could write about. It’s important to lead with your strengths – so you’re not the best writer but you have a good eye when it comes to taking photos? Ask a friend or family member to check you blog text and make your photography the main focus. Depending on what you are writing about, good quality imagery can prove more prominent.

It’s easy to compare what you are doing with what other bloggers are creating so keep reminding yourself of the reason why you wanted to start blogging – it’s important to be unique in the content you create whilst keeping the quality strong. Readers can usually tell if you are doing it for pleasure or for payment, and passion is the biggest pay off in the end.

Blog hosting sites to use…

Most bloggers use Blogger or WordPress, and after using both I decided to opt for the latter. It’s personal preference so each person’s experience will be different, but I felt WordPress gave me more creative independence. There is a variety of free themes to choose from alongside premium layouts that require payment, so there is something to float everyone’s boat. With scheduling posts made easy and a mobile app that is great for blogging on the go, there aren’t too many problem areas I can bore you with.

You can choose to keep your free ‘wordpress.com/.org’ address if you wish, or you can opt to pay for a domain name instead. For the initial few months I kept it and then once my followers grew I chose to go with GoDaddy around November 2013. I pay around £3 per year for my domain name (katiecharlotteblogs.co.uk) and $13 per year to WordPress to use it which suits me well at the moment.

For tech-savvy bloggers and those who aren’t quite down with HTML (like myself), WordPress is a great place to start your blog.

Social Media…

Starting your own online sanctuary, as I like to call it, can be the start of a new world of socialising. It’s important to network and get to know other bloggers so it’s vital that you have a Twitter account in particular to speak to like-minded individuals and brands. Other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook also hold importance, as this is where you can share photos from your blog posts and promote your content. Retweeting and favouriting tweets are a great way to engage in conversation, as well as using popular hashtags.

The blogging community is amazing and some of the most supportive people you are likely to meet, so it’s important that you make an effort in keeping those relationships alive. Be present online and you’ll be amazed with the results.

Content and scheduling…

To ensure blog growth it’s important to keep your content consistent, most readers like routine. Schedule your posts to what times suits you but also think about your readers – weekday evenings between 5 and 10pm are a good time to post as this is when most people are likely to be online (after work/school).

I post different content on different days and will usually schedule up to 6 posts per week. I’m not always consistent with this and that’s okay – remember to give yourself a break from time to time to gather your ideas and inspiration. There is nothing worse than lacking motivation and feeling uninspired, so take a step back and brainstorm new ideas.

My experience so far…

I’ll keep this part short and sweet and promise to try and not get too soppy. Starting this blog has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. At a time where my confidence was low and felt lost in what I wanted to do post-University, this little blog kind of saved me. I say kind of – of course I made a conscious effort myself to go out and do more, but with a happy focus on my blog my confidence grew and after a few months so did my readers. I had found something I felt strongly passionate about and it seemed that a few people liked what I had to say.

What’s next…

Who knows! And that is the best part of it all, opportunities arise when you least expect it and right now I’ve got a few exciting things lined up for the blog. I’ve already been invited to NYFW which I’m looking forward to in September (after not being able to attend next week!), and have a bloggers event later this month in London (#BloggersLoveLFW).

I went along to my first blogger event #TheBloggersMarket last weekend in Camden which was set up by inspiring bloggers Olivia, Carrie, Dunya, Lucy and Kristabel. Bloggers united to shop for bargains, eat cake and chat in a cool London location, I dragged my bestie along to enjoy the treats and also bumped into the gorgeous Kayleigh from Very Berry Cosmo! I’ve been chatting to her on Twitter for what feels like forever so it was so lovely to finally meet her – we bonded over overpacked bags and MAC lipstick, gotta love a girl after your own heart! (Also a shout out to the lovely Soph who I got to meet too, hopefully see you very soon!)

I suppose my hopes for the blog this year is to grow even further, meet more bloggers, work with brands I admire and most importantly, continue writing content that others enjoy reading.

If you have any questions or want to share your advice, leave them down below in the comments 🙂

Bioré Pore Strips

I’ve been meaning to do a review on these for a while now, so when I reached for the box of pore strips this morning and found only one left I thought now would be a good time to type up my thoughts.

There’s something strangely satisfying about removing all the built-up dirt (which can lead to blackheads), and nose strips like these ones by Bioré are an effective way of cleaning your pores. Using them on a regular basis may also visibly reduce the appearance of your pores, so they recommend you do this once every three days. At £7.99 per pack of 6 I tend to only use one per fortnight (when I remember), trusting that my daily makeup remover routine is doing its job well enough without any more assistance.

I’ve tried out an almost identical product from Marks and Spencer and found them to be slightly better than the Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, but unfortunately they seem to be discontinued in most M&S stores.

If you’re not too familiar with the process, here are the steps:

First, remove the nose strip from the packaging.

After washing your face, wet a cotton pad under the tap and gently wipe around the nose area (the strip won’t stick to a dry nose).

Take the smooth and stickier side and apply it on the nose – like I have in the photo below – press down to ensure the whole strip has contact with the skin.

Set the timer for 10-15 minutes, make yourself a drink and sit down and enjoy the latest YouTube upload in your feed whilst you wait. You can generally guess when the strip is ready to remove as it will feel rigid and firm – similar to how papier-mâché dries. Slowly (and carefully) start peeling back the strip from the edges until you get to the centre.

If you have any pain removing the strip, use your wet cotton pad and dab over the area of the nose where you are finding most difficulty. This should ease it gently and peeling it back will feel easier and pain-free.

And there you have it, my pores. Bared to the world wide web. No shame, just a feeling of satisfaction of knowing my skin is clean. To be honest you probably can’t see much on there (thank goodness), the pore strip didn’t reveal too much so I’m hoping that this means my skin was pretty clean already…

Have you tried these pore strips before? Leave me a comment and let me know your opinions and recommendations 🙂

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

You have probably read several posts on this miracle skincare product before. This is nothing new, but oh boy does it deserve the praise. I have suffered from bad skin since a teen and have stuck to the same skincare products in fear others will break me out.

Enter, Liz Earle’s Hot Cloth Cleanser.

There are two phases to this routine. Phase one is applying a pea sized amount of cleanser onto your finger tips and massage it all over your face – that’s right, it even removes the most stubborn mascara! Phase two is to use the soaked muslin cloth (use warm to hot water) to gently polish and clean the makeup off your face, leaving your skin feeling soft and radiant. The eucalyptus and cocoa butter ingredients cause a soothing and relaxing scent that enhances the skincare routine.

I have repurchased this kit a handful of times since trying it last year for the first time, so you can imagine the joy I felt when a friend of mine gave me this travel sized Christmas edition set a few weeks ago!

The full size kit which comes with two muslin cloths and a full size bottle of the cleanser retails at £14.99 in Boots.

What are your thoughts on this holy grail product?

Eylure Brow Palette

Brow power in a palette.

You may remember a few months ago I posted a review on Seventeen’s brow kit, it’s a good’un and has been used pretty much every day since that post last November. When something’s good, why try something new? The grass isn’t always greener, but I am on good authority to tell you that there is a new brow kit in town.

Palm & Sole Facial Scrub & Solid Moisturiser | The Review

It’s not often that I receive things in the post that I get excited about (I’ve cut my online spending habits in half, & I’m surprised Amazon even knows who I am anymore…) but when I was sent this beauty bundle last month I knew my skin was about to thank me.

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Palm & Sole is an innovative skincare brand that allow you to adapt each product to your own needs. All of the products in the collection are natural and individually hand made & blended – so no parabens, fragrances or synthetic colouring etc are used in the process here (I wrote a blog post regarding skincare ingredients to avoid here). Even the packaging is Eco-friendly – Designer and drugstore brands, take note.

The ethos behind Palm & Sole is brilliant, putting great emphasis on the consumer’s control over how the products are used. By allowing us to choose how we use each product it makes the whole application process much more interesting and fun, it shouldn’t feel like a chore. I have always linked skincare with nourishment and luxury, the balance of feeling good on the inside and looking healthy and radiant on the outside, and these products do just the job.

Palm & Sole is about embracing life and raising awareness of how we are connecting skin, body & emotions so we know what will help us feel fabulous in our own skin. Whatever your age, beauty needs or body shape, celebrate all that you are and all you can be with Palm & Sole.

– Kathy Webb, Creator

The lovely Kathy sent me two products, the first one being a freshly blended Honey and Lemon facial scrub.

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I usually swear by Simple’s Clear Skin Oil Balancing Facial Scrub but those days are now long gone – this honey & lemon scrub takes first place. There is something really satisfying about using natural products with no nasty chemicals inside it, almost like eating a slice of chocolate cake without all the artificial colours and preservatives – guilt-free.

When you first take it’s lid off, the sweet scent of honey straight away makes you aware how natural this product is, as with other creams and scrubs there is usually a fragrance to them. The lemon compliments the honey well, balancing out the sweetness to make the scent more ‘fresh’.

I apply the scrub onto damp, clean skin and gently massage it in small, upward motions all over my face. I leave it on for a minute before rinsing it off with warm water. I like to use a light application of moisturiser afterwards too (depending on how dry my skin is that day).

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My skin was really dry and looked lifeless before using the scrub, but within a few hours of application my skin felt smooth and looked more radiant. With the improvement on my complexion already, I’m excited to continue trying this product out.

I’d like to point out that the Honey & Lemon Facial Scrub is not part of the collection and was especially hand blended for my specific requirements as it is an ‘I-Me-Mine’ product, backing up the ethos of making the product unique to each individuals needs. This means that the scrub was tailored to my skin type, great for those like me who have sensitive skin. For more information on this specific product, check out the Palm & Sole website at the end of next month.

The second product Kathy sent over was a solid oil moisturiser, something I haven’t tried before so I was looking forward to testing it out.

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This solid oil can be used to massage hands, feet, arms etc and helps any dry patches you may have – you can even use it on the ends of your hair (I had doubts when I initially tried this out, but it works wonders!). The powerful aroma of the rose oil was the first thing that hit me when I opened the lid, smelling fresh and made me feel relaxed. For those of you who are not a fan of the rose scent and may be put off by this, there is only a subtle smell once applied to the skin and fades fairly quickly.

I was amazed at how it softened so quickly just by holding it, as it reacted to the warmth of the palm of my hands. The solid oil glides over the skin beautifully, and I found a little goes a long way.

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I first applied it to my hands, and as I don’t tend to use hand cream on a regular basis it felt good to give them a bit of nourishment, particularly the cuticle area as I find my skin gets quite dry due to my nail polish addiction (guilty as charged!) I then applied it to areas of my neck, elbows and my heels, as this is where I suffer most with dry patches.

My favourite thing about this product is how it dries back into a solid after returning it back into the cool pot – perfect for travelling (because nobody wants to have a ‘major shampoo and moisturiser explosion’ like Ross in Friends, right? If you’re not sure what I’m going on about, click here)

If you are interested in the ‘I-Me-Mine’ Facial Scrub or the Solid Oil Moisturiser, or would just like more information about Palm & Sole and their other products, please head over to http://www.palm-and-sole.com for more information 🙂

Have you tried solid oil moisturisers before?