Nubo White Diamond Ice Glow Mask

I follow Nubo skincare on twitter and recently won a competition with them! I was sent the ice glow mask which I had heard mentioned in various beauty magazines as a radiance boosting treatment. I researched the product online and found out that the product is worth £100 and has rave reviews by beauty editors! I read about the amazing properties of the mask and was immediately excited to try it! I used it on myself and my sister to see how it worked on both of our skin types (mine is normal/combination and hers combination/oily).

The first thing that struck me when I received the product was the beautiful packaging! 

The "diamond" encrusted lid and sultry silver packaging reflect the product itself and I was impressed with the size of the product. At £100 however I would expect great packaging anyway!

The product itself is creamy and light and I applied it all over the face but not too close to the eye area as instructed. I left the mask on for 10 minutes and immediately felt the cooling effects which give this mask its ice glow name! It was extremely cold on the face and almost felt numbing by the end of the 10 minutes so if you don't like tingling or the cold you will probably not enjoy this treatment! However I found it quite invigorating especially when I read about the wonderful things that it was doing to my skin.

The oxygenating mask claims to:

- ease signs of tiredness

- promote a glowing complexion

-plump the skin

- revitalise and refresh with the cooling sensation

- release frown lines and wrinkles

The results for me were lovely but I didn't notice anything outstanding! My skin felt soft, plumped and looked radiant however I don't suffer with any wrinkles yet so cannot comment on those claims. I felt very refreshed and the cooling sensation lasted for a while after removing it! My sister did not enjoy the feeling at all so it is definitely not for everyone as the sensation is a bit odd. I felt like jack frost was blowing onto my face for about half an hour! I will be trying the mask on my mother to see how it works on mature/dry skin and will report back on the results! 

I personally could not spend £100 on a face mask however the jar is huge and if you were to purchase you would get a lot of use out of the product. I will keep trying the product but cannot imagine purchasing it purely because of the price and the results were not staggering enough to warrant spending so much!

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My current favourite Shampoo and Conditioner

I've recently been trying out a new haircare routine and thought I would share the results with you! I have normal hair which is a little limp and oily at the roots with not much volume. I also have blonde highlights and get my hair coloured every month or so. I wash my hair every morning because I am a little OCD about my hair and literally cannot leave it a day without washing or I feel dirty! I know many people say that this is bad for your hair but I have spoken to my hairdresser and she says that as long as I am using products which benefit my hair condition and don't use styling tools every day I am not ruining my hair. My hair is in good condition at the moment and I put this down to the fact that I have been putting more effort into deciding what hair products to use and making sure I use serums and mousses which contain good quality ingredients.

I have used Tigi hair products for many years now including one of my all time favourites the Dumb blonde range but was keen to try the more recent Urban Antidotes range because its aimed at sorting out specific hair issues. I chose the Re-Energize duo for normal hair which needs a daily pick me up which mine certainly does! 

The shampoo and conditioner are hydrating, strengthening and shine enhancing - everything I look for in haircare products! There are other sets in this collection for more dry/damaged hair but this set is suitable for damage level 1 hair such as mine which just needs a little boost :) I am loving this duo at the moment! It provides the perfect amount of moisture and smells amazing as every Tigi product does. I honestly believe in spending a little more on haircare because the high end professional brands almost work better for me than high street brands and on websites such as www.feelunique.com these duos aren't completely out of my price range. I bought these products from my local Sally's store where I have a make up artist pro card however they are available on www.feelunique.com at £24.95 for the large size duo which lasts for ages!

What is your favourite shampoo and conditioner combo?

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MAC "Watch me Simmer"

I recently got a job with MAC working part time on counter (yay) and therefore will soon be adding many more MAC products to my professional and personal collection. However to celebrate getting the job I decided that I would treat myself to a limited edition lipstick which I have been lusting after for quite some time! Watch me simmer, a bright coral orange tone, was released in the Shop mac cook mac collection and unfortunately I missed out on buying it then and didn't have to finds to treat myself to a new lipstick. When I saw it re released in the new Reel Sexy collection I decided that it was a sign that I needed to buy it so I ordered it online and received it a few days later in the post!

To say I was excited was an understatement! I have never owned a lipstick this shade before and was unsure if it would suit me but the moment I opened the lid I fell in love. The lipstick is an amplified shade which means the colour is a strong pigmented almost neon tone and goes on with a creamy texture and finish.  The colour is bright so if you are not used to wearing statement lip colours you may be a little frightened by this shade however I tried dabbing the colour onto my lips as a stain too which looked much softer for daytime wear. I, however, love wearing brights now so I went for it straight from the bullet! I wore a neon green Topshop jumper to contrast with the lip colour and I loved this look!

Once again, I am in love with a mac lipstick which makes it a lot easier to talk to customers about because I genuinely believe that these lipsticks are in a league of their own! The colour pay off and texture never disappoint me and now that I have tried this neon shade I have my eye on another bright colour, Impassioned. If you are looking for an eye catching summer shade then this is the one for you!

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Sleek eau la la liners

I was very excited to see these liners in my local Superdrug as I've read rave reviews about the products on beauty blogs. Sleek are fast becoming one of my favourite drugstore brands because they are incredibly affordable and high in quality. As a make up artist I am always looking for new products to add to my kit and the eye palettes and blushes from this brand don't cost the earth but produce great results on clients. 

The eau la la liners can be used on eyes/lips/face and the creamy texture makes them perfect for using on clients without causing discomfort. The range of colours is fantastic and I picked up 6 of them in store. as with many other drugstore products you need to check that the product hasn't been tampered with as I have picked up a couple of broken/unwrapped products in Superdrug before without realising. I would highly recommend ordering from the Sleek website instead.

The wanted to choose a variety of colours so I picked up yellow,orange,white,blue,berry and coral. There were no testers available in store so I took a risk and it definitely paid off! The pigment and texture of the product is fantastic. The white in particular really stood out because it wasn't a wishy washy white as many others are but instead an intense true white which would look fantastic on the eyes. 

I have used the berry colour already on models for a fashion show and the colours had great depth and was incredibly flattering on a variety of skin tones. I will definitely buy more if I find myself looking for a specific colour but would highly recommend any make up junkies or working make up artists to pick a few up for their collection. At £4.00 per pencil you can't go wrong!

I also picked up two shadows from MUA cosmetics on my trip which I will be reviewing soon :)

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Make up Inspiration

As a working make up artist I am constantly on the lookout for exciting images and products in the beauty industry. I buy magazines, read online articles and spend alot of time on the internet browsing make up collections and images. One of my favourite things to do is to add my favourite images to a folder on my computer called "Make up inspiration". 

This folder is a collection of the most creative and beautiful pictures that I have seen online and they play a huge role in inspiring me as an artist. Of course I am not talking about copying the images, but simply looking at the colours and textures and seeing how they have been put together to create a work of art of the face. I am also inspired by music and fashion and some of my images reflect my love of beauty, theatre, art, fashion and music and I thought I would share some of my favourites with you.

Brigitte Bardot with her soft skin and eyeliner flick represent feminine beauty

Dewy skin finish at Preen catwalk show is delicate but modern

Using make up to subtly enhance natural beauty

Illamasqua know how to use colour and texture!

Black Swan theatrical style make up

NARS campaign uses bronzed skin and pinky red lips to create a summery look

David LaChapelle is a fantastic photographer with unique visions

Subtle but defined catwalk eye contouring

Experimenting with both colour and texture

Using eyeshadow in a less traditional way

Strong brows and lips with flawless skin creates a sophisticated yet sexy look

Using complimentary colours on the eyes and nude lips - great combination!

Texture plays an important role and this photo is a stunning example

Exciting use of colour by Pat Mcgrath 

As you can see I enjoy finding both naturally beautiful images as well as dramatic creative shots. I love the way that make up can be used to enhance beauty and create a radiance to the skin but can also completely reinvent a face and produce a more controversial style. 

Do you have a collection of favourite make up images?

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My favourite brush for gel liner

I have a mild (severe) obsession with make up brushes because I truly believe that they can make or break a make up look. I don't think that it is always necessary to spend a fortune on brushes but investing in a few good quality products will vastly improve make up technique and the finished look. On my make up course shopping day we were taken to Charles Fox where we were given a goody bag with free products which I immediately added to my professional kit and this bag included a small Kryolan fine art brush. 

At first I was unsure how and when I would use this brush and left it in my kit for a day when I would be creating detailed make up looks. However I recently rediscovered it again and decided to give it a try with my Maybelline gel liner and its a match made in heaven! The brush is fine enough to create a thin line across the eye however it allows you to build up the product to create a thicker more dramatic line if desired. I was given two of the brushes in my goody bag so I have put one into my pro kit and kept one for my own brush collection and have been using it almost everyday. I recently used it on a shoot and it was far easier to work with than the eyeliner/angled brushes I had previously been using. I will definitely be investing in more brushes like this as they allow a certain level of control whilst being soft enough in texture to sweep delicately across the eye.

What is your favourite brush for applying eyeliner?

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