5 Strange Beauty Tips & Tricks

Everyone is always sharing their favorite beauty tricks, but here are some that you may have never heard of!

1. If you have dry eyelashes, perhaps from using a harsh make-up remover, then apply Vaseline to them before you go to sleep. This will nourish them, and also help them grow - this works for eyebrows, too!

2. Sometimes you don't have time to let your nails dry, so if you need your nail varnish to dry quickly, then submerge them in cold water for 2-3 minutes, and they will dry! Be careful not to take them out too fast, though.

3. Hold a business/index card on your eyelid when apply mascara, to allow you to really coat your top eyelashes without getting any on your lid. You can place it under your bottom eyelashes as well!

4. If you have trouble curling your eyelashes, then gentle heat up your eyelash curlers with your hair dryer before using it. This will make them act like a curling wand would on your hair, and will keep them curled for longer - be careful to not make it too hot!

5. If you have a really bad spot, apply a small amount of toothpaste to it! This will cry the spot out and reduce the oil. Do this before going to bed or leave it on for about 15 minutes then wash off.

I hope you found this post helpful, and that you maybe even learnt something new!

- L x

How to look like Carrie Bradshaw in The Carrie Diaries

“Before there was sex, before there was the city, there was just me – Carrie, Carrie Bradshaw”- Carrie Bradshaw, in the introduction of The Carrie Diaries

Carrie Bradshaw – she's renowned for having an impeccable fashion style, a love for New York and a passion for writing. The Carrie Diaries is not only a new obsession of mine, it is a prequel to the books/films/TV series. Starring Anna Sophia Robb as Carrie, it shows Carrie starting high school in 1984. It also shows the origins of her life in New York and how she forms into who she is now, in the present day.

'The Carrie Diaries': 'A First Time For Everything' recap - The Carrie... (clipped to polyvore.com)

A main feature of Carrie's look is her amazing trademark curls. In the pilot episode, Anna Sophia had her hair curled but, because it took two hours to do so, a wig was made for her for the rest of season 1. In season 2, Carrie had a sleeker and shorter style however she still has curls in her hair. To have Carrie's curly hair, you could either use a curling wand or a curling tong. I would recommend using the Enrapture Encode Totem Styler hair tong as it has three sections that you can heat to different temperatures; this creates a range of curls, waves and ringlets and you can experiment to find Carrie's style! Another method is, with freshly washed damp hair, section your hair into two parts. Then make one plait with each section and wait to dry. Voila! Instant curls. 

The Carrie Diaries Episode 3 “Read Before Use” (clipped to polyvore.com)

Carrie's makeup is quite subtle and youthful and enhances her facial features perfectly. First, cover up any spots with concealer. I use Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection concealer in shade 1. Then, you could make your face look even more flawless by wearing foundation - if your skin is clear and flawless already, skip this step. Wearing a light peachy pink blusher is optional but I think it enhances Carrie's smile. AnnaSophia has quite defined cheekbones so a little bronzer would help you copy Carrie's look. Carrie has beautiful doll-like eyes so try adding a pale neutral toned eye shadow to the lids (it could be nice if this had a little shimmer to it) and add a light-mid brown to the crease. Blend this out with an eye shadow brush. Urban Decay do great palettes with these toned colours in. For the eyeliner, you could use brown or black and create a small line on the top lash line, making it thicker towards the edges. Then take that previous brown eye shadow colour used for the crease and lightly line your bottom lash line. To achieve Carrie's wide-eyed look, curl your lashes and then add a volumising, lengthening mascara. I would be interested in trying Lancome's Hypnose Doll mascara for Carrie's look as it claims to make eyes look doll-like (like Carrie's). Not only does Lancome do doll mascara, they also do other doll products so check them out. To finish off the look, get a fairly sheer light pink lip product and swipe it across your lips! I recommend the Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters - perhaps in the shade Strawberry Shortcake or any other colour similar. In season 2 Carrie's make-up becomes a little more dramatic and signifies her grown-up life in the city. 

The Carrie Diaries (clipped to polyvore.com)

I'm in love with Carrie's style and her 80s influenced outfits! Of course the key part of  Carrie's season 1 wardrobe is her mum's satchel that she did some DIY on. You could design your own Carrie satchel by getting your hands on a plain black satchel to your suited size and some nail varnish. Carrie uses the colours white, light green, a little red and a pink - her name is written in the pink colour. Main elements of Carrie's style in season 1 are cute knitted jumpers, flared skirts and dresses (midi length) and a killer coat. In season 2, not only does Carrie's hair get shorter, so do the skirts and dresses. She overall has a more grown-up look. They key thing when recreating Carrie's style is to go for colourful prints that are flared and flattering, with the odd long beaded necklace thrown in. Check out wornontv.net for clothing from a specific episode.

And the transformation is complete! You now look like Carrie Bradshaw - all you need now is an internship in the city and Sebastian Kydd to fall in love with you!

- A x       

SheInside Wishlist

Sheinside jumpers by lamey 

I recently discovered a website called Sheinside, after hearing about it on YouTube and other people's blogs. After hearing many good things about it, I decided to check the website out. I was immediately drawn to the jumper/sweater section, and found some really cute jumpers that I just couldn't wait to share with you!

1. £19.76 
 This grey jumper just looks so warm and cozy too me, and like it would be really comfy, but with the lace detailing it also makes it fashionable. This would be perfect for anything from a lazy day at home to shopping with friends!

2. £14.56
I love heart patterns, which was one of the reasons that I was drawn to this particular jumper. I love that it's cropped as I wear many high-waisted skirts, and I also love that it's monochrome, meaning it would go with everything.

3. £19.85
This jumper is super slouchy, and would be perfect for layering because of how thin it is. I like how there are different sized stripes and types of knit, as it adds interest to a normal striped jumper! I love that it's cream and black, as again it means it would go with everything!

4. £12.05
I really love the lilac colour of this jumper, and also that it's slightly longer. This means that you can wear it on lazy days with leggings, but I think it would look really cute with just normal jeans, too!

I would definitely recommend checking out Sheinside, as it has some really nice stuff, and at the moment there's a sale!<3

- L x

(if you want to get these jumpers, then click the number above the description of the one you want!)

The Perfect Red Lipstick

I have recently been loving autumnal/wintery make-up, and one of my favorite trends has always been red lips. However, I didn't own a red lipstick so I decided to finally buy one. I bought a Rimmel lipstick in the colour 170 'Alarm' and I love it!

It has a smooth, moisturising texture, and has a slightly glossy finish - it is not a matte lipstick, like others from Rimmel. The colour is a cool-toned red with a hint of pink in it. It has a small amount of shimmer in the actual stick, but this does not really show up on the lips, apart from giving a slight sheen.

This can be worn very full on as a bright, bold lip, and it stays on your lips for a long time. To increase this time you can use a lip liner underneath, then apply lipstick, then blot and then apply the lipstick again. This will also give you a slightly more vibrant colour than when you just wear it alone.

You can also apply it very lightly and then blend it into your lips, to give a natural rosy colour that I love, which is perfect for everyday wear.

I would definitely recommend this lipstick, or any other Rimmel lipstick, as it's such a good product considering you only pay £4.99. You can wear it in many different ways, and it has such a nice feeling when you apply it. If you are scared about try a red lip, you start off buy dabbing a small amount and blending it, and then gradually build up the colour as you start to feel more comfortable!

- L x

My Skincare Favorites

Hello everyone! I thought I would write a post about skin care today, as recently my skin has been quite clear. It is important to take care of your skin all year round, but it's especially important in the winter months. However, there are ways to keep your skin healthy and clear, so I thought I would share my favorite skincare products with you, which I think really help my skin!

Bare in mind that everyones skin is different, so these products may not work for you. I have combination to normal skin, and normally I don't have many spots, just a few blackheads - my skin is quite clear.

Face wash/exfoliater
- My favorite exfoliating face wash is Neutrogena visibly clear blackhead scrub. The exfoliating beads are really small, meaning they actually do help to get rid of blackheads. It's a daily face wash, and you can use it morning and night, which I do. It helps to make my skin feel really smooth and soft, as the exfoliating beads also help to get rid of dead skin cells. 

Moisturiser
- My favorite moistuiser is Simple Kind to Skin hydrating light moisturiser. As the name would suggest, it is a light formula, and easily goes into the skin. It does really moisturise my skin, and it doesn't leave an oily feel, or clog up my pores. Because it's simple, it's good for sensitive skin, and it claims to work for 12 hours.

Mask
- My favorite face mask is the Tea Tree face mask from The Body Shop. It helps to remove impurities, absorb excess oil and sooth the skin. Once removed, your skin looks healthier, clearer and feels much softer and smoother. It has tea tree in it which is very good for getting rid of spots. Also, it seems to last for a long time, as you don't need to use much each time. This is good, as the Body shop can be quite expensive.

Spot/skin treatments
-For really bad spots, the cream that I have found to work best is Quinoderm, which you can buy in boots. It is very strong, so you have to use it sparingly, but it will dry up the spot straight away. Because my skin is normally quite clear, I only use this when I have a really bad spot, and apply it only on the spot; do not apply it all over the face!

- I also love Effaclar duo, which really helped my skin when I had a few breakouts. It also helps with black heads. It has a very silky feeling and almost melts into the skin. It is meant to help unclog your pores, and I really think it helps to do that. I used it before my moistuiser.

Hope that you found this post helpful!
- L x

(also, this is our first post of 2014, so happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a great time on new years eve/the rest of the holidays!)