Beauty tips advent calendar , Tip 1

So since the kids have woken up I have been pestered to death about opening their chocolate advent calender . It's all they have talked about for the last few days and one of the major things they look forward to each Xmas . And all that fuss  for some rubbish tasting chocolate, because instead of the nice chocolate ones they go for the one with their favourite cartoon character which generally contain some cheap chocolate . 

It got me to thinking of a nice idea for the lead up to Xmas for my own little advent calender for you , and instead of chocolate , something a little more valuble (possibly, I do love chocolate) in the form of an beauty tip   .

Tip 1 -

This time of year my lips always end up dry and flakey , so to help combat this you can use a kids toothbrush to gently brush off the flakes . 

Alternatively you could make your own DIY lip scrub with some brown sugar and some form of cooking oil , or Lush make some of the most amazing lip scrubs which taste great and you can lick of afterwords. My personal favourite is bubblegum. 

Then follow with a lip balm . 

(Image from google images)

No 7 Gel-look shine nail colour

Boots say 

" Spectacular colour and complete coverage in one stroke, with outstanding and durable gel- look shine " 

With so many nail polishes now boasting gel like qualities I thought I'd give it a go over my traditional nail polish choices . I am not one to commit to salon brand gel nails even though being trained in Shellac myself as I can't stand looking at the same nail colour for up to 2 weeks . I like to change colours and the fact that nail polish is so non committal I prefer to paint my nails every couple of days .

So I selected the shade galaxy , feeling a little festive it's a nice deep burgandy/purple with a bit of shimmer to it . 

I liked the brush and formula and was really easy to paint , it was comparable with higher end nail varnishes , getting a decent coverage with 1 coat and the on second coat a perfectly smooth and even coverage. Without top coat however I would nt say it was particularly gel - look shine .  It did dry very quickly which impressed me also properly touch dry within a few minutes . 

The longevity was no where near 'gel like' either , I had chips within a day and here are my nails after 2 .

Most nails have chips in the polish , and this is one of my biggest bug bears so it's immediately coming off . 

Overall I'm a little disappointed as I had high hopes after my initial application with it being so easy to apply , and looked great once top coat was applied . 

It's available in Boots at £7 

A Surprising Skin Saviour

My skin has always caused me problems , typically being oily and suffering with adult acne , but recently I have had a real change , it's has become incredibly dry and flakey . More than you would expect to happen with the change of seasons . I have never experienced anything like it before and has really left my self esteem on the floor . 

I have tried a number of high end brands in a bid to try to sort it but nothing had really been working . 

I had then remembered a post I had saw on another makeup artist s page about Nivea Creme and how she had read an article on how it compared to the £100 Creme de la Mer face cream containing 30 identical ingredients . So I though I might as well give it a try as it's so incredibly cheap ,  and boy what a difference it has made . The consistency is not for everyone , it's really thick and hard to work with if your skin is damp and will leave a greasy residue . But I find it strangely quite soothing. I only put it on and night and when I get up my skin  feels so incredibly soft what  a massive decrease in the dryness and flaking .  Still not completely gone but what an improvement .  As I am normally very oily I was a bit dubious as to whether it would make my acne worse and clog my proses but it does nt seem to have made a difference in that area . 

Still going strong since 1911 there must be something there for it still to be gracing our shelves now . 

A bit of an Introduction...

So I thought I would join this blogging bandwagon. I am no writer by any matter of means and can barely string a sentence together after having 4 kids but I'm going to give it a go.

I have always loved all things beauty related, spending hours walking round the beauty halls trying different product , watching every beauty related programme on tv , reading blogs and youtube obsessions. 

So when I got to the point that I could no longer maintain my day job I thought this was the time to explore my true passion in beauty. I went back to college in 2009 and studied beauty therapy and had my first glimpse of formal training in beauty and makeup. Whilst I loved the waxing , facials, massage etc it was when I had a makeup client I was in my element.

I added more training in fashion and photographic makeup and a went to The Academy of Makeup to study advanced bridal makeup techniques and bridal hairstyling. I have since started building a successful business offering makeup and hair services for wedding s, photoshoots, and any occasion I can .

Its been a real struggle , starting a business whilst maintains my roles as wife and mum and no doubt there will be the odd moan from my husband but getting that work / life balance is what I am all about .