Tuesday 27 January 2015

Spring Trends :) What's coming our way

Hey Guys :) 

So, I have been browsing the Spring/Summer Makeup trends that have been hitting the catwalk recently on Cosmo magazine. Preparing myself for bright pinks and reds, I was surprised and a little bit off to be honest! 

I have seen a crazy amount of winged eyeshadow in dusky browns and golds ,even bright and dark purple! simple winged liner, green, pink and orange eye liner with a dramatic wing, in both eye line and water line! Twiggy inspired mascara (slightly clumped together lashes) bleached brows to heavy dark brows and completely natural looks with slight contouring! 

Personally I do like to keep my looks as simple as possible, favouring a smokey eye, lashes, liner and either nude or pink lips :) I find it very challenging to step out of my comfort zone, even though I know some of these looks would actually suit me or my family and friends! 

In fairness Ireland has only recently discovered the Kylie Jenner look! (God bless lip liner!) Even though we are one of the closest countries in Europe to America, why does it seem that we are so late in trends or adapting them. I sincerely doubt I am going to see some of my neighbours shopping in town with bleached eyebrows or Tiffany Blue eyeliner! We seem to have a look that we depend on and don't change. I for one know many that have adapted the 80's blue eyes and red lips and don't change it! Fair play to them I say!

SO, as part of my new challenge with my new "Streaky Face Blogs" I am going to try out some of these looks and hopefully give some inspiration to people that read them to step out of the comfort zone and have bright blue and peach eyeliner all over Ireland!:P (jokes) 

I just hope that it will give people the chance to see that the usual liner and lippy look you wear to work or on a night out might not be the only look that suits :) 

Watch this space ;) 

Here are some examples of Spring Summer Trends for 2015 :) 






Thanks for reading :D if you feel like trying any of these out, do, and let me know :) 

Sandy.S
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Tuesday 20 January 2015

Smokey eyes :) How to:

Hi Everyone :) I'm really sorry about my delay in writing posts but I am back now and promise to be better with writing these :) 

So I have been trying out some looks with the eyeshadow palettes I have and I have decided to show you all how I create my smokey eye look as I have gotten so many compliments on them recently :)

It is quite tricky, but one little genius tip I will share with you is this...


Yes, sellotape! 
If I ever found it tricky to do a smokey eye before I would just use sellotape! Fortunately over time I have gotten used to doing them and can do without it now, but this is what I used at the beginning :) All you have to do is this, apply some sort of base over your eye, be it a paint pot, coloured primer or concealer to hid the veins and redness (if you have it), then get a piece of sellotape about 4 or 5 cm long, and place it just under where you either want your eyeshadow to stop, or eyeliner to go. If you are using it for eyeliner place it under the eye and join it up so that it is as if you were continuing on from your water line. You can even use it on your cheeks for contour! But I find it the best for doing smokey eyes, even just until you get used to doing them yourself. I also advise doing it before you apply your foundation as any fall off can be easily wiped off and foundation applied. 


So after I apply my sellotape I apply my eyeshadows. You can choose any colour/colours you like, depending on what you would like to go for. Usually I will use 3 or 4, sometimes 2 if it's only a simple look :) Normally I go for browns, golds and pinks, even black if very dramatic :) 
I start by applying the brightest colour to the inner corner of my eye and tear duct, usually a white or cream as it will reflect the light and make my eyes appear brighter :) I will use this colour again for under my brows. 
Next I will usually get a metallic or shiny based colour to apply on the middle of the eye or 2/3 part :) The reason for this is, the middle part of the eye is the part where the eyeball moves the most and catches the light,  therefore placing a glitter based shadow on that part of the eye will catch the light and give your eyes a more appealing look. I will pat this colour down, rather than brushing it as patting it down will leave more product on that part. 
On the third part of the eye and the crease I will place a darker colour, usually a dark matte colour, void of any glitter, a brown, black or even a dark purple or pink. I will then blend the three colours together using a thicker blending brush. You may notice the outer corner has lightened a bit, if so go back in with the dark colour and blend into the crease with either a small blending brush, or crease brush. 
I will then get the colour I used for the inner tear duct and place that under my brows and blend it into the eyeshadow over the crease so there are no thick lines of shadow, everything looks more natural and professional. 
 After this I go in with my liquid liner(you can use a pen or gel, whichever you prefer) and line the top of the eyes, the lashes to get rid of any shadow on them, and then the waterline just over the sticky tape. You can have it any length or any thickness you prefer (that's what she said :P ).


I will then line the water line with some black liner, if you have small eyes then avoid this or perhaps use white instead to make your eyes appear bigger. I then apply the darker shadow used under the lower lashes and either join that to the liner or just leave it under the lashes, depending on the look. Sometimes I like to use a sort of ombre effect under the eyes, of the shadows I have used previously. Again, that is completely up to you, it just helps to dramatize the look. 

If you wish to apply the lashes, first use an eyelash curler, one coat of mascara and then stick them on. I use my eylure adhesive glue, place it on them and leave it to dry for a couple of seconds, then apply the lashes (You have to do this as it will make the lash glue tacky, and therefore stickier and easier to apply) Once you have applied them how you want them, line over them once more with liner and apply some extra coats of mascara to make them blend into your lashes. 


After this apply your foundation, etc and get ready for your day out/work/coffee date/night out :)

I will include some pictures of looks I like to do and I hope this helped :) 

  



 


For any products I use, I usually leave a list of products under my Makeup Looks on my facebook page :) 

Thanks for reading and happy blending!! :D
Sandy.S
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Saturday 3 January 2015

Blog one of January :)

Hey everyone :) I am sorry it has been so long since my last blog, however it was a very busy christmas and new year personally and I found I just didn't have the time :( 

So I finally get to wish you all a happy new year and I hope it will be amazing and ten times better than the year past! :) 


Do you have any plans for this year? Any trips planned? Or are you like me and winging it? :P 

I had a very mixed year in 2014, moving to Galway, my father being on TV, going to Manchester and Berlin, getting engaged to the best man in the world and of course losing some very important people and meeting new ones :) I think with the crisis the country was in, it has been very mixed for many, but with the highlight of some very important topics such as Mental Health and Homelessness, I hope that these issues will be further dealt with in 2015 and massive improvements will be made :) 

I know many people will be thinking New Year, New Me and all that. But do you really think that you are going to change drastically when the bell strikes for midnight? I for one know that I want to start being more positive, join weight watchers, get more exercise and hopefully this year will be the year that I will get my dream job or course and be able to settle in to something and be more content in life. But I also know that this will take time and I cannot expect to get everything done overnight. I think getting engaged really put life into perspective for me and I find that I finally have a life goal or something to work towards! :P 

The point I'm trying to make is that you should not expect yourself to be able to change overnight, or start giving up on something you love just because your friends have or that supermodel from the Victoria Secret fashion show had the best body you've ever seen! and something else I really hate, is this new fad of joining the gym and feeling the need to have abs and muscles etc like the lads in Geordie shore. I was listening to a doctor on a radio show recently who was giving out about this also, because he said he has never seen so many muscle injuries and sprains since this new gym trend started. I cannot see what is wrong with doing a sport or going for a jog, a run or even a walk. I see people eating fast food, drinking protein shakes and going to the gym like mad people. This is not healthy! Of course I understand people might not be able to go anywhere but a gym for exercise, or that maybe they need it for training up or whatever. I just think it's ridiculous when people are only going because there friends are or because its a fashion statement or the 'new slim'. A persons health is their wealth at the end of the day and if you are perfectly healthy why change yourself?
It's normal for him ^^
Not him ^^ :/



Personally I tell everyone I just want to be healthy, but it's actually because I can't wait to fit in to a gorgeous wedding dress lol :P Jokes!
 I want to be able to wear whatever I want and run to keep up with my sister when we play sports in the summer. I don't care what actress or tv personality has the fittest body, I just want to be happy with myself and I don't care what anyone else thinks about my lifestyle choices :) 

So don't go mad dieting, or change your hair, or your lifestyle just because your friends do and don't make promises to yourself you're not going to keep and make again next New years. If you are doing it for yourself then that is your choice and I wholeheartedly agree with it :)  The best resolution you can make, is to just be yourself in the new year and take every day as it comes. And any fitness decisions or lifestyle choices should be your own not somebody elses. 


I will be writing loads of blogs in the New year hopefully, more makeup tips, more lifestyle issues and some new menu tips as soon as I join Weight watchers :D 

I hope you enjoy :) 

Thank you for reading this odd blog :P
Sandy.S
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