Sunday 10 August 2014

Real Technniques Retractable Bronzer Brush

 
When I saw this new Real Techniques retractable bronzer brush (£7.99) in Boots, I had to pick it up. I'm a little obsessed with makeup brushes and this was one I didn't even know about.. How could I have missed it?

And there are more Real Techniques brushes for 2014 in the pipeline. how exciting is that? I let out a little squeal when I saw this pic on Pixiwoos facebook...
Real Techniques brushes - New for Christmas 2014

I will do a full review once I have been using the brush for a little longer, but so far I am really enjoying using it for liquid foundation application.  The bristles are super soft and give an airbrushed finish.


Have you picked up any of the new Real Techniques retractable brushes?

Ashly xxx

Tuesday 5 August 2014

REVIEW | HotHair Brianna 3/4 Wig Glazed Strawberry*

The folks at hot hair very kindly asked if I wanted to try out one of their new hair pieces.  After the success and compliments I received using my clip in fishtail plait (review here) I jumped at the chance.

I was sent the Brianna 3/4 wig* by HotHair in the colour glazed strawberry R29S. It is a 3/4 wig with waves through the ends.  I have to say it did not disappoint. 
It arrived in a lovely box - great for storage. Wrapped in a net, with not a strand out of place.  I was very impressed.  The colour was as close to perfect as possible.  Obviously the texture is different to human hair, as this piece is synthetic.


Easy to apply, with hair grips and clips.  Takes 2 minutes to put in place (perfect if you are in a rush but still want to look fab).  You do need to cover the seam though. I back combed the front of my hair and pulled it straight back, securing in place with Kirby grips (bobby pins), which did the trick.


What I liked most about this hair piece is that it is so versatile.  You can quite easily put your hair up in a pony tail or braid the piece, it blends in really well and looks fab.  It gives your hair up that extra bit of thickness and volume, who doesn't want that?


I would say if you are going to wear this piece straight down, it is probably best worn on a night, just because the texture is slightly different to human hair.  Either that or easily wear it styled up (as mentioned previously) for the day, it looks all the more natural that way.

I have to say I absolutely love my Brianna 3/4 hair piece by Hot Hair...  Hair style tutorials with it coming very soon.


Lots of Love Ash x

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Monday 4 August 2014

GUEST POST | What Colour of Eyeshadow should I wear?


Hi everyone!! Today I have a guest post for you from one of my absolute favourite people.  We may not have known each other a long time but I know we are life long buds for sure.  Not only is she an amazing person and super gorgeous but she is an extremely talented makeup artsist too.  So listen up and make sure you go and follow her blog ...




Hi guys! Today I wanted to show you a purple look that I created. It is perfect for those of you who have green, brown, or hazel eyes. Following color wheel theory, purple is a complimentary opposite of green, brown, and hazel eyes. If you use, green shadows on green eyes, brown shadows on brown/hazel eyes - your eye color won't "POP" as much as it could.

You may be wondering what color wheel theory is at this point, NO worries! I got you covered! Let's briefly cover the basics...



COLOR WHEEL THEORY BASICS:
You may have learned about the color wheel at some point in your life. I will assume that most people reading are beginners and will explain it as such. Within the color wheel, there are PRIMARY, SECONDARY, and TERTIARY colors.
  • PRIMARY COLORS: are colors that can’t be made by mixing other colors
    • Blue
    • Yellow
    • Red
  • SECONDARY COLORS: are a mixture of two primary colors
    • Blue + Red = Violet
    • Red + Yellow = Orange
    • Yellow + Blue = Green
  • TERTIARY COLORS: are a mixture of primary and secondary colors
    • Yellow (Primary color) + Orange (Secondary color) = Yellow-orange
    • Red (Primary color) + Orange (Secondary color) = Red-orange

color-wheel

Next let’s discuss the cool and warm sides of the color wheel…
 
COOL:
  • Means the base of the shade is a blue tone
  • Example: there is a blue toned base to cool shades of purple
WARM:
  • Means the base of the shade is a yellow tone
  • Example: there is a yellow toned base to warm shades of purple
If you look at the photo below, you can see the row of purples on your far upper right are cooler shades of purple (with a blue base). Now look two rows over at the lighter purples (to the right of the burgundy shadows) – notice how they are warmer shades of purple? That’s because yellow has been added to them to make them warmer.
Why should you care? Because, knowing which colors are complimentary opposites to your eye color will help you enhance your natural features. In general, just remember, that if you have brown eyes you want to look to the opposite side of the color wheel (notice how blue, green, and purple are on the opposite of brown below). If you have green or hazel eyes, look to the opposite side of the wheel and you find purples, plums, and earth tones.

Color-Wheel

COLOR WHEEL THEORY IN RELATION TO EYESHADOWS:




GREEN EYES OR GREEN EYES WITH GOLD FLECKS:
  • Purple shadows
  • Plum shadows
  • Shimmery taupe colored shadows (with warm undertones)
  • Copper shadows (pull golden flecks forward and make green tones radiant)
  • Silver shadows

BROWN EYES:
  • Medium & light brown eyes:
    • Purple shadows
    • Plum shadows
    • Green-gold shadows
    • Copper shadows
  • Dark brown eyes: vibrant blue and navy blue
  • With brown eyes in general you can really experiment with any color!

HAZEL EYES WITH GOLD/GREEN FLECKS:
  • Purple shadows
  • Eggplant shadows
  • Warm neutral brown shadows
  • Gold shadows (pull golden flecks forward and make green tones radiant)
  • Bronze shadows (pull golden flecks forward and make green tones radiant)
  • Warm green shadows (brings forward green tones)

Many people have a hard time finding the right colors that work for their eyes, but if you can remember which colors go with your specific eye color then it makes life so much easier! This post is Part 1 of 2 posts. Next week I will be covering, Part 2: Eyeshadow Color Theory 101 For Blue & Yellow Eyes. Make sure you subscribe by email to my blog or follow my blog so that you can stay updated on all new postings! Click the video below for a full tutorial on how to create this purple smokey eye (plus a ton of tips and tricks!). Comment me and tell me if you found this helpful! I would love to hear from you :) Xoxo Amber Malei Follow my blog with Bloglovin