Halloween: Hot or Not

If there's something strange going on outside, who you 'gonna call?

Not me! I'm out this evening at a much anticipated Halloween party so will be temporarily MIA - or that's what you think... 

After a great deal of pondering and putting our evil minds to the test, my friend and I came to the chillingly unique conclusion of going as a fallen angel and a vampire. With our costumes hanging up in the wardrobe, or should I say coffin of clothes, everything seemed on point for the moment the sun sets and the zombies come out to play. 

But like a superhero without his sidekick, what's a costume without make up? 

A great un-success. 

To inspire us in the looks department and hopefully you if you're out tonight - whether it be trick or treating or partying the night away - I've put together a photo collection of some Halloween make up do's and don't's. 

HOT

This make up made me tingle. The enlarged eyes and wooden nutcracker mouth has been so cleverly done without overdoing it at all, and is enough to make anyone cringe! This screams 'I'm going to haunt you in your nightmares whether you like it or not' and says watch out.

NOT 

Don't get me wrong: this is good. But for me, it's in the halfway house: almost there but not quite. The eyes are bold and big but dominate the face and Halloween is about all, or nothing. And this is neither! I would add bold red or cherry lips with a trickle of blood, as it's lacking in the scare factor too. This says effort.  

HOT

I'm sure we can all agree that even though it's Halloween, we don't exactly want to look like the living dead - we get enough of that each morning when we wake up and practically shatter the mirror. In other words, we still want to look pretty. But perhaps attractive is the right way of putting it: this make up is again, kept to a minimum but is effective and still holds the deep-pale-vampire mask. This says don't be fooled.

Whatever happens tonight, keep your pepper spray in one hand and your wits in the other. The key to a good night is fun, fright and staying alert! As long as you don't go knocking at number 13 something alley, what could go wrong?

I'll leave tomorrow morning to answer that. Happy Halloween!

Chloe. xxx

My Daily Eye Makeup Routine

I will admit, I am a very frequent makeup user. Which can be a pain! But I do think it is nice to wear a bit of makeup. Nothing irks me more than when people say 'you've got enough makeup on' or 'you don't need any more' - I think however much people wear is up to them and if they feel confident and happy in it, then fine! Saying things like that is like pulling out the loose brick in the Jenga tower causing it to wobble and fall, in other words, can really knock someone's confidence. 

Although I do agree with less is more. I don't think it does much good caking your face in foundation or circling your eyes in thick black eyeliner. Instead, I think a nice gentle touch of powder where needed and a minor sweep of liner to emphasize your eyes can really do more. 

I introduce to you, my daily eye makeup routine. I do this more or less everyday (often without eyeliner which I only do if I have time) so am going to share it with you!

1) First, apply a generous coat of mascara to each eye. I use No7 Fanomenal Lashes (love the pun) and find this makes for a really even and clump-void well, fan of lashes. Focus on the outer corner and bottom lashes too - this opens up your eyes for a more even look! (pic 1) 

2) After step 1 I use a black liquid eyeliner (any one does the trick really, I can't name the one I use as the label rubbed off - great) and following your natural eye crease, apply a thin-getting-thicker line with a gentle, almost 'flick'. I only apply the eyeliner to the outer corner of my eye, not the whole lid! I do my eyeliner after my mascara as it can look different once you put your mascara on and mascara can cover it up if you do liner first, so this way you can clearly add it to your preference. (pic 2-6) 

3) Sometimes, I apply a tiny thin line of eyeliner to the outer corner of the waterline which can give your eye a really lovely shape and definition. Starting from just over half way, gently dab the liner on the waterline where it meets the lower lashes and proceed to just before the waterline stops, again getting thicker (but not too thick) as you go along. (pic 6) 

You can see each step as I go in the pictures (which yes, is my eye!) which should make each step clearer to follow. 

Try it out - it works for me so why should it not for you? 

Chloe. xxx 

How To Get Perfect Curls

It's Friday night. You're going out. You've got the perfect hairstyle in mind. You're so sure it's going to work that you leave your hair til the last hour to do. Everything's going well. Until it falls out ten minutes before you leave!

As a safety in-case-of-emergency hairstyle that we're all going to need at one point in our life, I recommend hair curling. Not the frazzled voom-lacking twist that scrapes a pass with a C+ in the hair department, but loose any-occasion fitting ringlets that can be brushed out for casual or wrapped tight for a strict night in sight. 

Above: I'm proud to present my work of curly art on my friend's wonderfully glossy hair. 

Curling doesn't actually take the predicted lifetime to achieve, instead only about five minutes if you've got the right curlers and, most importantly, the knack. 

Gorgeous curls don't come in a package, they come with patience and practice which is definitely worth it for that last minute crisis! Most people are convinced for a curled look you need to actually curl your whole head of hair (resulting in achey arms and a dose of exasperation) but this couldn't be further from the truth. With time, it should take no more than 10 minutes to curl enough of your shiny locks to look like you've turned a cat's fur coat into a lion's mane. Here's how. 

1) You need good curlers. Ones that will last and ones that provide a good heat. I always use my BabyLiss curlers because they're easy to use and quick! 

2) It's always a good idea to spruce your hair with a good quality heat protecting spray to banish split ends and dryness. 

3) The 'knack' isn't hard to master, but you do need to try! Perseverance is key and all I would do is tie most of your hair up leaving a small piece left dangling at the front as your style guinea pig (pfft, and you thought those things only appeared in science) and experiment. (That too)! 

For good curls, you really don't want to curl a huge lump of hair as these will only drop and won't be princess worthy ringlets. The best curls are light and dainty therefore you only need a small gathered bit of hair to curl. Don't roughly shove the hair round the curler, instead brush the piece of hair out before (this is important) and secure it inbetween your right hand's index and middle finger (if you're right handed) and hold the curling wand in your left hand. Still using the two fingers, wrap the hair round the curler - in the same motion you would string round a ball - making sure that the hair doesn't twist and that each strand of hair is even spread and touching the curler. 

4) Practice! You won't get it right first time - I assure you - so have a go and don't let go until you've got it. Here is a picture of my mastered curl - what yours should look like. 

You can see the curl is evenly spread and ringlet like. This is what you should aim for. 

Relating to the start of this post, if you find yourself in a panic as a result of a failed hairstyle do ten to twenty of these curls on different layers of your hair (some under, some over) and then brush it through. This should take no more than ten minutes. Brushing through means that the hair you didn't curl naturally gets caught in the shape of the piece you did curl and makes your hair look purposefully textured and casual. 

Voila! A top time saving style that requires one thing - practice. You will no longer find yourself fretting on bad hair evenings, instead embracing your locks being the cucumber cool person you are, who always has brilliant hair. 

Have fun ladies!

Chloe. xxx  

Eyebrow Incidents

Don't get me wrong. Trying out new things and experimenting in life is good - most of the time.
But we all know that one time we plucked our own eyebrows and ended up with two... well, lines. Just me?

For the utmost well being of your face, I'm going to warn you how eyebrow plucking sometimes is a fatty concoction of grotesque foods, or simply a recipe for disaster.

About a year ago (I'm still recovering) I began plucking my own eyebrows, stealing my mum's tweezers every now and again seeking the perfect brow shape. Inspired by Emma Watson's brows, I started trying to pluck them to her exact shape, not considering whether we had the same face shape, face proportions etc. They were neat, but my, were they short.

Personally, I actually don't think they looked that bad. But when my mum came in and saw me, I remember the terrifying five words she then said which really scared me:
"Chloe... what have you done?"

Of course, I panicked immediately and started thinking of all the craziest ideas I had to get them back to their original shape but naturally there was nothing I could do, except let them grow back. If they did grow back.

It took days of intense mirror checking, measuring (yes, I went that far) and patience before they finally returned to their longer shape and thank God for that. The only and biggest mistake was how short they had been which only emphasized my long face and did it no justice at all.

All I'm saying is let mother nature do all the work when it comes to growing, your eyebrows will form how they should and your natural shape is almost always the one which suits you best. Don't do what I did and pluck them into oblivion because I assure you, like the ride, this can only end in tears and terror!

Unless, of course, in a past life you betrayed mother nature and karma, being a bitch, has come back to get you with a pre birthday gift of serious eyebrow shockers. In this case, pluck away!

Chloe. xxx

Hair: Short vs Long

I don't even have a reason why, but over the last week or two I've been considering whether to do the most unforgivable thing ever done in beauteous girlkind and - wait for it - cut my hair. (dun dun dun). 

It's currently almost at my belly button and is brown with ombré, which I did in march - but I'm just getting fed up with it, frankly! 

As a result of my complete indecisiveness, I've decided to do what every confused and decision making teen would and make .........

A list. 

If I was going to cut my hair I would cut it to a bit more than shoulder length. Every girl understands that even cutting a cm off your precious hair is something to 'woah, step back' at so imagine four inches - but don't hurt yourself!

Short Hair Pros: 

• Easy to manage (washing, drying, straightening wise)
• Cuts off all dry ends (which is a lot for me as the ombré has reduced how soft my hair is at the ends) 
• Hair is in better condition 
• My hair grows fast - touch wood - so shouldn't need to long to grow back if I don't like it
• It can still be styled (straight or a messy textures medium bob)
• Keeps hair less tangly. 
• Doesn't take as long to do in the morning

Long Hair Pros:

• Can do pretty plaits (french plaits or fishtail plaits and braided crowns)
• Can do fancy updos
• Can do generally more with it
• It suits me (from what I know!)

So I'm torn! I might wait a few months but there's always going to be the big Q. Obviously the list in is big favour of cutting it but I'm not quite ready yet I don't think.

Five months later...
"I've been thinking, should I cut my hair?"
I need help!

Chloe. xxx

A Day Out: Cool in Khaki

Autumn isn't just about leaves falling off the trees, racking up the heating and buying those new fluffy coats, it's also about going out, and enjoying the fresh cool weather and bustle of daily life, which is exactly what me and my friend did this weekend!

Do you ever find yourself gradually falling in love with a certain colour? If you have then you're not alone. My shade of the month award has got to go to khaki. Check out how me and my friend styled it out in the pictures below! We've both got a love for green, and Starbucks too.

If you don't do it right, you just might find that khaki makes you look a tad 'drab'. This is exactly what you don't need in autumn/winter when there's no sign of the sun to brighten up your face, so instead wear brightly coloured tops or accessories to show that you can do just as well without it! Here I wore a pea green scarf and a mustard yellow top and my friend wore a more sea green neutral scarf and a striped top, but either way we've both got some khaki on and simply love it.

Earrings and pop lip colours can also do your face a favour! 

Chloe. xxx

Simple Beauty

I stand envious and green eyed at these full faced beauties who can pull off such a natural and fresh make up look! Sometimes, less really is more. 

It's just one of those days where you wish you could trade faces - just for a day though! 

Chloe. xxx