A starter to make-up.

So, the other day I was thinking about how when I was younger, I had no idea on what brands or products of make-up were good, and I picked up random items, and never thought about what I actually needed, and what was best for me, and my age. I know that I used to think to myself, ‘Well, what do I need?’ And this was when I was started to get a few spots and blemishes here and there, and felt quite insecure about the way I looked. So, I thought that maybe today, for those of you who are only really starting to get into make-up and beauty, that I’d do a post on what products and brands I like, and think are simple, cheap and easy buys that you may want and need when you first get into buying make-up, and will also be very quick for applying in the mornings before school, (or if you’re not allowed), just a day out!

Getting together a nice simple skin regime, of washing and looking after your skin, and even just moisturising skin with a moisturiser, like the cheap, but great moisturiser from Simple, would be a good starter, so then, when applying make-up, it will be on fresh, well looked after skin! So go for either a foundation or BB Cream with light coverage, which will give your skin a fresh look, and maybe has skin benefiting ingredients…I like using the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B. Blemish Balm Cream, because it gives great, light coverage, without clinging to places and leaving an orange sticky mess! If you’re wanting a foundation, then the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Foundation is great, as it leaves great coverage for 25hrs, and lasts whilst on the go, and is great when doing activities, such as gym, dance and PE! If you’re wanting more coverage, then applying these two products over the top of each other will give a lovely base!

If there are a few tricky spots or blemishes (Even under-eye bags!) Then use a great concealer, like the Bourjois Paris Healthy Mix Concealer, which will hide those little nasties, whilst finishing your skin off with a beautiful glow.

If you want your make-up to hold, and you still think your base looks a bit greasy, and you want a nice finish, than just apply a little bit of face powder, like the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder for just a bit of a touch-up!

For eyes, don’t go all out with eye-shadow, just get one neutral colour, maybe shimmery to give your eyes more of a sparkle and glow, and just pat some on to the middle of your eyelid, whilst blending out to the rest of your eye. I like using the Rimmel Stars Eyeshadows, as I think they give the perfect finish, without being messy, and really brighten up your eyes!

I suppose that mascara is everyone’s main beauty tool, as this can really open up eyes and give great lash lengthening, so I like using No7 mascaras, but if you want to go for a more lower price-ranged mascara, then I recommend any Rimmel mascaras, as these always seem to do the trick!

Lastly, for lips I’d say just go for moisturising lipsticks or lip glosses, like the Revlon Lip Butters! These are great for adding gorgeous colour, whilst also moisturising lips, and without coming off easily! Great for on the go!

If you still find you need more advice as a beginner, (baring in mind I’m obviously not a professional make-up expert!) but just need a few more tips or just want a quick chat, then do feel free to contact me at my email address at simplmything@yahoo.co.uk.

It’s time to clean up your make-up and get ready for Spring!

It’s time to sort out your make-up, and swap your Winter goodies for Spring!

1. Change your scent.

Changing your scent from deep and musky Winter scents, to a floral, light and fun scent for Spring is easy! For Winter, my signature scent was Karl Lagerfeld’s Sun, Moon and Stars, and this is nice, as it smells musky and  is strong and lingering, but for Spring, I think I will go with a number of fresh body sprays from the Natural Collection and So…? range, as these really do the trick to be a bit more uplifted, and they can easily fit in your bag when you’re on the go!

2. Change your nail colours.

Pastels are huge right now, and will change up your wardrobe and look, by making you feel very summery and cute! Tuck the deep and dark colours away, like dark reds and blacks, and go for baby blues, and bubblegum pinks! I’ll be swapping my favourite Winter polish (Natural Collection’s Cosmic Crush), for my Love & Beauty Forever 21 bubblegum pink coloured polish! (I showed you this in a past post!)

3. Get out the tan.

Get out the tan! (If you want, and need it) And if you just feel like getting more of a glow for your pins! I personally love the St. Tropez tans, and feel they give a nice finish!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and got a few ideas on how to change up your look this Spring!

(Pictures off the internet)

Two super-cute outfits for Easter.

I’ve been asked to post more regularly, which is so sweet! So, in preparation for this Easter on Sunday, some of you are probably wondering what to wear…And the others thinking of chocolate…;) But I really didn’t know what to wear…So I looked on-line for some inspiration, and found some really cute outfit ideas!

This Oversized Chunky Cable Knit Blue Jumper from Romwe is a perfect fashion find for Easter! If it’s quite chilly where you are at the moment, then you’ll need to make sure you have jumpers at hand…So this is a perfect bright, spring coloured find! Next is a vibrant Mint Backpack from Chicwish, which I’m lusting after at the moment! It’s so cute, and just puts a smile on my face! The Retro Ruffle Black Skirt from Romwe is also just a key item for your wardrobe, as skater skirts are now on-trend, and also let you show off your legs.;)

The Smile Face Knit Sweater in Blue from Chicwish is just a fun and playful sweater, great for hunting Easter eggs in, whilst out in the cold…Or sun! Pair it with this Grafea Popcorn Yellow Leather Rucksack to brighten it up even more, and also add some edge with these awesome Errin Frayed Denim Hotpants In Blue from Missguided! Super stylish, and so trendy!

(All images off the internet)

Make-up for school, work, or lazy days.

I thought that I’d do a post on make-up today…But this will be a post on times when you want to cover up, but you don’t want it to be obvious, or you’re being lazy and you just don’t care! Also, if you’re not allowed to wear obvious make-up at school, but feel the need to cover up and feel more confident, then just wear these subtle make-up buys!

1. First thing is to Apply foundation! This will give you lasting coverage, and I like to use the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation!

2. The next thing is to apply some concealer on any dark circles or spots that need covering! I like the Natural Collection concealer sticks!

3. Then apply some face powder to set, and I’ve been getting through three of the Max Factor Creme Puff pots, as they’re amazing!

4. Then apply some blusher to give your cheeks a nice healthy glow, and I’ve recently bought one of the MUA blushers…(Review post coming soon!)

5. Next, apply some mascara to lengthen lashes and to add volume! I’m loving my Scandal Eyes Show Off mascara from Rimmel London at the moment!

6. Finally take a pot of lip balm to nourish lips and add shine…I love any Vaseline pots, and have been using the Pink Bubbly Limited Edition pot, which also tints your lips!

Hope you enjoyed this post, and I can actually see snow falling right outside my window which is exciting! My half-term is nearly over which is quite sad, but I shall keep posting regularly, so don’t worry! Anyway, just to say, a few days ago I did an interview post on a blogger, and she’s done one on me, so go check it out at http://mynamesmegan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/blog-spotlight-simply-my-thing.html I will HOPEFULLY be doing more blogger spot-light posts soon…

Tricks and tips to get kissable lips.

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, but as I said in a recent post, I have had a busy week this week! But I thought I’d update my blog on a matter that has come up. Dry lips. Where I live, it’s been so cold recently, and it even snowed this week! This has made many of our lips dry, and in need of help! Also as Valentine’s Day, has just gone, I was going to post this up before, for some tips on nice lips, but I didn’t have time!=( But oh well, I’ll do it anyway!=)

1. Wet your lips and exfoliate them. I do this by applying either a lip scrub (Lush do very good ones!) Or I take my toothbrush and scrub my lips with it for about 10 seconds. This gets all the dry skin away, and leaves your lips looking more fresh and clean.

2. Stay away from staining drinks like coffee or tea. This can stain your lips. You could either cut down on those drinks, and not have them so regularly, or you could use a straw.

3. Hydrate your lips by drinking water. Drinking more water will help your lips by making them more smooth and refreshed!

4. Heat can dry out lips. If you can stay away from a lot of heat, this will help a lot, especially when you’re in the sun, and are in need of a way to protect your lips…Try a lip balm that contains Spf!

5. Obviously keep moisturising lips with lip balms. I love using my Vaseline lip balms…They are my everyday need!

6. Stay away from lip-sticks if your lips are crusty and dry. This will just make them look even crustier and worse, so go for a lip-liner and lip-tint/stain or gloss, or you could even try mixing matte blush or matte eye-shadow with a lip balm to give lasting colour! (Try concealer and lip balm for a nude lip!)

Hello again hair.

A while back I told you in this post>https://simplymything.wordpress.com/2013/01/06/new-year-new-start-new-me/, that I wanted to get a good, happy, healthy relationship with my hair…And guess what?! I have!:-) I’ve learnt to embrace my curly locks and have been using a varied amount of products on my hair to make sure it’s tamed and at it’s best. I’ve been trying a lot more hair-styles out by getting inspiration from magazines or famous icons and have been having so much fun! Ha ha. I’ve been brushing it regularly and have been washing it with good hair products to help my hair keep healthy and nourished. I am being truthful when I say that my hair has never been this good! I’ve never loved my hair so much before! Occasionally I obviously have the old off-day, and I do still get really angry when my hair won’t stay in place or do as it’s told! But I’m so happy with how my hair has now turned out. I have never actually dyed my hair, and I don’t usually use heating-tools on my hair like straighteners or hair-dryers, as I normally let my hair dry naturally (And yes, I know I shouldn’t have my hair wet before I go to bed!), so I suppose this is good, even though there’s nothing wrong with it! Although…I do think I should get my hair cut more regularly…Just so I don’t have so many split-ends! But anyway, I thought this would just be a nice post to let you know how my hair’s been getting on! Hope you enjoyed!

Elegant.

Tips to make an outfit into an elegant masterpiece? Throw in these beauties. Velvet and peter-pan collars are just amazing to make an every-day outfit into something, just ‘wow’.

Velvet adds a twist to any outfit, by throwing in different textures and materials, and if you go for a bright colour of velvet, say red, it gives a pop of colour to an otherwise boring outfit!

Peter-pan collars (including peter-pan collar necklaces) add a hint of glamour, and they too make an outfit more fun and flirty, just like velvet! Go for lots of different textures or patterns to liven up different outfits! Pictured above is my peter-pan collar necklace from Sainsbury’s! It adds a gorgeous sparkle to any outfit…Here’s a close-up:

Simple trend-setters.

So, wanna know what little key features will get you noticed and will make you become a trend-setter?! Studs and Stripes. The beauties that will add instant glam to your outfit.

Stripes have been around FOREVER. Okay, maybe not, but you know what I mean, ha ha. But they are just so IN at the moment, and this is because they are just such a classic print, which is so stylish and glamorous. They just suit anyone. Every shape and silhouette. They just make you seem taller and slimmer, and they’re just so chic. Above is my stripy Abercrombie & Fitch jumper, and below is a close-up.

Studs. Oh my, how do these sharp and pointy, but beautiful things make us fall in love with pieces of clothing? Well, I have no idea, but maybe because they instantly glamify any outfit! ANY OUTFIT. You could even add studs to any items of clothing that you want, just to make it a little more edgy and out-there. Add it to beanies, jackets or even jeans for a little bit of sparkle.

 

Khaki cool.

What have I seen practically EVERY person wearing? Well, it’s got to be the Military chic style everyone’s been raving about for sure! It’s such a casual and laid-back look, but totally stunning at the same time…The only problem is, that practically everyone has been wearing it. If you like to follow the trends, then totally go for a over-sized camouflage jacket, which I have been totally LOVING! (New Look do great jackets!) But if you like to go for individual styles, but still want to be loving that Military chic look, then go for trousers or a printed scarf instead! I’ve seen too many jackets and coats with the camouflage print…Time to see more different pieces of clothing with the print on!

I have a pair of trousers from French Connection in a lovely khaki colour, with cute little buckles on them…You don’t HAVE to necessarily go for a printed item…Anything in khaki with a bit of detailing still counts! Above is a picture of my jeans…Here’s a close-up:

(That white spot on there is really annoying me…Sorry, I didn’t notice when I took the picture!)

 

Photos and calendars.

So, quite a long post for you all today!:-) Whenever anyone takes out a camera to take a picture of me, I always groan and want to hide my face, because I know they’ll probably get a bad picture of me!

So, how can you look good in a photo? Well, follow these few tips and you’ll feel a lot more confident about yourself.

1. Choose your make-up carefully! Don’t cake yourself in make-up, just a bit of mascara and foundation is just right, and make sure your face isn’t shiny with grease or sweat…Just dab a bit of powder on and you’re good to go!

2. Practice your pose beforehand, so that you know exactly what you’re going to do, instead of getting worked up at the last minute! Get someone to look at your pose before and help you, just so you know that you look good.

3. Get the right lighting. Avoid direct light, as this can cast shadows. You may not be able to get perfect lighting, but go to the shade for outdoors-y photographs, or places with softer lighting.

4. Double chins are complete no-nos! To make sure this doesn’t happen, make sure the camera is at your eye level or just above you. Tilt your head up slightly and jut your jaw out.

5. Look to your right. Apparently the left side of your face is more attractive than the other, because it looks at though it shows more emotion!

6. We don’t want any red eyes now, do we?! Who would want red eyes or half-shut eyes ruining a photo? Make sure you avoid this by looking slightly above or below the camera lens!

7. Make sure you know what your best features are, and emphasise these feature to make them stand out in photos! Make-up can help, and even another good brush of those teeth of yours!

So, enough of that, and on to my next, and last topic!

Calendars. Calendars are there to make sure you know what’s planned for your week ahead, and to keep you up to your schedule! When calendars are finished, it’s nice to look back on your year…But you can’t do this if you don’t fill in any special dates which came up! I practically never fill in calendars…I just remember what I’m doing that week! But to be honest, I’d love to look back at my calendar at the end of this year and see what I’ve achieved or done. It just brings back memories and makes you feel so good! So, that was just a little thought for you all. Maybe you could try this out with me…(if you don’t normally fill in calendars!) If you do, than keep up the hard work! Ha ha.