You're making me blush | Hannah Adams Make Up Artistry has a new home!

Quickie, quickie update from me today just to announce a very exciting new venture for my little make up artistry business which I am pleased to announce has a brand new home! As of this weekend I will be offering make up artistry services every weekend from Blush Boutique in Aberdeen's city centre. For those of you who don't live in the good old Granite City, Blush Boutique began as a blow dry bar back in 2014 and quickly climbed to THE destination to get yo hair did on a Friday or Saturday before hitting the tiles. Since then they have come on leaps and bounds and are currently expanding their team of hairstylists as well as taking on brand new therapists, a make up artist (me) and nail technicians so they truly are becoming a one stop shop for all of your beauty needs.

Of course if you are a member of the glorious Granite City and you'd quite like to get your glam on be sure to call the salon for an appointment with me or drop me a line on Facebook. As per you can catch me lurking and making myself and others over on the usual channels, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc and more from the blog by checking my out on Bloglovin. 

Until next time folks, stop it you're making me blush!

H.Elizabeth x

MUA Moans | The True Cost of Make up artistry

Since embarking on my new make up artistry journey over these last few months I really do feel as though I've seen it all, the good, the bad and the ugly (i.e. unblended shadow, unblended shadow EVERYWHERE!) But in all seriousness today, I'd quite like to address a post that sort of made my blood boil recently on one of the many many MUA / wedding forums on Facebook relating to one bride in particular who quite simply saw her wedding and make up for the day as a god given right. 

The post in question was from a lady down south who wanted to give one 'learning but highly skilled' make up artist the privilege of working on her face for her wedding FREE of charge instead paying the artist in exposure, and her reason? She does not have it in her allocated wedding budget to pay a make up artist but is quite happy for whichever poor soul she is able to rope in to this utter, utter scam to take pictures of her on her big day. Now I'm sure all of you creatives out there have come across this at some point in your life, and it is RIFE in the wedding industry, with a lot of brides expecting free trials, free alterations, photographs, you name it! After seeing this post and understandably feeling a bit tetchy I sat down to write this post and basically outline the main three reasons make up artists charge what they charge.

Time

Time is quite a large factor when it comes to charging for various make up artistry. For example an evening make up will take less time than a bridal appointment. But people forget that it isn't just time spent with your client, it's time drawing up face charts and contracts, it's time sitting down with your client and discussing their requirements, it's time sanitizing your kit and making sure you're giving your client the best possible experience and service, and particularly for those working in a salon or studio, for brides it's time spent away from that salon.

High Quality Products
I've seen people screw their faces at being charged £30 or so for occasion make up, but did you know that some of the individual products your artist is using can cost upwards of £30, particularly if they stock brands such as MAC. So you're not just paying for time, application and knowledge but the products too. Some artists will use your own foundation and your own products if you request this and they'll charge you at a lower rate but generally you want the best of the best for your big day or event and at the end of the day you're paying for use of their kit.

Expertise
Just like any other profession you're paying your artist to use knowledge they've studied and acquired through various courses, degrees, training and painstaking hours spent getting those flicks on fleek! Basically your artist has put a great deal of work into their craft and it ain't cheap for them either. It's a bit like if you hired a decorator to help you achieve the dream home you've always wanted, would you expect this service for free, or ask your handyman to do this for the experience? Probably not.

Now obviously this is a very quick, thrown together and basic list of just why you're being charged that £30, but there is so much more. From advertising and marketing yourself to researching new products, keeping on top of the current trends, travelling to various locations, replacing disposables on a weekly basis and generally working your arse off to man and own your one person business (and guys that's the TIP of the iceberg)

Have you ever had your make up done professionally? Did you find it was worth the money or were you left questioning why you were charged so much? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below, come share your brain with me on Twitter, or if you'd like to see more faces you can visit me on Instagram and Facebook.

Until next time folks.

H. Adams Make Up Artistry x

My First Ever | NYX Haul Boots Union Square

Hallelu, NYX has come to the Granite City, Union Square to be exact and I could not be more excited! I have seen so many rave reviews for NYX products from my favourite beauty bloggers and vloggers out there, but my are they difficult to get your hands on for a good ole swatch sesh especially in the UK. But today the good old Granite has been blessed with a brand new NYX counter in Boots, Union Square and naturally I was first in line to trial and push my very own purse to it's limits.

NYX Jumbo Liner in the shade Milk
I have never seen a You Tuber who hasn't used this jumbo liner. Whether they're using it as a base, as an actual liner or for SFX inspired tutorials this was just something I knew I had to get my grubby wee mitts on!

NYX Colour Corrector Palette
Some may say colour correcting is over but in the world of make up artistry, nu uh honey! Colour correcting has been around since the times of yore and long may it continue!

NYX Yellow Colour Correct Concealer
Dark circles....nuff said. Swatch after swatch I got excited at the quality of the product so I'm excited to see how this stands the test of time...and sweat.... and smile lines.

NYX Vivid Bright Liquid Liner in the shade Sapphire 
As I've been dabbling in a few more dramatic looks, what can be more dramatic than an electric, sapphire blue liquid liner!?! Stay tuned for some of my more quirky, out there looks in future.

NYX Soft Matte lip cream in the shades Cannes and London
No matter how hard I try, I cannot escape these nudey, brown, red colours. Like a moth to a flame! And I've heard through the grapevine that these can serve as fantastic, low cost dupes for some of the bigger, high end matte lip creams....only time will tell!

NYX Liquid Suede lipstick in Stone Fox
Well I wished for a black which was blacker than black but I had to settle for a slate. As I mentioned above I'm looking to practice a few more 'out there' and SFX inspired looks in the coming months so I thought this would do nicely. Stay tuned for the verdict of course!

Once again, thank you for reading and helping me alleviate some of those guilty feelings I've been having since spending a fair bit on these products! I will be posting more in depth reviews of the individual products once I have trialled and tested them for a significant period so do stay tuned for that. As per you can catch me mulling about on the usual channels, Twitter for rants and musings, Instagram for made up faces, Facebook for business and Bloglovin for more of the above!

Until next time folks, sweet dreams my NYX!

H.Elizabeth x

Kylie Jenner Lip Kits | First impressions

Yes, sue me, I fell for the hype, yet again, and you know something? I don't regret anything (#noregrets #YOLO) So yes, I stayed up until midnight, yes I furiously typed my card details in at a pace that would make roadrunner puff, and okay yes I put up with the cray, cray shipping charges that cosmetics from America tend to cost all to purchase not one, not two, but three of Kylie Jenner's much coveted lip kits.

After trying a couple of times previously and having my items removed from the basket due to sell outs at the final hurdle I admit I wasn't holding out much hope to get all three shades I had been after, but funnily enough I managed (much to my husband and bank balances dismay!) *Quick tip, I managed to bag mine quite quickly and easily, with time to spare it seemed as I went for the older colours the day Kourt K was released so that might help a little if you're still trying to get yours.  

This time around I got my hands on Dolce K, Koko K and Mary Jo K, all of which were just different enough for me to justify buying all three! Another word of advice, never ladies and gentleman, base your purchases on the colour swatches you see online. I learned this as all three shades look so much more intense and darker on my pale skin tone, which I had expected anyway so it wasn't an unpleasant surprise. Mary Jo K is a red rose red, Dolce K is what I would have expected of True Brown but can be described as a milky coffee and Koko K is a coffee pink colour which I think is my favourite so far!

Now does the formula hold up? In short yes, the wear on these lipsticks and their liners (buttery AF) is incredible, they last all day without needing a top up (as long as you're not oiling your lips up!) and they look fantastic all day too. As with any and all liquid lipsticks they're not magical! So you do have to exfoliate and moisturise your lips properly to give yourself as smooth a base as possible for application, that way you ensure your lips will stay beautiful and pout perfect all day long.

Overall I'm really really pleased with these liquid lipsticks, they're the best and least drying formula I've tried thus far, they look fantastic and they're less than the cost of a MAC lipstick and liner (and that was with postage!). I'm a little concerned with running out of the liner a little prematurely but I hear liners may be in the works to being sold individually as well as in the kits and my only other concern is when the hell I can get my hands on more!!!!

Have you been able to get your hands on a Kylie Lip Kit? What are your thoughts on them, I would love to hear your thoughts! Be sure to leave your mind in the comments below, come share them with me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram even, or if you'd like to keep up with the Kylie Jenner lip kit addicts you can follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, obsessed!

H.Elizabeth x

Get it in the bin | Make Up Shelf Life

Now we're all guilty of this, I know we are! I myself have been known to hoard and covet some products WAY beyond the point of acceptance, but for the good of our skin we need to shape up and brush up on the shelf life of our make up. Since posting this on my make up artistry Facebook page I've been pretty inundated with messages of but what will happen if I don't throw away my foundation, but what if this and what if that. Well to put it quite bluntly, acne, blindness, DEATH!!! Okay I'm exaggerating, but the effects of out of date products on your skin ain't good. I mean would you eat a yoghurt covered in mould? Or drink from a separated carton of milk? Nope so why put something like that on your face? Do yourself a favour, make it this months resolution to replace or get rid of any out of date beauty products that you and I both know are lurking in the back of your beauty cabinet and start this summer a new.

Are you guilty? Do the expiry dates on some of your favourites shock you? Let me know in the comments below, come and share your outrage with me on Twitter or as per you can keep up with me and my world shattering news on Instagram, Facebook and Bloglovin.

This has been your weekly PSA by Granite City Girl, stay safe and stay sanitary!

H.Elizabeth x

Not another blogger event | Spring Grazing with Giraffe

Spring, spring, spring. With each new spring and lamb bleat in the fields there's another new menu popping up at another restaurant, and when that happens, you can bet we bloggers are there with bells on and our forks at the ready. This week Giraffe invited the Abzmeet gang and a few others along to sample their brand new spring menu, featuring starters of all varieties, mains of all tastes, creeds and religions and desserts so delectable you can't help but order one of each! (maybe just me) And let's not get started on the cocktails.

For we Aberdonians and fellow Granite City gal pals (and boy pals I ain't sexist!) our Giraffe restaurant is situated on the upper level of my much beloved shopping centre Union Square. In amongst a sea of Italians, pizza huts and budget restaurants is one of me favourite places to go for a 'nice meal' so when they came a callin' you know I  was one of the first to answer. 

We arrived on the evening and got the choice of sampling a starter, main and cocktail or main, dessert and cocktail... guys is that even a choice?! The food I ended up going for on the night was their main of a new Harissa Chicken Burger which is basically a spiced chicken burger with an assortment of garden weeds and a side of chips...I am of course exaggerating! What I mean is there is a lot of veg in the burger but it's lovely all the same if you're into eatin' greens. And to finish off a dessert of white chocolate and passion fruit cheesecake which was DELICIOUS but very very filling and perhaps one to miss if you haven't got the sweetest of sweet tooths. 

Now I dedicate a paragraph to my cocktail.... my cocktail. Finally I chose one that wasn't a bum! Usually I'm a terrible judge of cocktail, I'll see a flavour I traditionally like for example lemon, strawberry or mint and go for it right away only to find it's whisky based, tequila infused or generally just a bit too much for me to handle. Quite a running theme in my life I dare say. Tonight though, tonight I struck gold...well yellow as it was a mango cocktail I went for. The cocktail I chose, mainly because most others chose it, was a Mango Mule, and all I'll say is it's a vodka, mango, long, tall glass of deliciousness and I was only sad I didn't have 2, or 4!

Overall I'm pleased to see Giraffe moving away from the sort of homely, warming dishes I usually associate with their brand and they're offering something a bit lighter, fresher tasting and generally spring-y. Though if you're not into Portuguese style dishes and cooking at the very least I recommend popping in for a cocktail...and a dessert, you won't regret it!

As per you can catch me on the usual channels chatting beauty, travel and probably cats and more beauty on Twitter, see more looky looks on Instagram and Facebook and of course more from the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, I wanted to pop in a giraffe noise here but I'm not sure they make one!

H.Elizabeth x

Hotter Shoe | My #HotterMoment

Hear me out guys. Okay so Hotter isn't exactly the first place which springs to mind when you hear a 20 something lady is shopping for shoes, but why not? A couple of weeks ago myself and a handful of the Abzmeet blogger gang were invited along to Hotter to hear a bit more about the business, try on all of the shoes out little hearts desired and hear just how Hotter stand a part from the crowd in a sea of stilettos!

I came away with these lovely vintage delights, recently I've been loving dressing to the nines (well lets say seven and a halves?) in my midi skirts, cincher belts and let's not forget my cat flicks, so I thought what better way to round off my look than with a pair of vintage inspired heels fresh from the 50s? Usually I have such trouble finding shoes that fit me just right, but in Hotter something just clicked, it fit my width, my length and with the help of half an insole I had my #HotterMoment or what I like to call my Cinderella moment.

I've been so enjoying wearing these with anything and everything! From a hot to trot leather midi to body con dresses and most recently to work with my ever edgy culottes, dare I say comfiest day at work ever!

All I can say about Hotter is this is a classic case of don't knock it until you've tried it, and now you can try it that much cheaper using the code PPATEN before the 30th of June for £10 off all first full price orders as well as benefiting from free delivery. May I make a small recommendation here? Buy their memory foam trainers because... HEAVEN....Heaven!

Until next time folks, go on... have your #HotterMoment.

H.Elizabeth x