Sleeping Beauty | Oils of Life Sleeping Cream by the Body Shop

 

The older I get the more I'm buying into the whole anti aging thing. I remember being what 16 or 17 years old and thinking everyone was exaggerating when they said you're never too young to start a good anti aging routine....well let me tell you something past Hannah, PREMATURE WRINKLES! In fact past Hannah you're already something like 10 years behind so you're doomed already! And now it's time to try and scrape it all back, starting with my skincare.

You guys already know from my post on the Oils of Life Facial Oil that I love the Oils of Life range, and in fact I only recently repurchased my beloved facial oil last month along with which I was lucky enough to be given a whole plethora of samples, funnily enough including the very sleeping beauty cream we'll be chatting about today.

The Oils of Life Sleeping Cream functions pretty much as the jar suggests, as a cream to apply lightly to your face at night, so you can awake a with a silky, smooth, freshly pressed face minus any creases (other than those you'll get off the pillow!) After trying a very generous sample, which lasted me 2 weeks, from the Body Shop themselves I decided the cream was for me and took the plunge on a pretty massive pot only last week. The cream was quite sticky in texture but was very lightweight and absorbed into my skin in no time at all (so no goop on my pillow, score!) and it smells lovely too! But the real test was the morning....well a few mornings really because I ain't expecting an overnight cure for my mug.

After a week or so of applying the cream every night, well every night I remembered, the condition of my skin had dramatically improved. Not that I'm particularly prone to spots, but my skin looked visibly brighter, didn't feel as rough or dry as it had been and my pores looked smaller (call me crazy but they do!) I've been chuffed so far with the results, and I was more than pleased to invest in my rather large jar, especially since a tub a thimble size managed to do my moon face for 2 weeks!

Have you ever tried anything by the Body Shop Oils of Life range? How did you find it? Share your picks and Body Shop finds with me in the comments below, I always love trying new products and finding brand new things to spend those hard earned dolla's on! As usual though you can catch my ironed face on the usual channels, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and of course more from the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, ironed, plump and crease free.

H.Elizabeth x

Urban Decay | Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer Review

 

Concealer is something I've never felt an intense need to splurge on. After finding my tried and tested collection lasting perfection concealer all of those years ago I thought I was finished with my search (at £4.19 a go I wasn't complaining) However having now began my own make up artistry business I've found that many ladies simply don't appreciate me using a collection concealer on them, and you know a small part of me understands. If I were to visit a make up artist and they used the likes of make up revolution, MUA and collection I might pull a face or two, after all you're paying for the best. So off to the department stores I went in search of another concealer that could dazzle me as much as collection had all those years ago.

Enter Urban Decay. After nipping in to Debenhams for a top up of my favourite setting spray ever I hadn't expected to walk out with a concealer, particularly as Urban Decay have previously only been known for their sprays and shadows, but alas here we are and I want to introduce you to the Naked Concealer.

I chose the lightest shade available which I think is fair neutral to give it a good test run before committing it to my kit, the product is of a waterier consistency than my collection concealer but the brush is perfection. Flat on either end and spongy in texture it is so gentle under your eyes and distributes the perfect amount of product every time. The shade may be a little light for me but I've been using it so far to highlight around my brozner and contoured areas, buffed in with a damp beauty blender it offers a lovely dewy finish coveted by many at this time of year! Overall I am impressed with this product, particularly the coverage it offers and minimal creasing in my undereyes at the end of the day, and it also helps that it smells just like summer (open one and take a whiff you'll see what I mean!)

 

I've seen a lot of other reviewers online who claim that it has broken them out, doesn't agree with their skin type or is just generally a bad fit for them, and that's true in even the greatest products, so my best advice to you would be instead of splurging the £17.50 straight away, go in past your local Urban Decay counter and ask for a sample.

Overall I'm looking forward to stocking my kit with this little wonder in the future (my bank balance on the other hand is having heart palpitations) but don't worry I'll still have my trusty old Collection concealer on hand in case I need a stand in. Have you ever tried any products other than the Naked palettes by Urban Decay, I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations or even any product recommendations in the comments section below, come share them with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram even, or you can keep up with my latest beauty buys, finds and reviews on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, let's get Naked.

H.Elizabeth x

July-lights | My month in Instas

It has been a while since I've had a segment on here, back in the days when I first started Granite City Girl (when I had a sparkle in my eye and such hopes and dreams) I had so many segments, too many even, ranging from best buys and cookery posts to OOTD posts and tags (so many tags) and I binned 'em all! Recently however I've been getting much much more into Instagram and as my side panel just can't seem to keep up with my constant posts I thought I'd share some of my highlights right here!

 #1. New hur don't cur! I'm such a cool dude now thanks to @saksaberdeen and @lina92x (apologies for the scruffiness!)
This month I changed my hair again and made sure to document the process on instagram - of course!

 #2. Feet are already sore but feeling fab at the @h.j.c.styling launch @theaberdeenmal.
For the first time in forever I donned my heels for the launch of a brand new styling business which you can read all about right here.

#3. Bringing a whole new meaning to golden eye with this look on the lovely Sara from a couple of weeks ago.
I have been a busy little bee in the salon this month, between occassion and evening make up as well as wonderful wedding guests and this look has been my favourite by far!

#4. How times have changed, I love a good then and now make up transformation pic.
I love a good look back and nothing makes me happier than seeing just how much my make up artistry skills have improved - particularly in only a year!

#5. Over on the blog today I reviewed AND swatched some of my newest @kyliecosmetics lip kits including #exposed #posieK and #22.
You'll have seen just how obsessed I have been with these lip kits right here and on Instagram. In fact you can read that review right here.

#6. Popping in for an impromptu browse @maccosmetics @unionsquareaberdeen where I helped @93hayleym buy her FIRST EVER MAC Lipstick and liner.
As I'm on a spend ban I thought I would offer my skills and services to those in need! I succeeded and then some I tell you!

#7. Flicks oan and I'm ready to start the day @blushhairaberdeen.
This has been my favourite look to recreate on a daily basis (super easy, super quick and I can get that extra 10 minutes in bed!)

#8. Also coming this week to the blog!
Hayfever season - need I say more! Read my top tips to manage hayfever meltage right here.

#9. After painstaking hours of watery hayfever eyes and pulling on Spanx I am wedding guest ready! @banchorylodge I'm coming for you!

I was lucky enough to be a wedding guest at Banchory Lodge hotel (beautiful, beautiful venue) and I can only say I wish I looked like the above when I eventually got home!

Until next time folks, these have been my July-lights.

H.Elizabeth x

 

Lights Camera Action | My First Photoshoot

Putting your new business out there can be one of the most daunting things you'll ever have to do, you'll be filled with doubt and anxiety and above all questions, like, 'will people respond positively,' 'will I get any business from this,' and 'am I good enough,' and this feeling only intensifies when you land your first ever paid brief. And this is a feeling I experienced for the first time only a couple of months ago when I worked my first ever photoshoot as a make up artist with a local photographer, model and hairstylist.

The shoot itself took place at Red Dawn Photography Studios in the centre of Aberdeen with photographer Chris Denslow, model Jenny Clewlow and hairstylist Kerry Mackenzie and after talking for a couple of weeks on Facebook we decided on a vintage theme for our shoot, which of course is RIGHT up my street. After the initial set up, introductions and getting over the wibbly, wobbly nerves we got stuck right in to the first few looks.

We went for a traditional 1950's 'housewife' look complete with a vintage 'cat eye' flick and a defined crease, complimented by a great up do by Kerry, pulled off marvelously by Jenny and shot professionally by Chris. After a couple of touch ups and outfit changes we were good to go on to our second make up look of the day. This time we went for a twiggy inspired cut crease which I had great fun creating.

Overall I was really pleased with how the day panned out, if I could literally do photoshoots and make up all day everyday I would consider my life made (with of course a couple of blogging moments thrown in there!) and I'm really looking forward to working on my next one.

Big, huge, gigantic shoutout to the team for the day who just made it a fun and professional experience. If you'd like to see any of the teams work simply click on their names, photographer Chris, Model Jenny, Hair Stylist Kerry and of course thanks to Red Dawn Studios for the space.

If you'd like to see more of my work however you can always catch me making faces on the various channels, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and weekly updates from the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, cue the lights! 

H.Elizabeth x

Building my Pro MUA Kit | FalseEyelashes.co.uk Haul

False eyelashes may be my biggest expenditure to date. Forget the MAC foundations and the Bobbi Brow liners, forget the Kylie lip kits and Too Faced eyeshadow, the real and greatest expense of being a make up artist comes from your disposables (so cotton pads, cotton buds, micellar water and baby wipes) But what's my biggest disposable? Lashes. Lashings and lashings of lashes. You see the thing with lashes is, once they're gone, they're gone. They aren't reusable, you can't cut a lash in half and use the other half for someone else (gross) so if you have 4 ladies needing a face, that is 4 pairs of lashes, roughly costing £20 - £25 if you use Eylure from Superdrug / Boots as I have. Naturally this couldn't continue if I wanted to continue pursing my Make Up Artistry career and I decided to go on the hunt for a cheaper similar quality alternative. 

 

 

That is when I discovered falseeyelashes.co.uk who not only stock my tried and tested Eylue lashes at a lower cost, but American / Canadian brands I was otherwise unable to get my hands on in Scotland. Ardell, Red Cherry, Peaches and Cream, Eyecandy and even Mink lashes (not sure how I feel about these) And not only is the website cost effective but the delivery was super quick too, I for example, placed an order on the Saturday night and received my lashes by Tuesday. With that in mind today I thought I would share some of the lashes I picked up in my first ever pro false lash haul.

Ardell Demi Wispies Multipack (4 pairs for £11.99)
If you're a beauty blogger or watch a lot of beauty you tubers then you'll have seen these lashes kicking about pretty much every where. The Demi Wispies are Ardells most popular lash and it's not hard to see why. They're textured, they're lengthening and they'll really help open up your eye as they fan out towards the sides which I love! As you can see I picked up two of these as I can see these being a very popular choice with the girls who visit me in Blush.

Ardell 105 Glamour Multipack (4 pairs for £11.99)

For the bold and fearless ladies looking for a bit more glamour in their lives! These lashes are super long, super full, super voluminous and will be really lovely for those ladies who are heading for a night on the town. 

Eylure Lash Edit - Paris Set (3 pairs for £6.95)

Okay admittedly these are sort of for me, but of course if someone spies them in my kit and wants to give them a good go, then I will not stop them (I may cry but we'll carry on!) These ones are a bit cheaper than the New York set (RRP £9.95) but I don't know why. You get good day lash, a good voluminous evening lash and of course something for those in between moments. These would be classes as lengthening and voluminous as opposed to textured, great for when you've got minimal eye make up but still want to make a statement.

Red Cherry Lashes (Complimentary gift)
With my order came these Red Cherry Lashes which the company must be trying to shift, but hey I'm not complaining I got free lashes! I have never tried Red Cherry personally but I have seen a lot of beauty based You Tubers who have used them in tutorials so I'm looking forward to giving these a go regardless.

Hopefully ordering this way and trying, experimenting and using new styles means I will find something a bit more appropriate for my kit and of course something that the ladies in my chair will love! As for you lovely lot I hope you have enjoyed this post, leave a comment below telling me what you favourite style of lashes are or your favourite brand and I'll be sure to check those out during my next haul. As per I'm on the usual socials, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more from the blog on Bloglovin!

Until next time folks, lashes so long!!!

H.Elizabeth x

Dealing with Trolls | My Instagram Experience

 If ever there was a bloggers hand book on how to deal with any life situation it'd be super short and only contain three words. 'Write about it,' You had a bad day? Write about it. You had a good day? Write about it. You got angry about a topic? Write about it. So shockingly today when I had my first ever experience of a troll on social media I decided what better, more therapeutic way to deal with this than to write about it? And here we are!

Trolls, just in case you've never been unfortunate enough to experience one, is someone who essentially will bully someone from behind the safety of their computer, tablet or phone screens. Usually the troll in question will post a comment to rile someone up or hurt someones feelings with no prompting whatsoever. Or in short, someone who has nothing else better to do with their time in life than comment on strangers posts in an attempt to validate their own existence.

So. My experience. As you guys know I have an instagram account where I showcase my work, make up on my own face, make up on my clients faces and any and all things in between, new products, new releases, news pieces on beauty and well everything basically, and I had never had any negative feedback on my work or what I post that was until a couple of weeks ago when I posted the above picture with a caption about how unhappy I was due to hayfever in the picture. The private message that followed was ridiculous!

'Hi, you have a very big nose you need plastic surgery,' 

Never one to rise to a bully I promptly reported the user to Instagram, blocked her and put it out of my mind but admittedly it gave me a bit of a knock for a good 20 minutes after said message was received. Luckily I like myself. I like my face, I like all of it's quirks, so called defects and bits and pieces that make me up, because it's all mine. Not very much can be said for this particular girls personality on the other hand, you see I can change my face if I want to, I can throw money at it and make things go away, nip things here, tuck things there, but honey, personality transplants are still under development.... and that's too bad.

My best advice I would say if you ever find yourself in a similar situation is to block, report and recover because honestly it isn't nice, no matter how ridiculous the comment, how confident you are as a person or how many times it happens to you it isn't a nice feeling. I've had people take pictures of me, caption them and send them around school. I have had comments posted on my personal Facebook account. I have had people start group chats about me and really all it does is display how little they have going on in their lives by discussing mine.

And remember if the trolls ever get to you remember the immortal words of the great Tay Tay.... haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate! Or drop me a comment below and tell me what your mantra is for dealing with negativity.

As usual you can catch me ignoring the trolls and serving some harsh realness to them sometimes on my socials, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or keep up with me and my positivity on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, Tay Tay it up!

H.Elizabeth x

This post is dedicated to the troll....thanks for the content idea!

Kylie Cosmetics | 22, Posie K & Exposed Swatches

Eight! I have bought eight Kylie Cometics lip products to date. The cost of these little suckers doesn't even bare thinking about, but what can I say? I'm OBSESSED! Not with the Kardashians, not with the Jenners, hell not even with Kylie's lips, I'm simply obsessed with these products. These lip kits are hands down the best liquid lipstick forumlas I have ever tried. Their lip liners, as I mentioned previously really deserve a post of their own given how creamy and easy to apply they are and just how well they prepare your lips for the coming products. Their lipstick companions just complement them so, so well and I can now say that I have bought every colour I have wanted in the collection (so far) having completed my lip kit fam with 22, Posie K and Exposed (in addition to a metallic and a gloss which I'll post about separately.

When I first saw some of these shades such as 22 and Exposed I was a bit like, 'nah' 22 is a deep orangey-red colour which I just wasn't sure would suit me. But when I saw those swatches.... lordy I needed one! 22 has actually earned a place with one of my favourite lip colours ever and I have been rocking this shade these last few weeks when I've been feeling particularly summery with a pared back, neutral eye and fluttery lashes. Exposed grew on me once I saw Kylie herself wearing it in an instagram post, it looked very much like a nude I didn't have in my collection (I was wrong) Exposed is very much a toffee coloured lip colour which admittedly I was a bit disappointed with as all of the online swatches made it look significantly lighter, but it's still a gorge colour all the same. Posie K I KNEW wasn't going to be the colour as all of the swatches I had seen online but I had expected it to be quite a bit darker than my other love Koko K, I was right. Posie is a deeper pink / purple shade that is gorgeous for making a look that bit more girly. I've been loving pairing this one with a defined vintage eye using a brown gel to make the look a  bit softer.

And guys, now I feel fully justified in my purchases. In total I now have 8 Kylie Cosmetics products including 6 of the highly sought after lip kits - if you want to read my first impressions review of Koko K, Dolce K and Mary Jo K click this link right here for swatches and musings and all sorts. Otherwise and yet again I hope you have enjoyed, perhaps found this helpful and got more of an idea of how these kits look on the palest of pale. Tell me have you bought any of these kits? How have you found using them? Love to hear your thoughts, opinions, experiences and brain farts in the comments section below. Otherwise you can catch me on the usual channels Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc.

Until next time folks, EIGHT!

H.Elizabeth x