99p Bargain

I recently ordered one of this scary looking contraptions off eBay for just 99p including shipping. It's used to remove blackheads and spots, and I've been rejoicing since I ordered it. I use it in the bath around once a week to really clean out my pores, and I think my skin is thanking me. I've noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of breakouts I'm getting since I started using it, and my skin has been looking a lot smoother .So I recommend you go pick one of these up if you haven't already.

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My Eyebrow Routine

Okay, so this is my natural eyebrow shape. They're pretty thin and bare around the edges, with a few bald patches, but they're not too bad. Still, I choose to fill them in most days, and I like to opt for a natural look. In this photo I have already used a spoolie to brush my eyebrows out.

First, I use my M.A.C eyebrow pencil in Lingering (which was featured in my recent haul) to draw a basic outline for my brows. I draw a full line along the bottom, attempting to create a slight arch as my brows are pretty damn straight. I also draw a line along the top of my brow, but I tend to follow my natural shape here, and I leave the front little hairs unlined.

I use a spoolie to Blend out the product into my eyebrow hairs, and then use my Anastasia Dipbrow pomade in medium brown (also featured in my haul) to fill in any remaining bare patches. I then blend again, just to make sure everything looks smooth and natural.

Next, I use the colour 'naked' from my Urban Decay naked palette to set my brows before applying a translucent powder over my whole brow as my natural hair colour is very ashy, and I always feel as though my brows look to warm if I skip this step. 

Finally, to finish everything off, I conceal the area around my brows using benefits boi-ing concealer in shade 1, before highlighting my brow bone. I feel as though this step really helps create the illusion of an arch in my brow. 

Please ignore the silly faces I'm pulling in the photos, this isn't my forte! :)

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How I Bleach My Hair White

My hair has been bleached white fairly frequently for the last few years:
Photo
Photo
And over this time I have learned a few things about keeping my hair healthy looking whilst still achieving the lightest colour possible. So, I decided to share a few tips and tricks that I have learned along the way. 

1. Coconut oil.

Everybody knows that you shouldn't bleach clean hair, but why? Well, when our hair gets greasy, the oil forms a protective barrier against the bleach, stopping it from drying out or getting damaged. As I don't like to leave my hair get too greasy before bleaching it, I tend to use coconut oil on second day hair instead. Coconut oil is solid, but has a very low melting temperature, so I scoop out a small amount- warm it in my hands and then apply a thick coat all over my hair. I tend to leave this on for around half hour before bleaching, as coconut oil is really good at adding moisture to your hair. 

Don't bother buying special coconut oil branded for use on hair, as organic coconut oil will be cheaper and does the exact same job. You can find this is your local grocery store or organic health food shop. 

2. Generic Bleach.

Rather than use a coloured bleach, such as a cool ash tone or a honey blonde tone- I choose to use a bleach which does not contain a toner and tone my hair myself afterwards. The bleach I use is Jerome Russell's Bblonde bleach in medium lift, as I have a pretty light hair colour naturally.

I choose to use this bleach as you get the bleach sachets and developer separately so there is little to no waste, and I've found that using this bleach allows me to get the lightest colour my hair is capable of achieving.

4. Bleaching Technique.

There's nothing complicated about my bleaching technique, but I thought I should share it with you regardless. Basically, I split my bleaching sessions into two parts. First, I will apply bleach to my roots and the darkest parts of my hair, such as sections which didn't lighten as much last time. I will leave this on for around half an hour (or half the time noted on the bleach box). Then, I will go back and apply more bleach to the rest of my hair, concentrating again on the darkest spots. 

I don't always bleach my whole head, only if a lot of my hair isn't the colour I want it to be yet- as I do frequently change between my natural hair colour and white blonde.

3. Fudge Clean Blonde Toner Shampoo.

Toning is a really important part of achieving the right colour, personally I prefer an icy white colour, and so I use a purple toner. My favourite way of toning my hair day to day is to use a toning shampoo, which is just what it sounds like- a shampoo containing purple dye to counteract the yellow tones in your hair. My favourite one so fair is the Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo. I apply this like regular shampoo, lathering it all over my hair, and then leave it on for five minutes or so, depending on how yellow my hair is looking at the time. It's a really easy way of keeping your colour up to check.

4. D.I.Y Toner.

If this option doesn't really appeal to you, you can save a lot of money by making your own toner or toning shampoo. All you need to do is buy a dark purple hair dye, my favourite is the directions violet hair dye.

You can either add a small amount of this to your shampoo and use it like above, or alternatively you can mix it with conditioner to achieve a pale purple colour and then apply it to your hair, leaving it on for around half an hour. Though it does take a little bit of trail and error to learn what shampoo to dye ratio works for you, it's a very good way of saving money!

If you have any more questions regarding my bleaching technique, please feel free to comment.

D.I.Y Brush Cleaning

How I Clean My Makeup Brushes

Personally, I spend a lot of money on my makeup brushes- I find them to be one of the most important parts of makeup application. I feel as though you can achieve a flawless look with cheap makeup, as long as you have high quality brushes. So, I like to keep them clean and healthy, not only to protect my skin, but also to lengthen the life of the brushes. 

So, how do I do it?

Well, brush cleaners/cleansers can be very expensive, so I personally choose to use organic soap. The soaps from Lush are always amazing, and don't contain any harmful chemicals that could ruin the shape or texture of the brush. The one I'm personally using at the moment is called Baked Alaska, and looks like this:

Disclaimer: Not my image.

I run the sink full of warm water (Don't use boiling water as you could melt the glue inside the brush), then soak my brush, before swirling it over the soap, and rubbing it in my hand. I keep doing this until the water from the brush runs cleaner, then gently towel dry the brush, and lay it to air dry. You should always allow your brushes to air dry in a way that the bristles of the brush are below the bellow, so that water runs out of the brush as it dries.

I repeat this process once a week, and use E.L.F's spot cleanser each time I use the brush. WARNING: This brush cleanser should only be used on synthetic brushes!

D.I.Y rings

Okay so I made these metal rings, and although I dont really feel like this need an explanation on how to make them, I thought I would show you all anyway.
All you have to do is simply twist the wire using the plyers until you get the shape you want, easy!

D.I.Y Lace Socks

Lace socks are a great item to have in your wardrobe, you can wear them with almost anything to add cuteness to the outfit. Below I'll tell you how to make your own:

You Will Need:

-One pair of socks.

-Lace.

-Celotape (or anothet simular sized circular object.)

-Fabric scissors.

-A sewing machine (or fabric glue/a needle and thread.)

-Pins.

The Steps:

-Place your sock across the largest part of your foot (from the heel to the bridge) and measure out a piece of lace the same size. 

-Place the sock on the celotape, so that the opening of the sock is held open by the celotape.

-start to pin the lace around the top of the sock, making sure that the lace is half on the sock and half off the sock.

-Begin to sew the lace onto the sock, keep the sock on the celo

tape so that the opening is stretched out, this way you'll be able to put the socks on and take them off easily.

For a detailed photo guide, take a look at my post HERE