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Sunday 20 January 2013

Coconut Oil


Coconut oil seems to be on trend at the moment, especially for those health and beauty junkies out there. So I decided to see what the fuss was all about and research the many benefits of coconut oil.

helps with weight loss

Unlike other oils, coconut oil is made up of medium-chain saturated fatty aside (MCFA). These MCFA's are small enough to be absorbed into our cells therefore our body can immediately metabolise it and convert it into energy rather than being stored as fat. It can also help with digestion by soothing bacteria/stomach bugs that cause poor digestion. Add coconut oil to your diet everyday by replacing your normal cooking oil with coconut oil.  

prevents skin from ageing

 Coconut oil is claimed to be a hydrating treatment that can prevent sagging/wrinkles and minimise any fine lines. Just apply a bit on your face daily as a normal moisturiser.

prevents hair loss and dandruff

hardened build-up of sebum can clog the hair follicles and hinder the hair follicles ability to function properly. This can cause hair loss, slow hair growth, and dry flakey scalps. By using coconut oil as a scalp treatment, it can remove any product build up on the scalp (including shampoo and conditioner build up) therefore stimulating hair growth and revealing a clean healthy scalp.

hydrating treatment

Coconut oil can be used as a beauty treatment - you can use it as a body lotion/scrub to help moisturise your skin, you can use it as a hair mask/conditioner to strengthen your hair and help condition your dry ends, you can even use it as a lip balm, make up removercuticle oil, to remove excess wax, or even as a natural deodorant (Ive tried this - it works!). 


Coconut oil is so versatile.. You can use it for just about anything. No wonder its claimed to be a 'super food'. 


Below is a step by step procedure on how to make 1. Your own coconut body scrub and 2. Your own strengthening hair mask.

DIY Coconut Body Scrub

What you'll need:
- 1 tbs coconut oil
- 2 tbs sugar
- container


Directions: 


1. scoop one tablespoon of coconut oil in a container.


2. place the container with the coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds to dissolve the coconut oil into a liquid. 

3. scoop two tablespoons of sugar in the oil.


4.  and mix it in (don't worry if the sugar sets to the bottom as its pretty much impossible to keep it fully mixed).

5. In a bathtub, take a spoonful of mixture into your palms and rub onto dry skin (you can scrub your elbows, knees, soles of your feet for longer).

6. After scrubbing your body, rinse well with warm water and follow with soap if your body is still really oily. 

7. Pat dry and no need to follow with a body cream as your skin should feel extremely moisturised now.

* The only problem about this is that it can get messy. Make sure you clean your bath tub after as it can be slippery from the oil.

* After doing this, your skin should feel extremely smooth, soft, and hydrated.




DIY Strengthening Hair Mask


What you'll need:
- 2 tbs Coconut oil (seals the hair, prevent protein loss, helps retain moisture)
-  2 tbs Honey (natural conditioner, adds shine to hair)
- 1 Egg yolk (full of protein, help frizzy damaged hair)

Directions:

1. Place the coconut oil, egg yolk, and honey into a pot
 on low heat.

 
2. Let the ingredient dissolve and whisk them all together.  
 
3. Apply to all over to dry hair and scalp (massage the scalp).

4. Cover with shower cap/plastic bag (I used a plastic bag so that I could throw away the bag once I was done).

5. Wait for 30 minutes - 1 hour.

6. Wash out with shampoo and conditioner

* The only problem with using coconut oil in the bath/shower is that it can get messy and leave your shower floors oily. So make sure that you clean it afterwards otherwise it can get slippery.
* Also its best to do this mask on a day when you're planning to stay at home because even after the first wash, your hair can look quite oily (It takes a good 2-3 times of washing it to get the oil fully out).
* After doing this mask, my hair felt strengthened (less hair loss), nourished and my scalp was much clearer. 



Tuesday 15 January 2013

Makeup Bag


Paul & Joe makeup bag purchased from ASOS



What's in my makeup bag:




Chanel Vitalumiere Eclat SPF10 compact powder B10 Beige
 medium coverage, handy mirror inside, gives radiance and natural/non cakey look given that you use the compact brush provided rather than the sponge.

Shiseido Advanced Essential Energy mini hand cream
very nourishing hand cream, leaves hands feeling soft, compact.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector 02
moisturises the lips while giving it a nice peachy pink tint, can use it by itself for a more natural look or you can use it as a base and put lipstick over it for more colour.

Revlon Lip Butter 080 Strawberry Shortcake
my favourite revlon lip butter colour, glossy baby pink, moisturises the lips while giving it enough colour.

Shiseido Sweat and Oil Blotting Paper
good for hot days, removes sweat and oil, prevents shine, good for those with oily skin/oily t-zone.

Bandaids
always have bandaids with me incase I get blisters from new shoes.

Klorane mini dry shampoo 
on the go shampoo, prevents/fixes oily hair, good for the fringe area, good for summer when theres more oil and sweat build up, compact. 

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle twist and spray perfume
favourite perfume scent, twist and spray makes it very easy to bring around rather than a typical glass perfume bottle which can break easily. 

Nars concealer in Vanilla/Honey
handy to have especially when you need to cover up dark circles or an upcoming pimple.

Contact lens case (with contact lens liquid inside)
so important to bring this around if you're a contact lens wearer. Sometimes contact lens's can irritate your eyes and you need to take them out temporarily to soak and let your eyes breathe. 

YvesSaintLaurent Touche Eclat brightener in colour 2
can brighten up your eyes instantly and make you look more awake, good for long days.

Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic eyeliner in BK999
unlike other liquid eyeliners (which have pots and can leak easily), this one is a twisty so you won't have to worry whether your eyeliner will leak as it will only suspend liquid when you need to use it. 

Napoleon white eyeliner
must have, can make you look like a different person -  make you look more awake instantly if you put it in the inner corner of your eyes/bottom waterline. 

YvesSaintLaurent waterproof black eyeliner
really good compact eyeliner, love that its waterproof, won't smudge easily, good for putting on top/bottom waterline.

Tweezerman mini tweezer
good to fix up your eyebrow shape/any rogue hairs when you're on the run.



Ann xx

Sunday 6 January 2013

Easy NYE Eye Makeup Tutorial



Products used to create this look: Maybelline Color Tattoo - 05 Too Cool, Canmake Glitter Powder - 05, Bobbi Brown - Charcoal 12, Loreal Color Riche Le Khol eyeliner - 101 Midnight Black. 


Brushes used for creating this look: flat concealer brush, dense concentrated application brush, small tapered brush, small fluffy blending brush, dense round smudging brush (from left to right).


Lipstick used for this look: Napoleon - Electra



New Years Eve Makeup Tutorial



1. Apply Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye primer all over eyelids and let it absorb. 



2. Using the flat head concealer brush, apply Maybelline Color Tattoo - 05 Too Cool (frosty white) from the inner corner to the centre of the eyelid. Also apply a little bit just below the bottom waterline.




3. Using Loreal Color Riche Le Khol eyeliner in 101 Midnight Black, roughly draw a side ways 'V' shape on the corner for your eye.
4. Then using a dense concentrated application brush, smudge the eyeliner out, dragging the colour in to the centre of the eyelid (sweeping back and forth). 





5. Using a small tapered eyeshadow brush, apply Bobbi Brown - Charcoal 12 (matte black) over the eyeliner to create more depth/darkness (sweeping back and forth). 





Using a small fluffy blending brush, blend the dark eyeshadow out (sweeping back and forth from the outer corner to the centre of the eyelid).






6. Using a dense rounded smudging brush, this time dab not sweep Canmake glitter powder where the white frosty eyeshadow was initially placed (from inner corner of the eye to centre). 





7. Using Bobbi Brown black gel eyeliner draw a thing slightly winged line to the top of your eyes.
8. Apply some to the bottom waterline as well to create that smudgy smokey look. 





9. Using Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in black, apply to the top of your eyes where the gel liner was placed. 


Finished New Years Eve Look









Ann xx