There is No 'I' in Team

Hey Guys, 

A bit of a short but personal post today, about my journey of becoming a hair and make up professional. Some of you may remember the controversial post I wrote in regards to a fashion show I worked at about a year ago, for which got me a bit of stick (and that was me holding back and being polite) . I have always been one to speak my mind, and since that blog post I have been very careful about who I choose to work with, be it paid or for publicity, nothing will compromise my self worth. 

Working on hair for one of the
Ms Curvaceous finalists.
Photography by Wolf Media

Although I have started my own business as a freelance hair and make-up artist, I know a lot of my bookings, connections and so on would not be achieved without opportunities from working with others. The hair and makeup industry survives from word of mouth and recommendations so it's always been important for me to connect with others who are on the same wavelength and path as me. Since the incident a year ago I have worked with some amazing, motivating individuals including Shaneen and Hayley from Breathe Happiness, the team I worked with at Luton Fashion Week and very recently all of the creative individuals working and showcasing at Ms Curvaceous UK. 

My previous post had a lot of individuals responding to me with ‘thats the industry, you have to be thick skinned' . I agree you must be thick skinned, but that doesn’t mean allowing your hard work and professionalism to be slated, I disagree that that is what the industry is made of, and this year and these people have proved that theory for me. I have made some great connections over the past year, mainly women like myself who are working hard and are dedicated towards their passion, whether it be hair, makeup, photography, styling or blogging. 

Ms Curvaceous was a particularly eye opening experience for me, I have never met so much positive energy and motivation in one room. The hair and make-up artists, models, photographers and organisers got to know each other, swapped contacts and have even been in touch to work with each other again. Something which can be classified as rare as many individuals are out for themselves (so it seems). The back stage teams at many events rarely get coverage or appreciation but my social media has been absolutely bombarded (in a good way) since last week with pictures, comments and all around motivation!

Ms Curvaceous Glam Squad
Photography by Wolf Media

I hope to do many more projects like this in the future, because its shows the power over unhealthy competitiveness, jealousy and sabotage against one another in an industry where every creative individual is trying to reach their goal and shine through. For those of you setting up your own business, I advise you to be careful of the projects and ‘opportunities’ you choose, and don’t let someone think THEY are doing YOU a favour, especially in situations where you may be working for free or portfolio building. 

Have you found yourself in a similar situation within your creative industry? 

K xx

Please feel free to post any skin care tips, products or comments you may have which could benefit others. 

Change- The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Hey Beauty Queens, 

Today I am going to touch on something we have all been through; the phase of being bored of our wardrobes,make up choices, and hair. Sometimes a change is needed but does it always work out for the better, or do we look back and think “why did I do that?” 

I have recently experienced the dilemma every girl faces at one point in their lives- hair boredem. We grow our hair out, cut it off, change the colour, get extensions, cut a fringe, but how often do we think about the after math of the decision? I have spent years trying to lighten my hard to colour hair and the highlighting process became more and more addictive, soon I was the picture I was afraid to be- bleach blonde. It was the transition of going back to dark which was difficult, even after two salon visits the colour repeatedly came through. 

After much google and youtube searching I came across my golden (and less damaging) solution- L’Oreal Casting Creme Gloss. I have only had to use this semi permenant colour once to cover the blonde, and then once more to top up in a scare of the colour fading in the sun. Despite a number of negative reviews I have read, I can not speak highly enough of this dye. As a semi-permenant colour it has kept my hair in much better condition than others, and the colour has been locked in and lasted longer than I antiscipated. As my hair is naturally dark, the fear of my hair going too dark didn’t occur however I have heard this particular dye is not great for lighter hair colours (sorry blondes). 

About a month after being back to black hair, I started craving another change. This time around I thought long and hard of ways to go around this without damaging my hair, or committing to a haircut I might later regret. I came up with the perfect soloution- dip dyed extensions, although they were not easy to come by the search was worth it. 

Purchased from Hairfauxyou.com

I ordered these particular extensions from Hair Faux You, which is an american based company in California. They cost me around £55 with delivery once I had converted the cost, which is much cheaper than a full set of 18 inch hair extensions would cost in the UK- result! It took around two weeks before my product was delivered, however I antisipated this would happen with worldwide delivery at a low price. 

The hair is human hair, which means I can style them to blend in with my own, just what I always look for in hair extensions. Although one pack is quite thin, my hair is naturally fine so it blends in well, for those of you blessed with thick locks two packs might be more sufficient. 

These are slightly fidlier than putting in normal extensions, as the dip dye will blend in with the bottom of your natural hair and show the difference in colours, however I have managed to find a way around this. My trick is to section the bottom half of my hair and pin all of it under (using a hairnet might also be a good idea). I then clip the extensions in as usual above and below the hair which is pinned under. This way none of my black hair shows through the brown dipdye. Voila- nobody knows the difference between your natural hair and the dip dye. 

I love the final look of these extensions, even though it is a high maintenance process to blend the hair in; it is totally worth rocking a new look without committing to any damage. I would love to know your opinion on the following: 

Is committing to a new change worth the end result? 

Please feel free to post any skin care tips, products or comments you may have which could benefit others. 

Skincare: Is It A Girl Thing?

This week I have decided to go back to basics and focus on what I feel is the most important part of make-up; skincare. Looking after your skin is the basis of any beauty regime, this will reflect whether you decide to apply make up or are having a day off and ditching the foundation.  Once you have cracked your perfect skin routine it its like hitting a goldmine. 

Skincare is an underestimated part of daily routine for many, it is especially important if you lead a busy life, or breakout due to weather, stress, or skin type. It is important to experiment with products and brands before you get the results you want. 

My 3 top tips for healthy skin : 

•   A good diet is key
• Don’t cheat in your beauty routine
• Tea tree oil is your saviour 

Image Source:
www.atasteofkoko.com/product-spotlight-resource-natural-spring-water-giveaway

Healthy inside and out

It may seem obvious, but if you arent eating right, or keeping yourself hydrated with plenty of water then this will reflect on your skin. I am sure you have all had the hefty weekend; alcohol, a hangover diet, and to go with it rough feeling skin. Like most I learnt this the hard way; as a chubby teenager who binged on fizzy drinks and an unhealthy diet I was faced with terrible spots and unhealthy and uneven skin. I  now try to drink as much water as I can throughout the day, carrying a bottle of water with me in my bag encourages me to get into a habit of drinking it any chance I get. 

Don’t Cheat: Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise 

Image Source: www.clinique.co.uk

By avoiding cheats I mean take your make up off every night, no mater how tired or lazy you are feeling; make up left on your skin can allow dirt to build up in your pores. Take your make up off in the gym, seriously, no guy is going to like the sweaty running foundation and panda eyes so clear it all off before you work out because the sweat and make up will only anger your skin. Don’t wash your make up off with water, this is such a no-no, invest in some wipes or remover, they don’t have to be very expensive in order to be effective. 

One of my favourite brands for skincare products is Clinique, which works well for both females and males. Although this brand may not be for everybody, I have found the “blemish prone” range cleared up my teenage skin and I have now moved on to the combination skin range, which is continuing to work wonders. Although I speak highly of the cleansers and toners I am not a big fan of the moisturiser. 

Moisuturisers  are my biggest beauty nightmare. I have still not come across what I would class as “my perfect moisturiser.” Currently I am relying on the good old fashioned E45, which has never let me down. With skin that tends to get very dry, it helps to smooth rough areas, it’s also lightweight as apposed to some thick and heavy feeling moisturisers. 

Using a scrub one or twice a week can brighten and smooth skin when it is feeling rough. For blackheads I cannot stress the importance of a scrub, just twice a week in circular motions where the blackheads appear will help smooth the skin and clear the blackheads. My new beauty find is The Body Shop’s microdermabrasion Vitamin C scrub. After using this my skin feels instantly refreshed and smooth for up to three days.

Image Source:

www.superdrug.com/healthcare/superdrug-tea-tree-pure-tea-tree-oil-10ml/invt/657593

Tea Tree Oil

I will never get tired of mentioning this; Tea Tree Oil is your best friend. Just this week I had a big skin break out, within 48 hours it went from being unmissable to unoticable thanks to my trusty little bottle, which only costs £3 in superdrug. You can buy either pure tea tree oil, or the distiled version that can be applied directly. I have used both, and I can't say one works better than the other. Although the bottle is small, only one drop is needed at a time so it lasts a long time. 

As a female I consider myself lucky as most skin imperfections can be covered if needed. Clear skin acts as a basis for those who wear make up, it is also a healthy reflection for those who want to feel comfortable in their own skin. For men it is especially important to take care as regular shaves and hair removal on the face can often aggravate the skin, if this is ignored (which often happens) it can only be made worse. I have heard many males say "girls are lucky, they can cover blemishes." I ask my readers the following question: 

 Do you think clear skin is as important to males as it is for females?

Please feel free to post any skin care tips, products or comments you may have which could benefit others. 

Do Cosmetics Equal Confidence?

Hi Guys, 

Welcome to the first entry of my blog, of which I hope many will follow. For my first post I felt it would be best to express the reasons behind the start up of my blog and share some background information on myself. 

With the beauty industry booming, people want to look (and feel) better than they ever have. I found that from living the city life over four years I  became drawn to new products, methods and looks which I would have never previously had the courage to take on before. I took inspiration from passers by, make up counters and magazines and my love for all things that make-a-girl-up began.

I grew up in a small town, and moved to an even smaller village before turning to city life for higher education. My area did not have many places to shop, and high end beauty products were difficult to get hold of in my hometown. From a young age I went from a tomboy, to a teenager who was useless with her looks. I had little to work with, little inspiration and to be honest little hope with my elder sister knowing even less than I did. I was introduced to the world of beauty by my aunt, an experienced high level beautician. This new world taught me that no matter how you felt, giving yourself a little attention would create the smallest pick-me-up and change your mood. 

In the words of Yyves-Saint Laurent "The most beautiful makeup for a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy"

I went into University a plain jane, as well as an unfortunate hair cut I had never worn lipstick or blusher and the only make up I owned was a pencil eyeliner and foundation from the days of teenage skin. I took particular interest from many of the girls around me at University, the make up they wore, how they did their hair and the confidence some of them carried through. As time went on I began to experiment with cosmetics, skin care, hair tools and hair products. 

Moving forward my looks have evolved and this has had a knock on effect in my confidence, which shows on the inside and out. I have come across many who feel appearance compromises brains, if you spend so much time looking after your looks you can not be spending enough time on the things that matter but I have to say I strongly disagree. Spending just 15 minutes longer on myself in the morning makes me feel fresher, and allows me to start my day with a better perspective; which I try to carry throughout. I have never compromised learning for my hobby if anything I feel they have gone hand in hand, and my confidence allowed me to gain a better social perspective and feel comfortable in my own skin in a new world with new people. This in turn gave me the courage to take on new and exciting challenges both within my education and now in my day-job.

Don't get me wrong, every individual has their day off; hair scraped back no or minimal make up and a PJ day are needed However, once I step out of my house the simple tinted moisturiser and a touch of bronzer for shopping to smokey eyes and volumised hair for drinks with the girls can instantly change both my look and feel. 

In my future blogs I will aim to discuss some new products I have come across, including picks of my favourites, new methods and looks as well as developing my knowledge about the world of beauty and asking my readers to share their tips and views with me. I hope you will continue to show interest in my future posts and support me on my journey of becoming an aspiring beautician. It won't happen over night, but watch this space.

For now I ask all my readers one question do you think cosmetics can give you a confidence boost?

Please feel free to post any skin care tips, products or comments you may have which could benefit others.