Beauty Besties: Beauty Box Swap

Welcome back to Beauty Besties, it's been a few weeks since we've managed to get a post together, but we've done it! This week Kerrie (Pish, Posh and Polish), and I decided to make up Beauty Boxes for each other as a little surprise for one another. So we met up in the week for dinner and swapped boxes, and I literally couldn't wait to get home to open my box and see what was inside! Believe me when I say that Kerrie thoroughly spoilt me, please watch the video below to see what I got in my box...

There were so many amazing products in my box, some of which I literally couldn't wait to start using, and some I have been using every day since I opened the box. Have you done a Beauty Box Swap before, if so what is the best thing you ever received?

Beauty Besties: Beauty I wish to Improve on

Happy Saturday every one and welcome back to Beauty Besties, where each week I link up with my lovely blog friend Kerrie of Pish, Posh and Polish. Kerrie chose this weeks theme which is 'Beauty Bucketlist' of things you wish you could improve on, don't forget to check out her post here.

Now there was really only one thing that sprung to my mind with this topic... my hair! Now don't get me wrong there are things I love about my hair, mainly it's colour. However I struggle so much to style my hair in any way shape or form... If you'd like to know more please watch the video below, or skip ahead if you prefer.

Like most people I have a Pinterest board dedicated to beautiful hair and hairstyles, all of which I wish I could recreate on my own unruly mop... like this for example:

From now on, once a month I will be trying out a Pinterest hair tutorial on myself, in the hopes that it broadens my hair horizons, and that I too can hair gorgeous hair that takes people's breath away! Well not literally... The post will go live the first Tuesday of every month (fingers crossed).

If you have any suggestions for Pinterest Hair tutorials then please comment them below and I will have a look through.

Beauty Besties: Nail Focus

Happy Saturday everyone, and welcome back to Beauty Besties, where every week I link up with my lovely blog friend Kerrie from Pish, Posh and Polish, don't forget to check out her post here! This week the theme is close to both of our hearts, it's Nail Art. Kerrie and I actually met through our mutual love of Nail Polish, back in the days when I started blogging, I was writing a Nail Blog, just as Kerrie still does today. Although she writes about a lot more than just nail polish. When it came to thinking about what I was going to do for this theme I had to look no further than my new obsession, False Nails! Please check out the video below, or continue to the bottom of the post where I explain my steps...

I have always wanted longer nails! I'm one of those people that have annoying nails that will only grow to a certain length (no matter what I do), before they start breaking and peeling. Unfortunately that length is never as long as I want them to be. I have thought about having Acrylic nails, but can't justify spending that amount of money on my nails at the moment, especially as I have at least 200 nail polishes sitting in a box in the dark! So I thought a good inbetween would be stick on nails, although in the past I have found they don't seem to last long on me, though at long last I seem to have cracked it! 

These are stress free and no mess, because I actually paint them before I even think about sticking them on my nails, this means I can give them a proper drying time, and ultimately the finish is better and lasts longer. So here's how I do it:

1. Lay out all the nails I will be using in two lines, one for each hand.
2. Using sellotape I carefully stick the back of each nail onto a cotton bud, making them easier to paint.
3. I paint the nails giving them drying time in between each coat before allowing them to dry properly for 24 hours.
4. I stick the nail on.
5. I cut it to my desired length with false nail cutters.
6. Then I carefully begin shaping it with normal nail trimmers.
7. Finally I file the edges until I am happy with the shape.

That's all there is to it! My last set of falsies lasted a full week, and probably would have gone longer had I not taken them off for this post... I did have a mishap where the thumbnail fell off of my right hand, but I attribute that to the fact my right thumb is probably my most used appendage!

Let me know in the comments: What do you think of false nails?

Beauty Besties: Inspired by Nature

Welcome back to Beauty Besties, where every week I link up with the wonderful Kerrie from Pish, Posh and Polish. This week we decided to do makeup inspired by nature, so don't forget to go and check out Kerrie's post! I decided to do a makeup look inspired by my favourite animal, the Tapir!!

I don't know what it is about them that I find some damn cute, I just do, from their little trunks right down to the fact that their babies are covered in pretty markings to camouflage them!

This is the look that I created, and I was pretty pleased with the overall look and I only had a vague idea about what I wanted to create. I did film a video of me creating this look which you'll find below, but if you would prefer to read about how I did this look then please skip ahead to that!

All you need to create this look is:

• White/Cream Eyeshadow
• Dark Brown Eyeshadow
• Black Eyeshadow
• Liquid Eyeliner Pen
• Mascara
• Primer
• Reference photo of a Tapir

1. You want to start by priming your eyelids, so that the colour will stick better to them.
2. Then start by placing your white/cream eyeshadow in the centre of your eyelids, blending it slightly to the outer edges.
3. Then using your brown eyeshadow and a small brush, start to outline the darker areas of the tapir, following your reference photo...
4. Blend some of the brown colour lightly into the crease to complete the outline of the Tapir.
5. Using your black eyeshadow go over the dark brown areas in your inner and outer corners being careful not to go over the lines you have already created.
6. Using your white/cream colour go over the centre of your lids.
7. Then taking your liner pen, line your upper lash line, extending the inner corner down to create a slight trunk shape.
8. Create a line parallel to the one in your inner corner going up to your lower lash line, then line your lower lash line, staying as close to the lashes as possible.
9. Coat your lashes with your favourite mascara.
10. Use your favourite concealer to cover up any fallout from the eyeshadows!

What do you think of the look I created?

Beauty Besties: Iron Man Makeup Tutorial

It's that time of the week again, the time when I link up with my wonderful blog friend, Kerrie, don't forget to check out her post here. This week we decided to re-create our favourite tutorials, and as you may have guessed from the title, I decided on an Iron Man inspired look. If you prefer to watch a Youtube video then feel free to skip ahead to that.

Here is the finished look, I was honestly so happy with how it turned out and it was so simple, you can easily recreate this look.

To create the look you need to follow the below steps:

1. Primer your eyes: For this I used my PriEYEmer by Along Came Betty.

2. Using a white colour (1) sweep this across your entire lid

3. Using a red colour (2) Place this in a 'C' shape only on the outer third and inner third of your eye, leaving a gap in the centre.

4. Using a bronze colour (3) Pat this onto the centre of your lid.

5. Using a lighter gold colour (4) Pat a small amount on the eyelid to lighten it up.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 on your lower lash line.

7. Use a blue pencil liner to line your upper lash line and waterline.

8. Curl your lashes and apply your favourite mascara.

When you are done it should look something like this...

If you want to watch how I did it then please have a look at the video below!

Beauty Besties: My Skincare Routine

Welcome back to Beauty Besties! Where myself and the wonderful Kerrie of Pish, Posh and Polish both do a blog post/video on the same topic every Saturday. As you may be able to guess from the title of this post, this week is all about skincare. Now I know I have done a video every week for this link up so far, but this week I didn't have my camera with me, so have decided to do things the old fashioned way and write a blog post! Don't forget to go and check out Kerrie's post here.

My skincare routine is actually pretty simple to be honest. I'm not one for a tonne of fancy products that claim to do all sorts of magical things, I'm happy with the basic. Mainly because I severely lazy in general...

First off my face wash. I use this every day in the morning and at night once I have removed my makeup. This Simple one has no scent, and is just a basic face wash. Nothing fancy, does the job. It removes any extra makeup that I have missed and also excess oil on my face.

Then every other day, normally in the morning when I am in the bath, I use the St. Ives Apricot scrub to exfoliate. I gently massage this into my face and it helps remove any dead skin and help control blemishes. The best thing about this face scrub is the exfoliating beads are made from crushed walnut shells, so they are entirely natural and you don't have to worry about them harming the environment once they have gone down the drain.

I swear at the moment, my skin hates me, I have a lot of blemishes and as soon as one disappears another shows up in its place. So I have been using this Simple Spot Zapper after washing my face and before makeup to help reduce redness and swelling. It's very good at reducing the bigger blemishes I have and it helps to dry them out over a few days.

My current favourite skincare product is my Garnier Simply Essentials makeup remover. I use this every evening to take my makeup off before I wash my face. It has a micellar water and also and oil in it, so you mix the two together and it takes everything off. I have even used this on Benefit's They're Real mascara AND Liner and it's taken them both off with no trouble, and no need to scrub at my eyes. I'm just so impressed at how it cuts through the makeup. Also despite containing oil it doesn't make my face feel an extra oily than normal, however this could also be to the fact that I normally wash my face immediately after using.

So there you have it, my very basic skincare... Let me know in the comments what products you use, and whether you recommend any for me to try on my oily skin?

Beauty Besties: Brand Focus - Makeup Revolution

It's that time of week again everyone, when I link up with my lovely blog friend Kerrie of Pish, Posh and Polish, so don't forget to go and check out her post here. This week is all about Makeup Revolution, both Kerrie and myself love this budget brand, and so we decided to show it some love and create a whole look using only their products!

As usual I have decided to do this prompt as a Youtube video, I hope you are all enjoying watching these as much as I am enjoying making them. Please let me know what you think in the comments as this was my first makeup tutorial style video and I would love to make some more in the future.

Beauty Besties: What's in my bag?

Welcome back to Beauty Besties, this week we are talking about what is in our handbags! These videos have been floating around Youtube forever, and I always like to have a nosey. However whenever I watch these videos I have a little giggle to myself because the contents of everyone's handbags appear to be perfect. So I decided that I would be 100% honest with my video, and I didn't have a look through my bag beforehand to reorganise it, I just pulled everything out as it is... and hoped it's interesting enough! If you want to see what was in my bag then check out the video below. Also don't forget to check out Kerrie's post and see what is in her bag!

Beauty Besties: Five Minute Makeup Challenge!

Happy Saturday everyone, I hope your day is going great! Welcome to the first Beauty Besties post, and this week we both took on the 5 Minute Makeup Challenge. I decided to film myself doing this so that you could all have a good laugh at me, firstly not wearing makeup, and then secondly failing at application... Kerrie has also written a post for the challenge and you can check that out over at her blog Pish, Posh and Polish. Let me know what you guys think of the video :)

Introducing Beauty Besties!

Welcome to Beauty Besties a new feature whereby myself and the lovely Kerrie of Pish Posh and Polish will be bringing you weekly posts all about beauty! Each week will have a new theme, and we will each write a post to go along with that theme so you will get two different perspectives on the same point.

Alyssia's Profile:

When I started blogging I ran a nail blog called Rose Tint My Nails, and that is how I met Kerrie! After starting Alyssiarose I decided to give up my nail blog and focus on a blog more about my lifestyle, with a bit of beauty thrown in. I have always been obsessed with beauty and when I was a teenager I would spend hours and hours watching Youtube makeup tutorials, and I still do even now. This year I finally got around to training as a makeup artist, something I have wanted to do since graduating university a couple of years ago, and now I am finally starting down the path to become a TV and Film makeup artist. With all that in mind I thought it was about time that I started blogging about beauty more!

1. What is your Skintype?

I always used to think that I was combination, but more recently I have noticed that my skin is much more oily than combination, especially around my T-zone.

2. What is your must have beauty product?

Whenever I wear makeup I HAVE to wear eyeliner. I literally cannot wear a look without some form of eyeliner. I’m a massive fan of a cat eye, and I find the best way to achieve that is with a felt eyeliner pen. At the moment I am using a double ended one from Makeup Revolution and it saves me so much time!

3. If you were stranded on an island and could only use either foundation or mascara, which would you pick and why?

Mascara hands down, because my eyes are my best feature and they would be lost without luscious lashes to frame them.

4. Favourite High End brand VS Fav Drugstore brand?

My Favourite ‘high end’ brand is probably Benefit, and not just because I work for them either. Their products really work, and the package is fun and bright. I think overall the best thing about Benefit is they don’t have a million products that all do the same thing, they find something that works, and stick to it. My favourite drugstore brand is a bit of a tough one, for price it would have to be Makeup Revolution, as you can’t beat them on price, and you still get a decent quality product. However if I were to pick based on quality alone, I would probably say Bourjous. Though I only own 3 Bourjous products, which are all lipsticks, they are by far my favourite of any I own. I will be expanding my Bourjous collection very soon!

5. Favourite Mascara?

At the minute I am obsessed with Benefit’s Roller Lash, and I was before I even started working for Benefit! I got the mini tester with Elle Magazine in February and ever since I got it I have been unable to put it down. I have really long lashes, but they are pin straight, and I find it so hard to give them curl and volume, but somehow roller lash seems to work for me. The brush has these little hooks that grab your lashes, and you don’t have to wiggle it through your lashes for good results, you simply roll it up and it curls your lashes. I honestly can’t ever see myself using another mascara, I am that obsessed with it.

Kerrie's Profile:

Hi there! My name is Kerrie and I blog over at PishPosh and Polish. While at University I started my blog to document my rising interests in beauty. Quickly this became a nail polish blog as I became obsessed! Luckily there happened to be a girl in my hometown who shared this obsession- my dear friend Alyssia! I now work at Boots, working as you can guess in the beauty department! Over the last 6 months my blog has started to focus again on the wider aspects of beauty and makeup again. But there are still plenty of nail photos too!

1. What is your Skintype?

My skin is very oily and I have constant battles with it. I have struggled over the last few years to find my dream routine and product but I might finally be there.

2. What is your must have beauty product?

Eyeliner! I use a Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof eyeliner and love it! I have about five of these. I feel I don't look awake with a quick bit of liner! A close second for me is lipstick though.

3. If you were stranded on an island and could only use either foundation or mascara, which would you pick and why?

Foundation for sure! My skin is in quite a bad state after battling with oily skin and hormonal acne and I get quite self conscious about it. Although if I was on a stranded island this might not be as much of an issue!

4. Favourite High End brand VS Fav Drugstore brand?

I do love a bit of Estee Lauder. Oh and MAC! Their lipsticks are magical. As for budget brands I really like  Makeup Revolution and I find for the ultra cheap price Natural Collection is really great too! I like the fact that they are all natural which is something that a lot of higher end brands can't boast about.

5. Favourite Mascara?

They're Real by Benefit really separates my lashes and lasts all day. I wanted to love Roller Lash but for me it just didn't look as good. Most days I don't wear mascara as I have naturally dark lashes and I am too lazy, espically if I have to go to work. This is something I should start to improve on.