U.S/U.K Make up haul (with links) and the outcome of my Beauty Counter Interview!

 

Hello all, how the devil are you? Sorry it’s been a while since my last blog post- I have exciting news to share with everyone and I promised I would update you when I could ,on my Beauty Make Up counter interview outcome! Remember the post where I wore a gold smokey eye and a deep plum lip…. yes that interview…..

So, I can now say that YES I got the job and I am now working for NYX Cosmetics in London! If you haven’t heard of NYX Cosmetics they are a highly popular and very affordable brand from the states which has just launched in the UK in Selfridges on Oxford Street and in various Boots stores around London and the rest of the UK including Manchester, Leicester and Bath. Not all the stands are up and running yet though so if you want to buy some of their products check out boots.com or ASOS.com. You can also find them on Instagram @nyxukcosmetics and @nyxcosmetics

So you will understand a bit about why I haven’t blogged much of late, I started on Monday and we have been super busy, training and working on the shop floor. It’s exhausting yet fulfilling work!

I thought I would show you my make up haul over the last few weeks with pictures for your viewing pleasure and links. I have a friend who helped me out and got me some lovely products from the U.S (thank you Claudia) and I bought a few bits from the U.K!!!

Just look at these goodies!

I feel literally so lucky- hold tight for the run down of these below…….

MAC Cosmetics- Look in a Box in Sun Siren

 

This kit costs just £50 and is hugely popular because it’s such great value for money. Mac do 4 of these boxes in total and Sun Siren is the coral, peachy toned kit and in my opinion the best of the bunch. The other boxes come in different colour schemes- a red, a pink a purse and a nude. Sun Siren sold out pretty quickly and I’m not sure they are bringing it back, but you can find it on their website here.

In the box you get so much:

• Full size blush in This is Paradise
• Two eyeshadows in Peach on the Beach and Texture
• Lip Pencil in Lasting Sensation
• Lip Glass in Good Times
• Lipstick in Vegas Volt
• Travel sized blush brush-116SE

 

Best of Becca: Blushed Radiance

I love Becca Cosmetics, literally adore them. I find everything the have is the right amount of yellow for darker and olive skins like mine so they often match my skin perfectly. When I hear the words Becca Cosmetics I automatically think dewy, radiant, bronzed and I think glowy, tanned and warm. So I had the opportunity to purchase this kit for $32.50 from the states through a friend but you can actually now get it for £28.00 here in the UK on Cult Beauty. This is also great value because with Becca products, I find a little goes a long way so you actually don’t need full size all the time.

Here’s the link to it on Cult Beauty

In this set you get:

• Travel Size Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal
• Travel Size Backlight Priming Filter
• Travel Size shimmering Skin Perfector Spot light wand in Moonstone
• Travel size Mineral blush in Flower Child

Can you tell I like this latest cosmetic brand fad of selling complete looks in one box? It’s great idea, saves money and saves product wastage. I think Charlotte Tilbury was one of the first to offer it. Anyway onto the next item….

Two Faced Peanut Butter Palette

A super popular palette at the moment as its small and compact with 9 shades. It contains 3 larger pans for highlight and inner corners and 6 smaller  pans of vibrant warm shades. The colours are a mix of shimmer and matte. I got this palette because of the purple colour and the warm, orangey-brown colours in it – my eyes caught the purple colour straight away and I was sold! Never mind the peanut buttery smell. I’m yet to actually try the palette but the colours look promising in consistency and pigmentation. It also comes with a handy how-to guide! It;s also out of stock online but here’s a link to it on the website as it may well restock.

Kat Von D – Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Damned

I will say no more really…… great formula, great staying power, non drying and this is the perfect colour for me. I love Kat Von D and I’ve heard a little rumor that her make up brand is coming to UK stores soon. We shall have to keep our fingers crossed- please make it true!!!!! I got this one from a friend who sent it over from the states but its on Sephora.com

Spectrum Collections Brushes

Finally, I picked up these Spectrum Collections Brushes which were on sale on their website which can be found here. Spectrum Brushes are extremely popular of late, as they are  known for their eye catching, bright and vibrant look. I had to see what all the fuss was about so I ordered a few for myself. However, I haven’t yet used them and have now realised I probably won’t. They don’t feel very high quality to touch and you can tell they are in the more affordable end of the market when it comes to brushes. In my opinion, apart from the fan brush I can’t see me using the others! They are a bit like a Monet painting in that the they look great from afar but up close, not so much. One brush was even shedding before I even opened the package and the others feel a little cheap to be honest- the hair reminds me of the hair on the My Little Ponies from 1987!

So that’s it, my news and my haul…. Do you have any of these products? Do you want to see any swatches of any thing here? I think by far the best things here are the MAC and the Becca kits- such great value for money! Check them out.

 

mwah xxxx

The “First Post” Post

New blogger on the scene- check her out guys because she blogs all about skin and a good skin routine should be part of our every day life! X

Blog update on THAT post and an affordable skincare haul at Boots

Hello all,

It’s been a week or so since my last post so I thought I should blog again, really to thank everyone. I was honestly overwhelmed by the support and response I had on it. It was quite a difficult post to write and clearly a very controversial topic. I didn’t expect it to reach anywhere near as far as it did. I am so touched that so many of you decided to stop by and read my little blog as literally I imagined it being read only by a few of my nearest and dearest. So many of you messaged me in support of my post and I was actually very shocked.

Being honest, I went through a whirlwind of emotions after I posted it, mainly because of the controversy and accusations in the comments section from a certain person on my own blog! However many came forward to challenge him and those who didn’t want to speak publicly, privately messaged me supportive words. It was lovely to read how many people agreed that what happened was NOT ok!  It was also nice to read how many people had similar experiences, where they had been put down, oppressed, bullied or discriminated against on the basis of how they looked.  I hope that post has inspired people not to accept prejudice or at least helped people to realise that diversity is good, differences are beautiful and theres no such thing as perfect. For the most part I think we all agree on that. So once again a big, huge, mahooosive thank you to you all. If you don’t know what I’m rambling on about, you can read the post here.

So, just as a little up-lift  (and because I’m excited I had what could actually be called a ‘haul’) I thought I would share my most recent Boots purchases with you. Skincare in Boots seems to be sale at the moment in various ways (3rd off, buy one get one free etc) and some of you may want to pop down or visit them online and grab a few items while they are on sale.

Those who know me know I am rubbish when it comes to my skin. Because I don’t really have problem skin of any description, I do literally nothing with it other than wash with soap and water and moisturise it. If it’s lucky it might see some Micellar Water, but sometimes I even (shamefully) take off my make up with baby wipes! (why am I even admitting this?). So a few of my friends have been nagging at me to start a skincare routine and I finally caved. I don’t think skincare needs to cost an arm and a leg, there are plenty of products which do the job well and you can pick up in your local drugstore.

Here’s what I grabbed (with links) and why.

Garner Skin Active Oil-Infused Micellar Water – Something everyone seems to be raving  about this product, and I tried it out its seriously good stuff- it took off my make up last night so effortlessly- even my gel liner! It smells nice, its gentle and leaves that added moisture in your face because of the oil. This is on offer at 2 for £7 in store at current and of all the products I bought yesterday, I would encourage everyone to go and buy this one!

Nip and Fab Dragon’s Blood Cleansing Pads– everyone raves about these as being excellent for that deep cleanse. Let me warn you they absolutely stink but they contain lots of goodness like salicylic + hyaluronic acid and witch hazel. These hydrate and plump the skin as well as deeply cleanse the pores and remove imperfections. This is currently £4.97 (reduced from £9.95)

Nip and Fab Glycolic Fix Scrub– I really want to start exfoliating more regularly, this was on sale and is just £3.28 online and contains Salicylic and Glycolic acid to deeply cleanse pores and gently remove the dead skin.

Una Brennan- Superfacialist Retinol Anti Ageing Night Cream– I’m not one for anti ageing lotions and potions. I’m more of believer that ageing is determined by ones lifestyle and genetics. However this line came highly recommended and is currently on sale at half price and feels very high end. I tested it last night and this morning my skin feels amazingly nourished and supple. It contains Retinol which is supposed to encourage cell rejuvenation and therefore leaves skin feeling younger and fresher but be aware if you have sensitive skin build up use of this gradually and avoid applying too close to the eye area. This cost me £9.99 as opposed to £19.99 which is quite a saving.

Have you used any of these products? What do you think?

If you reading from abroad, do your drugstores carry these brands too?  I’m keeping it short and sweet for today- but don’t worry I will be back again later this week with another blog post!

 

until then…..

Mwah

 

xxx

Racism in the modern day nail industry.

Hello everyone,

I have thought long and hard about writing this post and it’s taken me sometime to get round to writing it because of the sensitive nature of it. However a friend recently urged me to speak out on it through my blog and I agreed because I think it’s a post which needs to be raised and discussed. So I’m going ahead and writing it anyway. It’s a controversial post though so it may raise a few eyebrows!

So, rewind to two years ago, and I was a new nail technician- starting out. I was honored to be asked by a friend to compete as a hand model for her entry into a well known nail competition at Olympia in London. It’s a huge event, and taken very seriously in the nail industry. My friend had joined a brand team and was being mentored by a certain well-known local educator from a VERY well known and well respected nail brand. I was also in the process of training with said brand in a range of nail techniques. I knew this local educator, had spent a lot of money with her and was eagerly awaiting more training, so I was happy to get involved in the competition part of it. So my friend and I got to work, practicing like crazy- I wanted her to place well, so I was doing everything I could to grow my nails and look after my hands.

After some weeks my friend tells me that she has been advised by this educator (for top world renowned nail brand who knew me and also knew she was using me as her model) not to use a black, tan or Indian Asian hand model for the competition entry  (I may be paraphrasing somewhat here but) the message generally was that darker skin models won’t win because it doesn’t look good. She should only use Caucasian or very light skinned people to model with! Sorry? What?  I thought hand models were picked for the natural length of the nails and fingers. This is suggesting in effect, that the whole Olympia nail competition (as well as the worldwide nail competition industry) is the same; discriminatory, racist, prejudiced. I doubted the whole industry because of this and wanted nothing more to do with it.

I had never in my life heard anything as so blatantly prejudice and racist as this. I was sickened and disgusted. A well-known educator and nail ‘personality’ who people know and respect, someone who spent much of their career bragging about equality would say such a thing?

It’s disgusting; it’s disgraceful and everything in-between. It’s all the swear words under the sun and more. It’s racist and bigoted. This was someone I had previously liked and looked up to saying this so for me it was a huge kick in the teeth.  It’s also hypocritical because this person was a so-called ambassador for equality within the nail industry. I was shocked. I immediately disassociated myself from her, and the brand who she works for. I also disassociated myself from her training facility in London and cancelled all further training and (mysteriously) although I didn’t ever complain or contact her directly about it I was contacted by one of her minions and given a refund on all deposits paid on courses.

Really and truly it’s sad that in this day and age, darker skinned people aren’t seen as beautiful too. Instead they are considered ugly, not fit to model, not to be seen on the catwalks…. not fit to hand model!!!!  As I’m writing this, I’m finding myself livid all over again that this even happened.

It’s a sensitive post yes and I’m frustrated because I can’t actually directly name and shame the nail brand publicly, but this experience shaped my nail career, it massively changed my outlook on nails, and the industry in general. It made me feel like because of my skin colour I couldn’t participate in competitions and made me feel like my skin colour wasn’t pretty enough to hand model. I never did get to find out for certain whether this is the view of the nail competition scene in general- I didn’t stay around long enough to find out, but I do know that people of colour rarely appear as hand models in these competitions and place- you just have to look back at the past winners to see that.

So why didn’t I complain formally? Why didn’t I broadcast it to anyone who would listen, I hear you all cry?!  Well the honest answer is- at the time I didn’t feel I could. I didn’t think it would be believed. I was a new nail tech starting out in the nail game and I didn’t feel I had a voice! The friend who told me what was said dropped out of competing after all in disgust and asked me not to make a formal complaint. The educator in question is a family favourite with this nail brand and a well known face on the nail scene. We basically felt they would simply ‘Spin’ the story to discredit us and make it seem either like a mountain was being made from a molehill or simply that we were liars. This post has been therapeutic to say the least because clearly I still carry hard feelings about it but largely I’m over it. I’ve moved on. However I would never train or buy with this brand ever again and I wish when I see others praising this individual that I could scream from the hills what she really is.

If you haven’t already guessed the nail brand, I would like to say they are well known worldwide and originate from the U.S.A – I would like to think their representatives in other countries aren’t so disgraceful but who knows. I’m so sorry for being cryptic but let’s just say when it comes to feeling respect from them – I didn’t and the love I did feel was short-lived!

Feel free to like, share, comment and spread the word on this one- it shouldn’t really be swept under the rug. If any of you have experienced similar don’t feel you can’t speak out. It should not be tolerated at all!

Until next time,

Mwah

xxx