Handpicked Media*

So recently I applied to be featured on the Handpicked Media website. I received an email back detailing how the company want to work with me and they have signed me on to their 'Handpicked Community', allowing me access to events and samples etc.

If your interested in joining Handpicked Media, then go to; 

www.handpickedmedia.co.uk 

Starting College

On Friday, I had my induction day at college. This was when all of the first year students went in to get their timetables, meet their teacher and PLD groups and have some of their lessons.

It was really nerve wracking going to a big college where there are thousands of people having come from a small, all girls school with only a couple of hundred people.

Luckily, one of my close friends from school is in the same PLD group as me which meant that I saw a friendly face early on during the day!

PLD stands for Personal Learning Development and is basically like a tutor group, however at college, you only meet once a week on a Thursday. These are like PSHE lessons at school, but you also have one-to-ones with your tutor to update on your progress etc.

College is so different from school. Notable changes are wearing your own clothes, calling your teacher by their first names, being more independent in your studies, having free periods, being able to come and go as you wish and also being able to go home if you have no more lessons as well as getting early buses home or late buses in to college.

This is going to be my first full week at college and I am really looking forward to it! My timetable is nicely busy at the moment, I have a good amount of lessons mixed with a good amount of free periods. Because the work load at the moment is light because the term is just starting, its difficult to know what to do in free periods because there isn't any work for me to be doing or catching up on. I'm sure as term progresses (and because I'm taking an art subject) I will be thankful for the free's so I can do work.

Most people are worried about making friends at college. I knew a small group of people who were going to college which meant that on the first day I knew people to talk to. In my classes there is a good balance of boys and girls although my textiles group is all girls! I have made a few new friends and they have been introducing me to people to they know, so I am slowly meeting new people! Everyone seems really nice and were all in the same boat - starting a new college, some new classes and it all being a huge change.

Loads of my family and friends that haven't gone to the same college as me have being asking about how I have been planning my outfit ready for college... Well to be honest, because I have to get up early to catch the bus, I have been planning outfits in my head the night before to save time in the morning.

September is a bit of an annoying month - the weather can be cold and rainy or it can be sunny or breezy. This means that it has been hard choosing what to wear because I have been trying to plan for the weather. So far I have worn black jeans with jumpers, cardigans and t-shirts.

I didn't want this post to be too long (although it now is!) but I hope to do an updated college post once I have got settled in, the work load has increased and everything is back in to a routine!

Changes...

Finally I'm back blogging again - (for a few weeks at least)! Over the past few months I have been really busy with GCSE's, work experience and a holiday to America. With about a month left of summer, I thought it was time to get my blog back up and running.

In just over a weeks time I am going on holiday again to Spain with my friend, and so I won't be blogging then, however I am going to be making a few changes to my blog...

Over the next few weeks and months, I will be writing more lifestyle posts on my blog as I am starting a number of new things. I have got my first job and what with my recent and upcoming holiday, I thought it would be fun to share some holiday pictures.

The next couple of posts will be about getting my blog running again and making a conscious effort to blog every week. At the moment, I plan to have a new post up every Wednesday, however, this might change due to my work load from college which I obviously don't know yet because I don't have my timetable.

In the coming weeks, I hope to share with you some of my holiday photos both from America and Spain and do an American shopping haul too.

Although my love for beauty and fashion still continues to grow, I have been enjoying reading more and more lifestyle blogs and feel that if I also write more lifestyle posts, I can blog more. The few health and lifestyle posts that I have done such as 'Sleep 101' and the 'Prom Series' got a good response and people seemed to enjoy them!

Sleep 101

So in recent weeks I have been struggling to get to sleep and once I am asleep, to stay sleeping through the night! I have had issues with sleep before and have in the past, been prescribed medication to help me sleep. At the moment I am not taking any medication and so I thought I would write a post about how I try and get my self to sleep.

A new remedy that I have been using is the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray which smells of lavender and is enriched with essential oils. I love the smell, but I would say its not to everyones taste, so maybe spray it somewhere other than your pillow to try it first! The idea behind this product is that you inhale it whilst your sleeping and your head is against the pillow and its supposed to help you relax and unwind.

If you talk to any sleep experts, they always say to not be around your phone, laptop, TV etc before your about to sleep. I do agree with this to an extent. However, I am one of the words biggest worriers and so I usually check my emails just as I am about to turn out my light just incase there are any emails that I need to reply to quickly. Also I keep my phone near to my bed so I can write any last minute thoughts that run through my head.

I like my room to be as dark as possible, so this for me means turning my radio around so the light doesn't shine in my face, turning my phone over so I can't see the red light flashing, making sure there is something covering the charging light of my laptop etc. This might all sound crazy but for me its something that helps me to get to sleep.

Another bed time ritual is listening to my iPod whilst I'm in bed drifting off to sleep. Surprisingly I don't listen to calming, slow music but more up beat music. I have made playlists so that I don't have to keep flicking through random tracks and effectively 'wake up'.

Before I go to bed, I like to have a bath or shower. Usually a bath helps to send me off to sleep, being in warm, bubbly water is really relaxing. Its also the perfect time to read a book or magazine.

Reading before you go to bed gives your mind something to do. Often I find that reading a couple of pages of a good books makes me realise how tired I am.

Lastly, if there is anything that I am worrying about I find that it doesn't help me go to sleep because it keeps me up, so I try to push it to the back of my mind or talk to someone about it.

Everyone has different methods of helping them to sleep and its all about finding the ways that work for you! 

Prom Series: Final Stages

I feel incredibly bad for not having blogged in weeks! I have been so busy (having had five GCSE's this week) and so I haven't had a great opportunity to blog. Add to the fact that I have had technical issues with internet being down, photos not being edited etc, blogging something worthwhile and good hasn't been an option.

Anyway, with prom looming (I'm counting down the days) I thought I would share some final tips. Throughout this prom series, I have hoped that you can apply the majority of what I have said to other big events, weddings etc. Today's post is all about time management and organisation preparation!

I have been making mental lists of all the things that I need to do before my prom and it got the stage when I have thought so many things I needed to write them all down. After doing this, I realised that not everything had to be done at the same time/on the same day and some things would be last minute/finishing touches. With all of this to think about I have now written a timetable for myself...

So the basic timetable shows the days before my prom (I don't want to say exactly when it is but its about a week away). So the days I listed and then by each day I have a list of everything that should be done or before that day.

Things in my 'Prom To Do List' include exfoliating properly before my spray tan, washing my hair, waxing/shaving, re-dying hair and washing it and so on. From the initial list, I have worked out what needs to be done when and was able to place the 'things to do' under the correct day heading.

On the day of prom itself, I will be quite busy what with having my hair done at my salon, doing my own makeup, getting dressed etc. Because I am a bit of a control freak and constantly make lists, I decided to make a more in depth timetable of the prom date itself.

This in depth timetable suggest what time I should go to sleep the night before to make sure I'm not tired, what time I should wake up so I have enough time and extra (this probably sounds crazy to some people but it makes sense to me!) Then its more general whilst still being in depth. It details what time I am having my hair done, how long it should take, how long it takes to get to the salon and back (allowing for traffic too), what I need to take with me to the salon etc. It goes on to list what time I should start my makeup to allow it enough time to 'set', what time I should get dressed and what time I need to leave to go to the prom.

All of this probably sounds crazy and a bit 'bridezilla' however, it gives me an idea of what I should be doing and the time it takes to do everything. After prom, I will let you know how I got on with this timetable...it probably will go out the window!

Pamper Evening Essentials

Every now and then I like to take moment to have a nice long bath and then spend some time polishing and preening myself.

Taking a long hot bath is perfect if your feeling stressed or tired and also a great way for preparing for an event or holiday. Although this post is not part of my Prom Series, it is certainly a routine that I will follow before my prom!

My first tip is make sure that you have enough time to have a long bath, allowing time for face masks, eye masks, nail polish to dry, lotions to soak in etc.

To begin with I like to run a reasonably hot bath and run some Sanctuary luxury bath float under the water to add bubbles and a heavenly scent. Now its time to prepare...

Whist the bath is running I will light some candles around my bath. Depending on what bath products I am using depends what candles I light as sometimes the scents can clash. I keep a candle with no scent in my bathroom so it adds the ambience but no scent. Current favourites are White Company Seychelles, Urban Outfitters Vanilla and Ginger and Party Time which is available at John Lewis.

Once the bath is run, I can happily spend hours soaking whist reading books, magazines, checking Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc... When I am ready, I will use a body scrub to cleanse my skin. A favourite is the Sanctuary body scrub.

After my bath, I will get out and dry off. At this point, I will apply a body moisturiser or oil such as the Sanctuary moisture spray. Next I will wash my face using a cleanser or face wash, usually the Benefit foaming cleanser.

Once done, I will apply a face mask. Currently I have been using the Superdrug own brand of self heating face masks which come in amazing scents! Whilst this is setting, I will take time to apply nail polish and let it dry. Usually I do a full manicure and pedicure, tidying up my nails and applying treatments such as nail hardener etc.

Once I have washed/peeled off the face mask, I can than pluck my eyebrows if they need doing. Usually by this point, my body lotion/oil has sunk in enough for my to apply some fake tan. Its always St Tropez mousse or lotion with a mitt!

To allow time for my tan to sink in, I will read in bed or watch a movie with some chocolate. Once I am ready for bed, I will pop on a cool gel eye mask that has been chilled in the fridge. 

There is one pamper evening essentials guide, thats perfect for the day before an event or during the day before a night out!

Prom Series: Prom Hair Update

Just a quick update on prom hair ideas...

Today I went to my salon to have my prom hair trial and I am really pleased with the results and think it looks really nice and great with my dress! I'm not going to show you any pictures yet as I don't want people from my school seeing what I am wearing until the night!

The reason why I am doing this update is because to begin with I wasn't happy with how they did my hair and so I told the stylist what I wanted to be changed.

This brings me on to the update... following on from my prom hair post, I gave some tips for doing your hair yourself or going to a salon and I mentioned voicing your opinion.

My stylist spent almost and hour doing my hair - pinning, curling, straightening, spraying etc. and it looked lovely, but it wasn't 'me'. However, it was her interpretation of a photo I showed her. She did nothing I hadn't asked her to do or something I hadn't shown her.

I sat there with my mum and we both agreed that the style wasn't me and wasn't something that I would usually consider. I felt really bad that after basically an hour of styling my stylist was going to have to take the whole thing out and re do it, but at the end of the day, your paying the stylist to create something you love!

The whole time my stylist was asking if this was what I wanted or was it too/not  curly enough etc. She really reassured me that she would be happy to spend as long as it took to get it right.

I asked for not too much product in my hair so it wasn't 'crispy' or 'hard' and she listened - she put next to nothing texture mousse in and little hairspray - exactly what I wanted!

The moral/point of the update is to make sure your not afraid of hurting the stylists feelings for not liking what they have done. 

Beauty Testing

As a beauty blogger I like to try new products and test them to review for my blog. Although I feel that there are not a lot of beauty product reviews on my blog, I hope that over the summer I can do more. With that said, I do have a few products in mind for me to review...

Anyway, when reviewing products its good to test them out throughly and sometimes that means doing things out of the ordinary, such as going swimming with a new waterproof mascara on etc..

When clearing out my magazine collection (because I like to keep them all for that 'just in case' moment) I thought I would go through and tear anything out that looked interesting, or something that I might like to scrap book.

I think I found the article in an ancient 'Look' magazine and I re-read it and thought it was very useful. If you can't guess already, the article was all about testing out different beauty products before you buy them, so you know if they are worth it or not. Another great feature about the article is that it tells you how to test with and without samples.

As the article is very old and I doubt many people remember it and some never read it, I thought I would run through what the article talks about and then everyone can test out their new beauty buys! 

Here goes..

Lipstick

With sample: Rub the lipstick on the cushion of your finger to see how waxy it is - the waxier the lipstick the longer it will last

Without sample: Choose the finish that you want in the shade you want. Remember that matts have lots of pigment and gloss will give you a high shine.

Face Powder

With sample: Should be undetectable on the skin. Finely milled powders are suitable for all skin types. Oily skin types better suit loose powders compared to pressed.

Without sample: If you can't test the shade, go translucent as you tend to choose the shade you wan't to be, rather than the shade that suits your skin tone. Words such as 'sheer' and 'luminous' mean it won't make your makeup look dull and will enhance your overall look. Stay away from shimmer and glitter in face powders!

Eye/Lip Liners:

With sample: Look for pigment and long lasting formulas. Draw a line on your hand, wait a second and see if it smudges - a little smudge is okay as this will allow for blending and creating a smokey effect, if it smudges too much it won't stay put all day!

Without sample: When looking online, the colours shown in the swatch are usually a pretty good match so look in the description for words such as 'long lasting' to give an indication of how well they will stay.

Illuminator/Highlighter

With sample: BLEND! These are formulated to only be used in small amounts and then blended into the skin. Too much shimmer will make you look shiny and have the opposite effect to highlighting and lifting your face. Avoid silvery shades and go for nudes and champagnes.

Without sample: Terms such as 'light reflecting' are usually a good indication that the product will have slight shimmer.

Lipgloss:

With sample: The more the gloss shines, the fuller your lips will look. Dap onto the back of your hand, wait a moment and then run your finger through the formula, this will show if the consistency is sticky or not.

Without sample: Avoid large shimmer/glitter particles as these can look cheap and not set well on the lips.

Blush/Bronzer

With sample: Check they work in combination with your other face products. If you have sensitive skin look for non - comedogenic products as this won't irritate the skin. Run powder formulas along the back of your hand to check for pigmentation and blend creams to see consistency.

Without sample: Avoid glitter. Don't go for shades that are darker than you would naturally tan, or flush when you work out.

Mascara

With sample: Don't test samples on your eyelashes - you don't know where the wands have been and how many other people have tried them! Unless the sample is fresh from a counter give it a miss. Otherwise, run drugstore mascaras along the back of your hand and smudge to see its staying power.

Without sample: Determine what your looking for - lengthening, curling, thickening etc and then look for these words in the product name and descriptions.

Foundation/Concealer

With sample: Apply to your neck and jaw line. If your being colour swatched at a department store counter, ask them to remove some of your foundation and apply to a clean area, that way you will be able to compare what you already have on and the swatch. This should also show you how accurate the colour match is. Don't buy just from testing on the back of your hand as the skin tone varies. Always re-swatch yourself when repurchasing. 

Without sample: Try not to purchase online unless you have been using the brand for some time and you know what colour you are and what to expect from the formulation.


Six Quality Control Tips and Tricks

1. If it doesn't smell right it probably isn't. The same goes for if you don't like the smell, you probably won't use it.

2. Compare products against each other. Switch between brands and always revisit a brand you haven't enjoyed as formulations are always changing and improving.

3. Fragrances change over a period of time due to body temperature and conditions so when buying a new perfume its best to test it on your skin, wander around the store and then come back to purchase after the scent has had time to settle on your skin.

4. If you try out a new product and get a sudden break out, stop using the product. However, if its skin care, hang on in for a few days to see if the break out clears up - this is usually just due to a change in product or routine.

5. Don't change all of your skin care routine at once. Gradually change products so that your skin can get used to new formulas, and if you have any reactions such as irritation and break outs you know that its the new product!

6. A product can take a while to show improvements to your skin, whereas a bad reaction will show itself immediately. Persist with a beauty buy for a couple of weeks before you give up!

I hope that this testing 101 helps when buying new products and don't forget to try before you buy! There is nothing wrong than asking to be colour swatched to find you don't like the formulation, colour, appearance etc so choose not to buy a product!

Prom Series: Final Stages

Most people are probably on half term at the moment, which means in between revising it is the perfect time to finish getting ready for your prom!

There still may be a few bits and pieces that you need to buy such as undergarments and accessories. All of your appointments should be booked at this stage and half term is a great time to hold hair and make up trials.

On Friday, I am going for my hair trial which I am looking forward to, however I'm still not 100% sure how I want to have my hair. I'm going to take some photos with me of styles that I like and also some of my dress so my stylist can see how the dress hangs.

If you are doing your make up yourself, then I suggest you try it on a day when you have done your hair how it will be for prom so that you can see how it will all look together.

The very last things that you will need to think about is your nail colour and fake tan. 

You will want a nail colour that will reflect your personality and compliment your dress. Many people choose to go for the classic colours such as reds and nudes, however, bright colours can look great with a tan.

If your going for a spray tan, you should choose a salon where you have been before. As I have mentioned before, the days before prom and on prom itself is not the time to be trying new techniques and shades - you don't want to turn up looking orange!

Also, if you are fake tanning yourself, then make sure you start a few days before the prom date so you can gradually build up the colour and have time to solve any problems that may arise. A good alternative to fake tan is a wash off fake tan as you can just apply it to the areas that will be visible such as legs, arms and chest. Wash off is usually less streaky and because you can wash it off, its great if you make a mistake. Make sure that if your going to an after party where you may be going in a pool/hot tub it will come off!


Here is the link to my fake tan post:

www.jessieobsessed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/fake-tan-holiday-routine.html

Stiletto Nails

There seems to be a big craze at the moment for 'stiletto nails'. These are the long, thin, pointed nails that celebrities such as Rihanna and Rita Ora seem to be wearing at the moment. I'm a fan of these nails as they look really cute when they are decorated with intricate nail art and 3D embellishments such as bows and crystals.

There are various ways that you can achieve this look, the most obvious being to get acrylic nails or acrylic tips in the pointed shape. Other ways would be to buy regular false nails and then cut at the sides using nail clippers and then filing at the edges to smooth out and make the point. Or you could buy false nails in the pointed 'stiletto' trend. When I have been looking I couldn't see anything on websites such as Amazon and Ebay that were selling full nails in this shape, what you could buy were nail tips in the pointed shape.

When looking through Lily Melrose's Instagram, she posted a picture of some false nails that her mum had picked up for her from Primark that had a cute tropical fruit design on them and so when I next go shopping I will hunt them down! 

However, as you can't shop online at Primark, I Google imaged 'Primark false nails' to see what came up - what I saw were cute cupcake and spotty designs AND... long pointed nails! The photo is from January so hopefully they are still in stock, but the packaging says 'new' on it so I will presume so!

I have never purchased any Primark beauty products what so ever, and so I have no idea how good these nails will be (whether or not the adhesive is glue/tabs, how long they stay on for etc.) so I hope to purchase some soon and do a review on them. Also they are only £1 and so I don't think you can really go wrong!

Cute cupcakes

Stiletto Nails

This seems a very long post, but the point of it was to let you know where to find these style nails and cute nail art designs. From the image above, you can see that the nails are in the french manicure style, which personally I think looks strange on nails with such a long tip and point. Therefore, I would paint mine and cover them in cute nail art and 3D designs.

I have been searching Google and Pinterest for the best stiletto nail art designs and I am going to post some pictures of the ones I like best! Also, I know that the point can be quite harsh and so I thought I would post some designs with a softer, more rounded tip whilst still looking different from your average mani. 

Glitter, chains and points in one!

Ah-May-Zing!

Cute baby pinks and bows

Bright whites

Chanel and bows

Glitter, crystals and intricate designs

Soft nude shade

Matte black and pointed

Softer points and bows

Softer points and intricate designs

What do you think of this new nail trend? Go to my Pinterest boards to see my board dedicated to nail art for more inspiration.

Magazines I Read

Loads of people ask me which magazines I read and where I get my inspiration from. I only read a select few magazines and it tends to be the same every month, although when I'm travelling I sometimes pick up one or two general celebrity gossip mags rather than high end fashion magazines.

Last year I was given a Glamour magazine subscription and that was really good. I love there back page where its alway about tattoos you should never get or drunk mistakes - just silly little things. The fashion is great as it always has various edits as well as shoots. The fashion is high end so it is very glamours and not for those who are working to a budget! The Glamour beauty is good, although personally I prefer Vogue's beauty edits. As well as all the fashion and beauty, Glamour contains real life stories, celebrity lunch dates and excellent formal articles on topic which matter.

Any girl who is in to fashion will tell you she reads Vogue. I am no exception to that rule. I have been buying Vogue for years and always tear out pages of fashion edits from it to stick in my fashion and beauty scrap book. I also seem to remember at one point tearing out all the advertisements and sticking them on my bedroom wall so it was covered in Mulberry and Ralph Lauren campaigns. I also just recently got a two year Vogue subscription so I will never miss an issue.

A great thing about subscriptions is that you don't ever miss an issue as it is delivered straight to your door as well as being cheaper than buying a copy every month...AND... you get it before it goes on sale which is an added bonus which I enjoy! 

In answer to where I get my inspiration from, it comes from all over the place. I love looking in magazines to see what new trends there are and having a look to see what celebrities have been wearing on the red carpet or when they are out and about. People that I like to follow for fashion inspiration are Olivia Palermo, Miranda Kerr and Poppy Delevingne, and for make up inspiration I like to look at the Kardashians, Leighton Meester and Blake Lively.

I like to people watch and have a look at what other people are wearing. Depending on where I am depends what 'type' of people watching I do. When I'm in London I love sitting in cute cafes or restaurants and looking at peoples style and taking inspiration from them.

Social media and networks is also great. Instagram is full of people posting images of their outfits and nails or products that they love. Another great way to gather ideas is Pinterest as you can just have a look or create your own board which I would describe as virtual scrapbooking!

As I mentioned earlier, I have a fashion and beauty scrap book which is an A3 sized scrap book from Paperchase. I decorated the front cover and stuck postcards of Audrey Hepburn on and then inside I glue in magazine images, photographs or samples - whatever takes my fancy. Sometimes I will write down words and brainstorm what comes to mind when I think of those words such as Militaristic makes me think of khaki greens, leather, boots, jackets etc. When I'm deciding on an outfit to wear I will look through my scrap book for ideas. Its also a great place to put photos of outfits I have worn and reminders and personal inspiration. Another reason why I love fashion scrapbooking is because in years to come I will be able to look back and see what trends where in and what I liked to wear!

I highly recommend getting a magazine subscription and starting a fashion scrap book, or a scrap book on anything your interested in as its so much fun! 

The Time Has Come...

I have previously mentioned that my GCSE's are looming and that I will be spending more time away from my blog over the next two months... Well if you are reading this at the time of posting, you may be wondering why I am writing at such an unusual time of day (for me anyway). 

This is because I am currently sat revising having had the morning off because in precisely one hour I will be sitting my first GCSE. As my blog is about fashion and beauty, I have never spoken about what these exams are, and if you live outside of the UK they are probably taken at a different age and called something else.

Yesterday was my birthday...16! So your GCSE's are taken when your 15/16 in the summer of Year 11. They are exams that you have to do well in and reach certain grades in order to go to college and study what you want. Basically, no GCSE's, no college, no college, no university and so on. To make it sound even more scary, the rest of your life can depend on these next two months.

Many schools around the UK have already left to go on study leave, meaning you don't go into school for a normal school day and are allowed to say at home and revise. My school however, chooses not to allow its year 11 pupils to go on study leave until the 24th May. The reason why I'm going in late today is that your allowed the day or morning off if you have an exam.

There are some GCSE's that are compulsory such as Maths, English and at least one science, pupils can then choose others that they want to do. As I go to a private school, there are more compulsory exams that you must take - for me these include; Maths, English Language, English Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and French. I then chose to take History, Physical Education and Textiles.

This afternoon I will be sitting in a French Listening and French Reading exam, along with the rest of the people in the UK who are taking French GCSE with the same exam board.

I'm not going to bore you with the ins and outs of GCSE's, but I personally (and many others too) regard them as very important in allowing me to go to college and then go to university to study what I want and then be able to get a job when I have finished studying.

I haven't blogged for a while because I have been busy revising and so I honestly feel bad. However, I have so many ideas for my blog, including the last few posts of the Prom Series.

Tomorrow I have my PE exam but on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I have none and so I hope to be able to blog during these days and the other days where I don't have exams.

I am someone who puts lots of pressure on them-self to do well and succeed but make other people happy and proud of me. Therefore, I feel like I am letting my readers down if I don't blog, but let myself down if I don't revise - you see my dilemma? 

Obviously, once my exams finish on June 18th, I will have a really long summer where I have loads of holidays planned and lots of nice things to do which I will be able to blog about!

I hope that during the next few weeks, I will be able to do some blogging to calm and relax in-between doing revision, but I thought I would let you all know what I am doing and why blogging won't be as frequent.

Anyway, I have just looked at the time and its 30mins until I need to be at school! So I hope that you all understand my reasons for being away but I will try my hardest to blog when I can! Maybe I will even do some exam tips posts?

The Prom Series: Appointments

Organising appointments for prom seems like a simple task, but if you leave it too late all of the 'good' times and dates will fill up. What I mean when I say good times and dates is having your hair done at a suitable time so you can do your makeup and it won't fall out, or having your spray tan done a few days in advance so that it has time to set.

I hope that todays post will help you to manage what times and days before hand you should make your appointments for. Obviously you only need to book the appointments of the things your going to be having done!

When booking your appointments its best to book your trial and actual appointment at the same time - you can always cancel the real appointment if your trial doesn't go too well! I suggest that with your hair and makeup appointments you book your trial for three weeks in advance to your prom date. This will allow you time to consult with your stylist/artist any changes you may require or look for a different salon etc.

For nail appointments, you don't have to go to fancy spas at hotels, your local beauty salon will be just as good. As it is prom I am going to be booking a manicure and pedicure with massages included for an added touch of luxury. However, just having your nails painted will be fine! Think about what shoes your going to be wearing - are they peep toed? If so then don't forget to get a pedicure too! Also make sure to check the nail polish/gel colours available and match them to your dress!

Other appointments you will want to make will be your spray tan, wax appointments, any eyelash/eyebrow tinting and shaping, body massages and so on.

Most salons who offer waxing say that you must not apply moisturiser or harsh body washes as well as using sun beds, exposing your skin to harsh sun light or get a spray tan for at least twenty four hours after. This means that you will need to consider a suitable time for you to have your wax in enough time to be able to have your tan.

I highly recommend that you don't go to new salons to have your regular appointments such as waxing and getting your eyebrows done. This is because the wax may be different and you may be allergic and they may not shape your eyebrows the way you want/usually have them.

Although prom is the time to experiment with your hair and makeup as well as trying out different styles of dresses and colours, its not really the time to be experimenting with different eyebrow shapes and products that could cause you to have an allergic reaction and come out in a rash!

A Suitable Prom 'timetable':

May 20 - Wax
             Eyebrow shaping
             Eyebrow/eyelash tinting

May 21 - Use this time to make sure everything is ready - dress/bag etc.

May 22 - Spray tan (have this done during the late afternoon/evening)

May 23 - Nails (there isn't really a suitable time)

May 24 - PROM NIGHT - Starts at 7:30pm
             Hair (late afternoon, between 2 - 3pm is good)
             Makeup (early/late afternoon, fit around your hair time 1 - 2pm)  
             Begin to get dressed at around 4pm
             6pm - friends arrive
             7:15 - go to prom

Shopping Haul, Manicure Monday, What I Did Today

I warn you now, this could be a long post!

Anyway, I'm going to begin by stating the obvious and say that this isn't a prom series post... after doing a good few posts in this series, I realise that for my readers who come to read beauty reviews and hauls and who aren't going to a prom, it could get a bit boring. So today's post is all about what I have been up to recently...

On Sunday I went out for lunch with some friends and afterwards (as well as before hand) we did a spot of shopping. As my birthday is just around the corner (next Sunday!) I didn't buy too much...however, everything was beauty related and so I'm going to show you all what I brought.

Firstly after reading Lily Pebbles' review on the Topshop highlighters that she recently purchased, I decided that I would go out and buy them myself to try them out and review them. When paying at the till, I let slip that I was buying them thanks to Lily and the assistant said she read Lily's post too! I will link Lily's review below so you can read her opinions on these gorgeous products! (This isn't my review on them, that will be coming soon!)

Topshop Glow in Polished

Topshop Sunbeam

Lily Pebbles' Review:

http://www.whatihearttoday.com/2013/05/topshop-highlighters.html

Next I popped into Boots and spent ages in there...literally ages. I picked up some Katy Perry for Eyelure eyelashes because I was looking for the Mille Mackintosh ones but couldn't see them :-( however these Cool Kitty ones look lush and I can't wait to try them!

Katy Perry Eyelashes in Cool Kitty

I also got a new Essie nail polish in Cute As A Button which is a gorgeous coraly, pinky summer shade that is so warm and summery and makes me feel happy. It is certainly a shade that will be featuring heavily on my nails this summer! So todays Manicure Monday is Essie Cute As A Button!

I then went to Superdrug which was probably a bad idea in some ways... I picked up the Real Techniques Stippling Brush which I have been wanting ever since I purchased the Core Collection. The reason why I held off was because I was so in love with my MAC 187 and I didn't want to disregard it and hardly ever use the amazing makeup brush that cost me close to £40...however, I gave in and brought it and it is amazing! I will be doing a full review of it soon as I only got it yesterday but already I can tell that I'm going to love it and it will become one of my favourites!

I also got a new, cheap moisturiser because my skin is really dry at the moment and what with the weather warming up I will probably want to start fake tanning so I need nice soft skin! E45 cream is something that I have used in the past to help dry skin etc. 

The last thing I got from Superdrug was the Accessorize 4D nails in Stardom. Basically these are the Ciate Caviar nails but they are only £5, and after having spent an arm and a leg on the velvet nails set which I was disappointed with, I would buy a cheaper version and see how I get on. I'm really excited to use this set as I think the blue colour scheme is really pretty. Lets hope they last!

The last thing that I picked up was a new Bubblegum Lip Scrub from lush as I have really dry, chapped lips at the moment and so though I would buy myself a new lip scrub...

A few of these products I will soon be writing reviews for so stay tuned!

More of an unusual part to my blog...Today, I went to a farm with my friend Lucy and we had a great time holding baby animals like goats, ducklings, goslings, piglets and rabbits as well as feeding sheep! Here's me holding a baby goat!

Hope you all had a lovely sunny bank holiday!

The Prom Series: Hair

After posting a lot about the prom series, I feel that it would be best to continue to post about prom in the run up to my prom (and hopefully yours). This way it means that it will all be in one place and in one go (kind of) and so people won't have to keep looking too far back and struggle to find the posts in this series.

With that said, today I am going to talk about choosing what kind of hair style you may want for prom.

To begin with, I suggest that you look in hairstyle magazines and magazines in general to gather ideas and inspiration. I want to talk in more depth about what magazines I read, but in your usual fashion and beauty mags such as Glamour and Elle there are beauty sections which have articles all about hair trends, colours and styles. Also the internet is a great place to get ideas. Google your favourite celebrity 'red carpet looks' and use their hairstyles as inspiration. Tumblr, Pinterest and We Heart It are also great places to look! I have created a Prom board on my Pinterest regarding everything to do with prom so make sure to check it out!

Gathering ideas should be done if you are doing your hair yourself or if your going to a salon to have your hair done. I am going to my local hair salon and having my hair done professionally, but doing it yourself can be just as good!

Make sure you know what works for your face shape, dress, makeup ideas etc. Secondly, see what you have to work with - how long/short is your hair, what is it like naturally curly, wavy, straight, do you want it up or down. 

Next you need to think about what you will need to have/use in order to create the look you want - hair straighteners, curling irons, bobby pins, slides/grips, hair ties, bun nets, gel, hairspray, mousse etc.

The last few things that I mentioned - gel, spray and mousse - you will want to consider so that you know how your going to set your look and how your going to create volume and texture.

Unlike in my makeup guide post I said how to create the basic look with some steps, I am not going to give you a step by step guide in how to create looks. I will however add some photos of what I like and think is a good idea for prom hair.

My Inspiration:

My top tips if your doing your hair yourself:

Practice, practice, practice - you don't want to have a panic on the day!
Make sure you have everything you need
Lay everything out so you can see/use it all properly

Top tips if your going to a salon:

Voice what you want - make sure your stylist knows what your going for
Plan your trial three weeks before the date so you have time to change anything
Make your appointment at a suitable time so that your hair doesn't fall flat, curls fall out etc.

The Prom Series: Accessories!

Accessories, my favourite part! Your look is starting to come together and now your adding the final touches to your outfit.

When I say accessories I'm talking about your bag and jewellery, however, whilst your out buying these things it would be a good idea to look at hair accessories and any make up items that you will need if you will be doing them yourself.

When shopping for your bag, you need to think about what you will need to put in it so that you can determine the size that you will need. Things that you might want to put in your bag will be your phone, lipstick or gloss, a camera, breath mints etc. 

I think that most people will go for evening clutch bags as they are easy to carry and put down while your dancing, and they also look good in photographs as they are small and not too bulky.

If you dress and shoes are quite plain or have minimal detailing, then you could choose a more sparkly bag or if your dress is simple and a muted tone then you could add colour to your outfit by having a colourful bag!

I'm going to say it again...make sure you try your dress on with your shoes, holding your bag to see how your outfit looks!

Next, jewellery! When shopping for jewellery, you should also take a photo of your dress with you so you can compare colours, detailing etc. 

Depending how your going to have your hair (up or down) depends on what earrings you should wear. If your going to have your hair up, then dangly earrings will look lovely as you will be able to see them and if your having your hair down then bigger studs will also look lovely. Remember that if you buy earrings you can't return them even if you haven't tried them on!

You also need to consider the neckline of your dress. If the neckline is more of a sweetheart shape, then you could wear a pendant, but if the neckline is embellished, then consider something more subtle or nothing at all!

Don't forget to remember to look at rings - cocktail or more intricate designs, bracelets - bangles, simple chains or beaded, you may also want to consider an anklet?

When your home, try on all of your jewellery with your dress, bag and shoes. I would also recommend taking some photographs when you try on all of your outfit together so that you can see how it is coming together and how it will look in photos!

The Prom Series: Makeup

I feel that recently, my blog has moved slightly away from makeup and beauty and entered more into the fashion world due to my holiday OTTD's and the prom series as I have been talking about dresses and shoes. However, an important part to prom is your hair and makeup. 

Today I'm just going to touch on the basics and what I think you need to consider when choosing your prom makeup, but as part of the prom series, I hope to post more tutorial based posts such as applying fake eyelashes and the perfect tan.

This post is more for the people who are considering or going to be doing their own prom makeup rather than going to a makeup counter or artist. I will be doing my own prom makeup and so I hope this will help me to clear my head and think about what needs to be done.

I will mention here that I think that whatever brand of product you use in your trial should be what you use on the day so that you know how the product works and what look it gives. Also as you have probably guessed, I recommend that you do a makeup trial before the day.

The benefits of the primer will be that it will help your makeup to last through the evening and on into the night. As well as using a face primer, I recommend that you use an eye primer to keep eyeshadows in place and stop eye cremes from creasing in your lid. Good eye primers are the Urban Decay Eye Potion for eyes and the Benefit That Gal primer for face.

Next you will want a long lasting foundation which is matched to your skin tone. Make sure you take note if you are going to be having a spray tan that your skin tone will be a few shades darker and so you will need to consider mixing colours or adding a touch more bronzer than usual.

Your foundation should also be in a suitable finish; matte, shear glow etc. I'm hoping to use the NARS shear glow as everyone seems to love it and say how amazing it is. It also gives a glossy, dewy finish too.

For your concealer, you don't want to lighten your under eye area too much as this can look strange in photos, although you don't want bags under your eyes or pigmentation. Choose a concealer which will give you maximum coverage and a reasonable amount of colour. I recommend Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer or Benefit Boi-ing.

Next is eyebrows. Make sure that you have tied them up in reasonable time (the day before or morning of your prom) and be sure to have a suitable colour to fill them in with. This could be a gel, pencil or shadow. I recommend the Two Face Naked Eye palette in the shade Velvet Revolver for red heads and darker blondes. A good brow setting gel is also a must to comb through and hold the hairs in place. 

The next thing I recommend to do, is to powder down your face to get rid of any shinyness and to 'blot' your eyebrows (I tend to do this before adding a setting gel). My fail safe powder is the Rimmel Stay Matte face powder.

Next up contouring, bronzing and adding blush. This is all very optional (as is everything else) but you should add as much or as little as you want or as it necessary for your skin tone. 

I usually begin with an all over bronze, using my NARS Laguna bronzer and Bare Minerals Flawless Face brush which gives me an even coverage. Next I will contour my cheek bones using my Real Techniques contouring brush and my NARS bronzer. Add the bronzer gently to the hollows of your cheeks, building up the coverage so that it is even. Finally I will add my blush, usually NARS Desire blush using my Real Techniques buffing brush. I apply this to the apples of my cheeks and gently buff it into my bronzer so that it is all blended evenly together.

Once your 'base' is done, this is a good place to stop and have your hair done or do it yourself. This means that you can clip back your hair to get right into your hair line when doing your make up, and not worry about messing your hair. Then it will also have a chance to set whilst you do your hair.

Once your hair is done, then you can move onto your eyes. To start off with I would apply any eyeshadow, cremes, liner ect that you may want to include in your look. At this moment, I am unsure what eye look I will be having, but I'm pretty sure it will be simple and natural with minimal colour and eye product. However, I recommend all MAC eyeshadows for great pigment and coverage and also the Two Faced Naked Eye palette for subtle browny, gold colours.

Next I will curl my lashes and apply one coat of mascara using my Rimmel Scandalous Eyes mascara and leave it to dry. I will trim my fake lashes so that they fit my eyes and will add the glue onto the band. I think I will be using Millie Mackintosh's fake lash brand, although I need to have a look at the different styles, otherwise Eyelure is great! I will be posting about how to apply fake lashes so I won't go into too much detail now, but make sure to put some lash glue in your bag incase they come unstuck during the night!

Once the lashes are on and in place, you can leave them to dry - make sure they have dried properly before applying mascara! I will add a number of coats of mascara to blend the fake lashes and my lashes together, and because I like the big, bold lash look. At this point I will also begin to use my Benefit They're Real mascara.

Once your eye look is finished your look is almost complete! Now is the time to make sure your happy with everything and make sure you have no mascara under your eyes or on your lids, that your lashes aren't too clumpy and that you have no excess shadow product under your eyes. Now is also a good time to add a mineral veil - I swear by Bare Minerals Mineral Veil for a glossy, airbrushed finish.

I haven't forgotten about highlighting I just like to leave it until last so that it doesn't wear off or become too shiny. I like to add Benefit Watts Up highlighter stick to the tops of my cheek bones and blend it in. Then I add Benefit Girl Meets Pearl liquid highlighter to my brow bones. Make sure if you have created a smoky eye look then you have highlighted with a light eyeshadow before you began!

The very last step to your make up is adding lipgloss or lipstick. Make sure to brush your teeth before hand so that you don't get your lip product all over the place! Also take with you whatever you have used in your bag so you can reapply during the night!

This is also a good time to add perfume! An amazing find is the 'Travelo' perfume bottle. Its small enough so that you can carry it in your hand luggage when you fly, but you can fill it up with your own perfume. Because its so small it is really easy to put in your bag to take with you to prom!

Lastly, I recommend taking blotting papers with you in your handbag so that if you get a bit shiny during the night then you can touch up. A mini mascara and a powder compact is also a good idea.

The Prom Series: Finding the Perfect Pair of Shoes

So you have found the perfect dress, now its time to find some shoes!

This is my favourite part of prom shopping (or outfit shopping in general). You get to try on lots of pairs of gorgeous shoes and its less hassle than having to keep on going into fitting rooms to try on clothes.

When shopping for your shoes I strongly advise that you try to do it in person and go to stores rather than buy over the internet. This is because sizes vary from store to store - you might be a 5 in Topshop but a 6 in Office. Also colours look different from internet pictures to the real thing. 

If you have been into a store and have tried on a pair of shoes but resisted buying so you could have a look around, then I would say its okay to buy online, so long as you have tried them on in person first!

Another tip when buying shoes is to have a photo of your dress so you can remind yourself what the detailing looks like, the colour, style etc. Some dresses come with a little pack of extra beads or buttons and can include a sample of the fabric your dress is made from so that you can test washing bleaches before you wash your dress. This is perfect to take with you when your shoe shopping so you can colour match and see what different shoe finishes look good with your dress.

Something to consider is the heel height. Kitten heels have a bad reputation as many people (including myself) don't like the 'short heel' look (I could also do with the extra height!). However, whilst I say that they aren't for me, they can look effortless with the right dress. The are elegant and very lady like, especially if they are pointed at the toe. 

Other heels you might go for may have  high heels, usually with platforms. These look great, add lots of height and always come in gorgeous styles. The only problem with huge heels is that your feel will become sore during the night. Make sure that you wear them around the house first! Its also a good idea to buy some feet cushion pads to protect and cushion the balls of your feet. Remember, once you have taken your shoes off they will always be harder and hurt more once they are back on!

Once you have brought your shoes, make sure you try them on at home with your dress on so that you can check that they suit each other and compliment the overall look your going for. (You will notice that I will keep on mentioning to try everything on together to see the overall look)

So you have brought your dress and shoes, and have tried them on again at home. Now your happy that everything looks good together, you need to 'break in' your shoes. Make sure you wear them around the house to soften up the fabric. You don't want to have to take your shoes off during the night!