Review: Japonesque Set Bag

I decided to do a review on the Japonesque set bag I recently purchased from Guru Make-up Emporium.


I have been looking for a set bag for some time to use on jobs,and wanted one that was a decent size,not too big or too small and that had lots of compartments and wasn't over priced.


For the price I have to say I am really impressed with my purchase.The bag costs £28 and is a great size,it has compartments on both the front and inside the bag and also has carry handles as well as a carry strap.

I used the bag on a short film I have recently worked on and could fit more than i thought inside the bag.The outside compartments are great for holding brushes,deodorant,hand sanitizer etc and it also has 2 large compartments at the side.

The inside has 2 large pocket sections on either side of the bag so great for your palettes,and the main section of the inside holds more than you would think also.

I managed to fit a giant hairspray can,towel,baby wipes, brush belt,2x eye palettes, lip palette and foundation palette inside.

A great addition to my kit :) 

Purchases of the month... July

I thought I would share with you all a few of the things I have purchased this month. I have been very busy with work and needed to replace alot of things in my kit,but also decided to add some new additions.....

My first purchase was from Lovemakeup, i have read alot about the sigma brushes and did not have any sigma brushes in my kit,so decided to purchase a couple and try them out. I bought a pencil brush,large fluffer brush, small tapered face brush and a soft hair kabuki.

I have been doing the make-up for a short film this week and was in need of a hd powder that left no traces of powder on the skin,I came across this kett compact powder £16.50 from Guru Make-up.

After reading an article on beautylish about airbrush make-up I discovered that normal foundations can be used in an airbrush machine as long as they have been thinned using an airbrush thinner, this make-up forever airbrush thinner was a perfect buy  £13.50  Guru Make-up.

I also decided to purchase my first make-up forever HD foundation,they are a little pricey (£29.95) so I bought just the one in my shade to try out and see if I like them for my kit,they have many colours but was advised that I would only need 5 or 6 in my kit,they also work great thinned in an airbrush machine.

My favorite purchase of them all is this Japonesque set bag (£28) ,as I was working on a short film I thought it was time to invest in a small set bag. This set bag was a perfect size and has lots of compartments as well as carry handles and carry strap.

Please read my reviews for each product i have bought this month.

What have you been buying?

My Favourite Make-up Brushes.....

I decided to do a post on my favourite make-up brushes.These are the brushes I cant live without on jobs and that I get the most use out of in my kit. I use lots of other brushes in my kit but these are my all time favourites.

1.  Nars Brow Shader     £16.50
Small,Hard bristled brow groomer/shader. I love this brush,I have many alternative brow shader brushes but this is the one I use over and over again,I really like the stiffness of the bristles as it gives a much more precise finish,its small and angled to create perfect brow shapes.

2. Mac 239 Eye shader brush      £19.00
This brush has a tapered round edge with smooth,firm fibers. Its a very soft brush and i use this to apply my base colour to the eyelid or pigments. I wouldn't use this brush to do a structured eye look as it's a very soft brush,its more suited for a blended colour or overall shadow,

3. Mac 134 Large Powder Brush      £38.00
An extra large,soft fluffed powder brush. This brush is amazing its big enough to get the job done fast and applies loose powder brilliantly. Its also extremely soft,clients always love the feel of the brush when im applying powder as it's so gentle on the skin.

 4. Mac 138 Tapered Face Brush     £38.00
A domed slightly pointed with round chiseled sides brush.Again another amazing brush,its multi purpose and gets used on every job. The chiseled sides are great for contouring,and the pointed tip is perfect for precise blush application to the apples of the cheeks. It then can be blended out with the middle section of the brush.
I use this brush with powdered blushers.

 5. Mac 219 Pencil Brush       £19.00
A pencil shaped eyeshadow brush. This brush can be used for precision shadowing on the lid and sockets as well as along the lashline.I use this brush alot for smoky eyes and defining the eye sockets,the bristles are great as its stiff enough to place colour as well as slightly blending.

 6. Dior Small Foundation Brush      £26.50
I really like this foundation brush,its alot smaller than most foundation brushes,so you can get smaller areas of the face without having to use a different brush. I have 2 of these brushes and use for my own foundation application as well as in my kit.And I love the design of the brush.

 7. Face Stockholm Oval Tip Camouflage Brush       £13.00
I used to work at Face Stockholm store a while ago and picked up this brush while working there,i wasn't to keen on there range of make-up brushes,i found all there brushes didn't hold there purpose as well as other brands,however this brush was different.Its a nylon brush so perfect for creams and liquids,and has an oval tip so great for getting in really small areas and creases i.e. close to the under eye and around the nose. I use it as a concealer brush as well as for foundation application for smaller areas.

 8. Nars Large Dome Shader Brush     £32.50
A fluffy large blender/shader brush. I never used this brush much in my kit as I had lots of smaller blending brushes however when I did I didn't go back. Its great,it's really fluffy and has a small tapered section at the tip,it great for blending eyeshadow,i generally use it for larger areas but it can be used under the eye also.

9. Nars Smudge Brush      £30.00
A short bristled smudge eyeshadow brush. I use this brush for applying eyeshadow under the eye,its very precise for placing product and gets really close to the lash line,as well as giving a nice well blended finish for a smoky eye.

10. Estee Lauder Brush Cleaner        £11.00
I've tried a few different brush cleaners and this is by far my favourite so far,it's a 235ml bottle and comes with a spray top so you can clean easily in between jobs.I think this is what sold the cleaner to me the most instead of having to soak my brushes or pour a cleaner onto them i can spritz them a couple of times and clean onto a throw away towel.I also really like the cleaner as its not to rich or oily which i find some cleaners are and also drys instantly so no waiting a couple of mins for them to dry. I think they have discontinued the spray top bottle now which makes no sense however they do still sell the brush cleaner as in the image above.

Review : Nioxin Scalp treatment

After doing a lot of work at wella I had heard alot of good things about the Nioxin scalp treatments,it seemed to be a worth while product that professionals were talking about.

I have fine thinning hair which I really dont like as it gets oily very quickly and looks very flat most of the time,after hearing such wonderful things I wondered if it would do anything for my hair.

I decided to buy the trial kit of the Nioxin hair kit for thinning hair. The Kits come in 6 different systems for a range of hair types,so all you need to do is work out which hair type best describes your hair and choose the system that suits you best.

I decided to purchase system 3 which is for normal to thin looking,fine hair which has been chemically treated.

Inside the trial box you get 3 products, 150ml Cleanser Shampoo, 150ml Scalp Revitaliser Conditioner and a 50ml Scalp Treatment.

The trial pack is designed to last 30 days(dependent on how often you wash your hair) by which time you are supposed to notice a difference in your hair. The 3 step treatment is to be used every time you wash your hair and cant be used selectively as the treatments will not work.

How to use:

Step 1. Wash your hair with a small amount of the cleanser shampoo,making sure you massage the shampoo into your hair and scalp and do so for around 2-3minutes.Then rinse.

Step 2. Apply a small amount of the scalp revitaliser conditioner all over the hair and massage well into the scalp,again leave for 2-3 minutes and rinse.

Step 3. Towel dry your hair and apply a couple of sprays of the scalp treatment to the scalp and massage into the scalp before styling hair as usual.

The difference :

Cleanser Shampoo- The first time i used this treatment i noticed a difference in the way i washed my hair,i spent alot longer making sure my hair was thoroughly washed properly, the cleanser shampoo has a  strong fresh minty smell to it and from the first couple of uses leaves your scalp with a tingly sensation when washing,it gets rid of all build up on the scalp and leaves your hair feeling super clean.

Out of the 3 products the shampoo was definitely my favourite as I could feel the treatment working with every single use. 

Revatiliser conditioner- is very rich you only need a pea sized amount for this product to work,I was worried about using the conditioner all over my hair and roots as I usually only use conditioner on the ends of my hair as I hate the roots feeling greasy. I was worried that this product would do the same however its essential to use it on the scalp to make the treatment work.

From the first use I wasn't impressed with the conditioner as it did make my hair quiet flat at the roots but I was told after a couple of uses I should see a difference in which I did,after around the 5th wash it was no longer leaving my hair flat and greasy at the roots.

Scalp treatment- has a strong minty smell,you need to make sure you spray it onto your scalp from a distance,the spray on the bottle isint the greatest its very small and doesn't spray as a mist more as a strong spray which I found made it hard to spread across the scalp in just a couple of sprays,however if you comb it threw and then massage it seems to do the trick.

The Results-After trialing the kit for the 30 days I still have treatment left over and wash my hair almost every day if not every other day.There has been a difference in my hair as I haven't had to wash it every day like I did before I now can wash it every other day.

In terms of the thinning of the hair the difference hasn't been dramatic,however I personally have noticed a difference in the appearance it doesn't seem as thin as before and I have found a couple of patches on my scalp where new hair has began to grow. I think the only person who will notice the difference is yourself and your hairdresser as the results arent noticeably different for others to see.

However to have new hair growth is a big plus,I have also noticed a reduced amount of hair loss which again is another plus.

The negative I have to say about this product is I have found it has dried my scalp a little,I cant be certain its from using this product but since using it for the period of time have found my scalp to be slightly dryer.


For more info on the Nioxin range theres some great info on there website : 
http://nioxin.com/en-US/products/product-system-kit-page.aspx?id=83

Has anybody else tried the Nioxin Treatments? What system did you use? And what are your views?

Beauty Inspiration

Make-up Artist inspiration
As a make-up artist I get asked to do alot of test shoots,I haven't done these in a while which is a shame as it's a great way to add new images to your portfolio. Not only that but it's a great way to be creative and experiment  with new make-up looks you have wanted to trial,dependent on the reason for testing the make-up ideas generally lie in the hands of the make-up artist,there is usually a brief for the test shoot as all people involved need to gain something they need for their own portfolios...but in some cases a test shoot can be very creative and allow the make-up artist to push their skills.

When I first started as a make-up artist I used to get a bit carried away with test shoots and would be a little too creative,theres nothing wrong with this as I learnt alot from this and had alot of fun,however now I am wiser I realise those images would have never gotten me work and wouldn't fit into my professional portfolio.

Thats not always such a bad thing but the purpose of a test shoot is to gain images for your portfolio that not only show your skills but in the future will gain you work.

Often when I am asked to test I have alot of make-up ideas that I have always wanted to try out but to express this to the photograph,models or stylist isint always as simple...I usually get together a mood board of images and ideas that help visualize what I am trying to create and help other members of the team understand.

Its also a great way to get more ideas together or simply great for inspiration.

I can spend hours researching and stumbling across stunning ideas that I archive for pleasure or for future work,and the list can be endless.

Its always hard to remember what website you saw a certain image or can be very time consuming searching threw lots of websites every time you need a new idea or inspiration. You never know when the images you find may come in useful,they may help you learn new things or you may be interested in them simply for the beauty of the image. As a make-up artist you can never have enough inspiration and trends are forever changing. I find it a great help having folders I drag images from the internet into to look back on for inspiration,and always make a note of what website I got the image from so I can check back on any new images I may find appealing.

Inspiration websites
I thought I would share a few websites where I get my inspiration from as a make-up artist and come back to time after time :

http://www.jedroot.com/makeup-main.php

http://fashiongonerogue.com/editorial/

http://www.myfdb.com/campaigns

http://www.supermodels.nl/

http://my-management.co.uk/

http://www.seemanagement.com/hairstylists/

http://www.sohomanagement.co.uk/#

http://www.balconyjump.co.uk/

http://www.dwmanagement.co.uk/menu.html

http://art-dept.com/

http://www.eramanagement.com/index.php

http://www.clmus.com/

All of which have some stunning images,my favourite is supermodels.nl as this site has lists of models,agencies by country and photographers all with archived images of there work,you can spend hours on this site and it also provides links to all there websites.

What is your favourite inspiration website? 

Review: Diva Veloce 3800PRO Hairdryer

After many years of my babyliss pro hairdryer doing a wonderful job it sadly broke :( 
There was a vat free day at sallys so i decided to replace the old hairdryer for a new,as I've always used babyliss products i went with the intention of buying a new babyliss hairdryer as this is a brand i am familiar with and know i can trust.


However when looking at the new hairdryers i was confused as to all the new functions the dryers seemed to offer so got some suggestions from a member of staff,she suggested i purchase the Diva-Veloce 3800pro as it was a very popular product in salons and came with one off features that other dryers did not offer.


I haven't worked with Diva products before so was a little unsure about the quality but the lady at sallys did a great job of convincing me that i wouldn't regret the buy.


So here it is : 

I decided on the purple dryer in the end but they do come in I think 3 or 4 other colours (black,red,pink).
The hairdryer has the following features :

• Fast Airflow-106 m3/sec
• 2000W with safety cut out
• Heats to 105 oC 
• 4 heat settings and 2 speed setting switches( inc cold shot button)
• 3 meter long professional cord.
• Powerful ionic generator with LED indicator-5,000,000 ions/second for faster drying,added shine control and manageability.
• 2 x slim nozzles.

So the purpose of the Diva-Veloce 3800 pro is to dry the hair alot faster meaning the hair doesn't sustain as much damage as a normal hairdryer may cause,as it has a quicker drying time meaning not as much heat is on the hair for a long period of time.

Its also great for professionals who dont want to spend lots of time drying clients hair on maybe photo shoots or for work in TV where time is limited.

At the time of buying the hairdryer I currently had a weave,which on a good day was taking me almost 30-40mins to dry properly with my old hairdryer,which was far too long and taking up to much of my time.

When switching to the Diva Veloce 3800pro i noticed a dramatic difference in drying time,what was taking me 30-40mins originally now got cut down to 15-20mins drying time,which I was very happy with.

After reverting back to my natural hair the drying time was allot faster as there wasn't as much hair to dry.

I also noticed that my hair was allot smoother from drying,as I have naturally curly hair (which I keep straight) my usual routine is to blast dry my hair and then straighten out as its far to frizzy to leave,and even when blow drying still has a slight frizz to it so I generally have to use my ghds over the top.

But from using this hairdryer my hair became allot smoother after drying and I no longer have to use the ghds as often over the top.

Over time I have noticed a huge difference in the condition of my hair,i have less breakage and its alot healthier and shinier,im spending alot less time on my usual routine and getting just as good (if not better) results.

As for the features of the hairdryer there are pros and cons.

The hairdryers come in great colours not just your standard black,which of course depends on preference,its lightweight so your arms dont ache if you have alot of hair to dry,the grip is perfect the hairdryer casing is made from a rubberised material which makes holding the hairdryer comfortable.

I really like the length of the cable as its long enough to stretch a distance as when I am on jobs plug sockets can sometimes be in the silliest of places which usually means me having to move my client around,but in this case I have found it stretches great.Its reasonably quiet compared to most hairdryers which again is another plus. 

On the other hand the placement of the settings can be a pain as dependent on your grip you can knock the settings,it would have been better on the side perhaps but again that depends on how you hold your hairdryer. Another disadvantage is the speed settings it has 2 standard speeds a slow and fast,it would have been good to have an in-between setting as the slow is very slow. The 4 heat settings are great, it has 3 heat settings and a cold shot,my only point to add on the heat is that the highest heat setting can be extremely hot,i wouldn't suggest using this setting if the hair is fine as ive found it can be too hot for most people and feel uncomfortable on the scalp.

Overall I do think it is a great product and for the price £34.99-£41.99 a great buy,i bought mine from sallys but i know HQ hair and other retailers stock it also.

Have you tried Diva products? What did you think? What is your favourite hairdryer and why?

Airbrush dream

So although airbrushing has been around for some time,ive never really bothered to research into using or buying an airbrush kit..untill now...i started looking into them more as ive just qualified as a nail technician and becoming more and more interested in nail art.
Although im a make-up artist ive never really thought i needed an airbrush machine in my kit as i havent seen them used much apart from those who work in regular tv.
Ive always been put off investing as i thought the machines would be expensive.




However after researching i was suprised to find they arent as expensive as i thought...there are many types and brands available and the compressors all depend on what you will be using it for,thats the part i found quiet technical.
I watched numerous youtube videos on airbrush make-up and dinair,temptu,kitt etc were all very popular however i couldnt find any that showed the compressor used for nail airbrushing.I wanted one compressor that could be used for all purposes so i get multiple use and have the option to offer airbrush make-up to my clients aswell as using it for nails. 

 My first choice was the Iwata Studio series silver jet compressor, this retails at around £125 for the compressor and from £60 for the airbrush gun and hose.It features :

• Manual on/off switch
• Noise Level: 55-57 decibles (quiet)
• Air flow at 0psi : 0.33 CFM (9 l/m)
• Pressure: 0psi-18psi
• Duty cycle : 30 minutes use and 20 mins rest period.
• Single piston air compressor with built in airbrush holder.

It can be used for make-up application,nails,body art,art and crafts as well as cake decorating. This seemed like the perfect choice and was lightweight and small enough to travel to jobs with,and for the price very reasonable.

However after enquiring at local nail salons i was told a dual piston air compressor would stand more purpose to create nail art,this is due to needed to change the paint colour often for each design,so can be very time consuming having to clean the air gun after each colour has been applied. A dual compressor would save time as it uses 2 air guns at the same time.

After more searching i stumbled across this.

The Aeolian Knight airbrush compressor has a dual piston and dual airbrush holder built in.It features:

• Manual on/off switch
• Noise level: 47 decibles
• Air Flow: 35-40L /min
• Pressure: 0psi- 57psi
• Auto stop/auto start function.
• It also comes with a dual action airbrush gun (0.2mm-0.3mm) and a 3mt Braided air hose.

Amazingly this was £80 for the compressor and the airbrush gun and hose,which was a price i couldnt pass on.

It arrived within a couple of days of ordering and to my suprise its very lightweight and compact meaning it will be just as easy to travel to jobs with :)

Ive had a quick play with the compressor and its very easy to use,so hopefully i will be doing demos and using it on clients very soon.

The beginning.....

Hi all :) This is my first post on my brand new blog.
Over the next few weeks im hoping to bring you my opinions on the latest trends as well as advice,tips and what influences me. I decided to set up this blog as i enjoy all aspects of beauty and make-up and wanted a place i could share my interests with others.
I am new to the blog world,ive spent lots of time reading others and watching youtube videos and have always wanted to create my own...so here it is,please follow me on my journey.


I hope you enjoy :)