The right way to use a Hairpin; Discuss

I came across this Meme the other day and admittedly I had a giggle, but it also made me stop and think, it's a good point, have we been doing this wrong the whole time?

I have asked a few of my friends who work in hair and beauty and heard a myriad of opinions. Some of them had the same reaction as me (What is this witchcraft!) While some others had heard of it and tipped me off as to why this method is useful.

Apparently by using the hairpin (hair grips, kirby grips, whatever) with the grooves towards your head makes the pin fit your head better, as well as ensuring a better grip on the hair it's holding.

But why do pins normally curve to fit your head on the straight side? Why do they have pretty things glued to the side that kicks out too?

I tell you what, I am puzzled. It seems that manufacturers believe they should be used one way, but hairdressers and other frequent users of the product have developed new ideas.

So perhaps we look for hairpins that don't curve along the straight side and use them in this new way?

What do you think of this new information? Will you be changing the way you use hair pins from now on?

Link Love - Web design help

Going to go in a different direction for link love this time around. It's not a topic I'd usually cover but web design is something that helps when you are putting together stuff like blogs, websites and even Twitter and Facebook pages, it's never a bad thing to learn in this technology based society called the internet! So here are four cute resources I thought I'd share. They're user friendly and at least partially free too, nothing to sign up to, just click and go! Just make sure you have a read of the terms and conditions.

1001fonts This is a really good resource to check out for fonts, as they've been created by a bunch of different people, it's worth checking each once you have downloaded them to make sure you can use them for commercial  use.

Call me Victorian You'll find heaps of great clipart shapes and labels for use on this site, great for labelling pictures, creating banners and all sorts of nifty graphics. they all have a nice classic edge to them, with a splash of detail to keep away the boring!

Pugly Pixel Is a Blog style resource site and contains a wealth of knowledge and tools for modern web design, I really like her flag labels and graphics, and that the site caters to not just those who just want the graphic and be off, but also those who want to learn a thing or two with tutorials. She also has a fantastic marketplace,and a very generous commercial use license, this is most definitely my favourite. <3

Subtle Patterns Lastly this is a really extensive textures site, again with a very nice commercial use license. Here you will find stacks of textures and patterns that are easily manipulatable into whatever layouts and colours you like. sometime you just need a little something!

I hope you have found something you like and can use here? Do you have any graphic resource sites that you love? Please reply with a link because I would love to check them out!

Tip of the day: Applying Liquid Foundation

Over time I've come to learn that different strokes work for different folks, and this is especially true when it comes to liquid foundations. There are a stack of reasons to use either your fingers, sponges or brushes, and ultimately it all depends on you as the individual. Here are some notes for each method.

Fingers:

• The warmth from your fingers help make your foundation blend on your face easier.
• Easier to work around your nose for a better finish.
• Uses less product then other methods.
• The acidity in your fingertips can sometimes alter the colour of your foundation.
• Effective for lighter coverage but less so for fuller coverage.
• Quick application.
• I find it easier to hide pores with my hands
• Free! They come already attached.

Sponges:

• Easier to blend with then a brush.
• Comes in different shapes depending on the job to do.
• Soaks up foundation.
• Can carry bacteria if washed infrequently.
• Need replacing more frequently then other tools.
• Inexpensive, you can buy bags of these without forking over much money.

Brushes:

• Creates a gorgeous airbrushed look with ease.
• Last forever if properly taken care of.
• Stippling brushes are better to work with then flatter foundation brushes in my opinion.
• Can be hard to use around nose edges.
• Can be expensive.
• Fun! I personally love painting my foundation on.

A good trick to remember with all three of these methods is to apply your foundation to the back of your hand to warm it up before application, the product will go further and look more like skin. The method I use the most would be my stippling brush, followed briefly by my fingers to smooth over any problem areas like around my nose.

Which method do you use? How do you find it works for you?

All products shown are available from Manicare

Tip of the Day: Avoiding dark circles from lower lash mascara

With my ethnicity, I'm beyond prone to pesky dark circles below my eyes. You can eat as healthy as you like, get as much sleep as you need, use potions and lotions and ice cubes and everything else in the entire world aimed at solving the problem. But unfortunately, some people will never be rid of them completely. (Spackle has been rather tempting on very bad days.)
However they can go far in lessening the problem, and I find in an absolute bind, applying a cold compress can go far after a night of poor sleep or after having a right old sooky cry.
But enough about that.
One trick I have picked up after years of being too afraid to wear mascara on my lower lashes -and you may kick yourself for not thinking of it- is to use waterproof mascara on your lower lashes. I find using the Mascara Guard endlessly useful for this too, as the entire problem comes about when your mascara smudges onto your skin during the day, creating a nasty shade under your eyes that can make you look tired. Waterproof mascara also generally gives a more subtle effect then your usual mascara which again is a win for lower lashes, if you use a really oomphy-super-turbo-fat-ass-lash-creating mascara it can come back to bite you.

What tricks do you use to avoid shadows under your eyes?

Remove ink stains from clothing

We've all done it, left a pen in our clothes pockets and then put it in the wash, or haphazardly drawn a line on our sleeve, what is great about it is how easy it is to remove most pen inks.
The trick is hairspray!
By no means do I suggest you now run and go all Picasso on pieces of your wardrobe just to test this out, but if you're struggling to get the stain out next time, or haven't even tried anything else yet, grab a can and spray it on the offending ink, You need to pretty much drown it, and it should actually fade on the spot. Then chuck it into the wash to get rid of that crispy hairspray! Wash, dry, iron as normal afterwards but if it has worked, you will know before you even put it in the wash.

Do you know any super effective but random stain removal tips? We all like looking after our clothes after all!

Link Love: April 16 2012

The best kept braid secret - Kristen Ess from The Beauty Department gives us her take on how to create the ideal messy braid (or plait in Australia).

Repair a shattered eye-shadow - You can also use this method for any broken compact, an invaluable make up trick.

Mamamia's wardrobe week - I'm so glad to see I'm not the only person who wants to see more everyday girls and their style.

Tip of the day: Jeans with a tight waistband

I feel it's been far too long since I dished out some advice.
Back early last year I stood on the scales and had finally reached the weight that was my limit. I had to do something about myself before I just let myself go completely. I was barely fitting into half my clothes for one, and that was probably my biggest problem, I couldn't afford to get any bigger. But I did learn some tricks to extend my wardrobe.
This is a trick that comes in handy for girls who have the perfect pair of jeans, that fit everywhere but the waist. They just dig in unflatteringly and give you a dreaded muffin top, but your legs and butt look so good!
Put them back on the shelf right? I say no. If they really are that good it could be worth giving them a chance.
For one thing, you can take them to a tailor and get them to fix the waistband for you. There may be enough fabric in the band to move the button over. Otherwise there is a budget friendly trick you can use with just a hair elastic.
Double a thin hair elastic over itself and loop it through the button hole to create a new button hole, like so.

To cover up the adjustment, don't tuck in your top and wear a belt, you may find that you'll need one to help hold the jeans up now anyway!

What advice do you have to help extend your wardrobe? I'd love to know!

Maybelline Mascaras: The Falsies v. One by One

I have to say that I really can't go past Maybelline for mascaras. The formulas are impeccable, the effects are numerous and they last and last. I love discovering the new ones too!
In the last year or so the ones of note here in Australia would have to be The Falsies, and One by One, both are variations of their Volum' Express range, which is easily their most dramatic range.
I have been using The Falsies as my staple for months now, using it to build on top of a lengthening formula to give really knock out lashes, I have even had strangers come up to me on the street and ask what I use! The brush is terrific to wield, with the spoon shape helping to grip and coat each lash like no other brush I've used. I had fat, long and smooth lashes, and I love them.
So understandably when I picked up a tube of One by One my expectations were going to be incredibly high. One by One had a mission on its hands!
Firstly, the brush, it's not anything exciting but it is one of the newer technologically advanced rubber ones, with loads of tiny little rubber bristles coming off it, while The Falsies employs the traditional pipecleaner style bristles.

When putting on this mascara is where things start to get interesting, as I found it hard to apply without making a mess! The shape of the brush is a bit of a hinderance in this regard as it seems to pick up too much product at the end. I found I couldn't get a good application unless I cleaned a good amount of the product off with a tissue before applying. But my god when I did!
Beautiful! My lashes looked amazing, long, dramatic and stop-you-in-the-street good. But in the same breathe the volume just wasn't there like it is with The Falsies. This can be good or bad depending on the look you're going for. The gorgeous, doe-eyed "I wake up looking like this" effect was certainly perfect but for anyone looking for traffic stopping oomph and thick fat lashes I'd pick The Falsies.
Another point I'd like to make is that I would usually never use The Falsies without a base lengthening formula beforehand, while One by One works perfectly by itself, I wouldn't recommend a second coat of One by One as this was another time it started to get messy and the end effect didn't come off as lovely. This also makes One by One the choice to go for if you're racing the clock.

I hope I've helped you make up your mind between these two great mascaras, Let me know what you thought of them in the comments!

Polish your buns!

Tehheh, I just had to with that title. Of course I am talking about the buns you have on your head!
So I've found an awesome trick to give your buns a more polished look. Without doing this, you can get ends that stick out awkwardly and can ruin the look, and date it back to the nineties.
When you are prepping your hair, heat yourself up your curling iron and curl the very ends of your hair, for the sake of ease it's good to take a wide barrel with the wider bar to hold in the ends. Otherwise use your straightening iron to flick the ends.
What you'll find this does is help your hair shape itself back into your your bun a sleeker bun or topknot. Giving you a more polished and perfect look.
Give it a try next time you put your hair up!

Tip of the day: Saving time in the morning

I'm not a morning person. At. All. So any time I can save in the morning is something I try to improve upon wherever I can, and it's not just for any who isn't a morning person. Just for the sake of getting out the door without wasting time is a huge help for anyone time poor too.
Tying in with this are a stack of little odd tasks in your routine that can overlap. Did you know that it is ideal to let your layers of make-up set between applying the next? Moisturiser, serums, primers, foundations, concealers That's five minutes of waiting just there! So here are some things you can do while you're waiting.

• Brush your teeth - This one is ideal for the earlier stages where you won't ruin your make up, just after moisturiser is ideal.
• Moisturise your legs - Takes two minutes if that.
• Apply deodorant and perfume - Something away for your face for a minute.
• Brush your hair/comb through any product - Rid your hair of its overnight tangles and apply any product you desire.

Another complete favourite of mine is during your shower, while you wait for your conditioner to develop (which is recommended by most brands for at least a couple of minutes) I find it good to cleanse your face, and either shave your legs or completely exfoliate your body with a pair of scrub gloves. Perfect amount of time!

Bottom Lash Mascara

I never thought about using mascara on my bottom lashes. I did it once, didn't like the effect it gave me then (shadows, and hard to do without getting it everywhere!) so I didn't bother with it again until recently when I was given a tube of Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara as a freebie, and since I've taught myself more then a few tricks since I started playing with make-up, here is how to use it effectively! ( I do apologise for my sub-par photography skills, every time I think I haven't wobbled a little, indeed, I have.)

Step one: Depending on whether you prefer to do your mascara early or later on in your routine, do your face up until that point, I prefer last of all, so I'd already have my eyeliner and any shadow on.

This is my bare eye, no make-up besides foundation and concealer. it's much easier to explain what's going on without my eyes lined!

Step two: Use your regular mascara on your top lashes, as many coast as your prefer. (I leave about 30 seconds and blink as much as I can to dry it a little before going for a second coat.)

I still use the combination of mascaras I outlined in this post, I'm hunting for a new lengthening formula though!

Step three: Bring out the bottom lash mascara! Note the itsy little brush? Not only is it good for using on your lower lashes, but it is epic for getting to lashes in the corners of your top lashes!

Woo! All done! Now flutter my pretties.

Tip of the day: How to make legs appear longer and slimmer

Of course I would make a post about this while the weather is utterly monsoonal in Brisbane ...
A quick trick for making your legs appear longer and slimmer is an oldie but a goody, and the more (Fake) tanned your legs are the better the effect will be.
Take one shimmery high lightening make up product. The best for this is some sort of stick, but you can also use liquids or even a nude shimmery eye-shadow if you're in a bind. Try to find one that is paler then the skin on your legs for the best effect, silver for pale legs, gold for tanned, and champagne will go with a lot of in between. The next thing you want to do is locate your shin bone down the front of your calves, it's pretty much dead centre, from kneecap to ankle. Swipe your product down the bone and then blend from side to side until there are no tell tale lines.
How this works, is a lot like those optical illusion dresses with darker panels down the sides, by placing a subtle lighter stripe down the centre of your legs, you are creating an optic trick that will fool onlookers into thinking your legs are incredible.
Isn't science fun?

Source: Digitally Refreshing

Tip of the day: Quick fix for a bad neckline

Fashion Math time! There's always a dress on the rack that you adore and everything works on it for you, except the neckline. High necklines only ever seem to flatter those with a smaller bust because when a larger bust wears it, it can make you look ... well large. Meanwhile the opposite can be said as well, a low cut neckline on a small frame has made some of the girls I've seen out there look like a chicken wing. (Perhaps I was hungry at the time?)
Either way, there is a quick fix to this that doesn't involve a tailor. Grab some statement necklaces!
The big chunky bib styles that have been fashionable recently are amazing for this. In effect they create a new line for the eye and cut through that massive expanse of either skin or fabric, the bigger and bolder the necklace, the better job it does.
So next time you're trying on a dress with a neckline you would normally discard, think of what you already have (or could pick up cheaply) to try this trick with!

What other tricks do you use to make an otherwise unflattering style work? I'd love to know!

The cost per wear theory

Ever needed to justify that immense amount of money you dropped on something spectacular? I get that sounds completely insane but listen to me for a minute.
Imagine you have found the perfect handbag, you can use it everyday for work, the perfect go with anything colour and it fits everything you need. The only problem is that it comes with a not so perfect price-tag, in fact it's reaching up into almost a grand. (Or more, could always be more!)
How often do you think you would use the bag, possibly you would use it 4 times a week, for three years? That would calculate into 624 wears. You divide the full price by the amount off times you predict you will wear it, so $1000 divided by 624 means it will cost $1.60 for each time you wear it!
Suddenly that classic supple leather is justified right? It can get a little hazy but if you stick to classic styles and items that will be worn often it can help your wardrobe acquire some truly special pieces.

Oh god no!

Office ladies out there, you know the ones, in their perfectly pressed crisp shirts, chic and professional tailored dresses and their chunky, garish sneakers ... Wait a minute!
I don't get it, I just don't. I get that you are doing it for comfort while you get to and from work, but that is when you will be seen by the most people. Do you really want to potentially meet new clients, bosses or boyfriends like this? No matter how groomed your hair is, perfectly applied your make up is, how immaculate your suit is, No one with an iota of fashion sense is going to think you're a well presented person. You might as well wear uggs!
I just can't understand why you don't just wear some cute ballet flats instead. At least that way you still maintain that professional edge while you trapse about town in comfort. A pair of leather flats can look just as chic as heels, and when you feel like that added boost of heels you can still switch them!

Tip of the Day: How to remove fake tan from your hands!

This is a dilemma at least once for every girl who fakes it (her tan of course!) How to get rid of any pesky and tell tail fake tan stains on the palms of your hands? or anywhere else for that matter? I stumbled across this solution by accident when I was younger and I had a knack for self tanning by myself and did it religiously. One time I forgot to shave my legs beforehand, and I thought I'd be good and use some depilatory cream (you know, the stuff that kind of smells funny but gets rids of hair for twice as long as shaving?) Well. that was stupid, it took off all my fake tan with it too! All that carefully applied perfection, gone. But it did give me an idea ....
So nowadays whenever I get fake tan on my palms, or want a foolproof way of cleaning it off once it's gone all blotchy (only on some parts of my body, like legs and arms and places I don't mind removing hair from as well). I put on the cream as a last ditch effort.
The reason why it should be a last resort is because a lot of depilatory creams advise you not to use it on places like your face, hands and genitals (lol). They use a kind of acid that breaks down the hair, and most of the time the top layer of your skin (good for exfoliation!) So if you do use it on your hands, only put it on for a minute or so, and DO NOT use it on your face in case you either have a reaction as the skin on your face is much more sensitive, or lose your eyebrows!
The other thing about it, is that it does leave a strong line where it has been. That is another good reason to go a minute at a time, so you can sort of blend it but doing a smaller patch the second time.
Also, please please please, do a patch test before using any kind of depilatory cream because your hands, though hardy on the palms, are not somewhere you want a rash! Try leaving a little bit on the back of your arm, just near your elbow for the recommended time to see if there will be any problems.
Products I like? I have been loving the hydro restore range by Veet, as it comes in a big pump bottle that lasts ages and moisturisers your skin as it goes. Grab the sensitive type if you're worried about how you will react.

Veet Hair Removal Cream Pump

Tip of the day: How often should I change my razor?

When I was younger, I used to go weeks without changing my blades. Purely from not knowing any better, it could still do the job right with a little extra effort and going over the same area a few more times? I had no idea how bad it was for my skin. Razors are expensive little suckers after all.
I now know to change mine around once a week. I probably use them 5 or so times a week to do legs and underarms during summer. But I change them less often in winter accordingly. I do not like to become a she beast and like to be smooth for my boy but I still just can't justify shaving most days when my legs will be hidden under tights and jeans!
A tip to keep your blades sharper for longer though? Good old oil. Use a shaving oil when you use your razor and once you have cleaned your razor after use, give the blades a good dip in a jar of olive oil put aside especially for this task. You see, water causes blades to rust and blunt, while oil keeps them in good condition for longer. Just make sure you give the razor a good rinse before using again or you'll end up pretty greasy.

Tip of the day: Flattering hairstyles

I've been noticing something about hair lately, I do a lot of people watching and have realised a few things.

Slick ponytails can make you look bigger.
Sad but true, the fail safe hairstyle for bad hair days can make you appear weightier then you are. Depending on the type of bad hair day, I'd suggest products and a blowdryer to try and save it, Dry shampoo if your hair is too oily to wear out, and a blow dryer to coax wayward hair in the direction you want it. However conversely girls who feels their heads are too big for their bodies could benefit from this hairstyle?


Big hair looks good almost universally.
I've only recently discovered the teasing comb, and my god, once you get the technique down-pat, it is epically useful. The trick to me is tease the underside, and section by section, going from the front to back, it is much harder to grab a section when it has been partially teased by the previous section. Little rockstar quiffs are fantastic for growing out your fringe, while getting into Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's look is so much easier then you think after a little practise.

Braids save your ass at the Gym.
The greatest hairstyle for gym is far and away a plait or a braid, much easier to get out of the way and not get it stuck under weights. Because all your hair is one big mass, it's easier to grab it and flip it when it needs to go so you can do your workout properly. Wear it with a soft wide headband if you have a fringe and you're golden.

Tip of the day: Self tanning? Add dark bedsheets to your shopping list

I have a beautiful set of white bedsheets with black piping and a gorgeous Edwardian lace print, also in black. At least they were gorgeous. I made the fatal mistake of using them over summer while I slathered myself with St Tropez on a weekly basis. Big mistake. They now have a brown cast to them that I didn't notice until it was too late. Can't bleach it out or I'll kill the piping.
So before you start pulling your limbs out into the open and showing off your carefully applied tans, for the live of god, put some dark sheets on your bed! Black is ideal, but dark prints are also good at hiding stains for something a little less Goth. Don't ruin your crisp pale sheets.

Do you rate Lipstick?

Lipstick is a product I find that even though it sells by the bucketload, I don’t actually see many people in the 15-30 age brackets that wear it. All the time I see young ladies pull out tubes of gloss and balm and applying but never (not even in the bathroom) are they ever carefully applying something with as rich a pigment as Lipstick.

And why not? Lipstick has been going through resurgence lately, along with the building trend for more groomed and complete Makeup. For years now it’s been mostly about the smoky eye and glossy lips and now we’re seeing (much to my joy) sleek cat’s eyes and perfect lips. Very glamorous, but also very scary if you don’t know what you’re doing right?

My best advice is to go to a makeup counter on a mission to find your perfect colour match. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive place, though counters like MAC and Chanel do have exquisite products and normally service to match. If you go into Priceline at the right time they will have Makeup artists willing you help you with more budget friendly ranges, and remember, budget friendly does not mean you are missing out on quality, Brands like Maybelline and L’Oreal have fantastic lipsticks.

Going and getting a professional’s opinion will boost your confidence of wearing Lipstick through the roof, Especially when it comes to buying and wearing colours that will grab attention. If you are truly nervous, buying a nude colour perfectly matched to you and learning to apply it properly before trying a daring shade is not a bad plan either.

A pro will also teach you how to apply it properly, and will take you through how to work the rest of your makeup so you don’t overdo your look. Contrary to popular belief you can get more than one look out of one colour depending on weather you wear it with liner, blot it down to a stain or even layer gloss or balm over the top.

Am I giving you any ideas? Hot trends to try this summer are punchy colours like Cherry Red and Fuchsia, try them without liner and blot them down, this will reduce the likelihood of lipstick on your teeth.