Jess's Guide To: The Perfect Foundation

I'm planning to start a little series on making the most out of your make up and getting it just right for you. I'm not an expert, and most of my advice will come from things I've been taught, things I've read, and things I've found out through practice. I hope you'll find at least one thing useful. Today I'm writing about finding the perfect foundation, but I hope to do the rest soon (let me know in the comments which make up 'area' you struggle with the most)

Choosing the right formula

Decide what type of base you want depending on what coverage you want and what skin type you have. It does differ for each person, but here's a rough guide to each skin type.

Oily/combination skin

An oil free foundation will absorb excess oil and give you light/medium coverage. Alternatively, you could use a powder compact or mineral powders. If you want full coverage, I'd suggest using a liquid/cream foundation and a powder on top. Mineral foundation won't block your pores, but no matter which foundation you use, always be sure to remove all of it after as you don't want it to stay on your skin.

Normal skin

If you want light coverage, then a tinted moisturiser or BB cream would be ideal (especially if you're skin is clear). If you want a bit more coverage, then a liquid foundation is ideal.

Dry skin

Again you could use a tinted moisturiser or a liquid foundation. You could also use a tinted face balm if you have very dry skin. If you have dry skin, use a moisturising foundation.

// There is no reason why you can use a different foundation to what is generally recommended for you. I have oily/combination skin but I use liquid foundations. However, I set them with a powder as I find this works best for me. Play around with make up, get makeovers done, so you can find what's best for you and your skin. //

Choosing the right colour

For me, there is nothing worse than having the wrong colour. However, it's so easy to make the mistake. There's plenty of things you can do to make sure you get the right colour.

- Test the foundation on your jawline, never your hand. The foundation should disappear into your skin when blended. If you can see it, it's not right.

- Try two or three shades next to each other. You might find two shades are very similar but one is more pink-toned and one more yellow.

- Test in natural light. Go to a window or outside for a better look. A second opinion is also useful!

Application

It's up to you which tools you use. A brush is best for fuller coverage. I don't think sponges are that great, as most of the foundation disappears into the sponge. You can also use your fingers as the heat from your fingers helps it blend in.

- Always moisturise first. Even if you have oily skin (use an oil free moisturiser). A primer will also help foundation to set and last longer, but it's not a necessity.

- Apply foundation to problem areas first. I find that using a small amount at a time and building up slowly is much better than just slapping it on.

- Blend, blend, blend. Take the foundation right to your hairline, on your ears, and blend into your neck so there's no line.

Help!

- Too shiny? Use a powder on top.

- Too yellow? Use a lighter foundation

- Doesn't match your neck? Use a bronzer on your neck (not too much!) It looks more natural to make your neck darker than it is to make your face lighter.

- Feel free to leave any problems/questions below and I'll do my best to answer.

// Quick tip: If a foundation has SPF in it, do not wear it if you are having photos taken with flash. You will come up very white! (Talking from experience!) //

Jess's Guide To: Stop Biting Your Nails

For as long as I can remember, I have always bitten my nails. The worst bit is, I don't even know why I do it, I just find myself casually biting my nails and before I realise it, I'm in pain. It's not nerves that cause me to do it, it's simply a really bad habit. I've always hated my nails and so it's my aim to stop and I'm doing pretty well. I have the occasional slip up but now as soon as I realise, I stop, where as before I would carry on. Here's my tips to help you fellow nail biters grow your nails.

1. Wear false nails

With false nails on, you'll obviously not be able to bite your nails and therefore they'll grow underneath. The only problem with this is, it makes your nails extremely weak and can cause them to break.

2. Distract yourself

Work out when you are biting your nails. For me, it is when I'm standing or sitting still. So while I'm watching TV for example, I'll fiddle with a hairband or something. It sounds silly and you probably think I'm really weird, but it does work as you don't feel the need to put your fingers in your mouth as you are using them.

3. Paint them

As soon as your nails start to grow, or even whilst they are really short, paint them and get creative. If they look pretty, you're less likely to bite them.

4. File them

Even if you have the shortest nails, file them so there are no edges as I (and I'm sure you too) tend to pick at them. If there's no edge to bite, then hopefully you won't bite at all.

5. Treat yourself

The more they grow, the more treats you buy yourself. The reward will feel good and encourage you to not bite. Plus, any excuse to treat yourself hey?

x

Jess's Guide To: Washing Your Make Up Brushes

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, and they seem to be pretty popular (feel free to offer any suggestions in the comments on what I can do a 'guide to' next). Before I start this post, I'm going to admit that I am a complete fail when it comes to regularly washing my make up brushes. I find it so tedious and I leave it up until I have no possible way of using the brushes before I wash them, which I know is really bad, but it's a habit I'm slowly breaking, and I'll show you how!

If you use your make up brushes daily, ideally you should wash them once a week. Not only does it make them nicer and softer to use, it will get rid of bacteria, oils and dead skin cells in them. A lot of people may not realise that this is what is causing breakouts, not the products themselves.

Washing your make up brushes is not a difficult job, but there a few things that should be done that not everyone knows.

1. Firstly, you must use warm water, not boiling hot and not freezing cold. If the water is too hot, it may damage the brushes. Make sure you point the brush downwards so the water doesn't run into the brush handle. It may loosen the glue.

2. Then, apply brush shampoo (I use one from ELF, but there are plenty available) and massage the bristles. I would not recommend normal shampoo, but I've heard Johnson's Baby Shampoo is a great alternative as it's mild. Rinse and repeat as many times as you need until the water runs clear.

3. Gently squeeze any excess water from the brush and reshape it.

4. Lay the brush on it's side on a towel and leave to dry. If you leave your brushes to dry standing up, the water will run down, and loosen the glue. No one wants ruined brushes!

5. Make sure the brush is completely dry before using again. Depending on how dense the bristles are, it could take from a few hours to a whole day!

As I mentioned earlier, I hardly ever wash my brushes *slaps wrist* however I have started to use my ELF Daily Brush Cleaner. It's super cheap, and every day after use, I simply spray the brush and wipe it clean. Simple! :)

PS Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I'm not sure where time goes!

x

Jess's Guide To: The Perfect Pedicure

Don't worry - no feet will be shown in this post! I honestly hate feet and never like to look at them, but recently I've realised that I'm going to have to make do with them, and make them look the best that I can! I'm no expert in pedicures, but this is how I've made my feet go from dry and ugly to smooth and okay-looking. (To me, feet can never me beautiful, just nice).

Here's a photo of what I use (Not forgetting a pretty nail polish). Before starting your pedicure, I suggest making sure they're clean (but you knew that anyway!).

1. First things first: taking off dry skin. I use my Ped Egg, which is one of my favourite products ever. There are similar products out there, but I don't think anything compares to this. If you suffer from very dry skin on your feet then get one! If you don't have one, then use a foot file. I use this on dry skin (most people do it on wet, but it's actually more beneficial to take off dry dead skin). If it begins to hurt, then stop as you're now filing off healthy skin, and it might leave your feet feeling very sore. I use the softer side of the Ped Egg to smooth feet over (if you have hardly any dead skin then just use that side or a soft pumice stone to smooth your feet.)

2. I then use my Lush Volcano Mask. I've already reviewed this here, and I think most people would use this before filing dead skin, but I prefer to do it after. I use this whenever I can, but it is very messy so I tend to not be bothered sometimes. If you don't have a foot mask, simply just miss this step out.

3. I then focus on my toenails. I apply cuticle cream (not pictured) and then remove cuticles using a cuticle stick. I use my Models Own nail file which I love as it has 4 steps on it. (File, remove ridges, buff, and polish and shine). I then apply nail polish.

4. I then apply foot cream. I use Soap and Glory which I've reviewed here. I apply all over and then I wear The Body Shop Moisture Socks. If you've never used them, then you need to get a pair. Wear them to bed on moisturised feet and your feet will be left silky smooth.

Like I said at the beginning, I am no expert but I've done enough to try and change my feet I'd like to think I could help at least some of you. :)

x

Jess's Guide To: Taking Your Driving Test

I was going to name this 'Passing Your Driving Test' but I can't guarantee that and I couldn't guarantee that I would pass mine either! But I'm so glad I did and I sort of wish I had a bit more advice on what could help. So here's a few things I learned before and during my test.

1. Ask questions before your test.

There is no question too stupid to ask. I had so many that I didn't want to ask as I thought my instructor would just laugh. One question I wanted to know was what do you put in the engine coolant, and I'm so glad I asked because that exact question came up in my test!

2. Learn your 'Show Me Tell Me' answers.

Now I didn't know that you can get up to 4 minors during this part of your test, and all you need to do is learn the answers. You might as well, as then you can go into the test with 15 minors available instead of 11. It's easy marks. :)

3. Don't think you've failed.

Almost every person I spoke to who had taken their test told me if I make a mistake just carry on and it was the best advice ever. Within the first 5 minutes of my test, I accidently hit the kerb and I knew (at least I thought I knew) that it was an automatic fail. However, I decided to carry on like it never happened and after I passed he told me it was only a minor as I only touched it and didn't actually go onto the kerb. So if I'd assumed I'd failed and given up, it could have been a silly mistake.

4. Relax!

Such a difficult thing to do when it's one of the most important days of your life. But the best thing to do is not get worked up and just relax and treat it like a normal driving lesson. The examiner doesn't want to fail you, and they aren't scary or horrible. They are simply watching you drive, so show them that you can! :)

Good luck to anyone taking their test. It will all be worth it after.

x

Jess's Guide To: Saving Money

After doing a guide to making extra money, I thought I'd do one from the other side of things - saving money. I find it quite difficult to save as there are so many things that I need to pay for (phone bill, travel to work etc.) and most of my money is gone before I can afford to spend on things for myself. However, in August, I used my finance section in my Filofax (you can purchase one yourself here) to work out what I spend my money on. Looking back at it, I realised that a huge amount of money went on bottles of drinks before and after work and lunch during work and travel. I didn't think that spending £1 on a drink would amount to so much, you always think "Oh, it's only cheap it's not like I'm spending loads" but it honestly adds up. So, today I thought I'd help out you all with ways to save your hard earned money and discover ways of treating yourself without blowing your budget.

1. Write down what you spend

Now this won't save you money at first, but when you look back, you can see areas in which it is possible to cut back. For example, for me it was drinks, and now I've started making a drink at home and taking it with me.

Bottle of coke = £1.20 (ish) x 30 = £36 a month = 4 depotted MAC eye shadows (£9 each)

2. Buy from blogsales/ebay

Another man's trash is another man's treasure! There are plenty of things online that you can get at a bargain price, especially if you can't resist buying make up. Look around on blog sales first - I bought a MAC eye shadow and came home to see someone was selling the same one for £5! However, be careful not to over spend simply because it's cheap. Buy what you need, not what is cheap.

Average saving = few pounds per item

3. Book travel online

If you know you need to travel somewhere in advance, book your train tickets online. You can save so much money which you can use on something else. Also, if you'll need to eat/drink on your journey, buy it before you get to the station and definitely don't buy on the train itself! And if you take regular journeys, get yourself a railcard. :)

Average savings = 30% off

4. Avoid shop deals when necessary.

This sounds a bit silly as sometimes deals are perfect, but when you don't need them, you shouldn't use them. For example, if you want a certain nail polish and it's 3 for 2, you end up buying another one for the sake of it when you don't really want one. I've done it so many times when I've ended up buying things I never use just because it was part of a deal.

5. Look on discount websites.

Groupon are amazing for deals, but there are also websites that offer freebies such as Magic Freebies. You can't go wrong with a freebie - plus it might be something you want. There's also other money saving tips on there.

I hope you've enjoyed this post, feel free to leave your money saving tips below!

x

Jess's Guide To: Making Extra Money

There's a recession blah blah blah. We all could do with a little extra money, and for most of us, it's difficult to a. get a job or b. get a decent paying job. And even those who have a job might find yourself struggling a bit. I'm not promising I'll help you get millions, but here's a few things you can do to put a little more cash in your pocket.

Online Surveys

I'd heard of online surveys but never joined any sites as I thought they were all scams. Through a lot of research, I found a few in newspapers that I 100% believe to be genuine. They don't ask for any money, and they don't promise a 'get rich quick' policy. You get paid 10p-£3.00 per survey (depends on site) and the surveys only take a few minutes max. Two sites you can join:

http://www.onepoll.com  - Lots of surverys, adds up relatively quickly and you get paid when you reach £40
http://www.valuedopinions.co.uk - You get paid in vouchers for any shop from their list (includes Tesco, Boots and Topshop)
http://uk.toluna.com/ - I recently joined this and I've earned quite a few points already (points = vouchers)

Warning: Be careful what you sign up for. These are genuine and so are many others but some aren't. Never pay to join a site.


Sell your stuff

I'm sure many of you have held a blog sale or sold stuff on ebay, and as great as it is, it's a bit more difficult to sell bigger items or items that people don't want to pay postage for. What's the solution? Car boot sales. They are amazing, and a perfect way to clear out your junk and earn some cash too. You generally need to pay £10 to get in, but I've always earned at least £60, sometimes over £100 in a few hours. It really is worth it, and just remember, one mans junk is another mans treasure!

weheartit.com

I have plenty of other ideas but I think I'll leave those for another day. What are your top tips for making a bit of extra money?

xo

Jess's Guide To: Shopping In The Sales

I thought I'd start a new 'series' on my blog, called Jess's Guide To.. (obviously!). It's basically going to consist of my guide to doing certain things. There won't be any specific day to blog these, just whenever I feel like it. I hope you like them and if you have any suggestions then let me know.

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Also, a bit off topic, but I'm currently looking for guest bloggers. I have a few people interested, and if that's you please e-mail me your posts as soon as you've done them. If you are interested, all you need to do is e-mail me with your idea for a post, and then as soon as I say okay, get writing and send it! It can be about anything beauty, fashion, ramble related. :)

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The sales are currently upon us! However, for me, I see it as a bad experience. I never enjoy shopping in the sales, I just do it in the hope I'll grab a bargain. I thought, if I hate it, so will others. I went into the River Island sale the day it started and wow. The clothes were all on the floor, and I got shoved and dragged all over the place. I didn't like it one bit. So this post is sort of a 'how to shop successfully in the sales as well as enjoy it' post! :) 

(http://www.weheartit.com/)

What to do before:

- Write a list. This ensures you shop effectively rather than buying things you'll never wear/use.

- Wake up early. The earlier you shop, the less people there are, and the tidier it is. Less stress!
- Set a budget. Stick to a limit of how much you can afford to spend.

What to bring:

- Your list!

- Comfortable shoes. The last thing you need is sore feet!

- A small side bag. You need the hands free to shop.

What to do when you're there:

- Stand your ground. Don't let other people shove you out of the way.

- Try clothes on! Even though it's sale, you should ensure it fits right.

- Check for faulty items. Many faulty items get put in sales, some are fine (lost buttons etc.) but some aren't!

Jess's Top Tip: If you wouldn't pay full price for it, put it back. (unless of course it is something you could never afford before - there's always an exception to the rule!)

x