The Perfect Subtle Make-up Tutorial

School, work, a fancy lunch - sometimes it's just more appropriate for your makeup to be a little subtle. This can get a little tricky, especially if you've stuck to the same makeup routine for ages and can't imagine ever having to alter it. Remember, subtle makeup doesn't necessarily mean you have to ditch it all - keep your same products, but look for colour alternatives where you can. Too confusing? I've described everything in detail below...

Base
Before you open those foundation bottles, it's a really good idea to apply BB or CC Cream first. This will even out your coverage so you won't need as much proper, heavy-duty makeup afterwards.

Concealer, baby! Use a concealer that is an exact match to your skin, if you're lucky enough to find one. If you've had a really hard time sleeping, use a concealer/eye brightener one shade lighter than your skin tone to the area under your eyes only. Apply your normal concealer to under-eye circles and any blemishes you may have.

At this point, you can either apply a lightweight foundation all over your face or a heavy-duty one only on the areas you really need it (which shouldn't be much after you're used concealer). When you set your foundation, opt for a translucent-coloured powder rather than one that is yellow-based. This will keep it looking super natural!

Eyes
The best part about mascara is that you can pile it on and it almost never looks OTT. The only things you need to watch out for are clumps and lashes that are way too long (easily avoided).

You can definitely apply eyeliner and stay subtle! Just keep the line relatively thin and stay away from winged lines.

Barbara Palvin

When it comes to eyeshadow, think about the colours of the normal products you'd use before you pile it all on. Use a light brown as your "base" colour, then use a darker colour for your outer crease. Finish it off with using a very light colour on the inner corners of your eye, as well as a brow highlighter. Remember, this is all optional.

Lips
Sadly, you should keep your lips looking natural. This doesn't mean you have to keep your lips bare - just try to use lipsticks that are brownish-pink, or ones that are quite close to your natural lip colour. I always stick to my Maybelline Baby Lips, because it's moisturising and easy to keep in your bag.

Extras
If it's winter and you haven't quite kept your tan from summer, you can definitely get away with bronzer! Draw a "3" on both sides of your face from your forehead, through your cheekbones and down to your jawline.

When it comes to looking subtle, I would try to stay away from blush. Most people naturally have slightly pink cheeks anyway, so no one will know the difference!


Wow, that was actually a lot of writing! Remember to let me know if this helped you at all, because I don't normally post about tutorials. Till next time xx

Next Week: First World Problems

Making a Statement. You know you want to.

Party? School? Whatever the occasion, sometimes (or all the time) you feel like you just need to make a statement. But do you know how to? Read on.

Make-up: And the golden rule is… only focus on one area at a time. This means a bold lip during the day, then taking your lipstick off and having a smoky eye at night (whatever works for you!).

Clothes: Try to have plain colours around your statement piece. For example, you may have an Aztec print shirt and choose to pair it with a black skirt. For belts, try to wear the opposite colour to the colour of the belt (for a black belt, wear light clothes, and for lighter or neon belts, wear darker colours). For shoes, you can wear (almost) whatever you want with them, keeping in mind that printed jeans won’t draw attention to your shoes.
                             

Jewelry: It’s all about the bling! If your jewelry sparkles or is metallic (silver/gold/charcoal), make sure if it matches your outfit (only for necklaces and earrings). You can go crazy with your bracelets etc. For colourful jewelry, make sure you wear something white to really bring out the colours!

When it comes to jewelry, you can be as subtle or obvious as you're comfortable with

Hair: Do something you wouldn’t normally do. If you check my archive for this blog, you’ll be able to find something new to try that you haven’t even taken a second thought about!

Nina Dobrev

Nails: White clothes look so pretty with coral coloured nails! Black looks amazing with glittery colours, especially silver. For other colours, just look on a colour wheel and go either similar colours or the complete opposite of the wheel!


If you keep these tips in mind, it’ll be all eyes on you next time you’re out and about. If you need just one more tip from me, it is to be confident! You’re beautiful no matter what, just remember that. Till next time xx
Taken from: My Second Tumblr

Next Week: The Perfect Subtle Make-up Tutorial

August Favourites!

Hey Hey! So this week I'll be talking about my August favourites (oh, and is it just me or is 2013 going way too fast?). I have no idea what else to say in this intro, so let's get started :)

Makeup Favourites

I like to think that I'm pretty good when it comes to applying makeup, but there's just one problem: I've only learnt half of it! I mean, I've got blending concealer and applying mascara down pat, but I've never been brave enough to try the complicated stuff, like eyeshadow. Yeah yeah, I know - I'm boring! Since then, I've started to make an effort in learning how to master eyeliner. I decided to purchase a liquid eyeliner because I was struggling with my kohl pencil, but a very helpful sales assistant deterred me from the expensive brands and to the ChiChi Black is Black Liquid Eyeliner Pen instead. It worked just as well, if not better, than any other eyeliner from a well-known brand. (plus, it's a fraction on the price!) Remember, sales assistants are paid to help you, so make the most out of them!

Ahh, Maybelline Baby Lips! Just about all my friends keep one in their pencil case at school, because they're so handy to have wherever you are! Plus, the name isn't misleading; your lips are so soft when you regularly use it!

Okay, this is another long-time favourites of mine. For too long, I've been suffering from dark circles (no matter how much sleep I get). However, it's unlikely that you'll ever see them while I have makeup on. My secret? I've been using the Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Roll-on nearly every day for the past 2 years, because I love it so much! It's not the strongest concealer out there, so it doesn't look like you've covered your face in makeup - but still covers your dark circles. In addition to this, the formula includes caffeine, which helps to de-puff your eyes. Seriously, this thing works!

Beauty Favourites

As horrible as it is, a lot of people have dandruff. Also, cheap shampoos that you pick up from your local supermarket may seem to fix the problem, but will actually damage your hair if you use them for long enough. As for the expensive products? As much as I hate to say it, the upmarket products are the ones you should be looking at. Sure, they may be expensive, but they definitely work. Currently, my favourite hair product is the Kerastase Bain Exfoliant Purifiant anti-dandruff shampoo. 

                                

Casual Favourites

My favourite clothing item for this month are the Lorna Jane tank tops (wow, trust me to include workout clothes in my favourites!). But hear me out: everything from Lorna Jane is perfect for almost any sport, no matter what your size. Also, I find their clothes are super comfy, and are made from good quality, breathable materials. 

Okay, I know you're all probably sick of hearing me talk about Lauren Conrad's books, but seriously! I'm currently reading the final book in her The Fame Game series, and I'm literally glued to it! I strongly recommend reading her books, because they're really well-written and the stories are quite unique. 

TV Favourites! Okay, so whoever hasn't seen an episode of Pretty Little Liars should definitely consider doing so (Warning: you'll be hooked). The storyline isn't the best, but it's just too easy to watch episode after episode without hesitation once you get started. Plus, the clothes these (extremely lucky) girls wear will definitely give you some fashion inspo. 

Finally, my favourite song is currently Summertime of our Lives, by Cody Simpson. I can't think of what else to say, so I'll leave you to form your own opinion on this super-catchy song. 

                  

That's all my favourites for August, but I'll definitely have a lot more next month! Don't forget to keep visiting this blog every Thursday for weekly posts. Till next time xx

Next Week: Making a Statement. You know you want to. 

The Adventures of an Athlete

When I use the word "athlete," I generally use it as a loose term. In my eyes, an athlete is someone who loves sport and can even be a little bit competitive. So basically, I think everyone is an athlete at heart.
This week, I wanted to talk about my crazy "adventures" with sport, while also mentioning a few lessons that have helped me along the way, to help you get motivated.

Ever since I was little, I've loved to run. I remember winning my first cross country race back when I was in grade 1 (I think it was about 1.2km - intense stuff for a 6 year old), and realising that I actually wasn't too bad when it came to middle-distance running. Ever since then, I've taken running pretty seriously, but didn't start to properly train until I was 13. Also, I never really believed I was good enough for the district cross country team, until this year when I tried out and got in straight away! That taught me a pretty important lesson: You'll never know if you don't try.

Since I wasn't properly training until a few years ago, I wasn't doing any sport for a number of years - and this didn't make my parents too happy. In this time, I played basketball for a year (and hated it), was part of an athletics club for 2-3 years (and liked it, but ended up quitting because I didn't have a lot of friends there - another thing to remember is Don't let other people drive you away from something you love), and I nearly joined netball. This problem ended ended in grade 8, when I signed up for soccer because some of my friends were also playing. It took me a while to get used to it, especially when you have to alter your technique whenever you change the position you're playing. I'm so glad I signed up though, because I absolutely love it, and I've continued to play ever since.

If you're looking to get more serious about sport, one thing I cannot stress enough about is to take it easy when you're training! About 2 months ago, I was training for an event (that got postponed anyway) with so much intensity that I actually ended up tearing a muscle. Luckily, my school holidays allowed me to relax while I (rather impatiently) waited for it to heal. Which brings me to my next point...

When I haven't ran for about a week, I literally go crazy. Oh, my bedroom's just down the hall? Better sprint. I'm guessing half of you are thinking that I'm really weird right now, but I promise you I'm not. I mean,  being unable do what you love would probably make everyone go just a little crazy.

My advice when it comes to sport? Try a bit of everything to see what you enjoy, or you're good at. After that, join your local team and don't look back!



Everyone knows that regular exercise will cause you to look and feel healthy, but did you know that it can also make you happy? When you exercise, your brain releases feel-good hormones that can quickly improve your mood.

Okay everyone, that's all from me this week! If you have a question or suggestion about any of my posts, feel free to leave me a comment. Bye! xx

Next Week: August Favourites!

Get Confident!

Just like writing an essay, being confident is something you’ll eventually have to learn sooner or later. Only, writing an essay can be much easier at times. And much less stressful... About six months ago, I had horrible self-esteem issues and kept telling myself that I was ugly, too fat, too skinny, and other terrible and untrue things. I’m here to tell you all to stay away from becoming what I used to be! So without further ado, here are some things you can do to become more and more confident every day.

Talk to new people  With today’s technology, this is easier than it seems. Go onto websites like omegle.com and choose to talk via text (you can even enter your interests to find like-minded people) to strangers. A lot of these people are really nice, and it definitely helps you for when you meet new people.

Unfollow her  One of my best friends is absolutely gorgeous, and was always uploading her pretty selfies to Instagram. Nothing was wrong with our friendship and we were definitely still friends, but I still unfollowed her until I was okay. (And because she was following so many people, she didn’t even notice!) If you get rid of the things that trigger negative self-talk, then there will be less of a chance of it happening again. 

Join a Club  By joining a sports team or a club, you'll be with a ton of people who will share at least one interest with you. Making new friends can really help you on your way to being super confident!

Stop Looking!  Looking in the mirror for extended periods of time isn’t that great for your confidence. It causes your mind to point out your tiny imperfections that no one else notices. Think about it: you’d never scrutinise over every little detail on your friends face, so why do you think that everyone does that to you?

Have amazing posture  Don’t slouch, stand up straight with your shoulders back and your head held high (not in the I’m-better-than-everyone-else way, but the I’m-happy-and-confident way) to look and feel super confident.

Listen to music  You know that playlist on your phone that’s filled with sad songs? Don’t listen to it! This will encourage your thoughts to remain negative, so play happy-sounding songs instead!

Smile!  Your brain knows that you smile when you’re happy, and releases feel-good hormones when you do. Even if you don’t feel like it, smile and you’ll instantly look and feel more confident!

Go outside  When we’re upset, it seems normal to match your thoughts with your surroundings and shut out the sunlight from your room. This doesn’t help! Try to go for a walk outside (if possible, the beach is a really good option) for at least 10 minutes to clear your head. 

That's all from me for now. Remember, being confident is something that takes time, and you will get there eventually! xx

Next Week: The Adventures of an Athlete

A Crazy Acne Tip

Acne - we all get it at least once in our lives, and when we do it can range from a small pimple to a huge breakout. We all know that pimples suck! But not all of us have heard of this one crazy acne tip...

Ever had a growing pimple, but run out of spot cream? A quick solution to this problem is to actually dab some toothpaste on the area. What!? Why toothpaste? Well, it contains ingredients such as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, which dry out your skin. This will reduce the inflammation of your pimple and help your skin to clear up. Because toothpaste isn't as strong as your general spot cream, leave it on overnight (if you don't sleep on your front!), then wash it off when you wake up.

Warnings: Although this is a handy tip to keep in mind just in case you're out of spot cream, it shouldn't become a substitute for it. Toothpaste has been created specifically for your mouth, not for your face! One-time uses of toothpaste every once in a while won't hurt, but using it too much can actually make your skin inflamed and even peel. (gross!)

Sorry if this wasn't as long as you hoped - I'll try to make next week's post much longer :) Just letting you all know I've decided that I'll be publishing to this blog every Thursday, so remember to check this page every week for new posts! xx

Next Week: Get Confident!

July Favourites ★

That's right, it's that time again - it's my July Favourites! From now on, I'll be trying to add more products into my monthly favourites, so stay tuned!

Makeup Favourites
Unless you haven't read a magazine or gone shopping for the past few months, you'll know that the first CC Creams are now available! CC (colour correction) Cream is the newest makeup priming product to hit the shelves at the moment, so most people don't know what they are. Basically, CC Cream is just like BB Cream, only it's self-adjusting - giving you a tailored nude base to match your skin tone. Since I don't really use primer or BB Cream (gasp!), I thought I'd try the green L'Oreal Nude Magique CC Cream. The formula is green because it's for exclusive use on red spots (green cancels red). My response? Although I don't get many red spots, I LOVE IT! I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who has trouble covering up those pesky red spots.

Every week, I move to either my dad's or mum's house, causing the pain of having to bring everything I need for the week around with me when I move. This is a larger problem when it comes to makeup, because there's no way I'm going to buy two of everything! I solve this problem by fitting it all in my makeup bag from Sportsgirl (a lot of people use them as pencil cases, too). I couldn't find the exact design of mine on the website, but below is an example of what they typically look like. Why a Sportgirl makeup bag? They're good quality, a good size, really cheap and come in heaps of really cute designs! I mean, what else could you want in a makeup bag?

Skincare Favourites
Even though it's winter in Australia, I live in a tropical area (and no, it doesn't look like the Tumblr photos!), where it only gets "cold" for about 3 weeks each year. Naturally, my skin isn't used to cold, dry air, making this year's holiday a bit of a problem for me. My family and I headed down south, and although it was only for a week, I still had major skin problems. I was originally using an oil-free moisturiser on my already dry skin - add in the dry air and I had cheeks that felt like snakeskin. After a few days of wondering why my moisturiser wasn't helping, I decided to go to the pharmacy and they recommended the Natio Intensive Moisturising Day Cream. It isn't that expensive, and it caused my skin to go back to normal in a matter of days. If you have dry skin, this is for you!


Casual Favourites
If you didn't already know, I LOVE The Vampire Diaries! I've nearly finished Season 4, and I'm still hooked! My favourite character would definitely have to be Elena, but seriously - who can choose between the Salvatore brothers? If you've never watched an episode, I strongly recommend that you do!

Clothing Favourites
Finally, this is my favourite clothing item for the month. The skirt shown below is from Mooloola @ City Beach, and I love that I can wear it with almost anything! I originally thought that the zipper was meant to be worn at the back, but this model is shown wearing it at the front. Could you guys help me out and tell me which side you think the zipper would look best worn on?

Wow, that was a lot of typing! If you'd like to ask me anything or suggest any ideas for what you'd like to see me post about in the future, feel free to leave any comments. xx

Next Week: A Crazy Acne Tip