Student life: How to get through university

Although this post is not beauty related, as a recent graduate I thought I would share my experience with my fellow students out there. It isn't as easy as some people make it out to be, you will face challenges and you will face hurdles - but this is life's journey.

Life will prepare you for the real world out there by placing obstacles in your path. It is up to yourself to build the courage, strength and mindfulness to get through to your destination. University is similar, you will face challenges and you may even break down (I did) but when you reach your goal - it is totally worth it!

Below are some tips which I will share with my fellow students, these tips are not professional advice - they are simply wise words from someone who has experienced what you are going through right now ...

1. Stay organised - if you don't stay organised, you will find it difficult to get any work done. Invest in a diary - I love stationary so that helped me out when finding my cute Filofax! Believe it or not, if my room was messy I could not start my work until it was spotless! 

2. Research - if you do not do an adequate amount of research then your references will be limited alongside your knowledge on the assignment you will be writing. Take your time out and conduct research - even if it means reading through short journals! 

3. Life balance - although I am putting stress on focussing on your study, you should also have an even balance between your student life and your social life. Don't go crazy but maintain that fair balance .. You'll find yourself stressing a lot less! 

4. Enjoy it - there is nothing worse than attending a lecture you do not enjoy. All I can say is if you do not like the topic find a way to enjoy it, I'm sure you can do that! 

5. Aim for the stars - I know life can give you hurdles and you will be tested throughout university but don't be afraid to aim high. The higher you aim the more you will work harder to achieve those goals. Of course aim realistically - but work hard and you will not be disappointed! 

Hope this post helps! 

Love, 

Taran x 

VLOG: Medical pedicure (Dr Foot Clinic, Birmingham)

Our feet are the most important parts of our body, little do we realise that these little things that help us walk, run and do all the things we need to do need some TLC from time to time, many of us neglect our feet.

Well I went on a little journey to find out what we can do to help maintain the mobility, soft skin and condition of our feet by testing out the new craze of medical pedicures!

The medical pedicure is of course self-explanatory just by the name however what many of us do not know is the stages which are carried out in this treatment which makes it quite different from a standard pedicure which would be carried out in a nail salon. I decided to take you beauts on my beauty trip so that you could join me in my experience and get an insight into what completes a full medical pedicure! Check out my vlog down below:

Review:

After the treatment I found my feel felt very relaxed and less tense on the area of the arch of my foot. I also found my skin was a lot smoother and looked fresh with a glow. The treatment in itself lasted the duration of an hour, however it was an hour well spent. I thoroughly enjoyed the warm wax treatment as that was a step which I had not heard of before making it a new treatment to my knowledge. I found the warmth of the wax VERY relaxing, and the feeling of the wax quite lovely too. As far as this treatment goes, I would definitely recommend it to my clients if they feel their feet need some attention, but I would definitely recommend it to my brides! 

If you are a Taran K bride you will receive a unique discount code on booking confirmation, so that you can treat yourself to a medical pedicure before your big day! 

Clinic information:

Dr Abid

Dr Foot Clinic (Click here for website)

Love,

Taran x

Crystal collagen gold eye mask

If you follow my blog, you will know that I am all about skincare products and if a product claims to boost collagen then I'm all ears! This bizzare beauty found its way to me through an app called Wowcher! Yes, I got a pretty good deal on these GOLD collagen eye masks, from £159 to £13! Bargain! 

I thought to myself, if that was the original price there must be some truth in the product description in relation to the collagen booster. I for one do not want wrinkles around my eyes so I went ahead and placed my order. I have been using the eye masks for a minimum of 1 night per week. 

These masks, come in a small condense packet which has been made airtight. This helps the masks stay moist in the solution which comes in the packet. I have noticed when using the masks, if sat up right the mask will eventually move down from its initial positioning so the masks are best applied when laying down. 

All in all, I have found that after using the masks my skin feels immediately tighter, and also feels refreshed, but apart from that I'm not sure if there is anything more to the product itself. However for a beauty bargain I think I did well! 

Hope this post helped! 

Love,

Taran x

Best mascara remover EVER!

Hi beauts,

I believe I have finally discovered the most amazing mascara remover ever!

Believe you me, I have tried so many different eye make-up removers from drug store brands to high end brands and nothing ever seems to leave my eyelashes feeling clean and light. Well since I started to use Dermalogica as my skin care routine I've found the pre-cleansing oil to work absolute wonders in getting any type of mascara off with ease! BUT it does sting when it makes contact with the eyes!

After using my pre-cleansing oil from the Dermalogica skin care range I came across another cleanser which has in all honesty changed my skin care routine too for the more positive - Lancôme Galateis Douceur Gentle softening cleaansing fluid face & eyes.

This has got to be the biggest life changing facial cleanser EVER! I had purchased this alongside the Tonique Doucer - softening hydrating alcohol-free toner in a duo set during the Christmas sales in Selfridges 2014 for a really good price. (I cannot remember the RRP or the sale price but I promise you it was a must have bargain!) It has lasted me for a very long time and has definitely given me great results in terms of the over all appearance for my skin and with REMOVING MASCARA!!

I would most definitely highly recommend the Lancôme facial cleanser and toner. You will definitely see and feel the difference after a good few uses of the products, leaving you with hydrated and freshly cleansed skin!

Love,
Taran x

Tutorial: GRWM 10 minute make-up look

Hi beauts,

As promised here is a post which will show you all the products used to achieve my '10 minute' make-up look! If you are every in a rush, this make-up look is totally the way forward - it ONLY takes 10 minutes of your time to get ready and out of your front door! 

Product list:

1. Urban decay - Diamond dog moondust eye shadow
2. Mac lipstick - Pander me
3. Gerard cosmetics - lipstick Nude 
4. Mac eye-shadow - Brun
5. Max factor mascara (any will do)
6. Eldora lashes - H160 (optional) 
7. Mac studio fix concealer - NC35
8. Tom Ford foundation stick 
9. Mac blusher - Sweet as cocoa 

Brushes used:

• Real techniques buffing brush
• Any blusher brush
• Mac 217 (angled brush)

Check out the tutorial below to see how I created this look in 10 minutes! The music has been left on so you can see exactly how long it took me to create this look!

Hope you enjoyed this post! 

Love,

Taran x

Mac cosmetics: Volcanic ash exfoliator

The key to feeling good is having great feeling skin!

Mac cosmetic's volcanic ash exfoliator is one of my favourite products to use as part of my weekly skincare regime. This exfoliator is packed with minerals which are great for your skin, in terms of cleansing, hydrating and much more! 

As I have combination skin, my skin tends to get a little dry around my nose and mouth area and oily in the t-zone. This product is perfect for my skin type! Alongside taking away dead and dry skin, the exfoliator strips away any excess oils which helps keep my skin oil free! I've also found that this product does brighten up my skin quite a lot in comparison to other exfoliators which is a bonus as I do tend to have quite a dull skin complexion.  

The packaging of this product, is sweet and simple which is great when travelling too if you need to carry it with you on the go. A little does go a very long way which is another positive about Mac's volcanic ash exfoliator. 

At first this product was an impulse buy as I am obsessed with anything skincare related - but I have loved this product every time I have used it! Definitely a must have if you like a product for gentle ex-foliation, skin brightening and cleansing! 

You will definitely be left with smooth and fresh feeling skin! 

Love,

Taran x

Classic white chic

Hello my beauts!

Once again I have been busy and have not been able to post on my blog recently - so I do apologise for not being consistent! 

Let's get to this post! I thought I would bring you a fashion/OOTD post seeing as I have not posted anything regarding that lately. Over the weekend I had a friends wedding party & decided to wear a lovely white simplistic dress with a statement necklace and strappy heels! Can't go wrong really? 

Check out the photo below for the full outfit! 

Outfit details:

Under dress - American Apparel 

Over dress - Primark 

Heels - New Look 

Clutch - Warehouse 

Necklace - Aria Collection 

Yes this make-up look was my 'go to ten minute' make-up! As I had to rush back from dressing up the beautiful bride and heading to the wedding venue! Check out my previous make-up post for details on the make-up products used! 

Also, don't forget ladies that you can use the following code TARAN15 at checkout to receive 15% off your order at Aria Collection! 

Love,

Taran x

My 10 minute 'go to' make-up look

Hi lovelies,

I will be revealing to you beautiful people what my go to make-up look is, these make-up products are perfect for creating a sultry smokey eye or a quick fix make-up look! 

(I promise it looks like you've spent time on your make-up but it really is as quick as 10 minutes!) 

Below is a photo of the make-up look I achieved in 10 minutes!

Products

Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita palette 

Tom Ford flawless foundation stick 

Nars creamy concealer 

Tom Ford shade and illuminate pallete

Mac eyeshadow in Brun 

Mac mineralise skin-finish in Gold Deposit

Gerard cosmetics lipstick in Nude and lip gloss in Butter Cream 

Eldora lashes - H160

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques brushes - buffing brush, contour brush 

Mac angled brush 208

A tutorial will follow through with this post soon to prove how quick this make-up look is! Believe it or not, but I only used my fingers for this eye make-up look and 3 face brushes! 

Hope you enjoyed this post, keep an eye out for the tutorial! 

Love,

Taran x

KS - Henna

Hi beauties,

I haven't been in the blogging world for a while, however I am now back and will try to keep my blogging consistent for you lovely ladies!

Today's post will be on KS Henna products! Kirti Sharma kindly sent me some of her mendhi cones to try and test out. I am super excited to share my feedback with all my fellow henna artists out there .. Really do hope this post if helpful! 

KS Glitter Cones - Gold KS3

The first product which I sampled was of course the glitter cone.

This glitter cone is absolutely gorgeous. The colour and the pigment of the fine glitter is phenomenal! I mean what more could you ask for from a glitter henna product right? Alongside the winning points of pigment & colour pay off - the longevity of the product also won me over. I was at the bathroom sick scrubbing with force to get this off, another sign of an outstanding henna product!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

KS Henna - Cajeput mini cones

Firstly I must say that, the name of the products really do not do justice. The Cajeput mini cones are really not mini, if anything they are pretty amazing workable size! I was expecting them to be smaller than what the product actually was so hey, this was a win for me! Perfect sized henna cones! 

Secondly, I decided to put these henna products to the test in a different way. Usually when receiving henna products in the post people put them to use straight away test the stain and voila! Amazing results. But I really felt like I had to challenge these products in a unique way so here is what I did! 

After receiving the henna cones, I put one aside in my room. The rest I kept stored away, the henna come which I put the the side was left at room temperature for around 4 weeks. YES! I left the henna come out of the fridge for 4 weeks, if you are a henna fanatic you will know that this is a total no no and this will destroy the stain power. 

After 4 weeks of room temperature, the cones consistency was still pretty decent especially the flow. Now this, really impressed me! Despite the cone had fluids which were probably the oils separated the henna itself still was intact and easily flowing. Not only this, but I had only kept the henna on for around 20-25 minutes & below is the stain under 24 hours.

Although this isn't the deepest of stains, I think this is excellent for a product that was left out in room temperature for 4 weeks, yes a month. If this is the stain after storing the cone in the worst way possible then surely if the cones are well looked after and store the stain will be phenomenal! 

KS henna - you have passed my test with flying colours! Literally!!

I really am impressed with these products and will surely be ordering my brides henna cones from KS henna! 

I hope this post was a good read and helped you in picking the right henna products for your clients! 

Love,

Taran x

5 PRO artist make-up kit essentials

Hi beauts,

As a make-up artist with 5 years plus experience, I would like to share what I think are the most vital make-up kit essentials. Especially if you are a new up coming artist, this post will aim to help all levels of make-up artists out there! If you would like to know what my 5 pro artist make-up kit essentials are then keep on reading ...

1. Gosh 'Velvet Touch' primer 

The Gosh 'Velvet Touch' primer, is an affordable primer which you can pick up from your local Super-drug store. This primer is amazing, for creating a smooth velvet base, your foundation application will seem effortless once this primer has been applied and absorbed into the skin. 

Quick tip: Be aware that this is a silicone based product, so if you are allergic to this then do check the ingredients to avoid any allergic reactions! 

2. NARS multi-purpose highlight stick

Nars products never fail to impress me and this also includes the multi-purpose highlighting sticks. The shade which I keep in my kit is 'Orgasm'. The product itself is as exciting as the product name! The texture of the cream stick is beautiful, and easily blend-able; the fact that this highlight is useful for pretty much anything on the face is a bonus!!  

Quick tip: I used this highlight stick on the brow bone, the tip of the nose, cupids bow, cheek bones and in the centre of the bottom lip! LUSH!

3. MAC w/c neutral eye-shadow palette/s

MAC cosmetics have two ready set eye-shadow palette's (warm/cool neutral). These palettes are a great buy for a pro artist kit; all of the neutral shades you could possibly require are condensed into two ready set palettes! I mean, what more could you possibly ask for? 

Quick tip: If I cannot find my brow gel in my kit, I use the shade 'Brun' from the MAC cool neutral palette as a brow powder! 

4. Urban Decay 'All Nighter' spray

The Urban Decay 'All Nighter' spray is possibly the most amazing make-up setting spray I have ever come across! YES, I totally swear by this setting spray because I know it does the job perfectly. Your make-up will last ALL night without budge. This is a definite MUST!

Quick tip: After the bottle has finished it's totally reusable, use the empty bottle for something else! I put mine to use as my brush cleaning spray! 

5. Urban Decay eye-shadow primer potion

Again, another Urban Decay product I totally swear by, the primer potion. I have all the UD primer potions including the face primer potions simply due to the great finish they leave behind. However, the eye-shadows primer potion is brilliant. I have always, recommended this to everyone! Once the base is on and the eye make-up is complete, there will NOT be any creasing AT ALL!

Quick tip: Try using a 'bullet point' amount to avoid excess product wastage. A little goes a long way!

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you have tried these products, let me know what you make of them!

Love,
Taran x

Tutorial: Afghan/Arabic inspired

Hi beauts!

Firstly I would like to apologise for not being a consistent blogger recently, as you all know being a student really does take up most of your time. Especially while you are a final year student with a dissertation! I finally managed to get this tutorial edited and uploaded for you beauties! 

Secondly, let's get straight into what today's post is about - as the title explains, it is a make-up tutorial! It isn't just any old tutorial it is an actual video tutorial that I would like to share with you all! This is my second video, so please do bare with me as the lightening isn't so great. 

Without further delay, here is the link to the make-up tutorial:
https://youtu.be/ITe3u9mzSIg

Hope you enjoy this tutorial!

♥ MAKE-UP USED ♥

Kryolan TV paint stick - FS36

Illamasqua SB 03

MAC pro concealer palette - Medium/dark

Illamasqua cream pigment - Hollow

Illamasqua brow gel - Strike 

MAC prep + prime pressed powder

Sleek contour palette - Medium/dark

MAC blush - Style

MAC mineralize skin finish - Global Glow

Urban Decay Ltd Vice Palette - Perversion

Urban Decay Ltd ed. glitter - Irridescent

Rimmel lip liner - Spice

Sleek lip palette - Ballet

Urban Decay lashes - Trap

Headband - Claire's accessories

♥ LINKS PROMISED ♥

Brushes - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jessup-New-Makeup-Brush-Set-Cosmetic-Foundation-blending-pencil-brushes-Kabuki-/221526812660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item339406e7f4

Love,
Taran x

BTS and shooting with Flare Brand - UK

Hi beauts,

As you all know I have been participating in a whole lot of photo-shoots recently. Some being with campaigns for my recent portfolio work and some being with other businesses and brands such as Amarah Jewels and Flare Brand.

I usually post all things beauty related and thought it would be a great idea to write about something that can be aimed at both genders so why not post about this upcoming high street designer Flare Brand! It is a simplistic, contemporary brand which is based within the UK and manufactured here in the UK too.

And of course no photo-shoot with me is complete without a team selfie!

I really did like the simplicity of the brand logo, and just the entire concept of the brand. Rather than it conforming to contemporary designs, the brand itself has been inspired by hand painted advertisement designs from the past. I think that is such a great concept for an upcoming brand as it is vintage and retro! It is retailed at very reasonable prices which you cannot go wrong with and the tee's are also great quality material.

These t-shirts can be classed as unisex, so do check them out! You may find something you might like to rock ..

Click here to find Flare Brand on facebook and for more information on any items available!

Hope this post was enjoyable to read!

Love,
Taran x

Review: Lisser Moi cosmetics

Hi beauts,

Soft skin is a definite must, especially for us women who work hard! Our hands most definitely deserve a little TLC sometimes .. That one essential if not you but all women carry with them in their bags is a travel sized hand & body cream! 

Lisser Moi decided to get in touch with me, so we could bring forward the products this company has to offer for you lovely ladies. How exciting?! 

Lisser Moi products use a range of nourishing ingredients which are key to maintaining soft supple skin. Ingredients such as Argan and various other mineral oils which help sooth and refresh the skin! Sounds great right? So I have tried and tested these moisturisers for over a week now and REALLY do feel as though the quality of the product does speak for itself.

The packaging is sleek and simple, with black and gold as the colour theme. The fragrance which is left behind by the creams are very light and airy or sweet and delicious! Most definitely different from what you would find out there. I must say, I now always carry a Lisser Moi hand cream around with me when I am on the go for sure!

Click here to check out their website with the full range of products available at reasonable prices!

Since Lisser Moi had contacted me with these products to try and test out, we have also decided to work together and host a give-away for my Instagram followers!! So one of you lucky ladies will have the chance to win a full sized Lisser Moi hand and body cream with a travel sized product along with a few little goodies! 

To join the give-away all you need to do is follow me on instagram: @tarankaurmua and keep an eye out for the announcement for the giveaway! 

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love,
Taran x

Aria Collection - Alexia in pink!

Hi beauts,

As you all know statement necklaces have been on trend for a while and with my love for statement necklaces, I decided to work with a UK based company to bring you gorgeous ladies this blog post!

Aria Collection statement necklace in Alexia (colour: pink)

Aria Collection have the most beautiful pieces in their collection of rhinestone and boho statement necklaces. In this particular post the, stunning piece 'Alexia' is featured in the colour pink! It is also available in the following colours: white, black and great!

The colours on this piece are absolutely stunning! I mean look at this beauty, isn't it lovely? Aria Collection have great pieces especially with the summer coming soon, I would definitely recommend their statement pieces! 

Click here to purchase your own statement piece from Aria Collection, and use the discount code: TARAN15 to recieve 15% off your total order!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love,

Taran x

Contour products - powder vs cream

Hi beauts,

Contouring has been in trend since Kim K released her selfie showing her highlighting and contouring on social media. Ever since then, contouring has become a craze! 

Not a lot of people know that contouring has been around for many years as part of corrective make-up. This make-up technique has been mastered by professionals over the years, to find that different styles of corrective make-up suit each individual face shape differently!! But we will not go into much detail about that in this post, if you would like me to do a detailed post on how to contour different face shapes then leave a comment below!

This post will be about the different types of contouring products out there in the market, as the title states: powder vs cream contour! 

So I have put together my most used cream and powder products that are my holy grail for contouring. 

Product list:

Tom Ford shade and illuminate palette (01 intensity one)

Mac cosmetics pro concealer palette (medium/dark) 

Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palette (not sure which shade) 

Sleek cosmetics contour palette (medium/dark) 

Tom Ford shade and illuminate 

This is my favourite contour product out of the products listed! I am more of a cream contour person, just because I feel as though cream contouring gives a more subtle and natural shadow where applied. This product blends in so seamlessly, it really looks great once applied, the highlight is quite something in itself too! It has no shimmer but is still a natural looking highlight - seriously cannot go wrong with this product! 

Mac cosmetics pro concealer palette

I have not always been a fan on mac concealer - especially if it is studio fix! But this palette really did change my mind, I use the darkest concealer in the palette to shade in the hollows of my cheekbones, I also use this to contour my nose and it works a treat (usually I am never happy with contouring on my nose!). Not only that, the corrector in the palette mixed with the lightest concealer makes a great highlight too! 

Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palette

I am pretty obsessed with this powder palette, the shade fawn is actually my favourite colour to contour with! It is a lovely soft brown colour, which gives the illusion of a natural contour! Great for someone who wishes for a light subtle definition on the cheekbone area, the shade banana is a great pressed powder to set your under eye concealer with too as it uplifts the colour enhancing the highlight! 

Sleek cosmetics contour palette CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE!

Sleek's contour palette is the most affordable product mentioned in the list as it is a cheap dupe for all these high end make-up products. This has got to be the drug store God send for contouring because the pigment pay from this palette is superb! If I am travelling this is most definitely my go to palette as it had the highlight which is a lovely dupe for soft and gentle by Mac! And a beautiful bronze blush to give you that sun kissed glow! You really cannot go wrong with this beauty buy! 

Now, with my personal experience using these products, I must say I prefer neither over each other as both powder and cream products work well for contouring but I actually prefer cream contouring, then setting it with powder contouring to emphasise the definition on my contour. What is your preferred contouring technique? 

Hope you enjoyed this post! 

Love,

Taran x

My favourite highlighters

Hi beauties!

So on my Instagram recently a few of you have been asking me what my favourite highlighters are and what better way to tell you: let's blog it! 

In this post I have included my favourite high-end and drug store highlighters! That way there is something for you, if you do not like to splash on one small product .. (Not all of us are as crazy as me) 

Product list: 

(Left to right) 

Milani cosmetics - Bellissimo Bronze

Mac cosmetics - Soft and gentle

Make-up Revolution vivid baked hightlighter - Peach lights 

Nars - Albatross

MeMeMe Irridescent complexion illuminator - Sunbeam 

So I put together these five beauties just because I thought it would be great to have a few dupes in this post too; especially for Mac soft and gentle & gold deposit just to name a few! Lets get started!

Milani cosmetics - Bellissimo Bronze (Baked blush) DUPE ALERT! 
OK so I will admit to something before I start here, I sort of cheated with this product because it is actually a baked blush but the sparkle in it could pass off as a beautiful dupe for Mac cosmetics highlighter in 'Gold deposit'. It is absolutely gorgeous on the skin, and I must say it is a go to product for you girls who love a bronzed look!

Mac cosmetics - Soft and gentle (Mineralise skin finish)
EVERY woman out there is familiar with this highlighter, if you do not own it then you must have most definitely heard of it! The classic, nude natural looking highlighter perfect for your subtle and dramatic looks! You cannot go wrong! Love LOVE love this highlighter, it is a must in my kit!

Make-up Revolution - Peach lights (Vivid baked highlighter) DUPE ALERT!

This is a great dupe for Mac cosmetics highlighter in 'Soft and gentle'. Although the name is 'Peach lights' the product itself has a slight pink undertone to it, apart from that it is a great cheaper alternative to the Mac mineralise skin finish! A go to most definitely if you are just starting out or want a highlight that is not too pigmented!

Nars - Albatross DUPE ALERT!
I LOVE this highlight, simply because of its beautiful rich golden tone! It is a pressed highlight so it is not baked as the other products, and the colour is white but do not let that put you off! Once this product has been brushed onto the skin it leaves no colour, but reflects off the most beautiful golden sheen ever! It is most definitely a must! An amazing dupe for this product is the Make-up Revolution vivid baked hightlighter in 'Golden lights'.

MeMeMe Irridescent complexion illuminator - Sunbeam DUPE ALERT!

This was the VERY first highlighter I had ever purchased, I still swear by this product and always have it present in my kit if I ever feel as though there is not enough highlight or dewy finish to the skin. The reason why I picked this illuminator is because this product is very versatile; you can mix a little with the foundation or even just place a few dots on the cheek bones and blend! Due to the liquid consistency it is great to blend out and does not look harsh once applied. I definitely recommend this product to all my fellow make-up artists just because it is a great little back up to place in your kits! 

This post was requested by a few of my lovely followers on Instagram and a few of my clients, I hope this post has been helpful! If you have any requests please do leave a comment below or leave a comment on my Instagram! 

Instagram: @tarankaurmua 

Love,
Taran x

Favourite product picks for professional photo-shoots!

Hi beauts,

If you have been following me and what I have been up to you will notice that I have been involved in quite a few professional photo-shoots. Since I have been involved in many through out my make-up artist journey, I thought my next blog post should be on my favourite recommendations on my go to make-up products for the camera! 

So, for those who have never been involved in a professional photo-shoot and are just starting out here is a little insight into what it involves:

Firstly, it is important for you to have an appropriate date to fit the shoot simply due to the fact that it will be an all day shoot, especially if you are new to this experience. Of course, you would need yourself to create your magic, a model to create the magic on and of course a professional photographer with a studio!

Photo-shoots are definitely a one of a kind experience. It is the best way to get to know professionals and see how you work yourself in an environment of the same sort. It is definitely an experience which will help you build yourself as a professional in the industry of make-up artists. 

Now on to the recommendations for photo-shoot make-up! Many of my shoots have been based on Asian bridal and fashion looks. The top make-up products which I have picked, are essentials within my make-up kit and are great products to use in and out of studio! 

When creating a make-up look for a professional photo-shoot, do keep in mind that you will have to be slightly more heavy handed that usual. This is because the lighting in the studio will wash most of the make-up away, so the key trick is to apply just enough so that the make-up still shows through the photos captured on camera! 

Foundation and concealer picks

The best foundation picks, I must say would be the Kryolan TV paint sticks and Mac studio fix fluid. These products are perfect to use in and out of the studio, the liquid foundation is perfect for beauty shots and the TV paint sticks, for more of a heavier make-up look for example Asian bridal! My favourite concealer to use most definitely is the Mac Pro studio fix concealer palettes! They come in a range of different colours which are the essentials required for your professional kit, the palette comes in shades light, medium and dark. These are also great for contouring!

Blusher and highlighter picks 

The best blusher products in my books, would be either the Sleek blush palettes or MAC blushes. These blushes are insanely pigmented and will definitely show up on the camera, alongside the heavy artificial lighting set up in studio. The greatest and my all time favourite highlighter is Illamasqua's hightlight in Gleam! If you cannot get your hands on this highlighter then you can for sure use, Nars Albatross or MAC's soft and gentle the all time classic! 

Brow product picks
The best brow products, must go to the one and only Illamasqua brow gel in strike. Alway's shade in your brows a little darker than usual to make them stand out for the shoot! Of course, do not go over board with the shading but you get the point! Another awesome product to use on the brows for a natural finish is MAC's eye-shadow in Brun!

Hope this post has helped at least a few of your ladies, who are considering booking a photo-shoot for your make-up portfolios!

Love,
Taran x

Rose gold neutral smoked

Hi beauts,

If you have been following my instagram for a while, you will know that I used to create picture collages of make-up looks I would create on some days. I did it for a short time but then stopped! BUT I have decided to start them all over again! 

If you would like to know what products I used in the picture collage below then keep reading! 

Product details:

Eyebrows - Illamasqua brow gel in 'Strike'

Lashes - Red Cherry lashes in #415

Eyeliner - Avon kohl stick in black, Collection2000 liquid liner pen

Eyeshadow - Illamasqua cream pigment Hollow, Tarte cosmetics 'Tartlette palette', Make-up Revolution foil shadow in 'Rose gold'

If you like this post, follow me on Instagram to keep up to date with regular make-up posts! 

Instagram: @tarankaurmua

Love,

Taran x

Superdrug facial buffing sponge

Hi beauts,

Hope you are all good and well, today's post will be about a lovely new and affordable addition to my current skincare regime. The facial buffing sponge by Superdrug!

If you know me, then you will know that I tend to search for the perfect way to cleanse and polish my skin, I have seen the Clarisonic and really want it however the price is quite something in itself! So I though let's see what I can find at a reasonable price before I splash the cash!

The facial buffing sponge by Superdrug really is something great to have in your daily skincare routine. It gently removes dry skin and deeply cleanses the skin on the surface of your face as well as your pores beautifully too! I find that it most definitely polishes off my nose very nicely too (and the pores on and around my nose are something I am quite conscious about). 

The sponge has a slight harsh texture to its surface to carry out the cleansing and gentle ex-foliation using your daily face wash and cleanser however if you feel like you are in the mood for a deep and thorough ex-foliating cleanse then you can also use this with a facial scrub! 

This of course will be slightly harsher on the skin, so try to limit the use of both to a minimum to avoid irritation or redness on the skin. 

In my opinion this little beaut of a sponge is a must have in your skincare routine and to top it all off it only retails at £1.99! I mean what more could you ask for right? 

Definitely recommended for those who also suffer from acne, this little addition to your regime will help you keep your pores clean from all that dirt and bacteria helping to improve your skin! 

Hope you enjoyed reading this post! 

Love, 

Taran x  

DIY: make-up brush conditioner spray

Hi beauties,

So as you can tell I have taken a liking to making DIY products and have been using cute little packaging to store all my DIYs in.

I spent my whole afternoon washing my make-up brushes as you know that is part of the deal if you are a make-up artist! Whilst washing my brushes I thought to myself how can I condition the brushes without using conditioner and keeping my hands under water, why not make a little spray! 

So today's DIY post will be on how to make your own little brush conditioner - the trick to keeping your brushes beautifully soft for longer! 

Materials:

- decorative paper (optional) 

- scallop paper cutter (optional) 

- travel spray bottle  (click here to get the same bottle as me for a reasonable price!) 

- organic conditioner (any will do)

- fragrance oil (I chose Jasmine but this is optional) 

- double sided tape

Instructions:

1. Cut the decorative paper to size so that it fits around the diameter of the travel sized bottle

2. Label the bottle 'brush conditioner' and stick the scalloped cut out paper to the decorative paper with double sided tape, leave this to one side - we will be sticking this after the mixture of the spray is complete! 

3. Open the bottle and squeeze in 1/3 of the conditioner

4. Now pour in 2/3 of water to fill up the bottle 

5. Add a few drops of your chosen fragrance oil and screw back on the spray nozzle! 

6. Stick double sided tape, on the back of the label you created with the decorative paper. Stick this around the bottle to create your finished DIY! 

YOU'RE DONE! 

Shake the bottle well before use, and spray your brushes when you feel they need a little TLC!

You can also use this on the ends of your hair if your hair feels a little coarse and dry! 

Hope you enjoyed this DIY post! 

Credits:

Thank you to All in packaging for sending me this product for my DIY project! It works a treat!

Love,

Taran x

Party: Nude two piece

Hi beauts,

So last week one of my lovely friends decided to throw a little private party for all us girls to let loose and have fun! 

All with uni stress, work and other life commitments keeping us busy, we all deserve a break at some point don't we! So this was our little break - a fun evening jam packed with great music and delicious party food! 

Below is the outfit I put together for this party, this outfit is perfect for a night out with the girls! Keeping it simple yet on trend - you cannot go wrong! 

Outfit details: 

Nude two piece - Boohoo 

Clutch - Warehouse 

Heels - New Look 

Hope you liked this post! 

Love,

Taran x

DIY - white musk & jasmine bath salts

Hi beauts!

This is my FIRST ever DIY post, as I love all things beauty related I thought hey, why not try out some home-made beauty DIY's?! 

So for my first DIY, I have decided to go ahead and do my own easy receipe on bath salts. This week I haven't been feeling very well, and I feel as thought I would love to relax in some way - a hot bath? But just a hot bath will not satisfy me so I thought why not make some bath salts that smell great! 

I didn't specifically use any accurate measurements for this, I simply worked it out visually and smelt the salts as I went along! 

Check out the details below on how to make your own bath salts! 

Things you will need:

1. Any suitable salts that you can use in the bath, preferably Epson or Sea salt however for this DIY I used Rock salt as this is all I had to hand. (Rock salt is totally fine too!) 

2. Mica powder (optional to colour the salts) 

3. Essential oils or fragrance oils (I used fragrance oils - White musk & jasmine) 

4. A glass or plastic air tight jar (to purchase the same air tight jar used on my blog: click here) 

5. Bowl to mix the salt, oils and powder in

5. Spoon ( to mix the mica powders, oils andsalts together) 

6. Ribbon (optional) 

Instructions:

1. Pour the desired amount of bath salts into the bowl, and begin by mixing the mica powders. So this slowly so that pigment is light to start with and eventually you can work your way up to the colour you want! 

2. Once your salts are the colour you want them to be, you can now go ahead and add the fragranced oils. Again, add slowly and mix and then add more if you wish to have a more intense scent. It is best to keep the fragrance light as the whole point of bath salts is to create an atmosphere which is relaxing! 

3. Once all the mixing is done, pop the salts into the air tight jar and you are done!! 

4. You can also add little pretty touches to the jar of you were going to give this as a gift to a friend. It's a unique gift and definitely beautiful! 

Check out the photos to my little jar of bath salts! 

Hope you enjoyed this post, if you recreate this for yourself let me know how it went for you by commenting below! 

Credits:

Thank you to All in packaging for sending me this product for my DIY project! It works a treat!

Love,

Taran x

Review: Cougar beauty wild caviar serum

Hi beauts!
Today's post will be about a product from the Cougar beauty caviar skin care range and the product that I will be reviewing is the Cougar beauty wild caviar facial serum! 

The Cougar beauty skin care range uses quite unique ingredients to create the range they have to offer to customers. The products, from the caviar skin care range contain ingredients such as fish roe, seaweed and wild caviar. These unique ingredients revitalise and regenerate skin cells to help protect against skin ageing whilst protecting your skin from the surrounding environment too. It also contains vitamin e too which is great for your skin! 

The purpose of the facial serum is to prevent any ageing from occurring, and this is best noticeable with regular consistent use of the product range. 

The facial serum itself, is transparent and has a pleasant fresh scent! The texture of the serum too is quite luxurious and smooth. It does not feel heavy on the skin and feels quite refreshing! 

With my personal experience of using the product I feel as though as soon as I apply the serum with my finger tips, I can feel the serum penetrating my skin. It almost feels like it is uplifting my skin with a firm feel to it. It is also very smooth itself in consistency and texture! 

Check out the full skin care range here, it really is something quite unique and different to what you would usually find on the market out there! 

Thanks to Cougar beauty for sending me this product to review, it is definitely a thumbs up! 

Love,

Taran x 

Midlands Fashion Week 2015 - Official head make-up artist!

Hi beauties!

Welcome to my blog, as you know I have not been able post in a while and this post shall be explaining why! I had been selected to be the OFFICIAL HEAD MAKE-UP ARTIST for Midlands Fashion Week 2015!! Awesome right?! So I had been busy with preparation, meetings etc for the past couple of weeks along side juggling my dissertation and shifts at work! 

So moving on to the event, as the head make-up artist I had to come up with the idea of a uniform look for the ramp. A look that would fit in with all the different designer's concepts including AV Couture a upcoming brand for couture menswear, keeping this in mind I decided to go for a look which would be current and in trend. A slicked back neat pony or the classic, Kim K inspired slicked back hair with hair down at the back! To compliment these styles, I went ahead with the colours which would have complimented the pa-tone colour of the year 'masala'. So for the make-up I opted for a neutral look on the eyes with a pop of green! A flawless base, coral lips and cheeks!

The catwalk featured many talented designers; Hajar, MirrorImage Style, AV Couture, JustBBélle and Georgie-May Tearle designs. Check out the links to some of the designers below:

• JustBBelle
• AV Couture
• Georgie-May Tearle Designs
• Hajar Alruzeiqi

The models rocked the classy, sophisticated looks on the catwalk and the entire event was just great to be a part of! I had also had the chance to meet reality TV show stars; Akshay and Arshina from Sky Living's Desi Rascals. The catwalk also featured Akshay's line of couture menswear clothing (AV Couture)! Alongside Jemma Bird from BBC's The Apprentice.

No event is complete without a backstage selfie! 

The entire event was a brilliant experience, within itself and the individuals including choreographer Jaimal Mistry who made it a success that evening. Midlands Fashion Week 2015, was hosted by Chloe Avon; the founder and owner of Dream Street Models.

Check out the photos below from the event!

Above: Akshay from Sky Living's Desi Rascals rocking a couture piece from his clothing line AV Couture.

Models wearing AV Couture

Model showcasing designer bags by JustBBélle

Model wearing designer jacket by Georgie-May Tearle designs

Model wearing a beautiful sheer piece from designer selection Hajar

Model wearing a stunning black and gold piece from designer selection Hajar

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love,

Taran x