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

Two toned party make-up tutorial!

Hi BEAUTS!

I am super excited to be posting today, just because I will be sharing my FIRST ever make-up tutorial with you! Please bare in mind it is my first time doing this so lighting etc may not be perfect but I must say it was so much fun filming and creating this make-up look!

I will post the list of the products used below the video so you can recreate this look! If you do recreate this look don't forget to hash tag '#beauteasy' so I can feature you on my instagram and blog!

Enjoy the video lovelies!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZvHvjOefEk&feature=youtu.be

Products used:

Face: Mac studio sculpt foundation, Tarte cosmetics creaseless concealer

Cheeks: Mac sweet as coco, peach twist and Illamasqua highlight in Gleam

Eyebrows: Illamasqua brow gel in strike

Lips: Mac kinda sexy/pander me, Chanel lipliner

Eyelashes: Urban Decay in trap

Eyes: Tarte cosmetics tartlette palette, Mac foil eyeshadow, Illamasqua cream pigment in hollow

If you would like to see more tutorials, please comment below and let me know what you would like to see next!

Love,

Taran x

Top 5 foundation picks!

Hi beauts!
This post will be about my favourite foundations. Those of you who know me well, will know that I have tried so many different foundations to finally get the one which gives that flawless base without looking cakey!

Lets get to it, me personally I like the full coverage foundations as a make-up artist I guess I've become a lot more fonder of wearing full coverage make-up, but I do like my days where I have the coverage but not so much where it becomes full coverage! So these foundations that I have picked out (in no particular order), range from full to medium coverage - matte and dewy finishes too ...

Mac studio sculpt
        Mac studio sculpt is a full coverage foundation, with a matte finish. Those of you who have used Mac products will be aware of the range of formulas the brand has for different skin tones/types and finishes. For me the studio sculpt is a full coverage foundation which is perfect for a night out or even an occasion where you will be out and about all day. It is long wearing and I find it lasts all day, I mean what more could a woman ask for from her foundation right?

Tom Ford cream foundation stick
        Tom Ford's cream foundation stick is a medium to full coverage foundation with a creamy consistency. If you have oily skin then I would not recommend this foundation stick as it quite a creamy texture and will leave shine. However it is perfect for combination or dry skin types, so if you have dry and dehydrated skin then this foundation may just be the one for you!

Nars sheer-glow foundation
        Nars sheer-glow foundation is one of my all time favourites, hence why it's in this post! It is the perfect consistency and texture for me and my skin type. It's not too thick and not too runny, this foundation I found glided on flawlessly on my skin. It is a medium to full coverage foundation, but I feel as though you can also get away with using it as a sheer light coverage foundation too! This is a definite must have if you have not already tried it!

Nars all in one luminous foundation
        Nars all in one luminous foundation is the new range which was launched not long ago to replace the sheer-matte foundation range. This foundation delivers a matte finish however does also keep hold of the dewy, golden finish rather than just being matte. I have tried this foundation and it really is my favourite at the moment. It is light wear on the skin but still gives the full coverage I like without being cakey or ashy. The tones in this foundation range accommodate for both pink and yellow undertones, the foundation definitely does not fail to give you a beautiful healthy glow!

Illamasqua skin base foundation
        Illamasqua skin base foundation is a must have for those who LOVE a full coverage foundation. This foundation sits beautifully on the skin and blends in flawlessly. It is a thicker consistency compared to the liquid foundations mention in this post but is definitely long wearing, 2 squeezes from the product will go a LONG way.

Love,
Taran x  

Dermalogica skin care

Hi beauts,

This post will be addressing my current and new found love - my dermalogica skin care regime! My skin has forever always had an issue with dehydration and dryness. 

I've tried and tested so many skin care products to find what best suits my skin type but have never really found anything that has worked long term for me - I guess it's a phase of trial and error with these kinds of products. 

I've tried products from, clean and clear to simple, e45 and even Vaseline because that is supposed to be greatly moisturising for the skin - so they say. 

Yes, not one of these products has been amazing to my skin. How did I find out about Dermalogica as a brand? Well, I have a stunning client who books me for hair & make-up on most of her occasions, I was applying the make-up on her and the foundation, concealer just everything went on so effortlessly and looked amazingly flawless! Yes, I asked her what she used for her skin to look so great and hydrated and she introduced me to Dermalogica! 

So I went to the Dermalogica counter in Birmingham, Selfridges and the skin consultant examined my face - yes she got close with goggles too! She told me exactly where I was dehydrated in my skin and what I required for my skin care routine - I was recommend to the 'normal/dry skin kit'. 

They even show you have to use the products there and then! You have a one to one session doing a practical skin care routine as you would at home! I thought this was great as well as helpful - especially for those who do not know how to use products such as cleansers, toners etc. You will find this VERY helpful! 

Ive been using this as I was instructed to by the skin consultant at Dermalogica. I also went in for a 20 minute skin treatment - which I must say left my skin feeling ten times smoother and brighter! 

The treatment was relaxing and you definitely get a feel of how you should be applying and using their products. I had a crazy break out of spots on my forehead and the spots were very visible before the treatment - 24 hours after the skin treatment the spots had calmed down and the redness had also reduced!

I definitely recommend Dermalogica to everyone, not only do they target your areas of concern but they give you specific products for your individual skin type. What more could you ask for?

If you use Dermalogica, comment below and share your thoughts! Hope you enjoyed this post beauts, don't forget to like, follow and share! 

Love,

Taran x

Review & haul: Tarte cosmetics

Hi beauts,

So it's been a while since my last post, but I am back now and ready to put something interesting out there for you! I'm quite sure most of you lovely ladies follow make-up pages on Instagram, right?
So a lot of make-up pages/artists post about a brand called Tarte Cosmetics. This is an American brand, but has now become available in the UK via QVC!

This brand is not your usual cosmetics brand, its completely natural so they say! I like the packaging, and the fact that it is made from ingredients found in the Amazon forest so thought I should give it a try and post a review! Surely, some of you would like to know what the fuss is about right?

I purchased the following products from Sephora:

1. Lights, camera, lashes & trade 4 in 1 mascara
2. Tartelette Amazonian clay matte eyeshadow palette
3. Maracuja lip exfoliant
4. Maracuja creaseless concealer, shade Tan
5. Cheek stain, shade Fearless 
6. Amazonian butter lipstick, shade Coral Blossom 

Lights, camera, lashes & trade 4 in 1 mascara:

The mascara is packaged quite differently to what you'd find in a drugstore brand or in Selfridges etc. It's packaging is actually lush! I really liked this about the product - the mascara wand is a standard wand you'd receive in any mascara product. Check out the image below for the packaging:

The photo below displays my lashes without any product on them and the second photo after 2 coats of application of the mascara:

Pretty impressive right? To be honest, this mascara had impressed me right away just after the first coat of application. To achieve a look similar to this using my Maybelline Great  Lash mascara I would usually have to apply around 3-4 coats of the product. So for me, this mascara is perfect! If you have to apply 3-4 coats to get the fuller looking lashes, then I would definitely recommend this product! 

Tartelette Amazonian clay matte eyeshadow palette

This eyeshadow palette I must say is GORGEOUS! The packaging is small, compact and sleek which makes it an easy palette to pop away into your handbag when on the go for quick easy fixes/make-up touch ups! The pigment in these shadows are insanely good. My favourite shades from this palette have to be the deep plums and definitely the black! Check out the photos below! 

The swatches are in the same order as the palette itself.

Maracuja lip exfoliant

This lip exfoliant is super cute to carry around in your purse, and is very handy as I have used it for around a week and a half now, the exfoliating feel to this lip product is not harsh on the skin at all which is why I like using it as much as twice daily. It also tastes and feels fresh due to the peppermint oil which is a bonus because I love minty stuff! Try this product out if you definitely have dry, dehydrated lips! 

Maracuja creaseless concealer, shade Tan

Another product I am super impressed with, although the creaseless part of the name is slightly false for me the product overall is very pigmented and blends into the skin effortlessly. The concealer is definitely a must have for those who like a light, but full coverage concealer! Again, the packing is great and it is small so will not take up too much space in your bag/clutch when on a night out! Check out the before and after photos below!  

Before the application of concealer:

After the application of the concealer: 

(Do excuse the lighting, as it currently isn't the best in my room!)

Despite the praises, I have given to this concealer so far there are also a few lets downs. The product itself in the tube does not feel as though there is a lot. I received my concealer and found the product to be just about a quarter of the tube which was disappointing for me since I do love this concealer. I did also find it very shiny - but I guess that is down the to Maracuja oil which is used in the product.
If you suffer from dryness around your eyes, and has dry skin this product is definitely recommended as it is very moisterizing for the skin too.

Cheek stain, shade Fearless 

I don't think I need to comment on how gorgeous the packing of the product is as you can see that for yourself in the photos posted below! This product is a light, sheer, creamy cheek tint stick and it does actually remind me of the Benefit cheek stains! Again, another product which is easy to pop into the bag when on the go! Check out the photos below:

The stain from the product after being swatched several times: 

Amazonian butter lipstick, shade Coral Blossom 
The Tarte cosmetic butter lipsticks have got to be my favourite, alongside the eye-shadow palette. The lipstick has a rich creamy feel to it, almost like a lip balm but with the pigment for a sheer lipstick! I adore my coral/pink tones, and this colour is super cute to wear on a daily basis.

The butter lipsticks contain amazingly nourishing ingredients such as shea butter, murumuru butter and jojoba seed oil with vitamin e. So if you are one of the people who suffer from constantly dry, chapped lips - this lip product is perfect! 2 in 1 lipstick and lip balm! 

Hope you have enjoyed this post, leave comments below if you would like to see more product reviews! Also comment below if you have tried these products and let me know your thoughts!

Love,

Taran x