New Nail Love!

I've been getting back into painting my nails lately, in an attempt to stop me picking at them and let them grow a bit (I'm a terrible nail-fusser!)

The is my latest favourite look - bright base with crackle on top.

The crackle nail varnish is not that new anymore, but I thought I'd do a little write up on it anyway since everywhere I go people ask me about it - obviously there's still lots of people who need to see this stuff as it's quite cool!

As my base colour I used Rimmel 60 seconds varnish colour 819 Green With Envy, a lovely metallic turquoise and over the top I used OPI Black Shatter.

I love the Rimmel nail varnishes as they come in loads of cool colours, dry really quickly and are a really good price! They also last quite well on the nail, as long as you use a top coat.

I reckon it looks pretty cool, and I have to say it has lasted well - this picture is after 3 days wear!

The crackle/shatter varnish goes on quite thick and cracks as it dries on your nail. It take a bit of practice to get the hang of it - if you double back over a bit you've already painted it goes a bit funny, but you get used to it quickly. It dries matt, which is quite cool, but with a lick of top coat you can turn it glossy.

To give your nail polish the best chance of survival, use a good base coat onto a freshly squeaked nail*, which gives the varnish something to cling to and protects your nails from being stained.
I always do 2 coats of polish (if I'm just wearing a colour) the first very thin, then follow with a great top coat to prevent chipping. If you want your colour to last extra long you can apply a new layer of top coat each day. I'm loving Barry M's Basecoat/Topcoat/Nail Hardener All-In-One, it works really well on my rubbish brittle nails!

So what do you think?!



* using a cotton pad swipe over your nail with nail varnish remover so it's squeaky clean ;) Even if you don't have any polish to remove this will clean off any natural oils or residue from day-to-day stuff on your nails.

So here it is my latest editorial hair styling work, featured in  C-Heads Magazine.
This issue the theme was wonderland, and our shoot was entitled 'Bird of Paradise'...

photography: Rossella Vanon
model: Kara @ Profile
makeup: Katie Wilton
styling: Marina German
hair: Natalie Guest

Way back, but, what the heck!: Beauty Writing no.2: Lumine Style Magazine

Just sifting about on my computer and I found this article that I never blogged a while back.
Slightly out of date, but the tips are still relevant as bright lips are always popular!

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I recently did a bit of writing for Lumine Style Magazine.  This was at the request of the editor after she had read my blog!! Yay!
The first issue was published online at the beginning of this month. You can find my article on page 29.
But for those of you who don't wish to search, here it is:

My Bride: Blogged!

    

One of my lovely Summer Brides has had her carefully hand-crafted, DIY, vintage-inspired wedding featured on the lovely wedding blog The Ebury Collection.
See the story and beautiful images here: Sophia & James' Chic Vintage Wedding

Sophia looked stunning in her Sassi Holford dress, as did her bridesmaids in their dresses from Coast. I did hair and makeup for Sophia and her 3 bridesmaids, here are some of the images that she sent me...

                          

Published Again!

Beauty & Bones Editorial published again!

This time in online & print fashion editorial mag Etoilee...
Click here to see the rest of this lovely magazine and buy your copy!

Hot Vintage Bridesmaid Dress, or 'What should I wear to my trial?'

I had a hair and makeup trial with one of my lovely Winter Brides the other day and although she loved the look, she was having a hard time feeling 'bridal' in her work dress and slippers. 
In order to get into the feel of being 'The Bride' and get to grips with the vintage-inspired hair and glowing makeup we had settled on, I suggested she get changed into something with a similar colour or neck line to her wedding dress. 


Lo and behold, it turned out she had her sister's bridesmaid dress at the house and so she swiftly got changed.
Well all I can say is WOW what a difference that outfit change made!


I've always advised wearing something with a similar neckline to your wedding dress for your trial.  Seeing that extra bit of neck, shoulder and decolletage can really make a difference to how you look, and how you feel about your wedding hair and makeup, especially when the alternative is jeans and a t-shirt!


I just had to write this, not only because it was a great example of how what you wear can really influence how you feel at your trial, but also because the bridesmaids dress in question was absolutely fabulous! 


This picture does not do it justice, but it is gorgeous - very vintage looking with beautiful detailing on the shoulder straps and a lovely golden champagne colour. You wouldn't guess where it's from either - John Lewis! Details below if you would like to track it down to have a closer look, which I'd strongly advise if you're going for a vintage theme to your day.  Dress by John Lewis: Uma Satin Back Crepe Dress

Papercut Editorial

New editorial published in Papercut Magazine!
Loved this shoot - really creative, lots of fake hair and hair pieces, massive long plait!
See larger images here: PAPERCUT

Shot by Rossella Vanon,
Hair by Natalie Guest,
Makeup by Katie Wilton,
Modeled by Irena Kiseleva. 

Behind the scenes, Teddington shoot

Oops, well it's been a while since my last post, but it's only because I've been soooo busy! Never a bad thing, so that's certainly not a complaint.

Last month I did quite a lot of photoshoots, and have been getting some of the results back over the last few weeks, which has been very exciting. I can't show all the pictures, as some are going for submission to various places, but I thought I'd share some behind the scenes pics of a shoot I did based in the comfort of my own home! It was lovely not having to lug my kit around and we made use of the lovely day by the river and over the bridge at Teddington Lock. I love the results, and even these images are pretty cool too - looking good unretouched.
Thanks to photographer Jenna Davies for great images and the lovely models from D1.

         

Prepping for a slicked back wet-look, and faux-afro hair!

Unique Bridal Shoot... Images

Yay!

So, I've got the pictures back from the shoot with Unique Dress, Hearts N Crowns!
These are my favourites!...

Unique Bridal Shoot

New Photos!

I joined forces last week with some of my wedding supplier friends for a bridal photo shoot session! 

Bridal shoots are always fun and give a good opportunity to do multiple looks in one day - a good challenge for everybody involved!

So, I thought I'd include a few behind-the-scenes pictures of the shoot in this blog before you see some of the finished images, which I'll post soon.

The makeup stayed the same for all the looks as I wanted something to be constant throughout, but I changed the hair style for every new dress we shot.

The jewellery and hair accessories were all provided by Jess from Hearts n Crowns and I loved how her quirky, pretty and alternative pieces go so well with Ali's vintage-y, one-off Unique Dresses.

We were shooting in Ali's studio where she works her dress-making magic, which you'll see in the lovely garments in the finished pictures which I will post soon!

Thanks to Church Photography for taking the pics!

Look Good... Feel Better

Whoever thinks that makeup can't make a difference to the world... think again.

Look Good... Feel Better is a charity that runs classes in hospitals all over the country (and all over the world), where ladies going through the traumas of cancer and it's treatments can come together and learn about skin care and makeup. Their aim is to empower women with the ability to combat the visible side-effects of their treatment by restoring a positive self-image, confidence and a sense of control.

Participants of these small classes get a lovely goody bag filled with products (all donated by some of the best know beauty brands) and are talked through a step by step process of cleanse, tone, moisturise and makeup application, including eyebrow-pencilling and lashline-emphasising for ladies who are suffering hair loss.

I am proud to be a new volunteer for Look Good... Feel Better, and having just joined I am very much looking forward to my first class at Kingston Hospital in March.

If you know someone who would benefit from a class, or you're a makeup or skin care professional who's interested in volunteering, please go to the Look Good... Feel Better website for more information.

Real Bride: Jenny

So I just got some pictures from a lovely bride who's wedding I did in July last year.

I love it when people send me pictures of how they and their bridesmaids looked during the day, it's really nice to see everyone looking so happy!

Just thought I'd share a few of the pictures that Jenny sent me - love the one of their first dance!

Should I Work For Free?

Possibly one of the best things I've seen in a while:

Should I Work For Free?

Naked Bodycare send the Freebie Fairy!

Ok, so I don't actually know who the Freebie Fairy is, but whoever they are I'd like to thank them!
A little while before Christmas I received a parcel in the post, which turned out to be a hair product from Naked Bodycare, the Naked Style Extra Shiny Finishing Serum. I didn't order it, so thanks Freebie Fairy. 
After testing it out over the holiday here's what I think of it.
Naked Style Extra Shiny Finishing Serum


They say: Beautiful things come in small packages and this little gem brings instant shine and radiance, putting the sparkle back in your hair. Do it Naked style - our silicone-free formulations allow product junkies the freedom to style their hair without synthetic product build up, which can damage the hair causing weakness and loss of natural sheen. 

Moisturising botanical extracts with natural minerals add a glossy sheen. 

Veggie & Vegan friendly.

I say: This light weight anti-frizz serum has a lovely smell and when you pump it into your palm (very easy pump action on the bottle) out comes this shimmering glistening cream. It looks pearly and shiny, very pretty in fact, and it has this effect on your hair too! 
Having used this product over the holidays I always noticed a marked difference in my hair before and after application of this product. I'm often pretty lazy with my own hair styling and when it's looking a bit wild I just slick a bit of this finishing serum through the ends and stroke it though my hair and it feels sleek, does indeed look shinier and smells great.
At £4.99 it's a pretty great price for an all natural, ethically produced product that actually works!


So just a little more info on Naked Bodycare for those of you who haven't heard of them....

They make beauty products for body, hair and face, and don't use any harsh chemicals or nasties in their production - hence the '97% Natural'. (The other 3% are preservatives & emulsifiers to stop things going off and separating). 

These products are really pretty ethical, clean and skin & environmentally friendly. Here's why:

- They don't contain any parabens, petrochemicals, sodium laureth/lauryl  sulphate or phthalates, which can all be highly irritating, especially for dry, sensitive or eczema-prone skin.

- All their bottles are made from 50%-100% recycled plastic, and all their postage materials for online purchases are environmentally friendly recyclables.

- All products are made in the UK using as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. Other international ingredients and materials are sourced responsibly from sustainable and community-based sources.

- None of their products, nor any of the ingredients have been tested on animals.

As if all that was not enough their products are very reasonably priced, with no products over £8 in their online shop and most hovering around £3.99. Plus if you are buying online there is free postage on orders over £20.

If you're like me and you care what you put on your body and what goes down the drain, then these products fit the bill and what's more, are kind to your pocket!

Bridal Shoot, The Grange at St. Pauls

Happy New Year!

Well, it's been a good while since my last post, but after an amazing Christmas and New Year holiday, which included getting engaged to my darling man, I have lots and lots to write about!

I was lucky enough to get some lovely goodies in my stocking (!) and some of them I just have to rave about!

But first I wanted to share some images from the last bridal shoot I did in December, with photographer the lovely Mortiz Leonard, at amazing location - The Grange Hotel which is directly in front of St. Pauls. I think you'll agree the location made for some beautiful pictures :)