Body Care Favourites

Garnier Summer Body Light - Love this for maintaining or topping up a tan if I haven't got time to do a full fake tan; it doesn't smell like fake tan and the colour is very subtle. You can also use it as a gradual tanner without any existing tan but I prefer to just use it to top up as I can't see enough difference with this light one; when I repurchase I will definitely go for the darker one so I can use it on its own as well.
Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser in Honey - I rave about these, I know I do but I can't stress how good I think they are. It takes the hassle out of daily moisturising and I honestly wouldn't be without a bottle!

Caudalie Vine Body Butter - This smells amazing; it's luxurious and it sinks into your skin effortlessly. There's nothing worse than feeling all sticky when you've applied body cream but this doesn't leave you feeling like that. I love applying this after I've shaved my legs, oooh so smoothhhh... Nivea Q10 Firming Body Oil - In all honesty I've never really been one for body oils but with the promise of firmer skin and improved look of stretch marks I had to give this one a try. I've been using it on my stomach (where I have stretch marks and my skin has gone a bit weird and lost its elasticity) and also on my boobs (losing weight has taken its toll a bit on the girls, unfortunately). As daft as it sounds it's not a really oily oil; it actually absorbs really quickly and doesn't leave my skin feeling slippery or overly oily. I have noticed a difference in how supple my skin is and my stretch marks are looking more silver than red now which makes them less noticeable. I don't expect miracles because at the end of the day my skin is damaged (probably beyond full repair) but this has made my skin feel like it's regained some of its youthful feel. Full review of the Nivea Q10 range coming soon!

Why It's OK to use Face Wipes

Hands up if you've ever felt personally victimised as a face wipe user?

Face wipes, it would seem, are the root of all evil. Well I beg to differ. Although I'm not suggesting that you use face wipes as a regular cleansing method, I do believe there is a time and a place. I'm never without a packet of face wipes; they always have been and always will be a staple in my little collection of products. I've always liked Simple Face Wipes*, my mum used to buy them for me when I was younger and I've just always stuck to them, especially if they're on offer.

Face wipes are great for a number of situations when you don't have the time or inclination to do a full on hot cloth cleanse: on long haul flights when you don't have the facility to wash your face comfortably wipes are great for just refreshing your skin and making you feel a little more human before touching down. You can use them for wiping away any makeup mistakes or for touching up eye makeup during the day in the event of runny mascara or wandering eyeliner. I sometimes find that I want to apply a fresh full face of makeup half way through the day so I use wipes to give me a clean slate to apply a fresh base so I'm not applying makeup upon makeup.

Like I said, there's nothing better than a proper hot cloth cleanse at night to make sure you've got all the grime off your face from the day, but the notion that you shouldn't use face wipes at all is quite frankly ridiculous I think! 

What happens when you Give Blood in the UK

** There are photos of blood and needles in this post so if you're not into that then please don't read any further **

The main reason why I'm posting about this isn't because I want you all to tell me how wonderful I am for donating, it's actually because I want you all to know how easy and painless giving blood is. Before I donated I was so nervous because I was unsure of what was going to happen - I couldn't find any real life experiences online so I thought I'd add mine in the hope that it would encourage someone to register and give blood. I always said I would give blood ever since my auntie had some blood transfusions which I believed prolonged her life for a couple more weeks when she was really poorly before passing away. It's taken me 6 years to actually pluck up the courage to do it and now I wish I'd done it much sooner!! Basically, the first step is to register online and find out your nearest donation location. They will ask you a series of personal questions to make sure you are eligible to donate; you need to be in good health, you must not have had any piercings or tattoos in the last 12 months and there are also some pretty intimate questions which they ask about your sexual history (just to establish whether you have been at severe risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases). If you are eligible to donate then you will be able to make an appointment at your nearest location, it is possible to walk in to some places but it can mean waiting longer and you are not guaranteed to be able to donate. 

After registering online you will be sent some forms in the post which you must complete and take with you when you attend your donation session. Try and make sure you eat a substantial meal before you donate; they're all about reducing the risk of you feeling faint and this is one of the ways you can ensure you feel absolutely fine. Upon arrival at your session, you will be asked to sit down and drink a large glass of water or squash (this is said to reduce the likelihood of feeling faint afterwards) and you are asked to read the booklets you are given while you wait.

 You will then be called through to be asked more questions about your general health and the answers you put on your questionnaire which you were sent in the post. If all is well on that front then they prick your middle finger (which is literally just like a sharp pin prick) then squeeze some blood out of it to drop into a solution to test your iron levels. If the drop of blood sinks then you're good to go but if it doesn't sink you will have to have a further test to make sure your iron levels are high enough to donate.

My levels were absolutely fine and I was sent to another waiting area. After a couple of minutes I was called to the donating area, at this point you can have someone to sit with you if you want. They ask which arm you would prefer to have blood taken from; mine is always my right arm because I think the vein is better. Then you sit on a weird little recliner chair thing and a nurse comes to get you all set up, here's what happens:

- They put a cuff on the top of your arm and make it tight to restrict the blood flow to make your vein more visible, you may also be asked to squeeze your hand a few times.

- Once they've found the vein they will clean your arm thoroughly with an anti-septic wipe

- Then the nurse will inform you that the needle is going in; it is bigger than a blood test needle but honestly it is exactly like having a blood test; just a sharp scratch then once it's in it's completely painless.

- You lay like that for around 10-15 mins - however long it takes for the blood to be taken. In the meantime you might need to squeeze your hand just to help the flow of blood. They take just under a pint of blood which is monitored on the machine, it automatically stops when you get to the amount.

- Once the donation is complete the machine will beep, the nurse will come and take the needle out of your arm. Again, just a small scratch, I had my eyes tight shut and didn't even realise it was out until she said 'can you just apply some pressure on there' and showed me a bit of gauze on my arm.

- They will sit you up in the chair and ask you if you feel ok, then you can move on to arguably the best part of the experience...

You have to sit down for 10 minutes or so and have a cold drink of water or squash and a biscuit or a bag of crisps, you can also have a hot drink afterwards if you like. I felt absolutely fine after donating but the nurses really do look after you well both during and after donating, my nurse asked me several times during donation if I was feeling ok and if you don't feel too good then they can stop the donation at any time. Overall the whole experience was so rewarding and not scary in the slightest. I think it's the fear of the unknown that puts lots of people off; I'm a proper puff when it comes to pain and I will definitely be making an appointment for October. If you've been thinking about doing it and you are eligible please take this opportunity to register and do something truly amazing which will save lives!

IMATS London Show Coverage

 So it's all over for another year, I traveled down to London for the day on Saturday to go to my seconds IMATS. With over 50 exhibitors showcasing their products, offering discounts and several scheduled talks on each of the stages within Olympia, IMATS really is a haven for anyone who loves makeup. The exhibitors were very similar to last year with a few new ones popping up and a few old faces taking up a little more floor space. I met up with Laura, Gemma and Kat and spent the day with them (tip: if you want to be restrained with purchases at IMATS, do not meet up with other like-minded individuals, you spend a LOT more!).

  The view from the upper gallery; a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few minutes

So much colour at the Stargazer stand

Crown brushes were there on their usual large stand

NARS and Bobbi Brown had a fairly small stand in 2013 but because last years show was so successful they obviously decided to get a bigger pitch; this made it so much easier to browse the stands. NARS was offering a 30% discount and some really good value gift sets at £15 each, I noticed that Bobbi Brown were doing their popular Gel Eyeliner for a fraction of the normal price at just £9. As a whole I noticed the show was less crowded but as usual, the NYX queue was mental which for the life of me I cannot understand why! There were also some new faces there like Sugarpill and Violet Voss who were very popular with the neon & glitter fanatics in the room! 

The ladies from Cinema Makeup School working on their model.

This was one of the models which fascinated me the most, I genuinely couldn't work out what was real and what wasn't until the model opened their eyes! This amazing creation was by an artist from Arts University Bournmouth.

This is Zoe Newlove creating her superhero on the Crown Brush stand

The Charles Fox/Kryolan model in progress 

Terminator-esque model walking around the show

  I really enjoyed walking around the show and seeing all the different exhibitors, I still say that if I had the money I would take some kind of course in professional makeup application! I managed to catch the end of the Pablo Rodrigues talk on the main stage which was showing all the key runway trends for this coming autumn; he's a real inspiration to any makeup artist! If I went again I would try and plan my day a little better so I could cram in more of the speakers.

This year was actually quite different to 2013 in the fact that I could tell that the show was aimed more at makeup artists than last year. Last year I think it had become a little bit like a meeting place for YouTube fan girls (with the likes of Fleur de Force making an appearance and being hounded at the front door), whereas this year they upped the entry age to over 18s only and the speakers were aimed at those in the industry and for those seriously interested in makeup. I actually found that the feel of the show was much better because of this, even though the Saturday show was sold out it was much less crowded on the whole and it was just a lot more 'grown up'.

  Although the discounts didn't seem to be as good as last year, I could see how the show had changed for the better this year and I really hope they keep it the same for next year. As much as I love meeting other bloggers, it shouldn't be the main reason why you visit IMATS; it's primarily for makeup artists and I think they kind of lost sight of that a little last year.

Overall, I really enjoyed my second experience at IMATS. I know lots of you were disappointed when you couldn't get hold of Saturday tickets this year, so my advice would be to buy early next year if you really want to go (you usually get a discount if you buy before a certain date). I would also make sure you plan your day properly so you can make sure you don't miss out on any of the exciting speakers because at the end of the day IMATS isn't just an opportunity to shop till you drop, you also might learn something!