Monday Beauty, A Little Bit of a Round Up

These week I’m bringing a few of the best wedding beauty resources that I’ve found online.

 

Pinterest: One of the first things you’ll want to do is get a few ideas for hair and make up looks and Pinterest is your friend. Not only can you browse the images already saved there, but you can ‘pin’ your favourite images from other sites onto your own boards. It is still by invite only, but if you ask nicely I might be able to hook you up with one.

 

Beaut.ie: This beaut of an Irish website is a great resource for everyone. It has loads of reviews and advice and is more than a little amusing.

 

 

 

 

Lisa Eldridge: If you decide to do a Kate Middleton and do your own or your bridesmaids looks, or even just want to make sure your ‘day after’ look is perfect, then seek expert advice. Lisa is a professional make up artist who has done catwalk looks and worked for major magazines and movie stars. She also creates brilliantly helpful video tutorials.

 

The Beauty Department: Similar to Lisa, the Beauty Department is choc-full of beauty advice, easy-to-follow tutorials and inspiration. It’s run by a trio of gorgeous American girls, including Lauren Conrad and you’ll find lots of their images on Pinterest.

 

I’m sure that there are other great resources out there that I’m missing, what are your favourites?

Beauty Product Review – VO5 Miracle Concentrate

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaare you ready for the first OGW beauty review? Also known as ‘Sarah tries something out and tells you about it’? Yeah? Yeah. By the way, this was written late at night with limited sleep so it may be slightly disjointed with lots of  digressions. Bear with me.

Lets get this out here first: I am the not-so-proud possessor of  a frizzy wig of hair. There is lots of it and it’s all thick and coarse and wants to be curly but just can’t be bothered so it frizzes instead. GHD’s can only do so much and too much heat only makes it worse. So what’s a girl to do?

I’ve seen Moroccan oil mentioned quite a few places, but have never come across it in shops to get it. (Is it only sold in salons? Cause if so, that’s just a little too much effort for me) I saw VO5 Miracle Concentrate mentioned on Beaut.ie and, after pausing to read the buzz while standing in the middle of the aisle in Boots (the miracle of smart phones!) decided to invest my five bucks in it.

It comes in 50ml bottle with a little dropper in the lid. The instructions state to distribute 4-5 drops throughout the mid-lengths and ends of your towel-dried hair, but I probably used about half the dropper on mine. Beaut.ie report a fairly strong smell but I didn’t get much of a pong, although I have a crap sense of smell. I then blow-dried and straightened it.

That night, I noticed a bit of improvement in the overall look and feel of it, but it was really the next day that I realised the difference. It was so much softer and much less frizzy. It’s also straighter, which meant less time with heat products – bonus points.

I used it again tonight and didn’t blow dry it. It dried a little quicker than usual and is a lot sleeker already. I intend on straightening it and using a little along with the normal frizz-ease to tame any fly-aways. I’ll report back on how that goes.

Have you used VO5s Miracle Concentrate? Or Moroccan Oil? Or even pure argan oil? What did you think? What are your tips for taming crazy heads of hair?

Monday Beauty – The Brows Have It

Want to know the easiest and quickest way to get a mini-facelift? Get your eyebrows done! Badly shaped brows can really make you look haggard (just look at Cher Lloyd!) while unshaped brows can just look, well, ungroomed. Good brows give balance to your face and open up your eyes. Just take a look at this comparison of Liz Hurley when all they change is makeup, eyebrows and hair: http://pinterest.com/pin/60280536/ From plain jane to wowzers!

Although the fashionable brow shape has changed over the years and now seem to change depending on the season, it is important to try and stay natural on your wedding day. As with makeup, an overly trendy look will date easily. While bushy brows are big at the minute, they should still be tidy and groomed.

The best method of removal that I’ve found is threading. It’s relatively pain free and leaves the surrounding skin a little pink for only a few minutes – awesome if you don’t drive so have to face public transport straight afterwards! It also leaves an incredibly defined line and lasts about a week before you need to pluck new growth. It’s best to get them done a few days before your wedding day in case the threader goes a little bit overboard. This will also allow you to get used to the shape if it’s a new one to you.

Another positive with threading is that the only thing used is a thread, so it’s perfect for those who are allergic to waxing. It’s gaining popularity, both in Ireland and worldwide. So although your local salon might not offer it, most large towns will have somebody who offers threading.

On the day itself, your make up artist should neaten them up with an eyebrow pencil and a sweep of clear mascara. If you are doing your own make up, then do the same  but remember to tread lightly. You should just be filling in the blanks and securing the end product. The Beauty Department have this easy to follow tutorial up: http://thebeautydepartment.com/2011/07/brows-101/

Eric Savo – All Kinds of Beautiful

This week we are featuring the incredible Eric Savoie. When I first saw some of Eric’s work I was completely blown away and I actually made the boy look up from a match to tell him ‘this is the photographer I want.’ Can you imagine how delighted I was when I spoke to him and discovered that not only is he incredibly talented and passionate about his craft, but is also a nice guy? Ecstatic, I tell you. Now, there is a little bit of me that wants to not share him with you, to keep him to myself and shout ‘MY TOYS!’ but apparently that’s childish and not what I’m allowed to do.

Source: Eric Savoie