Getting started series #7 Highlighter

Aloha beauty addicts and explorers!

Today we shall be visiting all things shimmery and luminous (both with and without glitter depending on your preference…the name of the blog likely gives away my own preferences). Now, although I am hardly an exponent of subtle make-up - and harbour a glitter fetish to rival that of almost any drag queen living, I must confess for skin (and cheeks) I prefer the dewy, gleaming subtle finish of a highlighter which doesn't contain glitter. 

I don't even like an overly frosty highlighter, however as your intrepid beauty explorer I will try to guide you through the Seven* Steps of Make-up Disco Heaven…

- Step 1 "I'm So Excited" - this is a subtle, are-you-really-sure-you've-got-something-on, kind of highlight. I achieve this through using a light and slightly peachy toned concealer e.g. Illamasqua Skin Base Lift or YSL Touche Eclat - per Item #3 Concealer. 

- Step 2 "Rock the Boat" - here, we step into some gleam, but definitely no glitter, and a subtle lightening effect across your cheekbones, nose etc - e.g. No7 Instant Radiance chubby cheek crayon (2x shades) or you can use a subtle finishing powder with some radiance properties.

- Step 3 "Get Down Tonight" - on this little step up to discovering our total inner disco diva we've retained some subtlety as to overall effect but have stepped towards the light which is glitter, here I like something like Bourjois Poudre de Riz (limited edition).

- Step 4 "I Feel Love" - this offers a more pronounced glimmer but we're back off the glitter. Generally I find that liquid products such as NARS highlighter (assuming you don't opt for the glitter Super Orgasm variant) or BeneFit HighBeam work well here - we're after clear pearlescence here but no standalone glitter particles. 

- Step 5 "Hot Stuff" - for a more intense version of Step 3 you can use a light eyeshadow to precision highlight (whether you have a s**t ton of glitter raining down on your face will, I guess therefore depend on your brand of choice - Bourjois or Urban Decay….wow Nelly!).

- Step 6 "That's the Way (uh-huh uh-huh) I Like It" - Upping our glimmer quotient I'd head to the serious powder highlighters - we're talking packed full of pigment with a danger of making you look like the Tin Man if applied incorrectly (translation: my favourite products - to be fair you can get a subtle result with a light hand and a fan brush) e.g. Bobbi Brown shimmer brick - see also the Body Shop's high street dupe version - or MAC mineralise skinfinish powders. 

- Step 7 "I [Disco] Will Survive" - The ultimate in disco highlight - some Vaseline (or similar) and actual glitter. Why the eff not, eh? Naturally this should be reserved for Halloween, fancy dress parties and gay bars, but let's face it what girl doesn't want to re-live the '90s with some iridescent purple / blue / white glitter adhered to the high planes of her face? 

Live it, love it, own it - or as this clever lady has done, use it to replace under eye concealer (cunning)…

For a daytime subtle look a further trick I employ is to apply my blush over my highlight - it can tone down any excess frostiness from heavy handed applications or as you learn and gives a "glowing from within" finish to a matte blush.

Enjoy playing chick-a-dees, and remember as Dolly says "I enjoy the way I look, but it's a joke"

'Til next time, love, bubbles and happy kittens

xx Josephine xx

{*} Note: I have a slight confession here, I just wanted there to be seven steps to the disco heaven which was pure glitter cheekbones. In all honesty I'm not sure I believe that Step 5 should exist - the technique does however, just not sure it stands alone from Step 3. Pray forgive me reader, I couldn't have an even number of steps plus seven rhymes with heaven?!?!

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Getting started series #6 Mascara

Good morrow, Beauty Addicts and Explorers

Today is a day I've kind of been dreading. I think that mascara seems to be one of those things which just ends up so differently from person to person. For me, I've got almost poker straight eyelashes, but there's quite a few of them and they're long - so I'm always questing after volume and curl. I know for others it's going to be length which they're after most of all, so apologies if I'm not as complete as I should be, but please leave your HG / recommendations in the comments below and let's start the debate!!!

My favourites are:

- L'Oreal Volume Collagene (left)

- YSL Effet Faux Cils (courtes of a very generous Santa Friend last year!)

- Mally volumising mascara (from www.qvcuk.com)

- Diorshow

- 2000 Calories from MaxFactor

Note: I have a personal dislike for silicone type wands, preferring huge bristled wands instead. L'Oreal do have certain versions of Volume Collagen with silicone wands - which are also oversized as with the rest of the range's applicators. I'm sorry for the incompleteness of this posting for those amongst you who are silicone wand fans, but I've never gotten along with one of them and I didn't want to include them in the fails purely on that basis.

I have tried and did not get on with:

No7 Lash Impact (red sparkly tube - right) - amazing write-ups, bought on the strength of reviews only to be underwhelmed by a wet product that didn't really seem volume focused. 

Jemma Kidd mascara - again, too wet which didn't lend itself to volume boosting in the way I'm accustomed to!

L'Oreal telescopic - I think you'll pick up a theme to those I don't enjoy using!

Maybelline Collosal - Too. Wet!

For me, the L'Oreal Volume Collagen only marginally pips the YSL to the post because it's so much cheaper and doesn't tend to dry out so quickly - however it is harder to remove than the YSL (as in, total pain in the touckas even after Bioderma applied with a cotton bud). 

If you can afford it, mascara is one of those things which I think really does perform better when you spend a little more on it but I think the list above really shows that there are some great options available on the High Street. Do bear in mind (before falling in love with a  super expensive version) that mascara should be replaced ideally every 3 months or so - but on the other hand £20 for 90 days of luscious lashes may not seem too high a price to pay ;)

Much love and lash boosting fun 'til next time kitty cats,

xx Josephine xx

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Getting started series #3 Concealer

Oh hai there, my lil' Beauty Addicts and Explorers alike

Today's letter is C and the word is CONCEALER! Definitely a must have in any gal or guy's beauty arsenal - certainly on a Sunday which can tend to be the morning after the night before for most of us. However, this is the step in my painting which I struggle with the most. 

What do I need to buy to get me some photoshopped, drag queen, modelista, diva perfection realness under dem eyes?! 

I've been using concealer ever since the Rimmel spot zapping version I first got in my local chemist's at age 10 (early developer in many ways - the worse of which was the Pizza Face spotty forehead department). Thankfully I've managed to move on a little from the slightly too dark / too orange / not blended enough version of concealing of 1994 :)

I do really believe that concealer is something which gets better as you spend a little more money on it - both in terms of the shades available, the undertones included and the lasting power. But that's not to say there aren't some wonderful little finds on the High Street which I've also included here for your perusal ;)

There are four basic formulations which I use, each for different things:

- Mineral - great for blemish concealing - I've only used Bare Minerals, great but the shade selection is a bit dire. Pale girls take note, you will be told to buy Bisque. RESIST THIS. I guarantee you, if you are not the soft pink colour of a marshmallow, summer bisque will be a better match. Also - note that Well Rested is not a concealer. 

- Cream (left) - high coverage needs e.g. redness or BAAAD eye bags / shadows - Bobbi Brown and Eve Pearl do great salmon-undertones correctors, but use sparingly as they crease. Becca and Laura Mercier have duo pots (medium and high coverage) but I've not tried the LM as yet.

- Liquid (right) - for me, everyday under eye and some highlighting - I love MAC's Moisturecover and Bourjois Healthy FX - maybe slightly too yellow for me. Rimmel's Wake Me Up concealer is nice, but lighter coverage and there's a Collection (formerly Collection 2000) version which is super dooper according to the 'Net.

- Illuminating pens - I use these more for highlighting than coverage - YSL's Touche Eclat is the ultimate, Liz Earle does a nice version and Well Rested by Bare Minerals is a powder version of the same. No7 and L'Oreal do some nice High Street versions you can play with too - watch the pinkness in the L'Oreal version.

My current HG concealer is Illamasqua's Skin Base Lift (Light 1 for me - left ) which can help with highlighting and concealing. Love, love, LOVE this baby! 

This has been comprehensive, but as I mentioned I do think getting the right concealer is something worth working at, given the wonders it can then do for your face. Hopefully it's been a little helpful…good luck with your search - let me know if the above has been helpful, or if I've missed off your HG, in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading, love til next time kitty cats

xx Josephine xx

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Twitter: @JojoSparklesNI

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