Soft Smoky Look

Hey guys, I just wanted to share a look I did the other day that I really liked. I've already posted it on MUG but I wanted to post it here as well. Thanks for looking!

Face

Revlon Photoready in 003 Shell

Palladio Rice Powder in Translucent

Physicians Formula Glow Pearls in Beige Pearl

Eyes

TFSI

NYX in Vanilla Shimmer (lid)

The She Space in Into The Smoke (Outer lid + crease)

Cover Girl Lash Blast

Eyebrows- ELF Eyebrow kit in Medium

Lips- not sure sorry

Skin Products I use

This post is continuing on from my skin care routine, which is here. Here is mostly all of the products I had mentioned with a short description & opinion on each one. I hope it is helpful to someone :)

Bio Oil
Now I'm sure mostly everyone has heard of this. It retails for about AU$15 for 60ml. Since this post is long enough i won't go into detail about it but they say its good for scars; stretch marks; uneven skin tone; Aging skin; & dehydrated skin, and it doesn't take long to absorb. Feels great on my skin!! I've been using it for about 10 months, 2x daily & I've noticed a small difference with my acne scarring.




Bellaboo EZ Blitz serum
  50ml for AU$16
This is a serum which i use 2x daily. I really like this, it feels nice on my skin and really is calming towards my pimples. Plus I find it is moisturizing. Bellaboo products are aimed towards teenagers and everything is chemical free. This is the only product I've tried from them so far & i would probably buy this again.







Xquisit Organics Eye Dew
This is Western Australian made so it would probably be very hard to find elsewhere, but i love this!! My eye area is very dry and this is perfect. They say its good for dry/mature/sensitive skin. This is their description on their website;Xquist Organics

"Rich in anti oxidants, just a small amount of this rich yet lightly textured eye cream, patted around the eye area, will help smooth and slow the formation of new lines. It incorporates certified organic rosehip oil to improve hydration and tone, while green tea extract reduces swelling. Cucumber cools and binds moisture to the skin, promoting natural elasticity and firmness. The slightest touch of lavender oil aids in the reduction of dark circles and improves circulation. Beneficial as an intense face treatment after sun exposure. Apply morning and night."
I have to completely agree with this. Now it isn't cheap, AU$35 for 25ml but i have used it daily for about 4 months & i still have 3/4 left.


Formula 10.0.06
For oily skin this would be perfect as it contains Aloe Vera + bamboo; the aloe vera helps to soften the skin & the bamboo extract absorbs excess oil. It is not the right one for me but because I use the bio-oil beforehand which adds moisture to my face, This does not dry out my face.

 The Body Shop Vitamin E Mist
I loove this! It gives me extra moisture after my moisturizer and is also good for setting makeup. I've noticed that it doesn't last allll day but it helps to keep a nice dewy finish, which is what I like. It is AU$23.95 for 100ml & has lasted me about 5 months so far, I've used about 3/4 of it.

Biore Warming Anti-blackhead Cream Cleanser.
To use this, you must first wash your face leaving it wet & dry your hands, & apply this to your face. I find this gives a nice heat sensation, even though it only lasts for a few seconds when it first comes into contact with your skin. I've noticed a big improvement with blackheads & I also use it to open up my pores. It is AU$10.75 for 177grams and i recommend it for those with annoying blackheads.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleanser, about AU$14 for 200g
This feels creamy & nourishing on my skin, but I don't feel like this has helped clear up my skin fully, although it has helped to clear up some existing blemishes. After this my skin feels a bit tight & dry since it contains no oil. I don't think I'll buy again, i'm still trying to find the perfect cleanser for my skin type.







Avon Solutions p.m maximum moisture.. about AU$12.99 for 50g
I don't think this gives me the extra moisture that I need for the night, maybe I don't apply enough & its not too thick. It does feel good straight after I've applied it though, but I probably wouldn't buy it again because I still want to look for other night creams out there that are more moisturizing.

Face Routine {Skin Care}

So I don't have the best of skin but I do try to take care of it. Before I got into taking care of my skin I never identified my skin type, so I was always using just whatever. Now my skin is dry but I don't know if that's from washing it twice a day (which I have stopped because I realized I didn't need to). I probably should have gone to see a derm. Anyway my skin is dry & acne prone. & just in case you're interested here is what i use!

Morning
In the morning I just splash with cold water. I apply Bio-Oil all over- this is great for dehydrated skin!! I use it for my red spots as well. Then I apply a Belloboo E Z Blitz Serum to the active pimples. Sometimes I use Clearasil pimple clearing cream to keep my skin "at its toes"[so my skin doesn't create a tolerance to one product] (lol). For day cream I'm trying to use up a moisturizer i got as a gift. It is Formula 10.0.06 Seriously Shine Free {description below} Since I have dry skin it is not ideal for me but it still keeps my skin moisturized. For eyes I use XquisitOrganics Eye Dew. Then i spray with rose water/The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist.

Night
I remove my makeup with Simple Face Wipes, & my eye makeup with Extra Virgin Olive Oil-it removes makeup really well and conditions the eye lashes, while being moisturizing for the eyes as well. I wet my face with warm water & use Biore warming anti-blackhead cream cleanser on my nose & all over to open up my pores. Then i use Neutrogena deep clean cream cleanser all over. After that i apply my bio-oil then Avon Solutions p.m maximum moisture. & lastly my night pimple cream which is currently Avon clear skin night care cream for acne-prone skin. The one i have is realllly old so i don't even know if it is still around but I'm just using it up. Or sometimes i spot treat with a mud mask & leave it on over night.

Ok that's that i hope it wasn't too boring but please read my next post for the product list since this will probably be too long.

First Post!!

I want to start with a small introduction;
I'm Ashleigh [Call me Ashii =)] I'm 19 from Australia and I love all things to do with beauty!! I am not a professional MUA but i would love to be someday! Makeup is my main interest but I am also interested in hair, and I'm learning how to take care of my skin.

Please be patient while I get this thing started.... I used to blog ages ago but forgot pretty much everything =/. I'm not the most grammatically correct or best writer so bare with me on that part!

I will be posting about my purchases, different tips that i have learnt over the past year or so & different looks that i have done!! 

thanks for reading <33

Removing Facial Hair for Women of Color

Hair Removal can be a tricky thing, especially facial hair removal for black women. There are alot of hair removal products out there, but none designed for black women.... there may be a few posers who say their products are for all hair and skin types, but they're lying, lol-- you people can't fool us. Anyway, I digress....

One of my close friends gets hairs on her neck, a few on her chin, and she has semi-thick sideburns. She's absolutely gorgeous, but she really hates the extra hairs, she's always like "why me!?!" lol. She found out that she got the neck/chin hair issue from her grandmother (though her mom and aunt have absolutely no hair on their face or legs for that matter-- crazy huh, lol) and she got the sideburns from her dad who has a full very think beard even in his old age. Very unlucky stuff.

When she was younger she would just shave the hair on her neck-- bad decision because more hair ended up growing back and it was thicker. She didn't know what else to do so she kept this up. After a few years, she stopped shaving and began using the mini-scissors you find in a manicure set to cut her hairs. She's tried self-waxing, but it didn't always work sufficiently and she's tried Nair, but it burned her skin, so for the past 5-6 years she's just been using the mini-scissors with the occasional shaving (maybe once a year, though she knows it is very bad).

She's fed up with the arduous and consuming task of sitting in front of the mirror with tiny scissors clipping her hairs, she doesn't want to have to spend $20 weekly at the salon to get the hair removed, and she doesn't have the funds to get it surgically removed yet (laser hair removal)... so we've discussed some things, researched some things, and have came up with some possible solutions that she will be trying over the next few weeks-- and I'll report back with the verdict.

Just in case some of you want to follow along and try too, here's what we're going to purchase:

1. Facial Hair Removal Threading Tool

Alot of women are swearing by this little gadget, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that works. The price is slim and it was featured in Oprah Magazine.

R.E.M Spring Facial Hair Removal Tool

other versions of the same tool:

- Bellabe Hair Removal Tool

- Epicare Hair Removal Tool

- Facial Hair Threading Tool

2. Brazilian Bikini Wax Kit

I don't know what it is, but alot of women with thick dark curly/coarse body hair recommend using brazilian wax kits for facial hair. I'm thinking these may work well because Brazilian waxing kit would be designed for the most sensitive area or your body-- which is, well, down there so it should definitely work on your face.

Gigi Brazilian Bikini Wax Microwave Kit

Surgi-Wax Brazilian Waxing Kit

3. Creme Hair Removers

There are many types of creme hair removers, but she has only used Nair. So we'll have a stab at using Surgi-Creme Hair Remover for Face. There's a lot of youtubers swearing by it, though some say it may burn a bit.

4. Epilator

Epilators are basically mega tweezers. It's a both of little tweezers in a row and mimics the look of a shaver. My friend who will be using all these products, I will probably use them to, is not a tweezer-- neither am I. And from the reviews of most epilators, they are quite painful two tweezing virgins. The key to epilating is getting one that really does work and the Braun 5270 Silk-épil X'elle Body System Epilator has gotten quite a few great reviews.

Remove dark spots from shaving/tweezing/waxing/bumps:

I'm always against any type of skin-lightening agent, dark skin is absolutely gorgeous and is literally made for the sun meaning it was made for God and in his exact image. But I know that if you have dark scars or dark bumps then you will want to remove them. Alot of women and men from different ethnicities say that Ambi's Fade Creme really does just lighten your dark spots. So removing unwanted hairs from your neck or face then try using Ambi Skincare Fade Creme to clear up the dark spots that you may have acquired overtime.

Check out all the items Here.

So we'll be ordering a few of these products today and will come back with reviews soon. Feel free to try them out as well and leave reviews.

Product Review: Organic Root Stimulator's Olive Oil Deep Penetrating Conditioner

Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Olive Oil Deep Penetrating Conditioner.

This stuff, this stuff right here? Yeah, this stuff right here is Great, lol. It smells absolutely delectable and makes your hair feel like silk. This a very important conditioner to put in your hair after a relaxer or shampoo. And this a good conditioner to use if you just want to condition your hair only.

The ORS replenishing paks are relatively inexpensive costing between .79-1.59 depending on where you go (usually .99 cents or $1.49). If you just want to try it out or are going out of town then just get a pak, otherwise it's smarter to buy the big bottle.

Product Review: Nairobi Essential Botanical Oils

Alrighty guys, so I've been mixing my own "secret" batch of hair oil for the past few months: 1/2 extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 pure coconut oil. I would put this in my hair almost daily and add the mix to my conditioners, as well as put it on my hair before my little semi perms.

The drawback of putting my "Olive Coco" mix in my hair before going to bed or throughout the day is that little bumps would begin to show up on the tops of my forehead. That is a no-no.

So, I went to the beauty supply store to find a new oil (I hate going in these places by the way, I wish SO bad they were colored-american (black) owned).

And I saw one bottle of Nairobi Essential Botanical Oils left. So, I scooped it up! (It was between this and the Kemi Oil).

And y'all-- this stuff is great so far. Not only is it very light-weight, it has a very pleasant smell, and has the BEST ingredients of any designer oil I've used (compared to keracare, mizani, etc).

Ingredients: sunflower oil, peanut oil, canola oil, coconut oil, aloe vera oil, olive oil, almond oil, sesame oil, jojoba oil, and fragrance.

Now, that's really are a list of Essential oils.

Size: 4 fl.oz

Cost: $11.99

I loooove this stuff. And this will be my go-to oil for now until forever, lol. Why? Because it has all the natural oils in it that I was self-mixing, plus more. Yeah, I could easily make this myself and have more of it, but I don't want to be bothered buying 9 different types of oil (not right now atleast).

Be sure to give this a try and tell me what you think :-)