Summer Nail Trends

Do you love to change up your manicure? Here are the must-have shades and designs to try this summer:

·         Negative space nails art. This is a very cool new way of doing nail art combining colourful nail art with bare nails.

 

·         All White nails. This looks beautiful with a tan just the same way white clothes stand out on tanned skin. It is fresh and definitely summery.

 

·         Nude Nails. You can never beat a beautiful nude shade, choose the shade that suits your skin tone and you have nailed effortlessly chic.

 

·         Jet black nails. This is an unusual choice for summer nails but all variations of black nail designs were seen on catwalks this year.

 

·         Matte nails. This is great and easy way to be bang on trend. My favourite colour to go matte is black as it is incredibly elegant but still edgy.

 

·         Blue nails. Try any kind of blue for your nails from Royal Blue to pastel blue. You can paint the whole nail blue, do stripes or even just add an accent of the colour.

 

·         Embellished nails. Try 3D embellishments on your nails and create a statement. Embellishments can go from small and discreet to big and bold, it is up to you.

 

·         Striped nails. These can be anything from a minimalist single stripe to multiple monochrome stripes.

 

Now the only question is which one will you try first?

Love Fiona

xxxx

Beauty Oils

With so many complex skincare products out there, sometimes it is nice to strip skincare back to the basics. Oils are great as they are pure and absorb quickly into the skin delivering their beauty benefits quickly. They can be used on their own or for some added luxury use them as bases and try mixing them with essential oils to create your own unique scent. Here are some of my favourite oils that are easily accessible:

Coconut Oil: This is my favourite I use it for all kinds of things. It is great for hydrating skin and hair with the added bonus of smelling like holidays. I use this as a hair and face mask when my skin needs an added boost of moisture. Coconut oil is full of protein, vitamin e and fatty acids.

Olive Oil: This is also moisturising and is great for dry skin conditions such as eczema. It is packed full of vitamins A and E which are anti-aging, as they help stimulate the skin to repair and renew itself.

Sesame seed oil: This oil is great if you have any form of skin irritations such as sunburn as it has been known as a healing oil for hundreds of years.

Fiona

xxx

Holiday Countdown

Summer Holidays are just around the corner and despite the rain it is time to start thinking about getting beach ready. Here is a holiday countdown to get your skin in tip top condition for your holiday.

In the month before you fly start to exfoliate and moisturise religiously:

·         Exfoliate: Start using a body scrub a couple of times a week to get rid of any dead skin cells that can leave your skin looking dull. Scrubing your skin regularlyl eaves it smooth and super soft.

·         Moisturise: Moisturise your whole body on a daily basis to nourish your skin. If your skin is very dry then try a body oil for extra hydration.

In the week before you fly do the finishing touches:

·         De-Fuzz: Book your leg and bikini wax for 2-3 days before you fly on your holiday. This gives your skin a couple of days to calm down before you get in to your bikini

·         Mani-pedi: Give yourself a bright mani-pedi. Exfoliate your feet using a pumice stone to get rid of any dry cracked heels. Then finish them with a hot summery colour. Go for matching fingernails in a colour that will accentuate your tan.

·         Tan: If you like to get a pre-holiday tan, start with a gradual tanner in the week or two before you go on holiday.

Fiona
xxx

Argan Oil!

I love Argan oil for my skin and my hair. My mum is the first person who introduced me to this product after being given a sample from her hairdresser. It smells gorgeous and is really hydrating. It has been used in Morocco for centuries but has now found its way into the celebrity world and they love it!
The benefits of Argan oil on hair are:

• It is nourishing and puts vitality and shine back into tired hair

• It smells amazing

• Protects hair from heat styling

• Reduces frizz

When looking for Argan oil you can either search for the concentrated organic argan oil which can be added into your daily hair care regime or it can also be found in small amounts in hair care products such as the Morrocan Oil range. My favourite product to use is Argan Secret Shine Mist which is an argan oil infused conditioning, gloss spray. I spray this product on to damp hair to hydrate and give my hair a healthy shine. This is a particularly useful product to take on holiday.
Argan oil can also be used on your skin. The benefits of Argan oil for your skin (including your face):

• It is hydrating but lightweight so will sink easily into the skin making it glow

• It is suitable for all skin types

• It can help skin conditions such as eczema and acne

Let me know what you think?

Love Fiona
xxx

Holiday Essentials

Are you going away this summer and not sure what beauty products to pack? Here are a few of my essentials that I take on every beach holiday and will definitely be going this year:

• A protective primer. I love Bobbi Brown SPF 50 protective face base. This has an SPF 50 in to protect my face all day in the sun and creates a perfect base for makeup. It also keeps skin hydrated all day long.

• A bright lipstick. My favourite brand is Ilamasqua lipsticks as they have great staying power and come in a variety of bright colours. Bright lips look great with a paired back face. An easy way to go from poolside to cocktails.

• A lightweight complexion perfector. This is when you want to cover any blemishes and still give that flawless finish without putting a heavy foundation on. Opt for a CC or a BB cream. My favourite is The Big Easy by Benefit that also adapts to your changing skin colour as your tan develops. Perfect! It is lightweight and lets the skin breathe whilst helping you look great.

• Waterproof Mascara. I use Maxfactor Clump Defy Water Resistant Volumising Mascara. No need to worry about black smears down your face with this mascara. It is not clumpy at all and leaves you with gorgeous long, voluminous eyelashes.

What is your must have holiday beauty essential?

Love Fiona
xxx

Easy Party Eyes

For most formal events or proms I usually get asked to emphasise the eyes and then keep the rest of the face quite natural. So here is my guide to a very, easy party look that will bring the focus to your eyes.

•    Choose a Kohl pencil eyeliner, try a Navy or Aubergine depending on your eye colour. Wiggle the pencil along the top lash, flicking slightly out at the end. This doesn’t have to be neat and the line can be as thick or thin as you like.

•    Using a cotton bud smudge out your line. Then I use a smokey, grey eyeshadow and smudge the line up and out a little bit. Blend the edges of the grey shadow with a beige eyeshadow. You want to get rid of any hard lines. The colour wants to be darkest at the lash line then softening out as you go up the lid.

•    Take a gel liner in the same colour as your original liner and draw a thin line along the lash line to create a bit more definition.

•    Smudge the grey eye shadow along the bottom lash line, again to add definition.

•    Highlight the inner corner of the eye and under the brow with a silver or gold shimmer eye shadow.

•    Curl the eyelashes and add mascara and/or fake eyelashes

•    Keep the rest of the makeup simple with a bit of bronzer and pink gloss on your lips.


Have a great party.

Love Fiona xx

Perfect for prom

If you are planning on doing your own makeup for your prom, here are my top tips to make sure things go smoothly and you look your best all night long:

1. Do a practice run. This is particularly important if you are trying a new look out for the first time.

2. Leave yourself enough time. As you have done a practice, you should have a rough idea of how long your makeup should take on the night. Make sure you give yourself enough time this prevents you rushing and getting flustered, leading to a hot, red face.

3. Curl your lashes and false lashes.  Before you put mascara on use eyelash curlers and press gently along the lashes, holding for 10s. Curling your natural eyelashes opens up your eyes. If you have decided to wear false eyelashes make sure you also curl them, as it makes them easier to apply. Make sure you measure your false lashes leaving a couple of mm gap at each end.  Make sure you allow the eyelash glue to go sticky before you apply the lashes as close to the lash line as possible. Try using tweezers for a more precise application.

4. Finish your look with a fixing spray. This makes sure you can dance the night through and still look great at the finish. My favourite fixing spray is MAC  Fix+, £12.

5. Touch up. Take a spare lash glue and lippie to touch up during the night if needed.

Have a great night.

Love Fiona
xx