I got 99 problems but a stitch ain't one..

I thought I'd do something different and give you a tour around "my" sewing machine.

There isn't a photo of the whole machine because the area is a mess and I haven't gotten around to tidying it up.

I was about 22 when I realised that the machines I grew up with weren't standard household sewing machines, they were industrial machines.   If someone hadn't told me this, I would probably still think that industrial sized machines were household ones.  I now know that the "small machine" we have is the household size one.

When I was younger, I used to love looking at this little window because if it was empty, that mean it was time to top the oil up.  Those of you with eyes will realise that a refueling is needed.

My aunt got her finger stuck under here when I was younger:

This machine is older than I am.

When I was a baby, my whole family lived in the same house and my mum, grandmother and aunts used to sew clothes for the High Street shops and thus had about 5 industrial sized machines between them.  As the girlies got married, they each took one with them..

Not one to be left behind, I was always faffing around and playing with buttons and stuff so my grandmother gave me this box which I cherished.

This was my favourite button as a child and I remember getting a right telling off when I punched my brother because I thought he stole it.  It later turned up under my pillow.

Here's some of the stuff I've made recently:

Is anyone else into sewing? I quite like it because you can knock up stuff that nobody else has and people are always quite impressed when I tell them that I made something myself from scratch (they don't need to know that my mum did the confusing bits!)

Ruby and Millie i-Define brush

I remember the first ever blending brush I bought, it was a Ruby and Millie dealy which I bought with my Boots voucher.

It was pretty good for a noob like me so I decided to buy more of their brushes..

Then I came across their liner brush which (I thought) would be heaven for those who had abandoned any hope of ever being able to use liquid liner properly.

This brush was the biggest disappointment ever and this is why:

Don't waste your money/Boots voucher on this.

It didn't work from the off. 

I thought it might be a dodgy one but I know a few people who have this and they have said the same.  I used it with a Stila smudgepot, a Bobbi Brown gel liner and various powder liners, in all instances all I got was a scraggly line.  Nothing like the smooth application that it boasted.  I thought washing it might help but it didn't do anything.  I've still got it in my brush collection but it's languishing at the back. 

However, their i-Liner brush is very good. I used it to do this look and it works brilliantly when you're using a dark shadow as a liner on either your eyelid or to set the pencil on your waterline.  The only issue I have with that brush is that it's a bit long..you need to hold it at an angle but it picks up a nice amount of colour and for 50p, you can't ask for more.

Budget Friendly Eye Roll-On Courtesy of Tesco

Tesco have decided that they want a piece of the "eye roll on" pie and have come out with their very own version.

The new contender to the crown currently held by Garnier is Tesco's Derma Intensive Eye Revival Roll On.

I was sent this a while ago and I've given it a fair whack.

In all fairness, it's not that great..

One problem I had with my Garnier roll on was that if I used it after my moisturiser, it would mix with the moisturiser and turn a bit creamy so I was hoping this would be different.

It was, but not in a good way.

The liquid is a bit reluctant to come out and you have to roll it on the back of your hand a fair few times to get some liquid to the top.

I tried shaking it in the hope it would wake the liquid up..it didn't work.

It also hurt me a few times, I can't explain how exactly but it was painful to apply, maybe because you had to push harder to get some liquid out.

You know when boxers are in their corners being tended to between rounds and they have that lump of metal put on their swollen bits? (Above the belt, get your minds out of the gutter!)

I thought it would have the same cooling effect (not that they use it for cooling of course) but it did sting me slightly.

I gave it to someone else to use for a while and they felt they had to drag it under the eye which kind of negates the purpose of a roll on.

I also used it when my eye area was more moisturised, it didn't hurt but I still feel it didn't really cool or add any moisture to my eye area.

When I apply an eye roll on I want it to be immediately cooling...this doesn't have the same cooling "zing" that you get with Garnier.  I kept it in the fridge and it was still lacking.

I think I'll stick to my Garnier roll on in the future, sorry Tesco!

EOTD: I think I've got it

Look what I managed to create:

Another shot which is exactly the same, I'm showing off.

It's a bit messy around the edges here but I would clean it up if I was going out.

What I used:

How to:

• Whack the concealer over your lid.  Blend it with a standard blender brush, I used my Boots one.
• Apply the lid shade and blend until you can't blend anymore.
• Dab the MAC brush in the crease shade and apply to the outer crease. Blend until it's nicely blended out.
• Apply mascara.
• Tidy up the edges, I took the photos before doing this.  I'd just tidy up the outer edge as it goes out a bit too far as you can see in the side profile pic.

My Summer Face Essentials

It's hot..hotter than we are used to in England.

I have normal/combo skin which means that heat and me don't mix.

This is what I'm using to keep my skin from looking a hot greasy mess and it's working brilliantly.

Surprised that you don't see a primer? So was I.

I used a primer when I went to the Body Shop bloggers event and it really highlighted dry patches that I didn't know I had.  Since that day, I've just been using my foundation alone and it's served me well.

The toner is one of my saving graces, I just whack it on..wait for it dry, put my moisturiser on, let it sink in and then apply my foundation.  It stays put all day, doesn't apply in a streaky manner and gives me a dewy finish without making me greasy.  The eye roll on is there simply to provide extra moisture as the air conditioning at work has a habit of drying my eyes out.

Do YOU know how to use a cleansing wipe?

I was taking some eye makeup off the other day and saw this, it made me giggle a bit.

Who'd have thunk it?  What would you do if those directions weren't there? It's pretty difficult to take them all out at the same time.  Would you squeeze the liquid from them and apply it to your eyes?

I'm glad I was on hand to help you learn how to properly use a cleansing wipe.

This time next week, how to properly apply lipstick, you know you have to remove the lid first?

The Swatch Files: L'oreal Color Minerals Eyeshadow Shade 3 Desert Shimmer

This is one of my daily shadows, the packaging is a bit fiddly but ho hum.

2true Cover 'n' Conceal concealer: UDPP on a budget

This has featured on a lot of my EOTD posts recently and I have had some people ask my why I'm using it instead of UDPP or my Jemma Kidd primer.

The short answer is because it's brilliant.

You'd be right to wonder why someone of my skintone would buy something which was clearly not going to match.

Well, my mum wanted a new concealer so she picked up this and the liquid version.  Her skin is far lighter than mine.  Her third item was a nail polish which we were also impressed with.

Anyway, my mum liked the liquid one more so this one was sitting there unloved and I decided to liberate it.

I thought I'd try out the old "concealer as an eyeshadow base/primer" adage and this held up very well.

It looks yellow when I put it on my lids, I know there is no way in hell it will match the colour on my lids but after blending it out a bit, it's perfect base shade.

You need to let it dry properly as it can be a bit sticky if you don't.  You also get a bit of tack if you put too much on but it's easy to estimate how much you need.

I'm not impressed with it being called "dark" though, I can't think of a single brown or black girl who could use this (successfully) as a concealer.

This really delivers as a primer as it keeps my eyeshadow on all day long and doesn't get in the way of blending at all.  I found that UDPP sometimes made my shadow look chalky and would change the colour but this doesn't do that.

I can't figure out what the single best thing about this is, how little you need or how cheap it is.

It cost me a bit less than £2 and Superdrug have always had it in stock whenever I've been in.

I'd fully recommend this to anyone who is looking for a cheaper version of UDPP as it really works for me, it lasts an age (both usage wise and on the lids) and it's cheap.

I've been using mine pretty much non stop and it only looks like I've used it once or twice.

EOTD: Late for an Indian party

We had a wedding to attend recently and we couldn't make it, I can't remeber why but either Simon was hungover or somthing else which was entirely his fault.

The married couple had a party a few weeks later and we managed to get our acts together.


As is the norm in our flat, we were running late.

In between an exchange of many cross words, I managed to chuck whatever I could on my eyes and run out the door...I should point out that I was wearing clothes to boot.

These photos are from when we got home.

I was going to do a carefully crafted turquoise pencil on top of liquid liner winged look but I  had no time to faff so I ended up with this.  Tis a shame I have no open eyed photo as the lower lid was lined with one of my favourite eye pencils.

I am wearing no mascra as I quite liked how sparkly my lashes looked with shadow fallout on them.

Here is what I used:

The concealer is fast becoming one of my favourite items, so much so that I'm going to do a review on it very soon.  The baked shadows are ok, they have a hard time showing up on my skintone but they're alright if you use a base.

The Swatch Files: The Body Shop's Baked to Last Bronzers

Here we go..

They both look pretty WOC friendly which is good, I find a lot of bronzers are hit and miss as some leave you just glittery and others are too light and leave you looking greasy.

The marbling!

The bit you've been waiting for..

They go on smooth and are very pigmented so if you're feeling brave, you could use them as an eyeshadow.  A very light hand is needed to apply them to Indian skin so if your skin is lighter, be even more cautious.

Glit-tastic but not in an obvious way.  I've been wearing Warm Glow to work and it doesn't look out of place.

The Backup Plan

Backups.

What do you guys do about them?

When you find something you like/works for you, do you rush out and buy backups or do you try something different?

Bitter experience has taught me that when you see something you like and it's been reduced, pick up two!

That, however, is a double edged sword as my old HG shampoo has stopped producing the goods and I have about 4 bottles left of it to use.  It's a good thing it's a clarifying shampoo because I can use it on my makeup brushes.

Another product which I love and I'm sure is being discontinued is the Skin Tonic. This is why I have three bottles.  Well, I've used one and have 1.5 left to go.

I've never done it for makeup as I don't tend to be taken in by many MAC collections (and they always repromote.  However, when they repromote Full on Lust, I'll be stocking up as it is the only gloss which makes my lips look naturally pink).

What's your backup plan? Do you go out like a woman possessed with the intent to pick up as many of one product as you can or are you more laid back about it?

Fancy a Quickie?

I bought these back when I was growing my nails because I got into the habit of changing my polish every day and I didn't want to keep cracking out some liquid or overuse my Sally Hansen sponge because it smells quite strong.

Wow, what a long sentence that was.

They smell like rotten mangoes and make your fingers feel really dry, stay clear of these as a quick fix!

Scrub A Dub Dub, Three Men in a Tub..

Heh..I wish! Though I don't think women get off on gay men as much as men do on lesbians..do they? The thought of two women is normally enough to send guys off into Bonerville but I don't think women get the same happiness from envisioning two men, I might be wrong..

Anyway, scrubs.  I love them.  The skin on my body has turned from normal to dry recently and it annoys me because it practically happened overnight.

I'm lazy so I try to find scrubs which promise moisturisation.  My HG scrub is by Origins but I use it very quickly and it's not cheap.  I'm always on the lookout for a nice scrub and I think I've finally found my favourite:

The Sanctuary Kyphi Nourishing Hot Sugar Scrub.

I can't remember when I bought this item but I do know that I have two of them. 

I have to say that the scrubs by The Sanctuary make me laugh..I've used three of them so far, two were warming and one was not.  The first was in a squeezy tube and was too gentle for me.  The second was in a tub and looked like clay. I used to use it in the shower and when I'd finished showering, it looked like I had messed myself in the shower which isn't the look you really want.  When I wash this one off me, it looks like I'm bathing in piss...I know, you read the blog for the makeupy stuff but you stay for the class.

It does nourish very well.  It cleaned my skin up a treat and smoothed it out, too.  I like the fact it says hot and not warming because it is hot.  You might have to turn down the heat of the water in the shower, I did that and I found it helped with the heat the scrub gave.

This scrub is perfect for getting your skin "summer ready".  It may be hot but it works far better than a lot of the scrubs which don't warm up on contact.

It's quite milky and liquidy looking for an exfoliator..however, it has differing sizes of exfoliant in it which is something that I never paid any mind to before but now I think about it, it's perfect.

I LOVE this and it really is worth the £12.99 price tag.  It works for my dry skin so I imagine it working just as well on more normal skin.  I've used it a fair bit before I took the photo of the tub and to all intents and purposes, it still looks full.