The Brush Is Yours is all about creativity, individuality and personality. Each post is written with honesty and i give my true opinions on how i feel about the products/brands i am talking about. If you have any questions, requests or bookings let me know and ill try my best to help! Much Love,
Lorna xoxox
Good morning my beauty's and happy Good Friday! I cant believe the temperature, its lush! I'm writing today's post from my home town Cardiff :) I've come home to see my family and plastics (friends) over Easter.
So firstly as its now getting slightly hot just a reminder to wear sun cream! Not only on your body but on your face too. Its important to remember that make up doesn't stop you from burning so to put sun cream on underneath. However some foundations do have an SPF in them which is ideal although they are normally quite a low SPF of around 15. Check your bottle because chances are your foundation has sun block and you haven't realised. I use an amazing product daily called Super City Block by Clinique. Its an oil free face protector which also doubles up as an amazing primer and base for your your make up. It has an SPF 40 which is perfect for the hotter months. I however use this product throughout the whole year to protect my face from the general day to day exposure of the environment. This is what causes ageing so I've started to protect my skin now. Its also an ideal product to use on its own as it gives a lovely glow. You can pick this up at any Clinique counter and it retails at £15.50 you can also buy it online here.
Super City Block is oil free so be sure to moisturise before using it.
It is also important to keep your lips moisturised in the sun, otherwise they'll get dry and chapped and wont be very kissable! I sometimes just moisturise them with a bit of sun cream but there are some lovely nourishing lip balms, some with a bit of colour too. Clinique has just brought out a moisturising lip balm which comes in 8 different colours which is great because you can wear it as a lip gloss. My favourite colour is Woppin' Watermelon which is gorgeous for summer and gives a lush shine. It retails at £14 or you can get it here.
Add some shimmer to your lips!
Mac also do a tinted lip conditioner with an SPF 15. It comes in 3 colours but the colour I have is Gentle Coral. It retails at £11 and you can get it here.
Real summery colour!
Obviously you can just use Vaseline which is amazing for your lips too and is cheap as chips!
A good way to help you make up stay on is by using a primer.I always use one a different one for my eyes though, which is the urban decay one I have shown in previous posts. I use the Super City Block which I mentioned earlier but my favourite one is Mac Strobe Cream. Its not actually classed as a primer but I find it does help my make up stay in place. Not only that, it also stops your skin from looking dull and really brightens it up! I really do recommend this product, its quite expensive and retails at £21.50 but it is definitely worth it. You can get it here.
Get rid of tired looking skin.
The last product im going to recommend today is Benefit, It's Potent! eye cream. This cream helps to fade dark circles and also helps with the initial signs of aging. Its really good to help gives you a brighter and fresher look. It retails at £23.50 and you can get it here.
Get rid of unwanted dark circles!
So that's it for today but just before you go I wanted to let you all know about the photo shoot I did to promote The brush is yours. I cant remember how much I told you all but basically I had 5 models, each with a different look and they were amazing on the day. I organised a stylist and hair stylist to be there on the day as well so we had loads of wonderful clothes (including a Alexander McQueen dress and a Vivienne Westwood corset) and lots of amazing hairstyles. The photographer was great too, he took lots of different photos and got some good close up so you could really see the make up. I haven't received the photos yet but hope to have them back by next week, so ill show you all then.
I hope your all having a lovely Good Friday and Happy Easter!
Dont forget to like my face book page The brush is yours and follow me on twitter - Lorna Stedham.
I hope you enjoyed my last blog and my video tutorial! I'll upload my newest one at the end of this post! I know I said I wouldn't update until Monday but when something is on my mind I have to write it down!
Firstly thought I'd talk about the shoot I have planned for Sunday, very excited but slightly nervous at the same time! I have 5 models with a different look for each.
Look 1 - Voluptuous Vamp
Look 2 - Rock n Roll
Look 3 - American Dream
Look 4 - Say it Loud
Look 5 Powerful Plum
I'm not going to tell you what each look actually entails so its a surprise for when the photos come up :) But I would be really interested to know how you interpret these looks so let me know your ideas!
I've also come across this amazing gold eyeliner crayon from Topshop's make up range! Its perfect to give a bit of shimmer to your eyes and is lush for the summer months. A little fact for you as well is that all Topshop products are produced in the same place Mac makeup is :) The colour i have this in is called Equinox but they do come in other colours as well. Here's the link: Topshop Eyeliner Crayon. It retails at £8.50 and you got 10% off with a valid NUS card.
Im not sure if you can see the colour very well but its a gold :)
Another product I'm going to recommend to you is Mac Zoom Lash mascara! I normally use 2 mascaras but this seems to have the thickness and volume that I need on its own, although I may add another one on top! I havent previously used Mac mascaras that much but i really love this one. You can get it here: Zoom Lash. It retails at £13.50 and I have it in Zoom Black.
Amazing for elongating your lovely lashes!
As you may have guessed Slimming World ended! haha! Basically I found it amazing when I had a bit of weight to loose but now I only want to drop a few pounds I felt it wasn't really for me. Infact I was eating more than I normally eat anyway so it kind of defeated the object. However I am still trying to eat healthy for my summer hols but find it really hard when its that time of the month and I cant resist chocolate! Well do not fear my female friends as i have found hope in the name of a weight watchers cake - Belgian Chocolate Slice! Mmm...Tastes just like chocolate and not like powder - SUCCESS! You can get them from all super markets an their only 88 kcals per slice...so treat yourself and have 2 :)
Weight watchers do loads of delicious treats so try them an all :)
A really exciting thing happened to me this week, i was interviewed by my university magazine by one of their authors Angie Yussuff for a section on entrepreneurial students! I don't really know whether I qualify for this yet but hopefully when The brush is yours is up and running I will :) This will be in the magazine on the 4th May but here's a sneak preview for you lot...
Q. Tell me a little about yourselfWell im originally from Cardiff, in South Wales. I moved to London in 2009 to go to University and also start living independently. I have a large background in music and used to be singer, but decided I wanted to study instead.
Q. Talk me through Lorna Land, what is it? (both the blog and the facebook business page)So basically Lorna Land is the blog. I literally woke up one Thursday morning, after being to the Rocket the night before, and was sorting through all my cosmetics. Whilst doing this I thought I bet there are loads of people who would be interested in reviews on not only different makeup items but also places to go, fashion tips and hear a little bit about London life. That’s when I set up Lorna Land which now has 2500 views! The like page on facebook is for the blog but also for the business I am currently setting up ‘The brush is yours’. ‘The brush is yours’ is going to involve myself as a freelance makeup artist for weddings, birthdays and any special occasion. It’s going to a unique experience whereby the customer gets to choose exactly what they want on their face. A lot of Makeup artist tend to do what they want to do and this can put people off. I plan on starting ‘The brush is yours’ properly in September when I have all the products I need.
Q. What was the inspiration behind ‘The brush is yours’, how did it evolve?I have always had a passion for being creative from a young age, whether it be trying out different colours on my face or imagining I was in a fashion shoot. I started to work for Estee Lauder in September 2010 and since then have realized how much I love the concept of makeup and also love people reaction after they’ve been ‘done up.’ Also whilst publishing the blog ‘Lorna Land’ I found a lot of people were asking me whether I could do their makeup, so this is a perfect way to begin.
When it goes into the magazine ill put the link up so you can see the whole interview!
So before i finish just talk you through this tutorial, its basically a pink and gold look - which is perfect for summer or even proms and weddings. Heres the look:
If off now, got work tomorrow :( I just watched Limitless which was amazing and I really recommend you all to watch it!! Please can you all comment-i love your messages and follow me on facebook! Lorna Land - The brush is yours...
Good night everyone, ill let you know how the shoot goes!
Well I've just uploaded my first video tutorial! Quite a hard process really, talking and applying make up at the same time. This will be included further down in tonight's post. Trying to get The brush is yours...promoted at the moment. I don't plan on going fully ahead with it until around September when I have more products/experience but wanted to just get the ball rolling, so on Sunday I'm having a photo shoot! I have 5 gorgeous models and an amazing stylist, hair stylist and photographer so I am really excited! I think were planning on doing the shoot down brick lane so if anyone's around let me know! Here's my first set of business cards, they need improving and will eventually include the web address when its up and running, but for now I LOVE THEM :)
Since having my 120 palette I have come completely obsessed with trying out new looks, but seeing as i live with all boys, models are hard to come by. However after guilt tripping Ollie he allowed me test out on him, Yey! So here's one of the looks that will be on one of my models for Sunday.
Beautiful Eye!
So although I love my new palette loads, there's not many glittery colours in there, so when I need them I use my Urban Decay NYC palette. There are some beautiful colours in here and the kit also comes with a primer and 2 eye liners. Heres the set below:
And heres a close up of the colours...
I nearly cried when I opened this Christmas morning!
Urban Decay sell some amazing sets so you should definitely check them out! Here's the tutorial I did with these colours this evening.
When applying eye shadow I think it is absolute key to apply a primer first. Not only does this help the eye shadow stay on longer put also stick better to the eyelid. The Urban Decay primer is really good and the one I always use. It comes as quite a translucent colour so doesn't have any effect on the eye shadow. Sometime however I do use mac prep and prim which has a little colour to it...
I have been recieveing a lot of comments from people about different bronzers so tonight ill name you my top 3 and in a future blog i will focus on a few more and how to apply them.
Another bronzer which ive always liked is the Rimmel natural bronzer. It has an spf 8 so helps protect against the sun (although for fair skin like mine 8 is no where near high enough) It retails at around £5.
And finally a bronzer I love is Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder. This is one I'm least familiar with and have only used once of twice but already love it! Its a little expensive and retails at £24 but the gorgeous glow it gives after is definitely worth the money.
Bobbi Brown also do an amazing bronzer called the Bronze shimmer brick which ill go into on the Bronzing blog!
I hope your all well. I'm really sorry about the length of time I haven't posted for, I have been so unbelievably hectic with uni and such stuff! But have no fear i am back and have LOTS to talk talk about hehe! So this might be a bit of a long one... So firstly i hope everyone had a lovely Mothers Day! My mum an sis came up to London an we went to Planet Hollywood in Leicester Square! It was so yummy we had Nachos to start and Steak for main (the diet wasn't going too well this day!) We also called into Tiger Tiger before hand for some cocktails! Everyday they have 50% off drinks between 5-8pm so we took full advantage! My mum really enjoyed herself even though she wore the highest heels so her feet were killing - NIGHTMARE!
Moving on I very naughtily got myself a NewLook store card! So yesterday I went shopping as I was going out last night. I rewarded myself with this as I got an A in my presentation at uni :) I found some real bargains...these gorgeous chino trousers were £22.99 plus an extra 10% off with a NUS card and are ideal for the warmer months! They come in 4 different colours and look lush with a pair of wedges! http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/trousers/button-detail-chino-trousers_216571273
Button Detail Chino Trousers.
As the trousers are quite thick i wanted a cool, blousey style top to go with it so I chose this beautiful cream sleeveless shirt which i tucked into the trousers! The image isn't available for the colour I got but here's an example of the top http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/shirts-and-blouses/ruffle-tunic-blouse_217131482 Its quite long so could also be worn with leggings. £18.99
These trousers were really tight so I got them in a 12 rather than a 10.
So moving swiftly on i went to SugarHut last Thursday and had a fabulous time! I went for my friend Simon's birthday and to stalk The Only Way Is Essex cast! Hence The Only Way Is Lorna lol! It was surprisingly cheap, £5 to get in and only £4 for a large Rose! Although it was really fun nobody really seems to dance, they just sort of stand there! So its a great place to pose really! I also met Joey Essex which is officially my claim to fame! Here's myself, Simon, Sally an Jess doing our damn thing!!http://www.sugarhutbrentwood.com/
Not really the best photo of me lol!
So next up is a little section on eyeshadows! I'm not going to go too much into detail as I will do this in a separate post. But just to let you all know I'm hoping to start doing freelance make-up as I enjoy it so much so figured its a pretty good idea. As feedback is extremely important to me I'm going to start posting some make-up I've applied and different tips and would really love to know what you think! My inspiration behind my passion for make-up is a lady called Lauren Luke who started her career by posting make-up tutorials on YouTube. Since then she's had millions of hits and is a true Rags to Riches story. She has books and her own make-up line and even an IPhone app! You view her videos on http://www.youtube.com/user/panacea81?blend=1&ob=4 and can subscribe! I have her first book and it fabulous! Allows to follow tutorials on all your favourite celeb makeup and some ideas of her own!
You can purchase this off Amazon for around £8.99
If you lovely experimenting with new colours then you should definitely get this 120 eyeshadow palette! I got it for just £8 off ebay although it does take a while to come as it from Japan! Here are some pics of it!
120 beautiful colours!
Look how vibrant they are!
Lovely blues and Yellows
Even some gorgeous marble effect colours!
Cant wait to try the green!
So before I pop off id just like to show you some make up I applied last night! focusing mainly on the eyes! I used my Urban Decay set as I hadn't received this palette until this morning!
Very Dark Eyes!
To achieve this look was extremely simple!
I will be posting video tutorials within my blogs in a few weeks so will show you this look step by step then! I just need to sort out a mic and stuff first!
Well thats it for today I promise I wont leave you for this length of time again! Please leave you comments as they are invaluable to me :)
