April Newsletter 'Step into Spring'

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Spring Make-Up

With the sun shining for us all week, we’re looking forward to summer even more at Lovingbeauty. To get us all prepared for the new season, we’ve been checking out the new hottest make-up looks for the season, straight from the catwalk. Here are some of our favourites…

Winged Liner: Jonathan Saunders Spring/Summer ’12

With bold prints and patterns on the clothes, the designer decided to keep things more simple on the make-up front for his spring/summer show. Using a thick black eye liner to contrast the bright and pastel colours of the collection, made the beautiful dresses stand out even more.

To get the Jonathan Saunders look, first start with a black liquid eye liner (the best one’s come with a pointed tip, for easier application when making the wing shape). Starting at the inner corner of the eye, use the very tip of the liner pen to begin to draw a line, finally reaching to the outer corner of the eye; starting off thin and gradually making the line thicker as you draw to the other side of the lid. When you get to the outer corner, dip you liner pen back into the liquid formula and carefully add the wing shape, picking up from the line where you left off at the outer corner of the eye. The tricky part is getting the angle right, so it’s best to try and get roughly a 45 degree diagonal line, going up from the corner of your eye and directed towards to brown bone. Once you have made the line (as long or short as you desire), you can trace over to make it thicker, evening the original line as you go. Keep the rest of your make-up natural, with a pink flush of blusher (bareMinerals is our favourite choice, £13.13) and nude/pink lips to finish your catwalk ready look (why not try Pretty Amazing Free Will, £10.46?).

Source: http://www.fashion-allure.com/

Chocolate Lip: Donna Karan Spring/Summer ‘12
Statement lipstick can be hard to wear with all the different outfits, trends and colours we have stocked in our wardrobe, and it’s hard to know which shades harmonize well, and which ones clash. Donna Karan has made things easier for us by using the matte chocolate lip as the shade of choice when trying statement lipstick this season. Chocolate brown is the ideal shade for this look, being both part of the neutral colour palette and yet still strong enough to carry off as a statement for your entire make-up look.

We recommend firstly moisturising the lips with a good lip balm 5-10 minutes before applying, then blotting the excess moisture with a tissue. This allows the lipstick to glide on easily and without flaking. Then line the lips, taking particular care over the cupids bow area to define well, using the correct shade to match your chosen lipstick. Take your chosen shade of chocolate lipstick and apply using the liner as a guide. Blot with a tissue and re-apply to ensure maximum coverage and long-lasting effects. Finish with a coat of sealant to for longer lasting colour. Aside from the lips, make-up should be minimal, letting your skin shine through. To get the full Donna Karan look, buff up eyebrows to make them big and bold, and use a little black mascara, bareMinerals Range £10.88 to contrast the more neutral tones.

                                                              Source: http://www.ftape.com/

Colour Pop: Jil Sander Spring/Summer ‘12
Colour blocking doesn’t have to end at your outfit; now you can extend to your make-up. Raf Simons at Jil Sander decided to do just that for his catwalk show for spring, giving a flick of blue eye liner and a full red pout to go with it (try our Pretty Amazing Strengh, £10.46) . Wear with an all-over clashing colour on your outfit for maximum impact. To get the look, take a light blue liner, preferably liquid, and carefully draw a thin line across the lid to the outer corner of the eye. Check the line is straight – if not gradually build up to make sure the line looks even and symmetrical. If using a pencil liner, it may be easier to gently smudge the line to give a softer look and create a more even line. For full red lips, start by adding a small amount of lip balm to the lips (as before), then blot away excess with a tissue, to prevent flaking and dryness. Using a bright red lip liner, trace carefully around the outer line of the lips, and gently rub the pencil lightly over the lips, inside the lines, to shade inside. This will help the lipstick stay on longer. Then take your bright red lipstick and apply, using the lip liner as a guide. Fill in with a thin lip brush if it is a bit tricky to keep the lipstick even. Finish with a lipstick sealant and keep the rest of make-up fresh and natural with a hint of blusher on top of cheekbones.

Source: http://www.fashion.vogue.com/  

What do you think of these spring make-up looks? Which ones will you be trying this season?

Stay Beautiful,

Lovingbeauty Team x

Victoria Vintage: Fake Bake Flawless Review

This is a review of Fake Bakes Flawless fake tan liquid by a blog i've been reading for a while; Victorias Vintage Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Blog. Flawless Fake Tan liquid is a personal fav of all us here at Lovingbeauty so this review was of interest to me! We currently sell Fake Bake Flawless at the bargin price of £13.50 .... get buying girls xx

 

A couple of months back I did a review of a spray on Fake Bake tan that I had done at Debenhams by a Fake Bake rep. I hadn't used the brand before, despite having a bottle of Fake Bake Flawless in my cupboard sitting unopened, but I did love my spray tan! Therefore for New Years Eve I decided I would give it a DIY attempt, after my good experience at Debenhams.

The box (RRP £20) comes with 170ml of Fake Bake Flawless self tan liquid, a tanning mitt, and gloves. There is also a sheet of instructions which are nice and brief! I was a bit concerned they were too brief, as I'm no fake tan expert, but they get straight to the point, which is good. Basically you just spray a fine mist of Flawless over freshly exfoliated skin then perfect your tan with the mitt. 

"Flawless is aptly named. It promises to deliver a flawless, beautiful, golden tan. The dual function cosmetic bronzer gives an instant, golden tan then goes on to develop into a long lasting, sunless glow. Fast drying, fast absorbing Flawless is transfer resistant, so can be worn throughout the day and it is formulated with Fake Bakes’ signature triple tanning agents for an intense tan that lasts and lasts. Suitable for all skin tones and skin types. Beautifully fragranced with a tropical scent. "

 

I preferred to spray the liquid onto the glove rather than onto my skin, to prevent patches where I sprayed it, as it dries very quickly! The colour was a bit scary as it is very dark, but it's good because you can see the skin changing colour shade immediately. 

Here are my before and after shots. I was fairly tanned before from the summer, but the Flawless tan has brought out an extra shade or two I think. I like it because it's not too extreme, and it also really was flawless! It wasn't patchy or too much, it just added a hint of golden tan, perfect for my night out. Also I left it to dry for about an hour, and it didn't stain my clothes afterwards. It also stayed on for a few days afterwards, and didn't go all manky like some fake tanners do. And it smelt nice!

I hate this photo of me but it shows the final result after I'm all dressed up! 

Overall I would defiantly recommend the Fake Bake Flawless fake tan. I would use it again, but at £20 it is a bit pricey for me, but I know some people pay a lot more! It does a great job though in my personal opinion. 

 

Click here to read Victorias full blog!

Girls Night Out

This weekend was our night out for the girls, which we like to do every now and then to let our hair (extensions) down and have a good time outside of work for a change. But before we stepped outside of the office, there was a lot of preparation to complete and perfect our Saturday night looks.

Working in the beauty business means we’re lucky enough to have built up impressive collections of make-up, tanning products, false lashes, hair extensions, nail varnishes, and not forgetting the technique to apply everything professionally for ourselves. Here’s some of our must-have products for a night out, that we just couldn’t leave the house without!

Gemma loves… Fake Bake Shimmer £12
‘I love the shimmer of this wash-off tan, and always put a bit on before I head out. It looks great over a spray tan to give a bit of sheen, or alone for a more natural look.’

Jamie – Halo Hair Extensions £79.99

‘Halo Hair Extensions are a God send! My natural hair style is a short bob, so I like to add my extensions in sometimes for a different look. The Halo is so easy to put in; it goes on just like a head band, and is easy to get off at the end of the night, too. A must have for all girls with short hair who fancy a change.’

Nicole – Salon Systems Strip Lashes, £5.50
‘Lashes are the best accessory to finish off an outfit, they make me feel ready for a night out once they’re on! I think they look best over a smudge of black eye liner.’

Lauren – Bare Minerals High Shine Eye Shadow in Frost, £10.46
‘I never leave the house without eye shadow on – I feel naked without it! Grey and black eyes with black eyeliner is my favourite look, and the Bare Minerals high shine collection has an extra bit of shimmer to their shadows, which I love.’

Lucy - Jessica Royal Red Nail Vanish, £7.16

'After taking years to finally get my nails to grow and stay strong I like to make the most of them by ensuring they are always painted in bright colours to really show them off!'

What are your beauty must-haves for a night out?

Stay Beautiful,

Lovingbeauty Team x

Bare Face Calls For Bare Minerals - By Candy frost

The following review is on the Smokey Eye Kit by bareMinerals which is available from Lovingbeauty. The post was written by Candy Frost, click here to visit her blog!

It's fair to say that makeup is an important luxury in the life of any fashion conscious girl. I'm a bit like a green activist when it comes to mine. I find something I like, stick with it and recycle the same words at the MAC makeup counter every time I run out of said product and need a replacement. 

However on Friday evening after a few cocktails I managed to leave my makeup bag in a bar in London's Soho. With the bag containing all my eyeshadows, eyeliner (eye makeup is my Saturday night must have) I started to consider my options, when I remembered a recommendation for the Bare Minerals Smoky Eye Tutorial Kit on fashion & beauty blog Mischief & Makeup, which by the way is a must read. 

Needing a quick fix solution I ventured to my nearest Bare Minerals counter and sought out the set, which includes a Double-Ended Smoky Eye Brush, Skyline Eyecolour (a dark purple matte shade) and Celestine Eyecolour (a light pewter shimmer). As a MAC fiend, I wasn't overly confident at the prospect of breaking out of my comfort zone and trying a completely knew product but I was delighted with the results and the ease of application to create that professional, 'Smoky Eye' look. 

The eyeshadows are long lasting yet light so you don't feel caked in makeup and I was pleasantly surprised to find that on returning from my night out, despite the barely there consistency of the shadows my makeup hadn't moved.

I loved it so much, that I've been sporting the 'Simple, Sultry Smoky Eye,' which is the 'toned down' version for day. So I broke my one brand only virginity and managed to stay glam - RESULT!

Up & Coming

Hi everyone,

We hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend. We’ve been working hard as usual, and have some exciting prospects coming up in the Lovingbeauty diary over the next few months.

We have several new courses booked up for our girls, including Bare Minerals Advanced, Express Blink and Go Lashes, and celebrity favourite, HD Brows.

Nicole will be attending the Express Lash course, run by Nouveau Lashes; a trusted and well respected brand which is used in our favourite Salon, Indulgence Beauty.  This course is specialised to create a full and thick set of individual lashes, in just 30 minutes.  Once the lashes have naturally fallen out, it’s time for a new set. These lashes are the perfect choice for a holiday, or special occasion, that will last for a long time with no maintenance. So Nicole will be a bit of an expert when it comes to false lashes!

HD Brows have fast become a celebrity favourite, and a now iconic brand to give clients the perfect shaped eye brow. The treatment is a thorough way of defining your brows, using waxing, threading, plucking and a special formula tint, which all work in unison to create the perfect eyebrow shape for your face. With celebrity fans such as the TOWIE girls, we can’t wait to learn how to do it!

Two more of our staff will be learning the Bare Minerals basics, to get them up to scratch on the Bare Minerals kit and the way the make-up works with your skin, rather than against it. Others in the salon will be attending the Advanced course, which builds upon the make-up knowledge of the last course to teach how to create new looks. This includes eye make-up, lips, cheeks, and other tips and tricks taught by a beauty industry professional. So if anyone does have any queries on bareMinerals or wants to start using it but would like a bit of advice please don't hesitate to email us on info@lovingbeauty.co.uk.

We look forward to hearing all about the course when the girls return, and will give you an update on how they got on! With such exciting ventures and brands coming up soon, make sure you keep checking our website http://www.lovingbeauty.co.uk/ to keep up to date with our new products!!

Stay Beautiful,

Lovingbeauty Team xx

Professional Beauty Show

This weekend, Kelly and Gemma went along to the EXCEL arena in London for the Professional Beauty show. This year, the trade show was set to be the biggest yet, with even more brands and companies showing than in previous years. The show is always a brilliant way to network with different people in the industry, and catch up with contacts established since being in the beauty business.

Some of the brands we use in the salon, such as Lycon Waxing, Nouveau Lashes and Fake Bake, were featured at the show with their own stalls and set up, so it was a great chance to speak to some of the reps we have built up connections with over the years.

Attending the beauty show gives us a chance to research new products and innovations in beauty, so we can keep ahead of the trends and let you all know what’s going to be the next best thing and the upcoming trends for the next season. We’ve seen a few bits we think are going to be big over the next year, so we’ll keep you posted with what’s next!

This year, Nell McAndrew opened the show, with former TOWIE star turned salon owner, Amy Childs, also making an appearance. Attendees at the arena ranged from celebrities, industry insiders, salon owners, magazine journalists, beauty bloggers, and students.

With lots of tweets over the weekend about how great the show has been, we’re already looking forward to next year.

Did any of you get to the Professional Beauty Show over the weekend? What did you think about the whole event?

Stay Beautiful,

Lovingbeauty x