Author Archives: Salina Says

Brides Magazine!

Posted in Bridal, Bridal Make-Up, Brides, Estee Lauder, Hair, Mac, Natural, Red Lip, Shu Uemura, Wedding, Wedding Make-Up by

Wedding season is now upon us so what better time to show you a couple of options for hair & make-up! I’ve got a story out in the current Brides magazine which was really fun to shoot, however can only take credit for the make-up – hair was done by the lovely Piero at DWM. The idea was “When Polished Meets Playful” so we went for a sophisticated look and then a more relaxed/fun look with the outfits. As for hair & make-up, here’s the whole story for you to see…

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As you can see I went with two different make-up looks – the classic red lip and black eyeliner & a bronze smokey eye and natural lip. Here’s a close up look at each of the two looks…

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My recommended products for the first look would be:

Mac’s Ruby Woo, which is a great matte red lipstick with really good staying power.
Shu Uemura’s Gel Liner – this gel liner takes a while to dry but gives a great finish.
Kiko Waterproof Liquid Liner – if you prefer a liquid (and waterproof if there are going to be tears) then this liner is not going anywhere, I would definitely recommend it.

My recommended products for the second look would be:

Any of Estée Lauder’s lipsticks would be great…I always seem to end up using their lipsticks on my brides, not only are they great quality, the packaging of the actual lipstick is so pretty and you’ll of course need touch-ups on the day so the prettier the better!

As for eyes, I love to use Estée Lauder’s Cream Eyeshadows as a base to give staying power (either in cream or gold, depending how dark you are going to go) and then applying Shu Uemura’s Eye Shadow over the top in whichever shade of bronze/brown you decide on (depending in how dark you want to go). To get the smokey-ness I love using a black pencil and my favourites would be Avon’s gel pencil or Pixi’s gel pencil.

For both looks I would recommend Estée Lauder’s Sumptuous Waterproof Mascara – this is my staple mascara for weddings. You get enough product off the brush and onto lashes and the waterproof factor hasn’t let me down yet!

So…what’s the verdict? Would you dare to go red on your wedding day? Or keep it a bit more natural? Let me know!

Salina x

GET THE LOOK – YOLKE S/S12 CAMPAIGN

Posted in Bronzer, Estee Lauder, Flawless Skin, Hair, Natural, Simple Look, Une by

I recently worked on the Spring/Summer campaign for a brand new British label called Yolke.  Created by friends Ella and Anna, who met while at Temperley in 2006, the brand was created to provide desirable products that take responsibility for their origin.  They support UK based specialist factories and suppliers. From the Yorkshire dales down to the Cotswolds all their woven fabrics are designed, sourced and produced in the United Kingdom.  They have some gorgeous staples for your wardrobe as well as luxe home accessories – so go take a look!  www.yolke.co.uk

A lot of you liked the hair & make-up for this shoot so I thought I’d share how I achieved it!  Let’s take a look at the finished picture.

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The brief was to keep everything quite natural and effortless so we decided on wavy/textured hair and a sunkissed look for make-up (groomed but not over the top).  So let’s start with the hair.

I started by spraying the hair with a thickening spray and blow drying straight.  Then taking small sections, twisting them, tonging them and then leaving to rest as they are when you release.  Once you’ve done the whole head (and your make-up if you are) brush out these twists and style as you wish.   You can either brush out and smooth to get the result above or brush out, tip your head upside down and spray with hairspray to give the look below.  Just smooth out the top and you’re ready to go.

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Make-up wise my main products were Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Light and Une’s Healthy-Sun BB-Cream Bronzer:

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I love Double Wear Light as it gives a lovely dewy finish, but still gives enough coverage for those who need it and can of course be sheered out by working it into the skin.  After applying the foundation, apply your bronzer – this bronzer has a really nice texture and is one of my favourites as it gives such a natural glow and doesn’t look too heavy on the skin.  A little tip for those of you have trouble with wear you should apply it:  always apply to wear the sun would naturally hit your face.  So your cheeks, temples, down your nose and dusting lightly on chin & forehead (LIGHTLY!).  Remember start with a little, you can always go back and add.  Finish this look off with a couple of coats of volumising mascara and you’re done!

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Thanks for reading!

Salina x

 

HOT PICK – NANOBLUR

Posted in Anti-Ageing, Nanoblur by

NANOBLUR (£19.99)

I was invited to an event last week which promised to reveal the new “anti-ageing phenomenon”.  Now, as someone who thinks she’s found a new wrinkle every day, I was very excited.  Unfortunately I couldn’t attend the event, but managed to get a sample – for this read that I checked the post every day like a kid on Christmas morning.

Nanoblur promises to make you “look up to 10 years younger in 40 seconds or less” and “immediately erases the appearance of skin ageing, lines, wrinkles, crow’s feet, sagginess and enlarged pores within seconds without any tint”.  And it’s natural.  What person in their right mind wouldn’t want this product?  I thought, as I ripped open the envelope.  Instead of applying it immediately to my face, I tried some on the back of my hand (I think it’s a make-up artist thing).  Straight away you could see where the Nanoblur had been applied and where it hadn’t.  The patch of skin it was on was very matte, smoother, more even and brighter.  So after I’d cleansed and moisturised (they suggest applying it at the end of your regime), I applied the Nanoblur and my skin definitely looked brighter and fresher – my sister made the “facelift” motion with her hands to describe the effect.  Gotta love it.

Now for their dos and donts.  If you’re wearing it with make-up then you should apply it over your liquid make-up but under your powder make-up.  However, this is where the problem starts for me.  Applying Nanoblur over liquid foundation made it very dry and patchy and I definitely wouldn’t use it this way.

So, after a morning of testing out Nanoblur, my verdict on the product is:

If you’re using it on bare skin then it works a treat, either mixed with your moisturiser if your skin is dry or applied over your moisturiser if it’s a little oilier.  However, if you’re using it with a liquid foundation then instead of using it OVER the foundation like they suggest, mix it with your moisturiser and apply it UNDER your foundation – almost like a primer.  This technique still works and gives you the results Nanoblur promises.  It’s important to mix it with your moisturiser rather than just applying it between moisturiser and foundation as it will stick and is extremely hard to blend.  Lastly, if you’re using a mineral make-up the product works perfectly well under it as Nanoblur suggests.

For a product that does what it does, in the amount of time it does it in, you would think it costs a pretty penny.  No, no.  It costs £19.99 and is available from Boots.  £19.99 to look 10 years younger in 40 seconds, by literally “blurring” any lines and flaws on the skin using an advanced form of optical prism technology.  If it’s good enough for those Hollywood celebrities, under those HD cameras, then it’s good enough for me!

For more information on Nanoblur -  www.indeedlabs.com/nanoblur

Salina x

HOT PICK – PURITY ORGANIC SKINCARE

Posted in Purity, Skincare by

PURITY ORGANIC SKINCARE

A lot of people think that they need to spend a lot of money in order to look after their skin.  It’s true that there are some luxury skin care brands out there that aren’t exactly cheap, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones that work.

Purity Organic Skincare demonstrates this with its ethos of affordable and sustainable beauty – this brand is Ecocert certified, with 98% of the ingredients of natural origin.  These products are free from parabens, GM or petroleum derived ingredients, silicone, SLS and synthetic fragrances.  As there are no chemical ingredients, this range is perfect for those with very sensitive skin as it won’t irritate.  Instead, it contains ingredients like coconut, sweet almond oil, aloe vera, beeswax and Omegas 3, 6 and 9 – to name a few!

Among my favourites from the range are the Regenerating Overnight Moisturiser (£7.99), the Conditioning Cleansing Lotion (£4.99) and the Facial Exfoliator (contains ground coconut shell!) (£5.99).  It’s hard to get a package/bring home products from an event without someone asking me, “Is there anything for me?!”  So when I received some Purity Organic Skincare I thought the Regenerating Overnight Moisturiser would help soothe my sister’s irritated and dry skin – now she won’t use anything else and also uses it as a day cream.  The fact that this happened again with the Facial Exfoliator (I suggested my uncle use it for his dry patches of skin that he couldn’t get rid of) proves that this is a range that really works.

Now for one of the most important factors – the price!  The range is priced from £4.99 to £8.99.

All natural, eco-friendly, more than reasonably priced – and it works!  What’s not to like?  I suggest you try the range for yourself and see the results!

Available at http://www.purityorganicskincare.com or selected Holland and Barrett stores nationwide.
Salina x

HOT PICK – PIXI ENDLESS SILKY EYE PEN

Posted in Eyeliner, Pixi by
PIXI ENDLESS SILKY EYE PEN

I’ve been in search for the perfect black eyeliner for ages and think I may have finally found it – Pixi’s Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir (actually it’s a pencil)! It’s a long wearing, non-transferable and waterproof eyeliner and let’s just say it does what it says on the tin. It’s also a really intense black, not a grey black.

The liner glides on so smoothly with minimum effort, so there’s no harsh rubbing on the eye area, and it’s also easy to smudge/work with but once it dries it stays put. So whether it’s for a sexy flick, a smokey eye or lining the waterline – this pencil does it all.

For those of you who a like a bit more colour, Pixi also do the pencil in five other shades: Black Blue, Black Tulip, Black Cocoa, Deep Plum and True Teal.