How to get started in blogging

If you have a few blog followers you may, like me, get an immense number of emails, facebook messages, tweets and perhaps esp vibes from people wanting to start their own blog and be really successful. 

I think some people judge whether a blog is successful on how many thousand followers someone has, how many giveaways, and whether or not they have paying advertisers. A lot of people then think, hold on a minute - How did they get to this point? How can I make money? How can I get free beauty products?

From my point of view the truth is that there is more than one different way to get to the end point of being a successful blogger, and some of your most favourite blogs (and all of mine) aren't created because the person started off wanting to 'have a successful blog' they are just about a girl talking and sharing information about products. I started mine as I was in awe of lollipop26 and wanted to be just like her lmao! Laura is so nice, and clearly I am a sheep, you'd think I was 14 not 24 when I started writing as that does sound really sad reading it back doesn't it, but hey it's true.

Personally I didn't have girl mates to chat about hair tips or makeup products, and the cat just doesn't seem interested ;P I have a few more now but they have all been made via blogging or Beauty Retreat.

I am presuming that a lot of people ask me how to get a blog or how to get stuff free because they have asked others they aren't willing to spill the beans on how they did it?

My Advice

If you’re going to start writing a blog you can't just expect people to find you after just writing one post and not doing any networking or making friends.  You can't just cross your fingers and hope it all goes ok.  You need to have a plan, perhaps you are a 50 something blogger who has a small child and wants to share tips, perhaps you are amazing at different hairstyles and want to share your knowledge with others.  Just think of you unique selling point and stick to it - preferably don't nick someone else's as if they are more established than you, then what's the point. I guess my USP is that I do not claim to be good at anything I just love makeup and skincare and want to share the good, bad and ugly with straight up reviews and if I can impart some tips along the way, so much the better. Or to sum it up: Beauty - no bullshit.

When you start your blog you have no presence, no readership, no audience and no hits. To change that you need to get amongst it! Join twitter, make friends, follow other blogs and comment on them. My advice is DO NOT do the 'follow me and I'll follow you' or leave your blog link as a comment people find this highly annoying, I find it quite rude and generally delete most comments like that. I don't spam you so don't spam me!

Instead try to actually read others blogs and see what works for them, take that information and apply it to your blog. As you learn and interact more, your blog will grow more.

By the time I had been blogging for about 9 months I had been given a few opportunities to attend nice PR events and review free products and my advice on these is as follows from what I have experienced:

If someone offers you something free to review - 

1. Ask when they need the review by, sometimes they want it that week - personally I haven't even had time to use it let alone review it in a week!
2. Ask if they want you to post your honest feelings or if they would rather just be given feedback by email if your review is negative - some people can't take the heat and in all fairness PR companies don't want their product slagged off as the client will have their guts for garters normally.
3. Don't send PR companies emails with big lists of things you want to get free, PR companies have girls working for them, often pr's go to the same events and chat, do you want them to all know you for being 'the blagger'? I have heard people talking about a blagger before at a pr event so remember be nice! People talk ;P

If you go to a pr event

1. Be nice!
2. Meet other bloggers and if you are crap at names like me, still try not to call them by their blog name, write it down if you have to.
3. Don't expect other people to know who you are - you're not JLO!
4. Try and make friends with pr people that you deal with, that way if you have to say to them 'look this product stinks/is crap/turned me orange' at least they know you aren't being funny, it's truly just the honest feelings on a product.

And have fun! As tiring as writing a blog post is sometimes for me with a full-time job and a part time job, I do love it. Hope this helps someone x

Strawberry Laser Lipo

I was very excited today to read about a new type of non invasive liposuction called Strawberry today.


Laser in your lunch hour and spend just 20 minutes having your fat lasered.


Sound too good to be true??? Well I plan on booking in to have this done and investigating. The cost is £150 and that sounds too good to miss for me to give it a go, if it doesn't work then hey I'll tell you and you can save your pennies as I couldn't find ONE unbiased thing on the internet revewing this, and what am I if not a reviewmyster?


How it works!  - When the laser paddles are placed on the skin, the cold red laser beams penetrate the skin just deep enough to reach the layers of fat. When the light hits the fat cells, a rapid chain of events takes place. Firstly, pores form on the cells causing them to spill out. The water, Glycerol and fatty acids move into the interstitial space beneath the fatty layer in the skin. Then further water, fatty acids and glycerol spill out. 

These effects do not affect the neighbouring structures such as the skin, blood vessels or nerves. The lymphatic system then removes the fat through the venous system, where they are processed in the same way as fatty foods that are digested.


Apparently the most popular areas for treatment are the inner and outer thighs, love handles, bingo wings, podgy knees and post-baby jelly belly. I will be hopefully getting this on my lurve handles or thighs whichever they suggest I will get the best results with.


There is no breaking of the skin, so I won't be left with any scars and at £150 I just gotta give it a go. 


Would you have this done? Are you interested to hear about the results?

The Body Shop - Honey Bronze Collection

As a blogger, one thing I LOVE about The Body Shop is that they are always lovely to deal with. They never pester you for blog reviews (I HATE this) and if you deign to dislike their products  in a blog review, they apologise! When their mascara caused me an eye issue they even sent me a candle and a letter apologising!                                           

They are the only Company who have EVER done that so they certainly get a 10/10 from me on all counts.I haven't been able to go to any of their events recently due to work so I was very kindly sent two of their items from the Honey Bronze collection, the Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder (£13) and the Bronzing Gel For Face (£11).

There are also three other items in the range which I will pick up as soon as I see them in the shops > Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil (£16), Honey Bronze Brilliance Powder (£16) and especially Honey Bronze Lip Nectar (£9.50).  I love the honeycomb design on the bronzer and the bronzing gel is absolutely perfect to be mixed with foundation to make the perfect colour, I love it!  

                                                    

I have been using both items every single day since I got them and they are my favourite launches so far this year, beating even Mac who have totally bored me recently.  

I have applied a very thin layer of the gel bronzer to my hand above, you would never know it had makeup on it would you? It look so natural and can be built up.  I will post again once I have bought the other bits and pieces. I think I will get 2 of the lip nectars.  You can enter a comp to win the range on their website here Body Shop

Do you like the look of this range? Do you like bronzers? I love em!

UK Beauty Awards 2011

I am really excited that I will be on the judging panel of this year’s UK Beauty Awards so am currently trying to work my way through the archive box full of products they sent me so I can decide which products I think are brilliant and I was pleased to see some products that are actually products I love already.


It might sound like an amazing job, but in actual fact I am a bit exhausted from trying so many different things! I have also had to enlist Matt as he has some wrinkles to review the wrinkle serum, bit pointless me reviewing it and I want to review things properly as some of the awards you think what the hell are these products winning for?!! 


That's not to say I am not enjoying trying a lot of the products, of course I am as I have been testing out some really cool products and have found some great items I can't wait to recommend on the blog.


The awards are scheduled to take place at 12.30pm on Friday 2 December within the spectacular Fashion Theatre at Clothes Show Live at the NEC Birmingham.


Will you be coming to the clothes show on the 2nd?

Glossy Box - can't beat em - join em!

Today's extremely late review since it was supposed to go up on Friday,  comes via Glossy Box. Glossy Box is a brand new concept of subscription beauty products, for £10 a month a selection of large posh samples are sent to your door.  The only potential pitfalls being a) what if you hate them all b) what if you don't think it's worth £10

My Glossy Box arrived and frankly I was baffled. Having long since forgotten about the email very kindly offering me the first one for free to review I wondered what on earth this pink polka dot thing was on my desk at work...had I (once again) ordered something online late at night and forgotten about it? 

I opened the outer box which was very nicely packaged to find another box, leading me to wonder if this was pass the parcel...once the next box was opened I was reminded that this was in fact the glossy box and there was a lovely note with some info. As always (the same with instruction leaflets for gadgets) that was all flung to the side so I could rip open the tissue and get at the products!

WOW! I was rather impressed.  There is a pic of the contents above and I was rather surprised to see what looks like a full size Nars illuminator, a full size all about eve lipstick and two samples from Alterna and Bionova (hair spray and body lotion respectively).

Now the Alterna and Bionova product to be frank don't interest me in the slightest but both of the other products are ones that I had considered buying at full price in the past, so I was rather chuffed and had I paid my £10 for this box I would have 100% felt that I got my moneys worth.  I am certainly very impressed by the look, products and concepts of Glossy Box and I think this could be a great way to buy new products each month or perhaps if you are a new blogger, to get new products to review for a bargain price.  

I am guessing the test now is to find out whether the second box lives up to the standard that the first has set, or if it reverts to just sample size products from brands you have only vaguely heard of, because according to the website you will get products tailored to what they think you will like 

You can subscribe to Glossybox at GlossyBox.co.uk – it’s £10 per month, delivered, and you can cancel at any time. For every review you give on products, you earn a GlossySpot and once you’ve collected 20 spots, you get a free box which sounds like a good idea to me. 

I don't really know how to answer the question 'would you sign up?' because my reason for saying no is that I have far too much makeup, products, samples and general 'stuff'. I can also buy a lot of products at the trade price nowadays as I have a card for the wholesalers.  If I didn't have those things then yes I definitely think I would sign up.

Beauty Blog Link Love

Can't get enough shatter? Have a look see at the new OPI Serena Williams Grand Slam France collection at Beauty Crazed!

Can a liquid liner really make your lashes grow? Find out how Pammy from Pammy Blogs Beauty likes Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner and Serum.

Gouldylox gives you inside skinny on how to fake it like a superstar.

Rachel finally jumps on the NYX cream blush bandwagon at Queen of Turquoise, but do they live up to the hype?

Musicalhouses has gone on a rampage with swatches of the Illamasqua cream blushes!

Do you love purple eye shadow? Check out a makeup look using just that, at Steal My Heart Lovee.

Melasma, acne and stretch marks... oh my! Whitney brings in Dr. Downie to answer your pregnancy skin care concerns.

Want to know to dip dye your hair? Madame B Fatale shows you how!

Wondering if Maybelline's Fit Me Foundation is any good? Check out Vonnie of Socialite Dreams review of the product.

Want to treat yourself to a little tube of pure luxury? Stina from Chic Beauty Blog shows you her favourite Chanel lippy.

At last! Makeup Morsels discovers her HG volumizing mascara.

Miss Beauty Nerd is currently coveting the new lip line Bite Beauty, formulated with bite-worthy resveratrol, and suddenly she feels not so bad about eating her lip products.

First ever manicure using solely Jessica products. How did LaaLaa from Dolce Vanity find The Jessica Manicure ? What was so different to this treatment?

And The Winner Is...........

The winner, picked at random, of the Sigma Brush Competition is................................................

http://www.blogger.com/profile/17220468281889460173

Lucy from Miss Lucy Loves

Congratulations! 

My Neom Obsession Begins

Midnight blogging seems to be the way forward, when there aren't enough hours in the day you have to forgo something, and sleep seems to be the final frontier, so I shall forgo that today and see how much I get done, seems a bit silly to waste those eight hours just lying there when someone needs to fill the tumble dryer, prep for tomorrow's Gelish and MYscara clients and generally tidy up.


It has also freed me up to mention a product that I bought on a whim on Wednesday and am already absolutely obsessed with.  At the salon I go to when I am near home they have fairly recently taken on a range of products named NEOM.  I hadn't really thought much about the brand until I was there on Wednesday having a flash facial (needed extraction and there is no WAY I would attempt to do that myself, hello scarring) and they had a massive NEOM candle with three wicks burning all the time in the treatment room. Now the facial was fab and extraction much needed, but the aromatherapy candle smelled absolutely amazing and I felt sooo relaxed! Surely that is not normal whilst being jabbed around the nose with something pointy?


I made a beeline for the NEOM candles and checking the price picked the travel size of the scent they used in the treatment room which is Sumptuous.

Fragrance:

Sumptuous - Rose & Neroli (Orange Blossom)

Fragrance Description:

The most deliciously decadent scent in the NEOM library, Rose is a calming, soothing oil whilst precious Neroli (orange blossom) lifts your spirit and calms the mind. Quite simply, the most opulent feel-good scent in the world.

Product Description:

NEOM Luxury Organics candles are made using only vegetable wax and pure essential oils rather than synthetic fragrances so they burn without releasing harmful pollutants, toxins or soot. Remember, they work as powerful holistic treatments as you breathe in the scented air so it best to burn them for 4 hours at a time! Each candle weighs 1KG, has 3 wicks and burns for up to 55 hours (30% longer than standard premium candles).

To begin with I thought £37 was rather overpriced (for a candle) but that is for the large 3 wick size and the scent is so divine and I really do feel so much calmer when it's on.  Normally I just have the candle on for the nice smells, nothing has ever had an effect on my mood before.  The only question now is, but more small ones in other scents or just buy the big one in this scent as I love it?

I need answers!!

Neom is available here http://neomorganics.com/

Elegant Touch Matte Nails with Gloss Art

One of the rare press releases I was sent that I actually was interested in this week has been the Elegant Touch Matte Nails with Gloss Art.  They are a set of matte finish false nails in a selection of bright colours such as Mint Green, Fushia Pink, Cobalt Blue and Burn Orange.  If you prefer a more regular colour there is a purple and a chocolate brown available too.  In the box you receive the clear nail glosser which you can use to make some cool designs or just make the whole nail shiny.

I use the matte and shiny effect with Gelish and it looks really fun without the in your face look that nail art can often have which means you can't get away with it in an office environment, but this is very subtle.  You could just paint a french tip with the glossy colour, leaving the rest of the nail matte, you could use a dotting tool (try hobbycraft) to dot shiny polka dots onto the matte nail, or make a cool swirly design again with the dotting tool.  The best thing about these nails is they tend to last around a week which is perfect if you get bored fairly quickly, and they don't damage your nail as long as you use cuticle oil and soak them off rather than ripping them off.  You can click here >http://blog.cherylhuggins.co.uk/?p=533 to view another blogger who has done some shiny and matte nail art.

Decent price too at just £7.10 and available in selected Boots and Superdrug from today.

What do you think of the matte nails with glossy art trend?

If You Like Disney Couture Jewellery

If you are a lover of jewellery, skulls, Disney or just Pirates of The Caribbean then this range might just shiver you timbers (yes I know..cheesy)

Disney Couture's new Pirates of the Carribean Range is available from my favourite online jewellery shop Accessories Online who I found over a year ago via Holly from Yummy Mummy beauty blog.

This ring is my favourite, there is something very McQueen about it but it's still very pretty. It costs £24.95 and can be purchased here

WIN A HE-SHI DARK TANNING MOUSSE

He Shi have set up a competition page for my lovely blog readers to win a Dark Tanning Mousse and Mitt just like Claire reviewed a few days ago > click to enter  http://www.he-shi.eu/competition/?CompID=1

You must use the link provided to get entered into the competition the link will be live until Midnight GMT 31st May 2011.

This is open to any of my followers via GFC, Twitter, Facebook etc. so get entering to win, winner is picked at random by He-Shi.

Wah Nails and Motel Rocks Competition

I'm sure most of you girls know about the fabulous nail art that is done by WAH NAILS.  Well they’ve done some amazing nail designs based upon the Motel Rocks clothing designs and to promote this they are giving away clothing through the Facebook page launching today Monday 16^th May.  All people have to do to enter is like the Facebook page and tell them as many of the names of the dresses, clothing or prints they can see on the nails.

Pretty Rose Print and Jordan Jean features:

The link to the competition is: http://www.facebook.com/motelrocks?sk=app_4949752878. 

There is also the new nail range from Models Own and Wah Nails. They will also be a competition on our website to win £200 of Motel clothing plus ten Models Own Goody bags.

Current Favourites > The Balm, Bobbi Brown and Korres

The Balm  - Bahama Mama

Since I've been enjoying having a bit of a tan I haven't been wearing quite so much makeup, which does save a lot of time in the morning!  One product I still use every day is The Balm's Bahama Mama bronzer.  It's a matte bronzer with a really blendable consistence so even if you put on a bit too much you can then blend it out and it looks really natural.  It is also really handy to use on your hands if your fake tan has worn off in that area to blend it back in.

The one thing I don't like is that the packaging is cardboard and the surround to the bronzer is white, so white cardboard plus bronzer means it always looks really dirty.  If the cardboard was brown I think it would look much nicer. The shade is definitely a beigey brown with no orange tones and is good for contouring as well as just bronzing.  For reasons unbeknown to me Next seem to have started selling makeup and it only costs £13 from them! next

Bobbi Brown - New Creamy Concealer and Corrector

I have reviewed the old style concealer kit which had the concealer on top with a loose powder on the bottom, which I did love but the powder kept escaping and making a real mess.  Bobbi Brown have taken this on board and change the format of the kit and made the powder a pressed setting powder to eliminate the mess.  The kit is small and portable and brilliant for your handbag, it's even small enough to fit in a clutch bag for a night out.  

The consistency of the creamy concealer doesn't seem to have changed and it is still the same brilliant coverage and dark circle correcting concealer I know!  It really does cover, lift and brighten dark circles. It also helps maintain skin's moisture levels for a smooth, virtually line-less look. Use a fluffy eye brush like Mac's 224 to dust on the setting powder. 

You can also watch the video on the Bobbi Brown website on how to use it here learn to use bobbi brown creamy concealer kit This does cost £23.50 but my previous kit lasted me a whole year, so hardly expensive for a year's concealing.

Korres Shea Butter and Vitamins Hair Mask

I needed a hair mask to moisturise my extensions and this one is rich in vitamins A, E, F, H, B3, B8 and shea butter.

You apply to the ends of you hair once it's been towel dried and it's a really similar consistency to their body butters.  It is thick so it doesn't drip off while you leave it on, I leave mine for 5 minutes. It makes my hair so soft and shiny and I love that there is no silicone.  The silk proteins make it mega shiny and protect from split ends.

 

Igredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Limnanthes Alba(Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Myristyl Olive Esters, Behentrimonium Chloride, Butyrospermum Parkii, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Jojoba Esters, Quaternium-82, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylene Glycol, Butylparaben, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Silk Amino Acids, Cocotrimonium Methosulphate, Decyl Glucoside, Ethylparaben, Glycine Soja, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyethyl Ethylcellulose, Isobutylparaben, Lactic Acid, Limonene, Methylparaben, Panthenol, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Phospholipids, Phytantriol, Polyquaternium-37, Potassium Sorbate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Propylparaben, Silk Amino Acids, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Soy

This is a definite must have for long hair or extensions and the container it comes in is handy so you don't have to dip your hand in a big tub. It costs just £12.50 from bathandunwind

What have you been loving this month?

He-Shi Dark Foaming Mousse Review

Today's tan review is by Claire whose blog is > http://www.clairewaterworth.blogspot.com/ I would urge you all to go and take a look at her lovely blog.

Claire: After an interesting and very lengthy discussion about fake-tanning on Twitter last week, Sarah kindly offered to send me the He-Shi Dark Foaming Mousse to try out and review for her. Of course, I said yes! Although I have a million things I need to be doing (like revision for my exams!), I love fake tan and I love blogging so I couldn’t resist.

As soon as my little parcel arrived, I decided to go onto the He-shi site to find out a bit about it before proceeding to slap it on to my pasty winter skin. Both the site and Sarah recommended I used a mitt so I sped off to my nearest Boots and grabbed a Soltan mitt as they’re not too pricey and I’ve heard they do the job.

On the website, the He-shi claims that the mousse is “quick drying, non-streaking and easy to apply” and I totally agree. The guide colour isn’t too dark but is just the right colour so that you can see where you have applied enough or where you may need some more and it dries very quickly indeed. The downside of the speedy drying means that you have to work quite quickly but the obvious upside is that you only have to wait 2 or 3 minutes before you can put your clothes back on. With a mousse product, a mitt is definitely better than just using your fingers and working in brisk circular motions with the said mitt gave me absolutely flawless coverage.

 MY ARM

The colour is more bright than bronze but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it is orange. As I said, the coverage was lovely and even and I also loved how it looked on my face; meant that much less foundation was needed! By the third day (see the photo below) my tan had faded slightly but it was still there and by the fifth day, I still had a bit of a glow. The tan on my arms stayed much more intact than my legs but that is probably because shaving my legs on day two took a bit of the colour away.

  

After 3 days. I’m the extra tanned one on the right!

Personally, £27.00 is quite near the top end of my budget but I was impressed with the easy application and lasting power and it is definitely a contender for my prom tan!  He-Shi Dark Foaming Mousse

Note from Sarah > I would like to thank Claire for clearly the best guest review I have ever been sent. Many thanks for the time and trouble you have taken xx

Two Mega Exciting Developments

Work being busy and blogger being dodgy have slightly scuppered my blog posts this week but first of all I am so so excited about two things I wanted to mention these first.

First of all my business website was designed and made and up and live eee!  This is the link Beauty Retreat and you can see what services I offer, prices, gallery pictures of previous work etc. etc. please do let me know what you think of the design, I have worked really hard on it to showcase all of my Gelish, Minx, Shellac, Fake Bake and other services, fingers crossed.

On Wednesday I am training in the above treatment called MYscara, I am 100% excited! I am going to love it I know. I will make a separate post on it and my own before and after from the day but for information now:

MYscara is the brand new eyelash treatment set to take the UK by storm. Just imagine...a mascara that lasts 4-6 weeks....is waterproof....has curl...provides lift...adds volume...

Say goodbye to Panda eyes and wake up in the morning looking fabulous. Too good to be true right?

Already a concept that has taken off in the U.S, MYscara have exclusively brought this innovative product to UK

MYscara can only be applied by a trained therapist and can be applied to bottom lashes when lash extensions are used on the top lashes.

I hope you have all had a fab week too! 

NEW Boots Smooth Skin PLUS

You may remember I mentioned that there was due to be a new improved Boots Smooth Skin PLUS....Well after a slight delay it is finally here and I was kindly sent one to review so I can let you know whether this product is a HIT or a MISS before you shell out a big wedge of cash.

I am not always a bit fan of home hair removal, the No! No! hair removal machine in particular being totally and completely pointless especially. The original ipulse did have some issues that I didn't like such as it taking ages between zaps and the fact that it looked a bit...cheap given the pricetag. I also found that as soon as I stopped using the ipulse on my bikini line the hair (slowly) started to grow back, even though I doubled the amount of suggested times I used it. BUT I found out why that was as I shall explain below.


After having a play about with the new mark 2 of the ipulse I was pleased to see that the designers had taken on board the feedback about the design and had made it look and work a lot better. I also learnt why my bikini line hair had grown back when I attended the launch party at the end of last year so I have decided to test the product on my underarms this time for a better indication of result.

The Boots Smooth Skin iPulse is an IPL that offers clinically proven, permanent hair reduction. The suggested usage is once a week for 12 weeks, at which point hair growth should be significantly reduced, and a top-up session is then required every three months or so.

What I completely hadn't realised when first using the iPulse is that once results are achieved you still need to keep the device for top-up treatments every few months as while the regrowth becomes less over time until the point that it's barely visible it doesn't all go after 12 sessions. I do think they should have made this more obvious in the first place as then you have realistic expectations. I mean obvious as in BIG letters, as it completely bypassed me and I was trying to review it!


So what's changed?
The new model has 20,000 shots of power which is double the old machine
There is less time between zaps so it doesn't take as long
There is a cooling system so it won't get so hot
The handset and overall machine look much more professional
There is a new skin tone sensor which means you don't have to guess your skintone as it will tell you
There is 1 extra skin type setting
There is a much longer handset cord which was a massive bugbear of the first machine
The cost has also increased from £281.90 to £399.99


Reasons why you wouldn't use the iPulse
If your skin is too dark
If your hair is very pale
If your hair is very fine
If you have a tan
If you have a fake tan
If you have blond hair
If you have grey hair
If you are on thyroid or homone medication
If you're pregnant


Why does IPL work better on some areas of hair than others?
Not all hair was created the same:
TERMINAL hair which is visible and pigmented, such as your eyebrows or armpit hair - this is the best type of hair to remove via IPL treatments

FINE hair which is barely visible and not pigmented such as your face or tummy - this hair is hard to remove as the hair is not pigmented the IPL will not pick up the pigment in the hair so won't zap it properly (oh so technical ..not ;P )

Ambisexual hair - armpits etc - works well if the hair is dark

Sexual hair - facial for example if you have PCOS - doesn't work that well and the treatment will have to be continuously topped up, this is because the hair is stimulated by the male hormone and is very very slow to respond to IPL and new hairs will be growing as they are being stimulated by the hormone.

Now from the info provided it says that IPL will achieve the best results on ambisexual hair such as the bikini line, well I did not find that at all last time. So I am going to try the armpit hair this time.

So stay tuned to see my lovely armpits! Buy Boots Smooth Skin PLUS from Boots.com iPulse website: www.ipulse.co.uk

SIGMA BRUSH GIVEAWAY LETS TRY AGAIN

After offering this up for giveaway last month, the winner - as often happens, didn't bother to send me her address (STRANGE). But instead of just picking someone else I am going to open up the competition again. But this time PLEASE ONLY ENTER IF YOU CAN ACTUALLY BE BOTHERED TO SEND YOUR ADDRESS IF YOU WIN! 

Each set contains:

12 professional quality brushes for a complete makeover! Everything you need to apply makeup to eyes and face.


Brushes in this kit:

Eyeliner - E05 - An extra-fine tipped synthetic fiber brush that delivers a precise, firm, even stroke to line the eyes.

Pencil - E30 - Precise application of color on the crease, outer corner, and upper and lower lash line. Also ideal to smudge out pencil liner. Natural bristles.

Tapered Blending - E40 - Rounded and tapered top. Specially designed to apply and blend color on the crease. Natural bristles.


Eye Shading - E55 - Soft and dense with a rounded finish. Can be used to apply pressed or loose eye shadows and pigments. Ideal to build intense color on the eyelid. Natural bristles.

Large Shader - E60 - Flat shape is ideal for application of cream formulas and eye shadow primers. It also works great with loose eye shadows or pigments. Can be used to apply color all over the lid or precisely on the lash line. Natural bristles.


Small Angle - E65 - Essential for the application of gel or cream eyeliner on the upper and lower lash line. This brush is also excellent for filling out the eyebrows. Synthetic bristles.


Medium Angled Shading - E70 - Angled, tapered, flat top. Ideal to apply highlight shades underneath the eyebrow and on the inner corners. It can also be used for a precise application of darker shades on the crease area. Natural bristles.


Large Powder - F30 - Very dense with a rounded top. Ideal to apply powder products on face and body. Natural bristles.

Large Angled Contour - F40 - The angled shape makes this brush ideal to apply blush or contour shades. Natural bristles.

Duo Fibre - F50 - Specially designed to generate an ‘airbrushed’ finish when used to apply liquid foundation. It can also be used to apply blush, highlight shades and loose pigments. Blend of synthetic and natural bristles.


Foundation - F60 - Can be used to apply liquid or cream foundation. It is also recommended to apply moisturizers and conceal large areas. Synthetic bristles.


Concealer - F70 - The rounded, tapered, flat shape makes this brush ideal to conceal the under eye area. It is also recommended for a precise application in small areas. Synthetic bristles.

All you have to do

1. Make sure you are a follower of this blog, as this give away is for my followers. 
2. Leave a comment below stating your favourite type of brush +  leave me your email address
3.  For 1 extra entry, Tweet about this on Twitter and make sure you include me @sarahloolaa in the tweet, so I know about it.
4. This give away will end Friday 20th May 2011 MIDNIGHT (GMT)

One winners will be picked at random

Let's hope someone wants to win!