Guest Post: Please Welcome Emma from Escentual.com

Hey all!

I'm finally back in action after a 10 day break from the blog and I feel like I can now throw myself in to it and give you some good posts instead of crap stuff that you've probably read before on a million other blogs. While I was away (not that I left the country), I tweeted that I would love to have a guest blogger on here and was approached by the lovely Emma from Escentual.com who said she'd love to have a little space where she can share some great tips with you all.

This is Emma - Say hello!

I'm not going to waffle on any more than I really should so here's Emma...

What I Have Learned in the Past Fortnight

I had a really good think about what sort of tips I could share with you guys, but I figured that it would be a little like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs. Instead, I wanted to share some of my personal beauty revelations that I’ve discovered in the past fortnight, as one of the things I love most about beauty blogs is their capacity to share little idiosyncratic nuggets of information. So, here are the tips and tricks that I’ve picked up in the past fortnight, a lovely medley of the mundane and the silly...

1) I am a complete makeup colourphobe, but I’ve had a bit of an epiphany in the last fortnight. On our travels to London last week, Louise (Head of Marketing at Escentual) and I met up with Daniel Sandler to get a bit of a firsthand perspective of his range of cosmetics. Mid-conversation (in what I’ve later mentally exaggerated into a bit of a Family Guy-esque “I have to draw you” voice) Daniel asked if he could colour my lips in – and when a supremely talented makeup artist asks if he can make you over, you definitely don’t say no. So that’s how I ended up with gorgeous a red-pink-purple pout (Daniel Sandler Luxury Lipstick in Impulse, to be released this Christmas) both that day, and every day since.

Tip: I apply mine with the Daniel Sandler Lip Brush and that has made an incredible difference, as it pushes the colour into the skin a little more for a stain-like appearance that feels like you’re wearing nothing at all. This is just the way I like it, as I tend to subconsciously wipe away heavy-feeling lipstick, resulting in a look reminiscent of Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight.

2) I’m very bad with heated appliances, and as such I straighten my hair pretty much every day without fail. Earlier this week I decided to experiment. I washed my hair as normal, sprayed in a liberal amount of salt spray, and then got stuck into some work that desperately needed doing. That took my mind off the impulse to blow dry and straighten my hair to a crisp, and I ended up with big, bouncy waves that looked and felt much nicer. Although I must admit that I did straighten my little baby hairs down flat... they need to stop letting the team down.

Tip: Salt spray in the roots can make hair seem a little fluffy at the ends, especially if you need a haircut like I do. I apply a run a tiny bit of Trilogy Rosehip Oil through the ends for a more polished finish that still looks all wild and lovely.

3) I normally go for very matte, quite graphic makeup to reconcile for my lack of colour. My signature look is a very uniform complexion, a little peachy pink blush, stark brows, a slick of quite thick carbon black gel eyeliner, and lashings of black mascara. This normally requires quite a bit of precision - especially the eye liner - but I’m glad to say that I finally have the look down to a T. However, I was forcibly ejected from my comfort zone this past weekend because I embarked upon a well groomed person’s worst nightmare – I went camping! In response, I switched around the entire contents of my makeup bag and packed an illuminating foundation with a lighter coverage, a creamy bronzer, my newly acquired Daniel Sandler lipstick, and waterproof mascara. I mixed the bronzer with the foundation for a really healthy sheen, dotted the pinky red lipstick onto both my lips and my cheeks, and added several coats of mascara.

Tip: Waterproof formulations like Guerlain Le 2 Waterproof hold the curl really well for me, and generally means that I don’t really need to use an eye lash curler.

4) I went to a gig last night for the first time in too long, and I gave myself a little treat by allowing more time than usual to get myself ready. I’ve been watching lots of makeup tutorials of late, particularly those from Pixiwoo and EnKoreMakeup, and the skills that I’ve gradually picked up encouraged me to experiment with shading and contouring. I wanted to address the lack of definition in the bridge of my nose whilst also bring the wide set of eyes a little close together, so I worked a little beige-brown shadow from the eyesocket inwards towards the bridge of my nose, and blended well. I have no idea whether that’s customarily meant to be beneficial, but it worked a treat! The smoky shadow worked two-fold for my eyes, sorting out the spacing and adding more definition and contour to the area. Now, if only I can sort out my cheek sculpting skills.

Tip: I have wide set and heavy lidded eyes, and lighter shadows only seem to emphasise this. Stick to darker shades like those in the Too Faced Smoky Eye Palette to add intensity but don’t over-do it if your eyes are a little smaller.

So, that’s what I’ve learned in the past fortnight. It may not sound like much to style chameleons, but for a girl stuck in a black eyeliner/poker straight hair/blunt fringe rut for the past year, it’s a pretty big step forward. And for those who are scared of change like me, take the plunge and see what happens. I’ve had more compliments on my bright lips and my wavy hair in the past two weeks than I normally would have had in an entire year!

There you have it folks... Thanks so much for stopping by Emma!!! All products featured in this post are available to purchase from Escentual.com and make sure you check out the Escentual Blog where they feature some of my favourite bloggers too!

Until next time...
Keep swivelling those hips in your