Friday 17 December 2010

Not enough hours or pennies?!

Over the years, I`ve come across some great products and tips that will help you save time, not just over Christmas, where we all seem to run out of time and are wrapping up pressies at midnight! But these tips will help you all year round!
TIGIS Dirty Secret is a dry spray shampoo - absolutely perfect for the days when you dont have time to wash your hair in the morning, or you`re going out straight after work. Brilliant for festivals too and for fringes!
Try and find yourself a combined cosmetic palette that does everything! Jelly Pong Pongs Shadow Taffy which comes in an amazing bird cage!! (great for a gift!) can be used as a cheek blush, lip gloss and even a silky, glossy eyeshadow! For £12.50 its a bargain!
I have even used St Tropezs Bronzing rocks as a face bronzer, eyeshadow and to give me a sunkissed look on my neck, shoulders and legs! All these little things save time and money and keep your makeup bag a bit lighter. At one point, my bag needed wheels, but now its much more manageable!
Oh, and if you do need a new makeup bag, why not try the Girls Aloud Lash kit - you get 5 sets of strip lashes, some makeup brushes and a fab makeupbag! All for £23. One final tip, make sure you regularly wipe the inside and outside of your makeup bags with an anti-bacterial wipe and the ends of your eyeliners and lip pencils! (If you sharpen them regularly, it keeps them fresh and hygenic too!
If you like the sound of any of the products I have mentioned today, visit http://www.omgmee.com/

Thursday 9 December 2010

How Much Product Should I Really Use On My Skin? Can I Save Time And Money?!

Lets assume you are already using an effective and safe product (this is a minefield of choices in itself! -I`ll blog about product choice later!)

Too much or too little, and you wont get the results you desire. Too little and the effects will be diluted, too much and not only are you going to end up wasting money but your skins likely to get clogged up. And when its clogged up it doesnt work efficiently, function breaks down and spots/oiliness/dryness appear.


This may sound like an obvious thing to say, but read the box and read the little leaflet thats often found inside a good skincare product. Some companies spend billions in research a year, so why wouldnt you take advantage of their knowledge?!
If you have access to a great skin care salon like mine, OMG Hair & Beauty, Swindon, make use of the services and skills on offer. Skin Scanning is an excellent way of understanding your skin, its condition and needs and when having your first facial/buying new products, ask for help in application and amounts.

Typically, for each application, you shouldnt need more than a pea to five pence piece size of moisturiser for your face and neck. And as an example, for a Dermalogica moisturiser 50ml, I find that lasts 3 - 4 months on my clients. If you are finding that its not lasting long at all, rather than plastering huge amounts that just sit on top of the skin, you`d be better off adding a hydrating booster to your moisturiser or using a hydrating masque.

Sometimes its not the moisturiser thats wrong, if you are using a cleanser that is too harsh or a toner that has alcohol in it, it will strip your skin of its natural oil and make it feel much more dryer.

If your`e trying to save money or time, why not try dual action products such as a combined cleanser and exfoliator or a mosturiser that has SPF in it.  Some cleansers such as Dermalogicas Dermal Clay Cleanser can double up as an oil controlling masque.
Apply masques with fan brushes, you will be so suprised at how much product you save. And watch out for gel based cleansers. Its so common for people to use it undiluted and waste product. Really combine it with lots of water and foam up well.

Eye creams should be applied gently, around the orbital bone, rice grain size, with a gentle patting motion, using your wedding ring finger. Some eye creams can also be used for around the lip area, when you start to see those pesky little lines appear!

I hope you`ve found this article useful, please post back with anyquestions or comments.

National Finals here we come!

Just heard that we have reached the Finals for Professional Beautys Best Beauty Salon Employer in UK Award. This is fantastic news, as you are judged on management skills, processes, strategy, employee development and training etc, so it shows we are a professional, caring, fair employer.  The only bit to fear is the trip to London in the New Year for a Dragons Den style grilling!!! Eeeek!

Thursday 2 December 2010

Sweet Sixteen!

Our Sweet Sixteen makeover photoshoot went really well with our group of 4 young ladies, they were so excited! They arrived at OMG, with enough suitcases full of clothes, that I thought they were going on holiday for a fortnight!
We did their hair and makeup and made them look fabulous! Its quite tricky to get the balance right for teenagers, if you go to much one way they can look too hard and grown up, but you also want to create a look that maybe they havent created for themselves before.  They chose to go for a relaxed, soft, romantic feel.  Then they were whisked away to the photographers studios - Kris Talikowski - and they got to play around in front of the camera. Group shots, individual shots, serious, relaxed, all types of styles really, and a clothes changeover half way through.
Ive had some great feedback from the girls, that they really enjoyed their day and I cant wait to see the final shots. Heres a sneak preview of just one shot....