The real easy real cheap makeup brush DEEP CLEANSE

As makeup tools get fancier and makeup becomes longer lasting, companies have realised more than ever a need for a great makeup brush cleaner that will get rid of heavy stains and eliminate bacteria for the everyday makeup wearer. While I am as thrilled as most by different cleaning tools and contraptions we should first identify the difference between a spot clean and a deep clean and be honest to ourselves when a deep clean is calling.

It's simply a matter that takes a long time, especially if you have a sizable collection of brushes because you have to be meticulous with everyone, it also inevitably is followed by cleaning the bathroom sink, since that too will be filthy after every brush deep clean.

Today I am here to cut out the nonsense and to tell you the easiest, cheapest method around with 1 product that you can get anywhere, yes anywhere (did I tell you that I'm living in China right now?)

Lets get started-

1. Gather all dirty brushes from far and wide
the brush is dirty when the fibers are coloured any colour other than the colour of brush hairs, if they've been used at least once, or if they've been sitting around for sometime without being used (dust is bad too ya'no)

2.Squirt a generous dollop of Johnsons Baby Shampoo into a cup (I use my brush holder because it cleans that at the same time!)
actually, any gentle cleanser will work, certainly no cleaning products you'd use in your house, only ones you would use on your skin- add more cleaning product to the cup as you need it

3.Hold the brush under a warm running tap


4. Dunk the brush head into the dollop of shampoo

5.Work those fibres between your fingers
be firm enough to get in the nooks and between the fibres, but gentle enough not to pull out a single hair if you can help it

6.Rinse

7. Repeat until your hand is raw from cleaning or you have no brushes left to clean (whichever is first)

BONUS BEAUTY BLENDER STEP
It's exactly the same principle except you'll need to dunk and drown that damn sponge in more baby shampoo than you imagine. Work it into the sponge, rinse and repeat until that water runs out the sponge clear. 
Remember: The first squeeze to extract the initial gunk is the most satisfying

8. Tuck your brushes into their little towel bed
I've made a pillow on one side for the handles that is raised so that the water runs out the brush
If your brush is double ended just lay it flat

Leave overnight to dry and thank me, and yourself in the morning !

A moments silence for the brush that didn't make it through this clean today. My Models Own Pencil brush, and he'll be replaced back in the UK

Zombie Simple Video Makeup Tutorial

It's very easy to be tricked into believing that to dress up in horror style makeup then specialist makeup will be needed, even if it is just face paint and some fake blood.
Well, I am here to tell you that is false! I can prove it!
There is no need to spend the money on these things only for them to dry up in 2 months and never to be used again.

So if you are:
-Last minute on costume ideas

-Want a scary zombie look without the scary price tag

then I have a video just for you!

Some comments have said that I resemble more a person abusing illegal substances... which is fine, I suppose, that is equally horrifying to me I suppose!

This delightful look follows straight on from the previous video... where I transform into that china doll that your grandmother owns that makes you feel uncomfortable. If you want to start at the very beginning then take a look at this video first:

New Video: How to customise Furby 2012 !

Okay so we're in 2013 but these cute balls of fun are still the 2012 generation of Furby!

This video is not about giving me a make over but instead, giving Furby a make over, he was quite happy to be a the star of the show.

Although I did have to edit a lot because he kept talking over me!
Unfortunately the lighting starts off very low at first, but about half way through the make over it rectifies itself.
Here is my basic customisation of blinging and sparkling up Furby. I got my sticky backed sparkle gems as a free gift years ago with a childrens magazine for anyone asking. As i reiterate several times I would recommend this over glue unless you definately want this as a permanent feature of the Furbs. I'm not certain, adn I'd quite like to change it up in the future with coloured gems, aswell as adding more along the ears and feet!
Providing you do this correctly it doesn't damage Furby in anyway or his precious mechanisms, it just makes him look even more Prada!

Here's a link to some gems that look pretty similar: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176-x-4-3-2mm-Self-Adhesive-Diamantes-Stick-On-Rhinestone-Gems-Sticky-Crystals-/251175311506?pt=UK_Crafts_Beads_CA&var=&hash=item3a7b371892
For only 99p!

Happy Sparkling!

New Video: Adele Classic Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial

Adele's makeup has that wonderfully classic feel to it that everyone can pull off. Sometimes she mixes it up with a red lip or more dramatic winged liner but here I use a nude gloss.
My original picture for inspiration to work from was this:

But I ended up with something a little warmer on the eyes, softer on the eyeliner and sweeter on the lips


I use a lot of shadows from Mac because their nudes are hard to beat, but the essentials on a budget are a medium matte brown, a soft champagne and liquid eyeliner.
I hope you love it!

When all else fails - How to wash your makeup brushes

I'm still not in the mood to cake any thick foundations or dusty powders onto my face, inface the thought of it just makes me feel even more blocked up! It would all get wiped off in an instant anyway since I seem to have the sweats and a constant need to blow my nose. Instead I decided to wash my makeup brushes. They needed it plus they undoubtedly would have had some pre-cold germs lurking in them, and it would be their first wash since I took them travelling, so a bath for them was infact a matter of urgence!
I don't know if my brush washing method is the most effective - it certainly isn't the best for saving water, so if you have a better method that uses less water let me know!
All I use is a running warm tap and baby shampoo. I do not even use the Johnsons baby shampoo I just use the supermarkets own brand because after all they are brushes, they're not going to know the difference!

I get a cup that would usually hold some of my brushes, and pour a generous blob of this into the bottom of the cup.
I then  take a brush, wet it under the running tap and dip it into the cup of shampoo coating the hairs.
I pull the brush out of the cup and then proceed to swirl the brush in the palm of my hand to make a nice foam.
I rinse it under the running tap, squeezing the bristles between my thumb and forefinger to wring out the water and continue this over and over until the water squeezed out of the brush runs clear.
Washing my brushes takes a long long time, I think there must be a more water economical and time saving approach but I just don't know about it!
The result is worth it though, lovely clean fresh brushes!

I'm resting them on a towel with a part elevated higher and lean the handle on that part so that the water trapped in the ferrule runs out to the bristles and evaporates rather than sitting in the brush rotting the glue and loosening the hairs.

Who loves my old beach towel with cats on it!?

Pinterest Winterest - a recipe that WORKED

The hilarity of pinterestfail.com was supposed to put me off trying anything and everything that Pinterest promised to be delicious, easy or 'the best'
But I saw this recipe and did wonder if it would be too good to be true

This is the recipe itself:

• 1 large head cauliflower (the one I used was at least 7″ in diameter
• olive oil for drizzling
• Few dashes garam masala (optional)
• 3 medium to large sized peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 7 cups filtered water

First, preheat your oven to 400 °F and cut up your cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle cauliflower lightly with garam masala. Place cauliflower onto ungreased cookie sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and let roast until golden brown on the tops and tender, but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes. There’s no need to flip ‘em. Just remove from oven and let cool while you cook the rest of the soup.
In large stockpot, bring sweet potato, onion, garlic and water to a boil. Salt (abt 3/4 tsp) and stir. Reduce heat and allow to remain at a constant simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Add in cooked cauliflower and divide soup into 2 parts.
Let soup cool and then blend one part soup in blender until very smooth. Combine with second part soup and stir. Salt to taste and warm up over stovetop if needed.

From Manifestvegan.com



Here's a little side by side comparison, mine is on the left... or I wish it was! Mine is on the right hand side and distinctly less photogenic and kind of messy looking, and the cauliflower on top sank before I took the picture which doesn't help matters!
Nonetheless, it is a really really easy recipe. Has a sweet and mild taste. I added dried mixed herbs to give it a bit of a kick and next time I'd add another clove of garlic, you might want to add a little spice too if you want to! So although it may look like a Pinterest fail, it tasted like a Pinterest win!

Soups up!

So it's getting cold and you need something warm and delicious and comforting like a bowl of hearty ol' soup! Right?

Here's how the soup goes down:

1.Melt a cube of butter in a big saucepan, then add one chopped onion, one small chopped potato, 1 carrot chopped, 1/2 a red pepper chopped and 2 cloves of garlic chopped for two whole minutes while you stir it all around.

2.Then add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato puree, 2 and a half mugs of water, and a stock cube and let it all boil baby!

3.Once it's boiled, take it back down to simmering for ten minutes, then add a mug of uncooked pasta, and keep simmering for 5 or 6 more minutes.

4. serve up, eat up, enjoy!

Add crusty bread with butter for more deliciousness, my bread was just boring old bread unfortuantely

Got 15 minutes?

This is how to make some finger-licking (although you don't eat this with your fingers) spaghetti bolognase, this is how it goes down...

-Heat some oil (I prefer rape seed) in a large saucepan and fry 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves for a minute.

Add half a packet of mince meat (250g) or a vegetarian meat substitute and cook it up until it's not a gross pink colour anymore

Then mix in a tin of chopped tomatoes (400g) and 5 mushrooms sliced up- Stir it all up and bring it to the boil so it's bubbling then just keep it on a low heat for ten minutes

While that's heating, boil a pan of water for your pasta and once it's boiling drop the pasta in

Add some herbs if you want to the bolognase and skip out the salt, just add pepper.

Drain the pasta and put it on the plate, add the bolognase and serve!

This makes enough for about 2 people, or you can keep half and save it to eat for lunch the next day
Hooray for cheap student cooking!

Mother Mummy Mama Mom Mum Ma

Defined as:
Heart healer
Happy maker
Supporter
Comforter
Sacrifice maker
Listener
it goes on and on and on and on!

This day in England is Mothers day, or Mothering Sunday.
A day to cherish our mothers, but remember- you don't need a special day to cherish your mother, they're beautiful diamonds in our hearts that should be admired always!

Maybe things with your mum aren't so peachy, maybe you have an Aunt, Grandma, Sister or friend that has been a mother instead!  Let them know how thankful you are to have had them when it felt like we had no one.
Mothers treasure kind words more than fancy presents, a home made card says so much more than a shop bought one- everyone will tell you that, not just mums!

If you want to get your mama a little something but are out of cash or time , watch my 2 minute video on how to make a foam boquet of roses.

All you need is:
Foam (colour for the flowers, and green for the leaves)
Scissors
Pipe cleaners

What you don't need:
Glue
£$£ a lot of money!$£$
a creative 'flair'



1. Cut out a strip of foam and keep one edge of the strip with a straight cut edge, make the other side kind of wavy to look like petals

2. Cut out a doughnut shape foam (circle with a hole in the middle) and cut the edges kind of wavy, so they look petal-like

3. Take a green pipecleaner (this is your stalk) poke it through one side of the jagged strip and wrap the strip up tightly, secure it in place with the doughnut shaped part pushed up and over the rolled up strip

4. Cut out a leaf shape (2 per flower should be enough)

5. Poke the leaves through either end of another green pipe cleaner

6. Wrap this around the stalk pipecleaner (the one attatched to the petals)

7. Gift it to someone, or keep them for yourself, on your jewelerry table, dresser, window ledge, wherever!

Happy Mothers day to everyone!

Sunny Shopping for Charity!

Here's what I looked like a little earlier today:

Sunglasses on my head, you best believe it's going to be a good day! Who doesn't love sunshine to put a little extra spring in your step!
Here's a closer look at my 'Queen of Aces' fancy shirt!

This is a little look at the treasures I picked up!
A black evening top from Warehouse (but actually from Demelza House)
A floral shirt from New look ( but actually from the red cross)
A black shoulder pad cropped jacked from H&M (but actually from Demelza House)
A fun print tassle scarf with no brand on it but came from good ol' Demelza house too!

Finally, I treated myself to a chocolate orange candle because it smelt exactly like chocolate! And usually i hate the scent of aritificial chocolate because it smells like sugary plastic. But this smelt like the REAL DEAL! And I sure love them chocolate oranges, so I'm not sure if this candle will do more harm than good and make me crave chocolate oranges!

That's a little bit of the fun we had today, Saturday shopping is great! especially when it does good things for charities and costs a fraction of what it does when you shop in the high street stores!

I'll upload a video soon that goes into a little more depth about our day!

Oranges to eat and orange bags to buff!

There was once upon a time when those little mesh fruit holer bags for your oranges were just practical to hold fruit, but not anymore!
Let the fruit make your insides pretty and the packaging make your outsides pretty!

You can buff your face to beautifulness with just a simple scrunch of the meshy stuff and a gentle hand. Here's my more in depth how to:



Remember!
-This is not a daily treatment, unless you want to scrub away every layer of your skin, haha!
-If you have dry skin be sure to use a face wash with natural moisturising properties
-All skin types should avoid combining this tough trick with a facial scrub as it'll be too much 'scrubby-ness'
-Have fun and let me know if it made your skin feel fabulous and fresh too!

You're just 'write' for me!

Need a valentines day present in double quick time?

Try one of these adorable pencil holders with a sweet little note on it!
This owl is just the sweetest one ever and perfect to hand out to all your friends!

http://inspirationforhome.blogspot.com/search/label/Craft



The one that I'm going to make is a holder in the shape of a heart and then written on it is 'your just write for me!'
Especially fun if you have a friend or loved one that likes writing or drawing
OR...
If you have got less than 5 minutes to bring together something then grab a sticky note and on it write 'I love you today because...'
and then maybe just a few words on why you love that person nd stick it somewhere they'll see (fridge, bathroom mirror, school locker, tucked under car window wiper, in a coat pocket etc)
You don't need to spend out on fancy boxes of chocolates or teddy bears or any other extravagent goodies really.
Kind words mean so much more to those that we care about!