How To:- Set Undereye Concealer

I really wasn't planning on doing this post and did have something else planned for today but after seeing someone on the train with heavily caked under-eyes yesterday, I got struck with the lightening bolt of inspiration and decided to pull this post together.

I love how Youtube has inspired a lot of people to dabble in makeup; which FYI I think is amazing, but a common problem seems to be that a whole lot of people only follow the steps halfway through or don't understand why certain products used rather than others and end up making major mistakes like setting your undereye concealer with Compact face powder instead of a translucent powder. Not every powder is the same!!!!

As I've recently bought a new transclucent powder from Daniel Sandler for £7 and FYI loving how finely milled it is compared to my Ben Nye Powder in Sienna. I thought a tutorial was in order.

Tools

• Daniel Sandler On The Loose Powder in No.10
• Select Coverup Concealer in NW40
• Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush
• Cosmopolitan Makeup Sponge

I hope you like this tutorial and as always let me know if there is anything you want me to do a tutorial on, I promise I don't bite.



Also, you may have already noticed, but it is that time of the year again.... It is the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards!  This is my first time of signing up for these awards so I would be REALLY, REALLY grateful if you could take five minutes to nominate Epiphannie A in the Established Beauty Blog category. I have been loving sharing my zany self all over the beauty blogosphere for the past two years and it would mean the world to me to be nominated for this at least once

Thank you in advance!

continue reading "How To:- Set Undereye Concealer"

Papachichi Style x EpiphannieA

Salutations!!!!

Remember me??

C'mon it's only been two weeks. You can't possibly haven forgotten who I am already (well unless you happen to have the memory of a fish). Apologies for the impromptu blog break, I've literally been rushed off my feet for the last few days and haven't even had much of an opportunity to blog or edit any of my pictures and that's really sad because I wanted to talk to you about my new hair extensions *flips hair back and forth*

For my 23rd birthday, I decided I wanted my hair a lit longer, better quality and a bit more blog friendly. My signature hairstyle was not very adventorous as it was made up of a synthetic hair blend so I couldn't straighten, curl or do much with it and that was soooo boring!!!! Normally, getting extensions isn't much of a challenge as everybody and their best friend seems to sell them (if you don't believe me, just check your Facebook newsfeed) but I wanted to keep my beloved kinks and finding a company that stocked kinky curly hair was surprisingly difficult.

Luckily, I managed to stumble upon Papachichi Style and their absolutely gorgeous website (who knew you could have a video as your website background) and made an appointment for a lace hair closure and 300g of Human Mongolian Kinky Curly Extensions. Papachistyle.com is an innovative mobile hairdressing company owned by Mary Oluwawo. Mary Oluwawo has been doing hair for almost 7 years and has also worked as the Head Stylists for Weave Got Style, styling extensions for WAGs.

Mary has to be one of the most infectious and hard-working ladies I've meet in a long time.
What started out as an friendly interview morphed into one of the best conversations I've had in ages. She shared with me the stories behind her company name (complete with beat-boxing), her reasons for leaving her journalism job at the Guardian and Mumsnet to pursue her dreams and of course the ups and down of owning her company.

As most of the interview was plain ol' gossiping (there is something magical about sitting on the hairdressers chair, that makes you want to spill out your heart) I've p

Me: Ok, let me just start this interview of by asking, Why the heck would you leave a good job at the Guardian to work for yourself, especially in these economic times?

Mary: I told myself I would never be in a job for money or status, I would rather be in a job for happiness because at the end of the day you graduate university and it's like 'woooooahhhh,  welcome to the big wide world", there's noone to go to and say "Miss, Can you help me with my homework?". At the end of the day it's just you!!

Once you get into a job, you settle and get comfortable and start to think 'I don't know how to do anything else, I've been here for a year but if I leave, how can I guarantee I will get another job?". While I was working for the Guardian, I felt like a different person. I wasn't my bubbly self so I left.

I did have a bit of a panic at the beginning and thought I might be making the wrong decision, so I decided to freelance for Mumsnet while I was still doing hair. As time went on, Mumsnet hired me to work full-time but then the lack-lustre feeling returned and I quit after two months but this time I knew that I was making the right decision by working for myself.

Me: And are you still happy with the decision you've made?

Mary: I am loving what I am doing right now. This is what I love! If you wake me up at midnight asking me to do your hair . . . I might charge triple but I would do it because this is what I love.

Me: What advice would you give anyone interested in setting up their own business?

Mary: It's so important when you have a business when you employ other people to make sure they are happy and that you keep close tabs on everything because people will rub you blind if you give them the opportunity. Also stick to your whatever price you set because everyone will try and get  a discount from you regardless of quality. You are not getting a salary every month, so you need to work hard and remember that whatever you put into your business, you get out.

I can't get enough of my hair as while I'm still getting used to doing braids and twist outs every night to keep my curls curly, I'm in love with my weave and I'm sorry I can't end this post without saying:-

Mary has been super  nice enough to give you (my lovely readers) a 10% discount on her website; which I didn't even have to hustle her for. Check out Papachichistyle.com and also feel free to Facebook Mary any questions regarding hair extensions because she KNOWS what she is talking about.



Also, you may have already noticed, but it is that time of the year again.... It is the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards!  This is my first time of signing up for these awards so I would be REALLY, REALLY grateful if you could take five minutes to nominate Epiphannie A in the Established Beauty Blog category. I have been loving sharing my zany self all over the beauty blogosphere for the past two years and it would mean the world to me to be nominated for this at least once

Thank you in advance!

continue reading "Papachichi Style x EpiphannieA"

My First Birchbox

Last Thursday; due to great timing and dumb luck, I paid an impromptu visit to the Pure Pr #puregetaway press day (which FYI was lovely). As part of their goody bag, I got a Birchbox!! I haven't been part of a subscription service in almost a year and a half but I cannot lie, there is something about receiving a box of unknown samples that is ridiculously exciting.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service when you get 4/5 items a month for £10 plus p/p. This month Birchbox are supporting Fashion Target Breast Cancer, which is an annual campaign set up by Ralph Lauren to bring attention to Breast Cancer by donating 30% of all sales made during May on the Birchbox e-shop towards the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Charity as well as £5 for any referrals & subscriptions made during this period.

OPI Nail Lacquer (RRP £11.50) | Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Facial Moisturiser (RRP £42.50) | B/Attitude Body Souffle (RRP £24) |  Makebelieve Enhance Luminize Skin highlighter (RRP £7.50) | Doctor Duve Anti-aging & Firming Eyecream (RRP £115) | Kusmi Detox Tea (RRP £13.85)

In this month's box I've received 6 items in my box but 2 of these products are extras because of the Pure PR event but I am sure that one of these products should pop up in your box if your'e a Birchbox subscriber.

As I am not used to receiving beauty boxes, I can't tell you if this is a good or bad Birchbox as I have never really paid attention to their past boxes but I actually quite like this box. I can see myself using the Makebelieve Enhance Luminize Skin highlighter, OPI mini nail polish and of course the Kusmi Detox Tea (I love tea!!)  but I will have to do a bit more research on the ingredients used on the skincare items before I can even dream of playing with them.

Do you subscribe to beauty boxes? Do you think this is a good box from Birchbox or have there been better?



Also, you may have already noticed, but it is that time of the year again.... It is the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards!  This is my first time of signing up for these awards so I would be REALLY, REALLY grateful if you could take five minutes to nominate Epiphannie A in the Established Beauty Blog category. I have been loving sharing my zany self all over the beauty blogosphere for the past two years and it would mean the world to me to be nominated for this at least once

Thank you in advance!

continue reading "My First Birchbox"

Review:- MAC Ririwoo | Riri Loves MAC Collection

I am a bit of a lipstick-holic so there was no way in lipstick heaven and hell that I wasn't going to grab myself a bit of Ririwoo.

As you already know (As this lipstick was hyped beyond belief) Ririwoo is an early release from the Riri Loves Mac Collection fronted by Rihanna, but in the standard MAC black bullet. You don't really notice the difference between this shade and the other MAC lispticks until you begin to unscrew the lipstick to reveal the "Riri" signature.

MAC Ririwoo is based on the cult RubyWoo but was meant to be a blue-tones, creamier and slightly darker version. If the Instagram pictures are to be believed, there is not much of a colour difference between Ririwoo and Rubywoo.

 I am normally very good at picking up the subtle differences between similar shades but even I have to admit I can't tell much of a difference, which is slightly annoying considered I nearly gave myself an ulcer over this MAC shade.

Never in my lifetime have I ever stressed out so much for a lipstick. 10 alarms were set on my office MAC and my iphone just so I could be on the MAC UK website at 10.59am on the dot (but let's be honest I couldn't exactly sit back and let Rihanna's first MAC lipstick go unnoticed). Obviously the rush to get the Ririwoo lipstick in the UK was nothing like the States but I wanted to buy about 8 lipsticks (not all for my personal uses obviously) so I really needed to be quite nimble.

I really love this shade as it does seem to work on every skintone but I really don't love how Matte it is. It has that sandpaper feel that has stopped me from buying Rubywoo but it does seem to have a great wear time. It has already survived 3hours and one cup of tea but I'll let you know .



Also, you may have already noticed, but it is that time of the year again.... It is the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards!  This is my first time of signing up for these awards so I would be REALLY, REALLY grateful if you could take five minutes to nominate Epiphannie A in the Established Beauty Blog category. I have been loving sharing my zany self all over the beauty blogosphere for the past two years and it would mean the world to me to be nominated for this at least once

Thank you in advance!

continue reading "Review:- MAC Ririwoo | Riri Loves MAC Collection"

OPI Haul

I know I've harped on and on, many, many times on my inability to paint my nails properly (FYI hasn't gotten any better) and I never do anything nails-related on my blog unless it involves false nails and nail glue but Catrine at Unnakednails was doing an amazing deal on some OPI nail polishes in her blog sale and a good deal on anything is enough for me to dig into my pockets and had over my money.
For an amazing £17, I got OPI Brand New Skates, See You In Hollywood, Kyoto Pearl and Schnapps Out Of It/ I don't know if it is because I am a nailpolish newbie but the OPI nailpolish names actually make me giggle and smile (I know I'm a weirdo) but I'm really pleased with these polishes. OPI See You In Hollywood is my favourite shade and I'll probably be rocking it on my fingernails and toes after I go to a salon for a mani/pedi combo over the weekend.

This little haul now brings my OPI nail polish collection to a lucky 7 . . . I wonder if that's good enough to start promoting myself as a nailpolish guru (I'm just kidding).

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Review:- Daniel Sandler Perfect Canvas Foundation

I am a sucker for a good deal and when the deal includes a range of foundation, on all color spectrums for £2.50 . . . my shopping monster came out to play.

Yes, yes, yes, I know I just recently bought a Nars Sheer Glow and Maybelline Fit Me foundation but repeat after me:-

After I found out about this deal from Natalie of Discoveries of Self, and calmed down from the excited frenzy, I realised I had no clue what shades to get. Luckily for me, Daniel Sandler is an active social media user and you can always catch him on twitter (@DanielSandler) giving advice or recommendations for any beauty problems you might have. I got in contact with Daniel and after posting him a quick email with a picture of me foundation-less, he made me some colour recommendations that were spot on. I ended up buying a few more shades than I needed as deals on dark-skinned foundations don't come that often and I didn't want to procrastinate and lose out.

Daniel Sander's Perfect Canvas Foundation is a Full coverage Foundation with a SPF 15 factor. It comes in a 15ml bottle (which is super small) and has a lifespan of 6 months. The size isn't a bother for me as I've calculated that my normal foundation costs me £30.50 for 30ml, and I could buy 12 bottles of the Perfect Canvas foundations and get 183ml . . . why I need 183ml of foundation . . . I don't know but it is a very handy fact to have.

Shades 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 (on arm swatch,  definitely cover my skin shade and also my contour shade very well. Shade 16 works very well for me but I would love to see if Shade 15 has a little less red in it and more gold tones in it. I'm not sure if htis is intentional or not but the Perfect Canvas Foundation aqcts a bit like a "foundation stain" . . . I know right. This could be a pro and a con at the same time. It's useful in terms of wear-time, a lightweight stain will cover your imperfections for longer but can be a bit difficult to remove at the end of the day.

The Perfect Canvas Foundation formulation is VERY thick. I had to add some of my moisturiser to the Shade 16 foundation to make it a bit more blendable. This thickness isn't necessarily a negative. The thick formulation makes contouring a dream!!!! Shade 19 makes an excellent contouring shades as it goes exactly where you want it.

Unfortunately I don't have a "selfie" demonstrating the effectiveness of this foundation as I was in a rush this morning and decided to take my self portraits without my glasses or contacts. The results were a blurry and squinty mess, so I will redo everything later on this evening and update this post tomorrow.

The only issue I have with this foundation is with the labels on the packaging on some of the foundations were really sticky to the touch and one of the labels had already begun peeling off but with a foundations that only took £2.50, I'm not even that bothered

continue reading "Review:- Daniel Sandler Perfect Canvas Foundation"

Trend On Trial: Orange Makeup

As orange was named as one of the domineering Spring/Summer 2013 makeup trends (as well as a few other things), I thought that a quick post on one of the happiest colours around was an appropriate celebration for a sunny weekend.

Ok let me just start off by saying that despite the fact that I look like I am topless, I’m actually not. It was just hot this weekend and I was wearing a boob tube top loool I didn’t realize til it was time to edit the pictures that it almost looks like I’m in the buff (when I’m really not) . . . it was just really warm in my room . . . I swear!!!!!

Now that disclaimer is out of the way, I actually love orange . . . as a lipgloss or a blush. I’ve never really been into orange-toned lipsticks as I find them very bold and difficult to pull off properly. I have seen many ladies with bright orange lips that makes me cringe inwardly and want to scrub off their lipstick with a wet wipe. On Saturday; while doing a few errands for “The Mother”, I popped into Superdrug and somehow managed to leave with Sleek Makeup’s True Colour OMG Sheen Lipstick, which would you believe is a bright orange-toned red lipstick! Actually scratch that, OMG has more orange in it that Red so I’m just going to call it as it is.

To support my new bold lip, I decided to test just how much orange I could place on my face without looking like the sun baby in the Teletubbies. A swish of Stargazer’s Orange Eyeshadow (from the Velvet palette) across my eyelid with MAC Rule Eyeshadow to blend and soften it out, creating a warm matte eye.

Going for a dramatic blush effect, I swept Sleek Makeup’s Aruba Powder Blush over my cheeks, high into the sides of my face. Unfortunately Aruba is a Limited Edition Powder Blush but NARSExhibit A is a great alternative . . . more expensive, but a great alternative.

As confused as I am over my lipstick choice, it did inspire me to make this post so all is well that ends well (I suppose) as it meant I got to paint my nails with Superdry’s Sweet Peach Nail Paint and Leighton Denny’s Hanky Panky Nailpolish and I’ve been looking for a reason to wear these for almost a year!

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Happy Pills from Viridian

My aim for 2013 was not too loose weight but to be able to run for a bus and not feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest (hands up anyone who knows what I am talking about). As one of my new year resolutions was to keep healthy, go to the gym and generally live a healthier lifestyle, I’ve become a bit more obsessed with what I put into my system and wanted to dedicate a small section of my blog to it.

I'm not the biggest fan of vitamins. If it doesn't taste like blackberries or come in a soft and chewy mold, then my first response is to balk but when Baobella sent me the Ultimate Beauty Complex Vitamin pills from Viridian, I knew that it was officially time to grow up from the kiddie vitamins to something a bit more helpful.

Viridian Nutrition is a leading ethical vitamin brand that produces nutritional products that are grown and traditionally made in the UK, reducing the environmental impact of transporting ingredients around the world as well as creating local jobs. They guarantee non-GM, non-irradiated and 100% active ingredients with no added sugars, no colourings or artificial flavourings.

The reason I wanted to talk to you about Viridian for my first fitness post is because I am gearing up for ‘Race for Life’ and I am a big sucker for brands that give back to the community in some way. Viridian Nutrition donates 40% to children’s charities, 40% to environmental charities, and 20% to a combination of other charities. Viridian Nutrition are careful to check that all charities are properly registered and must importantly have no involvement in animal research. They also have a policy that when you return an empty bottle of Viridian vitamins to your local health food store you receive a 25p refund AND the health store will then recycle your bottle.

The Ultimate Beauty Complex vitamins are a Vegan and Kosher combination of plant based phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals which contribute to the maintenance of healthy hair, nails and skin (perfect for lil ol’ me).

Having gone through the ingredients to make sure it contains nothing that will set off my allergies (being allergic to fruit extracts isn’t easy), I laughed out loud when I spotted Pine bark extract.

*cue images of me snacking of a big pile of wood*

As I have only just started taking this , I cannot comment on the effects of these pills but I will be taking a picture of my face once every 5 days for the next 30 days to see if taking these pills has any effect on me but this is step 1 in the race for a better life style for 2013.

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Know Your Hair, Love Your Hair

To promote their new  “Know Your Hair, Love Your Hair” campaign; designed to educate women about their hair type and how to best protect it during heat styling. Cloud Nine Haircare hosted their very first bloggers event at the Trevor Sorbie Salon.

As overusing heating tools (regardless of how much protection you put in your hair) can leave it very dry, lackluster and brittle. Knowing this Cloud Nine has redeveloped their website to give customers an interactive and engaging experience. Using a 6-step online questionnaire, Cloud Nine customers identify their hair types and follow an interactive program of styling care tips and recommendations for their hair’s optimum temperature level.

At the blogger’s event,  Cloud Nine demonstrated 6 different celebrity inspired hair looks using their products. The stand out for me was the “MicroWand” (RRP. £89.95) which is perfect to get Kelly Rowland Curls (and you know how much I adore Kelly Rowland) and also small enough to pop into your handbag or suitcase for travelling. Marin looked so amazing with her curly ‘Fro after the staff at Trevor Sorbie were through with her AND I’m quite proud that I resisted the temptation to pet her hair because it looked sooooo soft!!!!!

The Core Cloud Nine Electrical Styling Range holds 9 styling products. The Irons (Original, Wide and Micro) which are ceramic plated straightening irons with a one-touch, variable temperature control that can be used on long to short hair lengths. The O pods and rollers which where introduced in 2012 and are fast heating rollers that heats the hair from the inside out for longer lasting curls and of course the Wands (Original, Waving and Micro) which are designed for a beautifully formed curl or wave for short to long lengths.

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