How to Clean Up Nails

Hi Tory,

you get a lovely degree of control and it fights right in where you want to clean up the mess

The last holiday I had - aside from occasional day trips to Eastbourne, don't judge - was going to the States and having a really rather fabulous time. North Carolina and Tennessee are gorgeous, beautiful places and the people are super nice.

They also do a spectacular manicure there. Oh yes. I had a French manicure done by this amazing lady who not only took just 20 minutes to do it, but gave me something that lasted a month. I was suitably impressed. What really impressed me, aside from the speed and the longevity, was how she cleaned up any lumps and bumps and spills.

I know that recently you've been trying out some nail art - and very good it looks too - but have had a nightmare cleaning up those occasional wrist slips when the polish tips over on to your skin and you end up crying and wondering why you even bothered. And I know that you've tried the standard "use a cotton bud". They taught us to do that in beauty college. "Use a cotton bud," they said. "Or a cuticle stick wrapped in cotton wool." Bad idea. Very bad idea.

For starters, the said article is WAY TOO BIG. There's no way you can get into the crevice between your nail and your finger much less anywhere near your cuticle. Also they shed fibres all over the place and you end up with unintentionally flocked nails. That makes you cry as much as slipping with the nail brush in the first place. I know. I've been there. It's not pretty.

The nail technician back in the States (remember her?) used an eyeliner brush dipped in nail polish remover. I watched her in fascination, thinking how obvious and logical that was, and wondering why anyone in their right mind would use the bear's paw that is a cotton bud. You get a lovely degree of control, it fits right in where you want to clean up the mess. Brilliant. I would absolutely advocate that you get a separate brush which is only for nails though. You can clean the brush but with the best will in the world I wouldn't want that anywhere near my eye. No sirree, Bob.

Products Used

• Thin eye liner brush
• Nail Polish Remover
• Cotton pads or cotton wool

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Woodland Gel

Hi Tory,

all I can think about at the moment is sludgy palettes and autumn leaves

There are masses of Biba posters all around town for the exhibition. You have to come down and see it with me, or I shall have to come up to London and drag you back down on the train. Seriously.

So I've had a lot of Sarah Moon haziness to look at, and the weather is getting a wee bit greyer and a wee bit chillier, so all I can think about at the moment is sludgy palettes and autumn leaves. (Mum and I went in to Big Biba at Derry and Tom's in the 70s. Mum says we didn't but I'd lay good money out that there were absolutely categorically no other shops in London at the time with Art Deco interiors and that much purple and brown going on. We were there. I know this to be true.)

And I wanted to do something with gel liner as a smudgy base, and I'd just recently picked up this rather gorgeous little MUA one that's a lovely dark chocolatey brown with some copper sparkles in it... so I started thinking of browns and coppers and khakis and berries... and here we are. You could probably fuzz it out even more and add some spiky false lashes if you really wanted to rock that King's Road in the Seventies vibe. I think that everyone should rock that vibe at least once a year - now is the time! I have decreed it!

Products Used

• MUA Gel Eye Liner in On The Move
• Beauty UK Eye Palette in #4
• Collection 2000 Eye Definer in Brown
• MUA Mascara in Shade 4
• MUA Bronzer in Shade 2
• 2True Glossywear Lipstick in Shade 10
• Total Cost = £11.97

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Biba and Beyond Retrospective

Hi Tory,

I remember going into boutique after boutique of utter grooviness

I've mentioned before that Mum and I went to Big Biba when it was the department store of dreams in the old Derry nd Tom's building on Kensington High Street. This was the summer of '73, when Mum had done her stint at modelling college, and we had an unlimited train ticket and a holiday to explore the wonder that was Glam Rock Britain.

I remember going into boutique after boutique of utter grooviness, without realising at the time that Barbara Hulanicki invented boutiques of utter grooviness. And then the moment came when we stepped into the hallowed halls of Biba... purple and black and gold and ostrich feathers and loud rock and impossibly thin creatures, and the most beautiful makeup in the most staggering colours.

Biba launched their cosmetics in 1970, featuring the famous "Auntie colours" of mustard and brown and sludgy green and purple and navy and black. Now this was the thing - these colours did not exist in cosmetics pre-1970 and outside of the theatrical world of Kryolan. Even Mary Quant with her paintboxes and face crayons, innovative though they were, did not have mustard and plum and the like.

So the exhibition at Brighton Museum blew me away for many reasons: memory, seeing iconic clothes for real, marvelling at how the impossibly thin and gorgeous creatures like Twiggy and Marianne Faithfull really were impossibly thin and gorgeous, and the makeup.

Even with Illamasqua and MAC and Urban Decay and so on, Biba colours still stand out. I actually caught my breath in front of the makeup cabinet and got quite emotional. Barbara Hulanicki was and still is a genius and an innovator - I am dragging you down from London to see this exhibition cos I know how you much you also love Biba and Twiggy! ;)

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Biba and Beyond runs at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery until April 2013.

Primark Rant

Hi Tory,

Like I say in the video - I do feel a little churlish ranting about a bargain basement product, but customer satisfaction still matters even when the product is low cost!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Art Brushes

Hi Tory,

whether you're painting on canvas or painting on a face, brushes tend to be pretty much standard shapes and sizes

Buying a full set of makeup brushes isn't always easy when you're starting out or expanding and have a limited budget, but this is where art supply stores and University art faculty stores come in handy. Whether you're painting on canvas or painting on a face, brushes tend to be pretty much standard shapes and sizes - but the price difference between, say, a MAC brush and an art brush can be pretty astounding, especially when you're watching the pennies!

I've got a future tutorial scheduled where I use ONLY art brushes, but for now here's a quick guide to saving some money!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Beat the Blues!

Hi Tory,

Despite some bits of bright, sunny weather here and there, the autumn is definitely starting to close in, so I thought I'd do a look with a splash of pretty blue in with the stormier navy skies along with some sparkle to take us into the slightly more chilly days.

Products Used

beat those oncoming winter blues!

• MUA Professional Palette in Dusk Til Dawn
• MUA Professional Palette in Glamour Nights
• Collection 2000 Eye Definer in Black
• MUA Glitter Eyeliner in Shade 1
• MUA Professional Every Lash in Black
• MUA Bronzer in Shade 2
• Sleek Sheen in Liqueur
• MUA Professional Out There Plumping Lip Gloss in Nude

Beat those oncoming winter blues!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

My Makeup Storage

Hi Tory,

I've managed to build up a good makeup storage system

When I started out with makeup, I pretty much had one big basket where all my supplies lived. It kept things clean and tidy but was a nightmare when I needed to find a blusher or a mascara in a hurry. Over time, and using a little lateral thinking, I've managed to build up a good makeup storage system so that everything is to hand and in a logical place, and here is a mini tour.

Always be on the lookout in charity shops and 99p stores for glasses, cups, baskets, plastic units, files and so on for your storage, and keep your eyes peeled for junk items like drawers and small units - I keep my nail polishes (not in the video) in an upturned old drawer from a unit that was used to house cutlery. A lick of paint and no one would know the difference! I'll also do a how to at some point in the future for my homemade lipstick storage. ;)

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Review: Boots No7 Foundation Match

Hi Tory,

finding your right foundation colour has to be the biggest gripe of any and all makeup lovers

Aside from finding the perfect red lipstick, finding your foundation colour has to be the biggest gripe of any and all makeup lovers. I've resembled a consumptive Goth clown, been way too orange, and looked like I'd been bronzed far too many times in the past.

I first heard about the Boots No7 foundation matching service from a Lisa Eldridge video - as well as being a fantastic makeup artist, she's also the Creative Director at Boots No7 - and then I watched a Pixiwoo video too, and decided to give it a go. At £17.50, it's more of a mid-price foundation but it is SO worth it! I've got the Lift and Luminate formulation which is comfortable, blends really well and lasts throughout the day, but they do six other formulations to suit just about every skin type and need, with a staggering 17 different colours.

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Back Again!

Between my beautiful and much-adored sister getting really, REALLY sick (much better now and on the mend - YAY!), and me not being 100% with my own issues, and then the netbook having its own breakdown, not a lot of blogging and vlogging took place. I know that in the blogosphere one day equals about five years in the real world, so I have much lost ground to catch up on! There WILL be tips, tricks and tutorials a-plenty, my gorgeous lovelies - full steam ahead!