The Future of the Blog and Channel

Hey everyone,

This post has taken me a while to write properly because after around 18 months of doing Makeup Tips For My Sister and building up an audience, I suddenly realised that I wasn't sure where I was going with it. Initially it started out as a way to connect with my real-life sister, but that didn't really work out, and then it evolved into connecting with spiritual sisters in the form of friends and fellow makeup lovers... but I feel like my skills don't match my expectations.

PULLQUOTE

And please don't get me wrong - this post isn't a plea for validation or anything like that. I've just found it increasingly stressful to come up with tutorial ideas, knowing that there are a wealth of better informed and better presented tutorials out there. Also, in the meantime, my art has suffered as the demand for videos and blog posts for makeup increased... and art is my sanity. Not a good combination.

Having built up both the blog and the YouTube channel, I didn't want to just completely abandon everything and move on. I still love makeup and I still want to get better at doing it - I just need a little less pressure at this point in my life, and a little more direction as to why I'm currently doing it. This is where my wonderful daughter comes in. CJ asked me a question about brushes today - she's at the beginning stages of getting into makeup experimentation - and we talked about me helping her out and so on.

She came up with a solution. From now on, until I get my confidence and skills up and get better equipment and more time to spend doing such things to the standard that I'd like to do them, I'm going to be teaching my daughter how to use makeup, and as and when she asks me, I'll do a post or a video or both and share it with all of you. It won't necessarily be a regular thing, and there won't be many of them, but they will pop up and hopefully help some people. Here's to the next phase. xxx

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Tip: Lipstick as Blusher

Hi Tory,

Part of the fun of make up is being creative with it, and that includes multitasking. You've heard me talk before about using my brow kit colours as emergency neutral eye shadows, for example. Now I had my eye on the Bourjois Colorissimo Lip Palettes, but when MUA brought out their version - and at a third of the price - that's when this tip came into being.

trios like the one I've used are fantastic to pop in your purse!

As long as they're not too matte, glittery or highly frosted, lipsticks make excellent cream blushes in a fix. They have a similar texture to the real thing, come in the same colours, and save you both money and time spent fishing about in your purse or make up cabinet. Trios like the one I've used are fantastic to pop in your purse!

• Use your finger to grab the colour you want and dot it along the cheekbone
• You can still use your fingers at this point, but I like to grab a stippling brush
• Blend the product out so that it's nice and diffused
• Perfect! And so simple!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Throwback Thursday: Twiggy "Pin Ups" Cover

Hi Tory,

Our mum has never quite gotten over the shock of seeing Bowie on TV for the first time in the early 70s, or That Orange Haired Freak Who Isn't Long For This World to give him his full and official Mum title. He's 66 now and Mum still calls him that. Everything is Bowie at the moment thanks to the long-awaited exhibition at the V&A and the equally long-awaited album from the Thin White Duke. It seemed only natural that I do a Dave Look for Throwback Thursday.

the key here is in the layering and the blending

Except... I'm tired of faffing about with my eye brows and dear old Dave didn't have any until about 1982, bless him. This is where Twig the Wonderkid comes in... looking resplendent in shiny 70s blue on the cover of Pin Ups. I get to include two of my favourite make up obsessions in one tutorial and keep my eye brows. Not bad for a Thursday.

costs
£8.00

The key here is in the layering and the blending. You'll want to apply, blend, and repeat to get the depth of colour and the smooth edges. Keep everything else nice and glowing for that Studio 54 shine and it'll all fall into place.

These MUA trios are perfect for these kind of looks - they're beautifully coordinated with a smack of pigment and they layer really well too. Plus, a whole retro look for under a tenner can't be beat. If we can sparkle, and he may land tonight... the orange cockatiel hair is, of course, optional. ;)

Products Used

• MUA Trio Eye Shadow in Smoke Screen
• MUA Trio Eye Shadow in Blue Babe
• MUA Mascara in Black
• MUA Blusher in Shade 6
• MUA Sheer Finish Lip Gloss in Let's Meet
• Prices based on what I paid for the whole look from scratch, and correct at the time of posting

Hugs and kisses,
xxx