Review - Neutrogena Wave Duo

Hi Tory,

Not many of us can afford the all-singing, all-dancing Clarisonic for our faces - I know that I certainly can't... so instead I invested in a Neutrogena Wave Duo, which does roughly the same job of exfoliating and deep cleansing your skin, but for a fraction of the cost.

has anyone else tried this with better or similar results?

It's battery-operated, and the basic principle is that you attach a cleansing pad to the unit, wet your face, switch the Duo on, and you have two speeds of vibration and movement to dislodge excess oil and debris from your skin, take off the dead skin cells and so on.

To be honest, although I had very polished skin after using it for a week, it was extremely dried out and I ended up with two very flaky red patches around my mouth. Whether this was due to the unit itself or the cleansing pads, I don't know. I'm going to try it again with my own cleanser and check back in with the results.

The Duo Wave is available at Boots and Superdrug, and retails for around £9.99 (which is something like a tenth of the cost of the Clarisonic!). Has anyone else tried this with better or similar results?

Hugs and kisses,
xx

How To Apply Blusher

Hi Tory,

To blush or not to blush? Here are some handy tips on how to avoid old lady clown face with bright red circle cheeks! The standard wisdom has always been to smile and then apply the blusher to the apples of your cheeks... the problem with that is it's a theatrical technique to enable the audience to see the actors from way back in the theatre.

this cool little technique shows you how to put your blusher on in the most flattering way

The main problem is that when you stop smiling, the blusher blob drops and you look a bit odd, especially if you are like me and are in your advancing years... So this cool little technique shows you how to put your blusher on in the most flattering way, to give you a decent contour, and also how to tone your blusher down with the foundation brush if you've put a wee bit too much on and it won't blend out.

Hugs and kisses,
xx

March 2012 Mini Haul!

Hi Tory,

Beautiful, lovely things and at beautiful, lovely prices - always makes me happy!

Products in the Video:

• Barry M Nail Paint in Racing Green
• Primark 4 Nail Polish pack in Neon Colours (available in store)
• MUA Brow Pencils
• Barry M Dazzle Dust
• Barry M Glitter Dust

Hugs and kisses
xx

How To Put On Foundation

Hi Tory,

Foundation is such a great way to make your face look complete, even when you've only got mascara and a bit of liploss on. It evens out your skin, covers up minor lumps and bumps and generally gives a nice polish to your overall look.

foundation is such a great way to make your face look complete

So, here are some hints and tips on how to get the best finish from your foundation, so that it looks seamless and blended, rather than a big beige mask! I'm continuing to do reviews on drugstore and high street foundations, so that you don't have to spend a huge amount of money for a day-to-day product as well.

Reviews So Far:

• Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Gel Foundation

Hope this helps!

Hugs and kisses
xx

Ongoing Review: Coalface by Lush

Hi Tory,

This is going to be a series of videos and check-ins, as I'm trying out Lush's Coalface soap, which is supposed to be excellent for combination and congested skin. The main ingredient is activated charcoal, which reacts with things like oil and bacteria, and draws it out of the skin, so it'll be interesting to see what the condition of my skin is like as the weeks go by!

the main ingredient is activated charcoal

Here are all the specs for Coalface on the Lush website

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

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More Videos! More Tips! More Photos!

Hi Tory,

I've had some excellent feedback from people, so I'm going to be bringing more videos, more blog posts and more pictures with lots of affordable tips and ways to duplicate trends and red carpet looks on a budget. I'm kicking this off tomorrow, so get your eye pencils sharpened and your brushes ready!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Feedback!

Hi Tory,

Here we are, hovering around the six month point of Makeup Tips for My Sister, and it's been huge amounts of fun so far BUT let's take it even further! I really want to expand things out, maybe with some sections for videos, techniques, kit and so on, but I need some feedback. This is where you, your friends, and all the lovely fans come in...

let's take it even further!

What sort of things would you like to see, both here on the blog, and on the YouTube channel? I'm keen on helping out, offering tips and advice, maybe some reviews as I go along, but is there anything I'm missing out on that you're all desperate to see? Maybe you'd like help on recreating the latest celebrity looks on a budget? Perhaps you want advice on building up a makeup kit? Do you want the low-down on drugstore brands that are big on performance, but low on money?

Let me know in the comments (I do read them all and reply!) and post in the poll on the Facebook page. I really appreciate everyone's input and feedback and will do my best to give you all the info and videos that you need. :)

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Review: False Lash Applicator

Hi Tory,

I've seen you getting more and more glamorous, and false lashes are just around the corner... They are a bit fiddly if you've never worked with them before, and practice really does make perfect. Some must-haves when you start out are:

practice really does make perfect

• A good pair of tweezers with a slanted edge - Tweezerman if you can afford them, but both Boots and Superdrug do an excellent budget range. I'd invest in at least two pairs - one to place the lash and hold it steady, and the other pair to manipulate the edges.
• Good lash glue - again, Duo Lash if you can afford it.
• Start off with false lashes that have a thin, almost transparent band. When the band is thick, it's also very stiff and harder to wiggle and manipulate into place when you're practicing.

With that in mind, I decided to try out the false lash applicator - and there are a number of them on the market - just to see if that helps for starting out.... as you can see from the video, the answer is a very firm NO!

Guess I need to do a false lash application video, so that's now on my To Do list ;)

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Halftone Nails

Hi Tory

I'm a massive fan of Pop Art, especially the halftone artwork of Roy Lichtenstein where he paints cartoons that look like blown-up newsprint with the graduated dots.

the halftone work of roy lichtenstein

So, I decided to do a really easy nail tutorial so that you can get the same effect on your nails. You only need two polishes - your base colour in a strong shade like red or blue or yellow, and a black to do the dots. You'll also need an old pen with a medium-sized nib, and a cuticle stick with a narrow, sharp point, a piece of paper to work from, and a cotton pad soaked in nail polish remover on hand for any clean-ups. Have fun!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx