The Detox wrap at home that works!

Hi all you beauties.  I have been doing some research on detox wraps, and what is suitable for use at home and I have been trying out a few.  I am not in the market to loose weight because I am happy with the size I am but I was happy to find something which reduced bloating for a few days.  Perfect if you want to fit in to a dress for a party this season and have a flat stomach without too much effort.

Welcome Arbonne Seasource Spa detox wrap.  Perfect.  To be honest I wasn't sure how this would work but I had heard and seen pictures of great results. So off I went to see..

This is pretty easy to do and takes about an hour including preparation and leave on time.  Bearing in mind you are not too messy so can safely sit in your dressing gown watch tv or read a book while it works it's magic.

What you need

1. Arbonne Seasource Detox Spa purifying Sea Soak

2. Arbonne Seasource Detox Spa Renewing Body Gelée

3. Arbonne Seasource Detox Spa foaming Sea Salt Scrub

5. Cling film

6. Bandages

The first thing you need to do is put on some shorts or comfy trousers and a sports top or bra. Pop in a 1/3 sachet of the Arbonne Purifying Sea Soak to 4 cups warm water in to a bowl or the sink.  Place the bandages in solution to soak.  While this is soaking use the Arbonne foaming Sea Salt body scrub on the areas you are targeting so around your waist, hips, back and wash off.  Next generously apply the Arbonne Body Gelée to the same areas.  Rinse out the bandages and wrap snugly around the area.  Secure with a safety pin or if your bandages have clips great.  The last step is to wrap yourself up snugly with the cling film.  Don't make it too tight so that you are uncomfortable but tightly enough that it feels like support pants.  Leave for 45 minutes then remove.  Bobs your uncle hello flat tummy!

I lost an inch from the top part of my stomach and an inch from around my hips and belly which was great.  I was so happy with the results so wanted to share it with you all.

Arbonne products are free from parabens, Gluten, animal products or by products, they are Vegan approved and cruelty free.

It works out at £5 per wrap which I think is very reasonable.

Have you ever tried an at home wrap?

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Vampire Diaries inspired Autumn Makeup

I was given the Rimmel Apocalips in Eclipse by the beautiful Laura from Liparazzi and I just adore it. Autumnal and vampy so I have created this makeup look to go with it. Inspired by Nina Dobrev from the Vampire Diaries, it is perfect for a dinner date or for a night out with friends. I love the way makeup can change how you feel and this definitely makes me feel mysterious, sultry and powerful!

Products used

Face

Benefit the Porefessional primer

Maybelline fit me foundation 120

Bourjois Bronzing Primer to contour

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Bronze

Benefit Erase paste as highlighter

Mac powder Blusher in style

Eyes

Bobbi Brown Corrector Bisque

Double Wear Concealer light/medium

Elf eyeshadow Primer

Maybelline color tattoo 35 as eyeshadow base

Urban Decay eyeshadow in gunmetal for crease

Barry M Dazzle dust 39 over base

Maybelline gel liner to line top and bottom

Mac Satin Taupe under bottom lashes

Maybelline color tattoo 55 smudged under lashes over satin taupe
Mac False lashes 20
Mac Zoom lash mascara

Eyebrows

HD brows medium blonde powder

Lips

Lined in Mac pencil blonde

Rimmel Apocalips in Eclipse

What do you think beauties will you be autumning up your makeup soon?

Go to my instagram "AshlyLondon' to see the perfect nail polish to go with this look!!

 

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How to Pose for Photos like a Pro

Every wondered how do I pose like a model or how do I pose for photos? After a recent #fbloggers (fashion bloggers) chat on twitter I realised how many people are unsure of how to pose on camera when taking pictures for their blog or just in general. It comes naturally to some but not to everyone (me included). I have spent years working at it and will share all my tips with you to get you pose perfect!

The first thing to do is practice, mirrors are great for this. Take as long as you like trying out different facial expressions and angles to see when you look best. Experiment with your body poses too. Another great way to practice is with the camera on your phone, you get the results straight away and can really experiment with your angles and expressions.

Here are a few things to think about

Less is more
Huge expressions with wide open mouths or face hurting grins can be good for comedy value but if you want to pose like a pro think small. The camera will pick up the slightest glint in your eye or pout of the lip so you don't need any grand gestures, everything is magnified behind the lens.

It's all in the eyes
This is mostly true for close up shots and beauty, but if you are focusing on fashion photographs for your blog don't worry too much about this at first. However, if you are doing close ups, the eyes do matter. The best way to express through your eyes is to feel the emotion on the inside and like magic it will be portrayed in your eyes. For example if you want a sultry look imagine you are looking at Harry Styles (if you are in to one direction) and that you are trying to 'woo' him! If you are portraying a powerful woman think of something which makes you feel strong and invincible. Playing music with the right mood can really help with this.

Angles
Angles are really important in photography and modelling. They can be the difference between making a 6ft tall amazonian beauty look like a toadstool! So if you are doing body shots have the camera a little lower and angle it upwards towards you, this will make you look taller and slimmer.  Do the 'knee bend', try standing sideways with the leg furthest from the camera slightly bent, this should make your legs look fab!

Arms
Arms can be awkward things. Where do I put my arms when I am posing? The easiest thing to do is have somewhere to put them, in a pocket or hanging of a belt loop. Use your arms and hands to express emotion. If you are wearing a lovely summery dress throw them in the air 'yay for summer', if your wrapped up warm for winter cross your arms over your body to keep warm.  I know it can sometimes feel like these limbs are spare parts when modelling so use props too, either in your surroundings like a fence or flowers or within your outfit like a bag or umbrella.

Posing
The best way to get tips is to look at pictures in fashion magazines or online, how are the models posing? Asos is great for this, especially if you are a fashion blogger. You will find an abundance of different stances you can try out. A great trick is to but your hands on your waist, this will actually make your waist look smaller. And if you are doing close up pictures of your face, use your hands to frame your face and bring in something extra. Your hair is great for this.

Where do I look?
To get the full beauty of your eyes keep your eyeline straight ahead. For example, if you are facing the camera look straight down the lens or just above it. Or if your head is turned to the side look in to the direction and level that you are facing.


Try to remember there can be hundreds of shots taken before you get that one perfect picture so just keep trying and I promise you will be a pro in no time!!

I will be doing a youtube video with a more in depth tutorial soon so let me know if you have any questions needing answered :-)

Ashly xx

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HOW TO | Natural Glowing Makeup Look with Subtle Contouring

There is nothing I love more than a very natural makeup look.  Perfect for days when your skin is looking great, or with some good concealer even when it is not. It makes a change from false lashes and shimmery eyeshadow. I will show you how to do  a natural and glowy makeup look with subtle contouring.

First thing is first, the products used

YSL Touche Éclat No 1

HD Brows Palette Bombshell*

Bobbi BRown Shimmer Brick Bronze

Mac Blushcreme in LadyBlush

YSL Touche Éclat foundation B50

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm

Sigma Angled Kabuki F84 Brush

HD Brows Angled Brow Brush*

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Bisque

Estée Lauder Double Wear concealer in 02 light/medium

Start with a good primer like Urban Decay Naked Skin, this is important as it smoothes everything out giving you a flawless complexion to work on. Next move on to applying the foundation, I use the Real Techniques expert face brush because I find it gives you a totally flawless finish, and apply the YSL Touche Éclat foundation sparingly, you really don't need much. Making sure to blend it in well and leave no harsh lines at the neck or hairline (this would negate the 'natural' look).

Now moving on to eyebrows, I love a good eyebrow and find that using powder and a slanted brush gives the most natural look. Using the shade medium blonde in the HD Brows bombshell eyebrow palette, apply with light strokes in the direction of the hairs. Note that when you get to the inner part of your brow, the hairs often change direction.

concealer, concealer, concealer, it can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. It is really important that you use concealer sparingly, this reduces caking and keeps your skin looking natural. Nobody is perfect and a little colour under the eye isn't always such a bad thing. Start by covering any blemishes using a concealer with NO light reflecting particles, Laura Mercier secret camouflage is a god send when it comes to covering up any redness or nasty breakouts. Next we want to conceal under the eyes. Because my skin is fair there is often quite a darkness under my eyes, mainly due to the contrast between the eye bag and my skin tone. So I use a corrector before concealing, Bobbi Brown in bisque is the perfect shade for me, but make sure you go to a counter and get yourself matched up as different skin tones require very different coloured correctors. Apply the corrector sparingly under your eyes, the Real Techniques pointed foundation brush is perfect for this. On top of this dab on 3 small dots of  concealer under your eye. 1 close to inside your eye, one in the middle and one farthest out towards the outside of your eye, I find Estée Lauder Double Wear is a great option for under eyes as stays put all day. Blend the dots in gently covering your under eye area.

Subtle illuminator is amazing at giving a lovely natural glow. I am using YSL Touche Éclat in No 1. There are a number of places to illuminate, see the diagram above for full details. But mainly at the top of your cheek bones, under the eyebrow and the inner corners of your eyes.

Time for some subtle bronzing. Use something with slight frosting to enhance that glow. Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks are perfect for this, I am using Bronze and a Sigma F84 brush. Place the brush on its side and apply product under the cheek bones. If you suck in your cheeks you will see the line where to apply. Start at the top of the cheek closest to the ear where you want the most product then swipe downwards.

Next, curl your lashes and apply a light coating of mascara. For a natural look, often I do not use any blusher at all, however today I want to add a slight flush to my cheeks. So, use a colour close to your natural lip shade, I am using Mac Blushcreme in LadyBlush. Dab it on very lightly on to the apples of your cheeks making sure it is well blended. You can use a stippling brush if you like, dab it on to the back of your hand first to get rid of any excess product. If using a powder blush brush it on very lightly, something with a slight frosting will work well.

Last but not least, lips. Use a fairly opaque lipstick which is also a similar colour to your natural lip shade, and blusher. I am actually using the Mac Blushcreme in LadyBlush and dabbing it on to my lips, finishing with a coat of lip balm.

The finished look...

I would love to hear what products you use for a natural makeup look or have used any of the products mentioned?

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How I Dip Dye my Own Hair

Today I am going to share with you how I go about dip dying my hair. It really is very quick and easy. I have some hair extensions in at the moment but it is the same method if your hair is all natural.

I am going to be using Schwarzcopf Live Color XXL Ultra Brights. This is a perfect hair dye for anybody who wants to experiment with colour. It washes out after 5-6 washes and causes no damage to your hair. You could also switch up the type of dye used and go for something more permanent. It looks to me like Sprinkle of Glitter has used a very similar colour to this one for her hair.

The first thing I do is make sure that I am wearing old clothes so I don't ruin anything. I also protect the area I am working in or go somewhere like the bathroom that is easier to clean. I prepare well by cutting out strips of tinfoil about 4 inches wide. Once this is done, I pop on my gloves and I am ready to go.

I gentle squeeze a palm sized amount of pink dye in to the mixing bowl. If you have shorter hair or are only doing a small section try a soup spoon sized amount. Depending on how bright I want my dip dye to be will help me decide how much conditioner I add to the bowl. Any conditioner will do. I start by squeezing in a small amount and giving it a good mix. The colour in the bowl is pretty much how it will turn out on your hair so I find it fairly easy to get the colour right. I keep adding conditioner until I get the right colour. Once I have the right shade of pink I also need a slightly lighter version to blend in the dip dye where it meets my natural hair colour. For this I simply add more conditioner to one side of the bowl and keep that separate.

It is time to apply.  I clip up half of my hair and work with one side at a time. Separating my hair in to small sections I take the first one and place the tin foil behind my hair. Carefully brushing the mixture on to my hair making sure that it is liberally covered. Because this is a dip dye, I don't want any straight lines at the join so I use the brush to create some uneven strokes with the lighter shade mixture at the top. Make sure you turn over your hair on the foil and coat the other side too.  I fold over the tinfoil and move on to the next section. I end up with 6 sections of tinfoil.

The dye grips very quickly so if you don't want it bright I only leave on for 10 minutes. This time I chose to leave it on for 20 minutes and briefly blasted some hot air on to the tinfoil strips with a hairdryer.

After removing the tinfoil I run the dyed parts of my hair under warm water until the water runs clear. I choose not to shampoo because I find that due to adding the conditioner during the dying process it makes my hair extra silky.

And here are the results...

What do you think? Do you fancy giving it a try yourself?

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The impatient girls nail painting guide

I have to say that I am very impatient when painting my nails. I just can not wait for the 1st coat to dry before doing a second coat and 9 times out of 10 I end up with a smudge-orific mess, which really gets my goat. Soooo with the thought that maybe, just maybe, I am not the only impatient Annie out there,  I have done this guide to nail painting with a few tips to help any patience-less nail painters like me!!

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REVIEW - Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Colour 7.0 Dark Blonde

Time to dye my beautiful sisters hair again!! You can see my efforts last time with Garnier Olia 7.13 Dark Beige Blonde this time she chose Garnier Olia 7.0 in Dark Blonde.  So not a massively different colour but interesting to see the difference.

This permanent hair colour is very easy to use. She chose it again because it really doesn't smell much at all which is a revelation compared to some stinky hair dyes.  Perhaps it is due to the fact it has no amonida. Which is a plus.

The kit comes with gloves and a handy push out section in the box to hold the dye container in place while you empty the solutions in to it. This means less chance of it slipping out your hands and goig all over the floor.

After mixing the solutions I begin to seperate her hair and make sure it is totally covered in the solution. There was a bit left in the bottle but I felt her hair was totally covered and didn't need the last bit. At this point I was feeling a bit more confident than last time, it was my first time ever dying someones hair. Although this time my sis was going to a wedding the next day so it wouldn't have been great if she had ended up looking like a striped giraffe.

30 minutes later we were ready to wash this stuff out. It had left a little brown stain on the towel so maybe use a darker one (we used white - oops). Head over the bath and rinsed until the water ran clear at that point I applied the supplied conditioner which there is a lot of. Probably enough for 3 washes. The condititioner is very good and leaves your hair super silky.

Fortunately there was no sign of giraffe hair but beautiful shiny locks. The colour definitely has more of a slight auburn tone to it.

So another success! Whoop Whoop I will be opening my own salon soon!

What do you think?

HOW TO - Easy Fun Stripey Manicured Nails Tutorial

I was looking for a new fun and easy manicure to try and thought I would try out using tape and messing around to see what happened. I love how simple this is and creates a really different look everytime!


It is as easy as 1,2,3... errr 4,5,6,7 :-)

How To
1. Paint your nails with your first colour, 2 coats is best and leave to dry for at least an hour.
2. Once dry cut different width sized strips of masking tape, surgical tape of the invisible type tape would work too.
3. Make sure you have plenty of strips for all your nails as I didn't and found it very difficult to cut more while not smudging my already painted nails... oops!
4. Cover all your nails on one hand with the strips in the chosen patterns you like.
5. Paint over your nails with 2 coats leaving 2minutes inbetween coats.
6. Carefully remove the strips from left to right or top to bottom depending which way you applied them. This is very important or they may smudge.
7.Once all the strips are off remove any excess polish with remover and apply a top coat!!

and you are done -) 

There you have it some cool and easy stripey nails!!!

Will you be trying this one?

HOW TO - Get a Marbled Manicure The Easy Way Using Cling Film!

I have seen this manicure on a few people and wanted to give it a try myself. It was suppose to be really easy so I didn't see that much could go wrong.

Well the first time I tried it I didn't wait long enough for my 1st colour to dry as I was excited ha! So when I applied the 2nd coat and tried to marble it with the cellophane, the colours just smudged together in to a mess... booo!

So the first thing is to make sure you leave your bottom colour for at least a few hours to dry properly. The longer you wait the better!

How To

1. Choose your nail polish colours and make sure you have cling film.
2. Paint your nails with your first colour. Two coats and a top coat is best.
WAIT WAIT WAIT <--- The golden rule!
3. Take your second colour and do this nail by nail. Paint your 1st nail 
4. Straight away after painting use the cling film and either scrunch it up a bit and blot it on to the wet nail or use an uncrumbled peice and lay it on top and then pull it off. I found the second method worked best for me.
5. Use nail varnish to remove any excess + apply a clear top coat!

Et Voila!

What do you think gals? Have you tried this one?

TUTORIAL - D.I.Y How to - Dip Dye Your Own Nails!!

For this tutorial you will need:

• Nail varnish ( you can use more than 2 colours if you wish)
• A sponge
• Cotton buds
• Nail polish remover

1. Ok first thing is first, shape your nails and make sure they are tidy. 

2. Paint your chosen nail polish on to the sponge like so

3. Place the sponge adjacent to your nail ready for application. I apply variably, so one coat I do left to right then the next I do right to left. This helps to maintain an even application per nail.

Press down on your nail with the sponge. 

4. Repeat with every nail on one hand. 

After first coat

5. Reaply nail varnish to the sponge after every coat and repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are satisfied with the coverage on your nails.

I apply slightly differently after the first coat, you might find rolling with the sponge over the nail like this easier.

After 4 coats, I am going to do one more because the tips of some of my nails are still not fully covered.

Okay I would say that is enough, 5 coats.

After 5 coats.

5. Next, let them dry 2-3 mins. 

6. Pour some varnish remover in to the bottles lid, dip your cotton buds in and remove excess varnish from your fingers.

7. Apply some clear varnish as a top coat. I find this prolongs chipping so worth doing.

after removing excess varnish

8. Done, now you have beautiful 'dip dyed' nails your friends will be envious of! So the secret it out... get painting. 

 

L'Oreal 207 & 602

Lots of Love A x