My makeup, beauty and skincare essentials.

Personally, it has taken me years to find out what makeup is best for me, as I have sensitive skin.
Here is a list of my make up kit essentials: 

Bare Minerals Foundation.
Finally!! I have found a foundation which is perfect for my skin.
Some foundations can leave your skin feeling sticky and like it has a thick layer over it. This one however is weightless, you can't even tell that your wearing any and it lasts all day long!

Benefit Erase Paste.
This is a god send! After a heavy night out, or if you've missed a couple of hours sleep this hides all your black bags. Its surprising how long this little pot lasts. I bought my last one in January and I haven't even used a quarter of the pot. I use number 2, medium.

Here's a before and after picture.. You can clearly see how good this product is! Those big black bags are gone instantly.

Benefit CORALista Blusher.
I love this blusher! It doesn't leave your cheeks looking orange.. it makes them look lovely and rosie! Like my other benefit makeup this has lasted so long. I couldn't tell you when I last bought a new one and although benefit is a bit more  expensive I think spending that bit extra is worth it.

Volum' Express Colossal Cat Eyes.
This is the best mascara I've found. It doesn't leave my lashes all thick and clumpy like others have. The brush leaves them looking thick, but also natural. The false lash effect without the hassle of false lashes for a more natural look.

Maybelline Gel Eyeliner.
I never use pencil eyeliner, because of the mess the pencil shavings can leave behind.. (cream carpet, black shavings.. need I say anymore?!) I haven't had this long so still getting used to it.

Benefit Posie Tint.
Personally I don't like the lip glosses and unless your willing to pay a fair amount, I don't think you can buy a lipstick that lasts. Posie tint is a lip and cheek stain which leaves your lips looking a lovely pink colour and lasts for hours. Only disadvantage of this is sometimes it makes my lips a bit dry, so I use Vaseline to keep them moisturised. I don't use this product on my cheeks as it does not mix well with the foundation, and leaves it looking a little unnatural.

Big Beautiful Eye Palette.
I first had this free in work last year, and I loved it! Now that I have dyed my hair dark these colour shades suit me far better than when I was blonde. I've used this for months now and Benefit makeup really does last, even if it is a bit more expensive.

Palmers Cocoa Butter.
I suffer pretty badly with dry skin, and when I'm a bit stressed my eczema flares up in the folds of my arms. When it does, I use this! I put a really thick layer on the itchy areas before I go to bed and wear long sleeve pyjamas. Usually, by the next day my dry skin is far less red and itchy and looks and feels a lot better.

Soltan Beautiful Bronze Mousse and Tan Mit Applicator.
Even though using fake tan on sensitive skin can irritate it.. I just can't live without a tan, and I'm not using sunbeds! As long as you ensure you exfoliate and moisturise using tan on sensitive skin shouldn't give you too many problems! I have used Fake Bake, St Moriz, St Tropez and I have found this one to be the longest lasting and cost effective! Sometimes you can get a strong smell from fake tan (reminds me of biscuits!) whereas this one gives off a fresh summery scent. It is so important to use a fake tan mit, otherwise you end up with orange hands.. not a good look!


And finally, my beauty must have!

Moroccan Oil.
I cannot thank my hairdresser enough for introducing me to this miracle treatment! It has got my hair into fantastic condition and leaves it looking and feeling soft and shiny. I once had hair in terrible condition, I ruined it with years of peroxide, bleach and straightener abuse and this saved it and brought it back to life! I use a pea size amount on wet hair once every two weeks and it has repaired my hair and even made it grow! 




So here's my essentials. What is your makeup and beauty must haves? Leave a comment and let me know!

How to : Get Noticed! Marketing a celebrity, fashion & beauty blog!

With all the other fashion and beauty blogs out there, how are you going to get yours noticed?

It is very important to:

R Make sure your content is up to date and you update it regularly.  

R Make sure it is clearly laid out and easy to navigate.

R Make sure it is search engine friendly.

R Make sure you actively market your blog.



8 How to make your blog easy to navigate.

It is essential to have a blog which is easy to read and find your way around.

Here are some top tips to make sure your blog looks professional.
C Make sure you have a Search Box.
C Ensure the links change colour when visited.
C Include obvious links on every page, it should always be clear where you are.
C Don’t make your lines too long, only ten to twelve words!
C Make sure your font size is readable, this is far too small!
C Don’t write huge paragraphs, use photos and bullet points to break it up.
C Use sans serif fonts.. they are much easier to read!
C Avoid dark backgrounds.
C Don’t make your pictures too small or too big!
C Make sure you use captions for your photos and alt texts. (Shows when you hover over the image.)

These are all really simple ways to make your blog really professional, which requires hardly any effort at all!

8 How to keep updated with other celebrity, fashion and beauty blogs.

One way of doing this is to set a Google Reader.

This allows you to subscribe to other websites and blogs, and get the very latest content emailed to straight to you. This is a really easy way to keep up to date!

How to set it up:

8 Next, get yourself a Twitter account! 

Nowadays, news hits twitter first, so by following the right people, you find out the gossip first!

Never used twitter before? Here’s what it’s all about:

I love Twitter, and have incorporated it into my blog by using a twitter feed, follow me button and a section called #TodayImWearing which is a very commonly used trend on twitter. Just type it into the search box and there’s thousands of tweets about it every day.

My #TodayImWearingSection on my blog.

Twitter search for #TodayImWearing

For my blog I follow celebrities, other beauty and fashion bloggers and beauty websites. Make sure you follow people relevant to your blog, so you can find out the gossip first, which may be of use to you!

People who I follow on Twitter.

Make sure you have a ‘follow me on Twitter’ button on our blog.

You can get these here!

 Top Twitter tips!
S Don’t use your personal account.. Make one specifically for your blog. (Get a name as close to your blog name as possible, as it will be easier for people to find you!)
R If someone follows you, follow them back.. It would be rude not to!
R Make sure your tweets are interesting! Nobody wants to reading boring tweets.
R Keep your twitter updated! Yesterday’s news is old news.

With over 300 million users, twitter is a great way to market your blog.

C Make your blog search engine friendly.

Search engines such as Google will search your blog for key words.
! Always make sure your key words are used in the headline, description, caption and alt text.
Also, Google does search for labels. *Labels are words that you think sum up the blog post and words that people may search for in Google, trying to find your content.

Good headlines are so important. This can be the difference between someone reading your blog, and going elsewhere.

Google also looks at:
▪ How much content is on your site.
▪ How often it is updated.
▪ How many links there are.

C Optimise your blog through social media.
You can share you blog through Twitter, and Facebook... and others can share it too!

How to share to Social Media.

Snapshot showing my blog being shared on Facebook.

The more outlets you share your blog through, the more likely you’ll get traffic.

C Now, promote your blog!
R You need to spread the word and get people to read your blog.
R Write about it on your Twitter and Facebook.
R Get your family and friends to visit your blog and comment on it! Ask them what they think, and what they would like you to blog about.
R Register your blog in web directories.
R Find others who blog about similar things to you, leave them some comments and see if they reply!
R Link to other blogs and sites.
R Get involved in forums and websites about your subject area. Remember to link your blog, you may get some traffic as a result!
R Email your blog posts to people you think may be interested.
R Print flyers and put them on notice boards at work, university etc..
R Make your blog different, and stand out!

Now all that’s left is to be patient and keep trying!
Here’s a helpful website with tips and tricks on promoting your blog.

Do you have any different ideas to promote your blog and get noticed?

Let me know and leave a comment!

Blog Reviews

As I am writing a 'how to' beauty and fashion blog, it is important to look at the other blogs of the same subject area.


http://imogenfoxylocks.blogspot.com/
Bubble Dreams.
Bubble Dreams is a well known 'how to' beauty blog with over 5,200 subscribers. The authors way of writing is very friendly, yet factual and written clearly and concisely. Although the text is justified and there is use of italics and bold, they have been used sparingly and appear to be appropriate to the text. (e.g product names.)
The text and background contrast well, through the use of a bold and bright colour palette. It is aesthetically pleasing as the colour is appropriate to the theme of the blog.
There is extensive use of multimedia throughout the blog, with clear images and captions. (some of the images used may be considered as too large on occasion and are missing alt texts.)
The ads throughout the blog are appropriate and link to her own hair extension company (products she uses in her tutorials) and other beauty products. There is a large advert to her YouTube channel, Twitter and Facebook page.
When reviewing products the author showed the products clearly and links these items to outlets to buy the products.
The information is available quickly and easily, with interesting headings and there are very few minor criticisms of this blog.






http://www.ladyandtheblog.com/
Lady and the blog.
This blog is about getting the celebrity look for less, deals and steals and product reviews, a blog very similar to the one I shall be creating myself.
This blog shows relevant and appropriate ads to the content, the pictures are clear and of a correct size, and clearly laid out.
The blog uses an appropriate colour palette and text font in relation to the content and obvious links on every page. There is a search box and breadcrumb trails, and it is clear where you are and how to navigate around the blog.
The only visible criticism is that there are too many adverts, although some are appropriate there are many flashing images and adverts which are irrelevant.






http://www.misscaseyb.blogspot.com/
Miss Cassey B
This is a blog about experimenting with new looks, often celebrity inspired. This blog is very aesthetically pleasing and consists of good use of multimedia throughout, with YouTube videos and images. Although these images are of high quality, they can sometimes be seen as too large in places and are missing captions and alt texts.
There are also related links, along with links to her Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
The text is of correct size and font, with white space separating paragraphs. The sites very easy to navigate, with the homepage always accessible and breadcrumb trails. The visited links change colour and there is a search box for the site.






http://www.LoweLights.com
LoweLights.com
This is a blog that that 'aims to provide readers with day to day beauty tips, hot finds and tips and techniques straight from the red carpet.'
The blog posts are not too long, and are of the correct line length. There are links to related blogs and to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Visited links change colour, there are tabs indicating specific sections and it is clear how to navigate the site. The text is left set, bullet points and images are used to break up the text and sans serif font is used for clarity. Blog entries are dated, the headlines are clear with interesting content.
The only negatives regarding the text is there are some scrolling text adverts, which can be seen as distracting, and there is often a wide use of capitals, bold and underlined texts, with different size fonts within posts.




http://www.themakeupblogger.com
The Makeup Blogger - Your online beauty source.
This blog is written by a celebrity makeup artist, and she invites readers into her makeup bag, and makes a 'valiant effort to find the best products out there.'
Although the line lengths are quite long, the writer uses appropriate font size and colour, separating texts through the use of bullet points and images.
There are links to outlets to purchase the products and these visited links then change colour. The links on each page and posts are obvious and it is clear where you are and how to get around the site.
The blog is pleasing to the eye and it is easy to identify what the site is about and who it is aimed at. The information can be gathered quickly and easily through good use of multimedia, such as images and videos.
There are very few criticism regarding the blog, however it can be argued that the tone of the blog may be considered inappropriate in certain places. For example, lots of humour is used which some may find inappropriate rather than funny. It is very important to find a balance between humour and condescension.