Make-up de jour!!

I'm always trying out different Make-up styles and generally take photo's , like a dairy really. Making notes of what I used. I really havent' done any for a while as I seem to have had the worst attack of hormone influx in these last 2 weeks and my skin has been shocking!

Don't get me wrong, I am not always blessed with perfect skin, however I do try to cleanse, tone and moisturise as often I can (if i've not already fallen asleep!) so don't have that many breakouts anymore, plus I'm on my way to being 32! I really don't have the slightest clue what it could be but I've really not been impressed with the erruptions! Awful!

I was complaining the other day to the hairdresser about it, who has done an amazing job of my new hair colour and she rightfully said 'well atleast you know how to cover it up' ummm, good point! Still not overly happy with my random hormone problems! ooh to be a girl??!

New hair colour courtesy of Jo at Anthony James hairdressers in halifax!

www.anthony-james.co.uk

So, apologies for the skin condition but here are some before and after pics from today! (I do have my chanel foundation on to cover the spots up... on the before too..)

Before...

After...!

Going for the spring neutral/bronze effect using highlighters to contour the skin and my old favourite peaches to add some colour!
Products used-
Chanel pro lumiere in 20 clair
MAC moisture cover concealer in NC 20
MAC mineralise skin finish in soft and gentle to highligh cheek bones and bridge of nose
MAC eyeshadow in omega to fill in brows
Benefit hoola bronzer
Benefit slippin n dippin creaseless cream eyeshadow as a base
Sleek eyeshadow palette in Storm using the cool and warm toned neutral colours
No 17 blush and glow in strawberry Swirl
Illamasqua lipstick in resist
Vaseline over the top to moisturise

x x x

Sticky Situation..

All in all it's been an unusual week, fab in a lot of ways but also really tough with my 3 year old and his new independent streak! I've tried every possible technique known to man (and insect?!) and still no joy.

Here's a typical morning-
Mummy- okay, what would you like for breakfast? toast or wheatabix? (2 reasonable choices I think which will mean he has some breakfast)
Ash- I want crisps
Mummy- No, you can have toast or bix.
Ash- No..no no no no!
Mummy- (in head, fair enough) actual words...no
Eventually-5 mins later
Ash- I want toast now..
Mummy- what's the magic word?
Ash- Please mummy
Mummy- Good boy Ash, you go and sit at the table and I will bring it
Ash- Okay mummy (if i'm lucky or no, I want to sit on the sofa, starting another choice issue)
Mummy- Here you go (puts toast on the table)
Ash- I wanted a big one
Mummy- It is, I've just cut it in half
Ash- NO Mummy, i want it BIIG
Mummy- ummm no
Ash- Grrrrrrr
Mummy- ????

This can happen with toast, spoon size, which pants to put on, how much tooth paste to put on, going to school, washing hands, potty, drinks, I swear he could start an argument about anything if he tried!

I think we're at that point where we keep trying different ways to manage his recently found Independence and to be totally honest..I'm confused and am generally causing complications. We've tried the naughty step, worked for a year, now he doesn't want to sit down, reward charts, (at the mo finding it really hard to find things to reward him about) on his level talking, quiet talking, (so that he knows when he's in trouble) time spent just with him, in his room, ignoring, you name it, we've done it! Now I think I've just realised the problem.. too many things, changing too quickly. He's only just started pre-school so I'm assuming this is one big change and we keep saying things like 'you're a big boy now so....' which I think has resulted in the 'I am a big boy now and you can't tell me what to do phase' ah well.. I've now got him a sticker book and have made a resolve to just stick to one idea at a time and just try to encourage his new found 'status'! Not too much like a big boy though, he still needs his mummy xx

I don't really buy much make-up.. oops! yes i do!

I was sat thinking about which may be my favourite make-up item I've recently purchased, and although I seriously do need these items (ahem!) I couldn't really decide on a favourite, so thought I'd blog about them all! I have to say though, I'm not necessarily a make-up snob (meant in an inoffensive manner, of course) I actually love all kinds of make-up, just as long as it looks pretty and does the job! so.. here they are, my new, (in the last 2 months) favourites!

MAC melon pigment (thanks to Nic @pixiwoo for the recommendation) It's fab for highlighting and makes me feel all summery and glowing!

MAC lilicent BLUSHCREME. It's a beautiful delicate cream blush which is build able for a gorgeous peachy cheek

Illamasqua Rich liquid foundation in RF 120 is a full coverage foundation, perfect for a blank canvas to work on. Beware though, its a tough cookie to work in! Also illamasqua nail varnish in Blow, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Lemon to the max... and Illamasqua sheer lip gloss in torture. You will notice there's a definite theme with the coral! It's amazing over a peachy lipstick!

The beautiful elegance of Chanel's new Rouge Coco lipsticks! This one is Cambon and gorgeous!

Lip glosses from left, Benefit- kiss you, Revlon- no 200, No 17- Peach Melba, Barry M- 53

There will be more- I'll post those soon!! xx Hope enough for now x

Make-up for Anthony James Hairdressers photo's courtesy of James Westgate.

It honestly feels like weeks since I last posted on here...

Here are the pics from the shoot a week last Friday, the hair was just amazing. I still can't believe just how many styles you can create from one cut! Lovely model, amazing creator and fab photographer.

Last week was all new and exciting for me, two shoots in a weekend! The second was the MAC loves barbie inspired make-up and I cannot wait for those to be edited... not too sure about the 2am start on Saturday morning but it was worth it all the same.

Funny that really, in previous jobs/life ;) I would have been more than nervous to set off to a new location! I'm one of those people that really doesn't trust a sat nav..they lie, they can loose gprs signal just as you need it( great!) and generally are not trust worthy! Neither is my driving so it was a real miracle I arrived on time to this shoot...It's funny how things work out though, I figure if I want it enough, I'll find a way to do it! Watching the sunrise over Leeds was an added bonus...I guess not many people get to do a days work in 4 hours and get to see the sunrise!

Boy free friday

oooh a boy free day!! I love the boy-full days but boy-free ones are a lot of fun!
Only problem is, it starts at around 7.30am and to be perfectly honest, the concept of a whole day to myself stretched out in front of me.. doesn't work as well as I'd hoped. I kind of get a little too excited about it and suddenly it's lunch time and I've not really got anywhere. It goes something like this-
7.30am - load washer
7.40am - make a coffee
7.50am - think about washing up from morning things but think..it can wait
8.00am - sit with coffee and read emails and reply
9.00am- make phone call to client and realise I'm faar too excitable on Fridays after a coffee and talk her ear off, probably scaring her! Oops.. hope not! Can over enthusiasm put people off?
9.30am - go on facebook and realise I've already been on 'without realising'
9-35am - take photos of newly purchased beauty/make-up products to put on blog
9-40am- think I'll do something useful and wash up as the guilt kicks in
9.50am - think guilt not great so will try set up 'bills' file but find out i still don't have a hole punch - shame!
10.100am- write a blog post, perhaps that's more productive?!

So there you go.. 2 and a half hours used up already. Still need to prepare kit, get myself ready (which takes awhile when I'm usually in mummy mode) to be out for photo shoot at 2.30pm

Looking forward to this one! I have to admit, the hair Jo @ Anthony James has done for the competition is amazing. I've never seen so many beautiful nude tones all blended perfectly together before. It's perfect for this seasons fashions..

Not so looking forward to tomorrows early 2.30am start, or looking after the boys all day when I get back! Thinking a trip to grandads sounds good!

Just a little quote of the day- (my friend Kate got me into them, makes me giggle!)

Talking to john this morning about our crazy cats (will explain more in another post) but the problem with that is. john can't stay awake in the morning, he drifts in and out of sleep and drives me to distraction... which is probably the same as I do with my chattering but in the middle of my tale about the cats john says and I quote-

"They only do roasts on Sundays"

Sometimes I wonder....

If i am going mad..or about to go mad.. or am mad...you know what I mean.

Usually starts around the time I've walked from one room to another (doesn't take long in my house) and back again and everywhere I tidy, gets untidied very quickly by little people. Now if you're not a parent then this may seem like a very pointless moan so for that, I'm sorry but really, it is one of the most frustrating things.

I wouldn't mind so much if I could tell you I was one of those mums (I'm guessing most) who manage to keep up with the washing and ironing and cleaning and vacuuming and all that (that would be a miracle).. I do my best but really, since some kind person in sympathy said 'I wouldn't bother till they're at school!' I took it as gospel.

So that was that.. don't get me wrong, I do clean (on Friday's) do 3 loads of washing at least a day, clean faces/teeth/walls/surfaces/cats, wash up far more than I wish to (with marigolds on), and cook at least one healthy meal a day, still my two lovely angels seem to follow me around pulling folded up washing onto the floor, sprinkling milk onto blocks (to water them??!), painting their faces/table/walls with yogurt (literally) and so on..

So there is it.. my wondering of the day. Why do I feel as though I am going mad? My two gorgeous little monsters!! x

MAC loves barbie- my take for a luxury fashion label

Here are the test images from my MAC loves barbie inspired make-up shoot.

how do I fit it all in?

So today I started off with the usual enthusiasm that any mum has at 630am ! Not too bad this morning though as I knew I had somewhere to go. Been and had a play.. negotiated some slightly sticky situations with Ashton but all in all, it was a 8 on a scale of 1-10! I've started doing this lately so that I don't always come away from a 'planned lovely trip out' saying 'well not sure that went well!'

Need to get on with sanitising my brushes now before a trial run through for my 3.30am shoot start on sat morning! ( I thought being a mum meant early starts!)

so Barbie inspired Make-up.. should be up my street!

Not sure Ashton will think so.. he's permanently at the mo saying.. ooh mummy, look at your eyes they are all green/black/orange/purple.. can I class this as educating him? not entirely sure! He seems to get it right every time though!

Best get on... lots to do.. no time ect....

A new Shoot and it's Barbie!

These are the images inspiring the Make-up for a fashion shoot i'm doing soon! Gorgeous isn't it? x

Another post already??! why the heck not!

Today I figured out lots of things.. for instance..I'm not too sure if I will ever have any money, how do I do the food shopping on a halved budget, (thanks netmums for the suggestions) how to create perfect eyebrows, (thanks to youtube) how to wind a husband up on his day off and also how to be very confused about how to discipline or not, my children.

I tell you, it is a minefield!

To do naughty step..or not!
To sustain an eerie silence and then say 'you don't want mummy to shout do you?'
To argue or not argue back.. or just look at them in a ' I do not like this' way, hoping they will just give up!

As I said, minefield!

I think I am most certainly confusing myself with all the different suggestions and attempts I am currently trying!

Ah well.. one day! I will get it right!

1920's style Make-up done on the beautiful Sam Chapman on the Fashionface course

White Queen from ALice in Wonderland

ALice iN WonDerLAnd Make-up

Photo courtesy of Annia Harrup photography!

Well.. here goes.. Just over a year ago I kinda figured out that 'life as I knew it' was about to change.. not entirely sure how but figured it needed to! Tired of the same old struggles I finally decided I had a great need to be artistic again.. and along with looking after my two boys Ashton and Logan.you know.. thought I'd be a Make-up artist!! like you do....

It's not unusual for me to think of alternative paths, however this is one I'm determined to work hard at! So here I am.. telling the story of my life as a now Qualified MU-A (proud!) and a NOT so qualified mum of two! I know this won't interest everyone but it's my way of venting some of the many thoughts and feelings I have in a day, so please have a read.. you may at least find it a little funny at times... Jo x