Blog TV tonight - Foundations and Skin Types

Nearly every email I receive asking for advice is about choosing foundations. Tonight I'll be on blogTV talking through my foundations and giving a general overview about how to choose a foundation shade and also the right formulation for different skin types.

BlogTV tonight http://www.blogtv.com/People/OxfordJasmine at 19:00 (7PM GMT). Use the World Clock to find out what that is in your time zone! Looking forward to seeing you and talking about skin types and choosing foundations!

June Favourites and Lucky Dip Winners.

It's the end of June already???

Just in time for an end of month round up of favourite items and also I announce the winners of my 2 year anniversary draw! 29 lucky winners are announced at the end of the video, are you one of them?

After over 5000 comments, I had to call it. A week early but it took me hours to go through the comments and pick winners!

Guest Post, introduced to e.l.f!

** We all have friends who love make up and own some of it but never use it. My friend Lou is no exception. I took it upon myself to send Lou a gift of several items that she had borrowed from me on a recent weekend away. I also ordered a few items that I thought she might like. Here's Lou's review!**

So lets be fair I am lazy when it comes to makeup, it really only comes out for special occasions or on the odd occasion where I find myself with 5 minutes to spare (not that that happens very often!)

Paying a small fortune on make up I do begrudgingly as I never use it all before it needs chucking and it seems such a waste.

In despair at my lack of make up and my minimal use my friend Jasmine purchased a few key bits for me from E.L.F to see perhaps if I could be enticed in to the world of make up.

I got a foundation, a couple of lip glosses and a concealer/highlighter pen and a lipstick which I can't comment on because I appear to have lost it already :-(

**OxfordJasmine edit: I bought
Hypershine lip gloss in Fairy
Luscious liquid lipstick in Caramel Candy
Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in glow/medium
Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Raisin
Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 in Light Beige**

These products are a perfect size to pop in your handbag and not too large so a girl like me will waste them, they look stylish, do what it says on the tin, oh and lets not forget they are very reasonably priced which all makes me very happy.

I particularly liked the lipglosses which have taken permanent residence in my handbag for day and night. Also the concealer/highlighter is just as good as a lot of it's more expensive rivals which over the years I have tried and thrown out. Although the foundation was a bit light it may be that's because I've got a bit of summer sun so I'll perhaps get that out again in the winter. The nice thing is from £1.50 you can afford to maybe not get it quite right each time and I can always mix the foundation with a darker one. The consistency was good though and it went on well with good coverage.

I have particularly sensitive skin too and none of the products had any unwanted effects on my skin.

Ok so I'm not completely converted but I am using these products and I fear I may even need to replenish the lipglosses in the not too distant future the only question now is which colour I should go for.

**Thanks Lou! I did indeed purchase these products myself and I am affiliated with e.l.f CosmeticsUK**

Blog TV Wednesday 30th June 2010

Thanks very much for your feedback on the date and topic of the BlogTV segment I am planning.

The time is 19:00 on Wednesday 30th June 2010. I will be going through my collection of foundations and talking about how to choose the best type for your skin tone and type!

Join me if you can, I will try to record it for YouTube however I am not sure that this will be successful!

http://www.blogtv.com/People/OxfordJasmine

Aishwarya Rai inspired look tutorial.

Here's my latest tutorial, as requested it is an Aishwarya Rai inspired tutorial. It is a simple golden and bronze eye with heavier liner on the bottom lash line. Aishwarya has a slightly rounded eye shape although not as rounded as mine. Her eye lashes are generally swept out the outer corners and thicker liner is applied to the lower lash and water line to make then look more cat-eye like.

The lip colour is different to the lip colour in the photo I found to inspire the look as I thought it was too dark. Lately, Aishwarya has moved away from dark lip colour, which is both ageing and stereotypical of "aunties", so I thought I'd incorporate this in to my look.

Someone decided to point out that they can see the highlight under the brow was not blended properly. I found this amusing as clearly you can see I haven't used any product under the brow! Everyone's an expert huh?

Blog TV! - You decide the time and topic!

Choose a date:
Tuesday 29th June OR Wednesday 30th June OR Thursday 1st July. 19:00 hrs GMT.

Choose a topic:
Bridal Make Up Dos and Don'ts
How to choose Make up for Skin Types (oily, dry, sensitive, combination, mature, teenage)
Live make up tutorial smokey eyes

Manic Monday Look - ONLY 3 PRODUCTS!

I don't know why I look so serious here! lol

Breaking down this look is very simple!

e.l.f Pressed Powder applied with damp foundation brush gives the most amazing flawless and light finish. Try is, if you have especially oily skin and you will not be sorry. You won't need a primer, setting powder and your make up will stay fresh and matte all day. Just top up with powder if you feel the shine coming through.

You can of course add some glow like I have here using a shimmery blush, e.l.f mineral in Joy. Then a good black mascara, something which will add loads of volume. I used Bourjois Ultra Care. On the eyes and lips I dusted some blusher to give balance to the look.

If you're going out after work then take a black liquid liner to line the top lashes and some lipgloss.

Enjoy your manic Monday!

Lucky Dip Anniversary Prizes!

On the 18th June 2008 I shakily uploaded my first make up tutorial video to YouTube. Time has flown by and now I have nearly 200 videos! To celebrate this occasion and to thank you for your support, I am holding a give away on my YouTube channel of some of my favourite cosmetic products.

To be entered you need to:

1. Subscribe or be a subscriber to my YouTube channel
2. Comment on at least 3 of my videos "Happy Anniversary OxfordJasmine"
3. The more videos you comment upon, then the more chances you have to win a lucky dip prize. You could win more than one!
4. This is an international draw, everyone can enter.
5. The draw closes at 12am Midnight on Sunday 28th June 2010.

All of the prizes are brand new and unopened, chosen by me as I love them!

If your comment does not show up on my videos it is because I need to approve them, I have a zero tolerance on spam! But do not panic as I will review and approve your comment in a short while. There is no need to email me or keep trying to comment on the same video, as long as it says "submitted for approval" I will see it! xxxxx

Hop over to my YouTube channel and enter!

Look of the Day - Kim Kardashian

Say what you like about Kim and her antics but her make up style is gorgeous, so I thought I'd have a go at an every day version! A tutorial will follow shortly.

Two key products used were the eye shadows which were from the Superdrug MUA £1 range (No 16 and 19). I was pleasantly pleased with them. I really like matte shadows but they are notoriously difficult to work with. I decided to put these to the test in this look. They are a bit dusty and not highly pigmented but they went on fine and looked great.

My perfect dry skin cleansing routine

If you suffer from dry, flaky skin, this is a routine I developed for my sister. She reports to me "no problems" which means it must be ruddy fantastic. I use this routine when my skin starts playing up and it brings it back in to harmony. If you have dry skin and you try this method, you should find that your skin looks and feels great and your make up will sit really nicely on your skin.

We're not stupid.

I find myself getting more and more annoyed with mascara adverts! Do you think that if a mascara was really great there would be a need to digitally post produce or shoot with lash inserts?

We know all advertising is false and created to make us buy products. There was a time that advertisements would whisper gently "Buy me, be beautiful and have all your dreams come true". Nowadays they positively snarl and spit "You'd better buy me now or else you'll never be worth anything".

Some examples from websites, TV adverts and magazines.

Favourite Bath Products

Shiny Happy Purple Look!

Dramatic Diva Make Over!

This is my good friend Jules. By day she is an artist and teacher. By evening she is an amazingly talented singer. I almost cried hearing her sing "You've got the Love", it was a goose pimple moment!

Now Jules is setting herself a challenge to be more Diva, she has a big show coming up at the end of the month so today we worked on her look (hence the feather boa). The look has to be elegant and smokey but eye catching under strong lighting. Jules doesn't have a huge budget for make up so I decided to introduce her to my e.l.f collection to create a look.

BEFORE

This picture is rather unfair to Jules, I gave her a wet wipe to take her make up off which left her a bit red around the eyes and nose.

AFTER

Studio Eye Shadows in Sand Dollar, Pebble and Charcoal with a touch of Mineral Eye Shadow in Trendy

Lip stain in Red Carpet with Plumping Lip Glaze in Ruby Kiss

Jules gets to try Wiggy (and it looks better on her!)

I had to use more bronzer as with Sepia photography, subtle shading is lost.

Products used were all from e.l.f, I am affiliated with e.l.f Cosmetics UK so all items were sent free for my review.

• Studio Corrective concealer palette (green was used to hide redness on the cheeks)
• Studio Under eye Concealer and Highlighter in Light (to add brightness under the eye area)
• All Over Cover Stick in Ivory (used as a foundation and concealer)
• All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight (a must have for any Diva, to give that glow under bright lights)
• Studio Eyebrow kit in light (Jules' eye brows had to be darkened as under strong lights they will disappear)
• Studio blusher in tickled pink (in the centre of the cheek to complement Jules' rectangular face shape)
• Studio Lip stain in Red Carpet (it has to deep and dark to go with the sultry blues singer's act)
• Plumping Lip Glaze in Ruby Kiss (deep and glossy to complement the lipstain)
• Mineral eye liner in Ash (Black is too harsh on Jules' skin tone and eye colour, so a dark grey was used for smokey without being too stark)
• Studio single eye shadows in Sand Dollar, Pebble and Charcoal (three excellent colours for a contemporary emphasised eye and a touch of smokey)
• Mineral eye shadow in Trendy (gently washed over the lid, brings life to the grey and adds much needed shimmer to the lids)
• Earth and Water Mascara Duo in Black
• Studio HD Powder (pressed in to the skin it has an amazing softening effect. Even under very strong lighting, Jules will look soft and luminous rather than dusty or shiny!)
• Studio Cool Bronzer (used under the blusher, along the jaw line, down the sides of the nose and on the forehead to sculpt Jules' features under strong lighting)

Total cost of the make up used in this look = £47.00 Not a bad price for 15 items of make up!

If we had more time I would have used some Dramatic Eye Lashes but Jules was in a hurry!

What do you think of Jules' Diva Singer Look?

I am affiliated with e.l.f Cosmetics UK so all items were sent for my review.

Prize Giveaway with Naked Body Care

Simply join the Facebook page for Naked Body and Hair Care and leave a comment on the video to enter!

Tutorials!

A couple of tutorials on my YouTube channel, all making use of my new found love for cut crease. I may do one with eyeshadow next, for a more blended look!

Michael Todd Cosmetics Review

A new brand to the blogging sphere is US based Michael Todd Cosmetics. Their website is host to a variety of different products for make up, skin care and fragrance amongst others. I was sent a clutch of 5 products of my choice. I chose the 5 below:

Cream e/s in Gold Dream

Gel e/liner in Urban Mobility

Lipstick Creme in Pumpkin

Everything Stick in Dixie

Creme Glace Lip gloss in Show Stopper

A few close ups of the products post swatch (click on any of the images for a larger picture):

A few swatches:

Creme Glace in Show Stopper

Lip Stick in Pumpkin

I have a mixed review on these products.

I adored Pumpkin lipstick, it's bright orange in reality, the photos don't do it justice. But comes out peachy on me. It is highly pigmented and lasts ages, however it is rather dry. If you apply it straight from the bullet it will pull off any dry skin on your lips. My advice is to make sure your lips are exfoliated and well moisturised before putting this on! Highly pigmented lipsticks will cling to dry bits so bear this in mind.

The lip gloss is thick, moisturising and slides about on the lips. The smell is quite nice, a sort of coconut/vanilla smell, but a little strong for my liking. I liked the colour "Show Stopper" and I would wear this daily as it works really well over lipsticks to keep the lips moist. The smell doesn't linger thankfully.

The Everything Stick in "Dixie" is a multi-purpose product - for lips and cheeks etc... The colour would suit most skin tones, apart from olive skin tones as it would make the complexion look muddy, as it is a pink/peach with gold glitter. I like multi-purpose products, however this product does none of the intended purposes well. It is glittery bordering on gritty and wears away too quickly to be a good lip or cheek product. As it contains a lot of glitter I don't feel that it works for me as a daytime product unless I want a glittery look. I loved the cream to powder texture but it is too thin to be a good multipurpose product. It needs more cling and pigment.

The cream eye shadow in "Gold Dream" also suffers from the same problem, too much gritty glitter and not enough pigment. It sets quickly and resists creasing for a little while, however the glitter finish is patchy and you don't have long to work the product before it becomes un-blendable. It also feels gritty and dry on the lid which is a feature of highly crease resistant eye products. I don't like this feel as it makes my eyes itch but I understand it. I would like to have tried a more matte cream eye shadow for comparison to see if this is a feature of the glitter or the cream.

The gel eye liner in "Urban Mobility" is a good one, very little smudging and the colour on the eye is true to the colour in the pot. It also glides on and and is easy to apply. I've had a little play with a cut crease as you can see in the images below!

So as I said, a bit of a mixed review of these products, which you can buy from the US via the Michael Todd Website. However please note that these products have been safety tested to US standards not EU standards which are more stringent about ingredients and labelling. I have suffered no ill reaction as I checked the ingredient listings for EU banned substances but it's just something you should know when buying products from countries outside the EU.

Michael Todd's website is here. A selection of the products can be purchased and shipped to the EU from this wholesale website.

Nerves of steel, more like plastic!

Now that June is finally here, I am getting nervous about an impending trip to the dentist. For the second time in my life, I am having braces to correct my teeth. As a teenager I had train tracks top and bottom and all I remember was the pain, the embarrassment and the lisping. Plus the inability to eat properly without worrying about bits stuck in my teeth.

However I also remember that after the 2 years, I had wonderful straight teeth and a beautiful smile. Sadly though, as time went on my teeth gradually started to move and now I am self conscious about my smile and have been for a few years now.

I can finally afford to have them rectified. Dental treatment was free first time around and now that I am paying from my pocket I realise how lucky kids in the UK are to have free dental.

Thankfully I don't have to suffer the metal mickey mouth this time as I am going for a Clearstep brace. Clearstep is a virtually invisible and thin gum shield type of brace which over the next 10 months will move my front teeth back to the original alignment.

I will have to wear it 24 hours a day (taking it out to eat and brush my teeth) and it won't be as painful on the gums and cheek as metal braces were (I still have scars where they were cut up the first time!).

So wish me luck and look out for them, if you can't see them - let me know!