Tool Turnabout Brush Storage Carousel, wheeee!

Since this kitchen utensil gadget came in to my life, the chaos on my desk has considerably reduced. The Pampered Chef Tool Turnabout, although not an essential brush storage product, really is great. It has 15 compartments in three tiers on a rotating carousel which makes sorting, storing and reaching your brushes really easy. I have all my brushes organised by type and sometimes brand. The Tool turnabout was originally designed for the kitchen worktop but it holds pride of place on my desk holding all of my brushes, yes all! Just for information, I keep dirty brushes in a separate glass vase.

If you'd like to win yourself an early Christmas present, simply enter the giveaway here. Don't leave comments here or on the post as they will not count! Hurry as there's only a day or two left to enter!

If you're not lucky enough to win one from R8Beauty then the Tool Turnabout priced at £18 is available from the Pampered Chef website through your local agent.

A bit of nail fun, purple snow!

O.P.I Purple with a Purpose + e.l.f nail polish in White. A touch of silver glitter dusted daintily over the top completes the Christmas look!

It's all a bit Cadbury's and doesn't help me kick the chocolate habit during the day!

Blog Giveaway #6

The winner of the Glitter Gal Smoky Eyes kit is Hilda, you can read her blog here.

I am a huge fan of the Eyeko Fat Balms, my favourite is the Cherry colour. It is perfect for my skin tone and I use it daily as a blush and lip tint for autumnal looks. On the cheeks it's lovely for dry skin and in this cold weather for soothing and protecting lips.

So I have two more Eyeko products to giveaway on my blog!

All you have to do to enter is follow and leave a comment below, answering this question. What is your favourite lip product and why?

Blog Giveaway #5 Christmas

Firstly, the winner of the Myreen Young Rich Night Cream is Ally E. Ally, could you please contact me via email with your name and address for your prize.

On to my next giveaway!

Every girl needs a smoky eye look to rely upon for the festive party season. This is a lovely little kit from Glitter Gal is perfect. I was really loathe to give it away I liked it so much. I haven't used it obviously but I have been tempted! I am also a big fan of their holographic nail polish which is beautiful (especially the black!)

If you'd like to win this smoky eye kit, then all you have to do is subscribe to my Youtube, follow my blog and leave me a lovely comment below.

I'd like to know your top secret eye shadow tips for getting the perfect smoky eye!

Blog Giveaway #4 Myreen Young Rich Night Cream + Winner of Magic Lips

The lovely Sarah at Blusher Obsession guessed my guilty secret! I own 114 lipsticks! Sssshhhhh, don't tell anyone!

Enter below my next Christmas giveaway for a full sized brand new Myreen Young Rich Night Cream (RRP £23). I have been using the cleanser and I think it's a lovely organic skin care range.

All you have to do is follow my blog and leave a comment with a skin care wonder tip for everyone else! What is your favourite skin care treatment and why?

Ask Jasmine - Puffy Eyes

Q: Jasmine, I'm also an avid fan of your vids and blog. I hope that you can help me concerning my eyes. I always wake up with puffy eyes. Even after cooling them they need ages to go down. I hardly feel the drive to do my eyes (I prefer nude eye make up at the moment) but I have to. Otherwise I look like a zombie on ecstasy. ;-) Anyways, is there an opportunity to do a natural eye make up to veil or cover my puffy and baggy eyes? Thanks for your help, dear!

A: Cooling with a eye patch is always a really good idea first thing in the morning as it brings the worst of it down. Aloe vera gel applied to the area as well will help. If you're in a rush in the morning so don't have the time (who does!?) then you need to take a look at your moisturiser. Sometimes we use eye creams and moisturisers which are too rich for our skin. They sit on the surface all night long and make the skin puffy. Avoid using a rich cream around the eyes at night or use a gel. If you are going to use an eye cream, it is best applied about two hours before you go to sleep, otherwise skip it and put some on in the morning.

A good brightening concealer will really lift the area, concentrate is at the edges of the bag, where is meets your "normal" skin. Avoid shimmery eye shadow whilst your eyes are puffy as that draws attention to it.

If you have a question or a suggestion for the person who asked this question, please leave a comment below!

Magic Lips Giveaway and ecoTOOLS winner

The lovely Jenny has won the ecoTOOLS brushes, you can watch her YouTube channel here too.

All you have to do to enter this giveaway is guess how many lipsticks I own, the one who is the closest wins this lovely Magic Lips Case and three Magic Lips lipsticks!

Don't forget to follow my blog (there is a link at the top of the page) and subscribe to my Youtube channel for more articles and contests!

BWC Winner and a new Christmas Giveaway - ecoTOOLS brush set

I'd like to congratulate "Augustine" the winner of the BWC Accessory kit from last week's giveaway, Augustine, please email me your details to claim your prize!

The next giveaway is something very lovely and perfect for Christmas. I believe that 2011 is going to be the year of the Bamboo brush! e.l.f are launching theirs in Europe next year so I will be doing a comparison when the time comes with these lovely ecoTOOLS brushes.

The ecoTOOLS brush handles are made from sustainable bamboo with a recycled aluminium ferrule and synthetic taklon hairs. Three big thumbs up from me for sustainability. ecoTOOLS also won the Annual PETA award for Best Cruelty Free Make-up Brushes. The kit contains 5 brushes; blush, eye shading, eyeliner, lash/brow groomer and concealer.

This kit was sent to me for review purposes but RRP is £14.99 from lots of nationwide stockists (such as Superdrug, Tesco and Boots).

Watch the video and leave a comment below if you'd like to enter this giveaway to win the set featured. Comments on the video have been disabled.

Digital Art for Christmas

I am utterly thrilled with my new digital artwork, designed by www.latinainglesaportraits.com

Joanna is a fellow YouTube and Twitter friend, and also based in Oxfordshire. I absolutely love this portrait. Joanna took this photo of me from my Twilight tutorial:

To create this digital portrait

For anyone who has tried any digital artistry or even attempted to resize a photo in Photoshop, you'll appreciate how much work and skill goes in to creating artwork of this quality.

Joanna has created a video of the simplified steps to creating this artwork and you can see it below.

If you'd like to give a creative gift this Christmas contact Jo at her website and use my exclusive discount code FRIENDS50 to get a 50% discount until the end of November 2010 (I do not receive any part of the sales generated and neither would I accept them!).

I have commissioned Joanna to create a family portrait for me as I think her work is so beautiful. I plan to give these as gifts all through the year. I will receive the complete digital artwork for me to print as many times as and to whatever sizes I like. You're not just paying for a one off piece of art. If you can't decide on a photograph, then why not buy a gift voucher so that your recipient can decide which pictures to digitize for themselves.

Thank you so much for creating this artwork for me Joanna, you can see it proudly displayed on all of my Social Media channels!

See the gallery of Joanna's work here on her website.

Blog Competition - Christmas Gift Giveaway

I'm starting a new feature on my blog about Christmas present ideas, there's no point waiting until December 1st as most people are already thinking about what to buy! I've done my Christmas shopping so I hope this helps you!

I am also giving you the chance to win the items I present! So watch the video, if you'd like to win, just leave a comment on my blog (video comments have been disabled) and I'll pick a weekly winner!

Winner will be announced on Monday 15 November when another exciting giveaway will be posted, what will it be... I have several more to show you!

*I was sent this by BWC for review and with their permission I decided to give it away!

Ask Jasmine - Face and Neck Foundation Matching

Q: My problem is - as much as I might like the foundation on my face, altogether it still makes my face look pinkier than my neck, if that makes any sense. Is there something that can be done other than swapping foundation or applying it all over my neck? This is probably a dumb question, since it looks like using another foundation would be the sensible thing to do, but I have tried so many others and I never liked the way they looked, full of streaks from my fingertips and/or not even at all. And of course, being constantly on a budget I'm not able to pay for high end make up - and I don't even think that would be a safe solution.


A: It is difficult to give advice about foundations when I really need to see you and your skin to make an assessment of a suitable foundation for face and neck.

It's a common problem in tanned women to have a mismatch between face and neck. Whether your face is darker or lighter than your neck. I use a mineral foundation on the neck area which is the same as my face as it is quick to apply, doesn't use too much product and is less likely to come off on clothes as liquid/creams.

I would find an inexpensive mineral foundation and buff that over face after foundation and on the neck to even out the tones. Minerals are pure pigment that can be built up to the layers you like and still feel light enough. It should cover your foundation and bring your neck in to harmony with your face. There are many reputable brands, the ones I have most experience with are Urban Decay, e.l.f and Barefaced Beauty as they have the best colours for tanned skin.

Ask Jasmine - Eye Bags n Wrinkles!

Q: Can you please tell how to get smooth eyes like yours? You have no wrinkles or bags. I have bags and wrinkles and I really want smooth eyes just like yours. Do you use any products?

A: Prevention is easier, cheaper and more effective than curing them so I'll start with a few common sense products I have used for about 10 years:

1. A good eye cream at night, I have used many and I currently use Alva eye cream.

2. A moisturiser or foundation with a Sun Protection Factor of 30.

3. Do not smoke! Top cause of premature ageing is smoking. Quit as soon as you can.

4. Hydrate yourself from the inside. Water is the best beauty product there is, set yourself a target to drink a litre a day, that's only five glasses. One with each meal and then one between, that doesn't sound so hard?

As for bags, there is no miracle way to get rid of those either (other than surgery which is an expensive and last resort). Things which help a little are gels (such as aloe vera gel). They have a tightening effect, but use a little or it can feel uncomfortable. The effects are of course temporary and you will need to use it several times a day to keep up the effect. Natural oils from your skin will negate the the effect.

The use of brightening concealers help flatten the bags and lift the wrinkles; concentrate it in your wrinkles and at the edges of the bag to give an optical lifting effect to the bag edges blending it in with the rest of the face). Nip + Fab have an excellent eye brightening products which works very well (use sparingly and work quickly). I use the e.l.f undereye concealer and highlighter in medium blended in with fingers or a fluffy brush and set with powder.

Fillers are also an answer whether surgical injections or surface fillers which contain silicone which you can go over with your concealer or foundation. I have seen cosmetic fillers by several companies, but haven't used them myself. Soap and Glory is the most recent I have seen. Use them around the outer corners of the eyes and lips/nose for best effect.

If you have any Questions for me or indeed product recommendations which can help please leave a comment below!

Experimental Candle Making!

Being a huge fan of good quality candles, I thought I'd try and make a candle myself!

1. Start with a double heater, which is bascically some tin foil in a saucepan. Make sure to leave enough to make a spout to pour the wax.

2. Whilst your wax is melting on a very low heat, gather together the candle holder and wick.

3. Thread the wick in to the disc holder and tie a knot in the bottom. Keep the wick about 5 cm longer than you need.

4. Glue the wick holder disc in to the bottom of the holder. This stops the wick moving as the wax melts. Once it is set, tie the wick to the pin (or a clothes peg) and balance that on the holder to keep the wick straight whilst it cools.

5. Add essential oils to your melted wax. I am using Geranium and Lavender. For a small candle like mine (which is about three tea lights) I have used about 4 teaspoons of oil mixture. Yes that's a lot of essential oils but otherwise the scent doesn't carry at all.

6. Pour the wax in to the votive holder, keeping a little in the pot for later. Always be careful when pouring the hot wax! Once the candle has set you'll see that there is a dip where the wick sits. So pour the wax that you kept back to fill in this dip.

The candle smelled very nice when burned, it's a clean and relaxing scent. Even Mr OJ noticed and remarked on it. To be honest it's a bit of a faff making your own candles but if you have the time, equipment and want a special scent that you just can't get anywhere else... why not? It's also a great way to use candles that may not have completely burned. I have a Christmas candle that I have remelted and put in a new holder as I had half of it left.

I'm may experiment with different waxes (I prefer soya to paraffin because it does not leave soot everywhere) and different essential oils. I am not sure Jonathan Ward has anything really to worry about, his candles are superb!

Ask Jasmine - Flaky, weak nails.

Q: Hey Jasmine, Not sure if you'll know the answer but you might :D I've been having problems with my nails, but just on one hand, they are splitting, but it's like a layer peeling off, and every time it's nearly grown out it happens again :( any solutions??

A: If you haven't already switch to an acetone-free nail polish remover (I use Superdrug). Buffing your nails once a week (again the Superdrug 2-step ridge smoother and shiner is brilliant) and using a rich cuticle cream every day before bed (such as LUSH lemony flutter or Mavala) really helped me.

The other thing is that you have to give your nails a break from nail polish for at least a month. Not even clear nail varnish, they should get better after this. Also check your vitamin and mineral intake. A supplement is really useful. Invest in a glass nail file, I saw a few in Boots the other day. These are much kinder to your nails, keeping them strong and not letting water get in between and weaken the nail layers.

If you're missing your nail polish, try Rebel Nails stickers for special occasions, I found this brand whilst I was searching for something whilst I was on a nail polish break! I also saw some on ASOS and in Superdrug also but reviews have said they aren't as good as Rebels. Avoid stick on nails as the glue is too strong and will pull any weak nails apart.

Breast Cancer Awareness Sale Update, thank you.

Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who bought something from my Breast Cancer charity sale of pink items, the total raised was £32.00! The receipt is below.

Ask Jasmine - Oily eye lids.

Q Hi Jasmine
Thanks for all the informative and helpful videos!
Please could you advise me, im from South Africa and we dont have much high end brands besides MAC. I really need an eyeshadow primer and the paint pots dont work for me :-( i have really oily eyelids. I tried importing but Urban decay, Too Faced, benefit, elf & Mary Kay do not ship to this country. We have here what you guys call drugstore brands,please could you suggest something.
Thanks

A:
Hi, if you can't get a specific eye lid primer then try using your eye shadows wet. Make a light paste using water and your favourite shadow (loose shadows work best). Apply to your lid in a wash of colour, and then use a dry shadow over the top to set and blend it. That works an absolute treat for me if I haven't got a primer handy.

Apply foundation lightly to the eyelid and powder with transluent powder to set. That should act as a primer also. Never use a moisturiser on eye lids either that just adds more oil that they don't need.


Any tips you may have that can help, please leave a comment of question below.

TV show - e.l.f Christmas swatches

If you missed the UStream today about the e.l.f Christmas ranges, you can watch it again here!

Thanks again everyone who made it and contributed!

e.l.f Christmas Range - Internet TV show this week

Now that e.l.f UK has had a pretty decent restock this week, everyone will be itching to order their Christmas goodies as well as their staples. I have some stunning Christmas presents from the new range that went live last week to show you.

It always helps to see them being used and to be able to ask questions about them before you order. So why not drop in and see me on Friday this week (5 November 2010) at 11am UK time. You can find my channel here. I shall do my best to record it (technological prowess depending) so it can be repeated for those who are unable to see it live on Friday!

Click on the image to go straight to the Christmas shop, browse and if you have any questions, bring them on Friday!

Do not fear the Red lipstick!

As a child, red lipstick was pretty much the colour every Indian woman wore, that or some sort of dark maroon. It was just a given that it would be my first real lip stick and I am still drawn to it now.

To me, nothing makes me feel more powerful and feminine at the same time. I suggest you try it for a day and see how many doors are opened, people glance your way or engage you in conversation in shops. Whether that is my confidence coming through or the draw of the red lipstick I don't know but it is fun. The power of red lipstick is quite intense.

How to wear such a commanding colour? Simply is the answer, always. In the video below I have teamed a neutral eyelid and slightly smoky top lash with a red lip stain. I also used a lip lock pencil in place of a lip liner as I find these work much better and being colourless it requires no great skill or time to use. It is a must with red lipstick, or you run the risk of smudging, bleeding and you may end up looking like Robert Smith (The Cure) on a bad day.

Lipstains Gold is not a new brand but they are at the forefront of "staining technology". It is the only brand I know of that have created a true red, not a pink but a hot red lipstain. It doesn't remain impeccable for 12 hours, it requires a touch up or two. I have found that it still looks great after eating and drinking. Also even taking it off of an evening, the next morning my lips have a slight tint. The texture is light and balmy, it does go slightly dry on the lips but not as much as other lip stains I have used.

What are you memories of red lipstick?