Let's Talk Scrubs

I think scrubs play a vital part of any beauty regime and I'm going to review a few that I've recently tried as summer has started its time to bare more skin than usual and we all want smooth skin to show off. Using a scrub a few times a week can really improve your skin by exfoliating and removing any dead skin cells and to soften tough skin pair this with a moisturiser afterwards for silky smooth skin to flaunt in the sun! 

First up is Soap&Glory's 'Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em' Body Buff this is one of my favourite body scrubs that I've used it smells of their 'Mist You Madly' scent and is really moisturising on the skin and isn't as coarse as their 'Smoothie Star' scrub. I find that this scrub works best as a scrub to use a couple times a week as if you keep exfoliating your skin this scrub will moisturise your skin well and have it smelling gorgeous whereas if you need a major exfoliating I would recommend 'Sugar Crush' or 'Smoothie Star'. 

I've recently been using the St Ives Apricot Scrub as a facial scrub but I find that the apricot scent far too overwhelming to the point where I feel as though I'm choking in the shower also the formula is far too harsh on the skin it feels as though I'm rubbing sand onto my face. The formula isn't very moisturising with average results though my skin feels smooth the cons outweigh it if anyone can recommend a good facial scrub tweet me @stephgreenwoodx

I tried a sample of the Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Mask/Cleanser although this isn't necessarily a scrub I feel as though it does the job of a scrub as this is a creamy formula it applies nicely. Although when it comes to washing away with water I feel it leaves my skin too squeaky clean the texture of my skin is similar to latex and I feel as though my skin has been stripped of moisture and natural oils leaving it dry and dehydrated, definitely not worth the money.

For the past few days I've been using one of my Soap&Glory samples this one is 'Scrub of your Life' and is in my opinion the perfect daily scrub it has a calming musky floral scent and is really moisturising this is a more gentle scrub which works better if you fake tan and for weekly use. I'm definitely going to repurchase the full size scrub and I feel a Soap&Glory haul is needed soon does anyone have any skincare/body products of theirs that they love? I'd love to know tweet me @stephgreenwoodx and follow me on Instagram @stephgreenwoodx to find out what I buy first!

A Pink Themed June Favourites!

Another month comes to an end and this June I have been settling back into life in the North of England for summer and we have had a good couple weeks of sunshine so I updated my make up routine and wardrobe with some summer picks. I decided to try out some more lightweight make up for June as the air is warmer and I hate my skin feeling clogged up with heavy make up. I like to change up my make up for more skincare products in summer to clear my skin and let the sun give me some much needed Vitamin D so that will definitely be happening in July.

I can't bare using foundation in the warmer months so I picked up the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free from Space NK I decided on oil-free as I naturally have an oily T-Zone so adding more oil based products would cause breakouts. I have been using this for about two weeks now but I just had to put it into my June faves as I love it so much it has made a drastic improvement to my make up routine. The moisturiser has a dewy effect which I prefer but you could tone it down with powder, it has SPF 20 which is great for summer and it's so lightweight on my skin it doesn't even feel as though I have anything on but still gives a good coverage.

I went for the shade 'Porcelain' as I'm really fair-skined but they have lots of shades and when blended it completely blends into your skin I use the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to apply.

I decided to try a brightening concealer as I have been loving bringing lots of light to my face this month instead of contouring to make my skin look more youthful so when I was in Boots I picked up this Loreal Lumi Magique Concealer. This is known as the drugstore dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat there isn't lots of coverage so I use some of my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer to hide my dark circles. This is a really lightweight concealer and is really brightening also the packaging is gorgeous I think it looks quite expensive for a drugstore buy!

For peachy cheeks I've been enjoying using Natural Collection 'Peach Melba' Blush which is a similar colour to MAC's 'Melba' Blush I find it gives a natural pink/peach glow to the cheeks although the formula is quite talc-textured for £1.99 you can't really complain. I find that this blush works best for light-medium skin tones.

I've mainly been using lip balm this month but when I wanted a touch of colour on my lips I always had my Revlon Lip Butter in 'Peach Parfait' in my bag, it provides a lovely shimmer rosy pink with a moisturising formula that lasts for hours. 

I love the Revlon Parfumerie Nail Polishes and this past month I've mainly just had 'Lavender Soap' on even my mum put it on her toes! It is a beautiful pearlised lilac colour that does slightly smell of lavender soap when dried on nails, these polishes last for ages and a bonus is that they are scented with cute packaging!

I've definitely went for the pinks this month I just wanted to go for a simple feminine look that was easy to apply so my go-to-kit has been Benefit's 'Feelin' Dandy' beauty box which features their Posie Tint, High Beam, Dandelion blush and gloss.

High Beam is my favourite highlighter of all-time I've been using it for 4 years and I can't find any one that I like better, the pink compliments my skin tone it lasts for ages and really adds a glow to your features that looks amazing when the light hits. I always apply it in three swipes on the top of my cheekbones, cupid's bow, down the bridge of my nose, under and above my brow bone then blend quickly with my ring finger. This is one of those products that you'll notice a difference when you have on but other's think that you're just blessed with bright skin and excellent lighting. 

I've also loved the Dandelion blush to add a natural pink glow to my cheeks this blush is another one of my favourites from Benefit I've used it for so long and is the perfect blush for fair skin.

My fashion favourite this month has been my white crochet kimono that I got from New Look this was the last one so I just got a size bigger because I knew that I would want to wear it constantly and I was right! I've been just wearing different combination of all-white outfits this past month as that what most of my wardrobe for summer consists of and this kimono just goes so well and especially when you need to take a light cover up for chilly days and nights. 

I love the delicate crochet on the sleeve hems and down the front and the material is so light and flows really softly on the body normally I don't see anything in New Look but this is such a good quality that could be easily sold in Topshop for double the price it's so perfect for summer!

I have been absolutely in love with my Birks this month they are so comfy and as I said before with just wearing white outfits they complete the look I recommend getting a size smaller as they are quite big fitting even my dad got some 'Milano' birks in brown (trendy dad).

The two albums I've been listening to non-stop are Lana Del Rey's 'Ultraviolence' my favourite song is 'Money Power Glory' the whole album is great easy listening I just love Lana's voice.

I've also been listening to Ed Sheeran's new album 'X' I love so many songs on this album it's hard to pick one but 'Don't', 'Photograph' and 'The Man' are some of my favourites this album is amazing and I'm so excited to see him at T in the Park!

That's all for June favourites let me know your favourites of the month by Twitter @stephgreenwoodx and follow me on Instagram @stephgreenwoodx

Textured Beach Hair Tutorial

If you can't always get to the beach here's a quick tutorial on how to get those textured beach waves in 10 minutes! 

Start by heating your curling wand or straighteners I'm using the GHD V Gold Classic Straighteners.

Select pieces of your hair to loosely curl, it doesn't matter the direction you want it to be messy and textured.

Use a salt spray to achieve the beach waves texture I'm using the Toni&Guy Sea Salt Spray.

Spray this evenly around your hair focusing on mid-length to the ends.

Now scrunch your hair even twist parts and hold it so the product will hold the shape.

To get your hair smelling like you've spent all day on the beach use your favourite summer scent I'm using Victoria Secret's Coconut Passion which has notes of vanilla, coconut and musk. I've had lots of compliments when wearing this scent saying that it reminds people of pina colada's on holiday!

Spray this a couple of times in your hair and then run your fingers through your hair.

That's all you need to achieve beach hair so for the woman who doesn't have time to spend hours frolicking in the sand, these couple products are a must have in my beach bag I feel that summer beauty should be effortless and beach waves is a staple.

Instagram - @stephgreenwoodx

Twitter - @stephgreenwoodx

Ultraviolet Vamp Make Up Tutorial

I didn't really have a plan for this tutorial I was mainly inspired by these Estee Lauder quads I found with some beautiful purple shadows and the rest I just sort of improvised. This tutorial is going to create a deep purple toned almost bruised vamp look it can work well in summer with bronzed skin for a night look. 

Clean your skin of make up and apply a face primer with your fingers I'm using the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer this will help your foundation apply smoother and last longer.

As it's getting into summer I decided to switch up foundation in lieu of a tinted moisturiser as it will provide a lighter base for those warmer days I chose the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser. I decided on this one as I had tried a sample last summer and loved it with SPF 20 it will help protect your skin against the sun too.

As you can see in the image above it looks the same consistency and colour of what your foundation would look like so adds a good coverage too, my shade is Porcelain. 

I have found it's best applying tinted moisturiser with a beauty blender I'm using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge which I love, you should wash your blender every 3 applications.

The sponge applies the tinted moisturiser flawlessly and really easily just dab and blend it onto your face, this moisturiser gives a dewy finish and warm glow to the face.

I'm using a full coverage concealer as I'm suffering with dark under eye circles and spots at the minute the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer is my favourite to use.

I apply the concealer on what needs covering then blend it in using a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush or you could use your ring finger.

For brows I'm going to use my favourite Benefit Brow Zings (I only use the wax part) and apply this with a sharp angled brush. 

I hit pan on it during this tutorial is it just me that gets really sad when that happens!

Just work in your natural brow shape and of course make sure both sides are equal!

Set the brows with a gel I'm using Benefit's Gimme Brow to keep the hairs in place.

Prime the eyes so that the eyeshadow will apply better and last longer I find that primers make a huge difference especially in photos, I'm using the Nars Eyeshadow Primer.

For the vampy look you'll need three eyeshadows, a light neutral for the base, a purple for the corner and crease and a darker purple for the corner and under eye. 

I'm going to use the light pink in this Estee Lauder eyeshadow quad for across the base, inner corners and brow bone.

I'm using the light purple which is the second colour across in another Estee Lauder quad I found.

Blend this colour in the corners and into the crease.

I then used the dark purple in the first Estee Lauder quad to blend into the corner to deepen the intensity of the colour.

Using the same dark purple colour I blended it under the bottom lash line and on top of the lashes using a angled brush.

I then added the Estee Lauder Black Kajal Eyeliner on the top and bottom waterline and blended it above the lashes this will add a further intensity to the eyes.

Curl your lashes then add mascara to the top and bottom lashes I'm using the Kate Moss Rimmel Mascara.

Now back to conceal the under eyes doing this after all your eye make up is finished will help create a more polished look.

Set with a powder I'm using MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish Natural which gives a glow to the skin and looks flawless in photos.

For glowing cheeks use a pink blusher I'm using Sleeks Rose Gold which is a peachy/pink with gold specks in it it's my all time favourite blusher as the gold gives a dewy glow when the light hits.

I'm using a cream highlighter for this look as the eye make up is dark i want to have glowing skin for summer, I'm using Benefit's High Beam which is my favourite pink highlighter. To apply add three dots on top of your cheekbone, one on your brow bone and one above your brows then blend with your finger.

To contour I'm using Nars Laguna bronzer which I find is a good match to give my fair skin a summer glow, using a blush brush I contour under my cheekbones and the outer edge of my face.

I decided to pair dark lips with this look to vamp it up I'm using Topshop's Lip Crayon in Vixen which is a deep matte burgundy red.

To add some shimmer to the lips I applied Revlon's Lip butter in Peach Parfait on top.

The Finished Look

I hope you like this 'Ultraviolet Vamp' look I love how the berry and bronze tones work so well with each other it's always fun to look through your winter make up and see what will still work in the summer. 

If there's a make up look you'd like me to do tweet me @stephgreenwoodx and follow me on Instagram @stephgreenwoodx