SEVEN DEADLY SINS........OF MAKE-UP!

Having been educated at Christian Ladies Finishing School (Ye…right!), we’re completely averse to sinning, however from time to time we’ve found ourselves dipping our beautifully pedicured toes into the dark side………… and occasionally liked it!! Admittedly most of this has involved alcohol, dancing like an idiot, rolling around the bottom of a black cab looking for the house keys and Michelle thinking she’s Kylie Minogue with a bout of selected memory loss the morning after!

……In attempting to re-create the infamous Kylie video to “Can’t get you out of my head” Michelle improvised Ms Minogue’s white hooded-outfit with oven mitts over her head complete with mike in hand. Her husband, cowering in the corner, tried his very best to ignore her and pretend the performance of a lifetime in his own lounge wasn’t really happening. Easier said than done until his eardrums started bleeding from not-so-delicate shouts of “Maaaaaaaaark…..! Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark…….! I’m Kylie….. look Mark, look…..Mark - why are you not looking??!!”

So the next time the Prince of Darkness tries to tempt you into sinning, be strong and remember the Seven Deadly Sins of Beauty are easier to avoid than any alcohol-assisted sins we’ve (allegedly) taken part in…….

WRATH

Applying face bronzer or blusher at 100 mph over and over and over is a look even Heidi Klum would struggle to pull off!!

TIP: Apply bronzer with a professionally designed make-up brush. Starting at the side of the temple, imagine the numerical figure “3” at the side of your face and sweep down, underneath your cheekbone and carry down underneath your jaw line. Repeat on the opposite side with the number “3” movement and move onto the centre of your face. Lightly brush down from the temple where the sun would naturally kiss the face! NOW STOP!!! Remember, bronzer compliments the make-up you may already have applied ie, cheek highlighter and blusher.

PRIDE

Look after your tools of your trade by cleaning your make-up brushes regularly. Not only will this help to apply make-up better and ensure your brushes last longer, but will stop the build up of bacteria and keep your skin in tip top condition.

TIP : Remember to tap the brush gently on the back of your hand to remove any excess powder before applying - NEVER BLOW ONTO YOUR MAKE-UP BRUSH like a severe weather warning in your bedroom!  We wash our brushes in liquid soap …hold the base/root of the brush tightly when washing and try to avoid water getting down the connection where the handle and brush meet - as this will affect the glue and loosen the bristles. Once washed and thoroughly rinsed, gently reshape the bristles and lie flat to naturally dry off.

LUST

Just because the new product on the market claims to banish cellulite, get rid of wrinkles, give you that flawless skin we all want - doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be right for you, your skin and your wallet!! From our experience, the only product worth splurging on is a quality foundation.

TIP : We can highly recommend Lancôme’s Photogenic Foundation as used by the make-up artists on the BBC1 drama

Waterloo Road

when Michelle visited the set to promote Savvylash. As Volunteers for the Charity “Look Good Feel Better” at Manchester’s Christie’s Hospital, contained within the fabulous beauty packs kindly donated by The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA), we found that the foundation donated by Estee Lauder, appeared to suit all skin types on the inspiring ladies who attended the workshops.

GLUTTONY

Botox…fillers….lip-plumping…over-tattooed eyebrows……!

Now ….We’re not against a bit of tweaking or “helping Mother Nature” and since we’ve both turned 40, by God have we asked for her help, however she appears to be busy helping others - some a little too much!!

TIP : To avoid that permanently surprised and going through a wind tunnel look, remember a little bit of what you fancy does you good……..WE SAID A LITTLE BIT!!

GREED

We loved the 1980’s - it was definitely our era of growing up and indulging with big permed hair, big earrings, big shoulder pads and big statement make-up…. COOL or SICK as the young ‘uns say today! Some how saying “nauseous” doesn’t have the same impact!

I’ve heard on the grapevine (via her mother) that Debs aspired to be one of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” “glamorous guitarist chicks” - I’m glad for the good people of Bury that Debs didn’t take up a musical instrument …..I’ve heard her sing and never more apt the saying “If you are going through hell, keep going” by Sir Winston Churchill!

Anyway, back to Robert’s Video, (and Deb’s look) – back in the day, slicked back hair, heavy dark made-up eyes and deep red gloss lips was considered alluring - on reflection, it’s really best practice to avoid this over the top look.

TIP; Choose a focus - either eyes or lips! If it’s the eyes, have the lips in soft nude, barely there pastel colours and alternatively, if you want strong lips have neutral eye shadow.

SLOTH

Now we all know the feeling – it’s daft o’clock, we’re trying (not successfully) to tip-toe around the house to avoid waking our nearest and dearest after a night out, the prospect of removing 15 layers of long-lasting lipgloss about as appealing as Ashley Cole’s marriage vow “Forsaking all others”….!

I have to confess….I’ve committed this cardinal sin however in my defence, it involved a colleague’s retirement party, a taxi with very slippy seats– how else could I have ended up rolling around the floor of said cab - and my front door key which refused to stop moving around when I went anywhere near it with my key. 

Debs rang the following morning to check that (a) I was still alive and (b) my hubby hadn’t noted the scratches on our 4x4 which apparently was used as a prop to get me up the driveway.  Upon hearing my mobile ring for the 144^th time, I sat bolt upright in bed and opened up an eye….the other was stuck together with day old mascara.  Debs spent the next 10 minutes reassuring me I hadn’t developed cataracts.  I looked down (with the one eye that was open) and found I had clothes on,,,,..astonishingly, the very same ones I’d gone out in the night before.

“Oh My God!” I cried, distraught beyond belief.  Debs was just about to dial the last “9” for the emergency services when I confessed. …..”I’ve committed the ultimate sin……” followed by a very (some would saw “overly”) dramatic pause followed by the immortal words “I left my make up on …………. (another pause) …………ALLLLLL NIGHT!!”

So, regardless of how late it is, always, always remove your make-up before collapsing into bed, even if it means holding on for dear life to the bathroom mirror as it spins around whilst desperately trying to focus!  Skin needs to breathe at night and take in oxygen, provide nutrients and get rid of pollution built up during the day.  Leave your make-up on and watch your skin break-out faster than Usain Bolt from his starting block……….

TIP　If, like Michelle, you’ve committed the cardinal sin, absolve your self by using a gentle face scrub and a face-pack to purify and hydrate your skin. A clay-based mask will draw out impurities and leave your skin feeling slightly better than your head!

ENVY

Is best defined as an EMOTION, usually from a sense of low self-esteem or maybe a distorted self image, which to be honest can easily happen with this Image conscious society we are living in. We’ve all experienced this unsavoury feeling at one time or another….. But that is exactly what it is …. A feeling and it can be one of the most potent causes of unhappiness.

TIP; We can’t resolve everything …..but….please believe us …… make-up is a powerful tool. Red Indians used war paint to rally themselves for battle and frighten enemies, in the way sports teams wear their kits. Now we’re not suggesting you have a battle around the MAC counter with your favourite lip stick in hand as a lethal weapon...Noooooooo - BUT applying make up ….. for you ….. to feel better and good about yourself WORKS….. even if it’s a quick tickle of mascara and a lick of lip-gloss … invest a little bit of time for you.

As in the words of L‘Oreal……. You’re worth it!

As we’ve already had two quotes we’d like to finish with another ……

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”    Albert Einstein

……Oh wouldn’t you love to blog Albert if he was still alive today?

Today we've had a great morning trying on clothes and jewellery at Bouti, which is a newly opened boutique in Ramsbottom, Bury (World Famous Market not open today!).  The sole owner of Bouti, Anne made us feel relaxed, and no pressure to buy but allowed us to indulge ourselves by trying on the fabulous and affordable clothes - you made parting with our money a little less painless!  It was refreshing to just glide through the rails and see something completely different than the usual High Street fashions.  My teenage daughter couldn't wait to visit.......... so that's Christmas sorted!! We wish Anne every success and look forward to visiting again soon!

Seven Deadly Sins Images courtesy of
http://digitalart.org/art/40645/fantasy/seven-deadly-sins-vanity/

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

..... but don't go overboard with the Tango-reen!!

It's that time of year when everyone will be dressing up as ghouls, goblins or at the very worst.......Pete Burns on a bad day! 

So what better way to link into self-tanning, than sharing some tips and recommendations so you don't end up looking like an over-ripe Pumpkin!

The first product we were professionally trained to apply was using the St. Tropez 3-Step System which included exfoliator, moisturiser and lotion. 

Picture the scene: We both turn up at the local beauty college to begin our training.  We were surrounded by gorgeous, nubile and very young (not that we weren't!) females.  The Instructor asked for a volunteer to demonstrate on which basically meant stripping off in front of the whole class.

Debs and I avoided eye-contact and stared at the floor, ceiling, nails and exit until one of the nubile goddesses put her hand up. 

Phew... although we did note she may have had pert breasts and cellulite-free legs, she had not a hint of a personality unlike our good selves. Jealous, us? Never!

Onto the demonstration and the most important advice we can pass onto everyone is exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate and avoid using deodorant prior to application - unless you want to look like Grotbags the Witch (basically, your skin will turn green!)

Second step is to wash off the residue from the exfoliator and apply moisturiser to any dry skin areas such as knees, elbows, ankles and heels.

Wearing latex gloves, apply the lotion liberally to cover any white bits and emulsify into your skin using brisk, circular movements so there are no visible streaks - if there are, just apply a small amount of moisturiser and gently blend.  This part of the process is referred to professionally as applying the "guide colour".

Don't use the lotion neat on your face, mix 50/50 with moisturiser and blend around the hairline, ears and back of neck. 

Using either the St. Tropez mitt or your dad or husband's football sock (preferably before the Sunday game!) and buff off the residue after allowing the lotion to dry for approx 15-20 minutes.  You then have to allow at least 4 hours for the colour to develop so best to leave it on overnight - bear in mind that the guide colour will come off on clothes and bedding until it's washed off in the morning.

Sounds easy enough and it was ..... on the volunteer, however Debs had me and to say she struggled to get to my body, is a slight understatement.  After several tussles with the towel and cries of "Michelle, as mad as this sounds, I actually need to get to your body to apply the lotion to have a stab at turning you into the bronzed goddess with pert breasts albeit no personality over there", I decided to chance an ankle out of the corner of the towel to preserve my modesty (cellulite).

Debs, by this time was sweating profusely before she'd even begun to apply and emulsify!  She somehow managed to apply the lotion to my body in time for lunch which was provided in the college canteen. 

Whilst queuing up for a bite to eat and deciding between the quiche or curry, it suddenly dawned on both of us why self-tan should only be applied at night in the comfort and privacy of your own home.  This avoids you coming into contact with members of the general public who firstly have absolutely no idea why your face resembles Stig of the Dump and secondly can never love you regardless of your appearance as only a mother could.....

Having said that, my appearance in the Canteen can in no way rival Deb's decision to go shopping after her application of the guide colour prior to it being washed off for a pair of WHITE linen trousers - never has the question "Can I try these on please?" posed such a challenge to various startled shop assistants....

Since training, we've both used various other products but by far St. Tropez gives the most natural results, however if you're on a budget, try L'Oreal Sublime which provides a fabulous colour and is just as easy to apply.  Just use the same principles of exfoliate, moisturise and blend...

Let the lotion develop overnight and shower off in the morning, removing any excess lotion to reveal a natural Halloween Glow!!!

Thanks for reading - enjoy Halloween and enjoy self-tanning!

ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY.....!

....or as my husband hilariously (in his own mind!) stated, the Chilean Miners will be out and blogging before you and Debs get started!!

To say we had a few technical difficulties in getting started is a slight understatement, however as the title indicates - Rome wasn't built in a day. 

Without giving our ages away, Debs and I are from that era where we text every word in full without having to resort to "dis", "dat" and "dudder" and don't start every sentence with "Mi Julie" and end it with "innit". 

Apparently blogging is the future and not wanting to be left out of anything, we decided to hop on board and embrace technology....unfortunately it didn't want to embrace us the first couple of attempts!!

Attempt 1 : bottle of wine, hummous, olives and some cut-price flap-jacks that were on offer.  We didn't get further than "password not recognised".

Attempt 2 : two bottles of wine, hummous, olives and garlic roulade (flap-jacks no longer on offer).  Stumbled on "What name shall we give ourselves?", settled on Savvy & Appy (Debs didn't like dappy, something to do with NDubz, lawsuits and "I don't think I look like a dappy Michelle?"), stumbled again on password protection, when asked what historical figure to remind us of our password, Debs came up with Martin Luther King...................I suggested "Diana" - Debs replied "as in Dors?" Noooooo, I replied "Princess...."

You begin to get the picture of how the rest of the evening panned out.....

Second bottle of wine later.... still on the password page where we were asked to type in the encrypted word....Debs forgot her glasses and was by now squinting at the screen, wine glass in hand.  I was furiously trying to work out whether it was a "q" or a "p" or a "g" or an "i".......we were timed out and banned for 24 hours.

So onto introductions...

My name is Michelle Savage and I'm the inventor of Savvylash, the eyelash separator http://www.savvylash.co.uk/ which I sell via the website at £4.99 + P&P.  Please see my news and press page on the website for details.  Ideal stocking fillers for the fast approaching festive season!!!

My good friend is Debbie Appleton who I met when we trained as beauty therapists some years ago and she has agreed to be my bella-blogger.  More of our exploits later (and we've had many!)

We intend to do a weekly blog on beauty products, what works, what doesn't work, our new product finds and guest bloggers (our mates for now until Cheryl Cole decides to come on board!).

So in the words of Julie Andrews, these are a few of our favourite things......!

MAC LIPGLASS - Deb's current favourite - this is the perfect product for creating shine that lasts.  It's pigmented, very shiny and can impart subtle or dramatic colour.  Here's the Science bit...... it contains Jojoba Oil to help soften and condition the

lips.  Her male colleagues stop what they're doing to watch her when she applies this every lunch-hour - it's show-stopping!!

Retails at £12. 

An Oldie (like Rod Stewart) but goodie is Benefit's High Beam - a firm favourite for any beauty kit.  The technical jargon reads "luminescent complexion enhancer" which basically means "killer cheekbones" and "Bette Davis Brows" (ask your Nana who she was!)

                                                                                            Retails at £17.50

We're open to (clean) suggestions, and welcome your beauty tips and recommendations and look forward to hearing from you.  Please forward our blog address onto your friends...

Thanks for reading, ta-ra for now! xx