Highlighting Like A Pro(Artist)

The above image is a self protrait by the artist Albert Durer in 1500. The level of detail which he has shown here is astonishing, but what Durer was really good at, and what he really knew how to do, was to use light. To show where the ligth source would hit the skin, and how this would highlight the face.
Within make up, we use highlighter to naturally show the 'high' points of the face; to accentuate those areas which the light would in order give ourselves more a glow in a natural kind of way. And that's exactly what painters want to do. Were an artist to paint a face without any highlight, not only would it be extremely dull, but it would also be rather unrealistic.

Now I'm not saying you need to highlight the exact areas that Durur has...applying highlighter to your fingers might not be the best option, but if you're unsure where exactly to highlight, then this is one way to think about it.

An image I used for an article in Moda, this is one of the classic tips for highlighting, and I am by no means sharing it as my own. But make sure to highlight in a triangle shape under your eyes to really highlight (that doesn't even sound like a word anymore) that area.
Down the nose, the browbone, the cheekbone, the cupid's bow and the inner corner of the eye are all the best places to highlight.
If you are still unsure whether or not to highlight an area, just think if you were painting your face, like an artist: what areas would you want to look a little more glowing?

If Durer knew how to highlight in 1500, then you can definitely know how to in 2015!

Are you a highlighting pro like Durer?

xoxo

Real Life Frozen

Just keep in mind while scrolling... all of these were taken on a frozen lake; that is not land!

So...yesterday we walked across the FROZEN LAKE Mendota to Picnic Point! It was truly one of the most nerve-wracking, but amazing experiences of my life. We walked across ice!!! Frozen water!!! We made snow angels on it!! 

I have never before seen anything, or done anything like this before. And I'm so glad to have had my friends there with me goading me on!

Have you ever done anything like this!?

xoxo

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara | An Ode to Products at Home

Having just been at homehome, (I see Madison as being my third home, Leaming/Warwick my second), I was reunited with some much loved products. One of those being the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara, that is a little gimicky, and is a little unnecessary, and is aimed a little bit at those that really do have a problem with beauty products...

But it's so good! The teenytiny brush is so good for really making your bottom lashes stand out. Not to mention, as Tanya Burr said in a video, it does not smudge. So you are not left with that reminiscient panda eye look under your eye. Ain't nobody got time for that. 

You might also think that you don't need to be putting mascara on your bottom lashes. Now I'm not going to say that you are wrong to think that...but once you try this baby, you will just know they look that much better. It just makes your eyes look that bit more finished and, done. 

Did I mention that the teenytiny brush is great for really applying product onto the corner lashes? And that it's so small you won't make any mistakes? 

The packaging is also really cute (a word which I seem to have started using much more often and to refer not only to animals) with the lovely flower patten embellished onto the outside.

And it's so small. Did I mention that?

You can buy this masacra at Sephora here for what I consider to be a measly $10, as when I purchased it in Boots, I'm pretty sure it was about £12. (However I only ever buy Clinique products when it's Bonus Time; obvs!) 

So all in all, it's not really that expensive to make your bottom lashes look better. Not really. ... 

Have you whacked on the bottom lash mascara?

xoxo

Easy Like Sunday Blogging... On A Monday

You know those things that people tell you happen, but you refuse, or even can't believe them until you see them? Well I just had one of those moments. Everyone told me that Lake Mendota, the lake next to my halls would be frozen when I got back to Madison in January. Now that lake is a blood big body of water, unlike any we have back in England. But today, I saw it with my own eyes. It is all completely frozen; people are walking on it!
I have honestly never seen anything like it. But it makes me love Madison even more.

- As some of you may know, it was my 21st on the 11th, and I had a really nice day, what was spent with Mother. It was actually the first birthday I have looked forward to in quite a few years. (Probably because it means I can drink in America now...sssh) I feel like whenever you have a birthday everyone around you pressures you to do something big and amazing, and I just feel like that pressure can ruin the day itself. Hence why I spent the best part of the day doing nothing but spending time with Mother (and my cats). The work Christmas party was the night before, and at midnight that turned into a kind of celebration including free glasses of wine and a gargantuan cake...so I guess that counts haha.

- I have recently made some fairly extravagant purchases... I had been lusting over the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette for months. And I mean months. Like I had looked at it on Sephora nearly everyday for about a week.
Then the day came in January when I added it to my basket, especially as there was my free birthday gift as well. I left it for about an hour or two to really mull it over... and to my complete distress it was then out of stock. Everywhere. On Hourglass. On Sephora. On SpaceNK. EVERYWHERE. I was devastated. Then on Friday, just while I should be packing, Sephora emailed me to tell me that it was discontinued. Noooo! But! Hourglass themselves had it back!!! And I finally ordered it; I am eagerly awaiting it's delivery very soon.
Then at Heathrow on Saturday morning, there I was in Nars, facing the Nars Loves New York Exclusive to London Heathrow and Limited Edition Set. With the palette for uptown to downton, the nail varnish in Chinatown and the Lip gloss in Dolce Vita. Well after the stress with Hourglass I couldn't say no really could I?

- I am currently in the process of making a list of 21 things to do whilst I'm 21. I love making these kinds of lists. If anyone has any suggestions, I am open! I of course have gamble and drink in the US...more to come on that one later, but I am also thinking of maybe putting in things such as travel to somewhere by myself? And I mean, really by myself. Stay somewhere by myself and explore by myself. I'm thinking somewhere near hear such as Milwaukee; but that's a tentative plan. Any other good ideas would be welcome though!

I hope you are all having good Januarys! The snow is coming down here, and I am trying to be productive on this Martin Luther King day (#noclasses.)

xoxo

Thanksgiving in New York

I actually stayed, as you will know if you were keeping up with my blog last year, in New Jersey. But, fortunately, I was in Glen Ridge and only about 20 minutes from New York by train. Of course, I couldn't not head in for the day!

I hope you enjoy these belated photos!

xoxo

I'm Not Making A Resolution for 2015

I guess we could say making the resolution to not make a resolution is a resolution (does resolution even still sound like a word at this point?), but let's just see how most of mine go every year. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I made one. This being my point exactly, it gets to about halfway through January, and I have just forgotten what it was. It is not exactly that I can't keep to a resolution, but more I just never remember what it was.
A friend of mine once told me years ago that you don't need a new year to have a fresh start or to make a resolution. You can do that whenever you want. Mondays are the start of the week and I think making note to do something better that week is much easier than for an entire year. On paper, a year is a really long time!
I am of course not in any way saying there are not things that I wish I did more, or less, or just things that I could improve upon. However, last year, despite aspects of it being very difficult, I really started to come into my own. A large part of this was most definitely due to my decision to go to America for a year. Being in a whole new place and having to live there really made me realise more about myself, and where I've come from. Never before had I been particularly interested in British history, but now, I wanna spread the word of everything we did! (My proud Britishness is never stronger than when an American asks me waht's so good about tea).

Essentially, I am not going to look at myself and list the things I dislike and then decide which one needs the most work and focus on that for a year. Which, let's face it, is pretty much what a new year's resolution is. I'm not saying don't make one, but just consider if you're making it for the right reasons. And are you just doing it because you feel you should? Or that you always do? Are you really going to stick to it?
I will worship those that do!

Here's to maybe not making a New Year's Resolution, Resolution!

xoxo

Easy Like Sunday Blogging

It is one week today until my 21st! I've decided I'm not going to age for a bit after that; I'm just going to take a break from it. Mother and I have also decided that we're going to do my birthday again in the Summer when all the Christmas stuff is finally out of the shops :')

- I have discovered that doing your own nail gems works much better if instead of putting them on the tips of your nails, you put them on the cuticles. They also look really pretty! Mother got me a nail gem wheel for Christmas and I am loving it! I have put on a white metaliccy holographic kinda base colour (great description Karina, well done) and then put silver ones on and then blue. They looked really good...before they came off!

- Using a douche (for those unsure what that is, it's a shower poof), to polish off body scrubs in the shower is really effective! It still scrubs but also just washes it off, leaving your skin feeling even softer. 

- Sticking with the bathing theme...I have really gotten into baths. I always want a bath when I don't have one and then when I'm home never fancy one, but since I've been home I have been loving them! I am loving using ten tonne of bath stuff in them, candles, a bit of music. So good!

- I've begun to clear through the piles of stuff in my room, mainly magazines and papers etc. I have been reading through Elle's Feminism Issue today and it's been so interesting. It has also motivated me to really get involved with promoting feminism. Equality between genders has always been a big issue for me personally; in an interview for a job working on elections in my first year, I was asked what I would like to make sure happens within the work force and everyone involved. My answer was that all genders were treated equally. The issue of 'lad-culture' is something that is huge within the UK and such an issue but one that it never really targeted.
Upon this, I think we should all rewatch, this amazing and powerful speech by Emma Watson at the UN last year:

But, more on this to come I'm sure!

- I discovered today that if you google 'Sunday blogging' on google images, I come up within the top five!I'm a top google result; how exciting is that!

I hope you have all had a lovely week and a good New Year! 

xoxo