beauty advice

sorry, i am unable to respond to individual queries.

brush up

"what is the best way to clean my make-up brushes?"

your brushes need to be cleaned regularly to avoid germs building up and to help them last longer.
gently wash them once a week in a mild shampoo (ie. a baby shampoo) and conditioner. shape the bristles carefully and allow to dry thoroughly. if you want to sterilise them thoroughly, dip them in neat alcohol, but not your best vodka!

curly burly

"i would like to have my hair in curls on my wedding day, but when i curl it myself they drop out after about ten minutes! what can i do?"

hair needs all the help it can get to hold it's shape, especially in high humidity or rain. thick, heavy & also healthy hair can be very difficult to curl.
when you come to curl your hair spritz some gel through like TIGI Frisky. roll your hair onto bendy rollers for small corkscrew curls or larger rollers for soft tumbling curls. dry them off with a hair dryer or leave to dry naturally.

you can also style dry hair on heated rollers, try to leave the rollers in until the hair has cooled right down (about thirty minutes) and then gently separate the curls with your fingers adding texture with a gel like TIGI Curlz Rock. add a little hair spray to set your curls in place.

simply pimply

"i am 21 years old and still get pimples. my wedding is next year and i am so concerned that i will breakout that day. what should i do?"

your skin generally reflects what's going on inside your body. it is a living, porous membrane which is affected by many factors, including diet, stress, weather, alcohol, smoking etc. we are always touching our face too, without realising, so it's no wonder the skin can become infected. one or two pimples at certain times of the month are also common in most women.

make sure you are using a good cleanser which suits your skin-type. it also helps to use a clarifying (toning) lotion. try not to squeeze pimples as this may leave a scar which will take many years to fade. instead, apply a medicated cream and a good concealer such as MAC to hide it.

tattoo trauma

" i have a small tattoo on my shoulder which i would like to cover up when i wear my wedding dress. what is the best thing to use?"

there are various concealers available for covering tattoos. i would recommend using Dermablend Leg & Body Cover. this will cover anything from birthmarks to scars. use a shade that matches your skin exactly, dab it on with your finger, blending it well at the edges. finally set using some transluscent powder.

brow how

"i have had so much trouble with my eyebrows. when i was 15 i went tweezer happy and plucked my eyebrows until i only had half of them. now they have grown out but not the way i'd like for them to be. what should i do?"

it's very difficult to grow your original brow shape back once you have plucked them all out! continue to pluck them into a neat shape and then fill in any gaps with some eyeshadow. use a narrow angled brush to draw in some soft lines using a matt shadow that is the same colour as your natural hair colour. to finish off, brush through some clear mascara or some hair gel.