Kandee's Glaminars!

Sometimes I’m just too tired and drained from my day job to be motivated to blog...and then I remember something really cool and exciting that recently found out that I wanted to write about!...

KANDEE JOHNSON’S COMING TO LONDON!

Kandee Johnson is one of my favourite makeup gurus on YouTube...Check her out at http://www.youtube.com/user/kandeejohnson.

I can’t remember how I found Kandee...I remember how I found YouTube makeup tutorials though!...I was searching Facebook for a product I had just discovered and I stumbled across a link to one of Marlena (MakeupGeek)’s tutorials (http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupGeekTV) I watched one of her tutorials...then another...than another...then ran upstairs to try out my new found makeup tricks and tips...then watched another tutorial...and before I knew it the best part of a week had gone by and I had done very little else! I had also managed to collect a collection of channels I’d subscribed to through links and recommendations...I didn’t find Kandee in that first week...That was probably a few months later, but she was instantly one of my favourite gurus. Her positive energy is very contagious - she’s a self-styled ‘heart inspirer and happy maker’ and even this self confessed British cynic can’t help but be swept up with her inspiring and encouraging messages!

I’ve been desperate to get to one of Kandee’s Glaminars since she started them over a year ago, but she was only doing them in the States and there was no way for me to afford both a trip out to the States AND the Glaminar cost...So when I found out that Kandee was coming to London I was beyond excited!...I stumbled across the Glaminar tour dates on the website (www.glaminar.com) by coincidence through a link about something else Kandee had put on her Facebook page. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the date for London come up on my screen. I think I checked and double checked it several times (I still am – daily!), refreshing the page and checking that it does say LONDON, UK...I wish it was bookable now so I could have my place confirmed! (The site says it will be on sale a couple of weeks before the Glaminar date but that won’t stop me checking the site daily!)

So, I’ve booked the date off from work, checked that I should have enough savings to afford the classes (failing that...I could always sell a kidney!) and started panicking about what the hell am I going to WEAR!?...I’ve only got until October 23^rd to work that out!...Glaminars here I come!

Sometimes its just the Simple things...

I've got a guilty beauty secret...I'm not the best at taking off my makeup before I go to bed!...Don't get me wrong...I usually have a good go at getting it all off of an evening in the shower with a face wash and then I'll wipe away any left over eye makeup with a facewipe...But if I'm honest...no matter how 'clean' I get my face before bed I usually wake up the next morning with some rogue eye make up under my eyes which needs cleaning up before I start putting it all back on again!

Every now and again (like the other night, coming in from my friends' birthday celebrations), I just don't have time to jump in the shower before bed and have to find another way of getting my makeup off. This is usually a thankless task involving face wipes and eye makeup removers, eye makeup smeared halfway across my face, sore blurry eyes before bed and even more makeup than usual left under my eyes the next morning!

That all changed, however the other night. Faced with the challenge of removing my eye makeup before bed I delved into my bathroom cupboard looking for a solution and pulled out 'Simple Kind to Eyes Nourishing Eye-Makeup Remover Cream'.

Now...I'd forgotten I had this (I think I grabbed it as a random third thing in some 'three for two' deal at some point and had never touched it). I splatted a generous amount on a cotton pad and chucked to on one eye, gave it a few seconds to dissolve away the makeup and then wiped...It took a couple of swipes to clear up everything but I was amazed at the results!...I didn't need to wait until morning to know that I wouldn't have any left over makeup around my eyes...there was absolutely NO makeup left on my eyes (shamefully...probably for the first time in a long time.) It was easy and painless...I'm converted!

Available at all good chemists/supermarkets and Amazon.

Gifts for friends...and one for me!

Two of my best friends have birthdays coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I have been putting my mind to gift shopping. My recent fail-safe gift (for ladies...and maybe some gents) has been Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes. These babies are AMAZING. You get 12 eyeshadows for £5.99 but the quality is incredible, the colour pay-off very comparable to much more expensive brands, and the variety of colours available is outstanding! I love buying these for friends who don't have a huge makeup collection (unlike some of us!), because I think they're a great way to start experimenting with new looks...I also just love introducing people to great new products!

So...my friends will get a Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette each...

And...whilst I was grabbing these two I noticed that Sleek had a NEW palette out! (I don't know how I missed this, the last couple of times a new palette has been released, I've had it marked in my diary and have grabbed one on the first day it was out - the only one I've missed is the Safari one :-( ). This one's called Circus, I haven't had a chance to have a play yet but there are some really exciting colours that are already giving me some ideas for different looks...

Te he!...Is it wrong for a fully grown adult to get this excited about new toys?!

Sleek available in Superdrug and at www.sleekmakeup.com if you want to check them out.

My First Vlog (and Blog)

A couple of days ago I tried to record my first makeup tutorial for YouTube...which was less than successful. Today, I had another go and am happier with the results...but I'm not quite ready to upload it yet...

I thought it might be easier just to TALK to the camera, without having to worry about actually DOING anything or explaining what I was doing, so I sat back down and tried out a vlog...Also...not as easy as it looks! Here's the result!