VLOG - City Day

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Back to school: Makeup & Hair

Hey Guys,

My first youtube video went up today and I just wanted to share it with you. Let me know what you think :)

Ella x

Victoria's Secret Inspired natural loose curls

Hey Everyone,
Last week I got my haircut, you may not be able to tell from the photographs but my hairdresser took a good 8 inches off, layered my hair, gave me some foils and thinned it out. If you would like me to do a blog post in more detail about what I specifically asked for and how I look after my hair let me know in the comments. Since I now have much shorter hair I have been trying out some new hairstyles and one of my favourites is this beachy, loose curls which are so easy to do (especially with shorter hair)!

Products I used:

• Aussie Miracle Recharge heat protection - Buy Here
• Batiste Dry Shampoo - Buy Here
• Leo Bancroft Simply Tousled Beach Wave Spray - Buy Here

* I used the HerStyler 3P curling wand with the fattest wand Buy Here

Before I started curling my hair, I sprayed all over my hair with my heat protectant because I don't want those split ends coming back anytime soon! Then I just brushed it all through and parted my hair in the middle because I find this most flattering on myself.
Now my hair is prepared for styling I grabbed about a 4 cm section from the front and started curling away from my face. To make sure my curls would last I held my hair around the wand for approximately 10 seconds. The same process was applied all around my head and the result was perfect and defined curls which isn't the look I was going for. To make the hairstyle more natural and loose I ran my fingers through my curls and brushed through them to break them up.
At this point my hair was looking quite flat and didn't have much volume at the top so I then grabbed my top layer of hair and curled it again but this time starting from the root. Once this was complete I again ran my fingers through my hair to break up the curls.
To give my hair the beachy look I used my sea salt spray all over, whilst scrunching and combing it through. This makes any look appear more natural and texturised.
The last Step to this Victoria's Secret inspired look is to use dry shampoo in the roots of your hair just to absorb any of the oils from the sea salt spray and give it extra texture.

This this the finished look which was so easy to do and I loved how it turned out. Let me know if you have any tips for curling hair because I would love to know.
I hope you enjoyed
Ella x

What I got for my 16th birthday!

Hey guys, 

Sorry I haven't wrote a post in a while, I've been so busy with my cousin arriving from England that it has been hard to find time to sit down and blog. Anyway a couple of weeks ago on the 21st of June I had my 16th birthday. It was a great day which I spent with my friends and it was even better because I passed my driving test and got my licence. That weekend wasn't the end of the birthday celebrations though because the next weekend when my cousin Theo arrived my parents through us both another gathering but this time it was a complete surprise. It was a great way for Theo to meet all my friends and celebrate his birthday/arrival in Australia. 

My friends and family went well out of their way with presents and surprises for me this year and I'm so grateful for it. I wanted to write this blog post about what I got for my birthday not to brag but to document it for myself to read in the future and to help you guys out with gift ideas for girls.

So from my parents I got a beautiful dressing table which has a mirror which folds down so you can use the dressing table as a desk. I love that I can store my makeup under the mirror so its easily accessible and looks organised. I believe my parents bought it at big W for around $120. The next present I got from my parents was a Canon EOS 600D and I had wanted this for so long! I finally have it now so I can post good quality photos in my blog posts woo! This was about $600 from dick smith, I did pay for most of the camera myself but it was so good to receive it on my birthday and with my parents helping out with the cost. 

They were my two main presents which were on the pricier side but now I will talk about what I got from my friends and family which were more affordable and great gifts for a girl. These presents were all so creative and well thought out, they did a really good job!

The presents I got were:

• The book Paper Towns by John Green 
• Ecoya and regallo candles
• Cupcakes
• Jewellery
• A camera case
• Sports girl gift voucher
• Itunes gift voucher
• Flowers
• Mason jars
• Victoria's Secret Bralet
• Tea from T2
• Lollies and Chocolate 
• A 16 which all my friends signed
• Nomination bracelet charm 

If any of my friends or family read this thank you so much for making my birthday so special! I hope this helped someone out with present ideas because I know sometimes it can be really hard to think of something. 

Ella x  

Apps I have been loving!

So when I first got my iphone I really didn't think I was going to be an app person. I wanted my phone to be very simple and only be used for the normal uses of a phone. Things changed though because I began to hear all about these cool different apps which I wanted to try out and have become obsessed with so today I am going to share with you guys what they are are what they all do.

Sleep Cycle:

My cousin told me about this app recently and I have had so much fun with it! Its so interesting because you can track your sleeping pattern and find out the reasons you may or may not be sleeping your best. Basically how it works is you put it on your bed (not next to your head because that is bad for you) and once you have pressed start it will begin to track your sleep by sensing the movement in your sleep. I was quite sceptical at first but soon realised how accurate it actually is! Another cool thing about this app is you can set an alarm which you select a certain time period you want to be woken up in. You pick a certain period for it to wake you up because it tries to wake you up in your lightest sleep so you wake up feeling better. I also must add that the alarm sounds are really lovely sounds to wake up to, my favourite is warm breeze. You can also write notes on your day before you go to sleep such as I had a tea before I went to sleep or I did exercise so you can track the reasons you are or aren't sleeping well.

Vhoto:

I recently discovered this app and it is so cool because basically what you do is you film a video in Vhoto and then it cuts the video in the lots of pictures. It is great because it is a quick way of taking a photo and it helps you look a lot more natural since you don't have to pose. Its lots of fun and captures those moments that you can't normally do. 

Track my Spend:

I found out about this app at tafe when a guest speaker was talking to us about saving money. If you ever wonder where your money is going this is the app for you because you can keep track of what you are spending your money on. It also makes you second guess what you are wanting to buy and if you really need it because you are documenting it down. All you have to do is type in your expense name, cost and it will add it up all for you. 

Feature Points:

This app is really cool and if you have spare time on your hands and want to be earning a little extra cash it is great. Basically how it works is the app promotes lots of other apps which you have to download, play for a minute and then you get rewarded with points with you can then exchange for a reward or money. It is 3000 points to claim $5 and it may not seem like much but when you keep playing in your spare time it adds up. Its also a good way to find out about new apps too!

The Hunt:

I'm sure a lot of you guys will have heard about this app because it has become very popular lately. If you haven't heard of it before what it is is a platform which you can upload something you are searching for such as an outfit and the community of people who use this app will help you find that exact outfit/item or something similar. It can be anything from an outfit you saw on tumblr to wanting to find a decoration to put on your wall because it is plain. I personally have just been enjoying looking at what other people have found and the hashtags because it gives me inspiration and ideas of where to buy my clothes from. 

Runkeeper:

Lately I have been going for runs every Saturday with my dad and we run 5km. This app has been very useful because it tracks your distance, time and route. It also reminds you to go for a run if you haven't in a while so is a good motivator. You can also play your music playlist through it which is also great!

Bloglovin:

The last app I really have been loving is Bloglovin which is platform that you can create your own account and link your own blog to. It is a good way of promoting your blog and discovering other blogs. Its also cool because you can search up the type of category of blog you are looking for and it will show you blogs with that theme. I highly recommend this app to all you bloggers :)

Thats it for my favourite apps at the moment but let me know if you have any suggestions on apps I should try or what you have been loving. Hope you enjoyed!

Ella x

How I clean my makeup brushes

Hey guys,
Today I decided to share with you how I clean my makeup brushes and give you some tips that will help you out and will benefit your brushes.
Before you wash your brushes you need to decide what you are going to wash them with. You can either use a product which has been made specifically for brush washing or you could use soap/shampoo which is very gentle and has ingredients which won't irritate your skin. This is very important because you don't want to aggravate your skin which may cause you to breakout. Some examples of products you can use to wash your brushes are extra virgin olive oil (will soften brushes but all remainders of oil must be rinsed out), dove soap, johnsons baby shampoo, palmolive and mac brush cleaner. I used tresemme today which isn't the most natural product but it was what I had and did the job just as well.
Now that you have everything ready you should fill your sink or bowl with warm water then squeeze a pea size of brush cleaner onto your hand and gently swirl your brush around in your palm. You will notice that lots of product is coming out of the brush onto your hand. When your hand gets too dirty rinse it and brush then proceed until your brush is clean.
Once each brush has been cleaned squeeze the water out with your towel and then either lie them down or lean them up against something with the brush hairs facing downwards. It is important to do this otherwise the water will seep down into the brushes which will affect the glue. If you are going to lay your brushes down horizontally it is a good idea to have the head of the brushes hanging over the edge so the air can dry all the way through quicker.

Tips:

• Buy a spot cleaner if you aren't going to be cleaning your brushes weekly. This will prevent bacteria from growing in your brushes which protects your skin from breakouts. 
• Always rinse your brushes with the head pointing down because if you wash them the other way water will get into the glue which will ruin your brushes.
• Don't rinse the whole brush just the head because again it will affect the glue. 
• Brushes made out of Synthetic hair hold its shape better eg. Real techniques brushes.
• Using Olive oil will make your brushes feel softer.
• A good way to keep your brushes shape is to use brush guards. They are like mesh which fit around your brushes.
• Don't blow dry your brushes just let them air dry.

I hope this helped someone out :) Let me know if you guys have any other tips for when washing makeup brushes because I would love to know.

Ella x

Contouring and Highlighting for beginners

Hey guys,

Have you ever wanted to learn how to enhance your features and create your desired face shape but not known how? Well today I thought I would share with you how I contour and highlight my face to give the illusion of a perfect shape and give me a healthy glow. Since I am naturally quite fair contouring is a perfect way to give my face that bit more colour and still have my natural skin tone showing though in some places.

So the first thing you should know before contouring is what your face shape is. There are seven different kinds of shapes which are oval, round, square, rectangular/oblong, heart, diamond and pear. The "ideal" face shape is oval so therefore when we are contouring the face we shade specific areas around the face to create an illusion of an oval shape. Each face shape has to shade and highlight different areas. I will explain in the following where you should shade and highlight on each shaped face.

Oval Face:

They have dominant cheekbones and has a narrow oval chin and forehead. They should apply bronzer on the hollows of their cheekbone and apply highlighter above it directly on the bone. 

Round Face:

They are almost as wide as they are long and their cheeks are the widest part of their face. To slim the face and make the features stand out more apply bronzer in a sideways V in the hollows of the cheekbone. As for highlighter you should apply this to your cheeks, on the chin and on the centre of the forehead.

Square Face:

They have a squared forehead which is about the same width as cheekbones and jawline. The square jaw is the most dominant feature. Apply bronzer below cheekbones from the centre of the eye towards the temple. Then apply a small amount on the forehead and chin the soften the look. With the highlighter just apply directly to cheekbones.

Rectangular/Oblong Face:

They are a rectangular shape and the forehead, cheekbones and jawline all have the same width. Apply bronzer to temple, under the cheekbone and on the chin. Then apply highlighter to the cheekbones and about a centimeter away from the outer corner of the eye.

Heart Face:

They have a wide forehead, high cheekbones and a narrow chin. Apply bronzer in a sideways V on cheekbones. To minimise the pointed chin, apply a small amount of bronzer.

Diamond Face:

They have a narrow forehead, are wider at the cheekbones and the narrow back down at the chin. Bronzer should be applied on the cheekbone in a sideways V. You can also apply some shading above the temples.

Pear Face:

They have a narrow forehead, move slightly in at temples and then goes outwards. Its widest point is at the jawline. Bronzer should be applied under the cheekbones and blended towards the jawline. Highlighter should then the applied to the cheekbones. 

Bronzer and highlighter can be used for other features on your face to make them your ideal preference. Some examples of ways this is used is:

- Broad forehead - Too much width (shade the temples) or too much height (shade hairline or middle of forehead)

- Small forehead - Use one shade lighter of foundation for your forehead

- Broad nose - Shade sides of nose

- Short nose - Highlight centre on nose down the bone

- Long nose - Apply bronzer to tip of the nose and add parallel lines of bronzer on each side 

- Bulbous- ended nose - Apply bronzer around base of nose

- Double chin - Shade underneath chin or use darker foundation

- Long thin neck - Use lighter foundation on neck

*One tip would be is to use a matte bronzer because this will made it look a lot more natural and more like a shadow.
* Products I used for contouring and highlighting in the pictures below. Benefit High Beam and Rimmel Natural Bronzer.

Hope you enjoyed this and it helped out someone :) What face shape are you? Let me know how you go.
Ella x

Beach Day!

The beach is such a beautiful place which is so breath taking and rejuvenating. It so still and calm, yet the waves are constantly breaking and making the loud swishing and crashing sound which somehow relaxes us and distracts us from reality. That is one of the things I love about the beach. All of its natural features like the sounds, views, colours, textures, smells is what makes it so special. It gives you so many different things to focus on and each time you are there it is never the same. You will always get that fresh and alive feeling when you are at the beach because in that moment you are free and it is just you and the natural world. Even if you do get salty hair, sand between your toes, stinging eyes and dry lips you will still feel amazing because you have connected with a natural creation which no man could ever create. It is something that will always be there and should never change. Everyone takes away a different experience from the beach but something I'm sure everyone can agree on is that it is so beautiful and should be embraced.

The pictures below are from the weekend when my friend Bre and I went for a walk along the beach. It was really a great day and inspired me to write this post :)

Hope you enjoyed this

Ella x