Week #3: Take some time for yourself

It may seem a bit odd, but i'd like everyone who reads this to take a breath. A deep breath. Weird, huh? I know it seems silly, but taking a breath, exhaling slowly... someone told me to do this, and even though I didn't feel at all stressed, troubled or overwhelmed, it helped. I don't mean to sound pretentious, but in that one breath, I felt better. It may be completely psychological, but controlling your breathing, and making you aware of it, it somehow… I can't even really explain it, it just makes everything seem calmer.

January may be the start of a new year, but troubles can still be carried over, and pain can still be felt, no matter what you, or anyone else may tell you. Heartbreak is a very serious, somewhat recent feeling for me, and yesterday, over coffee with my brothers ex girlfriend (they were together for five years), as we both teared up talking about our past relationships, it struck me how even though we may put on a brave front, and smile widely, the pain that we feel only comes to the surface when we're alone, or with someone who empathises. Taking a deep breath not only calmed me, but her as well, so don't hate me for saying this, but with pain, deep breaths can help to relax you. I think for me, when you're emotional, there's a control aspect… losing control of your emotions, i.e. crying when you promised yourself that you wouldn't (this has happened many times) is very hard to deal with, but by focusing on your breathing, you're restoring that control.

Control over my emotions is a big deal for me. I can be happy and when i'm not, I can pretend that I am, so much so, that no one notices (and the oscar goes to…) but i've also found that I'm a great deal more… sarcastic, and more hurtful whilst doing it. I think it's one of those things, almost reflex like, that when someone says something mean, or hurtful to me, instead of getting emotional and talking about it, I'll hit back, jab after jab until they leave me alone… and not even when i'm provoked, I just fire off these horrible words hoping to hurt people. The breathing during these kind of situations is still something I need to work on, but I think i'm getting there.

This has been quite a personal post, but, if someone is going through the same thing, and wants to know that they're not alone, then… yes, you're not alone. Heartbreak, or any kind of pain is terrible, and control is a uphill battle, but we'll get there. If anyone needs to chat, send me an email, or a tweet (@ohkalukalay) and i'll respond asap.

xx

Week #2: My week in one picture

As well as playing around with different photo compositions (am I liking this? Hmm), this week has been a mixture of things. But a few components have been constant, and they are strong brows, contoured cheeks and lashes full of mascara. Not only one mascara, but two: Revlon's Lash Potion on the top lashes, and No7's Stay Perfect Long Lasting Volume on the bottom lashes, this idea curtesy of Alix from I Covet Thee, who, in a makeup tutorial used the No7 mascara on her bottom lashes, claiming that it didn't run, smudge or flake, and I totally agree with her. So two mascara's is now my go to. For my strong brows, I'm love  love loving MUA's Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit, and the darkest colour is the only thing that has been swept through my brows in the past few weeks. I apply it with an angled brow brush (I've had mine for years, so no idea where it came from) and I think an angled brush is far better than anything else for getting that amazing brow look. 

Another look for the eyes is Maybelline's Colour Tattoo Cream Shadow in Metallic Pomegranate, which is so amazing (I've smudged it in the crease of my eye today for a different look, combined with lots of liquid eyeliner in a sunday cat eye). For me, this is a product that needs a very well blended base coat, and I apply with a shadow brush (My go to is one from Barbara Daly) and then for the second coat, I apply it with a bit of a heavy hand on the lids, as I really want that gorgeous colour to come through (I think this would look gorgeous on any eye colour, but those lucky ones with green eyes, this is a must have). This eyeshadow look can be achieved in two minutes when you're in a rush, or four/five when you have more time to make sure the look is perfect.

My one cheek product is from Dainty Doll and is a cream blush in 003, which I use as a contour, as most of the contours on he market are too dark for me (or that's my inexperience and fear showing) and I apply it with a Real Techniques Contour Brush which is perfect for the hollows of the cheeks. I blend this in stages, and always start light before adding more.

Two others that i've been loving are two non-makeup related additions, the newest one being The Body Shop's Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser and I love it. The way it smells is gorgeous, and it makes my skin feel silky without being too heavy for my oily/combination skin. This little darling is going to have a review all to itself, so keep an eye out for that. Last, but not least is a perfume. Cacharel's Amor Amor and be still my beating heart, it's gorgeous. For me, citrus is a big winner of a scent (seriously, whenever I cut open a lemon or lime.. it's heavenly) and this hits the nail on the head. It's light, but fresh and glorious, making me wish spring would come a great deal sooner. Watch out for a review on this little fabulousness.

Just a little note at the bottom, but I've been looking for a holiday in France, and have decided to head for one not far from Paris, so you can bet there'll be some pictures from that fabulous city come May. Can you tell I'm excited?! 

How has your week been? Are there any products that have made the past seven days, for you?

xx

Revlon Photoready Eye Primer and Brightener Review

If you follow me on twitter (@ohkalukalay) then you might have seen me mention this little beauty, and the miracle it works for me. So much so, I even got a cheeky little retweet from Revlon themselves (still chuffed about this, haha) and I said something similar to that of 'Revlon's eye primer and brightener is a good sleep in a stick' … or something like that, ha. It's a product for those early mornings where your eyes can barely stay open, but you want to give the impression of 'hey, yes, i'm wide awake, what is everyone complaining about?' when inside you're yawning away. This was a little christmas present from my parents (they know me so well) and since I opened it, it's been an early morning staple. Not only is it an eyelid primer, which is always a good thing for a beauty blogger to have in their arsenal, but it's a brightener. This is the illuminator that we dust over our cheekbones, but far more subtle in its glow, and it packs that extra staying power for eyeshadows/cream eye shadows (i'm favouring MUA's Heaven and Earth Palette, Maybelline's Colour tattoo cream shadows in On and on Bronze and Pomegranate at the moment).

I wouldn't take this under the eye, as in to help cover under eye darkness (I've tried it, for purely research reasons only…) because even though it's a primer, it caused my concealer and foundation to look quite cakey and crease quite easily, which is somewhat ironic, yes? I would apply this all over the eye using the wand, and then blend with my finger, making sure to take it into the corner of the eye, as any additional brightness we can get in the corner of the eye is genius and something we all should aspire to have (seriously, without a champagne coloured shimmer eyeshadow in the inner corner of my eye, I would never look awake, regardless of what else is on my face, I like to blame the hereditary bags under my eyes). On the photo below, there are two swatches, one visible, and one not (there's also a bruise, but let's not dwell on that). To the right we see the product, which is quite peachy in tone when first applied and even darker in the tube, which caused a bit of worry when I first saw it. But after rubbing the product into the skin, which can be seen(?) to the left of the swatch, it completely blends into the skin and is no longer really visible, but it did even out the skin tone on the back of my hand (which because i'm ridiculously pale, looks purple with all the veins).

This product makes a difference in those early mornings to me, as i'm all for looking more alive that I actually am, and I believe that it genuinely makes my eyes look a bit brighter and also allows more wear out of my eyeshadows than I had previously. Especially with creamy eyeshadows, which do tend to crease on my somewhat oily lids after a long day. This is a winner of a product for me, and makes those early mornings seem a bit more bearable. Brava Revlon.

Is this a product that catches your eye? Let me know (:

xx

Sleek True Colour Lipstick Sheen in Cherry

They say good things come in small packages… mini-doughnuts, earrings, Martin Freeman…anywho… This offering from Sleek Makeup is a winner. As soon as I swatched it on my hand in Superdrug, I was sold! This is a highly pigmented, non-drying, conditioning sheen lipstick that according to the packaging 'helps to keep lips soft and supple. Contains Vitamin E, which helps to hydrate and protect the lips from free radicals that cause premature ageing'. The colour is divine, a delicious Cherry purpley-red, that is so so so pigmented when applied to the lips, so much so, that my eyes lit up as soon as I put it on (i'm wearing it as I write this review, yes, I love it just that much) It's very moisturising, and one of my pet peeves is lipsticks that dry my lips and then disappear completely, as what was the point of wearing it at all?! Bad makeup companies who bring out such horrible lipsticks, boo on you!

Anyway, back to this little piece of gorgeousness. Ugh, it's gorgeous, isn't it? The packaging is matte black, very sleek if I can say so, and it feels really lovely when you hold it between your fingers to apply it (does that matter to anyone else? Just me? Hmm) I was never a lipstick person a few years ago (for shame, I know) and when I did wear lipstick, it was only something sheer, or something that wouldn't draw too much attention to me. Since those times, with growing confidence, my choices in colour have gotten darker, and I find myself slicking on some gorgeous dark berry colours without giving it a second though. It feels pretty badass, I will admit. Surely you know what feeling i'm talking about? That 'I feel amazingly amazing today. I will walk with a ridiculous amount of swag' kind of feeling. I love lipsticks that make me feel like that, as even though I might be having a bad day, a swipe of a lipstick in a powerful colour is enough to pick me up and make me face the day. Who ever said makeup wasn't confidence boosting? 

This colour has a cool purpley undertone that can be layered to create a darker, deeper, almost blood red colour that is divine, and one that I imagine will look gorgeous on almost any skin-tone. I cannot recommend this lipstick enough, but I will add that a lipliner will make this last longer, and push it to a good four hours before any serious touching up needs to be done. 

What do you think of this gorgeous colour? Is this something that you'd wear? What are your signature colours to make you feel full of confidence? Let me know.

xx

Week #1: My week in one picture.

My life has been a mix of craziness, work and sleep recently, so much so, that any form of blogging has taken a rather significant backseat to everything else. December and the start of January, for those of us who work in retail, will be fully aware of how completely insane the shops are… actually, if you're a shopper, then you probably have a pretty good idea as well. Insane. 

Anywho, happy New Year to my lovely readers, and I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday away from the hustle and bustle of work. I enjoyed my few days off, which were primarily spent sleeping and eating (ahhh food) but over the past week, with a lack of internet, I've spent the majority of my free time writing down blog ideas in my blogging journal, taking pictures (this lack of light is so very annoying) and practicing something entirely new: Calligraphy. I follow some fabulous calligraphers on Instagram, and i'm always so envious of their elegant and creative skills, so I decided to give it a go. With one nib, and one pot of ink, I got started. I finished with ink stained fingers but with a massive smile, as I love a bit of creativity. 

Makeup and skincare wise, this week, actually, this entire month has been riddled with dry skin (I'm going to blame the central heating… but turn it off? Goodness no, do you want me to freeze?) so I've been smothering The Body Shop's Shea Body Butter on, and using lots of moisturising serums on my face, but even then, it's still dry. And what's winter without dark circles under your eyes, or is that just me? It's a pale skin and dark circle scenario, so long lasting creamy concealer is the way to go, and Seventeen's offering in the lightest colour is saving me from looking like a zombie, that, combined with a subtle berry matte lip from MUA is my go to look right now, whether in work, or chilling at home. 

This week also brought me a new experience, and that was a first date. A first date in week number one, quite fitting really. It was a lovely day, good food, good film (Anchorman 2) and good conversation, let's not forget that it was a pretty great skin day too, so all in all, successful date. Five days later, with no sign of communication or a second date, I am nonetheless still positive, as after the end of a four year relationship, first dates will come and go, some well, and some probably not so well. But it's something to look forward to, yes?

How has your week been? Anything exciting happen in the first week of January?

xx