Cheekbones & Highlight From Heaven

So in this age of make up and all things beauty, us girls all seem to be in search of a highlighter. I was recommended the Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skin Finish powder highlighter by Mac Cosmetics.

 

Okay so, for a redhead or anyone who is fair.... I really do recommend this shade. It really is soft but has enough highlight glow for you to completely fall in love with it! The shimmery shade really is a delicious sun kissed glimmer and sits perfectly on the skin (also available in 3 other shades for different skin types.). I swear by this now in my everyday make up look. It retails in the UK for £24.00 and I find it to be worth every penny!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So as you can see, this is a shimmery pressed powder highlighter which applies very well to skin. I find nothing more annoying than buying a beautiful looking highlighter then when you apply it, it is very hard to work with and get a result. This however is the opposite. So easy to work with and I just use a simple angled contour brush and apply the part of my cheekbone in a swooping upward motion, to my temples and a little to my jawline to accentuate my features.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell (by the spam of images in this post), I am also madly in love with the packaging of this. Sleek, simple, black and compact. It's totally fit for purpose, fits in my make up bag if I need it on the move and has a lovely secure snap shut to avoid spillages.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and what's ever more great is this has lasted me forever! Months and I do use it very frequently! What's not to love about this Mac highlighter?! If you're looking to buy, this is available at counters and also online HERE.

 

 

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Tan Lines & Protection

So as most of you will probably know, I am currently travelling. As a blogger there is a few important 'must haves' on my list, but as a redhead the most important has to be my sun cream.

 

 

 

 

As a redhead who also had sensitive skin Simple sun cream has always looked after my milky complexion! 

 

I know when we're young we think we're unstoppable and we'll live forever. That eating vegetables really doesn't do anything and wearing sun cream isn't important. But as I have got older and travelling to numerous destinations, I cant stress enough how important it is to look after your skin while you're young!

 

When I was in my teens I experienced 1st hands the effects of too much sun can have on your body with an unpleasant trip to a hospital abroad. I did wear sun cream, did wear a hat, did keep hydrated but sometimes too much is just too much. I'd spent a day on the beach in intense Mediterranean summer sunshine and paid the price.

 

My mam has always drilled in me to wear sun cream and protect myself but I obviously underestimated how strong the heat was. So here are some tips to stay cool and look after your precious skin...

 

1) Wear a high factor sun cream/sun block. Even if you 'tan easily' wearing nothing can still damage your skin.

 

2) Stay hydrated. Drink a lot! When you're on holiday, the heat will probably be more intense than your body is used to. Sweating in hot temps obviously means losing moisture and hydration from your body.

 

3) Protect you head - wear a hat. I know its a cliché mum saying but protecting your head and preventing sun stoke & headaches is really important.

 

4) After a long day in the sun, around the pool or enjoying the sights make sun you have a lovely cool shower, wash off any products onto your skin to prevent prickly heat (obviously reapply if you're heading back out into the sun) and apply after sun or moisturiser to lock in moisture you may have lost during the day.

 

5) Only do as long as you feel you can sitting in the sun. As a Briton, I have seen many fellow Britans take far too much advantage of the sun abroad. As a redhead it is sometimes frustrating for me to see others so dark skinned and enjoying the sun but I have learned the hard way to be safe and only do what I feel comfortable, sun bathing wise. Don't give in to pier pressure of baking in the sun if you're clearly burning and doing damage.

 

I hope this little post will be of use to you and help you be afe in the sunshine! Try to have fun but look after yourselves too.

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Cooking Up A Storm

So Easter weekend is almost over... To be honest we don't have any real Easter traditions in our family or things we usually do. I have been feeling a little under the weather/exhausted and been trying to catch up on a lot of work so when my mam asked me to help her with baking I was a little hesitant.

My mam used to bake a lot when I was younger (and she still does from time to time) of which I have lots of lovely fond memories of. And I think you'll all agree there is nothing like your Mamma's cooking! I thoroughly enjoyed our time in the kitchen. We laughed and got messy and baked some lovely foody bits.

 

They say the women in our family are brilliant pastry makers because of our bad circulation. Cold hands makes for great pastry apparently! So we started with pastry... this was to make a mince pie with. I got to roll the edge with a pretty pattern (which I love doing) and then my mam snipped the air holes in to ensure it could breathe.

 

 

 

 

 

The next thing we made was quiche. I guess you could say this is one of my mam's specialities. It is a cheese an onion quiche and one of my favourite things she bakes! In our house, the only quiche is a big quiche as you can see. (Only a few pieces left on this photo though.)

 

 

 

 

We had some spare pastry left which we always try to use. We usually make jam tarts but fancied something different this time. I suggested some bacon and cheese twists. We googled a few recipes but decided to just freestyle. This was our 1st time making these and I have to say everyone loved them! We rolled the pastry out, then cut the bacon into strips and laid them out equally on the pastry. Then sprinkled the grated cheese on top and folded the pastry over on itself & cut in to strips. We then lined a baking tray and twisted them on the tray and cooked until golden brown. Yummy!  

 

 

 

 

The last thing we made was chocolate shortcake. Mmmmm. I haven't made this in forever and my mam had a craving for it so we just had to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sorry to say that the bacon an cheese twists got snapped up to quick before I got a chance to get any photos! I hope I have inspired someone to bake something instead of buying from a big store. And plus it can be a bundle of fun! I'd love to hear in the comments what your favourite thing is to bake...