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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Making the most of every day...

So, I plan to be doing a lot more fashion posts on this blog although I'm not restricting myself purely to just fashion. So recently I organised a shoot with Rich Schaapkens (who is very talented.) The shoot was for a little Outfit Of The Day post so I could share more with you guys what my style is, where I like to shop and some of my staple winter items. And not to waste any more time I managed to squeeze this shoot in on New Years Eve day!

 

I am also a freelance model as well as blogger so I do have a wonderful network of creative which helped me out on this shoot. Hair is be fellow blogger & hairstylist Zotonixe // Shear Madness Hair Design. Make up was thanks to the lovely Colleen Carrah Make Up Artist & Beauty and photography, as earlier mentioned was Rich Schaapkens Photography. I am too excited and really want to share the final images but until then here is a little look at what we got up to....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Dancing Shoes & Shake A Tail Feather

At the end of November, New Look had a giant sale. Boy oh boy... I wanted to buy a lot of items! I ended up with a few staple items which I felt would be versatile and classic in my shopping basket. Among them were these beauties.... Rose Gold court heels! As if I'm not already obsessed with jewellery enough and all that sparkles, they go and make these amazing shoes.

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love a court heel. Simple, true & classic. Almost will never let you down and they seem to suit jeans, dresses, skirts, jumpsuits. You name it, the court heel matches...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so the price tag reads £22.99 but I actually paid £14.99 with the sale price, which makes them even more delicious! These are called the Bronze Asymmetric Pointed Court Shoes which don't appear to be listed anymore but there are some other lovely similar colours HERE. 

 

I'm a girl all about the detail so I'm loving this little wrap over detail. Most of my wardrobe is made

 up of a collection of simple pieces with glimmers of interesting details. By having a minimal wardrobe I can then either dress it up or down depending on the occasion.

 

 

 

 

Being in the midst of party season, I think these are the perfect heel for all festive celebrations!

 

 

 

 

 

Until new time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Magical Moments

I've been a little MIA at the moment guys and I do apologise! Trying to get back on to this little headspace (blog) as much as I can. First things first. I hope you are all in good health and have had a wonderful Christmas.

 

 

I wanted to just pop by and say hello to everyone and just put emphasis on the fact that Christmas is made by love, not by gifts. (Yes, maybe I have watched the Grinch too many times.) But year after year I find myself feeling underwhelmed by how much I have spent VS how much I actually have in my shopping bag. Life is becoming expensive but that is not what its about!

 

 

I love buying gifts and of course giving them to the loved ones around me. Family and friends alike. And I love buying them something they would love, use and/or wouldn't treat themselves to. However, I find nothing more indulgent than laughing and being cosy with a cup of hot chocolate with the ones who make my heart beat. Christmas dinner, a glass of bubbles and beautiful company.

 

 

 

 

 

The John Lewis advert 2015 #ManOnTheMoon really resonated with me this year..... I find that all over social media, as humans in a technological age we all love to brag about the things we have. Then there are some people who are alone. Imagine that, alone on Christmas. No giggles, maybe no gifts and just the echo of the TV to keep you company.

 

 

If I can say one thing, it would be just to be present in the presence of your loved ones. And if you can give to those with less than yourself, I'm sure that would be greatly appreciated. Even if it is just your time to sit with someone this festive season. Sprinkle love and kindles around like glitter. Please.

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Accidental Photoshoots

So for some years I have been aware of the work of photographer, Karl Shaw. We met a few month back now at a photo shoot which I was assisting on. Karl happened to find out that I am a model and wouldn't let me leave until he had got some snaps of my face. And... you know what... I'm so glad he did.

 

So in between assisting on said photos shoot I was having my photo took in between the other model changing. We got some stunning head shots/portraits and I have another shoot booked in with him this month!

 

The studio we shot in is called Ghost Studio, based in Darlington available for hire & studio nights with booked models. To anyone reading this interested in booking, I highly recommend with a tonne of space/props/backdrops and options. Anyway, enough of me chattering on. Here's the images I have been desperate to share on here...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep your eyes peeled as I planning a shoot with Karl this month!

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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We're all human!

So as you all know I went away to the Med for quite some time. I love love love getting a chance to jet off, submerge myself in salt water and relax (well almost, I was still blogging and working on other projects too.) However, not only am I a redhead in a tropical country, I also have very sensitive skin. This was also an issue when I was young which seemed to plateau in my teens and in my early twenties I'finding its came back.

 

So in my late teens I suffered severely with prickly heat every time I was abroad. I have now managed to tackle that as well as having contact dermatitis in cold weather and eczema from stress. Think its safe to say I need to live in a temperature controlled bubble for my skin to be safe ha!

 

So this time I went away, it was extremely hot as usual and it was lovely. I was using Simple sun cream in factor 50 to protect my skin and the factor 50 Simple sun cream for tender places on my face. But on morning I woke up as normal, had breakfast..... then starting itching... and scratching. Just randomly all over my body.

So I needed to really figure out what was happening to me because I didn't want it to affect my time away too much and wanted it to clear asap. Initially it looked like hives (which I have never had before), but then some of them looked like insect bites, but I was also questioning what I had eaten too. The bugs out there can leave you with a nasty bite so this was a possibility and I'd also drank a new fresh fruit juice which I'd never had before.

 

 

Luckily I have a few friends who are doctors so I contacted them as soon as I could, described the symptoms and then sent photos of what I was seeing on my skin. Now I have a friend who gets hives just from exposure to the sun and I was praying I now wasn't allergic to the sun!

 

Diagnosis showed that these were most likely an allergic reaction (or hives) to insect bites. I found this very odd because I have been travelling since my early teens and been bitten before but never a reaction like this. I was advised to treat them with antisceptic cream and apply topically. I did initially apply sting ointment and only one of them stung which I thought strange. I still wasn't sure they were bites but I kept away from the fruit juice and was careful of what I ate. They eventually cleared up (I had a huge one on my leg I just couldn't shift.)

 

 

Then they cleared and in my last week I noticed a mosquito in my room - despite the mosquito nets the little crafty insect! And then I woke up again with the same thing!! And applied insect ointment and only a few stung. So what I realised is that only a few of them are actual insect bites.... they were itchy. All of the others were hives, which is an allergic reaction and an inflammation to certain substances. It can also be triggered by exposure to heat or cold or infection among other things.  Sometimes the cause is a complete mystery.

 

 

I know this is a bit of a strange one but I hadn't experienced myself and I did find myself a little frustrated that now I have something else to watch out for regarding my skin.... but its better to know and how to treat it in case I do suffer this again. I'm not claiming to be a doctor folks, so if any of you experience similar things I would recommend seeking professional help and treating as they say. Just thought I'd put this post out because bloggers are known for their impeccable presentation of themselves and flawless images but we are all human too! I do apologise for quality of the images, I didn't really expect to do a post on this but thought it may be useful to put out there and let you all know that we all go through stuff like this at some point...

 

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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