How to: Pressing Pigments

So after my last post showing the pigment's I pressed, a few of you asked to see how I do it - so this it!

First of all, you need to gather everything you'll need, which is:

• Pigment
• Empty pan
• Rubbing alcohol
• Scoop and hair grip (something to dispense your rubbing alcohol and something to stir it all with)
• 10p
• Hairdryer
• Material - up to you what you'd like to use, I go for a spare pillowcase as I prefer the pattern this gives
• You also probably want to cover the surface you're working on as things can get messy.. and with me? They almost always do!

Once you've got everything ready - you then need to disinfect everything. You don't want any germs going into your lovely new shadow!

You then want to take the pigment you're going to be using and this is where I use the hair grip to transfer the pigment into the pan. You want to properly fill it, because when the rubbing alcohol is added the amount you have in the pan does shrink. But not to worry - you can always add more as you go along!

Now that you have your pigment ready in the pan, it's time to start adding the rubbing alcohol. I just use this white scoop, but if you have a medicinal pipet or something - that would be a lot easier! Add it little by little as you don't want it to be TOO runny. If you feel like there isn't enough pigment in the pan once you've added the rubbing alcohol - just add more pigment! Carry on this process until you have the right amount and consistency!

Now what you want to do is take your hair grip or whichever stirring tool you chose, and stir your mixture together. This is just to make sure everything is evenly mixed and there's no big clumps of pigment stuck together. It wants to look creamy more than anything! When you're happy you've stirred it enough - spread it evenly in the pan, ready for when you need to press.

Now you need to let it dry - you can either wait until the mixture has dried naturally, or if you're impatient like me, you'll take a hairdryer to it! You don't want it to be completely dry, nor do you want it too wet.. It really is like goldie locks when you're pressing pigments! So I just take my dryer and heat it up for about a minute or so, until you can see the mixture looking firmer.

Now you want to take your 10p (this is probably the best fit for us brits!) and put it in the material you're using and twist it up inside, tightly. You don't want any ruffles or creases - otherwise this will go into your pigment when you press! Then take a bit of the rubbing alcohol and put that on covered 10p - this will just help it not to stick to the pigment and allow for an overall better press.

All you need to do is place it into the pan and press! Don't worry if you see the material getting wet - this just means it's working and it's absorbing all the rubbing alcohol in the pigment. Carry on pressing, until you're happy with your outcome..

This is just how I press my pigments - but I hope this was helpful for some of you!

Let me know how you get on :)

NOTD #5

Since I did my last NOTD (2 months ish ago??) I've been trying in vain to grow out the staining I had gotten on my nails. I really have learned my lesson regarding a good base coat..

It's pretty much there now and to make me feel happier with my nails, I've been indulging in french manicures.

Done my moi!

I've got it down to a tee now and is an instant way for me to feel confident about my nails - plus it's super easy and costs me nothing. Bonus

:)

I will be back with more colourful NOTD's once armed with a good base - I CANNOT go through this malarky again of trying to grow staining out!

Any suggestions on which one to get?

E.L.F Studio Purchases

So I got my order of e.l.f's studio line this morning and was so excited - I just wanted to show you what I got! Once I've had time to properly use them, I'll be able to give a better opinion on them. I only got a few bits, where are:

Complexion Perfection

Eyebrow Kit in Medium

Contour Brush - this is exactly the right size I wanted it to be and it is lovely and soft. Am hoping there won't be any shedding!

Complexion Brush - once again, this is really soft and can't wait to see how it holds up under use and washing

And as a little extra, I added one of their regular nail polishes into my order - Moonlight. This is one of the new shades on the website and this colour is lovely! Can't wait to try it out - will show if off in a NOTD soon

What have you lovely ladies gotten from the Studio Line?

Avon purchases

For some reason, I've never had an avon lady round where I live. Which is probably a good thing to be honest, as I have a funny feeling I would always be adding things to a list each month..

So when my friend said that her mum was an avon lady, I just knew I couldn't resist!

It's just so much fun flicking through the avon book and scribbling down what you fancy - it sort of feels like it's not real money? Oh well, you only realise it is when you get your stuff haha

I only picked a few things in the end (I definitely held back..) and this is what I got:

I thought this would be quite fun to have in my collection, especially on the days when I want barbie pink cheeks!

Do you know what? I don't even own a brown mascara - I even have blue, purple and glitter ones.. just not a brown??

These are 2 in 1 shadow sticks - you've got cream on one end and when you take the cap off, it's got a wand with pigment inside. We'll have to see how they fair during a long day

These are 4 cream shadows and these colours are what got me - perfect for a neutral eye! I think I'll just be using these as bases for other shadows I have

All in all I'm happy with what I chose and for £16 - you can't go wrong

I don't think I'll be getting anything from the avon book in the near future though, just because there's so much higher end make up that I've got my eye on, that I know I'll get more use out of.

Lesson learnt I think!

However, their body lotions and potions did catch my eye.. hmmm.. 

Better go look in the book again!

Is Avon yay or nay? What are the hidden gems they have to offer?

FOTD; Plum Foolery

Today, I was feeling a little restless when applying my make up and when that happens I go a little more extreme than I usually do for my day to day make up - which is never a bad thing I don't think.

It is only make up at the end of the day and it can be washed off!

Face:

MAC Select foundation in NW15

Lily Lolo Blush Away

Setting powder

Eyes:

Coastal Scent's 88 matte palette

Lash Blast mascara

Vanilla pigment as highlight

False eyelashes!

Lips:

Body Shops Oui Oui Oui lip butter

I really liked how this turned out and seeing as purple is my favourite colour, I decided to wear a dress to match! 

What look do you come up with when you're restless with your make up?

Back in the game; pigment pressing!

So I've been M.I.A for nearly 2 months now.. and I am so sorry - a lot of stuff has been going on in my personal life and it was hard to find the time and also the energy to do a blog post I'd actually be happy with. The good news is - I am back now and with a vengeance! Mwahaha

So getting back into the saddle, I wanted to show you some of the pigments I pressed a while ago now - they were my first attempts and to be honest, I'm rather happy with them. It isn't as hard as I thought it would be!

I bought 2 mineralize eyeshadows from a lady off youtube a couple of months ago and it turned into a bit of drama.. (The claws didn't fully come out, haha) They arrived completely smashed and the only reason it happened, was simply because she hadn't packed them properly to travel the distance from the US to the UK. She wouldn't give me a full refund and let's just say I was pretty miffed!

So to salvage the situation I decided to make something of these sad excuses of eyeshadows..

Hot Contrast

Sea & Sky

If life gives me lemons, I really do make lemonade!

I was worried about losing the veining in the eyeshadows, as they are what I love best about them - but I think they still capture the essence of what once was, haha. At least now they will be put to use; it turned out good in the end - hoorah! So the moral of this story is girls, don't throw away broken shadows - they really can be fixed!

The last pigment I want to show you is MAC's Vanilla pigment and this is what that looks like:

This is seriously my favourite highlight colour and I use it pretty much everyday. Not only do I now have it in pan form, I use it on my nails and also have a carry round version of fix+ with this in - divine!

If any of you would like to see a post on how I press pigments, just let me know and I'll get on it. 

Anyways, it's good to be back and you'll be hearing from me again, very soon!

How have you faired with the pressing pigments malarky?

Urban Decay Haul

I decided to add to my collection of Urban Decay eyeshadows, and that I did!

I ended up buying 7.. Ha. To justify it to myself they are all lovely colours and I got a mix of matte and shimmer finishes to keep me busy.

Below are pictures of them in the pots, the named label, the swatch and their finish:

What do you think of the colours I got?

I'll be using these for my FOTD for a while to try them all out, wooo