The Lazy Girl's Guide to Eyebrows

Eyebrows.  Ten years ago (the first time I was ever convinced to wax my eyebrows), I did not see what the fuss was about.  As long as you did not have a monobrow, the thought of colouring them in, shaping them and making them a part of my make up routine did not even occur to me.

Ten years now and eyebrows are a big business.  We wax them, we tweeze them; they are kept in place with gels and drawn over with pens and liquids.  Some of us even shave them off, to be replaced with a tattoo version (don't try that at home kids, remember, your face wrinkles as you age, so will the tattoo).

You can, and many people do spend a fortune maintaining their eyebrows and keeping up to date with the latest brushes, gels and products.  As for me, although I now love a well filled in eyebrow, I prefer to do the same on a budget; and without much time or effort involved.

While I like my eyebrows to be groomed, I still want a natural look and not tweezed within an inch of their life.  To maintain a natural line I use the Tweezerman Slant Tweezer

Here I am, sans makeup, ready to put my makeup on to start my day.  It is first thing in the morning so please excuse grumpy face.

I never put anything on my face in the right order (does anyone even know what this is?) but I always start with the eyebrows.  I use a slanted makeup brush which I bought from Superdrug (similar found here) and a £1 eyeshadow from MUA, which I find stays in place all day.

I simply fill in the eyebrows in, following the line and then I extend the eyebrow out another half inch with a thin line, which I find looks better on me as I have quite stumpy eyebrows otherwise.

I never have too much time in the morning, I prefer to sleep, but eyeliner is my master and I must obey its rule.

Finally, here I am to start my day.  My makeup usually takes 5-10 minutes to do, the majority of time on that being eyeliner.

Eyeshadow (for eyebrows) - MUA  £1.00
Eyeliner - Loreal Super Liner £6.99
Mascara - Clinique High Impact £17.50
Foundation: Rimmel Lasting Finish £6.00
Blusher - MUA £1.00
Strawberry lip balm - gift

Embracing You

I saw a quote by Hugh Laurie this week that really struck a chord with me.

That is what I think about confidence.  If I had a pound for every time during my life that I have thought "When I am older, I'll be confident then" or "Maybe I would be confident if I were to change x, y and z about myself" then I would probably be a billionaire today.

NO.  Strive for confidence now.  DO NOT WAIT.

You can your whole life thinking "If only I was thinner, taller; prettier, then I will be happy", or, alternatively, you can live your life and be happy.  But how?

How do you suddenly become confident?  Well the answer is, at least it was for me, is that confidence is not an instant thing.  It takes work.  It is a journey.  You are constantly learning.  You will have off days.  But they are just bumps in a very long road that has your happiness at the end of it.

The trick for me, was to start small.  What do you think will improve your confidence?  Do you love fashion?  Start with that.  Do you love makeup? Play around.  For me, in a wardrobe full of black, it started with colourful shoes.

Next, the wardrobe.  I knew I loved colour and pattern, but going there was a long journey.  But one day....

This next photo took so much confidence, you can see the trepidation on my face.  The fear.  But I did it.  Which led me to, a couple of months ago wandering round a spa in this swimsuit without a care in the world.

 One thing that really helped me with my confidence was to do a photo shoot.  This was arranged by the utterly fabulous Pamper & Curves.  Betty Pamper was running a vintage style photoshoot and I jumped at the chance.  You can see the pictures from the shoot in the link above, but this is a selfie I took between shots.  I felt beautiful.  It was a cornerstone of finding my confidence.

But it isn't just about makeup and clothes.  Who are you?  Who is that person that you have been hiding beneath your under confident self?  Who is the person that your friends have seen glimpses of and know is there, even if you don't.

Use your voice.  Think about what drives you, what you are passionate about and start speaking out.  Be present.  You are allowed to have an opinion if you want it.  

It took a long time for me to realise that the size of my body and the way I looked did not mean that I was not entitled to speak my mind.  I realised that being fat was only a very small part of who I was.  I began to embrace the outside, love it, but also, let the real me out.  The one talking to you now.

I have seen and spoken to people who are much older in years than I who never found their confidence.  They waited for that lightening bolt that never happened.  Because you have to make it happen.

They say that a journey starts with a single step.  I say that it starts with the second step.  The first step is the want.  The second step is the drive to move forward.

Where will your journey take you?  Take that first and second step.  It is worth it.  It is beyond worth it.

Fun Wedding Reception Ideas

I don't know whether it is my addiction to "Don't Tell The Bride", but I am always on the lookout for fun, memorable and unique ideas to have at weddings.

The best weddings are always the ones that are unique to the couple, have a fun element and ones that you can take away wonderful memories from; whether you are the ones getting married or a guest.

One thing that I think is really fun to do, which is becoming very popular these days is having a photo booth at your wedding reception.  Professional photographs, although lovely for the ceremony and group photos, really have no place at a wedding reception where you want to have fun in a more relaxed setting.

Photograph courtesy of OMG Photo Booth Hire

As well as having fun props and getting random combinations of guests posing, this is a really fun addition to your wedding reception.

An essential to a good wedding reception is the music.  What you do not want is an empty dance floor or even worse, twenty drunk people doing the Chicken Dance courtesy of a bad DJ.  A great idea to do is add a song request option to your wedding RSVP invite.  When you get the cards back, simply create a playlist, adding a few of your own favourites to the mix!

Hey Mr DJ

 The card featured here is downloaded from Etsy at the low cost of £4.22.  You can just print out the cards yourself to add to your wedding invitation envelope.  Fun for a tiny cost!

Another idea would be to invest in some personalised wedding pens.  They can either be added to your wedding invitation envelope or placed on the tables at the reception, perhaps to use in the next idea.

Wedding Pens

These pens cost £30.00 for 50 and will be a nice memento of your wedding (as well as getting the phone number of that wedding guest who you have decided after a wine or two is your one true love!)

The people you ask to your wedding are (in an ideal world) all the people that you love and spend time with.  A great idea would be to leave these wedding advice cards out for each guest on the tables in place of a wedding guest book.  Cheaper and will invoke some great memories in years to come.

Wedding Advice Cards

I found these on Etsy for the cost of under £20.00 for 50.  Not a bad place at all for some interest at the table and great reading afterwards.

Finally, at the end of the night when toasts have been drunk, many drinks have been consumed and that wedding breakfast seems a very long time ago, how about a popcorn food stand?

Photo Credit

These are just some of the great ideas that I have come across, all designed to make your wedding that little bit more special and something that you will always remember.


*Sponsored Post