skincare rountine

Here is a little nosey at my skincare rountine, it's a bit of a mixture - I love all these products. They work really well for me but everyone's skin is unique so it's best to sample these before you buy!


LP Skin Therapy face wash 15.00
I like to use this on day's when my face feels like to doesn't want cleansing, it has a lovely orangey scent too it & a little bit goes a long way! It leaves my skin refreshed and feeling soft.


Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser 13.25
Do I need to say anything? This is good. If you've not tried it and thinking you would like to, they do a smaller travel sized version for 5.10 & it's free delivery atm!


Living Nature Gentle Eye Make Up Remover 11.75
Does what it says, gently removes all traces of eye make up. It contains 100% natural ingredients. They recommend you use a warm damp cotton pad to remove your eye make up, I've never heard of doing that before but it's a great tip.


LP Skin Therapy Overnight Replenish 47.00
Another thing from the LP range, it must be good! This is the first night cream I've ever used. I never really thought there was much point having one, but I do now! It's not too heavy and in the morning my skin has a healthy glow to it.


Liz Earle light moisturiser 17.60
I love this moisturiser because it smells lovely and it's light, ideal for the summer. It add a nice natural glow to my skin. The only bad thing about this is that I don't think it has any SPF.


Neals Yard Replenishing Eye Cream 22.50
I suffer from under eye dark circles so eye cream is a must have item for me. I love this one by Neals Yard, it helps to reduce puffiness & dark circles; meaning I don't need to use as much concealer! It smells lovely, and also contains no synthetic fragrances or colours.

Avene Moderate Protection Spray 20 SPF 21.00
I love this because it has a pump, not as messy, It also protects against UVB & UVA rays, the formula is light and non-greasy AND it's water resistant; what more do you need?! I like to spray a little of this on my face after I've moisturised.


Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic
Not another Liz Earle product, Sorry! But they are good :) This really helps to soothe and brighten my skin. It smell lovely too, with hints of rose, aloe vera & cucumber.


and then something special..


Here are some products that I like to treat my skin to weekly/monthly. If I've illustrated a beauty product you know it's a good'en!





Dr. Organic Virgin Olive Oil Face Mask 6.19
I like to use a face mask every other week, this is my go-to one as it leaves my skin firm and hydrated. It has a clay based formula that draws oil from the pores whilst getting rid of dead skin cells.


Shu Uemura Depsea Water 16.50
This gentle spray mist's lightly onto my face, sink's into my skin & leaves it feeling refreshed. They have a range of different aroma's, my current fav is lavender (illustrated above). It's great if your skin is looking a bit tired!


Queen Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream 9.35
I'm quite fussy when it comes to hand creams, This is a lovely one from Queen. If your not familiar with the company you must check out their website; http://www.queen-cosmetics.com/ . It has a non greasy formula and sinks quickly into my skin, leaving my hands looking & feeling softer. Unlike some companies they don't force customers to buy products, They are very helpful, their products contain no unnecessary ingredients & sometimes send out free samples. Definitely a brand worth checking out!


Kiehls Creme De Corps 27.00
Such a lovely body moisturiser, definitely going in my top 5. This absorbs nicely, it has a thick, luxurious, non-greasy formula and leaves my skin hydrated. Simple yet effective.


St Ives Apricot Scrub 1.01 30ml
I like to exfoliate my face once a week and this is my favourite face scrub, the smell,the product,the price! I love everything about this. A lot of my friend use this, I would highly recommend it.


MakeBelieve Foaming Self Tan 30.00
If I sunbath I normally just get burnt, so fake tan is a much healthier and safer option. This fake tan from MakeBelieve is my all time favourite. I have tested out a lot of different brands and this comes out on top. It smells sweet and can be used on your face and body.


Kiehls Lip balm #1  9.50
With one seamless, lyrical action you can coat your lips with this delicious coconut lip balm. It's scent reminds me of summer. It's consistency is think so a little bit goes a long way!


Bio Oil 60ml 8.99
I'm sure you all recognise this product, renowned for it's quality and versatility. I like to put this on my face once a week before bed, it really helps to hydrate my skin.It also helps improve the appearance of scars, uneven skin tone and ageing skin. One of those must have products. 

Hope you enjoyed my skincare post, some nice photo's of my bathroom skin! Lots of exciting blog post's coming up soon :) x

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BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: ghostparties.

Beauty and Fashion blogger Kate, has been wowing us with her beautiful photogrpahy, product reviews and lovely outfit posts since starting up her blog last year. You can't help but love her blog! Read on to get all the goss on ghostparites...  

Why did you initially decide to start a blog?

I'm not quite sure what started it, as I don't remember how I found the blogging community. I just decided it would be an exciting thing to do, and I was lucky enough to have a blog which took off quite quickly so I worked hard at it. My love of cosmetics and fashion made me want to blog, but I had no idea of the opportunities it would lead to, or the friends I would make from it! 

Do you have a favourite skincare brand?

I love Liz Earle, it's a brand which has a lot of hype around it, especially in the blogging community. I don't particularly like my skin but this seems to really help it. I also like Avene and Kiehls 

Favourite places to shop?

For cosmetics, I like Space NK and Harvey Nicols as they have everything and for clothes it's usually just Topshop, Urban Outfitters and H&M

illustration inspired by Kate's recent
 'daily make up' post

What beauty product can you not live without?

I do love my Liz Earle moisturiser for normal/combination skin and the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. I also like Boots Botanics eye makeup remover.

Could you recommend three of your favourite blogs?

I love www.sailorjennie.com, http://vivatramp.blogspot.com and milkteef.com  

Definitely go have a nosey at Kate's blog, you wont be disappointed! http://gh0stparties.com/ 


Fancy taking part in next months blogger spotlight? Comment or tweet me 

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July Favourites

Each individual product has been specially selected by me because I can't fault them in anyway. All have exceeded my expectations and are generally just lovely products. All views are 100% honest and my own.

Nair Silky sensations (kiwi) 6.99
This hair removal cream leaves my legs fuzz free and moisturised, if you normally get a rash after using these sort of creams this one would be perfect for you as it's developed for sensitive skin. I'll use this instead of shaving because it keeps my legs smooth for 6 days!


Liz Earle light moisturiser 17.60
In my last months favourites post (I'll put a link at the end of this post if you missed it) I included the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, I instanly feel in love with it and had to try out something else of theirs. I love this moisturiser because it smells lovely and it's light, ideal for the summer. It add a nice natural glow to my skin!


Lee Stafford Argan Oil Deep Nourishing treatment 14.99
I treat my hair to this every other week, it leaves it looking glossy and keeps it conditioned. I like to leave it on for half an hour and then rinse it with cold water for extra shine.


Jigsaw bath milk (No 1) 25.00
I'm a shower person but I do like a nice bath, Cosmo mag & this bath milk - sorted. It smells so yummy! It contains hints of citrus fruits with woody notes. What I also love about this is that it's made in Devon and it's organic. 


MakeBelieve Self Tan Mousse 30.00
If I sunbath I normally just get burnt, so fake tan is a much healthier and safer option. This fake tan from MakeBelieve is my all time favourite. I have tested out a lot of different brands and this comes out on top. It smells sweet and can be used on your face and body. I will be dedicating a blog post to this product because I love it so much!


Tresemme Thermal Creations Blow dry potion 2.48
I wont use any heated styling products on my hair without using this, it leaves my hair looking smoother & feeling softer. The product doesn't feel sticky when I apply it and keeps the frizz away.


Lil Bling Chrome Nail Varnishes (limelight) 5.99
Only needs one coat and dries quickly; what else do you need from a nail varnish! Lovely range of colour, I love the packaging too. You can see my post on these here.


St Ives Apricot Scrub 30ml 1.01
I like to exfoliate my face once a week and this is my favourite face scrub, the smell,the product,the price! I love everything about this. A lot of my friend use this, I would highly recommend it.

Neals Yard Replenishing eye cream 22.50

I suffer from under eye dark circles so eye cream is a must have item for me. I love this one by Neals Yard, it helps to reduce puffiness & dark circles; meaning I don't need to use as much concealer! It smells lovely, and also contains no synthetic fragrances or colours.

FrontCover eye shadow (twinkling gold) 4.00
Good pigmentation is the main thing I look out for in eye shadows and FrontCover don't let me down. They have a wide range of colours but my favourite has to be twinkling gold. I use it all over my lids or just in the inner corners of my eyes to open them up.


LP Skin Thearpy lip exfoliator  20.00
This tastes smells delicious! It's a life saver when your lips are looking a bit dry or chapped. I find my lip products go on better after using this, like most of the LP Skin thearpy range it has an orange blossom scent to it. 

Hope you enjoyed my July Favourites, if you would like to see a review on any of the products mentioned above, just ask! Here is a link to my June Favourites if you missed it - http://makemeupkia.blogspot.com/2011/07/june-favourites.html Let me know if you like the illustrations x

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FOTD - Dad's birthday

Hope you are all having a good week, today is my dad's birthday & I thought I would share with you what I am wearing on my face. Me and the fam are hopefully going out for a meal later so i'll tweet all the goss this evening! I don't really do FOTD post's, but I have got some really lovely products lately that I wanted to share with you :)


Living Nature Tinted Moisturiser 18.40
If you've not heard of Living Nature, you must check out all their lovely products here. This is perfect for the summer months or when you don't feel like wearing foundation. I love this tinted moisturiser because it's very hydrating the coverage is good & leaves a nice healthy glow on my face. 


Frontcover eye shadow (Powder Puff) 4.00
This is a nice subtle colour that I applied all over my eye lids & on the inner corners. Frontcover's eye shadow are very pigmented & no creasing! 


Collection 2000 Shimmer Shade (blushalious) 4.19
I like to swirl all these colours together, to create a natural looking colour on my cheeks.


Living Nature Lipstick (Dawn) 13.80
Another Living Nature product! This lipstick is a frosted pink shade,looks lovely in the day time & it's made from natural ingredients. Every girl should own a pink lipstick!


MUA Face Powder (Shade 1) 1.00
I used this today to set the tinted moisturiser & stop my face from get oily. I love this and cannot get over the price of these products. 


Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (Light) 4.19
The only bad thing about this is that the type has rub off, other then that this is a great concealer for covering up dark circles & spots. 


Powder Brush
This came in a set of a few other brushes so I'm not sure how much it is, sorry! I used this to apply the powder and also my blusher.


17 Lash Defining Mascara 5.29
Lately to apply my mascara I have been using a 'dabbing effect' which I find works a lot better then using a zig-zag motion. Definitely woth giving a go. 


You can also find me on twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/kiamakemeup 
Enjoy the rest of your day x

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week in pictures #06

this is my pet tortoise, Stella :) 

also introducing my dog, Travis

no more roots!

testing out some fake tan, blog post coming up soon!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, I am currently sorting out my 'July Favouties' post and will also be showing you my skincare routine! x

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kia's essential guide to: false eyelashes

Hello lovely people :) I have an 'Essential guide to:' post today, most of us would like longer eyelashes. So with the help of some falsies & mascara we can! My favourite brand of false eyelashes is Girls with Attitude. I like quite natural looking false eyelashes, so these two are ideal. They also have a special range called 'Shorties' which specialises in short false eyelashes. 

On the left, Short & Sweet. On the right Glamour to go 004.

Each pack contains glue & an application brush

remove the eyelashes with tweezers.

bend the lash in a U shape to make it flexible and easier to apply.

wait a few seconds for the glue to go tacky

always curl eyelashes before applying

before

after!

 These are perfect for every day wear. You can also apply mascara afterwards if you fancied, these were 5.00 and you can use them more then once.You can get them from Superdrug/Boots or they have Free delivery on their website - http://www.girlswithattitude.co.uk/

Thoughts on false eyelashes? x

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frontcover to go eyeshadow review

I always get the same problem whenever I buy an eyeshadow palette, there is at least one colour that I know I'll never use! So I was delighted when I heard Frontcover were bringing out a 'To Go Collection'. You  get to choose exactly what colours you want in your eyeshadow palette. I'll show you how it works :)

firstly, you will have an empty palette which includes a double ended brush and mirror.

you pick the colour you want to use.

they pop in easily

ta-daa! Your palette is created and customised just for you.

I really love the idea of this, the eyeshadows are very pigmented and there are lots of colours to choose from!  
In the photograph (left) I am wearing

1. Powder Puff all over the eye.
2. Twinkling Grape in the outer corner.
3. Baked Bronze in the crease.
4. Also Twinkling Gold on the lower lash line. 

I can't wait to try out different combinations & might have to try out some other shades! Each shade is 4.00 and in total the whole palette was 15.00.

More details on the Frontcover website here

Or you can stalk & ask Frontcover questions on their Facebook or Twitter :)

Hope you enjoyed my review! What do you think of this idea? x

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a hairy secret

Moroccan Oil is becoming more and more popular in the beauty industry. Brands such as Tresseme and Vo5 have recently brought out new Moroccan oil ranges. Celebrities such as Kate Moss and Sienna Miller are rumoured to be big fans too! Out of all of them, my favourite Moroccan Argan Oil range is from Lee Stafford. 


The Range was brought out this year in June, I have tried out the Shampoo & Conditioner (pictured below) which I automatically fell in love with after the first use! Then I Went on to try the Conditioning mask & heat defence spray. 

These two products felt really luxurious in my hair and smell delicious! What drew me to the Lee Stafford range is the packaging, I love the colour scheme & product design.I find the smell of haircare products really important; so they didn't disappoint.

This mask is for use inbetween the shampooing & conditioning, after I used it my hair was very soft & felt expensive :) I then Sprayed it with the Lee Stafford heat Defence spray & blow dried my hair. Even though the products don't suggest this, they really helped to lighten my coloured hair - which was a bonus! 

The Shampoo and Conditioner are 10.99 each. Because it is quite an expensive range, I use these products every other week or If I am going out some where nice & I want my hair to look it's best I always reach for these! The Deep Nourishing Mask is 14.99 and the Heat Defence Spray is 12.99. I would recommend these products to anyone that suffers from dry or damaged hair.

Here is a link to the Lee Stafford website if you wanted to find out more information on the products, or you can find them in your local Boots.

Has anyone tried Moroccan Argan Oil or any Lee Stafford products before? 

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mums know best

This blog post is a bit different, my Mum is making her blogging debut and is going to review some products for you! I hope you enjoy it, and let me know how she get's on! 

If your not familiar with Champneys, they have Spa resorts across the UK and also specialise in creating luxury and high quality beauty products.The Spa Therapists at Champneys have created a range Called Spa Skin Plus. It helps to fight the first signs of ageing.

The first thing I tried out was their Night cream (20.00), I don't normally use a night cream but I definitely will from now on! The Scent is quite fruity and the texture is very luxious. The cream sinked nicley into my skin and my face still felt moisturised in the morning. It comes with a little spatula you use to scoop the cream out of the pot, I really like the idea of this and it is much more hygienic.

Their Day cream (20.00) contains Raspberry seed oil and collegen. It helped to tighten my skin and leave it looking fresh. It has SPF 15, which is something I look out for in moisturisers. The day cream wasn't as perfumered as the night cream but felt richer. It also worked well as a primer for my make up and my skin felt hydrayten throughout the day.

Collagen Intense Eye Cream 12.00

This eye cream, smells lovely and feels really light. It helped to reduce puffiness and dark circles around my eyes. I can see that it starting to improve the appearance of fine lines too. I would definitely recommend all these products, they would make perfect presents or you could even treat yourself!

The packaging of these products is really nice, I think packaging plays an important part in beauty products. You can view more Champneys products here - they have free delivery on orders on 50.00! Or check out your local Boots. Hope you enjoyed reading my review, these products are guaranteed extra brownie points with your mum!

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just chillin'

exciting things happening on my blog next week, I will be posting about eyelashes,eye shadows & hair stuff :) So keep your eyes peeled! Let me know what you like seeing on my blog & what you would like to see!

haven't done much today, but hopefully this weekend will be more exciting and I will have lots of pictures to share with you :)


floppy sun hat - primark 4.00
Cosmo magazine
nail file - sallys

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stress free tresses

I Think I speak on behalf of all girls out there when I say our lives would be much easier without hair. I find that my hair tangles quite easily and it's such a chore brushing my hair. So, when I discovered the Tangle Teezer, & hearing lots of good things about it; I was excited to try it out! 

The brush comes with a leaflet telling you about the product & how to use it.

before 

I really wanted to photograph how well it works. It took about 10 seconds to brush this knot out. Sorry the pictures aren't brilliant but It's definitely worth checking the product out yourself. 

 I don't know how it works but it does. If you have hair you need this brush! It's compact, so fits nicely in my handbag for hair touch ups. This is a limited edition colour & cost 10.20 from Boots. Don't let the price put you off, you can tell the product is really good quality and that it will last you for years!

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