Wearable Technology- Ringly

Lately we've been bombarded with all sorts of products claiming that they are "wearable technology". But many of them are unappealing and unattractive, which almost takes the "wearable" out of them, for the fashion forward. Guaranteed, there are some good ideas out there, and they are a start. But there is a new product coming out in the fall that is not only high-tech, but also fashionable! Made by the designers at ringly.com, these hot new rings, made with 18K matte gold, will tell you when you receive that important email you've been waiting for, great for situations where it would be rude to check your phone every few seconds. Also, these rings look fantastic! I would wear them just for the look! 

Daydream

 "With technology so discreet, you’ll forget it does anything other than accessorize your favorite looks." (Ringly)

For more information, visit their website, ringly.com.

Healthy Skin

So, recently I wrote that I would be wearing less makeup and giving my skin a chance to breathe! And I've been sticking to my resolution! But its not just going without makeup that will heal my skin, I have also been moisturizing, toning, and cleansing vigorously. So, here are a few helpful products that I have been using, and if you're not already using I suggest you invest in:

Cleanser.
I like face wash with scrubbing beads in it, and that doesn't leave a soapy feel, as my skin gets dried out very easily.

Toner.
I currently use Target brand, but really any brand works. Watch out though, they have different types of toner, so pick one that more accurately contains what you're looking for.

Acne Control.
I have a small sample bottle of Smashbox Photo Finish Blemish Control, and it's been working great!

Moisturizer.
I use moisturizer twice a day, right after using toner. I alternate between Neutrogena and Jergens to give my face a little glow, even without makeup.

Face Masks:
I like trying different homemade facemasks occasionally (never doing egg whites again, disgusting) but right now I have a store bought black sugar and charcoal scrub that I'm really enjoying. It leaves the skin super soft.

This one!

So that's my daily routine! You guys had great suggestions for different products in my first post, and I would still love to hear any recommendations you have!

Saturday Select: Dreaming of Sun

Now that I'm back to regular blogging...it means that I'm back to Saturday inspiration posts! To freshen your memory, I do a quick post on Saturdays with pictures to inspire you for the weekend, or pick you up from a bad week. There is typically a new theme to the set of pictures with each new week.
So this week I have been really wishing for summer, as I'm sure all of you are too, and the warmth today didnt help much. So here are a few bright ideas to remind you that summer will come soon enough!

We're already halfway through February, summer will come soon enough! I hope this gave you some happy, warm thoughts and maybe some new ideas! Have a great weekend!

The Trick to Full Eyebrows

So... I've figured it out!
What, exactly?
How to get fuller eyebrows without pencil or shadow!
The trick is...
Hair volumizing powder!

(I use the one on the left)

 Just shake a bit of the powder onto your hands, and apply it to your eyebrows, instead of your hair!

If you have super thin brows, it won't give you Cara Delevingne brows, but its perfect for a little extra texture and even distribution of hairs.
I even use it under my pencil, if I want a slightly more dramatic look.

So, try it out and tell me how it works for you!

Ellie: #WishlistWednesday

Its #WishListWednesday time again! I am guest posting for Alyssa who is an amazing fellow blogger but if you would like to follow me too then you can elliesbeautyedit.blogspot.co.uk and leave me a comment or tweet the top products on your wish list to @elliebeautyedit or use the hashtag above!

Illamasqua have a pretty cracking sale going on at the moment so be sure to check that out and grab the bargains while they last! I've never tried anything from Illmasqua so after having a little snoop on their website and at one of their counters, here are my top five products to try in 2014:

5. Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in 'Hermetic' (£14.50)-  Fear not, I wouldn't ever wear this as a daytime shade but it would be perfect for adding something different to a night out look. I just think its a very pretty and unusual shade so I can't wait to try this!

4. Illamasqua Masqura (£16.50)- Blimey, that's a mouthful! If you already follow my blog then you will already know that I am a bit of a mascara freak (14 mascaras for one person is a bit excessive!)and if I could only use one item of makeup forever I would choose mascara, hands down! I would love to try Illamasqua's offerings to see wether it's my new favourite as I have heard good things about this

3. Illamasqua Velvet Blusher in 'Peaked' from 'The Sacred Hour' Collection (£18.00)- For a blusher, this is at the pricier end of the normal spectrum but the colour is just SO pretty. I really hope it is as pigmented as it looks and I really like the fact it is a cream blush as they usually have better colour pay offs too. I find them easier to apply and blend out so this looks perfect for me and I think it would really compliment a range of skin tones

2. Illamasqua Pigment in 'Furore' (£7.50)- Everybody raves about the Illamasqua eye pigments but this gorgeous shade caught my eye with it's unusual peachy pink tones. This versatile product can be used to highlight your brows, cheeks or as an eyeshadow. I really hope that it doesn't cause fallout when used and I hope it shines just the right amount- Think I might have to order this!

1.Illamasqua Sealing Gel (£7.00)- From the reviews, this looks like a hidden gem. You can blend it with powdered products to turn them into a 'colour-intense, water-resistant paste that dries quickly and lasts for hours'- Sounds good to me! The thing I like the most about this product is that it is unlike anything I have discovered so far so it definitely will be on the top of my list of products to try next and at only £7.00, its reasonably priced too!

Let me know if you have tried any of the products on my wishlist or if you want to recommend a brand for me to make a wishlist from next week! Check out my latest blogpost on elliesbeautyedit.blogspot.co.uk or follow me on twitter!

Thank you so much to Alyssa for letting me guest post and I hope she gets better soon!

Ellie x

Float in Pastels

Can spring be any farther away? Well, I guess, technically it could. But it doesn't feel like it could be. But, you can try to beckon it closer by wearing one of this spring's biggest trends: bold pastels are now IN!

Google Images

Is there such a thing as bold pastels? Doesn't it sound kind of like an oxymoron?

Yes there are. I'm not talking about bold as in neon, or cotton candy. The hues are still soft, yet they have a bit of umph to them. Think about that art kit you had as a kid. The oil pastels?

Google Images

Those. The brilliant blues with soft pinks; the peaches and cream. Think of the kind of color that always has a little dog walking besides it. The kind that always seems to have a white background following it around, as if it just NEEDED its own background; the dirty earth is not fitting enough. The kind that wears cat-eye sunglasses and plays tennis in its spare time.

Google Images

Pantone Spring Color Report

So, am I saying that you have to buy a cute little dog and start playing tennis? Not unless you want to. But it's certainly a fun part to play, isn't it?

Healthy Hair by Summer

My hair used to be disgusting. It was brittle at the ends, and stayed pretty short, because it needed to be cut so often.
I was the only person to blame for the condition of my hair, as I straightened it almost everyday, and did lots of other torturous things to it.
About a year ago, I decided I had had enough of my sickly hair, and went on a mission to cure it. Slowly but surely, my hair began to shine and grow again, and now, it is the smoothest and longest it has ever been, and its been almost 5 months since I got it cut, and there are no signs of needing a trim anytime soon.

My tips to curing your hair:

• Only shampoo the roots 

        Washing the rest of it will only dry it out. The soap suds running down your hair while you rinse it will be enough. Let conditioner soak while your doing all your other cleansing. I let the conditioner soak into my hair for as long as possible. If you find this leaves your roots too "shiny," try starting the conditioner lower on your hair, not putting it directly on your scalp. And, if you don't already use conditioner, START USING IT!

• Smoothing gel

      I rub straightening or smoothing gel through my hair while it's still wet, even if I'm not planning on straightening it.

• Moroccan oil

      This stuff is a miracle. Just run it through your damp hair, focusing especially on the roots. You can run it through once its dry to, just start lightly as not to overdo it and give yourself too "sleek" of a look.

• Only blow dry the roots

      obviously you may need to cheat once in awhile on this one, that's no biggie. Just keep this as a basic principle.

• Avoid hot irons as often as possible

     This one's a well known one: you're basically burning your hair.

• Don't wash it everyday.

         There are natural oil in your hair that are good for it. Washing it too much can actually strip your hair of those oils and cause your hair to become even greasier.

It may take awhile, but in time you will see healthier, happier hair!

Best. Box. Ever.

It has quite a shine, if you look closely you can see my outline!

Isn't this just the coolest box you've ever seen? Such a chic white flame, and black 'n white is one of my favorite combinations ever!

Oh, what's in the box? Maybe that's somewhat important.

Maybe I'm losing my mind. Even though it's a pretty sweet box, a sane girl would never treasure this box MORE than the contents it holds.

The Magic of Sephora

So, for Christmas this year, I got REAL MAKEUP! This is the first time I've had nice makeup; I've always stuck with the drugstore stuff. I have to say, however, Sephora's collection is quite impressive. 

The red Sephora lipstick is a beauty, and stays on for days. (Slight exaggeration, that would be a bit too good, wouldn't it?) 

The Tarte inner rim liner really opens my eyes up, and it's better than white eyeliner, because it's a more natural skin color.

The Too Faced "Milk Chocolate Soleil" bronzer is perfection. It has a brown base rather than orange, and it's made with real cocoa, so it has a slight chocolatey scent. And the texture is heavenly.

So those are the first pieces in my collection of "real makeup"! Does you have any suggestions as to what my next addition could be?

Chanel Dallas

I know this is kind of late, but I've been so busy lately. But better late than never, right?

The Trends:
loose, low ponytails
Long hemlines
High necklines
Heavy fabrics

So, I wrote a bunch of notes on the show, and it took me much longer than 15 minutes to watch it on YouTube. I had to keep pausing, rewinding, and taking screenshots
I've always been a huge fan of both native and wild west looks, and this had a good mixture of both.
I know a lot of people are saying it was very far from the typical Chanel feel. I don't think so.
It still had a very glamorous, strong, and independent feel, so the basic Chanel principles were still there. I think that its good and healthy for a label to veer of the typical path every so often. I know that when I have my own label, Lord willing, I will showcase many different themes and moods.
While I absolutely loved it, I feel like a lot of it was just a costume show. I would totally wear it if it was the norm, but I don't think people are going to make that there everyday fashion again. But I don't think Karl Lagerfield meant for it to be. If you think about it, a lot of fashion shows are like that. You have to pick and choose which individual pieces you like best.

And how about the makeup? Perfection.

And the little kids were adorable!

Now, for the negative:
I dont have much to say. The one thing I have is just preference, and does not affect the quality of the show at all.
So, I'm not a huge fan of ruffles, but there was enough of other stuff to keep me captivated. That's it.

So overall, I thought it was great. Definitely another great year for Chanel.

Drugstore Snatch Up

Here is an "activity" that I will be doing on my blog, that ANYONE can join! Its going to be a fun way to learn more about different products, to interact with other people participating, and to voice your opinion on a product!

Here's how it works:
I post the details on a certain drugstore makeup product.
You grab the product on your next stop to the drugstore (pay for it, of course!)
You try it out, and come up with a brief summary of your thoughts about it.
Tell me your summary, including your name and blog link (if you have one) by either commenting on the post, or emailing me at alysj1215@gmail.com.
I will then collect all of the summaries I receive, and at the end of the allotted time I will create a blog post sharing all of the summaries I receive, along with your name and blog link.
Dont feel like once you do one, you have to do every one after that! Do the ones you're interested in!

Now everyone has multiple review of the same production one place, and you get try something new!

This week's product:

Covergirl new "Flamed Out" shadow pots:
Claims to be blendable, highly pigmented color!
Tell me what you think of it!


This time I will give you two weeks to buy and use the product, then formulate your opinion.
Now go snatch it up!

What do you think of this? Do you have any questions or ideas to make it better? Tell me in the comments below!
Have a wonderful day!