FROM HEAD TO HEELS | Fashion & Lifestyle Blog

25.3.16

NAILS | 4 NAIL ART DESIGNS TO TRY FOR THE EASTER HOLIDAYS

26.2.16

NAILS | 3D BROKEN/SHATTERED MIRROR GLASS NAIL ART

3.2.16

BEAUTY | TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOUR SKIN HEALTHY

Growing older, I have found that my skin was anything than its former youthful exuberance that it once was. I have resulted over the last six months to taking better care of my skin and formulating a simple skincare regime that works for me. In due time, I would love to share this with you but here are a couple of pointers, I found helpful to restoring your skin to its former glory days.

Wear sunscreen! Daily use of sunscreen, even in winter months, helps prevent sunburn. Sunburn leads to premature aging of the skin, and can lead to skin cancer. Wearing a broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen will block out up to 97% of UVA and UVB rays. Wearing a sunscreen with moisturiser will keep your skin hydrated in the winter months to maintain that healthy look and feel.

Eat a well-balanced diet. Vitamin A helps reduce wrinkles, Vitamin B3 reduces redness and hydrates the skin, Vitamin E moisturises the skin, Vitamin B1 gives your skin the glow you desire, and silica improves the skin's elasticity and heals wounds.

Exercise regularly. Sweating from a workout is the body's natural way of eliminating toxins that may build up below the skin's surface. You also pump up your blood flow which improves the skin's look.

Clean your face each night removing makeup while moisturising the skin.

Take short, cooler showers. Long and hot showers reduce the skin's moisture and protective oils.

Avoid tanning. Whether at a tanning salon or under the summer sun, tanning results in the premature aging of your skin.

Plug in the humidifier at night. Not only is a humidifier great for helping you get over a cold but it also keeps the room moisturised to help prevent dry skin and itchy skin.

Avoid smoking and limit alcohol to one drink. Smoking ages the skin significantly. This happens because smoking speeds up the reduction of collagen resulting in more wrinkles. Alcohol dehydrates the skin making drinkers look older and more tired than non-drinkers. When drinking alcohol be sure to drink plenty of water to keep the skin hydrated.

Get a good night's sleep. Sleeping 8 hours is optimal for keeping the skin looking fresh. Lack of sleep makes an individual look tired and older leaving you with bags under your eyes. Regular exercise also helps your body become tired more naturally.

Visit a dermatologist. Have a dermatologist take a look at your skin and check for moles. You can ask them for more information about how you can better take care of your skin.

You only need about 10 minutes of unprotected sun exposure to get your daily dose of Vitamin D, which you get even without trying. Most people get those 10 minutes of sun exposure on the arms and legs anyway, because people often don't remember.

[AB]

2.8.12

NEW ADDITIONS | LIPSTICKS

2.6.12

Nailed It! ~ Rainbow Stripes

I was inspired by one of Mr Price's rainbow tops (seen here in my Rainbows and sunshine post) to recreate a rainbow art work on my nails. Not all colours of the rainbow were used but just a handful of colours that would compliment each other. I worked on one nail at a time to avoid creating a mess. Here's how you can recreate the look.

p.s. This is the last Nail It post I'll be doing for a bit. Nail It posts will resume after my exams.

What you'll need

5 different nail art pens (from Verimark stores)
Base coat nail polish (optional)
Top coat nail polish
Newspapers/Papers (optional)

1. First set newspapers/papers on a flat workable surface. Clean your nails with acetone nail polish remover. Then shape and cut nails to required length. File nails to a smooth, round shape.

2. Apply only one thin layer of base coat polish to all nails. Leave to dry. I used Paris cream nail enamel.

3. Apply one layer of yellow nail polish to all nails. Leave to dry. Reapply another fresh coat of yellow nail polish to all nails. Leave to dry again.

4. Using the nail art deco brush with the green nail polish, apply a thin layer of green starting at roughly 1/2 distance from the nail tip of the thumb. Repeat the following step/stroke with the other nail art brushes in this consecutive order - orange, black, pink until you reach the nail tip of the thumb.

[Note: Repeat the step/stroke with the nail polish you have chosen and in the order you have chosen too]

5. Following the same procedure from step 4, recreate the look on all nails but vary the nail design length on each finger nail. Leave all nails to dry.

[Note: I made the thumb finger's nail design roughly 1/2 of the nail. The index finger's nail design roughly 1/3 of the nail. The middle finger's nail design, I used the full nail, the ring finger's nail design is roughly 1/3 of the nail and the pinky's nail design starts at 1/3 from the nail tip.]

6. Repeat all previous steps on the next hand. Leave to dry. Clean off any excess nail polish with nail polish remover and cotton wool.

7. Finish with a top coat. Leave to dry.

[Note: Work on one finger at a time. It's easier this way and less messy!]

Voila !

23.5.12

Hairspiration ~ Twisted Top Knot

Source: Q-riouser-and-Q-riouser.

Source: Google Images

Hello lovelies, this top knot is exactly what its name implies. A twist and then a knot. This is the hairspiration that I spotted last week Thursday and Friday. I drew inspiration from Suzaan Heynes sleek top knot at SA fashion week and Thandie Newton's side bun. This is definitely one of my favourite hairstyles because it adds a little chic to my look. It's easy to recreate if your hair is shoulder length or longer. But I added a little tip on how to create this look for shorter hair.

Here's how I created it:

1. Start by washing your hair. Leave your hair wet as your hair will be easier to work with wet and to achieve a sleek look. (That is if you have a thick volume/mass of hair). But if you have fine hair, you can skip this step and prep hair with a smooth down detangling cream or hairspray.

2. Start by pulling your hair into a sleek high ponytail. I chose a high side ponytail.

3. Twist it around itself.

4. Then pull the end through the bun. Secure with (bobby) pins.

5. You can leave 2 cm or more (depending on the length of your hair) of the loose end that is protruding through the bun as a high wisp of hair. This gives the hair the authenticity that it's a knot.

6. Finish with hairspray to hold the hair in place and keep the look sleek. Voila!

[Note: My hair was a little short so I could not leave a high wisp of hair]

Tip for shorter hair:

2. Pull your hair into a sleek high ponytail.

3. Make a little bun/puff.

4. Then secure with a second elastic.

5. Keep look sleek by finishing off with hairspray.

6. Voila! You have a side bun.

21.5.12

Nailed It! ~ Winter Frosting

18.5.12

Hairspiration ~ Beehive Look

This 1960's hairstyle is a woman's hairstyle that bears resemblance to a beehive (literally). It's such an elaborately teased and lacquered version of "big hair" that still largely resonates in modern times. So I couldn't wait to get my hands on this and recreate this look. This is the hairspiration that I spotted on Wednesday. It's big, it's bold and it suits my personality. The wind was blowing slightly hard that day - you can see pieces of my hair flying off in the wind.

I loved the way Elsie Larson from A beautiful mess recreated this look. Check out her beehive tutorial below. It's amazing and easy to recreate. This look is slightly for those with medium to long hair but she includes tips for shorter hair. All images and content below are taken from A beautiful mess. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

What you'll need:

A bath loofa (any color),

A piece of fabric that matches your hair color (just large enough to cover your loofa),

A rubber band,

Bobby pins

Hair spray

Step 1: Cover a bath loofa in a solid fabric that matches your hair color.

Step 2: Pull one small section of hair forward (leave unteased). Gather a second 1-2 inch section, spray and back-comb it. Repeat with 2-3 more sections until your hair looks like this…

Step 3: Add the loofa to your hair. Wherever you position the loofa will be where the bump sits. Cover the loofa with pieces of hair and pin each piece down. Continue to cover it from every direction until the loofa is completely hidden!

Step 4: Pull pieces from the sides of the hair back to cover the sides of the bump. This creates a beautiful shape.

Step 5: Choose to pull the back of the hair up or leave it down (a la Amy Whinehouse).

A few tips: If you have shorter hair use just the fabric (tied in a big knot/ball) and skip the loofa. Try a lace hedband, daisy chain or style maiden braids in the front of your beehive. Practice makes perfect. Experiment to find out how much hairspray and teasing your hair needs.