Your transformation has to start the morning of the day you are going out – when you are doing your make-up in the morning have a small cosmetics bag sitting next to you. As you use each product put it into the bag so that you have less chance of forgetting something!

If I am going to be absolutely honest I would take make up remover wipes to work and remove my make-up and start again. Your base will look so much more finished and smooth if you start afresh instead of layering on old make-up.

If this is not an option for you there are two other ways to get around this predicament. The first is to only wear a really light tinted moisturiser during the day and then add your foundation on over the top at night blending in well with a flat top foundation brush. Your second option is to wear a long lasting foundation that will only need powdered when you are getting ready.

You have your foundation done now go over any blemishes with a cream concealer applying with a brush and blending in with fingers. Now you need an illuminating cream concealer for under your eyes, take this down the centre of your nose and in your cupids bow and blend.

In the morning keep your eye make up really simple apply an eye priming base and just one coat of mascara. Now onto night we are going to do an easy smoky eye, you will need a black khol pencil and a black gel eyeliner, a blending brush/cotton buds and small eyeliner brush.

Take the black khol and really work it into the roots of your eyelashes top and bottom, blend it out to a lighter gray further up the lid and underneath the lashes. Move onto gel eyeliner and line your water and tide line for a smoky dramatic look. Curl your lashes and apply two coats of black mascara.

Now lightly powder over your face with a translucent powder to mattify your make up and prolong lasting power. Take a matt bronzer and run it under the cheekbone where the natural hollow is and blend out. Apply a baby pink, non shimmery blush to the apple of your cheeks and blend. Apply bronzer to your temples, down nose and gently over cheeks.

Apply a nude or baby pink lipstick, gloss in a complimentary colour over the top and your ready to go! Make sure and take your powder and brush out in case you get shiny throughout the night.

IMG SRC – temptalia

The first step if you already know that you are going out at night is to consider the way you wash your hair in the morning or the night before. If you are planning on having voluminous hair or an up do I suggest washing your hair the night before if it is relatively thick. If you have fine hair that does not get greasy quickly then wash your hair the day before.

After you have washed your hair select a styling product that is going to inject a bit of texture and hold into your hair for instance a thickening cream, mousse or gel. The blow dry your hair as normal and put into a loose pony tail or messy bob for during the day.

First hair tip that will have you preparing your hair for night-time in the morning for the absolute minimum of fuss is to put your hair into a loose bob while it is slightly damp. When it comes to getting ready for the night out just take the bun out (your hair should be dry) tip your head upside down and separate the waves with your fingers and finish off with some hairspray or a serum if you have any fly away hairs.

If you feel like having a sleek sophisticated up do then the hair doughnut is going to be your best friend (see picture) you can pick these up for a few pounds. They are designed to give you a perfectly shaped bun just by putting your hair in a pony tail, pull it through the middle and spread around the doughnut evenly securing by pulling another bobble over the top. Secure the lengths of your hair with Kirby, why not back comb your fringe into a quiff to give an edge to the look.

One of the Hair Care Shop’s most popular and exclusive products are the Freedom 24/7 hair Straighteners – brilliant for getting ready on the go. For this handy hair do wash your hair as stated at the start and style as normal for work. When it’s time to leave separate your hair into four, down the middle and then each half in quarter from the ears. Take a quarter and plait it, heat your straighteners up and while the hair is in a plait run the straighteners over the lengths to give easy quick waves!

I hope these easy dos’ have given you some inspiration, if you have tips of your own let us know in the comments.

One of the most commonly complained about skin care problems is the issue of dealing with skin that produces too much oil. This causes several problems mainly that it can give you the appearance of having shiny skin that needs blotting or powdering multiple times throughout the day. Secondly, having excessively oily skin can make it difficult to select and apply the correct base, many foundations and concealers will just slide off and have very poor staying power. Another more concerning side effect of oily skin is that is can cause your pores to becomes blocked a lot more easily heightening the chance of break outs and black heads.

Why do I have oily skin?

Oily skin is the result of over-active sebaceous glands, that produce too much of a substance called sebum which is a natural healthy skin lubricant. As you would imagine this leaves the skin with a shiny appearance and can make it feel weighed down and uncomfortable.
La Biosthetique

Since the 1950’s La Biosthetique have been perfecting the technology behind and have been committed to producing the very highest in standard of natural, luxury skin and hair care. Here at the HairCareShop we stock an extensive range of La Biosthetique products – there is a range that is specifically for oily/problematic skin, the ‘Methode Clarifante Range.’

This range has been specifically formulated to treat those that have oily or blemished skin – the range includes unique products such as soothing facial oils, cleansing lotions, cleansing gels and facial lotions.

“Methode Clarifante is a skin-regulating intensive skincare, which is based on special active substances, which normalise sebum production and clarify the skin, improve the skin’s metabolism and moisturise the skin. Liquorice root and oak moss extracts have a calming, antibacterial effect. Skin inflammations are quickly reduced. Your skin’s pores are refined and your skin looks clearer and fresher (www.biosthetique.com).”

The Methode Clarifante range from La Biosthetique will soothe, calm and reduce inflammation; the intensive effect of the marine algae-based active ingredient complex will also mattify and diminish the visibility of enlarged pores. Even more fantastic is that the whole range is available for you to buy in a matter of clicks from the HairCareShop!

There is nothing quite as good as stepping out of your salon with freshly blow dried hair. If you are lucky and also dependant on your hair type a good salon blow dry can last you for up to five days. I am sure we all can sympathise with any one who has tried to blow dry their hair themselves at home and had ended up in a tangle of arms and brushes. It’s not the easiest thing to manage but it can be done.

Just a disclaimer due to the fact that you are doing this yourself and your don’t have four arms you are more than likely not going to be able to get it to look as good as when your stylist does it but it won’t be far off! I think I have came up with a couple of fail safe tips that will make all the difference when you are blow drying your hair at home.

Number one, do not try and start off drying with hair that is soaking wet. Towel dry your hair and try to leave it until it is at least 70% dry, not only with this save time but it will make sure that the style has more chance of lasting.

Tip for achieving the perfect blow dry at home is to always point the nozzle of the hair dryer downwards e.g. pointing down the length of the hair. This will encourage the cuticle of the hair to lay flat and give that smooth shiny, salon finish that will last.

So you have hair that is almost dry and tangle free you are now ready to begin! One other point is to invest in a hair dryer that is of sufficient wattage and has a nozzle attachment to direct that air downwards in a concentrated stream. The next step is to section your hair like so; back, sides, fringe, top with the crown left until last.

Take each section and using a round vented brush like the Fudge Ceramic Tourmaline Round Brushes for a more voluminous finish choose a wider barrelled brush. Take one section of your hair (leaving the other clipped back out of the way) split it in two if necessary. Starting at the root wrap it around the brush, direct that hair dryer pointing downwards and move the brush down the length of the hair with the hair dryer following it right to the tip and repeat!

Once you have finished drying all of the sections of your hair you can use a paddle brush to work through any joins to leave a seamless, smooth finish. Spritz all over with hairspray and some serum if needed and you’re ready to go.

Hi everyone as I look out of my window and notice the birds singing and the colourful bursts of springtime flowers dotted around I am reminded just how happy I am to have the spring time with us once again…. (Crumples up paper and aims for the bin). Be truthful now. As I peer out of my window and shudder at the sound of golf ball sized hailstones careering off the glass and watch the poor old trees bent over against the violent gales I am reminded of how I WISHED springtime was with us once again.

Don’t despair readers what better to do with your time than to plan ahead, look at the trends and the up and coming hot colours and looks for the forthcoming season. This blog post is going to focus on the hair accessories that I feel are going to be sweeping the fashionistas amongst us and intriguing the less adventurous trend followers. For those of you that are interested in what hairstyles are going to be in this season stay tuned for post two which will be a rundown collation of the styles that were paraded down the runways in London and Paris fashion weeks.

First in line to get a mention for hair accessories 2011 is feather hair extensions, yes that’s feather hair extensions, colourful little bursts of…feathers bonded to your natural hair leaving you with flashes of colour peeping through. I am sure that you can get these products in a synthetic variety but they also have ones that come from ‘happy well raised’ birds of which breed I’m not sure. These extensions come in a massive variety of colours and when perhaps not for the faint hearted definitely are a fun trend to experiment with even just for the sheer range of colours and possible looks that are achievable.
Second trend to keep your eye on this spring is one which I have watched spread like wild fire through the beauty community is Ombred hair. Whilst perhaps not strictly a hair accessory it’s not a cut or a style and if you ask me it looks great so who cares if we’re crossing genres here! Ombred hair has been spotted on numerous celebrities from Drew Barrymore, Rachel Bilson and Kristin Cavallari of The Hills fame. In my opinion if Rachel Bilson is rocking it then so should I be; what is ombre hair? Ombre hair is a colouring technique which graduates from long darkish roots to lightened sun kissed ends which also looks even better as it grows out! Don’t be alarmed thinking that this hairstyle will leave you looking like you have taken leave of your senses and not had your roots done for years, it won’t it looks fabulous.

Last but not least in the top three trends for spring 2011 is the wire head scarf which if like me you love all the cute little head bands. In reality when you try to wear them you have to deal with the ever impending sense of doom that it is going to ceremoniously ping off your head at any moment then fear no more! These little beauts have wire in them allowing you to wrap them around your head and secure them in place where hopefully it will remain perfect! Channel your inner Marilyn Monroe on a day off and get your hair backcombed at the crown, gathered messily up and inject some glamour with a fab new headband. Perfect for spring summer 2011, trust me…

Now what could possibly be better than reveling in the knowledge that you know you can eat AND have luscious hair, not only that but the two are conjoined, you can eat in order to get healthy, lovely, shiny hair. BUT, now you knew that was coming I’m afraid you are not going to have Eva Longoria style tresses on a diet of gin and cheeseburgers (not that I actually know anyone that does exist on a diet of gin and cheeseburgers, nor do I recommend it).

Nope swigging back the rose or having the odd ciggy is going to only go against you in your quest for hair success, although I know you lovely, discerning readers will no doubt already be aware of this. If you want heavenly hair, you are going to need to make wise choices, which lets face it we all proclaim to do already. “oh yes I only eat organic alfalfa sprouts and sprinkle ten quid linseed on me cornflakes.”

In order to reach the top of the mountain you have to fuel yourself with the correct things, eat the things which are meant to do the job which they are meant to do and you’ll be fine. Are you following me? Rewind I just realised I was the only one that made the slightest bit of sense to. What I’m going to do is I’m just going to tell you what you need to scoff to have, prrrrretty hair.

I’m not going to get too technical because well it’s too much work (joke) basically hair is made of protein, luscious locks step one eat protein.

“Protein provides the body with roughly 10 to 15 per cent of its dietary energy, and is needed for growth and repair (BBC).”

As mentioned protein is essential in the repair and growth of cells and without cells we are but nothing. Get some protein in you; meat (lean), eggs (not too many per week), fish and shellfish (prawns, scallops etc…). For our vegetarian friends fear not you can still get your fair share of the protein through nuts (almonds are good), pulses (quinoa – ‘keen’ ‘waa’) and seeds. Pumpkin seeds are scrumptious lightly toasted and sprinkled over your favourite salads, put them in flap jacks, put them in granola or muesli put them on home baked bread.

Hair Care Shop Recommends that after you have spent all that energy treating your hair for the inside out why not have a pamper session with some of these best sellers, specifically tailored to pamper your hair.

Hair Care Shop Recommends

Mask Vitale for damaged hair
Seah Cashmere Wrap Conditioner for Stressed Hair
Revolutionary Tangle Teezer – banishes knots for good

Plus stay posted for part two Beauty from the Inside Out.

*please note that this article is purely for informational purposes, consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet.

*image loving sourced from We Heart It.

Vamp

Whether you like to admit it the colder seasons does bring with it as well as cold feet and noses some really exciting new trends; this season these new trends have spanned from rock chick to the glitterati. This hair care shop feature is going to focus on the – vamp – trend , think sleek dark hair, defined eyes and dark berry stained lips perfect for a winter dinner date or a family gathering. We are going to equip you with a comprehensive guide on what hair care products and techniques you need to nail the vamp look, from hair and face to outfit ideas.

Face

The vamp trend is not for the faint hearted it does involve a strong lip and a sexy feline eye but the result is a super sophisticated, flattering look that will turn heads for all the right reasons. This look is relatively simple to do and could be perfect from taking your look from work to night…

We want a luminous creamy skin for this look so make sure your skin is well moisturised before applying a light to medium coverage foundation, we are not going to set this with a powder although we do want to use a creamy concealer to achieve a flawless base especially under the eyes.

We want a defined brown for this so if needed at this stage fill in your brown using either a suitable eye shadow and angled brush or your usual eyebrow pencil.

Bring the concealer over the lids of your eyes and blend as we are not going to be using any colour on the lid for this look.

The main event in the vamp face is going to be a sexy feline flick which you will achieve using a black liquid eyeliner. Try using a black gel liner and a very fine brush to line your upper lids and bring the line out upwards as if it was extended from the line of your bottom lashes upwards towards your brow.

We are going to use false lashes to add extra allure, prepare your lashes by adding two coats of extra black volumising mascara then add your false lashes of choice.

For the face finish off by using a non-white so as it is not too harsh highlighter over the tops of your cheek bones and up through your temples.

Finish the apples of your cheeks with the lightest dusting of a rose coloured blush

Prime your lips by dabbing on a moisturising balm. Select a dark berry coloured lip stick, don’t apply it directly rather dab it on with your fingers, blot then reapply.

There you go! Your perfectly sophisticated sexy vamp look stay tuned for the second part of the HairCare shop feature where we will be giving you all you need to create the perfect hairstyle to accompany this look.

Applying Foundation.

Using I-Perfect from New ID cosmetics is an easy way to apply foundation. The I-perfect uses a compartment that contains the foundation and an attached brush on the other end of the applicator. Before using you need to prime/load the brush by pushing the button at the bottom of the applicator. This loads the brush with foundation making it simple to apply evenly. The I-perfect has colour adaptive pigments which enables the foundation to adjust to the colour of skin of the person wearing it. When applying foundation just follow these three simple steps and you can’t go far wrong.

1) When purchasing foundation choose one that matches the colour of your neck and not the skin on your face. Choosing the right colour of foundation is crucial in getting it to look good. Comparing a foundations colour based on the tone of your neck will ensure that you maintain a natural look.

2) Begin by applying a single dot of the I-perfect foundation to your forehead cheeks and chin.

3) Focusing on one area at a time blend the foundation in to your skin from the middle of the area outward. By focusing on one area at a time you will ensure that you apply an even amount on your face. Using this method will also ensure that you don’t cover any areas twice.

Creating the perfect smokey eye look can be quite difficult so here is a step by step guide to getting it right quickly and easily . The look is created by blending eye shadow with black eyeliner which can be tricky to perfect. The New ID cosmetics range features a product called I-Smoulder which is a double ended applicator. One end has the eyeliner while the other end has a rounded cream eyeshadow which is used to create the smokey eye effect.

1) First of all take the end of the I-Smoulder with the eyeliner and apply to the root of the eye lash. This doesn’t need to be neat as it gets blended afterwards.

2) Next take the other end of the I-Smoulder which has the spunge applicator and rub the eyeliner up the way until you reach the top of the moving part of the eyelid. Then use your fingers to blend it out at the top of the eyelid.

3) When you have done this run the eyeliner around the eyelids to give definition to your eyes and complete the look.

Chances are you thought of GHD’s there?

GHD’s are probably the most well known straighteners on the market at the moment but what about all the other brands and types on the market? How do you choose between them all and how do you know which ones are right for your hair? We have put together a brief guide and if you have any questions please feel free to ask as we love to talk about the products we sell!

To cord or not to cord?
Where are you likely to be using your straightening irons? Just in the house? Camping? Festivals? on the Boat? in the Car? With a cordless straightener all that and more. You charge it up and straighten anywhere, anytime so if you lead an adventurous lifestyle these may be the choice for you. They are great for popping in your bag too and as they don’t have a cord they are easy to whip out in the changing rooms at work to redo your hair before a night out or that all important meeting.

Try the Freedom 24-7 Cordless Straightener >>

For Healthy Hair and safe Straightening

T3 Tourmaline irons use the latest technology which protects the hair using negitive ions. This stops static and seals in the moisture which keeps the hair in good condition. T3 Tourmaline the safest way to add heat to hair. The mini has ajustable heat settings with a maximum temperature of 210 degrees. Straighte or curl the chioce is yours.

Try the T3 Straighteners>>

Time is of the essence
Who has time to wait while their irons heat up? We all want everything as fast as possible nowadays and styling is no different. Anything around 20-30 seconds is a good guide.

How hot?
Try to go for a straightener with several heat setting to allow for different hair types. Thick hair needs a higher temperature than fine and highly coloured hair so it is a good feature to be able to allow for this.

Try the Gorgeous QIV Si Pink Straightener >>

Limit the damage with ceramic
Ceramic plates spread the heat evenly and therefore cause less damage to your hair and the ceramic also helps to speed up the heating process.

Try the GHD new-generation IV styler >>

Does size matter?
This is where you need to consider your hair type and length. Short hair requires a small plate to allow you to get right in where you need. With longer hair you can go for a bigger plate. Consider what you want to do with the straightener too as it’s not just for poker straight hair, you can curl, flick and add volume with a little practice!

Try the GHD Ceramic Salon IV Styler straightener >>

A few other things to look out for include: emergency shut off after 30mins, heat resistant handle, voltage capability (the GHD Ceramic Salon IV Styler offers automatic multi-voltage and can be used with ease around the globe!)