April 2018 - LightUpMirrors.com

Posted on April 23, 2018 May 16, 2018

How to Thread Eyebrows

Eyebrow threading might seem a little out-there at first, but when it comes to shaping your brows and removing excess hairs, nothing works better. It’s much cheaper and less painful than waxing. It’s also much more efficient than tweezing. Here, we’re going to look at how to thread your brows step-by-step.

Is threading safe?

Though it might seem relatively “low tech” in comparison to waxing or tweezing, threading is actually safer than both. Threading tugs the hair out from the root without pulling on the skin too much. It can be painful, but it’s less likely to leave your skin feeling irritated and inflamed for the whole day after.

Tools of the trade

Cotton sewing thread

A pair of eyebrow scissors

Eyebrow brush and pencil

Aloe Vera gel

Find a mirror

You need to ensure that you have the right lighting and visibility to see as clearly and in as much detail as possible. For this reason, it’s best to use a mirror with light bulbs attached or a makeup light kit that fully frames and lights every angle. Give it a wipe before you begin to make sure no smudges or marks get in the way, too.

Draw an outline

When you have done that, take your pencil. Start from the inside of your eyebrows and outline the shape you want in outward motions. This is a crucial step for ensuring you don’t thread too much or asymmetrically.

Prepare your brows

Take your brush and start sweeping your eyebrows upwards gently. Holding the hair in place with the brush, take your scissors in your other hand. Give your eyebrow a trim so that the threading process is safer and more comfortable. Then, use the brush to comb your brows back down and to shake out any of the loose hairs that might be trapped in amongst them.

Once you’re done, make sure you brush your hairs back into their natural place. You want them to look clean and neat while also making them easier to thread.

Prepare your thread

Cut a piece of the sewing thread from 11-to-14 inches long. How much, exactly, you cut depends on how big your hands and fingers are. Then follow the steps below:

Tie the ends of the thread in a knot to make a loop.

Insert two fingers and a thumb from both hands in opposite sides of the loop. Ensure the knot is on one of those ends, not somewhere in the middle.

Twist your fingers and thumb to make an ‘x’ shape in the middle of the thread. Twist it four more times to get that middle tie really tight.

If you don’t have enough room to comfortably make and hold this shape, you need a bigger piece of thread.

Practise the movement

To thread your eyebrows, you are going to be pulling the ‘x’ of the thread across your eyebrows, against the direction the hair grows out in. Practice opening and closing your fingers and thumb on either side of the loop to help the ‘x’ move from side to side. The other hand will be used to move the twist. Get used to the movement before you try it on your brows. If you have trouble getting the hang of it, you might need a slightly shorter piece of thread.

Position your thread

Start from the outside of your brows, holding the ‘x’ in the middle of the string right at the top of the hairs you want to remove.

Get threading

This is the important bit. Open the hand that is moving the ‘x’ in the middle while closing the other. The ‘x’ should slide across your skin firmly, but not quickly. As the ‘x’ twists further up the string, it grabs your hair and tugs it out. It will be painful but don’t hesitate or it can mess up the tug and you will simply have to do it again. Make sure you are moving the twist against the direction your eyebrow hair grows in and keep it slow. If you go too fast, you will tug on the skin as well, leaving it irritated for a long time after. Reposition the twist, removing the hairs outside the outline you’ve drawn.

Aftercare

Your brows are going to be feeling a little raw after you’re done. Make sure you apply aloe vera or an ice pack soon after you’re finished. It will provide some immediate relief as well as preventing any possible infections.

That’s it. A step-by-step guide to help you thread your brows safely, quickly, and sensibly. Don’t skip a single step, or you are all too likely to get something wrong along the way.

This is merely a guide, whenever you choose to carry out procedures on yourself you are accepting any risks and holding responsibility for any issues that may arise. If you are not confident in trying this method yourself, or are worried about making mistakes, then seek professional assistance.

Posted on April 13, 2018 April 13, 2018

Wedding Makeup Ideas

When women get married, it’s essential that their makeup is on point. After all, there will be countless close up photos of your face, so you want to ensure you’re looking your best. There are loads of different wedding day makeup ideas for a bride-to-be. Each one represents a different type of style that can complement your dress and work with your surroundings. Bearing that in mind, here are some of the best wedding makeup ideas you may want to think about. Have a browse and see if one grabs your attention!

The Bronze Beauty

This makeup style is very simple and perfectly suited for a summer wedding in the sun. The core elements of it are a lovely natural tan, complemented by bronze eyeshadow and natural lips. Effortless beauty, best suited for women with brown or balayage hair.

Vibrant Eyeshadow

Make a statement at your wedding by combining natural foundation with bright and vibrant eyeshadow. Purple/lilac works wonders with long eyelashes, blonde hair, and glossy lips.

Subtle Eyeliner With Dark Red Lipstick

This makeup idea juxtaposes dark eyeshadow and eyebrows with a subtle hint of colour in the eyeliner. It really brings out your eyes, and the look is tied together with dark red lipstick and a natural face.

Light Pink Lippy

Donning some light pink lipstick is a brave wedding makeup style, but it works beautifully. Especially when combined with subtle highlighting and contour on the cheeks, and simple metallic eyeshadow.

Pink & Red Colour Combo

With striking bright red lipstick and pale pink eyeshadow, this look is fantastic for any gorgeous bride. A slight hint of pink in the cheeks also brings your face together, and the two colours work ever so well.

Gradient Eyeshadow

Jazz up your wedding day look with some awesome gradient-style eyeshadow. Start with black at the corners, then gradually get lighter and lighter until you have a pale gold close to your nose. Accentuate your cheekbones and truly bring out your eyeshadow with matching highlighter and contour.

Glowing Cheeks & Outdoor Eyes

For outdoor brides, this is the perfect makeup idea. Use highlighter on your cheeks to make them glow when the natural lighting hits your face. Combine with nice shadowy eye makeup to finish off a look tailor-made for the outdoors.

Dark Red/Bold Lipstick

Make your lips take centre stage with this makeup idea. Use dark red lipstick to create big and beautiful lips. Match your highlighter with your eyeshadow, and keep the rest of your face quite simple. Works very well with long, dark, hair.

Soft Face & Matte Lips

Use natural foundation and highlighter to add a softness to your face that almost creates a natural glow. The standout feature of this look is your matte lips – they’re instantly unforgettable.

Golden Eyes

This makeup idea is perfect for any blonde bombshells on their wedding day. The main feature is a gorgeous golden eyeshadow that works so well with your hair. The rest of the look is very natural, which creates a princess-like vibe.

Glamour Queen

If you’ve got a very glamorous or complex dress, then this is a great look to complement it. You use bold colours in both your lipstick and eye makeup, along with a face that glows and contours in all the right places. It’s the type of look you expect to see supermodels in on the red carpet.

Monochrome Pink

By using different shades of pink, you can create a monochrome wedding look that will kill it up at the altar. The subtleness of pink lipstick combines with eyeshadow and highlighter makes for a very natural and beautiful style.

Extravagant Eyes

Bring out the beauty of your eyes with this makeup idea. Use very sharp and dark eyeliner, contrasted with lighter eyeshadow and some additional little jewels to make your eyes shine. Perfect if your eyes are your best feature.

Natural Glow

Finally, we have a glorious wedding look that will make you feel like a million pounds. The idea here is that you use a highlighter on your cheeks, jawline, chin, and nose, to create a natural glow. This is made even better with glossy lipstick, and a cheeky bit of highlighter on your shoulders and chest too. There’s only one word to describe how you look; angelic.

Hopefully, you’ve found a wedding makeup style that’s grabbed your attention. Feel free to take inspiration from any of these ideas and transform yourself into the most beautiful person in the room on your wedding day!

Posted on April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018

Ombre Hairstyles

Adding depth, beauty, and intrigue, ombre is a popular hair colouring technique very much in fashion at the moment. French for “shade”, it displays the slow blend from one colour to another. Whether you go for a soft, natural-looking blend or something bold and bright, here are a few examples of the variety of directions you can take this look.

The platinum pink bob

Add a whole new dimension to a timeless classic. The symmetrical, bevelled bob is suited to just about every woman, with a bright note of unique expression adding thanks to the lush pink tips.

The brassy balayage

From brown to blonde is one of the more natural and softer ombre options available. Using the balayage technique of hand-painting allows your hair to stay subtle and avoid looking overdone even as it grows out.

The effortlessly blonde look

If long and blonde is your preference, this layered look combined with ombre blonde highlighting keeps things looking casual and natural.

The black ‘n’ bold Lob

The Lob (or long bob) adds a new twist to a classic style, perfect for those long, sleek hair. The straightened look makes it easier to add a consistent level of colouring, with this example using a bold flash of pink contrasting with pitch black to add a dramatic flair to a chic mainstay.

The brassy layered waves

For those with long, voluminous hair, this ombre style showing a much more gradual change from darker to lighter tones adds real dimension to a wavy hairstyle. The slow change creates a shiny, brassy look that’s at once classy and natural looking to the eye.

The mid-length layers with dark roots

If you want to keep your hair at mid-length, then this thoroughly graduated cut lets you stay in control of thick, wavy hair, keeping it low-maintenance with a striking side-part framing the face with rings of bright blonde.

The bevelled and bold

Glossy, chic, and perfectionist, the bevelled look gives straightened hair a softer, more natural look while retaining the neatness and simplicity. This example uses an ice blonde ombre to create striking contrast from top to bottom.

Tumbling ombre curls

Healthy use of extensions can help you achieve the ombre look even more effortlessly, as this style shows. Long, graduated curls create a flow of dark and light layers creating a graceful, sweeping look with a gradual, natural fade from brown to platinum blonde tips.

The long-flowing layers of gold

Another instance of a side-part and a touch of layering adding even more depth to blonde ombre techniques. This asymmetrical look adds draws even more attention to the dramatic difference from root to tip.

Bright and beautiful red waves

If you’re taking it longer than mid-length and you don’t mind drawing attention, these gorgeously bright red wavy layers add a distinct eye-catching pop that natural red can’t compete with.

Depending on style, length, and colour, there are any number of directions you can take the ombre look. Have the examples above inspired your own ombre ideas?

Posted on April 9, 2018 April 9, 2018

12 Most Elegant & Easy Makeup Looks

Do you struggle to come up with the perfect elegant makeup look for those upmarket events with your girlfriends? Are you always the last at the social gathering because you spend hours trying to work out how best to apply your blush and eyeliner? Then this article is for you. Check out some of the makeup examples below and use them for inspiration!

Subtle, smokey, and winged

If you want to look modest while still turning heads at the bar, the smokey, subtle, and winged makeup style is perfect. All you need is brown eyeshadow, liquid eyeliner, and a smidgen of imagination. Ideal for late nights with the girls.

Purple shimmer

When “average” just won’t do, and you want to ooze elegance, the purple shimmer look is guaranteed to get the guys weak at the knees. Use purple highlight and pink lip gloss and colour-match your nails! For those upmarket events and social gatherings.

Sultry eyes and pink lips

Trying to become a trendsetter? Then you needn’t look further than this glamorous yet profoundly glamorous composition sure to get you as much attention as you need. Simple and reliable, all you need is a kohl eyeliner, pink lipstick, and a silver eye shimmer. For the trendsetter at red carpet events.

Sublime daytime bronze glow

Top up that tan and sweep your hair back to create this sublime daytime bronzed glow look. Head out and get yourself a bronzer, face highlighter, and clear lip gloss. You can even add to the effects with some vivacious mascara. It’s ideal for light lunches or coffee mornings with friends.

Smokey eyes with bold lips

If you have a naughty side and you’re not afraid to show it, smokey eyes and bold lips are sure to let people know you’ve arrived. Best of all? This look only takes a few minutes to complete. All you need is grey and purple eyeshadow with lipstick to match. Add some shimmer, and you’re away!

Red lip mystery

People say that a woman’s lips are the first thing that people notice when she walks into a room. If you’re on the lookout for some attention, this red lip mystery look is never going to disappoint. Get a deep red lipstick and lashings of dark mascara to shift focus towards your luscious lips. Maybe try this one the next time you get a wedding reception invitation!

Nude lips and false lashes

Running late but still want to look great? Nobody spends more than ten minutes creating this look with nude lips and false lashes. Excellent for summer days off work when you want to get out to the shops.

Fabulously fresh pink lips with contour

If you have a lot of summer events to attend this year with friends or colleagues, why not freshen up your style with a little contouring and some fabulous pink lips? Just get a soft bronzer and a light pink lipstick that will stand out against your blusher.

Pale foundation with dark eyeshadow

If you’re going to show a lot of shoulder, it’s a good idea to make sure you don’t go overboard when it comes to foundation. Keep your skin pale and use dark eyeshadow in blues and purples to achieve this stunning look.

Wet and wild

Spending time by the pool this summer? Then you’ll want to ensure your makeup doesn’t run and ruin your style. The wet and wild look with waterproof mascara and a simple bronzer is all you need.

Striking brows and soft lips

For women who aren’t blessed with the perfect brows, this look is going to solve all your problems. Get a first-class brown eyebrow pencil, grab your mirror, and mess around until you find something that works. Keep your lips nice and soft to avoid diverting attention away from your eyes.

Bronze tones and dusty eyes

Ladies who expect to spend time on the red carpet under all those lights need to make sure they create lots of exciting tones within their bronzing. Dusty eyes complete the celebrity look so expect people to confuse you with Cameron Diaz when you step outside.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. We hope you found some of the makeup styles interesting, and that you will take a look around at some of the other posts on this site before you click away. See you back here soon!

Posted on April 5, 2018 April 5, 2018

Eyebrow Styles

Over recent years, eyebrows have risen in prominence when it comes to the beauty industry. Gone are the 00s trends of plucking our eyebrows into non-existence; eyebrows are in, and more and more women are coming to understand the importance of good brows to how their face looks.

As important as eyebrows are, it’s important to remember that eyebrows are incredibly subjective. There’s no one style of eyebrow that suits everyone; what works for your friends or favourite celebrity may well not work for you.

To provide some guidance on how to find the perfect eyebrow style for you specifically, you first need to ascertain your face shape. These six primary face shapes are the first port of call when learning to ascertain the eyebrow style that will suit you best. With your face shape in mind, you can then begin to explore which of these styles will work well for you.

Rounded face shape

Your face is almost as wide as it is long

Your face is at its widest point across your cheeks

Celebrity example: Catherine Zeta Jones

Rounded faces tend to work well with the following eyebrow styles:

Hard angled. Hard angles help to create definition to rounded face shapes.

Straight – high arch.

Oval face shape

Your face “tapers” from the widest point, the forehead, down to its narrowest point at the chin

Your cheekbones are prominent

Celebrity example: Charlize Theron

Oval face shapes tend to work well with the following eyebrow styles:

Rounded, low arch.

Rounded, medium arch.

Rounded, high arch.

Flat.

Oval faces work well with most types of brows, so you’ve got plenty of choice!

Triangular face shape

Your jawline is wider than your forehead and cheekbones

Your chin is square or flat in shape

Celebrity example: Jennifer Aniston

Triangle faces tend to work well with the following eyebrow styles:

Longer, fuller brows that frame the eyes tend to work best with triangular face shapes.

Soft angled, low or medium arch.

Square face shape

Your forehead, jawline, and cheekbones are all roughly the same width

Your jawline is square and sometimes prominent

Celebrity example: Angelina Jolie

Square faces tend to work well with the following eyebrow styles:

Thick brows work particularly well

Rounded arch (low, medium, or high)

Soft angled, low.

Rectangular face shape

Your face is similar to a square face, but is longer than it is wide

Your face has a slight curve

Celebrity example: Alexa Chung

Rectangular faces tend to work well with the following eyebrow styles:

Flat brows work best with this face shape

Soft angled, low arch.

Diamond face shape

You have a high pointed chin and high cheekbones

Your hairline is relatively narrow

Celebrity example: Vanessa Hudgens

Diamond face shapes tend to work well with the following eyebrow styles:

Rounded, low arch.

Rounded, medium arch.

When you have an idea in mind, a beauty therapist will be able to confirm your choice and then create the eyebrows of your dreams!

Posted on April 4, 2018 April 4, 2018

11 Pretty & Elegant updos for long hair

There are times in life when you don’t want your long hair hanging around your shoulders. An elegant updo is the obvious solution. Below, you’ll find a number of tutorials that will help you to achieve a beautiful, chic finished look that makes you feel fabulous.

Fishtail bun

This fantastic style utilises a fishtail braid to give volume to the overall finished bun. It’s neat and stylish, while the fishtail braid adds a hint of texture to really enhance the look.

Twisted double buns

This playful look is a perfect way of sweeping back long hair, but provides a little more interest than the standard ponytail. The “rolled” appearance adds to the 1940s-vibe of the entire finished look, uniting together modern techniques with old-fashioned glamour.

Dutch “upside down” braid bun

On the surface, this bun looks fairly standard – it’s high, neat, and fairly formulaic. However, a twist of interest is added with the Dutch braid down the back of the head, which adds an all-important element of interesting to a classic style.

Plait-wrapped bun

This bun is fairly standard in its construction, but a braid is added for an extra dimension that helps create a perfect finished look. The wrapped braid also helps to disguise the pieces uses to construct the bun itself, making this an excellent choice for people with thinner hair.

Multi-strand braid

Two main sections are used to create this beautiful and complex updo. The braiding itself is impressive, but made all the more flexible by loosening the braids, so the loops fall softly against the head.

Loose-plaited updo

This deceptively simple look can be achieved with relative ease, though you’d never know it from the finished effect! The inverted sections braids come together to create a loose, soft bun that will hold firm all night long.

Classic bun with side braid

The classic chignon is given a modern upgrade with this style, which adds a simple braid to the side of the head. The hair is then wrapped into a simple, circular bun, with the braid incorporated as a beautiful embellishment to the overall look.

Multi-twist updo

The multiple twists used in this style help to create a stunning, intricate 3D finish that is fascinating from all angles. While complex, there’s no doubt such a style is eye-catching for all the right reasons.

Rose bun

Multiple loose braids are used to create the incredible “rose” effect at the back of the head, creating a fairytale-esque look that will nevertheless hold its shape throughout an event. A beautiful, intricate style that is more easily achieved than the finished look suggests.

Relaxed tucked bun

If braiding isn’t really your thing, then this relaxed flipped bun is an excellent choice that still manages to provide a truly beautiful look. The hair is flipped and tucked into the base of the neck, and the loose strands help to maintain a stunningly soft finish.

Braided side bun

Finally, a more relaxed take on the side bun, with a side-braid included to enhance the finished look. Particularly suited to curly hair, the updo is voluminous while maintaining a sense of chic style thanks to the inclusion of the braid.

Posted on April 3, 2018

The latest in beauty trends – No Makeup is the New Makeup

It seems as though there’s a growing trend in the beauty industry, and it’s not one you’d necessarily think would take off. A quick scroll through Instagram will show you countless no makeup selfies being posted by some of the biggest beauty bloggers around.

With so many makeup trends being shared by high end makeup brands, and the rise in techniques such as ‘contouring’ and ‘ombre lip’, it’s quite refreshing to see these bare faced selfies of women embracing their natural beauty.

Make no mistake, makeup isn’t dead! It’s just that more women are starting to feel confident going out with no makeup. The question is, why? What started this trend, and why are so many women jumping on board with it? The more research you do on this trend, the easier it is to see why it’s so popular.

Celebs Leading The Way

As with most things in the beauty industry, celebrities are at the forefront of the trends. This no-makeup trend can be traced back to around about 2016 when we first started to see big name celebs going to events and posing for photos with no makeup. The biggest name of all – Kim Kardashian – even attended Paris Fashion Week without wearing makeup.

After all, if Kim K is doing it, then it must be trendy! In times gone by you rarely saw celebs without makeup, which fed into the culture of women always wearing it. Now, more celebrities and people with influence aren’t wearing it as much, so people feel less pressure to wear makeup all the time.

Female Empowerment

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll probably have noticed a fair few social movements inspired by empowering women. It certainly feels like the last year or two have been big for women in that we’re starting to stand up for ourselves and feel more empowered.

As a result, there’s less of this desire to wear makeup and more of a drive to be proud of our natural beauty. You won’t wear it when you go out for coffee with friends because you don’t feel like it and don’t care what other people think. We’re starting to accept movements such as body positivity, self love and self confidence, and feeling comfortable in our own skin.

It’s really this combination of celebrities leading the way and the rise in female empowerment that’s making this trend popular at the moment. In fact, you can say that the reason a lot of these top female stars aren’t wearing makeup is that they feel empowered and want to do whatever they want! Of course, celebrities and famous beauty bloggers will gain media attention, which then means regular people see these looks and feel like joining in with the trend.

Now, it feels like a lot of women are at a point where they will still wear a lot of makeup, but only when they feel like making an effort or want to create a certain look. I love this trend as it inspires self-confidence in a lot of women and helps you embrace the fact that you look gorgeous with or without makeup.

After all, there is nothing more beautiful than confidence, and whether this means wearing makeup or going bare faced then you should wholeheartedly embrace it!