I'm BACK! + theBalm Tinted Moistureiser Review!

Guess who? Yep! After almost 2 months, I'm back!

Quick little story for ya - I moved to London, which most of you know, to start studying makeup for film, television, fashion and theatre. So far there has been a lot of hair, which I love, surprisingly, but also tons and tons of makeup, which I will post about soon. But somehow along the way, I lost interest in the makeup/blogging world. You see, when you're dealing with actual makeup for Television and Film and even everyday life on a day to day basis, it really makes you rethink this whole beauty blogging world. Because a lot of the people seem to be here for to make money and push products for the sake of it, and to me, that took the fun out of blogging... because, there really is no miracle foundation that will fix every problem you have or that one primer that will fill out your pores, its a combination of things, its always going to be, and there is no wonder product no matter how good the very edited campaign pictures may look or the blogger/ article may claim... but now that I've had some time to think about it, I still want the world to know my take on the product, so I'm back.. with a cheeky little review. I know, Shock horror! I maybe a bit slow getting back into things, but if you're still reading after this break, thank you, and stay tuned!

So, imagine my surprise when my flatmate walks into my room one day and thrusts a box at me and says "its too light for me, you try it". Ofcourse I had no idea what she was talking about. theBalm is not a company I'm very familiar with.. I know of their highlighters and eyeshadow palettes, but bases? I never even thought to try them. But here I was, holding a shiney new tube of theBalm Shelter tinted moisturizer SPF 18 in Medium/Dark which I naturally slapped on almost instantly. Fair warning, for everyone who is yellow undertoned, this looks scarily pink when you first apply it onto your face. Heck, it made me look very grey - which considering is the general colour of winter, not a good look, BUT after a few minutes, it sunk in and started looking pretty good, even if I say so myself. In terms of coverage it a light to medium, good enough to cover my hyper pigmentation, but not great with my acne scarring, so naturally, if you have spots and scars like me you'll need concealer over it. But I just add a bit of my MAC Studio Fix Powder over it to cover those nasty scars, and I, pretty much good to go.
Its glowey, so if you're looking for something matte - stay far far away, but it lasts pretty much all day long and makes me feel like I have nothing on (go figure - tinted moisturizer). So I would say, though I didn't pay for it initially, I would definitely be repurchasing this.

FYI, it costs GBP 17.50 and can be found at feel unique that ships internationally!

Have you heard of/tried this? What are your thoughts? 

Update/Ramble/Tattoo

Okay, Hello, I usually update/ramble on my other blog, but since this is the more active one, I thought, why not? Mix up a little bit of personal right in there, right?
Okay, SO. I've been Freelancing as a Stylist/Makeup Artist/Illustrator for a while now, and I have to say, I really like it. I don't know if I can ever do the proper office job - but then again, does anyone in this field have a proper office job?
I initially took this year off to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.. See, I'd spent every day since I was 7 thinking, "Oh, I want to be a Fashion Designer" but once I got started actually studying it, I realized its not for me. I think I'm pretty good at it, mind you, but just not for me. So essentially, during this year off, I've worked on various shoots to see if I want to be a Stylist - and I love Fashion and Styling, but here, I don't want anything to do with it.
Around this time I also realized that if I loved Makeup as much as I do - and I've been doing a lot of shoots for my friends, maybe I could do it professionally. After a few freelance gigs, I now KNOW that this is what I want to do for a living.
So, September 1st, I shall be starting a new journey. Studying Editorial, Prosthetic and Special Effects Makeup at the Delamar Academy in London. EEEEEEEEP. I've been meaning to talk about this for a while now - I only have to apply for the visa *fingers crossed*, but other wise, its official!

Lets see, what elsee... Oh! I got a new Tattoo this week.

This is my sixth tattoo, and an extention to the word "Always" I have on my arm. These are lilies btw, which I took a month to finalize (draw - redraw - destroy - repeat). IF you're a Potterhead like I am, you'll get the reference ;)

So, at the moment, I think these are the amazing things I have going on, what about you?

Lasting Power

So today, I thought we could talk lasting power. Make up that lasts all day long. 

When I know I have a really long day ahead of me I like to keep things simple. 

Especially on days when I know I'm going to be sweaty, and hot.. I stick to the bare minimum. Concealer, and powder, for starters. Something along the lines of a powder foundation which gives you decent coverage is a definite win in my opinion.
Next, with the eyes, I usually just wear liner, but sometimes, just liner doesn't cut it. On days like that, I've discovered Estee Lauder's Stay on Paint in Chained really works. I don't need a primer under it, and it stays put, all day long. (The above picture was taken after a particularly gruesome 11 hour day, mostly spent sweating in the sun.. so excuse the very tired face).
Also, instead of filling my eyebrows, I run some mascara through them.. this tints them ever so slightly and helps them stay put all day.
I avoid cheek products if I know I'm going to sweat.. especially since the place I sweat most is around my cheeks. I also only use clear lip balm, 'cause it keeps them lips hydrated.

In other news, I just got myself a new camera.. the Canon EOS M. Its mostly for my work.. but you can now expect better pictures - quality wise.
Isn't she beautiful? Hopefully, in the next few months I will be acquiring a portrait lens :)

Sorry for the rambly/update kind of post. My mind is currently all over the place. 

Oh, if you're particularly bored, head over here, to view my online portfolio. Sure, MOST of my important project like my graduation project is still missing.. but you can still get a look at what I do? 

Haha, okay, I'm ending this now.