As important as it is to keep your makeup brushes clean, I have to admit that I'm lazy and don't do it as often as I should. My skin can be prone to the odd spot so it's important that I clean my brushes to get rid of any bacteria build up or nasty germs! I've read from different brands and bloggers that they should be cleaned anywhere between weekly to fortnightly. Another tip I read to keeping spots at bay is to flip your pillowcase every night and wash them weekly, bacteria builds up on these too - yuck.

When I'm washing my brushes I like to do them all at once especially if they're kept in the same makeup bag - this includes all of my eye brushes, face brushes and sponges. I've been using this method since I can remember after watching a how-to video on YouTube years ago. Its simple, quick and does the job!

What you'll need:

I've read occasionally that people use conditioner on their brushes after shampooing to keep them soft, but I'm not really a fan of this. As I've mentioned previously I'm sometimes prone to the odd spot so hair conditioner is a no-no for my skin. I don't want to add any excess oil to my skin or disrupt my sensitivity. Brush cleaning products are also available online from many beauty brands including MAC and ELF, but I've stuck to this process because I've never had a problem with it!

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I have to admit, this post is a little later than I'd have liked. I normally try to upload my Glossybox post as soon as I receive it, but being a week late I'm hoping I won't spoil anyone's surprise! This months Glossybox is named 'Sweet Treats' and as the name suggests, it's full of goodies to help us transition into summer - even if some of us aren't receiving the weather just yet! Glossybox customers were lucky enough to receive 2 full size products this month, as well as 1 travel size mini! The contents of this box work out at around £35 if my math skills are correct.

• MeMeMe Cosmetics Beat The Blues (Pearl Pink) - This is definitely the product that got me most excited this month. I've been a loyal fan of Benefit's High Beam for a few years now and have recently started to use in everyday under my foundation for a dewy effect, so I was excited to try this dupe! I don't want to give too much away, but watch this space for a comparison between the two! RRP £5.50

• Tresemme Instant Refresh Cleansing Dry Shampoo - Being in need of dry shampoo last week I was happy to find this among this months Glossybox. This dry shampoo has a lovely fresh scent and the smaller size is great for travelling, especially for summer festivals! Although it did it's job and made my hair grease-free and voluminous, I found that the effects weren't long lasting. I might just be bias but I've never found a dry shampoo that works as well as Batiste, keep trying Tresemme! RRP £5.25

• SunSense UK Daily Face SPF 50+ - Again, this is a brand that I hadn't heard of before. Although this is recommended for all year round I find SPF 50 to be a little extreme for the weather we're having in Northern Ireland, however I might be more persuasive to the idea in my later years! My daily moisturiser, foundation, concealer and lipbalm all have SPF in them so I like to think my skin is protected from harmful rays on a daily basis. The oil-free base is perfect for sunny days and spot prone skin and it's tinted coverage is great for those who don't like a heavy foundation. RRP £20.99

Overall I'm quite happy with this month's Glossybox - I've been introduced to some new brands and I've received products that I'll definitely use, some even on a daily basis. I've been checking out other Glossybox posts and I've found that the majority receive a few different products to me. I completed the Glossybox profile quiz and although most of the questions are quite vague, I have a feeling it's altered the products I receive each month.

I came across Natalie Hanks' Tattoologist by chance on Bloglovin and found myself continuously scrolling through the vast number of tattoos, from avocados and anchors to orgami shapes and meaningful quotes, there's so much to take inspiration from. I've been playing around with the idea of a tattoo for a few weeks now but I'm currently ink free. I'm the most indecisive person and I sicken myself of things very easily whether it be a song or a top I'll continuously wear, so I don't know how I would deal with something so permanent as a tattoo.

Karl Lagerfeld was quoted saying "I think tattoos are horrible. It's like living in a Pucci dress full-time", but my friend ironically pointed out that his current protege Cara Delevigne is slowly becoming covered in them. I absolutely love seeing tattoos on people, especially ones that make you stop and think, or is something different that you don't see everyday. Here are a few of my favourite from Tattoologist - personally I favour black and grey pieces that are small and easy to hide.

I've been lusting after summer these past couple of weeks - uni is coming to an end for another year and I can almost taste the cocktails in the sun. I'm not sure about elsewhere, but the weather in Northern Ireland is nowhere near T-shirt weather yet. I have however, been embracing my fake tan as usual and pretending I've just jumped off a private jet from - insert paradise - with a healthy dose of vitamin D.

Motel's latest lookbook gives just a sneak peak of their SS14 collection but, they've made sure to deliver the bold and colourful prints we've all been waiting for. I'm incredibly jealous of the models' golden glows which are only accentuated more by the citrus shades they're rocking. I can't wait to see the full collection and hopefully use it as an excuse to buy a whole new wardrobe. If this doesn't give you that summer feeling, nothing will!

P.S - does anyone know the name of the model in the 3rd/4th picture? The more I visit Motel, the more obsessed I become with her.

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I've been planning to do a 100 follower giveaway for what seems like the longest time now, and yesterday I finally reached 100 on bloglovin! I can't believe that whilst writing this 125 people have actually taken an interest in what I have to say. I've come across many giveaways from beauty bloggers and found that the ones I've been most excited about, gave readers a choice. What better choice is there than to choose from over 150 MAC lipstick shades?



The giveaway opens midnight 10th April and ends midnight 1st May - the winner is selected randomly by Rafflecopter. Read my Velvet Teddy review (pictured above) here.

Good luck!
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I'm in no way a trained hairdresser but after bleaching the ends of my own hair, my housemate Emma trusted me to attempt an ombre look on her. My ends are a similar colour and I've used various L'oreal Ombre kits in the past but found that nothing lifted my hair as much as the 'Jerome Russell Bblonde Maximum Lift Blonding Kit' (recommended by Emma!). The kit is described as having a salon formulation of powder bleach and cream peroxide that can lighten your hair up to 9 shades.

Emma's hair is naturally very dark brown with red undertones, meaning that the end result turned out to be a lovely copper shade. I'd like to play around with different toners on my own hair to get rid of some brassiness and possibly try out the Touch of Silver hair care range - my sister swore by when she was a full head blonde. Emma's planning to add a pink dye over her ombre which I'm so anxious to see, she's bought the Bleach London Rose non-permanent hair colour!

I followed the instructions that came with the kit and ensured that everything was mixed correctly. I then sectioned Emma's hair and applied bleach to a thin layer at a time, making sure to cover all of the ends. I tried to focus most of the bleach towards Emma's ends and apply less towards the top so as to try and blend the ombre with her natural hair. I find that when applying hair dye I can control where I want it to go better using my hands - wearing gloves of course! The L'oreal ombre kits come with a small plastic brush that mimic highlights when you brush through the dye, but this Bblonde kit came with a flimsy 'paintbrush' that was hard to work with. If you dye your hair often I'd recommend buying a reasonably good applicator brush and mixing bowl, even poundland are selling these as a set! 

Voila!

Unfortunately due to bad lighting and the fact that this started at 1am (night owls), I haven't many pictures but you can still see Emma's natural hair colour above. If you're tempted to try out the ombre look I'd recommened using these DIY kits because they're so easy to use and don't break the bank! Emma dyed my hair ombre last year and did an amazing job, I love being lighter but can't quite part with being a brunette entirely. I like to fill in my brows dark brown and they still manage to look natural-ish with my ombre so it's win-win! I'll definitely not be getting sick of ombre anytime soon.

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