HOW TO: Apply false lashes!

The question I get asked the most! If you follow my Instagram (IAMCLAUDIAWRIGHT) you will probably notice how many comments I get regarding my eyelashes! "How do you have the time to put them on every day?" "Does it not take you ages?" "Which eyelashes do you use?" So I decided to record a video to reveal all. Excuse the hideous lighting and my awful appearance, I have been living in the library lately and have been fully embracing the cave girl look.

Does anyone else struggle with applying eyelashes?
Hope this video helps!
Claudia
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Philip Kingsley Elastisizer: The Holy Grail for blondes.

As a natural brunette, any sort of product containing bleach is bound to damage my hair. About a year and a half ago I decided to get blonde highlights, just to lift the colour of my dark brown hair and make it more 'summery'. Gradually over time I have been getting more and more, and am now a fully-fledged blonde, the only downside being I now only own about three strands of hair.

Until about a year ago I had never bought a single hair product. (Apart from shampoo and conditioner, which don’t count) It wasn’t until I saw a tweet by Abbey Clancy urging all bleached blondes to invest in Philip Kingsley's 'Elastisizer'. I did a little research, and discovered that it had won the title of 'best deep conditioning treatment' for the past two years in a row. Although it was a little on the expensive side I bit the bullet and bought some. (£27.50/ 150ml) It works differently to the majority of other treatments, as you use it before you shampoo, as opposed to afterwards.

The instructions say to apply a small amount to the whole head, leave for around 30 minutes, then continue to shampoo and condition as normal. By looking at the tiny tub of treatment, and the length of my locks, I presumed I would use it all up in about three applications, but I couldn't be more wrong. I used just a little more than the size of a 50p and worked it through my hair from root to tip. The product comes with a plastic shower cap to wrap your hair in whilst the 'Elastisizer' works its magic, but a lot of the reviews I read recommended to use a warm towel to retain the heat and 'encourage the ingredients to penetrate.



During

After washing and drying my hair as normal, I could notice a difference straight away. I found it a lot easier to brush my hair, and found less hair was snapping off as I did so. I continued to use the product once a week for a month (as suggested for blondes with extremely dry and damaged hair) and have noticed my hair feels a lot stronger and looks visibly thicker and healthier. And the best part is, I haven't even used half of the tub yet! Definitely a product I will be repurchasing.



Before and After

Thank-you Abbey!

"Looking this good don't come cheap!" But how much are students willing to pay for beauty?

Adapting to life as a student is pretty tough. For those who move out, it becomes our first time paying bills, paying rent, and paying for our own food. Disposable income becomes almost non-existent.

My 'dressing table'

I moved out when I was 18, but since that day, almost four years ago, I have not let my beauty regime suffer. I think I would rather eat soup for a week than have to buy a cheap substitute for my Estee Lauder Double Wear. In fact, I think I may have even stepped it up a notch or two. Since being in first year I have worked two jobs, giving me a lot larger income than most students, allowing me the luxury to keep buying quality brands. I worked on the beauty counter at John Lewis for a while, which was fabulous for discovering new treasures, but terrible for my impulsive buying streak.

I interviewed other students to see the level of importance beauty products have during their time at university. Are big brand names still important? Or are students willing to purchase more 'drug store' brands like Rimmel and Barry M?

Also, if money was really tight, which three products couldn't we live without?

Bex Pope, 21

Brand names are important as I only use certain brands for certain things like MAC or Laura Mercier foundation and the Benefit brow kit. MAC is my ultimate favorite because I always seem to find myself going back to their products. Plus I find their products are better on my face than any other.

Foundation, brows and a good solid contour are the three things I couldn’t live without as I can't cope with my large round face!

Rachel Husband, 21

I don't wear make up on a day to day basis, because I'm on a budget. I usually spend around £50-60 every couple of months on brands like MAC and Benefit, however I regularly buy cheaper eye brow pencils, mascaras and lipsticks. When I do have more income I like to treat myself to Lime Crime as the colours are way more vibrant and they don't test on animals which is a huge bonus.

Beth Cooney, 21

On average I'll spend about £20 each month on my beauty basics. My favourite brand is MAC, especially for foundation and eye make-up. I also like Benefit.

Kelly Crampton, 21

I probably spend around £30 a month on cosmetics. Brand names are very important because I want to buy from an established company, and I like to spend more on high end products as I know they are better for my skin. MAC is my favourite brand because the products are faultless and always give me a good coverage. The price is fair for the quality of the products.

I couldn’t live without Benefit Brow-zings in dark, MAC Studio fix fluid in NW 13 and MAC lipstick in 'please me' because it makes my lips pop with every outfit.

Heather Milner, 22

I probably spend around £100+ on beauty per month. Brand names are important as they usually have more money/research behind them but I'd never buy a moisturiser just because it's Dior. I'd rather go for a reputable skin care company over a designer. My favourite brand is Bare Minerals as it's completely organic, lightweight on the skin, lasts all day, and gives a natural finish.

I couldn’t live without my HD brow pallet, Decleor BB cream and Estée Lauder mascara.

Tara Glover, 21

I'm only bothered about the brand if I know I'm paying for quality. I think you have to pay more for foundation and brushes, but you can get some real bargain lipsticks from Barry M and other brands in places like Superdrug. I do think MAC is the best for quality but I could never afford to have my make-up bag filled with it. My 3 favourite products are Benefit browzings, St. Tropez mousse/fake bake flawless and any mascara.

So it seems the students of Sheffield don’t scrimp when it comes to the slap. The obvious winners here being MAC foundation and Benefit Brow-zings, which at £24.50 doesn't come cheap, but lasts a couple of months. (Perfectly acceptable in my eyes.)

How much do you spend on cosmetics per month?

And which are your beauty must-haves?

Claudia

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The rise of the metrosexual male.

metrosexual

noun: metrosexual; plural noun: metrosexuals

1. a heterosexual urban man who enjoys shopping, fashion, and similar interests traditionally associated with women or homosexual men.

 

David Beckham. The Dream.

 

You only have to switch on your television to be greeted with an abundance of metrosexual men. Reality TV shows like Geordie Shore, Made in Chelsea and TOWIE feature young adult males who aren't phased by going for a quick sunbed after the gym, or spending longer checking themselves out in the mirror than their girlfriends. The 'Caveman' look is a distant memory, and I couldn't be more pleased.

Of course, there is the odd few who take it just a little too far..

..Not the Dream.

But the majority seem to get it right. Why should we spend hours getting ready when men can just roll out of bed, brush their teeth and think they are set for the day? It isn't fair, and it is about time they started taking care of their appearance. No woman (that I know, anyway) would want to marry a man with greasy, messy hair, unclean man with badly fitted clothes and a beer belly.

Take my boyfriend for example. He hits the gym almost every day, dresses impeccably, has the odd sunbed and always wears just the right amount of Hugo Boss. OK, I might be being slightly bias here, so I tracked down some other males to ask about their grooming regimes.

Joe Richardson

 

Joe Richardson is 24 and works as a field sales executive. He was just 16 when he started indulging in a treatment (or ten!)

"I go on sunbeds, get my eyebrows plucked, moisturise daily and get my hair cut every two weeks. I have worn makeup before, and do still like to wear eyeliner. I've never had a 'back, sack and crack'; I prefer to just shave those areas myself. I also used to have facials."

Alex Adcocks

 

Alex Adcocks, 23 confessed to slacking on the grooming front but admits that it doesn’t really bother him.

"I use cleanser and moisturiser when I shave but not really anything else. I don't wear make-up but I did go through a little 'emo' phase when I was about 15 so maybe the occasional bit of eyeliner but no anymore. I don't remove hair from anywhere other than my face and never have. I wouldn't say I take that good care of my appearance."

'Wallflower' Adam enjoying a quiet night out.

 

Adam Murphy, 21, primps and preens himself probably more than the average female. Although he is homosexual, I was so intrigued by his regime I would include it to show the extremes some men go to. He started using sunbeds age 17, and over the last four years has managed to build up a pretty intense grooming regime.

Working as a hairdresser since he left college, Adam cuts and colours his hair every two weeks. But that is merely the tip of the iceberg.

"I have my eyebrows tinted and threaded, my eyelashes tinted, my beard line threaded, and I get my arm pits waxed. I shave my chest, and even though I don't have a hairy back I still get a 'back, sack and crack' wax. I get manicures, use sunbeds, moisturise everywhere twice a day, I draw my eyebrows on every day and most days I will also wear makeup, mainly bronzer. I do it as it gives me more confidence! A lot of my gay friends do all of the above and most of my straight friends have their brows done too!"

The TOWIE boys...the cause of the metrosexual madness?

 

Suzanne Rowbotham, has been running her Sheffield beauty salon, The Blossom Tree, for over eight years. It was until the last year that the demand for male beauty treatments because so big that she decided to open a male grooming lounge, The Fig Tree. "I have always offered unisex treatments, but I noticed such a large increase in male clientele over the last year that I decided to open The Fig Tree."

Offering a wide range of treatments from waxing, massage, facials and shaving, Suzanne opened the male only salon so men didn’t feel "too girly" coming into a beauty salon. It also prevents the chance of her female clients feeling awkward or uncomfortable getting treatments whilst men are in the room.

"Male grooming is definitely on the up. We tend to get the younger lads in for eyebrow shapes and spray tans and the older generation visiting us for more relaxing treatments such as facials and massage. I think 'The Only Way is Essex' has a lot to do with the growth in male grooming too!"

Check out The Blossom Tree at: https://www.facebook.com/suzieblossom

or The Fig Tree: https://www.facebook.com/suzieblossom#!/Malegroominglounge

Looking back on the rise of the metresexual male, I can remember a few trends from the last few years. First there was the awful 'deep V' T-shirts. Anything with nipples on show in public should be illegal. Then there was the famous All Saints army boots! Then Nike blazers, sleeve tattoos and snap back hats. And at the moment it seems to be the little top-knot hairstyle teamed with a beard. I must admit I am a fan of the latter. As long as the beard is regularly trimmed and crumb-free.

 

Does anyone else have an impressive beauty regieme or know anybody that does?

Are you a fan of the metrosexual or do you prefer the 'rugged' look?

I would love to hear from you!

Claudia

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Animal testing: The facts.

I am quite ashamed to admit that, when buying cosmetics, animal testing doesn’t really cross my mind. The 'necessities' which I wear on a daily basis include Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, Chanel Tan du Soleil, Nars Orgasm blush and Eylure eyelashes. I vary my lipsticks between MAC, Rimmel and more recently the Revlon Colorburst balms. None of these brands however, have I ever investigated as to whether they are animal friendly or not.

A selection of my favourite brands.
 

The first thing that crosses my mind when someone mentions animal testing is PETA. For those who aren't familiar with PETA, they are the largest animal rights organisation in the world. They through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.* The most recent, being the campaign to boycott Seaworld in America due to the unfair treatment of the sea life.

The website features thousands of articles and extremely disturbing videos (a lot of which I couldn’t bring myself to watch) demonstrating the horrendous treatment of animals, a lot of this in the name of product testing. As I was researching the site I found myself welling up after almost every article about the torture the poor animals go through, and before I knew it I was signing up to every petition I came across.
 

Layla Kayleigh in her 2009 PETA campaign against testing on animals.
 

'Beauty Without Bunnies 101' is a programme designed by PETA for 'compassionate shoppers'. It features a searchable online database, which gives you the chance to type in brand names and find out whether they test on animals or not. (Click HERE for link.) I was disappointed to find out my favorite brands all DO test on animals. This included Estee Lauder, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, and MAC.I was also quite shocked to find Dove and Johnson's test on animals, as I would have put them down as cruelty free.

In fact, from the list of companies that does NOT test on animals, the majority I wasn’t familiar with, with all the global names unfortunately in the list that DO still test. A few I did manage to pick out however were Urban Decay, Smashbox, Stila, and Liz Earle.

A few of the celebrities backing the campaign to stop testing on animals include Vivienne Westwood, Pamela Anderson, Joanna Krupa (Real Housewives of Miami) Sir Paul McCartney, Ricky Gervais and Leona Lewis. Leona Lewis recently revealed in an interview that she follows Buddhism and "would give up her music career to end animal testing."
 

Lucy Watson unveiling her recent anti-fur ad for PETA.
 

More recently, Lucy Watson from E4's 'Made in Chelsea' modelled for PETA and regularly tweets about her love for animals. In fact it was through Lucy's twitter account that I found out about the cosmetics companies who refuse to test on animals. (@imlucywatson).

"Animals are friends, not food!"
 

Danielle Helm, 21, is a student from Preston and has been vegetarian for the past seven years, before recently becoming a vegan for the previous three.

 

"I chose veganism because it didn't seem right to put animals through suffering just for our own vanity or benefit. I have looked at quite a few PETA campaigns especially when I first turned vegan, so they did help develop my principles on it. With regards to the make-up that I buy, if I find the company does test on animals, I will always try and find an alternative first. Most things I can manage to find a decent alternative, but there are certain products, like my Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation that I literally cannot find a decent alternative for, so I continue to buy that."

LUSH products are an obvious one for cruelty-free brands. It's the only shower gel I use! GOSH cosmetics are great, especially the mascara. And I've never used them myself but I've heard the Aesop range is meant to be amazing!"

Rosie wearing her favourite (cruelty free!) Chanel lipstick.

 

Rosanna Booth, 21 is a student from Sheffield, and also a vegetarian, and has been since the age of six.

"My mum started working in a health food shop around the time I started wearing make-up so I became a bit more conscious of animal testing. I ended up becoming vegan for about a year but then couldn't live without cheese so went back to being a veggie! I try my best to buy cruelty free products. Toiletries are easier to buy with places like Lush. Before I buy any new make-up I just look up brands that don't test on animals and there's actually loads including Chanel, which means I can keep using my favorite lipstick!"

Was anyone else shocked at the amount of brands continuing to test on animals? Will this put you off buying certain products in the future?

For any more information check out the official PETA website at: http://www.peta.org.uk/

Claudia

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*Taken from the official PETA wesbite.

Allow me to introduce myself..

 

Welcome beauty lovers!

My name is Claudia Wright, and you may recognise me as the girl behind www.sunjunkiex.blogspot.com. I have created this blog to write about all things beauty! I will be featuring articles related to current issues based around beauty that are currently in the news, as well as showcasing new products, giving cosmetics advice and hopefully recording a few video tutorials as well.

Feel free to tweet me at @CLAUDIAWRIGHTx or leave me a comment if you would like me to write about anything in particular.

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for post number one coming soon.

Claudia
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