BRITISH BEAUTY ADDICT

29.12.16

How To Make Your Legs Look Great Instantly

Having spent the majority of December in bed (post-op), my legs are let's say, off-season and not quite ready to be seen in a dress come New Years Eve. And whilst I understand you need to feed your skin with the right products and shave at the end of your shower when your skin is soft, I need a quick fix to ensure my legs look their best. So if like me you're feeling a little self-conscious about your pins and want to get dress friendly legs in a flash read on...
This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle £37.00* The This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle is a leg perfecting lotion with a flattering caramel tint and a bit of hyaluronic acid thrown into the mix to quench parched skin. The product has been formulated without synthetic colour or fragrance and multiple skin care ingredients such as vitamin C, which with daily use treats pigmentation and Arnica, which is used for the relief of bruises and insect bites. Despite its price only a few pumps are required per leg and once applied, the subtle colour and very fine, subtle glitter particles instantly even out blotchy skin and make my legs appear toned, sleek and seriously smooth. It's great for fair skin, works well all over the body (I like to apply to my legs, arms and hands!), washes off, is easy to use, isn't greasy and delivers an instant healthy glow without any tanning.
Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs in Medium Glow £9.99 Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs simply settles on the skin and smooth imperfections - it's a little like foundation for the legs! This product is not something I use on a regular basis, but a product I pull out for special occasions. It's perfect if you suffer from scars, veins or cellulite and require a little coverage. I like to exfoliate and moisturise before applying and spray the product onto a tanning mitt and rub into my legs in circular motions, otherwise it can be a little messy! And a word of warning, the matte shades run quite dark, so opt for a shade lighter and whilst it is water resistant I'm still wary of wearing a white dress with this one! But once applied, it's as though I've just pulled up a pair of nude tights. It's odorless, has no sheen or glitter, applies streak-free and removes easily in the shower.
Cocoa Brown Instant Tan Bronzing Gel Matte £6.99* If you're in a crunch for time and love a bit of false tan, Cocoa Brown Instant Tan Bronzing Gel in Matte is hands down the one to pick. Scented with Cocoa Browns signature scent Tahitian Gardenia, the gel is fast absorbing, super lightweight and can be quickly applied with no visible streaks. It adds a bronze shimmer-free matte sheen, without looking orange. It applies best using a tanning mitt and is also non-comedogenic which means it's safe to use on the face. All in all, it's far easier to use and apply than regular self-tanner and is a great option if you're looking for a natural looking tan in an instant that can be washed off at the end of the evening.

Have you tried any of these products? Emily

skincare

27.12.16

5 Festive Fixers

Lots of booze, bad food, unrivalled stress and freezing temperatures, it's no surprise that good skin can go bad and start misbehaving during the festive season. And unfortunately beauty crisis are unavoidable. But this doesn't mean they can't be treated. So today I'm sharing a few common issues and how to deal with them so you shall go to the ball...
1. Spots Ever woken up the morning after with a throbbing spot that has appeared outta nowhere and you have big event that night? I have and ain't no body got time for that! More often than not, I will panic and pick, which only makes them worse. But, if you catch a spot early, massage over it using a little of Tea Tree Oil by The Body Shop (£8.00), pushing out towards the ears to drain toxins under the skin and then apply a generous amount of your favourite face mask directly to the spot with a cotton bud and leave it to work it's magic. I personally like Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque (£30.30)* and for on-going breakouts I forever reach for La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] (£15.50), which is quite possibly the best anti-blemish cream.
2. Dry Skin It's inventible to suffer from dry, dehydrated, reddened skin in the winter months. And whilst it can be hard to fall into the trap of over moisturising (which can cause an outbreak of spots), it's important to treat the skin using products that attract water like hyaluronic acid. Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly (£24.99)* and their Moisture Boosting Sheet Mask (£19.99)* (if the name doesn't already suggest), is a range created to help provide instant and sustained moisture to skin. And obviously, but necessary: drink more water!
3. Melting Makeup Nothing is worse than leaving the house with a flawless base, to then hit the dance floor for it to slides off your face. So to make sure your base stays put, blend your foundation in thin layers, apply a very light dusting of your favourite powder to the areas that tend to get a little oily (forehead, nose and chin) and spritz with a fixing product. I've currently been using the Gerard Cosmetics Slay All Day Setting Spray in Peach, which impressively prevents both fade and shine and costs a mere £14.50.
4. Frizz Humidity, lack of moisture and a few styling sessions can cause poofy hair, frizz and frayed ends. But a few simple steps and you can fight the frizz and give your locks some much-needed love. 1) to replenish the moisture load up on conditioner, 2) do not towel dry your hair (it can break and damage the ends), 3) use heat-protector, always, 4) smooth it out with a nourishing hair oil such as John Frieda Frizz-Ease Perfect Finish Polishing Serum (£6.99)* for super silky controlled locks. And during the winter months, don't forget to treat your hair once a week using a good deep conditioning treatment my favourite is Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Conditioner (£4.99).
5. Cracked Lips Whilst I suffer from dry lips on and off all year, this condition worsens during winter. So to combat chapped lips I like to buff them with a soft warm flannel and follow up with a hydrating lip product. And one balm that has received VIP status during 2016 is the Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm For Lips (£12.00)*. It's natural blend of oil and waxes revive badly chapped lips and can be slathered on and used an intensive lip mask, or worn as a lip primer and I can guarantee it will leave your lips super soft and smooth. Plus, it can be used on cracked heels too!

What's your favourite festive fix? Emily

Haircare

25.12.16

GIVEAWAY | Moprhe 35F 'Fall Into Frost' Eyeshadow Palette

Yay! It's finally Christmas Day! I wish you all the very merriest Christmas! Hopefully Santa Claus popped by and gave you everything you wished for and you're healthy, happy and loved. And now that the presents are unwrapped and family time and the Christmas movie session has begun, I've decided no seasonal celebration is complete without one last little present of my own...
We all know I have a not-so-secret hoarding problem when it comes to eyeshadow palettes. And one palette which has been BBA approved during 2016 is the Morphe 35F 'Fall Into Frost' Eyeshadow Palette. The winter appropriate Morphe palette was yet another sell-out (and is still is!), but I managed to get my mitts on another for one lucky reader...

To enter and be in the chance of winning the Morphe 35F 'Fall Into Frost' Eyeshadow Palette, all you need to do is follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below. The only compulsory entry is that you must be following British Beauty Addict via Bloglovin'. I have also added a few additional entries, if you fancy increasing your chances of winning. The giveaway is open internationally and ends on 31/01/17. One winner will be chosen at random and all entries will be checked.

Right, I'm off to go and sip on prosecco (as I'm no longer dosed up on antibiotics - hooray!) and unwrap a few more gifts... and a few more Quality Street toffees! Best of luck and I'll be back next week with the last few blog posts of 2016!
Lots of love, your resident British Beauty Addict, Emily

Makeup

22.12.16

Christmas Day Makeup

With Christmas Day just 3 days away, like all beauty-lovers I'm just as excited for Christmas Day makeup as I am about gift giving. And although Christmas day for me is about scoffing the contents of a Quality Street tin and serious QT time with family and friends. I still like to get dolled up and look badass in my Christmas jumper. So here are of my favourite makeup picks to ensure I feel festive and look my best in any family photographs...
My go-to festive face is relatively simple. It's all about great coverage and dewy, healthy looking skin, plus a little sparkle. And the Backlight Priming Filter by BECCA (£32.00) gives a beautiful healthy glow, without looking greasy and keeps my foundation looking fresh, thanks to its 'soft focus' pigments that blur the visibility of imperfections. Greasy skin types may be put off by the extra glow, but if your skin is normal-dry you'll love it. For foundation, Makeup Up For Ever's cult-favourite Ultra HD Foundation (£29.00) is a winner, because of its weightless, natural-looking satin finish. It's perfect for those up-close selfies and you can reach the level of coverage you want by buffing the product into your skin in thin layers. It knocks-back any redness and it really does last. To disguise many late nights, Too Faced 'Born This Way Naturally Radiant' concealer (£20.00)* is creamy, provides a medium coverage but still looks (and feels!) like actual skin. And if you're worried about too much shine, set your foundation with a light layer of MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in 'Medium' (£24.00), which provides a tad more coverage with a velvety soft (and never cakey) finish. To add a touch of warmth, definition and to counteract the potential washing-out effect of flash photography, using Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow (£49.00) simply swipe the contour shade under your cheekbones and temples and then buff it in with a large fluffy brush. Then taking the 'Glow' shade and a fan brush, sweep on-top of the cheekbones, below the brow bone and inner corner of your eyes to ensure your skin is seriously lit.
Next fill in and brush up your brows. And it will come as no surprise that I'll be reaching for my holy-grail ABH Dipbrow (£15.00), just remember to use a light hand and a little, otherwise you'll resemble the pantomime dame! Whilst I will keep the rest of my makeup soft and natural, for my eyes I'll opt for neutral metallics such as gold, copper and bronze. These shades are not only my favourite, they work on all skin tones and are easy to build up into a smoky eye. Applying a little primer to hold the eyeshadow place all day, I'll take Makeup Geek 'Crème Brulee' (£6.00) and blend into the crease and pop the shade Makeup Geek 'Legend' (£9.25) a beautiful foiled warm copper onto the lid keeping the colour within the socket. It's super flattering and super simple. I love ultra black, defined and slightly exaggerated lashes. So apply a few coats of Maybelline Lash Sensational (£7.99), let them dry and apply another coat on the outer corners to create a feminine almond shape. And if I'm feeling super fancy, I'll add some Lash Unlimited False Eye Lashes in the style 13 (£3.49). Admittedly I'm not one to embrace the statement red lip come Christmas Day. My current favourite nude lipstick is MAC x Mariah Carey in 'MCizzle' (£17.00) it's the perfect amount of polish and enhances my assets without fuss and leaving any marks on the mince pies. But if you do wear red it's hard to perfect when applied straight from the bullet, so keep it clean and use a lip brush for extra control. And all you need to finish is a spritz of Gerard Cosmetics ~~Slay~~ (sleigh) All Day Setting Spray (£14.50) to stop any makeup meltdown. And voilà! There you have it, my Christmas Day makeup menu.