How Safe Is Your Makeup?

Most girls apply makeup and skin care products daily without any awareness of what is actually in them. Here are a few simple ways of testing your products to make sure that they are free from harmful chemicals.

Cleansing Milk/Lotion

A good cleansing lotion should be water based and non-oily. Pour some onto a spoon and heat it over fire. If you see oil splashing off then it contains oil. Water based cleanser should turn milky and creamy when heated. You can also dab some on a PH testing paper and the PH value should be between 5.4-6.8.

Toner

Good toners shouldn't have alcohol in them because that can damage your skin when used for a long time. To test your toner, shake the bottle hard and observe the bubbles. If you see large bubbles, then it contains salicylic acid. This is good for cleaning your skin but may irritate it. If you see a thin layer of small bubbles that disappear immediately, then it contains alcohol that will dry your skin out. The best kind of toner should have a thick layer of bubbles that disappear very slowly.

Moisturiser

Pour sufficient amount onto a spoon and heat it up over fire until it's completely gone. Any traces of black residual left on the spoon are the additives present in the product.

Foundation

Take sufficient amount and put it in a glass of water. If it sticks to the side of your glass, then animal oil is used in the product. If it floats to the top, then mineral oil is present. If it sinks to the bottom then that represents traces of lead, mercury and other heavy metals. A good foundation should be neither of those.

Makeup Remover

Put some waterproof products on your then rub sufficient amount of makeup remover over it. If it mixes well with the makeup and can be easily wiped off with a tissue, then the makeup remover is usable.

Lipstick

All lipsticks contain traces of lead so when choosing your lipstick, try to pick the one that contains the least amount of lead. To test how much lead is in your lipstick, apply some on the back of your hand then rub it with a silver ring and observe the the colour changes. If it starts turning black then lead is present in the product. The darker it turns, the more lead is contained and you should avoid these lipsticks.

Simple Blue Smokey Eye Tutorial

Before I begin, here is a list of the products I used:  

• Chi Chi Rich gems palette
• Maybelline Eye Studio Colour Tattoo 24HR Metal - Electric Blue
• Maybelline Eye Studio Colour Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow - Too Cool 
• Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner - Blackest Black
• Benefit Stay Don't Stray eye primer

Now you don't have to use those exact products but whatever you prefer will also work!

1. Prime your eyes with your favourite eye primer.

2. With a large blending brush, take a dark blue-grey colour and run it through your crease towards your brow bone but not to your eyebrow. Blend well!

3. Take a vibrant blue colour and with an applicator brush, pat down the colour on your lid. You want this colour to pop.

4. With a pearlish/light semi-translucent white shade, pat the inner corner and first third of your eye. Gently blend with the blue. Tip: Don't blend too much with the blue, you simply want to lighten the inner section of your eye and still see the blue.

5. With a smudger brush, run some of the blue along your lash line.

6. With a brow highlighter or a cream coloured shade, highlight beneath your brow.

7. Apply eye liner and mascara as desired.

Tips

• This look is quite simple, but for a more dramatic eye, add some glitter over the blue and thicken your eyeliner. Also apply some false lashes and a slight shimmer colour beneath the brow bone (No mascara was applied in the images). 
• For a bold statement, make sure your face is flawless. You want to draw attention to your eyes, not other parts of your face.
• This can be paired with a classic creamy red lipstick.

Tips For Dyeing Your Hair At Home

• Do a strand test if it is your first time using that colour. Your colour will be darker than the box colour if you hair is pre-dyed. Usually stick to a colour that's within two shades of your current tone. If you are planning for something dramatic, try on a wig to work out if that colour will suit you.

• Apply vaseline or oil-based lotion around your hairline and ears to protect skin from stains or irritation.

• Divide hair into sections. The easiest way to this is to divide your hair into 4 quadrants and work your way through.

• If you are retouching your roots, apply to roots first and wait for 20 mins before applying colour all over your head to achieve even result

• When choosing your hair colour, don't go by the model shown on the front of the box because you have no idea what her hair colour was originally and different hair types will take in colour differently

• Leave your hair unwashed for a few days before dyeing it. The natural oil will protect your scalp from harsh chemicals. 

• Use ammonia-free hair dye because it's less damaging to your body and doesn't have a pungent smell to it. Click here for a list of ammonia-free products.

• Try to keep your hair unwashed for as long as possible after rinsing out the colour. This will help the colour to settle into strands and last longer. Use shampoos and conditioners designed for coloured hair as they have special formulas to keep your hair colour vibrant.

Ammonia-free Hair Dye

What is ammonia?

Ammonia is a commonly produced industrial chemical with a pungent smell often found in household cleaning products, fertilizers and hair colouring products. It is used in almost every brand of professional hair dyes to open up the hair shaft and cuticles for easier penetration of colours. In doing so, it will inevitably damage your hair and also result in other long-term health issues if you are over-exposed to it. Some common dangers are:

• Burning and irritation of eyes (even without directly getting it in your eye)
• Severe coughing and choking when inhaled
• Irritation and burning of skin 

The amount of ammonia found in professional hair dyes is generally within a safe limit and normally shouldn't cause any severe health problems. However, if you ever decide to use one of those box dyes at home, please be cautious of the following: 

• Never mix ammonia with bleach or any of its derivatives as the combination can produce extremely toxic chlorine gas
• If you accidentally get any ammonia on your skin or in your eyes, rinse it off with water immediately 

Fortunately, advances in organic research have enabled formulas of natural and organic ingredients to eliminate the need for ammonia in professional hair dyes. This is also known as Organic Colour Systems. Although ammonia has been eliminated, it is replaced with another chemical called monoethanolamine which is odorless and has a much less volatile Ph characteristic than any ammonia chemical. Monoethanolamine has the same function as ammonia does but is much gentler and less violating to our body. 

Currently, some ammonia-free hair colouring products on the market are:

Garnier Olia

Revlon ColorSilk

L'oreal Casting Creme Gloss

Clairol Natural Instincts 

Garnier HerbaShine Colour Creme

Garnier Nutrisse Creme

Schwarzkopf Essensity

Schwarzkopf Perfect Mousse

Favourite designer of le month - Georges Hobeika!

I have been following Georges Hobeika for a little while now. Recently, I came across his Spring - Summer 2014 collection. Needless to say - jaw dropped! I'll just quickly share with you five pieces that really stood out for me.

Chiffon has got to be my all time favourite fabric! I also adore pastels. Absolutely effortless and classy, simple and elegant.

Watch the full show here