Beauty | My Skincare Routine...

Hello Hello, welcome to my little post on MY personal Skincare Routine. Now I'm not claiming that I am any sort of beauty guru that should be listened to or that I actually follow this religiously otherwise I'm sure my skin would be a lot more glowy, healthy and all things that it currently is not...Add to this the calcified damage from my teenage skin problem years (yes I'm talking un-photogenic acne scarring) and you have my dull little complexion and current skin condition ~ thank you winter.

So... onto the routine, Firstly depending on whether or not I've made an effort with makeup that day I will start by removing my eye makeup. My absolute favourite product for this is Dual Effect Eye Make-up Remover from Simple. I've tried plenty different products but due to my sensitive skin I have struggled with a few products being uncomfortable or irritating and the rest just didn't do the job properly... 

Next a double cleanse. Personally I don't have a favourite/ go to cleanser, although I am currently using a foaming face wash from The Skin System. Super low cost, not too sure about effectiveness just yet as it too early to say, but I am happy with the fact it is a foam cleanser (perfect for combination skin). I also have a travel sized Glow Mud Cleanser from Pixi which was part of a Christmas gift. I'm using it sparingly atm because of its small size, but also considering a re-buy as not only does it cleanse it also acts an exfoliator and contains glycolic acid.

Once all that cleansing is out the way, and its just my bare wee face left, it is time to start on the exfoliating process and cleaning right into those pores...

Currently I am absolutely loving The Body Shops Vitamin C Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion. I pair this up with my ProX Olay Cleansing system for a deep clean. I cannot tell you just how fresh my skin feels after this, its just fab!!

And now for my absolute favourite part of the routine...

FACE MASK!

Yes, I Shona Marie Mac am a secret hoarder of Face Masks... I absolutely adore them, and no I will never have enough in my collection, and yes it is a slightly unhealthy addiction but I do not care! If you are someone close to me and ever stuck for an idea on a present I can tell you now, face mask is always the answer ~ you're welcome.

Sooo many face masks, soo many unique purposes. And for that reason I wont single out just one as a favourite of mine so here are a few...

Mask of Magnaminty from Lush, thee perfect pick me up for sluggish skin, you can actually feel the peppermint in this mask tingly away if you walk anywhere while this beauty works its magic. Its a setting mask and the clean up after the removal of this mask is quite something. 

Cup O'Coffee also Lush, yes if I owned more than these two Lush masks I'm sure I could fill a page of my love for them. Short and Sweet this mask is a rich coffee smelling, non setting mask, which has amazing exfoliating skills. If I'm ever struggling with dry patches on my skin I reach for this Pot of Goodness asap...

The Body Shop's Seaweed Oil-Balancing Clay Mask, there are many reasons I love this mask. One being the clay, this is a godsend for us oily/ combo skin gals I'm telling you!! If you have a spot brewing this mask will dry it right up and speed up the treatment process...

And to finish up my skin care I will use a toner all over my face and neck preferably Seaweed Oil-Balancing Toner from The Body Shop. Then about 3 times a week I will then cover the same area with my Liquid Gold with Glycolic Acid by Alphah and lastly along the same area once again using upward strokes (avoiding the ageing process in any silly little way I can) I apply Ultimate Sleep Cream by Formula Absolute, this is part of the M&S Beauty range and so far I am reaping the benefits!

So that it is for my skincare routine....

On a good day that is! 

Let me know if you have any recommendations of products that I should test or need to hear about.

Until next time,

Wishlist | February 2017...

February already... I know its super cliche but this year is flying in! I hope it's been good to everyone so far.

First proper blog post of the year and as I'm sat in my cosy candle-lit living room, Gilmore Girls on tv, a glass of wine in one hand and a sudocrem face I'm scrolling through many:- skin care products, makeup and home decor items that "I NEED" but just cannot justify buying when I am in the middle of saving towards a mortgage (the thrills of becoming a mature adult). Anyway instead of actually buying any of these necessities I will just post my current 5 needs below and hope in the near future someone happens to gift me with any of these treats...

Catastrophic Cosmetic Face Mask - Lush

The first appearance of two from a Lush product in this list of five ~slight obsession. I have heard great things of this Lush Mask, a calming and moisturising mask packed with antioxidants which is perfect for when your skin starts to play up. I currently have two pots of cup o'coffee in my skincare collection which I would say is more of an exfoliant and this would be a perfect addition as a quick fix for a bad skin day...

Layin Low Mac Paint Pot  

I have to admit my lust over this Mac paint pot may be due to my absolute love and obsession with Jamie Genevieve and her incredible makeup skills (It may also not be the only product in this list influenced by her recent tutorials). I've never been one who is big for eyeshadow or investing money in a good eye primer/ base but this paint pot seems like the perfect start.

Dark Angels Cleanser - Lush

I love charcoal products at the moment, they are soo deep cleansing, amazing at drawing impurities and oil out from pores and perfect for my combination skin type. This product cleanses and exfoliates all in one which sounds like a perfect add to any skin care addicts collection and quite frankly I just need it, no explanation needed!!

Rust Stack of Eyeshadows - Melt Cosmetics

*cough cough* another Jamie Genevieve inspired need...

If you have watched any of the recent makeup tutorials by Jamie you will understand just how much these eyeshadows make an appearance. The pigmentation looks unreal and easily blend-able! I have fallen in love with the rust stack as these are my usual go to shades. I'm not too big on wearing eyeshadow, mainly because of my lack in talent in the eye makeup area but feel a slightly natural looking/ smokey brown eye is as far as my basic shadow skills will go.

#Girlboss - Sophia Amorusa

And the last item on this months wishlist is #Girlboss by Sophia Amorusa. I have been looking for a new read for a while now and although I usually sway more toward the like of a James Patterson or Ian Rankin book I have heard great things of this. Also the fact it is rumoured to be coming to Netflix this year I have the urge to read it beforehand.

Who knows, maybe this book is what I need to get some inspiration for the future of this blog and whats to come...

Until next time,

P.S Who knew I would suddenly have an obsession with Gilmore Girls?? Day 3 and I'm already onto the second series... (Forever discovering a series long after its heyday).

Lifestyle | Life Updates...

Hello my Lovelies,
So life for me lately has been a little busy, a lot of fun and quite a change..

I'll start with a little background,

A year ago, a couple days after my 21st birthday I made a massive change in my life by moving from Aberdeen to Glasgow. I had the best 3 years living in Aberdeen, met the most amazing people who I will never lose contact with - gutting to not be seeing them all the time anymore- and had great experiences. Its such a scary thought when you've been brought up on a teeny Island off the west coast of Scotland, a population of under 2000, secondary school with about 100 pupils and a sixth year class of being a guesstimate - 30, to move away from your family to a city and somewhere you can't just hop in a car and drive home no mater how bad the homesickness gets. Luckily for me I did move in with my Auntie so I wasn't completely alone, but to start over in a new city where you know one person is a thought...

Anyways I spent my 3 years in Aberdeen working for an Oil company, starting on reception for a year and moving my way up to Project Administrator. Over the 3 years I had a wee think of where I wanted to go career wise in life and settled upon Beauty Therapy. It wasn't ever really a plan to move again, but my first interview for Beauty Therapy happened to be a Glasgow College - the plan was use this as a "practice interview" see how it goes and then stay in Aberdeen to study. During my Glasgow interview I was told I was going to be offered a place and as the interviewer wasn't actually allowed to tell me this yet, I wouldn't receive my official acceptance for a month or so. Super happy, comfortable in the College and the lecturers being bubbly and really kind I couldn't not choose this College...
So it was time to move! And lucky for me my boyfriend decided he couldn't stay in Aberdeen without me, so an even bigger step than just moving, we both moved in together. Best. Decision. Ever! 

Fast forward a year,

I'm no longer studying Beauty Therapy, as much as I did enjoy the course it just wasn't for me. I didn't feel challenged enough. Treatments I assumed I would enjoy most out the course became my most hated. Not going to lie, as much as I love doing my own nails and makeup its unreal how much I would dislike to do this as a full time job, it just stresses me out!! On the other hand ask me to do a bit of waxing or a facial and I am all for that! The course was made up of 7 Units, Facials, Waxing, Eye Treatments, Makeup, Manicures, Pedicure and Anatomy. Then each unit had both practical assessments and theory assessments. Each time a theory test came along, as much as I panicked over passing these, I would walk away with 100% bar the mistake in part of one question on both Anatomy and Eye Treatments respectively (irritating mistakes as I knew the answers). Most people would be happy with this but by the end it became a boring and unfulfilling deja vu...

So I am now back in full time employment, working for a whisky distillery company as an Engineering Administrator. I never thought I would say this but I've missed my office work and being in a routine. No more empty days between college to fill or sleeping in so late my day was almost over before I got up.
I've also kept on my part time job from while I was in College as a waitress/bar staff. This does mean it feels as though I'm alwaaays working but I don't think I would have it any other way at this moment. I just love being busy, and it is a little plus that there is that small extra income that helps with a healthy bank balance and to cover me for my makeup buying obsession haha!

Just a little note to say you're never to old to chase a dream, and if it turns out that dream just isn't for you, its never too late to change your mind! I can definitely vouch for both of these...

Shona Marie xo

p.s sorry for the longer and more chunky read than normal - a possible bit of a drag...

Anyone else ever had an epiphany and decided to make a life change?

Wishlist | June 2016...

Hello my Lovelies, My Birthday is coming up at the beginning of July so I thought, is there a better time to write my first Blog Wishlist?? SOOO if anyone is looking for any Birthday Ideas for me you've come to the perfect place...

AX Paris - V Neck Lace Midi Dress

This gorgeous, classy dress caught my eye the other week and I just can't stop thinking about how perfect it would be for either my Birthday or my Mum and Dad's 25th Wedding Anniversary -a grey dress at a Silver Anniversary so suited to the occasion- which are both the same week in July. I am seriously tempted to buy this for myself but I feel I cant justify spending £60 when I have plenty of other dresses catching dust in my cupboard.

But... I guess if someone else was to buy this I can't complain *cough* * cough*.

Morphe - 35F Fall Into Frost Palette

I Absolutely LOVE this palette, with a mix of shimmer and 7 matte colours it is perfect to achieve a glitz eye look. The colour range is extensive, my particular favourite shades ranging from the Golden to Bronze Shimmer. It also has a few nudes and warm brown shades for everyday wear. What more could you want from just the one palette??

Morphe - 35O 35 Color Nature Glow Eyeshadow Palette

Ideally I would love this palette to add to my everyday staple beauty essentials. Most shades are perfect for how I wear my everyday basic eyeshadow. I stay quite plain and just try to add a little warmth and colour to my eyes. It also has a couple darker shades which are ideal for evening wear or just to make your look a bit more dramatic.  Either way I could see myself getting an awful lot of use from this Palette.

Dermalogica Normal/ Oily Skin Kit

This is a beauty essential which I am in serious need of! Yes, I currently have a skin care routine but no it isn't using Dermalogica Products. The Dermalogica Skin Kits are tailored to specific skin types and each contain the 5 products needed for a healthy routine. I have been meaning to buy myself this for a couple months now and at a low price I can't tell you why I haven't! I have been trained in using Dermalogica and I can't think of anything better or kinder for my skin. Remember your skin should have a PH of around 5.0. so this product is perfect for balancing and maintaining.

Dose Of Colors Matte Lipstick - Bare With Me

Last but definitely not least by all means, is the lovely Bare With Me by Dose. I'm loving the brown/nude coloured lips at the moment. Usually my obsession is with purple shades but I've had a change of heart coming into the Summer months...

For me Matte lipsticks are a must, I hate glosses and just much prefer a Matte finish personally.

I'm not going to lie, there are plenty more things I would love but the above are my current Top 5! 

Fingers crossed a few of these end up in my hands next month! Until then...

Stay Beautiful,

Shona Marie xo

I would love to hear from everyone what their June wants are! Feel free to share them with me below...

Lifestyle | Guess Who Had A Face Lift...

Oh Blog how I have neglected you... Here's hoping a little face lift will give me the motivation I need to actually start posting properly this time, no promises. An awful lot has changed in my life since the last time I posted and at the risk of this little "Hey I'm back!" post becoming to congested and lack of a better way to word it "boring" I'll update you in future posts. That all being said I want to keep this short and sweet so until the next post... Stay Beautiful, Shona Marie xo

Lifestyle | My Beautiful Little Island

Hey my lovelies, so what you probably wont know about me is that I grew up on a small Island in the Western Isles/ Outer Hebrides. I thought I would do a quick little post on this picturesque Island that I am proud to call my childhood home...

Lochboisdale - South Uist (Part of Ben Kenneth)

Growing up on an Island you learn to appreciate a LOT of stuff! Most people would think it crazy not to have a choice of nearby shops to choose where you will get your weekly shop from, or cinemas, fast food chains, retail stores, pharmacy's, the list is endless. But for every one of these commercial buildings we have something entirely different, a small utopia if you will. Stretching only 124 square miles, and with a teeny population of under 1800 people South Uist is a stunning Island. I can hardly explain how beautiful the Summer months at home are. The sun glistening upon the many blue lochs dotted across the Island, the warmth of the sand on one of the many beaches surrounding the island and the smell of disposable BBQ's as everyone takes the opportunist moment with the good weather.

Kilbride Beach - South Uist

The Machair - South Uist

South Uist has a number of sites of archaeological interest, it is the only place in Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found! Pretty sure this is where I first found my interest in archaeology, which clearly didn't last long! Beauty Therapy,my current study, is a whole world apart from this.

It is also one of the last remaining strongholds of Scottish Gaelic. Unfortunately my Gaelic vocabulary is extremely limited, Although it was my fathers first language I was just not brought up with it in my house, minus the random word thrown in such as when you were younger and about to touch something hot and someone would shout "teth teth" at you. Although I don't speak Gaelic this doesn't stop the older generation asking "A bheil Gaidhlig agaibh?" which means do you have Gaelic, even once you answer no they will continue to speak in Gaelic no matter how many times you give your reply in English.

A South Uist Beach late Evening

My wee Dog Strolling along the Beach

For fun on the Islands when the weather is good most people will go down to the nearest Beach and sunbathe, go swimming in the sea, go pier jumping or go for a walk up a nearby hill. Almost every year in my childhood I would have climbed up the nearest hill to my house which is Ben Kenneth.Ben Kenneth is 275m in height and every year on the first Sunday of August there is an annual Hill Race. This is a pretty popular event for the islands and many people try and complete the race at least once. I've promised myself since the age of 16 which is the entry age that I would one day achieve this. Next year is 100% the year I will, hopefully...

A View from near the top of Ben Kenneth

The Journey over to Ben Kenneth is not the easiest or cleanest

Since moving from the Islands after I finished school, first to Aberdeen and now Glasgow I hardly manage to get home for a visit. I have a really bad habit of when I become homesick listening to Gaelic music over and over, its fastly becoming my new favourite playlist on my phone! Anything is on this playlist from Manran to Runrig, but of all the Gaelic singers my favourtie also comes from Uist (just not South Uist!) Julie Fowlis who has the best version of Eilean Uibhist Mo Ruin I have heard to date. If you are interested in hearing a bit of Gaelic music you can look this up, its a song written about Uist.

A View from Ben Kenneth - South Uist

Ben Kenneth looking down on Lochboisdale - South Uist

I have to admit there really is nothing like my Home. And I wouldn't change where I was from for the world!

Stay Beautiful,

Shona Marie xo

Shona's Snippets | How To Guide on... Eyebrow Shaping

Hey my lovelies, so I've just finished up a bit of my college homework on eyebrow shaping and thought I would do my first little "How To Guide", I hope you find this useful...

Firstly there are a couple factors that need to be taken into account before deciding on the shape of the Eyebrows. 

These are:

·         The Face Shape – Do you have a Round, Oval, Oblong, Square, Heart Shaped or Diamond Shaped Face? 

·         The Natural Brow Shape – Depending on the shape of the original brow there is only so much you can shape and pluck. Usually it is best to leave the top of the brow shape as is unless there are any stray hairs that are just way off target!

·         Size of the Forehead – The size of the forehead should be taken into account as if you have a bigger forehead as I do it is best have thicker brows. Thinner brows would only emphasis the size of the forehead which no one really wants.

Measuring the Brow

Okay so now its time to measure out the brow and work out the areas needing plucked! 

To determine the length of eyebrows that will best suit your facial features there are three main areas needing measured:

1. Where the eyebrows should start
2. Where the eyebrows should end
3. Where the highest arch in the eyebrow should be

Example of Measurement Points

The Start of the Eyebrow

To measure where the eyebrow should begin use an orange stick or anything with a straight edge (a Pencil, a thin eye makeup brush...) and measure vertically up from the side of your nose in line with the tear duct, any hairs outwith this area should be removed. 

The End of the Eyebrow

To measure where the eyebrow should end you then line the orange stick from the edge of the nose to the outside corner of the eye, any hair outwith this mark should removed. 

The Highest Arch

To determine where highest arch in the eyebrow should be look straight ahead, then take the orange stick from the edge of the nose up passing through the pupil of the eye. This is where the highest arch in your Brow should be, for most people it is their natural arch.

Things to Take into Consideration

There are a couple things to note which may change the normal measured length of the eyebrows. 

If you have an oblong face you should try to extend the eyebrow out past the measured end point of the eyebrow.

If you have closely set eyes you should take the start of the eyebrow out a small bit further making the space between the brows larger, this gives the impression the eyes are further apart.

Time to Start Plucking and Shaping

Okay so now you have the brow all measured out its time to pluck away! Personally I would advise you to pluck eyebrows just after a shower. If not use a warm compress on the area such as a couple of cotton pads dampened in hot water. This opens up pores allowing hair to be removed easier by the root and minimises discomfort.

Remember to work between Eyebrows so not to get carried away on one Brow and then be unable to match the shape on the other. You know the saying eyebrows are Sisters not Twins? Well remember they are not distant relatives either! No one wants to walk about with a dodgy set of unmatched eyebrows, they are so important to the overall look of your face its unreal!

Tweeze as close to the root as you can and pull quickly in the direction of hair growth. This allows for the whole hair to be pulled out and an all round cleaner, tidier appearance to the brow.

Once all the tweezing is over if you have an eyebrow brush at your disposal you can brush the brow up and any hairs that are longer and deviate from the brow shape can be trimmed. Unless you're feeling super confident I would avoid this step and stay safe as to not over trim the brow!

Finishing up

Now that you should have achieved that perfect Brow, you can, if you happen to have a soothing gel that has no other chemicals other than Aloe Vera, apply this to the Brow area to sooth redness and discomfort. And also close the pores.

Please remember you have just plucked your brows! This means No Makeup to the area for a good few hours, No heat treatments such as sunbeds! The pores have been opened and the area can become infected if you're not careful.

I hope this has helped anyone out who was a little unsure as to the best way to shape Eyebrows, even if you are already skilled in the art of Brow shaping there is always something new to be learned and I hope you managed to find a teeny snippet of valuable info...

Stay Beautiful,

Shona Marie xo

Lifestyle | Manicures, Movies and Munchies...

Hello my Lovelies, so as you can see from the Blog title this post is a bit of a mix. Basically its just a few little things from how I spent my day yesterday...

So it all started with an early morning and my first caffeine intake of the day as I woke for a full day in College. I hate to admit it but Fridays tend to be the worst day class-wise on my course. From 9am until 12:30 my class is Anatomy. This is the only class that doesn't involve any practical whatsoever and I'm pretty sure that's the reason I grudge it. Yesterday was a serious struggle for me, I had a maximum of 4 hours sleep and I'm pretty sure I saw every hour of the night.

If you're wanting a visual description I felt exactly like this on the inside...

Neeed more caffeine

Luckily the Afternoon went much better after having a Mocha from the downstairs College Cafe. Friday Afternoons are Makeup and Eyebrows, so I after 3 weeks of being on a ban from touching my eyebrows I finally had them tweezed, trimmed, shaped you name it! It felt amazing and made my weekend! No more walking about feeling judged on my unkempt eyebrows...

Friday Night

I spent my Friday night over at my Friends new flat. We ordered in Chinese Takeaway and stuck on Django -which I can honestly say to this day I have still not seen the whole film- and we both started catching up on everything that we had been up to since last seeing each other and finding out the gossip from back home (a small Island where everyone knows each other and each others business).

Munchies and Movies

Finally after a good few hours of chatting we got round to the real reason for my visit... I needed a guinea pig to trial a French Manicure on! This was my first ever attempt at a French Manicure and nicely enough my friend volunteered her nails. Unfortunately or more fortunately for her she is a Nurse and although I would spend the next hour on her nails these would have to be back to short, polish free nails the next morning.

My Set Up for the French Manicure

 So off to work I went filing, buffing, shaping and of course painting. I decided to take a lot off the length as she would be needing short nails for starting back at work...

Nails Before I got my hands on them

The Finished Product 

For my first attempt they turned out really well. I'll admit they aren't perfect! There are definitely a couple of slip ups but who can tell, and they will be cleaned off in the morning!

As the saying goes Practice makes Perfect and I'm sure I will improve with time and experience...

Stay Beautiful,

Shona Marie xo

Follow my Insta @Belle_Chic

Intro...

Hey my lovelies welcome to my new blog, hope you enjoy...

I want to keep this first post short and sweet with just a teeny bit about myself and what to expect from the blog.

So here it goes, my name is Shona, I'm Twenty One and have recently moved to Glasgow to pursue my dreams of becoming a Beauty Therapist. Beauty has always been a massive interest of mine. It all started back when I was old enough to first be trusted with nail varnish. Since then my love for beauty products and treatments has grown, my knowledge widened and my ambition for a career in Beauty strengthened.

The idea behind my blog is to share with you my journey to becoming a fully qualified beautician. So things to expect are:

~ My Trials of Treatments (however they may turn out -after all I am only just learning-)
~Reviews of Makeup or Skincare Products
~Beauty Hauls
~Fashion Hauls
~Advice
~ And I Might just Throw in a Sprinkle of My Daily Life


Stay Beautiful,
Shona Marie xo