Battle of the Cruelty Free Eyebrow Products

As a strong lover of all things makeup, I am trying to build my collection in a cruelty free way. This can be quite difficult as there is limited products to choose from in New Zealand. It's also quite difficult to know who is actually cruelty free, because some sites are not very reliable. So here I am bringing you a post that will help you bring a decent cruelty free brand.

First topic of this maybe ongoing series is eyebrow products. Now we all know that eyebrows are important, they frame the face. So we need good products that will do that, and last.

The first product is a well known brand called E.L.F. I picked mine up from K-mart for $10 and it's in the colour Ash Blonde. This will also be well known as Shaaanxo uses it a lot in her videos. E.L.F. is a famous cruelty free brand, as well as being super affordable.

The second product is Australis Eyebrow pencil. This was about $12 I think, and is also from K-mart. Mine is in Blonde. This is much warmer than the E.L.F. product, but is really nice and easy for me to use if I'm in a rush.

The last product is W7 Brow Twister in Hazel Blonde. I got this from a makeup sale and I technically paid $5 for it. It was part of a 2 for $10 deal. This is my most recent purchase and is also the darkest out of the 3. I wasn't too sure about the status of cruelty free -ness on this brand. I had to do extensive research to find it out, and thankfully it is. It's also a UK brand, which I've been told has very strict rules and regulations on animal testing making it very difficult to actually test on animals.

At the moment, my W7 brow pencil is my favourite. Its not as quick and easy as my Australis pencil, but it doesn't take as long to do my brows if I used E.L.F. and a brush. I use E.L.F. when I have heaps of time to focus on really stencilling my brows on. E.L.F is definitely the perfect match for my brows, but I'm really enjoying the darkness of W7 right now. It might have something to do with me growing my hair out so my natural hair colour appears darker in comparison to the bleach, but I'm not really sure. Australis is too warm for my hair colour in general, but just to chuck it on lightly in a rush does the job, so I'm not going to complain.

If you have any of these products, let me know how you like them. Or if you buy one of them after reading this, let time know how they work for you.

Don't forget to check out my links listed below. If you have any idea how I can get all my links and social media to match my Instagram username, let me know. I've been trying to get them all to match for ages!

Shannen xx

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCjNKymrFCLKvcEZ4rqupZQw

Instagram: _shannenlorraine

Twitter: _kaleidocolours

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kaleidocoloursx

For business inquiries: xkaleidoscopecolours@gmail.com 

LookBook #2: Kimonos

Welcome to my second lookbook! Today we have an insight into how I personally style my kimonos. My entire collection (all 4 of them) comes from JayJays. I will also write down where I got the rest of my outfit from as well.

I hope this helps/encourages you to embrace the kimono!

Look #1: Winter

Top: JayJays

Jeans: JayJays

Boots: Kmart

 Look #2: Spring

Dress: JayJays

Sandals: Lippy

 Look #3: Autumn

Dress: JayJays

Boots: Kmart

 Look #4: Summer

Top: JayJays

Shorts: JayJays

Sandals: Lippy

Yes, I know I own a lot of JayJays. I can't help it. They have awesome stuff.

Let me know how you liked this cookbook. Personally, this is way better than my first one, which you can see here: http://kaleidocolours.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/daisies-are-new-black.html

But that's what happens when you get more confident and comfortable, isn't it?

Shannen xx

All photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

Photos taken by Blake <3 

Ankle Boots: Flattering ways to wear them

 With ankle boots, there is basically two standard, universally flattering ways to wear them. 

The first way is to wear them with anything that sits above the knee. This is because the ankle boot tends to cut you off at the skinniest part of your ankle. To counter act this, you need to show the other skinniest part of your leg which is your knee. This lengthens the leg, and doesn't cut you off, making you look short. 

The second way is more for winter time, or for people who prefer to wear jeans. The same idea applies, so as the boot cuts you off at your skinniest, you need to show a bit of flesh above the boot to give the illusion of a lengthened leg. To do this, all you need to do is roll your jeans up, leaving no more than an inch between the top of your boot and the bottom of the roll.  This achieves the same goal as counter balancing. It lengthens the leg and we avoid looking like we have short legs. 

With boots, never pull your jeans over the top unless they are flared or a boot cut. If you wear skinny jeans with boots, roll them, or bunch them up so they are sitting just on top of the boot. We are giving the illusion of a lengthened leg.

I've included photos of five different types of boots to give an idea of how they can be worn. I have included a pair of heeled boots, two different style of ankle boots with a cut out, a short riding boot style and a pair of combat/military boots.

Heeled Boots

Tassle Boots with Cut-out

JC Coltrane style Boots

Short Riding Style Boots

Doc Martens

Of course with any style, your personal style works best. This is just simply a guideline. A lot of these boots can still look great all bunched up and grunge-y looking. or really neat and tidy rolls. It really doesn't matter as long as you are happy with how it looks. 

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

Don't forget to check out and subscribe/follow my other sites!

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCjNKymrFCLKvcEZ4rqupZQw

Instagram: _kaleidoscopecolours

Twitter: _kaleidocolours

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kaleidocoloursx

For business inquiries: xkaleidoscopecolours@gmail.com 

How I Clean My Makeup Brushes

Before I get started, there is about a 75% chance that I'm also going to film a video of how I clean my makeup brushes. I'm not entirely sure how well I explain in this post, so it might be easier explained if I film it too. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

So, first up, you are going to need olive oil, washing up liquid, a plate and all your brushes that you are cleaning. The olive oil is to keep your brushes soft, the washing up liquid is to disinfect and clean, and the plate is to mix it all together.

Grab your first brush and swirl it around for about 30 seconds on the plate, mixing the oil and washing up liquid together. You should see the product coming off the brush. Eventually the liquid on the plate will turn an ugly brown colour. As I was also cleaning a lip brush and eyeliner brush in this lot, mine went reddish. Red from the lipstick, and slightly darker because of the black from the eyeliner. 

Repeat this till all the brushes are saturated in oil and washing up liquid. Once you have done this, plate the plate in the sink, lined up so when the tap is turned on, the water hits the middle of the plate.  With warm water running, you're basically going to copy the same process above, except with water. Swirl the brushes around the plate until the water runs clear. This can take a while with some brushes, like my bronzer brushes I was swirling for a few minutes. 

Again, repeat this until all the brushes are done. I always squeeze any excess water out of the brushes and then lay them on the sides, so the bristles are hanging in the sink. Mainly because they drain into the sink, but also this keeps the handles safe from getting too wet and being destroyed.

I also have a beauty blender to clean when i do all my other brushes, so I'm going to quickly explain how I do this.

Firstly, I soak my beauty blender. Once fully soaked in warm water, I rub a bar of soap all over it, massaging the soap in and lathering it up. I then rinse it out and repeat. I do this about 3 or four times, making sure I lather up heaps and rub it in and around and rinse thoroughly. 

I leave them out drying overnight, so always do this the night before you want to use them.

I hope this helps, and I explained it clearly. Don't be afraid to leave any questions or comments!

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCjNKymrFCLKvcEZ4rqupZQw

Instagram: _kaleidoscopecolours

Twitter: _kaleidocolours

Blog: http://kaleidocolours.blogspot.co.nz

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kaleidocoloursx

For business inquiries: xkaleidoscopecolours@gmail.com 

How To: Depot Jumbo Eye Pencils

I had a Collection eyeshadow pencil laying around that needed sharpening but I don't own a jumbo pencil sharpener. So, in order to remedy this, I did some research on how to depot jumbo eyeshadow pencils. This method works for any eyeshadow pencil, be it NYX, Collection or whatever. All you need is a small pot to depot it into, a mug, a microwave and the eyeshadow(s) you are depotting.

I used an empty ELF undereye Setting Powder pot. This turned out to be the perfect size. So you just need something about that size. They are 1.2grams or .04oz.

With the Collection pencils specifically, you need to remove both the cap and the end of the pencil, in this case its the black bit at the end of the pencil. This opens the pencil up making it easier to melt down. 

Once you've done that, the next step is to break the point off in the chosen container and then stand the pencil up using the broken shadow as stand. 

You then put the whole thing into a mug. This just protects the microwave from any spatter as well as helps keeps the pencil standing up. It also helps because you can just grab the mug and pull it out instead of grappling a small container.

Once you've got it in the mug, put it in the microwave and cook (melt) it for 1 minute intervals, checking each time, until it's completely melted into a liquid. At this point you can take it out of the microwave. I recommend pulling the pencil out, but leaving the container in the mug as the mug will be very hot.  I left my container in the mug until it had pretty much cooled down completely. It was still slightly warm to the touch, but nothing to worry about.

While it was cooling down, I grabbed some nail polish remover and wiped the label off the lid so it was just all black. I made a label on the bottom so I don't forget the brand or colour of the eye shadow.

I find it's much easier to use this way, as well as more pigmented. I'll probably do this for every shadow pencil I buy as long as I have an empty container to depot them into. And then I also don't waste product when I sharpen the pencil.

There is an alternative method to this. Instead of using a microwave, just melt it down with a hair dryer. Point the hair dryer down the pencil, so the heat is blowing into the shaft of the pencil. This method does take longer, but it might be less dangerous as the only hot thing you'll be holding is the hair dryer.

I used Collection's eyeshadow pencil in Vanilla Sky.

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used 

How To Get Curls That Stay: A Modern Interpretation of Pin Curls

Left: Curls pinned and cooling, Middle: Curls out and brushed, Right: Back view of curls

If you guys have hair that struggles to curl, or hold its curl then this tutorial is for you. This can also helps girls with shorter hair too.
When my hair was longer, it held curls amazingly. So well in fact, I didn't need hairspray and they held for a couple of days. Now that my hair is almost shoulder length, they don't stay if I curl my hair like I used to.

I have seen this method a lot on The Cherry Dollface's YouTube account, as it's a curling method she uses a lot called "pin-curls". Named so because once you curl the hair, you pin it with a bobby pin to retain the shape until the hair has completely cooled down.

I think this style of curl looks great on shorter hair. I also know it looks amazing on longer hair too.

There are two methods you can use when curling your hair in this fashion. One is with a clipless curling wand and the other is with a curling wand that has a clip.

In this tutorial I'm using a curling wand with a clip, but I'm not using the clip. If you want to see how it's done with a clip, let me know and I will film another tutorial to go along with this one.

Now to do this, you need a curling wand, heat protectant, a brush, hair spray, and tons of bobby pins.

I find leaving the pins in as long as possible helps the curls last longer, so I recommend doing this first, before doing your makeup, but do get dressed first in case you accidentally pull the pins out while trying to get a top on.

Curl the piece of hair as you normally would, then drop the curl in your hand.

Pin the curl in place so it retains its shape.

Repeat this all over your head, hair spraying every couple of curls.

Once you've finished, hair spray lightly all over your head.

Continue on your routine, taking the pins out just before you leave, and then run your fingers through the curls to break them apart.

Here's the video I filmed to go along with this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WosgLQvO1BQ&spfreload=10 , hopefully this helps explain it a bit better.

Talk to you guys later xx
Shannen
Photos taken on a Canon 600D
18-55mm lens used
Photos edited on fotor.com

Easy Eyes (Eyeliner Tricks)

If you aren't an expert at winged eyeliner, or can only do it with liquid or gel. but not both, then I've got a couple of tricks and tips for you. If you're anything like me, gel is easy to get symmetrical wings thanks to the angled brush, but liquid or pen liners can be a-whole-nother story.

The first tip I have for you is super easy and doesn't need any pictures to demonstrate because all you need to do is grab two strips of sellotape about an inch long. You needs to line them up from the outer corner of your eye to the end of your eyebrow. Before sticking them to your face after you've put your foundation and stuff on, stick the tape to the back of your hands a few times to remove the adhesive. This will make taking of the tape less damaging to your foundation. Now draw your wing right next to the tape, using it as a guide. This should help give you more symmetrical wings than doing it free hand. 

The second trick I have is a lot more difficult and I will have a couple of pictures helping to demonstrate how to do it. All you need is your eyeliner and a teaspoon. The teaspoon acts as a guide to get the perfect cat eye. 

Using the handle of the spoon, line it up as you would with the tape, then draw the line using the handle as a guide. Make sure the spoon is pressed against your face so that the eyeliner doesn't get underneath the spoon. This gives you a nice straight line to start your wing off. 

Now to get a nice even curve at the top of the wing, to connect it to your eyelid, you use the curve of the actual spoon. Line it up so it connects the tip of your wing to your lash line. This gives a nice curve and helps prevent you from having a super thick line that you can get from attempting this free hand. Again you need to make sure the spoon is pressed against your face so no leakages happen.

After using these two tips and tricks you should end up with pretty symmetrical wings, and in my honest opinion, it speeds up the process heaps! After tonnes of practice you'll be able to do it wonderfully without using the spoon or tape. Practice makes perfect! You should end up with something like this:

But remember, it may not look exactly like this because everyone has different eye shapes!

Let me know how you get on with either the tape method or the spoon method!

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

Photos edited on fotor.com

Tangle Teezer Review!

PLEASE EXCUSE MY TANGLE TEEZER. I NEED TO CLEAN IT.

I have a quick tip on having great hair. And that's owning a Tangle Teezer. These small brushes are great. I almost never brushed my hair because it hurt, it pulled my hair, and sometimes it literally ripped my hair out, so I tended to avoid brushing my hair as much as possible. Then came the day I finally bought a Tangle Teezer. They're a bit pricey but in my honest opinion it's definitely worth it. My Tangle Teezer I got from Life Pharmacy and it cost about $30-$35. Like I said, pricey. It comes in a variety of colours as well as travel ones and ones made specially for water based activities. Ever since I got my Tangle Teezer I've been brushing my hair every day and I've noticed a considerable difference I my attitude towards brushing my hair.

The official Tangle Teezer website (www.tangleteezer.com) states that "Tangle Teezer The Original professional detangling hairbrush is loved by hairdressers and used in professional hair salons. It's a super smooth operator that works the minute hair is lathered and 

rinsed. Glides through wet, vulnerable and colour treated hair with no pulling, tugging or yanking. Hair peace at last!"

Taken from tangleteezer.com

Everything they say about this hairbrush is true. It doesn't pull, or tug or rip. It just slides through the hair as if there was no tangles or knots to brush through. Hands down, I'm never going to buy another hairbrush again. Tangle Teezers for life!

I give this product 5 stars. 

It deserves every single one and it's made my mornings and evenings much more cheerful and pain free. I definitely recommend this to everyone who can get one. They're available in most pharmacies and online. 

On a side note, for all those who already own a Tangle Teezer, here is a quick guide on how to deep cleanse you Tangle Teezer. Doing this helps removes product and oil buildup as well as clears it of hair. 

1. Remove all hair

2. Rinse well

3. Apply shampoo to the brush, then add some baking soda

4. Add a little water so the shampoo and baking soda react a little 

5. Rub it in the bristles, using a cleaning brush might help (like a toothbrush)

6. Rinse well and let it air dry for a few hours on it's back, bristles up. 

Now your brush will be like new!

Shannen xx
Photos taken on a Canon 600D
18-55mm lens used
Edited on fotor.com

Something near and dear to me...

Today I am going to write about something I've struggled with for years, basically ever since puberty hit. And that issue is acne. More specifically makeup that doesn't aggravate or cause breakouts. I hope that this post will be useful to my readers of all ages. It doesn't just cover acne prone skin, but also skin that's sensitive.

I've got three products that I find brilliant for my skin, and I have very acne prone skin. Those three products are CoverGirl Clean Sensitive powder, CoverGirl Clean Senstive liquid foundation and ELF's Acne Fighting powder. I'm going to write a quick, mini review about each product. How they felt, lasted and treated my skin. 

First off is my long lasting and seemingly never ending CoverGirl powder. I wear makeup pretty much every day and this powder has lasted me months and months. My colour in this powder is buff beige, and I'm really pale. Along with my acne, I think my skin might be a little sensitive (probably caused by the acne). I found this powder was perfectly light, perfect match, and didn't aggravate any existing breakouts. If a product is to heavy on my skin my face can get quite aggravated and itchy, but I haven't found this happening with this powder. And, yes I know that this powder is reaching the end, but I'm squeezing as much as I can out of it. 

Now the liquid foundation that matches this powder is also never ending, although I do only use it as light coverage  because I didn't want my acne suffocating under makeup every day. I wear ivory in this foundation and it's perfect in winter, but slightly too light in the summer. Again, it's great for my skin. It lets my skin breathe and doesn't aggravate my skin. I would definitely repurchase these, but I'm wanting to change over completely to cruelty free makeup. Looking on both the CoverGirl and PETA website, I can't tell if they do test on animals or not, so until there is confirmation I won't repurchase these two products again. 

Now for a cruelty free option, I have ELF's acne fighting powder. This powder contains salicylic acid which is great for fighting acne. This powder helps keep your skin matte and shine free so will probably be good for oily skin as well. I'm in the lightest shade that you can get it. I can't quite recall what it is, probably light or fair. You can buy ELF either online or at kmart. 

I haven't got it, but there is also an ELF foundation that's also acne fighting and contains salicylic acid. I've seen a few reviews on this and it looks really good, so I can't wait to purchase it. I've not seen it at kmart so online will probably be your best bet. 

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

Photos edited on fotor.com

Unexpected Twist

If any of you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you would have seen my hair getting less and less blue. I was fading it out as much as possible before I bleached it for my next hair change. It was patchy blue, pink and lilac. Which was kinda cool but I was completely bored of blue and ready for a new colour.

Now I have a few colours sitting around at home and I had settled on a colour to go to next. So I get my bleach and wait for my next day off so I have the whole day ahead of me to do my hair. Saturday rolls around and around lunchtime I decided it was time to get my ass into gear and do my hair. I follow the instructions on the box of bleach and continue on my merry way. I always leave my bleach in for about the length of an episode of whatever I am watching at the moment, currently the eleventh season of CSI. So now comes the time to wash my hair out. And the biggest but best accident happened.

Turns out when you bleach Manic Panic Shocking Blue, it goes pink. I'm assuming the more vibrant the colour, the more vibrant the pink will be when you bleach it out. As my hair was super faded and washed out, it went a beautiful peachy pink that I probably would never be able to get otherwise. I am stoked with this, so much so that I'm gonna wait a while before I actually go to the previously chosen colour. I still have a small patch of faded blue but that's due to me only using one box of bleach versus my usual two.

Who knew that I was gonna get two amazing colours out of one? This is the type of beautiful mistake I would love to happen again. Kinda like that one time I left purple shampoo on for too long (I was super engrossed in House and forgot it was in my hair) and ended up lilac for a while.

Good things can come out of accidents. Even accidentally on purpose.

Shannen xx
Photos taken on Canon 600D
18-55mm lens used
Photos edited on fotor.com

Manic Panic Shocking Blue $29.90
Schwarzkopf Nordic Blonde L101 Cool Metallic Lightener $14

My go to make up look

Pretty much every day you will see me rocking the same eye makeup. This same look, I wear about 99.4% of the time. It is the ever classic winged eyeliner. I don't remember when I started wearing it, or even how I got into it, but it happened and it's become the classic Shannen make up look.

My routine in doing my makeup hasn't altered too much since high school either. The only thing that's changed is the products I use. At the moment i use a mixture of Collection's BB cream or CoverGiri's Clean Sensitive liquid foundation. Sometimes, if I want a bit more coverage I'll use Collection's Cover and Go foundation as it's a much thicker formula than CoverGirl. I then use ELF's concealer and highlighter duo to conceal under my eyes. I don't tend to conceal any blemishes unless they're really red and obvious looking. I'll then use my CoverGirl Clean Sensitive powder to set it all. Once I've set my makeup I do my highlighter and blush. I use ELF blush in Tickled Pink and ELF facial whip in lilac petal. At this point I mentally prepare myself for doing my eyeliner. You have to do this as eyeliner can smell your fear. I either use BYS liquid eyeliner or ELF cream eyeliner. Personally, I find cream/gel eyeliners easier to use but I occasionally leave it in the bathroom and I can't be bothered getting it in the morning so I will use my liquid eyeliner instead (LAZY). Once both my eyes are sufficiently symmetrical I apply my mascara (Collection, the purple one, I can't remember what it's called. Something like 5 in one or something). And voila, my makeup is done. It takes about 10 minutes for me to do my entire face of makeup. 

I use this everyday because I find it easy, it goes with whatever outfit in wearing that day and I can easily glam it up even further by chucking a lipstick on. Which I do most days anyways. The lipstick I use on a most regular basis is Collection Sweet Tart. 

I own a lot of the brand Collection, I know. But Shaaanxo did a tutorial using it and I fell in love. You can buy it at Countdown. 

Shannen xx

All photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

Photos edited on fotor.com

Nails of the Month

First things first, a big thank you goes out to Sherie who does my nails every month! She's the best (and it's not just because I'm bias) at what she does and she does an excellent job every time.

This month I had originally decided to get some kind of nails that involved pink, like I do every month. But there wasn't a pink I could really settle on so I went for this beautiful lilac colour (OPI's  Don't You Lilac It?)

It was stunning and unlike any colour I had picked previously. Like I said earlier, I mainly stuck to my pinks and blacks. I'm quite the creature of habit. I am also obsessed with glitter. I get some glitter feature nail every single time (like I said, creature of habit). It's one of my favourite colours and  I would be lost without a bit of sparkle.

The length of my nails is all my natural nail growth, aside from my pointer finger on my right hand. I broke that off at work, therefore making Sherie's job a little harder. But like I said, she's brilliant at what she does. Sherie has definitely found her calling in life. 

As I have a gel top coat, my nails last me about a month before I go back to get them done again. They only break if I'm super dumb with them; like I chew them or I smash them on something at work. But that's all my fault. 

I love my nails so much, and they're super-girly this month.

Thanks Sherie!

Shannen xx

All photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens 

Sherie's facebook for her nails is 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gloss-Creations/632172103529586?fref=ts

Have a look at all her other amazing work!