Sub Spotlight - Jaclyn Hill

It was only earlier this year that I discovered my overwhelming love (and obsession) for makeup. I definitely have to thank YouTube for this one as I think without my online girls I wouldn't be so clued up about make up application and products so the SUB SPOTLIGHT is going to introduce to you some of my favourite gals & guys to follow online for all your beauty needs! There are tonnes and tonnes of beauty "Gurus" to follow online from all around the world and the only way you're going to find out who works for you is trawl through as many videos as possible but I'm pretty sure you will quickly come across people that speak to you (literally).

A lot of other women will understand the ongoing nightmare that I have been through for years now; trying to find a liquid foundation that isn't too pink, or too dark, or too light, or too brown, or too orange.... I give up! After turning to using powder products for years I decided being older (and hopefully) wiser it was time to give liquid another try and while mooching around on the web for advice & tips on liquid foundation I came across this exact pin, which at the time was named "Tutorial for flawless foundation. One of the best I have ever seen..." I clicked through to YouTube and my life (my girl life anyway) was literally been changed forever!

At first I was a little bit confused about how much this girl was rambling on about her life and what had been going on, but after a few minutes I really warmed up to her and got stuck into the makeup. I was totally amazed at how gorgeous her eye make up looked (I had no idea eye shadow could look that good) and then was left gob smacked when she went to apply her foundation and I realised she didn't even have any on! She was totally bare faced and looked incredible! 

This guys, was the moment that I met Jaclyn Hill.

Continue reading on the full Live lotus blog to hear more about Jaclyn and to see my Top 5 Jaclyn Hill Videos!

Book Club - Girl, Interrupted.

"People ask, How did you get in there? What they really want to know is if they are likely to end up in there as well. I can't answer the real question. All I can tell them is, it's easy."

Unfortunately, I'd seen "Girl, Interrupted" the movie, a long time before I read the book, which obviously is always the wrong way to do it. When I did decide to get the book, I was really hoping that the movie wouldn't create a biased picture in my head of the characters and their situations and I'm very glad to say that it didn't. The movie is a great representation and exaggeration of the book but it didn't spoil it for me too much, because the book is much more in depth and we get to learn a lot more about our main girl Susanna and her "Condition".

"What about me was so deranged that in less than half an hour a doctor would pack me off to the nuthouse?"

         Read more to access my full review of "Girl, Interrupted" at LiveLotus.co.uk

Afternoon tea at The Great John Street Hotel

It was  a crisp November afternoon and the city was buzzing with that pre Christmas glow. The markets were being delivered and set up, and the shoppers were starting to emerge. I met my lovely friend Lai -Yin at Beetham Tower, and after an excited hello we strolled our way down Liverpool street and towards the Great John Street Hotel. 

Lai-Yin had arranged afternoon tea for us, so we could  have a much needed catch up and a gossip about all the new events in our lives. Having only visited GJS in the evenings before, it was lovely to see it in all it's glory during the daytime.

For those of you that don’t know GJS is a converted school house which is now home to one of the most luxurious and friendly hotels in Manchester. It has a plush and eclectic interior full of interesting little trinkets and objects to explore. 

We were seated in the lounge and instantly got stuck into our news; trips to Rome, new jobs and love interests were all in the headlines of course...Read More

Milani Cosmetics Baked Blush Collection.... Yes Please

I am an absolute sucker for anything that promises to give me radiant, illuminated skin. I long for Eva Mendes’ glowing complexion. So with this in mind my beautiful friend, Alexandra, introduced me to the Milani Cosmetics baked blush range. Unfortunately Milani isn’t readily available in the UK but you can purchase from their European website. I however, am lucky enough that my aforementioned beautiful friend is a flight attendant for a major UK airline, and often flies to the US and picks up products for me on request... Thanks Love!

Milani’s promise to us is that:

“This silky blush with benefits can be used so many ways. It shapes, it contours, it highlights. Sunbaked on Italian terracotta tiles, it’s buildable from sheer to vibrant. Yes, it adds a cheeky pop of colour to your complexion. Radiance and warmth, too.”

Now, I don’t know about sun baked on Italian terracotta tiles, but these blushes definitely add a whole lot of sunshine to my face.... Read More 

Marrakech Madness

I don’t even know where to start with Marrakech.....

Marrakech is a crazy mixed up world of its own tucked away inside the walls of the Medina. The first thing I will tell you and be completely honest about, is that it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. I’d read a few other blogs and posts before I went; and I imagined this incredibly, almost glamorous Arabian world of beautiful colours and fabrics with interestingly detailed tiled work and carvings on every street. Don’t get me wrong, Marrakech is definitely all of those things but “selective” photography can be very misleading, and I actually had no idea of what to expect inbetween all of these beautiful places. I’d almost forgotten that Marrakesh is, like every other, a working, living city and that is definitely reflected in the Medina’s narrow busy streets.

We scored big time with Riad Khol, it’s probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stayed in. (There will be a full separate review on this soon). Fresh from the airport, bags in hand, we were immediately greeted with people offering to carry our bags to the Riad for 300dh (£30) and a group of pesky boys running a broken sandal scam trying to make money out of us; I was completely overwhelmed by how busy and noisy the streets – and particularly the alleyways leading to the Riad- still were at gone 11pm and to be honest I was a little scared.

Head over to the full Live Lotus blog to find our more about my trip to Marrakech.....

5 Ways I get my beauty sleep

Found on weheartit.com

I think we sometimes undermine how important sleep can be. Apart from providing our body with rest and recovery time, sleep also plays a large part in our beauty routine and you should try your best to make sure you’re getting the most of out of your zzz’s.

According to the scientists, the average person needs between 7-9hours sleep a night to function properly, (me being the un-average, needing/wanting approximately 11 hours a night to even be able to talk the next day). To keep us shining brightly, our sleep provides our skin with rejuvenating times, dead skin cells are shed and repaired and good amount of sleep will keep you bright eyes and ready to take on the day. With that said, there are my best tips to make sure you get all the beauty sleep you need...

Click here to go to the full Live Lotus blog to find out how I get my beauty sleep!






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I'm Obsessed with Pure Heroine.... Lorde that is!

*Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own any of the images used for this post.

I'm pretty sure this album has been released in the UK for about a year now, I've had it downloaded for a few months and have only just got round to listening to it properly and I have to say I am literally obsessed! It’s all that has been on the car for at least 3 weeks straight, every... single... day! I loved how catchy ‘Royals’ was when it was first released in the UK but as with everything else the radio drove me mad with it; but I'm crazy for it again now hearing with the rest of the album.

Pure Heroine touches on boy crushes, teenage parties, peer pressure & Lorde’s young transition into to fame and fortune. It’s a really catchy story of her teenage life and I feel like she’s got that ‘Keepin’ it real’ attitude which I quite like about her; because she isn't, at the same time, boasting about all the money and cars she has like pretty much everyone else does when they're supposedly 'Keepin it real.' She seems really down to earth and creative which shows through in the album, to me anyway.....

Click here to head over to the full Live Lotus blog to listen to my favourite track and find out ore about Lorde's debut album.

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The Mixed Girl Tag

It’s a bit of a lengthy one this one, so get comfy and grab a biscuit or something!

This tag has been around for a while now and I came across 2 of my YouTube girls that had done the tag so thought I‘d join in and share my experience. It’s really interesting to hear more about people’s bi-racial backgrounds and the experiences they've had growing up being “Different” as they say. After mooching around on a few other people’s tags I can definitely see the differences between, mainly the US & UK, attitudes towards bi-racial people and the personal experiences this leads too. Which is ridiculous really, because I reckon that most people these days have a background or a decent from at least two different countries; so in a way, I bet we’re all mixed chicks... even if you don’t look it.

1.What are you mixed with?

Simply, I’m black & white, but if you want to get technical, my mum is Italian & my dad is Ghanaian (West African.)

2.What ethnicity have you often been mistaken for?

If I’ve straightened my hair, I usually get mistaken for being Asian, mostly Pakistani.

3.Is you hair Curly or Straight?

You decide.....

Click HERE to read more of my Mixed Girl Tag at LiveLotus.co.uk

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3 Short but beautiful days in New York City

Let me just start off by saying that 3 days in Manhattan, is barely even time to get a taste for this incredible city. At a time when I was younger and slightly obsessed with 'Sex & the City' and the entire 'Gossip Girl' book collection I'd made my way through ( yes before the TV programme existed), New York was probably the only place on my travel list that I was desperate to see. However, as I have grown a little and have shied away from hiding my love of history, mythology and culture, many other places have pushed New York down and down the list, because after all, it's just a city isn't it? Then, I was very lucky to have the opportunity to visit New York with work, and I'm never one to turn down any kind of trip, so obviously I went!

  Click here to visit the full Live Lotus Blog and to find out more about my trip to the Big Apple.

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Arabian Nights Make up Look with Sleek i-Divine

With a trip to Morocco on the horizon, what better way to prepare myself than with the Sleek limited edition i-Divine palette. My Arabian nights look is subtle with a hint of rich bold colour, read more to see how I created this look along with a product review.

DIY Lingerie Chest

Magazines have always been something that I have loved, whether it was 'Bliss' & 'Teen Vogue' when I was 14 or moving up to the likes of 'Marie Claire' now days, I've always appreciated the work and time that goes into them and I've always found them really difficult to throw away, especially if there's just an image or a product or a hairstyle that I like inside. This strange compulsion lead to really annoying piles of magazines all over the place so I decided to recycle them like a normal person; but not before sifting through them for the images that I liked. Then.... as you can imagine I ended up with a pile of quite useless pieces of paper with random models, photographs and products on.... what now?

Read more to discover how I turned my hoarding into a beautifully personal creation

Before.....

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Rimmel's New Wonder'full Mascara Review and First Impressions

Rimmel's new Wonder'full mascara promises to be our secret weapon to full volume without clumps, a formula enriched with Argan oil to leave our lashes smooth & conditioned, read on to see my first impressions and test use  ... read more





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Live Lotus

Visit me here......

www.livelotus.co.uk

xx