.Happy Birthday to Me.

Hi gorgeous girls...

So I have been slightly MIA on the blogging side lately, due to my college schedule being slightly crazy and having a pretty nasty infection with ten days worth of antibiotics and countless warm Ribenas - All good though, and all will become clear in my next couple of weekly posts about what's been going on at college. So i'm sorry about that, i'm hoping soon to be back on blogging form soon, as in now! Which leads me onto this post.

On the 4th of November, it was my 21st birthday. I am one of these people who doesn't get any less excited about birthdays no matter how old I get. People keep telling me 'next year it won't be exciting' - No it really will... They clearly do not get my birthday problem. I had a really lovely time with my family, boyfriend and friends and feel very lucky to have them all in my life. My mum still makes a huge deal out of our birthdays which I love, she's the best.

Birthday balloon.

Mother Hazel's amazing spread!

I had a pretty busy couple of birthday weeks. On my birthday I went to college and the girls made a fuss of me, which is always nice :) and I then went out with my family and Tom for a meal and drinks in the evening.

Birthday banner on the school's door.

My edible present off the girls xx

Mega cupcake!



Wedding photo...

Birthday banner on my mirror.





My brother Ian and his girlfriend Sammi x



My amazing Mum and Dad - drunk?!

Me and my little bro x

On Sunday Cassie and I went up to Liverpool for a girly shopping day and she treated me to lunch at Jamie's Italian - Yum Yum! I finally got my hands on the Urban Decay Naked Palette too, which I am LOVING!  I then met up with the girlies for a meal throughout the week and had a catch up with them which I loved, as I don't see them as much now due to me being so busy! Girl meals are always full of laughs and inappropiatness (ours are anyway, especially when my bestest friend Cassie and I are concerned!).

Cara and I.

Me and my bestest xxx

Kelly and Sally x

Jamie's Italian



 The following weekend, my lovely boyfriend Tom had booked The Lowry Hotel in Manchester for a night out cocktails, amazing food and amazing company. We then recovered the next day with spa treatments and a spa lunch. I also met Liam Gallagher in a lift, he started a conversation with me... It only clicked when I got out the lift who I may have just spoken to. To be honest I wasn't sure until I saw him later in his trademark glasses and green coat - He was really nice to me, I like Liam! New fan here...

Superior room at The Lowry.

We also went to Australasia, which is the most amazing bar/restaurant. I ate my body weight in fillet steak and drank my body weight in strawberry based cocktails - Perhaps that's why the first round of antibiotics didn't work. Whoops! David Platt from Corrie was sat at the table next to us... Not quite Liam Gallagher but still I woudln't want to anger him, he's been known to push his mum down the stairs.

Tom and I xxxx

So beautiful.

Hair for my night out.

Australasia menu.

Tom in Australasia - Amazing interior!

All in all, I had a lovely lovely birthday and I am very grateful for the people who I have in my life. Sorry if this is abit of a selfish blog post but I really enjoy reading birthday posts!

I will leave you with this - a birthday isn't complete without it, regardless of how old you are!

Kate x

.Week Eight and Nine at The School of Make Up.

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in my weekly post(s). Last weekend was my 21st birthday weekend and this weekend I have still been celebrating with my boyfriend in Manchester. I'm now cuddled up on the sofa catching up on Frozen Planet ready to post about the last couple of weeks. I can't believe I have been here for over two months, it has gone so ridiculously fast. The last two weeks have consisted of all things special effects, which I have been looking forward to since I signed up for the course. I'm not going to do a day by day breakdown for these, and instead just post a lot of pictures, as they speak for themselves. If you have any questions about any of these photos please just ask, i'm happy to answer them!

GORE ALERT. Seriously, some of these pictures are abit gross. Just remember this isn't real what i'm doing, but it is what the injuries/effects look like in real life. (Believe me, i've googled it...)

Swollen black eye

Third degree burn.

Scars.



Stitch wound.



Wound using silicone piece.

Working to a brief - Dead body with strong blow to the head.

Sickness and tears using the tearstick.



Pustules.



Scab/coldsore.

Split nose.

Beaten up look - split nose, lip, eyebrow and black eye and grazing.

Wound using wax.



Third degree burn, with soot.





Breaking down the hands (ignore Andrea's perfect nails haha).

Ageing.

Hope you enjoyed this post and don't feel too sick!

Kate x

.MAC Rebel.

I have always been a fan of dark lipstick, in most colours. My problem was I sometimes found it hard to work with and after a few hours/drinks it was not looking too fantastic... Bad lipstick is never okay...

Luckily for me, during my time training I have had plenty of time to try to perfect my dark lipstick application, which meant me cracking out some of my relatively unused lippies to have a little practice on at the weekends. This is when I fell in love with a Rebel. MAC Rebel Lipstick to be precise. Such a gorgeous deep plum purple that suits any skintone.

With flash.

Without flash.

 As much as I adore Rebel, I do think with dark lipstick you need a lipliner too. Not only does it make your lips look polished and sophisticated, I think it forms a 'velcro' like bond for the lipstick to sit on. Thank you, Maybelline COLORSensational lipliner in 540 'Hollywood Red' - More like a plum red, not a postbox red, so it goes with Rebel perfectly.

Your key to a perfect purple pout!

My top tips for a long lasting pout:

- Prep lips beforehand, with balm. Wipe off any excess before applying your liner.
- With lipliner always sharpen before use. Begin at the cupids bow, one 'bow' at a time. Go over any white outline you have around your lipline to create a fuller natural lipline. Once the bows are lined, move down each side of your upper lip. I open my mouth slightly at this point which allows me to get right into the corners of my mouth. With your lower lip, start in the middle again, and open your mouth to get into the corners. Lipliner takes time to perfect, but it really can make the difference between an okay look, and an amazing one. Take your time, and as Gary Barlow once said - Have a little patience.

Apologies for crappy iPhone pic and fleecy PJs.. ;)

- Once you have created a lipline, fill your lips in with the liner colour, creating the 'velcro' effect I swear by. It also stops that awful line if your lipstick fades.
- I ALWAYS use a lip brush to apply a darker lipstick. My favourite is the MAC one, by far. I'd reccommend getting the one with the metal lid, as you can pop it in your handbag for touch ups.
- Apply the first coat of lipstick staying inside the drawn in lipline. If you go over, don't fret. Soak a cotton bud in eye make up remover and sharpen up any lines.
- Now this is the top tip... Blot with a tissue between each coat of lipstick, mattifying your lippie. Then reapply. I normally do about three coats. This always ensures my lipstick stays pretty much perfect for at least a couple of hours, which is something we all want - Strawberry Daiquiri or touch up your lipstick on a night out... I know which one I would choose!

The way I apply my lipstick normally ends up in it staining my lips anyway, so even if it does wear off, it still looks quite nice and worn in.

Without flash.



With flash.

 So there you have it. I hope this has helped in a way with any you lovely ladies who are slightly scared of dark/bright lipstick. This sort of colour is perfect for this time of year and I think it really pulls a look together. I haven't got any other make up on in the above photos but would be more than happy to leave the house like that with a chunky knit, big leather bag, hat and Chelsea boots. Look done. I absolutely love Rebel and will no doubt be wearing it alot in the next few weeks!

Hope you are all having a lovely week, it's my 21st on Friday so I am beyond excited. One day I will grow up. That is a lie.

Kate x