Cara Slater’s Best Beauty Bloggers

For me, being a make-up artist and beauty therapist requires constant researching for new and up-coming trends/looks. It means trying out different products and seeing what works best for both you and your client. Now and again make-up tutorials are a great source of inspiration, along with good-old faithful Pinterest, however, Instagram has to be my major influence as it’s easy to follow plenty of beauty bloggers/vloggers for tips. Here are some of my favourites:

1.Zoella

26-year-old Zoe started out with just a small gathering of supporters on her blog posts back in 2009, by now she over 9.8m followers on Instagram, over 11m subscribers on her Youtube channel and her own website. She writes about all things beauty, fashion and life related and has a ‘real’ approach to her opinions and tips which makes her blog very down-to-earth and relatable.

 

 

2. Pixiwoo

These two sisters are the ultimate duo when it comes to the best and latest makeup looks and tips. They have years of experience in the beauty industry and have become worldwide sensations with their very own Youtube channel, make-up brushes brand, and Real Techniques.

 

 

3. Keilidhmua

Keilidh Cashell is one of my favourites to follow on Instagram. Her bold eye makeup looks are an inspiration for make-up lovers everywhere. She started off as a self-taught make-up enthusiast and has since graduated from the LA College of Creative Arts and is currently working and collaborating with Inglot Ireland.

 

 

4. Lisa Eldridge

Having worked with top celebrities and makeup brands, Lisa is always in the know about the latest and best products to use. Her make-up tutorial videos on Youtube shows you how to create looks from a heavy smoky eye to a flawless fresh face.

 

By Cara Slater

You can find Cara over on Instagram @caraslatermua and on Facebook As Coco Belle

FRESHERS: Quick 10-Minute Make-Up

After waking up with the world’s biggest hangover this fresher’s, the last thing you’ll want to do is put a full face of makeup on before heading out the door. So here’s a tutorial that shows you how to achieve the most from as little products and effort as possible.

1. First off, always make sure you’ve hydrated your skin with a good moisturizer and let that sink in for a few minutes. I use the Estee Lauder Day Wear Cream as it leaves my skin soft with a nice glow.

2. Cover any blemishes with a good concealer, I love the Estee Lauder Double Wear Brush-On-Glow Highlighter and Concealer, just dab onto your problem areas and sweep under your eyes to brighten up those dark circles, plus apply the tiniest amount on your eyelids and dab using your finger.

3. Then we need to highlight important areas of the face to brighten up your complexion for the day. The MAC Strobe Cream is a favourite of mine to use when not wearing as much makeup because of it’s creamy texture, use your fingers to apply to your cheekbones and up to your temples, the tip of your nose and the cupid’s bow on your lip and the arch under your brows. (Alternatively you can mix this into a tinted moisturiser or your foundation as well to get an all over glow.)

4. Just to add a bit of definition to your face, apply a non-shimmer bronzer, like the Peaches and Cream ‘Sculpt’ pressed powder underneath your cheekbones. You can also apply this over the socket of your eyes to add definition here too.

5. If you’re a lover of the winged eyeliner look and can’t bare to even think about leaving your bedroom without it, this is a toned down, more natural approach. I’ve used the MAC Eye Pencil in ‘Coffee’ across the top of my lash line. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect like your usual liquid liner, I sometimes even smudge it to make it look a bit more natural.

6. Apply 2 coats of your favourite mascara on your top lashes and a tiny bit to the bottom (only if you feel you need to as sometimes it emphasise your tiredness), this will open up your eyes even more when you’re feeling a bit under the weather after the night before. My favourite for years has been the Maybelline Colossal waterproof mascara in black.

7. And lastly, to add a bit of colour to your face, a product that has many uses: the NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, you can use this to line your lips and then fill them in with some colour, it also acts as a gloss too! (Another use I find it’s handy for is to sweep and blend it onto the apples of your cheeks to add a bit colour.)

 

So there we go, a minimal makeup tutorial that will have you looking fresh in just 10 minutes.

By Cara Slater founder of Coco Belle 

 

**Check out Cara’s Social Links for more insight into her business Coco Belle**

 https://www.facebook.com/caraslatermua/

https://www.instagram.com/caraslatermua/

FRESHERS: Best Cover Ups for the Morning After the Night Before

With your freshers just around the corner and your packing pretty much done, you’re probably beginning to plan all of the events and nights out you’re going to attend. If it’s your first year then you’re more than likely going to end up at all of them. If you’ve done the whole Fresher’s thing a few times you might have decided to take it easy. Either way, all that drinking and lack of sleep is going to play havoc on your skin. So here’s an insight into my 5 best cover up’s so you can look fresh, bright-eyed and ready for your 9am lecture the next day – even if you don’t feel particularly great, you’ll look fab!

1.MAC Pro-Concealer Palette in Light

This is one of my all time favourites when it comes to covering up those under-eye bags. I use it after I’ve put on my foundation, or sometimes without if I want a quick fix before heading out the door. I use the pink tone mostly to counteract those dark circles, and if I find it’s too heavy for my skin when I’m not wearing a lot of makeup that day, I add a couple drops of MAC Prep and Prime Essential Oils to get that dewy feel.

2. W7 Hide ‘N’ Seek Colour Correcting Concealer Quad

If you don’t want to break the bank on the MAC palette (face it you’ve probably already spent most of your student loan on clothes and a new Macbook), this is a great cheaper alternative. I bought the anti-redness palette to cover up the spots I get on my chin when I’m run down, and a little bit of this goes a long way underneath your foundation. 

3. Estee Lauder Double Wear Brush-On-Glow BB Highlighter Pen

I love this pen! It’s a concealer and highlighter in one! It’s perfect to use on top of foundation when contouring, or just sweep straight onto the skin and underneath the eyes to brighten up your complexion. And true to the Double Wear trait it will last for hours leaving your skin looking radiant all day. 

4. Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circles Eraser Treatment and Concealer

This is another that won’t make you feel guilty after you’ve bought it. The sponge tip on the pen makes it easy to sweep under your eyes, and it does what it says on the front too, it will actually erase those dark circles you’ll have inherited after the not-so-fresh Fresher’s Week.

5. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

And last but not least, another favourite of mine is this miracle in a tube. A lover of all things NARS, I was love-struck when I discovered this beauty, it covers up problem areas completely and with it’s creamy and smooth finish it will leave your skin looking flawless.

By Cara Slater founder of Coco Belle

Beauty Product Buying and Preserving – The Student Way

I like to think ahead about things and I mean very ahead. I like to plan and estimate how much things are liable to cost and make budgets and all that shizz. Yeah sometimes it’s very pointless. But, sometimes it’s worth it. Like when I started university last September.

So as a student it’s pretty hard to stay on top of money (unless you budget) but sometimes there is unexpected events or you end up spending more money that you thought which means you have no money for the important things… like shampoo, moisturiser , toothpaste all the toiletries and beauty products you need. So I decided to be pro-active. Spending the whole summer working before going to university my bank balance was doing ok.

I knew that if I just bought a bulk of stuff before I actually got there it would mean I wouldn’t necessarily have to go into my loan money when I ran out. Let’s face it I could have set aside money for all those products but the liable outcome is I’m going to spend it when I think something is worth it ‘Ah, Fall out boy are playing in Cardiff- lets go!’. We all know how that ends: I’ll get in the shower and find there’s no shampoo, I’ll then have to trek to the local shop with my unwashed hair and pay way more than I usually would.

So basically I bought excess amounts of everything along with my http://www.latestinbeauty.com/ boxes. I’ve only had to buy shampoo again once. And my year was basically over!

But, what happens when you buy all this stuff but you use it so much it doesn’t seem like it will last long enough? Well I found the most perfect example of how much of products you actually need from everyone’s best friend https://www.pinterest.com/. This should help preserve your products. Ultimately saving you money, giving you more to spend on those important party beverages. (Plus you’ll look  extra good with all your beauty products on!)

Enjoy!

Beauty Boxes for the Skint Student

Right now we’re in peak summer season. Which means for most of us money money money (and also no social life).When you were young summer meant freedom, man how things have changed, now it’s long work days, almost everyday. But look on the bright side YOU HAVE MONEY! Well that is until you go to that festival, a friend has a birthday or you go back to uni… then you’re begging for your loan to come in! So in appreciation for all the students who like to keep up with the latest beauty but can’t afford to break the bank here’s a magical box of beauty you’ll be swapping that beer money for!

If you’re up for trying branded products (both men and women) but can’t really afford to waste your money on a £30 product to then realize it doesn’t work for you. (I mean we’re students!) The perfect website is definitely http://www.latestinbeauty.com/ , from here you can get sample size products and sometimes full sized (they tell you which on the description) to test out by either building your own box or choosing one of their collections! At the moment they have a perfect little deal if you just want to test drive what they offer and see how it works. They have two perfect for summer: The Summer edit and A Weekend Away Beauty Box both at £20 each.

Last Summer’s GLAMOUR edit box

I’ve ordered four of their boxes over the last year, 3 being collections and 1 I put together as a Gift for a friend. The most I have spent on a box is £25 plus P&P but it really is worth it and they let you know how much it would cost you to buy them separately, so you can see how much you’re saving! Pretty much all the beauty products I’ve received have been beneficial because they’ve worked for me and I keep whatever bottles run out so I know for future reference that they’re worth paying for!

I love this site because they always have a collection that suits me as they have at least 4 different ones you can choose from at a time. Plus, they release a collection with products so perfect for that particular upcoming season! The Summer edit I bought last year was an absolute treat – it had fake tan, suncream, lipbalm, a tanning glove and loads more! It was created by GLAMOUR magazine who collaborate with them each season. So if you’re a fan of the magazine like I am it’s well worth the look. They also have a gift section so you pick the personality of the person you’re buying for and they suggest the best box!

The best thing about this wonderful website for me though is the fact you just make an account and you don’t have to subscribe to anything unlike other websites where you pay monthly. You can just pick and choose when and what you want to buy!

http://www.latestinbeauty.com/collections/ here’s a link to the collections so you can take a look yourself!

Right now they’re also doing a free mini box if you spend over £25! Go to http://www.latestinbeauty.com/blog/ and find the checkout code for the one you’d like to choose!

Being a student doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the gorgeous beauty products up for grabs!

Festival Inspired Make-up Tutorial

Just about to turn 25 Cara Wyn Slater is a self-employed make-up and beauty therapist.  She started the business back in April of this year, which has since been rebranded from her own name to the elegant “Coco Belle” and is now on 700 likes on its Facebook page. She’s become a household name for beauty in the local area – You have to be quick if you want to get an appointment as they fill up fast! At great prices and with gorgeous results it’s hardly a surprise there’s such high demand. Here she shares with The Young Collective a tutorial for the much-awaited festival season!  You may be thinking Glastonbury is behind us but there’s still time to get all glamoured up for festivals like No.6, Bestival and Reading and Leeds! 

“I work around the clock but I love what I do: I’ve met and worked with so many different characters and clients over the past couple of months and it’s them that keep my business alive! I do all my appointments in a beauty room I’ve set up in my own home, so it’s all very personal and that personal interaction with the clients are what help me understand what they’re looking for. These relationships are what help develop my business even further!

As I woke alone it means I can adapt what I offer to the needs of the customer. Changes in what I offer are usually due to changes in the latest trends for example the highly requested festival look! I spend countless hours perfecting looks and seeing what’s hot. If you’re going to do this job, you have to keep up to date with it!

When the Summer season officially started I began thinking of new and fresh makeup looks to try out, and exciting new promotions for my business. Festival makeup has propelled in the past couple of years and 2016 hasn’t slowed it down: with flamingos, unicorns, mermaids and pineapples being used as centre-stage for inspiration. It’s the one time of year where you can wear literally anything and get away with it.

It’s a very important season in a girl’s calendar, as well as planning where to go and how big a tent to take, our hair and beauty choices for the weekend also get a very important spot on the top of the to-do list. With inspiration from celebrities like Vanessa Hudgens, Kendall Jenner and so much more at Coachella, it’s hard not to realise that festivals have become the newest catwalk.

Many clients asked if I would be doing Festival inspired makeup for the long-awaited  Festival No.6.  It’s now on its 5th year and is being held in the Italian inspired village of Portmeirion, just up the road from where I live and am based, in Penrhyndeudraeth.

After researching photos and ideas on Pinterest and Instagram (If you need inspiration for anything they never let you down). I’ve decided to promote Festival Eyes and Hair for that specific weekend in a style that corresponds with the beautiful seaside setting of Portmeirion, which sits on the Estuary. So here goes, here is my first Festival inspired look.

As it’s summer, I love a heavily bronzed face for any festival just to keep up the appearance of jetting back and forth from our villas overseas. Along with a prominent bronze across the cheeks and temples, I also use plenty of highlighters to illuminate the cheekbones and bring out the glitter. Although I’m keeping with the beachy feel I’ve gone for colours that are a bit more out there than the subtle golden colours we typically see around the summer season. Instead, inspired by mermaid everything it’s all about the Turquoises and teals for the eyes for a blue sea vibe and to bring out that bright festival feels. I’ve then finished off the look with a nude matte lip to emphasise the attention on all the glitter and not to distract too much from the glamorous make-up going on around the eyes!

Check out Cara’s social media pages and get your bookings in quick!

https://www.facebook.com/caraslatermua/

https://www.instagram.com/caraslatermua/