CUB BEAUTY INTERVIEWS LAURENELLA:

Cub Fashion & Beauty Editor Sarah-Rose Harrison interviews upcoming beauty blogger and vlogger Lauren from Laurenella.


1. What initially inspired you start your YouTube channel?
I was inspired to start YouTubing after getting into watching others for a while-like essiebutton, meganisobel and dizzybrunette3.

2. What is the best thing about being a YouTube Beauty Guru?
I think the best thing about being on YouTube is that it seems to reach a wider audience than just blogging, and its nice to chat away!

3. The worst thing about being a YouTube Beauty Guru?
The worst thing about YouTube has to be the nasty comments-luckily I haven't had any so far but the bigger YouTubers get SO MANY.

4. What’s the best opportunity you've been given through YouTube?
Since I started blogging I've been lucky enough to get invited to a number of seriously cool events/parties, doing things I wouldn't get to do otherwise-like touring the London Dungeons after closing!

5. How much work is it to maintain a YouTube channel/blog behind the scenes? 
It does take quite a lot of time and effort to blog and YouTube, sometimes uni work gets on top of me and I don't get the chance to do it for a while, but I always feel really guilty for neglecting it.

6. What do you envision the future of YouTube and blogging to be?
I think a lot more people who blog are going to turn to YouTube as well, and brands are going to jump on board with it too. I'm sure in a years time my subscriptions box is going to be overflowing!

7. What’s the best advice to give to someone wanting to start out in a market that is already so saturated?
I think you have to realise that you're not necessarily going to be the next Tanya Burr. Just do what you want to do and have fun with it

8. What’s your desert island Beauty product?
My desert island beauty product has got to be my NARS Orgasm blusher. It's my all time favourite and stops me looking like a zombie.

9. What is your biggest Beauty pet hate?
My biggest beauty pet hate is definitely false lashes so big they look like they're weighing your eyes down-particularly if you're only wearing them to pop down to the shops for a pint of milk!

10.What was your first ever Beauty purchase?
My first ever Beauty purchase that I remember was a black eyeliner-I think by Rimmel, and I used to use it SO heavily that I looked like a raccoon. 

GYM MAKE-UP: BEETROOT VS. BEAUTY

 image from teawithhunni.com

  
History Student Elyse Clarke discusses the issues of vanity within the gym:

Recently my housemate and I have been trying to shift a few pounds, which has involved our renewed effort to go to the gym being undermined by our greater effort to convince ourselves that midnight pizza is a good idea. It’s not. Anyway, during one recent visit to the gym I was sweating away on the treadmill when I looked to my right and saw what I can only describe as some sort of gym angel bobbing along beside me. Whereas I end up resembling a human beetroot when I exercise, this girl was the embodiment of the ‘exercise glow’ - that elusive side effect of exercise that I have read so much about in magazines, but has sadly eluded me. So what are the rest of us supposed to do? To prevent the beetroot from making a public appearance, is it ok for those of us who aren’t lucky enough to ‘glow’ post-gym to cover up with make-up or is it an excessive vanity?

I do wear makeup to the gym, but my rationale is that it is purely defensive. I usually pop on some BB cream to tone down the impending redness, eye shadow through my brows to prevent the ‘egghead’ and maybe some mascara (just because). I think that if I’m not worrying about what I look like (human beetroot sans eyebrows) then I’ll work harder at the gym, look and feel better and thus eventually achieve inner Zen. 

Issues of vanity and Zen aside, there are questions about how good it is for your skin to wear a full face of makeup while exercising. If you’re doing it properly, you should be sweating and sadly your face is not an exception to this. As your pores open up to release the sweat, make-up can seep down and clog them, resulting in spots, dull skin and pesky blackheads. There is, therefore, something to be said for letting your skin breathe while you exercise because as you sweat, you sweat out toxins. Ever wonder why there’s that faint smell of alcohol floating around you if you brave a hangover gym session? You are literally sweating it out. Make-up can become a barrier and trap in what your body is trying to expel. Another more visible downside to wearing make-up (particularly heavy foundation) to the gym is that you are vulnerable to the sweat-tache and other similar side effects that can occur when you combine with foundation with sweat and gym towels.

Your best bet if you can’t go to the gym totally bare faced is to go for the lightest options – a tinted moisturiser, BB or CC cream – which will tone down any redness without effectively sealing over all your pores like a long-wearing foundation. And afterwards, make sure that you thoroughly wash and exfoliate your face to prevent any clogging of your pores.

What do you think is an acceptable amount of make-up to wear to the gym? Is it OK for girls slap it on before hitting the gym or should we go unashamedly barefaced, beetroot be damned?

#4 WHAT'S IN MY MAKE-UP BAG?

Freelance writer and second year student Eleanor Doughty shows us what's in her Make-Up bag: 

Now then, excuse me for being that girl, but I have a confession to make.  I like my makeup simple.  Preferring to stick to sixties doe eyes and an insouciant natural skin tone, my daily routine is less than arduous. 

Both fortunately and unfortunately, my job has enabled me to try such a great array of new products that I scarcely have room for them.  Beauty sales have happened in my bedroom, no kidding.  If you see me in my two most regular (sigh) E1 hangouts, the library and the gym, this post won't make so much sense; I am usually almost makeup free.  Suffice to say, I don't really look like a fashion and beauty journalist a lot of the time, whatever we’re supposed to look like.

Despite my makeup bag overflowing to the point where I actually had to buy a cabinet for everything, I'm pretty laid back about it.  I enjoy getting dressed and ahem, beautified far too much to want to do it every day.  Only when I am in the office full time - now a growing commonality - do I deign to spend the necessary time sixties-fying myself.

Diorskin Nude BB Crème (£30)

Shockingly, I don't wear foundation and never have- occupationally, this has proven tricky when trialing products and working on features.  Upon the arrival of Dior's BB cream in the courier post some months ago, I felt dishonourable to my standard routine, as it became a soft staple to my morning routine.  Designed to provide a soft, blemish-free backdrop to the skin, Dior's rosy cream is the most delicate I am yet to road test.  In my sampling wisdom of late, that is high praise.  It isn't so perfect for your purse, clocking in at £30, but for the amount you need to use in the morning, it's more than an investment piece.

www.dior.com

Bare Minerals powder blush (£19) / Chanel blush (£31)

I was lucky enough to be given a complementary session at the wonderful Bare Minerals boutique in Covent Garden for this addition to my makeup bag/drawer/life.  As all my individual products were chosen precisely for my skin tone, I completely hit the jackpot with Bare Minerals' divine powder blush.  You only need use the tiniest amount as the powder is incredible dense, but that makes it the most valuable possession.  I switch between Chanel's actually-smells-like-roses blush Joues Contraste too as this is probably the most incredible piece of makeup that I own, but I use it very sparingly so as to only enable its goodness for the very special occasions.

www.bareminerals.co.uk

www.chanel.com

Estee Lauder Two Tone mascara (£25)

Another press trial and another all-too-regular makeup bag staple comes from the team at Estee Lauder.  Introducing, Two Tone Eye Opening Mascara.  Bit of a mouthful, but so worth it.  On first impressions it appears gaudy, a little overdressed in its entire golden splendor, and a little heavy.  With two ends, a brown wand for the bottom lashes and a deep black for the top, the famous EL, as it has been known in our flat, is perfect for recreations of Twiggy's wide-eyes.  And on a makeup day, that's always me.  You know when you've met the one, and this is mine.

www.esteelauder.co.uk

Sephora Rouge Cream Mr. Lover lipstick ($12)

Some like it hot, some like it red…I like it pink.  Lipstick, that is.  I have been on the pursuit of the perfect pink lipstick for longer than I care to remember.  I have requested pink trios of lipstick from every brand I can find, been gifted packages of many, many that just weren't quite right.  Chanel sent some, Bare Minerals sent some, even Dior.  Dior's Swan comes almost perfectly close to a day-night perfect pink, but I am a little more swayed by Sephora's Mr Lover.  I admit it's not the pink I have been daily-searching for, but hot pink is a happy substitute.  Even if the name alone takes your fancy, it comes with Shard-high recommendations.  Of many of the lipsticks I have tried and failed at using, Sephora's Rouge Cream has most consistently delighted.  It doesn't fade, smear or wear off- it's never out of place and the colour fixes all day.  Okay so a little comes off on a wine glass here and there, but we're all winning in that scenario.  Disappointingly, Sephora still don't ship to the UK which is the biggest nuisance, but happily various European/North American dwelling friends are only too willing to post packages home to London in cases of extreme Sephora-itis.  I am only too inclined to buy Sephora makeup, that's how good it is.

www.sephora.com

Enter Pronoun Blacknailed eyeliner $28

Bizarrely, visiting Enter Pronoun's website brings up a header describing 'a unisex makeup collection'.  This hasn't stopped me from using their divine Blacknailed eyeliner every single day since it popped through into my in-tray during the summer.  The blackest black felt tip pen is the easiest eyeliner I have had the pleasure of using, even trumping my long-term BFF, Sephora's Long-Lasting 12HR Wear to the top spot.  Enter Pronoun's silver-packaged simple liner has never let me down, even in moments of flash flood, knee-jerk emotions or puddle-splashed-in-face-on-Curtain-Road (yup, that definitely happened), I have not been left resembling a panda.  And it's not even specifically waterproof, which I figure is even better.  Coming in at $28, it's not the cheapest eyeliner you'll ever use, but it might just be the best.

www.enterpronoun.com

#1 BEAUTY ESSENTIALS:

English and European Law student Anna Freund shares her Beauty Essentials with us:

1. MORROCAN OIL

 My number one is definitely Morrocan oil. I LOOOOOOve it!!
Since I came to London my hair has been less shiny and I feel like it’s often frizzy & that really annoyed me because I used to have lovely shiny hair without doing anything at all. But well, .. now I have Marrocanoil which does the trick! My hairdresser recommended it to me and although I was reluctant to buy it at first (it’s very expensive in Austria where I come from), I finally did when I saw the result after she used it on my hair. Now, I use it nearly every day – either after washing my hair or before I go out and I just want my hair to look and feel more healthy.
I have also tried light Morrocan oil which is for blonde hair but to be honest I didn’t feel a difference (apparently it’s lighter because blonde hair tends to get greasy more easily because of its very fine structure). My mum always used the Morrocan oil hairspray. I don’t really ever use hairspray but I tried it a few days ago because I had a very nice hair do for a ball and sprayed Morrocan oil hairspray to fix it, went out all night & just brushed it out when I came back home .I didn’t have to wash it out which is what I usually have to do because hairspray tends to be so sticky. For Christmas my mum bought be the Morrocan oil shine hairspray which is basically a diffuser for the normal oil. I prefer the oil for normal use but I have to say that when I go to balls and want my hair to be really really shiny and I spray it all over my head and it adds instant shine! 

2. ORIGIN’S YOUTHTOPIA FOUNDATION

The second product I have to mention is Origin’s Youthtopia Foundation which I have been using for about 5 years now. I has very very light shades as well which seem nearly impossible to find from other make-up brands. I love this foundation because it gives great coverage but it looks so natural as if you would not wear make-up at all. And it is not a matte foundation which I like because I prefer a little glow.
I don’t know why BUT I don’t find the foundation anywhere anymore. Apparently they don’t sell it in Austria anymore and I think they have generally discontinued this product. According to their website (yes, I have immediately checked their website!) they have one other foundation available but I haven’t tried it yet.

3. YVES SAINT LAURENT’S TOUCHE ÉCLAT FOUNDATION

The reason why I am writing about YSL’s Touche Éclat Foundation is because there has been so much fuss about this foundation & I was very eager to try it because let’s admit it the Touche Éclat Concealer is incredible (although overpriced if you ask me!). Anyways, I bought the foundation immediately after it was available & was so excited that they had to many available shades. BUT I took the lightest one and it is still too dark for me which I find incredibly annoying. They have to kinds of tones, one which is more rosy (which is what I need) and one which is more yellow. Apparently they yellow one is available a bit lighter (at least that is what the sales person told me), but it looked too yellow for me. I haven’t checked in a big store like Selfridges so it’s possible that the shop where I was was simply not well stocked. I love the design of the bottle: typically YSL with a gold lid and the logo. I just think it looks very elegant and simple, which I love. The texture of the make-up is really good as well and after applying it you really do see a little but of a glow / shimmer on your skin and I think that makes it look more healthy and fresh. BUT I felt that I had to re-apply it all the time & also that it didn’t give very good coverage which I need because my skin tends to break out quite a lot & then I have read spots all over my face.. . Also, it is very expensive in Austria. If I remember well I paid about 80 Euros for it & I don’t think it is worth it. But I found out it is much less expensive in the UK (so unfair..)!

4. KIKO’S LONG LASTING STICK EYE SHADOW

Kiko is a make-up brand from Milan & I know it from one of my best friends who regularly travels to Italy & she always brought me nail polish  from Kiko, which is great as well. I have spent my New Year’s Eve in Rome last year and everything was rather expensive so we decided to restrict out shopping to Kiko make-up products. One thing I bought was the “Long Lasting Stick Eye Shadow” in a gold tone (number 07) & I have been using it regularly since then. I usually apply it under my eyes instead of kajal because I think it makes my eyes more shiny. It promised to last for 8 hours & although I haven’t tested it I think it really does last that long. I never have to re-apply it at all & it stays where it is supposed to.

5. CHRISTIAN DIOR’S EYEBROW SET

I LOVE the fact that big eyebrows are back in fashion! During summer I have stopped plugging my eyebrows altogether and let them grow naturally. I felt that my eyebrows are quite thick when I saw them after two months without touching them. Now, I may plug one or two hairs when they are really not in place but otherwise I leave my eyebrows as they are and have to say it’s looks much better than before & it saves me quite a lot of time!
Back to Dior’s make-up palette. I started using it again when I wanted to emphasise my eyebrows and found it in one of my make-up bags. It has three different shades of brown, one shade of beige and one black powder kajal. As you can see I mostly used the really light beige shade for my eyes, the second brown shade for my eyebrows and sometimes the black kajal if I want to go for a more natural look. This palette is amazing because the colour stays in place. I usually need to re-apply every other kajal but this one stays in place all day (and night). I also tried eye brow pens but I soon realised that I prefer eye brow powder. I think it looks more natural and is easier to apply.

6. MASCARAS

Now to Mascaras. I have been looking for THE perfect mascara for such a long time and I have been quite disappointed. I want a mascara to give me everything: big, long lashes and volume. In addition it is really important for me that I can remove it easily because my lashes are quite blonde and I hate to see left over mascara on them the next day.
This year I tried a lot of mascaras again and these are the ones I liked:

YVES SAINT LAURENT MASCARA – VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS
When applied more than once it makes really nice and thick eye lashes which is great for going out but maybe too much for a natural day look. And again, I love the design (somehow I feel drawn to gold!) & I think make-up products should also look nice because isn’t it great to open your make-up bag and think “oh so many lovely shiny things!”? In addition I really like the smell. I don’t know why.. it has a very light smell but somehow I find it very nice.

LANCÔME PARIS – HYPNÔSE
My mum has been using Lancôme for a long time and I have to say I generally like all their products. Hypnôse is the mascara I have used for nearly the whole year. I think it’s great and it does everything for me. I use this on a daily basis because applied once it creates a very nice look that is not too much but still natural. The design is very much Lancôme – just black and very sleek & beautiful.
I have tried Hypnôse Star a few days ago. Hypnôse Star contains a little bit of glitter but to be honest I couldn’t see a difference once applied to my lashes.

CHANEL INIMITABLE MASCARA
I tried this mascara in summer and I found it to be very nice as well. However, I don’t think it was very easy to take it off & I had to apply it several times to achieve a more dramatic result.

L’ORÉAL PARIS – MEGA VOLUME COLLAGEN 24
L’Oréal’s Mega Volume mascara is the last mascara I recently bought and I am very happy with it. I think it gives volume and length (why decide for only one?) & you can also apply it several times making it more an evening look. I initially bought this because I wanted to try a cheaper mascara but I have to say it is as good as the other ones! The only two things I don’t like is firstly, that sometimes when I rub my eyes or take a nap, my mascara is under my eyes.. . And secondly, the design – the mascara is very big and round with white writing on it. But I would still buy it again as I am very happy with my lashes after applying it!

7. BIO-OIL

My last beauty essential for 2012 would have to be Bio-oil. My mum bought it for me because I have soo many scars and it really doesn’t look very nice. Bio-oil is supposed to help scars disappear when used regularly for more than three months. Obviously I have not managed to go this so my scars are still there but I feel like my skin is so much better & softer after applying Bio-oil. Even after one application I can feel a difference. Also, it’s not horribly oily like other skin oils but the skin absorbs it really quickly so you can put it on & get dressed afterwards. I have also read that people use it in their faces but I wouldn’t try it because I have combination skin & think I should rather stick to creams for my skin type.

8. EVE LOM CLEANSER

My last beauty essential is definitely Eve Lom’s cleanser. It’s the best cleanser I have ever tried and used. It removes everything, so you don’t need individual removers for eye make-up and foundation etc. It also is really gentle and suitable for any skin type (I have combination skin and in winter my skin tends to get quite dry so it was difficult to find a perfect cleanser). The texture is very creamy and the cleanser has a light and pleasant smell. It comes with a cloth but I have hardly ever used it. I just apply the cleanser and wash it off with water.
If you decide to buy it I would recommend the big tub (200ml for £85) as it comes cheaper per ml. It really is very expensive but as I said before, I think it’s the BEST cleanser ever and it actually lasts very long. Apparently it has been voted best cleanser in the world by several beauty editors and Instyle once named it product of the year.

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Beauty Essentials with us!