My Tiny Garden Makeover… Part 1

So here’s the deal.

I hate gardening.  Like, really hate it.  I don’t know my clay soil from my peat soil, I forget to water my plants and, much to Paul’s annoyance, I shy away from any kind of physically hard labour. Oh, and I don’t like spiders, spider webs, worms, bugs in general, moss, rain, ‘getting stuck in’…. I am a pathetic excuse for a human being.

This is our ‘garden’.

From the wall of the house.

From one corner...

...And from t'other corner.

Looking back on the house.

Granted, it’s wet and miserable at the moment, but as you can see, it’s not so much a garden as a patio surrounded by fence. Now don’t get me wrong, I can see it has the potential to be a truly lovely space.  I LOVE courtyard gardens, the more Mediterranean-influenced the better; but in order to achieve this courtyard garden dream (a built-in seating area, lighting, white rendered brick work, potted plants galore and a herb garden to rival Hugh’s), we need some serious bunce.  Which ain’t coming our way any time soon.

However, I have been MAHOOSIVELY inspired by Kimberly of Swoon Worthy (an ace interiors blog) who has recently completed a little garden makeover herself.  She and her partner managed to turn a small, neglected space in to a chic, colourful and inviting garden… without spending much money at all.  Wanna see for yourself? Click here, have a butchers and then come straight back to read about my plans!

The FIRST thing I want to do is tuck a little shed in the space between brick wall and back door.  It will hide all that c**p, and once painted a soft blue or green, add instant colour to an otherwise drab space.

Something like this would be rather nice.
(Image via Little Green Shed)

Crap hidden, it’ll be time to turn to the fence.  Or should I say fences seeing as we’re surrounded by three different kinds at the moment.  If money were no object I would surround myself with bricks and have a beautiful little walled garden.  But money is an object, so this can’t happen.  The bamboo needs to come down. This was hastily put up when we first started to let our cats out (a completely wasted purchase as they were up and over within minutes), and needs to be binned.  Equally, our back fence wobbles manically in the slightest of breezes and needs to be replaced, although I’ll be sad to lose the ivy.  Once a new fence is up on all three sides, it will bring a unity to the space which I can then jazz up with planters and pots and colour galore.

Trés belle, non?

Image via Happiness Is...

Or how about rustic-chic?

Image via Pinterest

The two brick flower beds are trickier.  The one on the right gets lots of sunlight and is Paul’s  precious herb garden.  I would have to drug him to get to that bad boy.  The one on the left however, gets no sunlight whatsoever and we’ve struggled to grow anything in it over the last year.  Getting rid of it all together would mean re-doing the patio, which isn’t an option, so I’d like to empty the bed and cover it with decking or reclaimed wood to create an extra seating area for when we’re entertaining.

Which leaves us with the patio.  Although I haven’t properly looked in to it, this is a makeover on a budget so I don’t think there’ll be many pounds left to do anything other than pressure-wash all the moss and years of neglect away.  If we can afford it though, I’d love to gravel the upper level, with some carefully-placed patio slabs leading up to the door.

Beautiful small garden alert! Image via Pinterest

And as a final piece of horticultural pretty, this garden owner has taken the inside outside, by accessorising aplenty, with lanterns, shelves, and a beautiful big mirror to create the illusion of space.  I have a feeling eBay and I are going to become very well acquainted…

Image via Pinterest

So what do you reckon?  Possible with £500 max, or a gardening goal too far?!

You’ll have to watch this space 🙂

In the meantime, do share your gardening tips and super sunny outside makeovers!  It’s going to be a rainy old week…

Possibly the most depressing thing ever.

Sama xxx

A Winter Wedding at Cooling Castle Barn

Thank the Lord, it is Friday.

First up, apologies that I have been so quiet this week.  A last-minute acting gig meant I was working in one form or another aaaaaall week, so I just haven’t had a chance to blog.  I am OFF today though (yay!) and have a first on The Utter Blog for you, in the form of a real-life wedding…

Lauren and Lewis are ‘sixth-form sweethearts’ who were married on 5th December 2010 at Cooling Castle Barn in Rochester.  We were actually all at school together, so it’s an absolute pleasure to have them on the blog, but for now I will hand over to Lauren…

Lewis and I met in sixth form at school. He was the cute boy that used to hang out in the common room and I have to admit I always had a soft spot for him. I guess we just naturally got together and 5 years later he popped the question. It was Christmas Day 2008 and we were exchanging stocking fillers in bed when he got down on one knee (which was quite difficult in bed) and pulled out a stunning princess cut diamond ring. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

All images via Danni Beach Photography

Being a curvy girl, I already had a good idea of what dresses I should be avoiding but I was pretty clueless on what would suit my figure.  I made an appointment at Confetti and Lace in Lakeside Shopping Centre and all I had was one cut out from a magazine that I happened to like. To my surprise (and what I believe was a touch of fate), they happened to have the exact dress in the shop and it was in my size too! I couldnt believe it. I did try on other dresses but as soon as tried on Sabelle by Maggie Sottero, I just knew it was the one and no other dresses compared. Even to this day, I havent had a dress wobble and would choose my dress again. It had everything I could have wished for; a sweetheart neckline (essential for the larger bust), a gorgeous beaded bodice which held me in, and a full taffeta skirt with lace and ruffles. It was perfect.

I chose to wear my Mum’s veil that she had worn on her wedding day. Not only did the vintage lace match the lace on my dress perfectly, it also meant a lot to me, to wear something that my mum had 30 years earlier. I also wore a gold necklace that had been worn by each female in my family for the last 100 years. I originally didnt want a necklace to detract from the dress but to wear a piece of jewellery that had been passed down the generations was something I felt honoured to do and I think it looked perfect.

Lewis and I had always been slightly ‘anti’ the traditional groom attire and preferred the more relaxed look of a smart suit.  However, when Lewis went to try some suits on, it became clear that this didnt feel enough for him.  He felt like he was going to work.  We had a re-think and decided to go for traditional tails and headed to Austin Reid at Bluewater. We chose a pale gold colour for Lewis and a champagne colour for the two best men and the usher. There were a few problems with the suits due to the heavy snow, meaning I spent the day before the wedding getting trousers turned up at the local dry cleaners but this was hard to avoid and was no-ones fault but Mother Nature’s!

Ever since I watched the film ‘Father of the Bride’ as a child, I had this vision of a snowy wedding day. I am the kind of girl who gets overly excited about Christmas adverts in November, cold winter days and of course fairy lights- lots and lots of fairy lights! This led to us having a December wedding and me being able to put my vision of a winter wedding in to action.  Never did I imagine that my dreams of a snowy wedding would come true and the day would actually be set in a backdrop of 6 inches of snow!

I wanted the day to feel warm and cozy as well as having that winter magic feel. I was lucky that Cooling Castle Barn had already decorated the barns with Christmas decorations which consisted of lots of fairy lights and large Christmas trees in each of the barns . For all the extra touches we had the help of Laurie from Cherry Tree Events who shared the same vision. With a little help from her team, Laurie provided us with stunning bouquets, button holes, chair backs, hurricane lamp centre pieces and the floral arrangements. I could not sing her praises loud enough. When I saw the barns on the big day I was overwhelmed with how my vision had come to life.

All images via Danni Beach Photography

My advice to other brides-to-be would be relax and enjoy the journey starting from the engagement! I loved being engaged and I think it is sometimes easy to turn into a bridezilla and forget to take time out from planning and spend time just being in the moment.  For me, the most memorable part of our day was standing in a field of snow after the ceremony. Although we were having our photos taken by the fabulous Danni Beach, we felt completely relaxed. We chatted, laughed and the whole situation felt like we were part of a Narnia film. It was utterly magical and this is a moment I dont think I will ever experience again.

The pictures in the snow are absolutely my favourites- so serene and yet so dramatic!  And isn’t Lauren just a beaut? Although don’t be fooled… behind that gorgeous face is a filthy sense of humour.

Thank you for being the first real wedding on The Utter Blog, Lauren and Lewis!

Go on, leave some love…

Sama xxx

Sunday Utterings… #2

The Easter holidays are over. Sigh.  As Paul’s a teacher there’s a definite ‘back to school’ feeling at my house tonight.  He’s back at work tomorrow and effectively *permanently stressed* for the next 6 weeks, and I lose my house-husband.  ( I love it when he’s off and I can give him jobs to do… every day… not that I take advantage or anything…)

T’was his birthday on Tuesday, and with our planned trip to Whitstable rained off, we hit Bluewater instead, and I turned all Gok Wan in my quest to update Paul’s (quite frankly, less than inspiring) wardobe.  I somehow managed to persuade him to buy some chinos and some snazzy blue ‘sneakers’.  I say he looks cool; he says he looks like a member of One Direction.  The jury’s out as to whether he’ll actually wear said items… but the victory is still mine- mwa ha ha ha…

And just for the record- he does look really good in them.

Check out his hoard!

I scored another minor victory last night in persuading him to come to the cinema with me.  He HATES going to the cinema (freak!), so there is a heated debate every time I suggest it.  He says I only go so I can eat a family-size bag of Malteasers (this is true); I say that he’s a lazy shite-hawk and he needs to get out more (this is also true).  But last night he conceded and we saw a late night showing of The Cabin In The Woods, preceded by a beautiful little bite to eat at Wahaca, my new favourite eaterie.  Simple pleasures.

In other news, I may go a little quiet this week as I’m doing a last-minute acting gig.  Called ‘The Sitcom Mission’, it’s a knock-out style contest for comedy writers who are competing to have their sitcoms commissioned.  As such they need actors to perform their scripts, so I’m dusting off my theatre boots and getting back on stage for the first time in a long time. Live performance terrifies me (if you go wrong you can’t say ‘Sorry!’ and start again), but if the piece I’m in makes it to the final, we’ll get to perform in front of all sorts of important TV comedy people, so it’s a great opportunity…

… As is my chance to get a hot bod for the wedding.  Yes, with a year and a month to go I have done the inevitable and joined the gym.  And not just any gym either.  My gym has an infinity pool with heated pool-side loungers, three (yes, three) kinds of steam room, and tropical monsoon- style showers that play bird music and give you a light show at the same time.  I’m not going to lose a pound, but boy, my pores are going to be cleansed.

And that’s about it from me! I’m keeping it short and sweet tonight.  I have washing up to do before my beloved Homeland begins and I get to dive in to that tub of Ben & Jerry’s that’s calling me from the confines of my freezer.  Half-Baked all the way, baby.  Gym? What gym??

What’s your favourite Ben & Jerry’s flavour?

Sama xxx

A Warm Welcome

I’m expecting a trickle of new visitors to The Utter Blog today as my first post has gone live on the You and Your Wedding website!  I’m on the homepage and everything!  ‘Tis very exciting…

So if you are a new reader and fellow bride-to-be, or if you’re one of the many international visitors who stumble across my humble blog when searching for something a little more obscure (‘fringe porn’ remains the highest ranking search term for this blog, you filthy buggers- read on for clarification), or if you’ve been compelled to visit today for whatever reason… WELCOME.

Why don’t you make yourself a cup of tea and have a little look around? There’s nothing profound or particularly innovative here.  It is unequivocally and unashamedly a blog about me, but if you are getting married as well, or if you too have a ginger cat called Lenny, or if you simply like wedding stuff, I’m sure you will find something of interest 🙂

I’ve written about all sorts in the past couple of months…  Some of my personal favourite posts are:

• Insider Know-How: Dress Shopping I give my tuppence worth on what to expect when searching for your wedding dress. Hints and tips galore, folks.
• Made for Maids: The Case for Individuality & Style Is the matchy-matchy look a thing of the past?  I talk bridesmaids outfits in this (slightly controversial) post.
• The Great Big Wedding Fall-Out The post that started it all.  My man and I started arguing within a week of getting engaged… did you??
• Friday Fringe Porn Unintentionally disappointing ‘fringe porn’ googlers across the globe (I have no idea what it is either), I got a little over-excited about brides who sported a wedding day fringe. Warning: this post contains some seriously beautiful images.

Like this one by Christopher Currie Photography

And there’s so much more… (That category cloud on the right-hand side is pretty good as a starting point.  Pick a category, any category!)

I get so excited I do a little jig every time someone bothers to input their details and leave a comment- so please do if you have something to say! I don’t bite, honest.  And if you want to keep up with regular updates, you can follow me on Twitter, or you can ‘like’ The Utter Blog on Facebook.  Both make me incredibly happy.

I hope you enjoy…

Sama xxx

Sunday Utterings…

Evening all, and a Happy Easter to you!

I have to say, as a non-religious person and self-confessed ignoramus when it comes to the finer details of Jesus’ death, I feel a little fraudulent celebrating this time of the year.  However, a bank holiday weekend is always welcome, as is the copious amount of chocolate now sitting brazenly in front of the fireplace.  I swear, it is daring me to eat it all in one go, but I will try to make it last…

Today Paul and I went down to my Mum’s for a lovely luncheon of roast lamb and vegetables fresh from her garden.  We played a leisurely game of Articulate (there are always games at my family’s house- Paul hates games, mwa ha ha haaa…), and sampled my Mum’s first attempt at The Wedding Cake.

Yes, my amazing mother has nominated herself as cake-maker extroadinaire for the wedding.  This is no mean feat- prior to getting engaged I had a VERY clear idea of what I wanted when it came to the baked goods.

1. It would be a cake and dessert rolled in to one.  It saves money and ensures it gets eaten.
2. It would be chocolatey.  And gooey. (Hate dry cake!)
3. It would be encased in chocolatey swirly finger thingys, and be piled high with seasonal berries.
4. It would be served with jugs of cream for a lovely, rustic, decadent pud.

Something like this is my idea of perfection…

from Patisserie Valerie (only £800...!!)

Today my mum had made a flour-less chocolate cake which she served with the berries and homemade lemon ice-cream (I tell you- she’s a goddess in the kitchen!).  The cake was moist (big tick) but so, so rich- it tasted more like a dark chocolate torte to me, so she’s under instruction to attempt a more gateaux-like creation next time!  (I really am so grateful though- and will be very proud to tell people on the day that she has made it :))

I actually have the next TWO days off, as it’s Paul’s birthday on Tuesday. We were going to go down to Whitstable tomorrow and spend the day/night there, but rain is forecast, and Whitstable is no fun in the rain so we’re staying at home instead.  We will potter around tomorrow and see his family in the evening for a celebratory meal, and then spend a day together on Tuesday, probably in London village.  I’m on the look-out for a decent exhibition or something, although I’m thoroughly tempted to take him to watch Titanic 3D at the Imax.  I’m not sure he’d ever forgive me though…

Anyone been to a good exhibition or equivalent in Londinium recently?

Enjoy the rest of your weekends, one and all.

Sama xxx

 

Twitter, Twatter… Whatever.

Twitter.

A best friend and personal ego-booster one minute; a morale-destroyer and general spawn of the devil the next.

When Twitter burst on to the scene back in 2006 I was completely indifferent.  I had over 300 ‘carefully-selected’ friends on Facebook and an online presence already established, thank you very much.  Why would I want to start again, appeal for ‘followers’- a horribly tribal and narcisstic term in my opinion- and this time be limited to 140 characters??  After a while I joined out of curiosity and followed a few celebs, leaving an unsavoury taste of ‘stalker’ in my mouth.  I gained around 12 followers myself (mainly my colleagues who had encouraged me to join in the first place), and tweeted when I remembered.  Which wasn’t very often.  Twitter for me back in 2007 was a complete waste of time.

But then, at the beginning of 2011 my career started to go in a different direction.  With acting jobs getting less and less regular I started to focus on my previous ambition of becoming a wedding and event planner.  I got a job in a wonderful bridal boutique and became more and more immersed in the world of weddings.  I devoured wedding blogs and started building a business plan.  I did copious amounts of research and started to get an idea of the ‘key players’ in the industry, and, with a business name finally chosen (a whole other blog post in itself), I re-joined Twitter at the end of last year, as Utterly Wow, with the intention of using it as a source of industry info, to make contacts (and perhaps new friendships), and gain some sort of ‘industry presence’ before launching the business at the end of this year.

In the space of a few months I’ve gained just over 200 followers.  If numbers are important (as Twitter would have you believe) that’s ok… I think… considering that 90% of them are total strangers and my ‘business’ is still only a business plan.  Of those 200 followers, I follow around half of them back, and of the 180 people I follow, around half of them follow me back…. It’s a game of halves, this Twitter lark.

When Twitter is good, Twitter is great.  It still amazes me how, without even asking, a blog post I’ve written can be retweeted to thousands and thousands of people by the company I’ve written about; as happened with my Boux Avenue review, and my If Money Were No Object post.  When I was having an engagement ring wobble, I asked a couple of big boy bloggers with a large bridal following to RT and they did; earning me my best day on the blog for a long while, and gaining a chunk of new followers along the way.  Being mentioned as part of a #ww (Wedding Wednesday) or a #ff  (Follow Friday) makes me giddy with excitement (even though it’s only happened once or twice), and thanks to a call-out on Twitter, I have a fantastic band booked for my wedding next year.  I don’t have a particularly large blog readership, but I do seem to have a loyal band of lovely ladies who, thanks to Twitter, read regularly and leave thoughtful comments… There is no doubt that used correctly it can be a powerful and invaluable business tool.

But when Twitter is bad… well, it can be pretty rubbish.  Paranoia, depression, inferiority… these are all feelings that I have experienced- however fleetingly- since becoming a regular tweeter.  And I don’t think I’m alone; I have seen many a sad or cryptic tweet by someone who is obviously feeling a little low at that moment.  And these by people with thousands of followers! But then why should the number of followers we have mean anything anyway? That ‘number’ is so utterly irrelevant and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. We want to be followed by people who are interested in what we have to say, surely; not those who simply follow in order to get a follow back?  Then there are the cliques you’re not a part of, the meet-ups you’re not invited to, and the ongoing ‘conversations’ between industry pals that clog up your twitter feed (when really they could be conversing via more private means, such as email or the telephone…).  Yes, yes, I know I could ‘unfollow’ them if I really wanted to, but the truth of the matter is… I want to be a part of that clique, god damnit!  And therein lies the paradox of Twitter.

Aside from the odd moan or lonely tweet, Twitter can be likened to a shop front; a happy, shiny, newly-painted, flowers in the window shop front that invites customers (followers) to come inside (click through to the promoted website/blog) and make a purchase (become a ‘follower’/take a vested interest in that person/business).  Therefore we are generally led to believe that everyone on Twitter is happy and successful and that business is just booming, thanks for asking. Fighting against my natural instinct to be sarcastic and cynical and self-derogatory in order to provide amusement for others (as I do on my personal Facebook page) I find myself being consistently upbeat and positive in my tweets.  On a good day this comes naturally (“I’ve written a blog post! Come read it- it’s great!”).  But if I am feeling a little low or a little ‘what am I doing with my life again, aged 27 and 3/4??’, well, Twitter has all the power to make you feel just that little bit more inadequate.  So I’m gradually learning to stay away when those flashes of insecurity appear.  I head on over to Facebook and make people laugh with a witty mockery of my inadequacy instead- instant uplift!

It is a bit of a game, Twitter, and one I don’t think I’ve quite got to grips with yet (it’s no Balderdash!), but it’s one I shall persevere with.  I get surprisingly few blog hits from Twitter (I thought it was going to be the main referrer when I first started but Facebook and Google are proving way more successful for me at the moment), which saddens me only because I’ve discovered so many fab blogs and bloggers through it myself.  Surely we shouldn’t expect people to read our utterings if we don’t take the time to read others’ utterings as well?

But then again, if you’re reading this now then I’m preaching to the converted, aren’t I?? 😉

Thoughts?

Sama xxx

 

A Make-Up Trial with Hazel Burford

Hello, and a very happy Monday to you!  I write this slightly weary after a busy weekend which involved a last-minute attempt at mastering a Leeds accent for an acting auditon, an Anne Summers party, two nights of drinking on the trot, a full Saturday in the bridal shop, a major house clean and Sainsbury’s.  On top of all that, I got to have my face made up by a very lovely lady called Hazel Burford– although I’d hardly call this particular aspect of my weekend ‘taxing’…

The make-up trial came about partly due to a collaboration with the bridal boutique, but mainly because I am a bride-to be 🙂  (Albeit a very eager bride-to-be, having a make-up trial more than a year in advance!)  In the past I have always advocated the use of a make-up artist to others on their wedding day, but I was unsure if I would end up taking my own advice, as I do enjoy doing my own make-up- and no-one can ever do your mascara as well as yourself!

So, intrigued (and a little bit excited), on Friday afternoon I made my way to Hazel’s lovely flat on the Isle of Dogs to have some fun with my face…

*Now, I do feel the need to make some sort of disclaimer here.  Despite me having a snazzy new camera, neither Hazel nor I are photographers, so please excuse the less-than professional photos.*

Bare-faced chic, a.k.a zero make-up.

My ‘brief’ for Hazel was quite specific.  I didn’t want to go au naturel and look like I wasn’t wearing any make-up, but on the other hand I didn’t want to  go too dramatic á la Catherine Zeta Jones (who I thought wore way too much on her wedding day!).  When I get dolled up I tend to do the 60’s thing; all winged eye-liner and nude lips.  I wanted that… but done professionally.  Oh, and with coral lips please, as opposed to nude or pink.

The halfway stage

Primer, foundation, highlighter, concealer, blusher, eye shadow, liner and lips applied, I’m very nearly done.  Hazel suggested navy liner rather than black or brown as it can intensify brown eyes apparently!  All that’s missing is mascara and some individual lashes…

And... tada!! (Scary close-up alert)

I have never used individual lashes before but I loved them.  I don’t know if you can tell from the photo above but we experimented with different lengths- the eye on the right has the short length (for volume) and the eye on the left has the medium length (for a little bit more ‘flutter’).  They were a tad painful when they came off in the evening, and I was worried I’d end up taking my real eyelashes off with them, but they definitely help to make your eyes pop that little bit more.

Back on the balcony for a final headshot.

Overall, I was very chuffed with the end result.  I looked like me… but me on a pretty good day, which is what every bride wants after all!  And I am pleased to say that even with the trial completed by around 2.30pm, it lasted right through to my ‘date night’ with Paul, with just a re-application of lipstick needed.  How do make-up artists do that??

The products used were:

• MAC Prep + Prime
• Porcelain foundation, Bobbi Brown
• Porcelain concealer, Bobbi Brown
• MAC ‘Something Special’ cremeblend blush
• Rimmel bronzer
• Urban Decay ‘Naked 2’ eye palette
• Gel ink liner in ‘Sapphire’, Bobbi Brown
• Crystal sheer lipstick in ‘Coral’, KIKO (a brand that comes highly recommended by Hazel)
• Bourgeois Volume Clubbing mascara
• Eylure Individual False Eyelashes

And whilst we were at it, I thought I’d ask Hazel some all-important make-up questions…

The lady in question...

So Hazel, what made you want to be a make-up artist?

If I’m honest, I have always been very girly! I used to really enjoy getting make-up, hair and beauty products as gifts. Once I started to experiment and play about with make-up, I could see how different you could make yourself look and thought that was amazing!

How did you get started?

I trained at the famous Greasepaint school back in 2005. I thought it was THE BEST thing I’d ever done; 9-5 learning about make-up- amazing! I did the ‘fashion make-up and hair’ course which focuses on make-up throughout different eras, and how it can be used to inspire new looks.  The school has an agency which helps their students get work experience once they have finished the course, and I found this invaluable.  Over the years I have worked on lots of different projects, including TV, short films, music videos, magazine, catwalk (London Fashion Week, and The Designer Wedding Show) and bridal projects… it’s been fantastic.

What’s the biggest difference between fashion and bridal, and which do you prefer?

I think the real difference is be the potential for ‘free creativity’!!! On fashion shoots the MUA is given a brief to follow, but there are plenty of occasions when you can go wild and use your imagination. With bridal make-up this is often not the case. Brides are pretty sure how they wish to look, and it is up to the artist to create the look for them. However, girls are often very keen to get your advice on colours and textures during the trial.  And, of course, the basics of achieving beautiful, natural, glowing skin is the same!

What is the most-requested bridal look?

Most girls have read in magazines that it’s ‘important to look yourself’ and be a ‘natural beauty’. I agree with both of these ideas in principle of course! You don’t want to be unrecognisable in wedding photos!! However, I think some people forget that make-up is less visible in photos, and so you do need a little extra touch than your day-to-day look. I think people basically want to look the best version of themselves, which is exactly what a makeup artist should be offering.

Do you have a particular ‘look’ (bridal or non) that you like doing best?

Smokey eyes, in all shades are nice. Don’t restrict yourself to thinking smokey means grey though! Purple and green look fabulous as well.

What are your top 3 beauty and make-up products?

Good under eye concealer is ESSENTIAL – Bobbi Brown is my favourite.  Slapping foundation under your eyes and calling it ‘job done’ is not the way! Nice blusher in a creamy texture instantly adds a fresh, dewy tone to the skin- MAC and NARS offer beautiful colours and textures to suit everyone. And thirdly, it’s not make-up, but for your skin to really look great, you need well cared for, moisturised skin– face and eyes! I’m loving Neal’s Yard and Liz Earle right now, amazing scents and great skin care ranges.

And finally, what advice would you give to brides in the lead-up to their Big Day?

This follows on nicely from above… get your skin looking it’s very, very best. Make sure you REMOVE all make-up EVERY night.  Cleanse carefully and exfoliate regularly.  Dry skin makes foundation look patchy- not what you want! Use a moisturiser in the day with spf, and a nourishing night cream. Use eye cream morning and night. At your trial make sure you have thought about how you would like to look, and specifically how you would NOT like to look. This means that your make-up artist can create a look for you, following your ideas.  Take photos from magazines if you’re not sure or can’t express exactly what you like. Also, at your trial it might be a good idea to take a note of the lip products the artist used (assuming you like them!) so you can buy and re-apply on the day.  After that, I think you’ll be all set!

… Some very wise advice at the end there.  I wanted to re-apply that lovely KIKO lipstick before I went out for the evening but couldn’t, so I’ll be sure to buy my own for the wedding day itself!

I would whole-heartedly recommend Hazel for any MUA needs.  Skilled and knowledgeable, she’s incredibly sweet and friendly to boot.  To find out more, you can visit her website here.

Phew! That was a long one.  Hope you enjoyed… Anyone got any make-up tales to tell? Good or bad?!

Sama xxx