Smartphone meets Supermoon!

I love the term 'Supermoon'. It sounds so majestic and mysterious, I'll be looking forward to it if this good old Welsh weather of ours will allow it!

Tonight our moon is meant to appear 15% bigger than usual, the biggest its looked since 1948, and possibly the biggest it will appear in our lifetime. If that's not a reason to get creative with iPhone photo apps then what is?

Believe it or not you can capture great photos of the moon tonight with just your phone, and then edit them to stunning pics that you will be proud of.

TAKING THE PICS

Firstly, choose a fun location. Living in the Beacons of South Wales I'm spoiled for vantage-point choices. The official advice from NASA no less is to get up high.

Next, consider 'perspective'. Make sure to include something additional in your pics, not just the moon. Maybe your lucky to live close to a famous landmark, or even a large building? Anything that will show off how big the moon actually looks by comparison.

Don't forget your tripod! Or tree/rock/pile of books...let's face it, who really has a smartphone tripod on hand in a hurry. Hmm...selfie stick anyone?

So your all set up. You've chosen the perfect location, your phone is safely wobble-free and the frame includes both the massive Supermoon and something similarly super to provide perspective. The last thing you need to do is make sure to 'tap' the moon on the screen - making the most of that iPhone focus!

EDITING THEM

Here's where it gets really fun! There are so many photography apps, some of them will give you professional looking quality effects, and some will vomit glittering stars and smiley faces all over your pics. It really is up to you what look your going for. But here are my favorites to give you both classy and practical results...

#1. Facetune

Ahh Facetune, how I love you so. This app is my secret to Instagram consistency. I can't stand off-white on my Instagram feed, so before a pic is grammed, it gets the Facetune 'whiten' touch-up first. This is so easy its insane but the results are beautiful. Use the 'whiten' function on the moon and then follow up with the 'details' function to pick out all the good bits of your frame. Supermoon perfection in seconds!

#2. iPhone Camera

Featuring highly on the list..the actual iPhone camera app! I know I know this is a pretty obvious one if your using the camera on your iPhone but its a specific function that I've got in mind for our Supermoon - panoramic. This oldie-but-goodie can yield stunning images that provide fantastic perspective at the same time. Also the anti-shake kicks in big time when using panoramic, so no need for a tripod here.

#3. Afterlight

Afterlight is a great all-in-one app, with the standard brightness/contrast/highlight etc, but so so much more. I would use this editing app if you love the lomography look that been made so popular by Instagram filters. Afterlight has a MUCH wider choice of options than Instagram, my favorite being the 'light leaks' and the 'seasonal' filters that will have your supermoon-scapes hipster ready in minutes,

SHARING THEM

#4. VSCO

This is really a two-in-one app, part editing and part sharing. The VSCO community is large and varied, I guarantee there's a space for you and your sky-snaps here! 

#5. Pinterest

I am a Pinterest ADDICT. The months before my wedding (OK if i'm honest, years) were spent pretty much glued to this app, I now feel a deeply personal attachment to my boards. If nothing else they give me a beautiful sense of nostalgia, which we all need a little of in our lives. If you don't yet have a Pinterest account you can still search for night-sky pics to inspire you on your Supermoon mission tonight!

I hope you have loads of fun snapping tonight and beyond! Fingers crossed I will too if I can shake this flu that's had me writing this post from my bed, with a tea in one hand and a lemsip in the other, alternating sips..

Sarah

Bedroom Design - Blush, Grey and nudes

My partner and I have recently moved in together and I've had SO much fun 

researching bedroom design ideas! I'm drawn right now to

shades of grey mixed with a blush and nude palette and I'm 

slowly building up my collection of furnishings to put my stamp on this space.

I have countless ideas to put in place in this room but I'm happy 

with the way it's coming along. I wanted to make this post to document the pieces that

 I have chosen so far but also to serve as a 'before' shot. 

I have a lot of changes coming up...its pretty exciting!

I've been loving this book lately, it really matches up with my taste in design with a lot of vintage pieces mixed up with modern and scandi styles. I also adore the photography, I wish I could photograph interiors this well! I'm still learning but enjoying it a lot.

This dish is just a little trinket I've had for years and it means a lot to me as I'ts survived 

about twenty house moves - I'm not exagerating. Its currently housing my earrings, 

most are little random stud sets, the gold discs are Accessorize and 

The pink crystals were a gift from my man <3

Above our bed I've placed a glass hanging frame with three strips of 

photos that I had printed by Polabora. They are a company that takes your photos or even your instagram feed and prints them for you in a retro polaroid style. Its really affordable too! 

I had these strips (and a couple more) made and shipped for less than £10.00.

My wicker egg chair is another piece that's followed me around for years. 

I love the blush colour of this throw with the added glitz of subtle sequins. 

I'm a bit of a cushion addict, If there are pretty cushions in a store I can't resist! 

The two larger ones are from The Range and the smaller is Primark - I love a bargain. 

But they are very nice quality, plump and long lasting. 

Check out my Pinterest board for this colour pallet.

HOL Side Table- Ikea

Design Bloggers at Home - Amazon

Jasmine Floral Short Drop Earrings - Accessorize

#Girlboss - Amazon

Duvet Set - The Range 

Cream Cushion - The Range

Grey Cushion - The Range

Pink Cushion - Primark

Glass Frame - John Lewis

Tripod lamp - Clas Ohlson

What bedroom design colours are you going for this spring?

Sarah xoxo

Bare Minerals Flawless Complexion Essentials Kit Review

I like to really get stuck in there and commit to a product before I review it, so sometimes I'm a bit
behind the times! I know a lot of people rave about bare minerals skin kits, but then there's lots of comments out there slating the formula/coverage and that it makes you look aged. I needed something to create a more natural look as a lot of the products I have are very high coverage so I decided to go ahead and try it myself and hope for the best!

I picked up a bare minerals kit about 3 months ago. I settled on the flawless complexion essentials kit which you can personalise to suit your shade and make up needs, here's what I chose

Matte SPF 15 Foundation in Golden Fair

You can choose between this and the original foundation...both are mineral powder a but I can't resist the pull of matte foundations! I have oily combination skin, so this was a no brainer for me :). The foundation really is matte, but without that awful powdery tight feeling that I've had with other mattifying products. And believe me, this had been put to the test during very busy, hot and sweaty shifts at the bar - it stayed put and if I did develop any oiliness it looked dewy and glowy rather that sticky and awful. The SPF is a massive bonus too.

Rating -9/10

SPF 20 Concealer in Bisque

This is a powder concealer, I have to say I didn't even need to use this! I found that placing some of the matte foundation using a concealer brush where I needed it, like under the eyes and over blemishes, did the trick perfectly. I don't have a pic of this as I gave it to a friend.

Rating - n/a

Ready Luminizer Duo - 'The Love Affair' and 'The Shining Moment'

Ok, so this product has a pinky shimmer highlighter (Love Affair) and a more nude one (Shining moment). I've used the nude as an eyebrow highlight and on my Cupid's bow which looks pretty when applied carefully. The pink is very shimmery with a peachy undertone. I must say I have tried cheaper products that can do this job better, and I also tend to avoid products like this that can come across artificial if your not careful. At the stage where I picked this to go in my kit you can choose a bronzer, blush or lots of face powder alternatives...if I could turn back time, I'd try one of those instead.

Rating - 5/10

Mineral Veil

This is a lovely transparent powder that actually looks pinkish in its pot, it's basically an all over face colour/setting powder that just breathes life into your skin after you've used the rest of the system. The only product I can liken it to is the benefit dandelion, but it's still poles apart when it comes to consistency and application as it's a loose powder. You may not feel the need to use this step, I don't when I'm in a rush or just need a quick everyday foundation look.

Rating - 8/10

Prime Time primer

This does what it says on the tin, a lovely silky primer that allows your powder foundation to blend perfectly. I probably wouldn't use the bare minerals foundation without applying this primer first. It's glides on and doesn't sit on your face and block pores, which I'm always nervous of seeing as I have really oily areas. Fundamentally, it stops the foundation applying patchy, top marks! My only issue is that the tube which came in my kit is tiny, I'd be happy to repurchase but I'm kind of annoyed that he tube size didn't match the foundation which I'm still making my way through.

Rating - 8/10

My kit also came with a concealer brush, flawless application face brush (for the foundation) and an angled face brush (for highlighter/blush). One thing to note... They are MINI size brushes, which I actually LOVE! They fit in my everyday make up bag very nicely :) But...they're not going to look striking on your make up table so don't get your hopes up. I also received a couple of mini samples...bonus!

Rating - 9/10 (an extra point for cuteness)

The application of this is so fun! It's such a huge difference to using liquid foundations, the buildability of the product impresses me a lot. This is the system id choose to achieve "no make-up make-up", using they're swirl and tap technique and then buffing the product over and over until I've got my coverage. I don't feel the need to keep powdering my face throughout the day, which is something I've always done. This sits so nicely and naturally on my skin, it feels weightless and if I do feel like it needs a touch up I'll go ahead and use the mineral veil.

I've rated the products out of ten for how they worked with my oily combination skin. Some of you may find that the matte is not the right choice, or maybe you will love the liminizer duo! Just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't be what your looking for.

Over all I think that the price seems pretty steep to begin with, but then when you take into account the amount of products your getting (not to mention some great brushes) and the quality of those products then it makes sense. I will be repurchasing the foundation and primer for sure.

I'd love to hear your experiences with bare minerals...any recommendations? 

Sarah xoxo