Dundee Independant Business Gift Guide

Hello everyone

My name is Jillian Elizabeth and I am the head make-up and hair stylist at Cosmetique make-up, hair and beauty studio. As the head of a small business in Dundee I always love buying locally and supporting other small businesses. 

I have put together this Independant gift guide with some of my favourite places to go and to shop in Dundee that have some perfect Christmas gift items. There are so many amazing independent businesses in Dundee it was so tricky to choose just 10, so please do comment with your favourite places as well!
This is in no particular order.

1 Siobhan Diamond Photography 

Siobhan is a fun loving and professional photographer based in Dundee providing wedding, studio and lifestyle photography.Her studio is filled with natural light and has the most relaxed atmosphere. 

Treat that special lady in your life to a make-over photo shoot or gift your husband or wife an amazing family photo shoot so you can have images you can treasure forever. Whats even better is Siobhan has an amazing special offer on right now.

Click here to buy her special offer.

2 Jillian Elizabeth at Cosmetique  

Cosmetique is the studio where I (Jillian Elizabeth) am based. I offer a wide range of make-up, hair styling and beauty treatments. If you have a festive night coming up then why not treat yourself!

This Christmas why not treat someone you love to a complete makeover with hair styling and make-up for a relaxing luxury manicure or pedicure. Have a teen in your life? Why not book a make-up lesson so they can learn how to correctly apply their make-up.

Have a look at my 12 Days of Christmas special offer for some amazing deals that make the perfect Christmas gift voucher. 

3 SPeX PisTOls

Spex Pistols has to be one of the coolest shops in Dundee. This optical boutique has the friendliest staff and stocks the most amazing selection of frames and lenses. If you wear glasses every day it has to be the right style for you, I challenge any one to walk into this shop and not fall in love with at least one pair.

As well as selling glasses this amazing place has a repair service so if you have a favourite pair you have broken then bring them in. They even put new lenses in my old pair so I could keep them as a spare. 

I would love a gift voucher of this place for Christmas (hint hint friends and family) so I can get a stylish set of sunglasses for my holidays and I'm guessing some of your loved ones would too. Head in to the shop or have a look on their website to see just how amazing they are!

4 Mandi Candi Boutique 

Mandi Candi Boutique is a stylish and glamorous boutique situated on Exchange street in Dundee. Its staff are professional and friendly and always go that extra mile to help you find the perfect outfit for yourself or as a gift.

Whether its clothes for a christmas night out, a work outfit or something comfy and casual or a unique vintage outfit Mandi Candi has it all. They also stock some amazing candles and beauty products. 

Click here to go to their website and use this blog posts exclusive discount code of "JILLIAN122016" exclusive special offer of 20% off online. 

Want to see more of what this lovely boutique has to offer then have a look at their instagram page. 

5 Scarlett Erskine Jewellery  

Scarlett Erskine is an award winning scottish jeweller who creates both wearable and statement pieces. Scarletts pieces are elegant and unique with gorgeous texture that makes them so interesting to look at.

Click here to visit her shop where you will find beautiful and unique gifts and experiences that are amazing as Christmas gifts. My favourite is the design and make your own ring experience, I have personally had this experience and it is so interesting and fun, plus you have a beautiful ring at the end of it. 

6 The Hair Boutique 

The Hair Boutique is a modern and stylish hair salon offering a wide range of hair treatments in Dundee. Laura the owner is a friendly and experienced hair stylist who can create the perfect hair style for you, she is the only person I trust to cut my hair and give me a restyle. 

As well as modern cuts, colours and styling The Hair Boutique has lots of amazing gifts that are perfect for Christmas. Beautiful Rose gold GHD products, Colour Wow root touch up, Invisibobbles and Tangle Teezers. 

Click here for the Hair Boutique's facebook page. 

7 Swankie Jo's

Swankie Jo's is based on Exchange Street in Dundee and offers a wide range of quirky and unique gifts along with jewelry, candles and local art. The staff are always ultra friendly and willing to help.

If you are looking for a gift that is a little bit different then definitely get down to this shop. My favourite has to be the vintage style pocket watches! I got one for my partner last year and he loves it! The beard oil and Krispy Kreme candles make the perfect stocking filler and if you aren't sure what to get for a loved one the a gift voucher for this place would be perfect.

Click here to visit their facebook page.

8 Madigans Food Emporium  

This place is such a lovely lovely boutique tea room and book shop. The first time I went I loved it and was not sure is the books there were to read while you eat, then I found out they are also for sale... Amazing!

I am a huge peter pan fan so finding a whole vintage J M Barrie section was the highlight of this year for me! I really believe there is nothing better than finding an old book that you love. The food in Madigans is so tasty so it why not stop there in between your Christmas shopping. Whether its breakfast a light lunch or just some of their amazing cake this is a must visit spot in Dundee. 

If you know someone who loves book then there will be something here for you, if you aren't sure where to find what you are looking for their friendly staff can point you in the right direction.

Have a look at their facebook page here.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this gift guide and that you have a look in all of these amazing places for some of your Christmas gifts this year. I am all for shopping locally and I hope now you are too!!

Jillian Elizabeth

Is Airbrush Make-up Right For My Problem Skin?

Hello my name is Jillian Elizabeth and I am the head make-up and hair stylist at Cosmetique Studio. I love doing bridal  hair and make-up and helping brides enhance their natural beauty on their wedding day. 

The airbrush make-up that I use is the highest quality silicone based make-up formula on the market. It provides a natural, dewy finish for a healthy youthful glow on any skin.
Its properties are:

Oil free, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic
Customisable colour
Silicone based formula
Long lasting all day wear

Airbrush make-up is just perfect at helping to camouflage a variety of different skin  conditions. Here are a few examples of make-up that I have done.  

 Broken Capillaries/ Rosacea/ Redness

Redness of the skin is a common complaint for many women. It can often be difficult to have enough coverage to hide the redness without looking too heavy or caked on. The airbrush is perfect for this as it is lightweight so can provide full coverage without feeling or looking heavy. 

The bridesmaid and mother of the bride from this wedding both had high colouring and broken capillaries on their cheeks. They both wanted a really natural look with all of the redness covered. 

The bride loved all of the make-up and said:

 " Redness is a huge problem when it comes to make up and you covered it perfectly."

Acne, Spots and Acne Scarring

Acne and spots are a common skin issue in both male and females and after the spots clear up there can be scarring left behind.The airbrush make-up is great for covering up spots and the scarring left behind.

This client has lovely clear skin however had a few spots and some scarring from spots on her forehead. She wanted to wear all of her hair away from her face so wanted her forehead to match the rest of her clear complexion.

Here is what she thought of the airbrush make-up:

"I really loved the airbrush make-up, it gave amazing coverage however still felt lightweight on my skin. The make-up lasted all day and into the night and was completely flawless. I will 100% be booking in again."

Eczema 

Eczema is a skin condition that can cause redness, dryness and itchiness and can cause the skin to feel irritated and sensitive. 

It can be difficult to find make-up that works with eczema as applying make-up on top of it can sometimes emphasise the dryness and certain products can further irritate the skin. 

The skin care I use is all designed for sensitive skin and the airbrush make-up is the is the highest quality silicone-based formula on the market and is hypoallergenic 

One of my beautiful brides Vicki has eczema and here is what she thought of the make-up:

"I suffer from eczema so I have to be very careful when choosing makeup and I believed I was fated to do my own makeup for my wedding. I found Jillian at a wedding event where she explained to me the benefits of airbrush makeup and a few months later we arranged a trial. Jillian loves to pamper her potential brides but most of all she made feel so comfortable and relaxed (the cake and daiquiri may have helped) At the end of the trial I felt and looked amazing! I deliberately chose a morning trial to see how it would last and it was still going strong by midnight the same day and no sign of irritation! "

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog post. If you have any concerns or questions about your own skin conditions feel free to get in touch and book a make-up trial to see if my airbrush make-up is right for you.

www.cosmetiquescotland.co.uk

The Beautiful Jaimi's Wedding

Last week I was lucky enough to go to the amazing Kinnettles Castle and do Jaimi and her bridal parties make-up for her wedding. I really love going to this venue as it is so picturesque and the staff are always so friendly.

I had such a fun morning helping the girls get ready for the wedding, I used Temptu airbrush make-up to create a long lasting flawless complexion for the girls that they just loved.

Here are a few unedited pictures that I captured on the day:

Here is the beautiful bride Jaimi, she wanted a natural flawless complexion with smokey eyes.

Here is what she had to say about her make-up:
"Just wanted to give you a message to let you know how delighted I was with all of our make-up on Saturday! You were brilliant all morning and I really appreciate the effort you went to to make us look so good! ☺️ I was really happy with it, and felt so confident knowing that you'd taken care of it for me! Really chuffed, thanks once again!"

Brides maids and mother of the bride and groom.

Jamie had the incredibly talented Chris over at Chris Simpson Photography capturing her day. Chris was so friendly and professional and his pictures speak for them self. He was kind enough to let me share a few with you all below. One word that comes to mind when I think of Jaimi is "smiles" as she is so happy and always smiling, I think Chris has captured her personality perfectly.

Bridal make-up is my passion and I just love using the airbrush make-up o create a flawless and long lasting finish. If you are looking for a make-up artist for your big day then feel free to contact me.

www.cosmetiquescotland.co.uk

A huge thank you to Jaimi for allowing me to be a part of her big day and letting me share these beautiful images.

For more information on Chris's photography feel free to have a look at his website:

www.chrissimpsonphotography.co.uk

Jillian Elizabeth x

The Beautiful Sophies Wedding Make-up In New York

Hello Everyone

This blog and this wedding is extra special for me for so many reasons.
8 years ago for the first time in my life I travelled alone to New York to work at a Summer Camp for children and adults with additional support needs. It was an experience that changed my life and made me into the person I am today. This wonderful place was called Camp Huntington, and it is there 8 years ago that I met Sophie and Louis along with so many wonderful other people. These people have come to mean so much to me and I am so lucky to have met them.

Sophie and Louis met each other 10 years ago at Camp Huntington and this year they decided to get married in this wonderful place along with their friends and family.

I was more than honoured to do the bridal parties make-up along with the mothers of the bride and groom. Here are a few pictures of these beauties:

Sophie doesn't normally wear make-up so she wanted an extremely natural and timeless look. Here is what she had to say:

"Jillian is incredible. She has been a close friend for years and she did my make-up for my wedding in April 2016 and she was so wonderful. She also did my bridesmaids and Mothers make-up. We all felt amazing, best we ever looked! Jillian made me feel so calm and relaxed. Jillian also stayed back to redo my make-up after seeing my Father for the first time that day, even though she had to get herself ready as she was a guest. She couldn’t do enough for us. We love Jillian!"

These photographs were taken by the extremely talented Dawn Honsky Photography. Thank you so much Dawn for allowing me to share them.

Here I am with the bride and groom. What a wonderful, amazing day we all had, I was so blessed to be a part of it.

If you are looking for a make-up artist for your big day then do feel free to have a look at my website

www.cosmetiquescotland.co.uk

Jillian Elizabeth

The Gorgeous Ashleens' Wedding

Hello everyone

What a wonderful day I had at the gorgeous Ashleens' wedding. For this wedding I provided both hair styling and airbrush make-up for the bride and her 2 bridesmaids. It was such a fun and relaxed atmosphere on the morning of the wedding and the girls were all so lovely.

Here is a few snap shots I took of everyone:

The Bride Ashleen
"Thank you for your advice, skill and professionalism in doing my own and my bridesmaids hair and make-up on my wedding day. Love Ashleen"

Bridesmaids Hair and make-up.

Bridesmaids hair and make-up.

The photographer at the wedding was the talented Stevie over at Brankin and Black Photography.

Here are a few gorgeous images he snapped of the hair and make-up on the day.

A huge thank you to Ashleen for allowing me to be a part of her big day, it was so special to share this time with you and your bridesmaids.

If you are looking for hair and make-up for your own wedding then feel free to have a look at my website for more information:

www.cosmetiquescotland.co.uk

Thank you to Stevie for sharing these beautiful images with me! If you would like to see more of his fantastic work then check him out at Brankin and Black Photography

www.brankinandblack.com

Thank you all for reading.

Jillian Elizabeth

The Gorgeous Nicolas Wedding Make-up

Doing bridal make-up is such an honour and is a big part of what makes my job so special. It is even more special when it is for someone I know.

Last month I had the pleasure of doing the beautiful Nicolas Wedding make-up along with her bridesmaids, mother of the bride and groom and her grandmother.

Everyone's make-up was different however there was one common factor that every one asked for... Natural flawless skin. I specialise in airbrush make-up and this went down a treat with the girls.

Here are a few images that I snapped myself on my phone, these have not been edited or filtered in any way:

Nicola Loved her make-up and Said:

"Jillian did the make up for my wedding in April. She did an absolutely stellar job and I could not have been happier with the result! She did make up for my nana, my mum and the grooms mum, my two bridesmaids and myself! My dad and the groomsman even got squeezed in for a mini facial from her fab assistant! Our make up lasted all day - no need for touch ups and we all felt amazing! Everyone commented on how good we all looked! She offered a friendly and professional service and I would recommend her to anyone!"

Angela the Mother of The Bride Said:

"Jillian (and her lovely assistant ) did a brilliant job of all the make up for my daughter's wedding. Very professional and everyone commented on how well we looked. Friendly and helpful she is easy to work with. I have already passed her details to my friends. We all loved her work and our make up stayed put for the whole day. Thank you Jillian."

The extremely talented Kirsty over at Memento Studios photographed this wonderful day. Here are a few of her amazing photographs capturing the girls make-up throughout the day:

Thank you so much to Nicola the bride and Kirsty at Memento Studios for letting me share these beautiful images with you all.

For more information on the airbrush make-up I provide feel free to visit my website:

www.cosmetiquescotland.co.uk

For more information on Memento Studios wedding photography services have a look at their website:

www.mementostudios.co.uk

Thank you for taking the time to ready my blog.

Jillian Elizabeth