Kiss Me Quick

Today, for Valentines Day, I decided to do a smokey eye without being too strong. A cut crease look with a subtle highlight and a thick flick of black gel liner. I customised my own lashes by cutting eyelure 202 lashes in half and layering them at the outer corners of the lash line.

I kept the skin quite simple (still full coverage, obviously) with a well blended contour and a hint of a peachy-pink blush on the apples of the cheek and the lips just HAD to be red with the day that's in it. Product list below.

I also got spoiled by my boyfriend with a bunch of red roses and a steak dinner. (No picture of the dinner because I'm the biggest fatty ever and launched straight into it) hehe. 

Hope everyone has an amazing day, be it celebrating a relationship or celebrating being single, have a good one! 

Face Products

Foundation: Revlon Colourstay Foundation mixture of Buff and Natural Tan

Concealer: MAC Select Cover Up NC20

Powder: MAC Studio Fix Powder NC20

Contour: MAC Sculpting Powder Definitive and KIKO Bronzer 101

Blusher: MAC Peaches and MAC Pink Swoon

Highlight: MAC Whisper of Guilt

Eye Products

Eyebrows: MAC Dipdown Gel Eyeliner and Essence Lash and Brow Gel Mascara

Eyeshadows: Inglot 373, 390, 357, 329, 63

Brow Highlight: Inglot 46

Mascara: Inglot False Lash Mascara

Eyeliner: Inglot Gel Eyeliner 77

Lashes: Eyelure 202

Lip Products

Lipliner: Inglot 59

Lipstick: MAC Ruby Woo

Love Jen xxx

A New Chapter

Each year we always have our ups and downs but let's hope this year is one to remember! Here is some pics of my makeup from last night that brought me into 2014! Product list below. Happy New Year guys Xxx

                    

                     

                       

Foundation: Revlon Colourstay Sand Beige

Concealer: MAC Full Coverage Foundation W10

Powder: Maybelline Fit Me Powder

Contour: Mac Deep Bronze Bronzer

Highlight: MAC Whisper of Guilt

Blusher: MAC Melba

Brows: MAC Dipdown Gel Eyeliner and Essence Clear Brow Mascara

Eyeshadows: Inglot 393,351, 360, 329, 63, 

MAC Cork Eyeshadow and I used MAC Melba and Pink Swoon Blushers to blend 

Inglot Gel Eyeliner 77

Inglot False Lash Effect Mascara

Eyelure 205 False Eyelashes

Lips: Current Lipliner and Diva Lipstick both from MAC

A Winter Warmth

Here in Ireland, we've gone from a really nice summer into a bitter cold September like the click of a finger, so we never really got a chance to say goodbye to our rare hot summer. With fashion, beauty and makeup we're not fully ready to jump into our big cozy winter coats just yet.

Today on the eyes, I decided to blend out a classic smokey eye with a fun pop of bright colours to bring a bit of life and that last bit of summer into your makeup without being too much.

       

I personally love playing around with colours to change up a neutral eye. On today's eye I blended out a brown and black smokey eye with pink, orange, red and purple to achieve a warm effect to the overall look. I used the same fluffy blending brush with all of the colours as it doesn't matter if the colours mix.

I used a pink toned highlight under the brow to tie in with the colours blended and to add a bit of depth to the look. I also kept the rest of the face quite simple so it is all about the eyes! These colours can look great on all skin tones, just add a little at a time to achieve the effect your comfortable wearing.

Love Jx

See Stars in Her Eyes

In the summer months, our makeup doesn't tend to stay on our face as well as other months of the year, so we need a little helping hand when it comes to staying put all day long. I've put together some of my favourite eye products I've been using the past couple of months to keep those eyes looking fresh till dawn.

An eyeshadow primer is vital in these summer months to keep your eyemakeup lasting all day. The lids of the eyes can get naturally oily,  no matter what skin type you have, so to control these oils a primer must be used. I love MAC Paint Pot in the shade Painterly for my skin, however this is a very light shade so it won't suit all skin tones. There are primers specifically made for the eyes which are good such as the Urban Decay Primer Potion or Inglot Eye Primer amongst others but I find the Paint Pots work wonders with soaking up any excess oils. Concealers can be used also but I would avoid using them if you have very oily lids.

If you know me at all, you know that eyebrows are, in my opinion, the most important part of your makeup. They lift the eyes, frame the face and really finish a look, if done right. I love using MAC Gel Eyeliner in the shade Dipdown to give my brows a defined, sharp look without being too much. I firstly define the arch and extend it into the tail. I then fill in the top of the brow, lifting it at the arch slightly to brighten the eye area. Using the excess on the brush I lightly fill in the outer half of the brow. Next, i use a spoolie brush to even out the colour and disperse some of that product into the inner part of the brow giving you a beautiful, natural ombré brow.

Using a gel liner through the brows in the heat is best as it is generally more water resistant than your average brow pencil or eyeshadow. This is perfect for if your out in the sun, in the pool on your holliers or just want your makeup to last that extra stretch.

Lastly for the brows, I am addicted to Catrice Eyebrow Filler. Like a mascara for your brows, this product has a small amount of pigment in it so when brushed through the brow hairs it adds a bit of colour as well as a beautiful texture. It also helps the brow hairs to stay in place keeping them perfect and sharp all day long.

These days I am loving a simple eye with a colour pop on the lip, but we all need a little bit of colour on those lids, just to keep it interesting. Under the brows I love using MAC Pigment in Pink Opal, a soft pearlescent shade that can be applied sheer or packed on for a more intense colour! 

On the lid, to add an extra bit of glow and sparkle, I love the MAC Pressed Pigments. My favourite shade is Warming Heart, a perfect soft gold shade with an infusion of fine glitter. I bring this colour up to the crease of the eye with a dense synthetic brush to get the best colour payoff. A little bit of a matte brown, around two shades darker than your skin tone, into the crease with a fluffy brush works wonders. It will break up the sheen of your lid and highlight colour aswel as giving definition to the shape of your eye.

Most days I like to wear my eyes quite bare, but if I'm looking to put in a little extra effort I love to add a classic 50's flick to give extra definition and to shspe the eyes. To do this, I use Inglot Gel Liner in the shade 77. This is by far my favourite eyeliner to use as it is jet black and it is 100% waterproof so it can be used on the lid or waterline and it will last all night long! 

This product has one downfall. It does tend to dry out quite quickly in the pot. When this happens I use a droplet of Inglot Duraline and mix it in with a small section of the liner to cream everything back up again. Good as new!! 

Duraline can also be used as a primer, to pack on pigment or glitters and to add moisture into dried out products such as gel liners, matte lipsticks, mascaras ect.

And last but not least is my all time favourite mascara, the Inglot False Lash Effect Mascara. The brush in this mascara is probably the best I've come across. I'm not a fan of Inglot mascaras in general, but this one really lengthens your lashes, adds volume and is jet black. I also found this mascara to last very well. I have gas mine around four months and it has only dried out now. Usually, I find myself changing mine every few weeks but this one lasts amazingly!!

Any questions just ask

Jx

Conquer Contouring

It's amazing what a bit of contouring can do to change the structure of the face. It not only creates depth in any hollow areas, it gives a bronzed, healthy effect and it slims down the face beautifully (and we ALL know we want that!). You can take contouring to the extreme or you can go very subtle, either way, it will change your makeup routine forever!
Contouring can be done using creams or powders. Your dark contour should be two to four shades darker than your foundation, depending on how dramatic you want the look to be. It should also be matte. A darker matte cream/powder will give the illusion of shadows, you place this strategically in any hollow areas for depth, to make it appear further away (eg. under cheekbones).
Your light contour, or your highlight, can be matte or a shimmer. Again, this should be two to four shades lighter than your foundation. This will give the appearance that the area is sticking out more (eg. on top of cheekbones). If your highlight has a shimmer, the metallic particles in this will reflect the light, giving a more dramatic effect. I personally prefer a matte finish to the face and would definitely recommend a matte to anyone conscious of fine lines around the eye area! A shiny highlight will just sit in these fine lines, drawing attention to them.

Getting started......

The cheeks:
Using the side of your baby finger, feel the hollows underneath the cheekbone. You will also notice, when you look straight into the mirror, there will already be a slight shadow from your natural cheekbone. This is the area we want to darken yet still giving the illusion that it is our natural shadow. Now we know where to darken, it's time to start using product.
You want to use a fluffy powder brush that isn't too large in size as you want to be able to control how much product goes on, and where! I find the angled goat hair F40 Sigma brush the best to use. Dip the brush into a small amount of product (not too much as you can always add more product, but it's harder to take product away!). Using small circular motions, apply the product to the hollow area. This motion will blend the product out and into your foundation colour giving a more professional look. Extend the colour from halfway down the cheekbone (under the outer corner of the eye) , all the way backwards to the hairline and your ear.

The forehead:
After contouring the cheeks right up to the hairline and the ear, extend the colour all the way around the hairline using the same brush. This will give a natural bronzed look as this would be the area that is first hit by the sun! This isn't the only purpose. If you have a forehead slightly on the larger side, this step is important for you! Extend the colour downwards slightly onto the forehead, deepening the colour and density of the product at the top two corners of the face and the temples at the side. Again this gives the appearance of a shadow, giving the illusion of a smaller area.

The nose:
I could not leave the house on a night out without contouring my nose! It's a bit of an obsession. If you want to make your nose look skinnier, take a clean fluffy eyeshadow brush (I like to use the crown angled, flat topped eyeshadow brush) and your contour powder and lightly line the sides of your nose all of the way down to the tip. This should go from the inside of your eyebrow, down both sides in a straight line, to the end. Ta-da, your welcome! A skinny nose!! If you want to make your nose shorter, using the same brush and contour, lightly apply some product to the bottom area of the nose, from nostril to nostril.

You then need a different brush to apply highlighter. I use the Sigma F05 as I find it is the perfect size for highlighting.
Take your product and apply it to any areas you want to stand out.

The cheeks:
Apply the product in circular motions on top of the cheekbones and around onto the temples of the cheeks closer to the edge of your eye. This will make your cheekbones stand out more, give the face a natural lift and help blend the product out into your foundation.

The nose:
If you have contoured the sides of your nose, you can add a small amount of highlight along the centre to make it look even skinnier.

MUA Tip: If your wearing a strapless top/dress, add a small amount of your highlight along the top of your collar bones!!

And there you have it. Your tips to conquer contouring. Let me know how you get on!!

Happy sculpting

Jx