Bunnies and eggs

Bunnies and eggs by freespiral

Happy Easter, everyone!

What are all these {face} products for? #5 Part 1

Skin prep

Previous posts:

What's the point of all that make-up? #1 

The point of so many lip products. #2 

What's the point of so many eye products? #3

What's the point of so many cheek products? #4

I think most girls have the foundation game down, right? But what about primer or setting spray and would you buy a setting powder or a finishing powder to blur your pores? If you've ever watched a YouTube make-up tutorial and felt perplexed as to why the foundation routine alone takes 5 minutes, the following layers of make-up may be responsible.

Preparation

• Moisturiser - Applying your moisturiser about 15 minutes before starting with your make-up, replenishes the moisture that you might have lost overnight. It plumps out your skin to make wrinkles less obvious and clears dry patches to which your make-up will cling.

• Sunscreen - If your daily moisturiser contains an SPF, bonus but if your favourite day cream that you cannot live without has no sun protection factor, you need to invest in a good sunscreen which does not make your skin feel oily or interfere with your make-up. It is non-negotiable. I've been reading posts about having to wear sunscreen for years while thinking yeah, yeah, whatever but I couldn't really appreciate the age reversing effect of wearing sunscreen daily until I've tried it. Even if you do sit in an office all day, even if you barely ever see the sun, even if it is -4'C or raining outside, you have to protect your skin against the sun's UV rays if you want to tap into the secret of eternal youth (or at least looking youthful for longer).

Priming

Choosing the right primer for your skin can be quite daunting but if you know what kind of effect you want it to have on your skin, you already know which primer to look for.

• Colour correcting primer - These primers come in pastel colours. It is meant to neutralise any skin problems that you might have like rosacea or dull skin. A green primer will neutralise redness, a yellow primer corrects bluish discolourations and a lavender primer brightens the skin.

• Blurring primer - A blur cream or primer is intended to give you a smooth finish with minimal texture on you skin. It creates a porcelain airbrush effect.

• Pore smoothing primer - Much like a blurring primer, pore smoothing or minimising primers make your skin look a little bit doll-like by filling out your pores. The difference though is that a blurring primer can be applied all over your face while it is best to apply a pore minimising primer to the areas of your face you want to smooth out due to the slippery consistency of most of these primers. It tends to make oily skin look very shiny.

• Lasting effect primer - Foundations are often unreliable in the long lasting department especially on oily skin but a long lasting primer will fix that. It acts like glue between your skin and foundation.

• Illuminating primer - To give your matt finish foundation a bit more versatility, an illuminating primer will give your skin a dewy, healthy finish by bouncing light off your skin. These primers usually works great as a highlighter over your foundation too.

• Mattifying primer - Mattifying primers do exactly that - mattify. Oily skin benefits greatly from these primers.

• Priming waters - High end make-up brands like Smashbox have priming waters for dry skin. It rehydrates skin and creates a dewy finish but generally these priming waters are very versatile and does not interfere with your foundation once it has dried on your skin. 

Beauty insiders are also fond of using other non-conventional face primers like milk of magnesia and men's Nivea aftershave balm (I've tried it, it works!) so if you don't feel like spending on a primer, you can look into some alternative products to prime.

If you like going bare faced the extent of the face products in your collection can end here and a primer is always optional even if you are going full face make-up but if you are wondering whether you should go with a cream or liquid foundation, keep an eye out for part 2 of this topic.

Which primers do you use and what is your take on daily sunscreen?

A facelift for the new year

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So new year posts have been filling up my news feeds since, well, the new year and I am kind of over new year posts and resolutions but the truth is that even I feel new and ready to change things up in my personal and my online life.

I don't even know how to tackle the new challenges in my personal life but with my blog I have no problem thinking up new things. And with these new things on my blog I want to:

• Give my blog a facelift - I am looking for a nice, new template which will bring a little more style and sophistication to my make-up journal,
• Finish my What's the point of so many products? series - I have always intending on finishing it but maybe I can up the pace a bit so I can start a new series (maybe about wedding make-up seeing as my own wedding came and went in 2015 and I'm now an expert),
• Gain more followers - because what is the point if it is a one way conversation and I never learn anything new?
• Get a hang of Bloglovin' - see how I've added the blog now (top of the post) so I can be trendy too. Bloglovin' allows you to follow all your favourite blogs via one site. You can also download the Bloglovin' app which brings you new posts straight to your phone or tablet.

I hope you'll like the new changes to the blog and if you see it undergoing construction before your very eyes, it might be because I'm indecisive with all the many beautiful templates available on the web.

Do you use Bloglovin'? Do you prefer following the blog via email? Or would you rather just bookmark the site and drop by every now and again?

Christmas is coming!

So we have 6 sleeps to go till Christmas and I am really looking forward to pushing my make-up looks into holiday glam. I am planning on wearing glittery and bright eyes with coloured eyebrows to work over the next week - I'll ease into it but my colleagues can expect me to go OTT on Thursday.

Here is what I rocked to our office Christmas party in 2014 (#throwbacksaturday) and just because he is the most darling cat in the world, our cat, Arkasha:

Christmas/Holiday Make-up and a cat. #throwbacksaturday

Excuse my smug smile in this picture but I felt like a Xmas fairy that day. This look was created using my Kryolan Aquacolour (cruelty-free) for my eyebrows and some amazing eyelashes that my best friend bought for me in the UK. 

I'll keep you updated on my Christmas looks over the next week on Instagram. Any ideas on how I can wear Christmas/Holiday make-up to work?

Eye primer #Fail

Not all eye primers were created equal and as much as I adore eyeshadow primers and preach their gospel (see my post on that here), today I learned that wearing the wrong kind of eyeshadow primer, can be just as bad as wearing no primer.

If you are in the market for an eye primer (or if you don't use an eyeshadow primer), you should try the Palladio eyeshadow primer (cruelty-free) or Smashbox's 24hr Photo Finish shadow primer. The eye primers that I would not recommend include Catrice's eyeshadow base (cruelty-free) and the Essence "I love stage" eyeshadow base (cruelty-free).

As an early Christmas gift, my mom-in-law and husband spoiled me with not one, but all three of the Urban Decay Naked palettes. Every time I open one of them, my heart skips a beat and I have been wearing it almost daily since. But I have been pairing it with my Palladio eyeshadow primer.

This morning my eye fell on my mostly untouched Catrice and Essence shadow bases and so I decided to prime my eyelids with these instead. With the Catrice on my left eye and the Essence on my right (because how else do you compare two primers with each other?), I did some kickass eyeshadow blending with my Naked 2 palette and left the house at 06h30 feeling like I'm wearing a little bit too much yet great eye make-up.

The make-up was a disaster by 11h00.

I normally wear my eye make-up for 14 to 16 hours a day before I take it off and with my Palladio primer, it often looks just as vibrant as it did after application. Today I took my make-up off by 16h00 because it was painful to see my expensive eyeshadow on my eye bags and the caking of pigment in my crease and eye wrinkles.

Maybe it is a compatibility issue so I'll try these primers again on a stay-at-home day with my (really nice) eyeshadows from the same brands and see how they hold up but for now I am going to avoid scarring the public with my creasy, baggy, fallout eyes by using the magic that I know works.

While the disaster of day was my eye make-up, I feel like I've made a great decision in buying the Lipidol Face Cleansing Oil though. It quickly erased my make-up fail from my face and mind and I might be in love.

Which eye primer, base or cream are you a convert of?

What's the point of so many {cheek} products? #4

Blushes

Previous posts:

What's the point of all that make-up? #1 

The point of so many lip products. #2 

What's the point of so many eye products? #3

So you might think that the list of cheek products may be short - you apply blush to your cheeks, right? - but if you are someone who loves to accentuate your cheekbones or create a healthy flush, you might want to see how the following cheek make-up products work out for you.

Colour

To add colour to your cheeks, you are going to want a blush. Your blush can be a tint, cream, powder or lipstick and it can be applied to a bare face over primer for longer wear or over your foundation and setting powder to bring life back to your skin. Blush can transform your look or go very, very wrong.

I like to build up my blush in a few light layers to prevent overdoing it. If you are prone to clone face, try lightly swirling your brush in the blush and follow by tapping the brush before caressing your cheeks lightly with it. Place your brush slightly off-centre from the apples of your cheeks and then blend outwards to prevent intense circles of pink in the middle of your face.

• Cream blush - The slippery texture of a cream blush makes for easy blending and is also ideal for blush application on bare skin. Because cream blush is "sticky", it often lasts longer than a powder blush would and makes the perfect primer for powder blush when you want to extend its wear. Cream formulas are also sometimes used to create dewy and youthful finishes as it never sets completely matte.
• Powder blush - A big fluffy brush is essential for applying powder blush and those stiff little brushes that come with your blush compact are best left for dusting ornaments. Unlike cream blush, powder blush is difficult to apply and blend with your fingers but makes your transition from your contouring shade to your highlighter much smoother. Blush finishes can be matte, shimmery or satin.
• Cheek tint - A cheek tint can be used in much the same way as you would a cream blush and if you own the one, you don't need the other. The big difference between a cheek tint and a cream blush is the consistency. A cheek tint is more fluid with a gel consistency and can double as a lip tint.
• Highlighter - Once you've spent a lot of time sculpting out your cheekbones with a contour shade and warming it up with bronzer (to be covered as part of the "Face" post in this series), you want to accentuate the highest parts of your cheekbones and give a healthy glow to your skin. Some people absolutely hate this trend and prefer to look more natural and matte but for the rest of us on the highlighter/strobing train, a beautiful highlighter can be found in a cream or powder formula. Both formulas offer the same benefits and it really depends on your preference but take note that a highlighter applied too heavily, can emphasise crow's feet.

Finally, if this post makes your head spin or your wallet sigh, a lipstick or tinted lip balm can absolutely double as a cream blush and that pinkish eye shadow that you are still trying to figure out how to create a colourful smokey eye with, works just as well.

Let me know what type of blush you prefer.

 

What's the point of so many {eye} products? #3

Previous posts:

What's the point of all that make-up? #1

What's the point of so many lip products? #2

I horde eye shadows. I can't help myself. The reasons I adore eye make-up so much are numerous but mainly I believe your eyes should be the focal point of the face. It is the windows to your soul after all and emphasising them kind of showcases your personality.

Preparation

• Primer - I can not say enough about primer and to prevent saying too much about it, I'll direct you to my post about eye primers here. Eye primers are absolutely essential if you want your eye make-up to: 

1. Stay all day without any creasing,
2. Cover the veins and discolouration on your lids,
3. Blend easily while applying,
4. Look vibrant, bright and true to the colour it is in its packaging,
5. Have minimal fallout while applying with maximum effect.

Colour

Applying colour to our eye lids are aesthetic but for many make-up junkies it is an art form. A complementary colour can make your eye colour stand out or your favourite colour can make you feel happy. It also creates a certain look to go with your mood, the season, your outfit or the event.

• Cream eyeshadow -  Cream eyeshadows can be used underneath powder eyeshadows to serve as a primer and give double the colour pay-off but it is especially useful if you do not like spending a lot of time on blending different shades together or if you don't have the time. It goes on smoothly and creates dimension even if you use only one colour. Dry eyelids can benefit from cream eyeshadows as it is moisturising and looks youthful.
• Pigments - Loose pigments are versatile and if you like experimenting, its uses are endless. Pigments can be applied like you would your eyeshadow or you can mix it with your lipgloss to create a wet look on your eyes or a funky, new coloured lipgloss. I like to mix my gold and silver pigments into my colour pigments to create a metallic eye pigment.
• Pressed eyeshadow - Pressed eyeshadows are basically eyeshadow pigments pressed with oils into the eyeshadow pallettes and singles that we love to use. Compressing the pigments makes it easier to apply as you can control the amount you pick up with your brush. The colour is often less vibrant than pigments and needs to be built up in layers to achieve the same effect but the fall out is considerably less. Whether you like a foiled, satin, matte, shimmery, glitter or metallic finish, pressed eyeshadows are not as messy as loose pigments and will not make the inside of your make-up bag grey which makes it more convenient to travel with.

Finish

• Eyeliner - Gel, kohl or liquid, you can apply it in pencil form or with a brush but it is the style of the eyeliner which will transform your look. Whether you applied your eye colour meticulously or quickly covered your whole socket with a blush brush (my 3 minute make-up trick), your eyeliner will:

1. Make your make-up look more polished,
2. Make your eyelashes look fuller,
3. Set the mood for your overall look (short and sharp wing = pin-up, elongated cat eye = seductive, heavy and bold = glamourous, messy and smudged = grunge),
4. Double as a primer when you don't have one,
5. And if you use a coloured eyeliner, add colour and drama.

• Mascara - There is really no point in applying any of the above products without pulling it all together with mascara. My one make-up pet peeve is a beautiful eye make-up without any mascara. I can't even. If it irritates your eyes, it is probably too old. If it runs and sits on your cheeks, use a waterproof one and if it does nothing for you, try a different one. Mascara gives your eyes life by making your lashes pop. If doing your make-up was baking a cake, mascara would have been the cherry on top. Depending on the type of mascara, it can:

1. Create volume,
2. Hold curl,
3. Add length
4. Blacken your lashes.

All you really need to create a beautiful eye make-up is an eyeliner (because you can use it as a primer), a simple pressed eyeshadow duo or trio and mascara. Everything else is just sprinkles on top. 

But if all of this is just too much for you and you're already late for work, it is, of course, absolutely okay to skip all of the above. Just know that you can leave the house with icky, messy mascara and still draw attention to your eyes.

The point of so many {lip} products. (Your lipstick has potential.) #2

Previous post:
What's the point of all that make-up?

If you've ever played a round of "What's in my handbag?" with your girl friends, you'll know that very often even the most low maintenance of women carry at least two lip products with them. It is usually a lip balm and a lipstick but if you were to scratch in the lipstick drawer of a make-up junkie, you will find lip primers, lip scrubs and too many lip pencils and might think that it is a bit excessive. Here is why you might want so many lip products too.

The uses of all the different lip products.

Preparation

• Lip exfoliator - To scrub the dead and dry skin off your lips for a smooth base. Exfoliating your lips  will also stimulate blood flow to make your lips extra pink and plump.
• Lip balm - To soften and moisturise. A tinted balm will add colour to your lips if wearing lipstick is not your thing.
• Lip primer - Although not essential, a lip primer can extend the wear of your lipstick and prevent  it  from bleeding. You thought that is what lip liner is for, right? Right, but a lip primer is colourless and won't change the colour of your lipstick which, if it doesn't match your lipstick  perfectly, your  lip liner will do. Depending on the kind of lip primer you use, it can also plump your lips up to make you look like you've had lip injections or as if your lip exfoliator  contains cinnamon.

Colour

• Lip liner - Making your lipstick last and preventing it from bleeding are two solid reasons why you should be using lip liner (and might be why you want to cut on the lip primer). If you have the lip primer and want to give the lip liner the slip, you can but unless you apply your lipstick with a brush or a doe-foot applicator, chances are that you won't be able to get that clean crisp line around your lips without a lip liner. If you're using a bullet lipstick, lip liner offers precise base colour application too. 

A quick way to just touch up your lips without all of this jazz, is of course to just line your lips and put a gloss over. It means that you have the bare minimum of products on your lips for maximum impact.

• Lipstick - Whether you like a satin, sheer, matte, glossy, cream or liquid finish, a lipstick has the potential to brighten your lips and your day, for the duration of your day. Even if you wear no other make-up, wearing lipstick can make you feel beautiful. Once you have found your favourite colour in a magical formula that works for you, prepping your lips with the above products will help your lipstick last all day.

Finish

• Lip gloss - when your lipstick alone is just not enough or lipstick is just too much. Lip gloss can offer a sheer wash of colour or just some glossiness when you want to go for a minimal look or it can vamp up your lipstick. A little bit of gloss in the middle of your lips make it look bigger and if you are tired of your matte lipstick but don't have a satin one on hand, you lip gloss can fix it.

So maybe you do need all of these products or maybe not. Decide for yourself or try something new but in the end a simple smile is all you really need to be your gorgeous self.

What's the point of all that make-up? #1

Whether you have to explain the amount of money you spend on (seemingly all the same) make-up products to your other half each month or you have wondered what the point is of carrying 5 different lip products in your handbag, there is a different function for each one of these products and I'm here to defend them.

So many pretty colours.

Over the next few weeks, I'll break it down for you in the following categories: lips, face, cheeks, eyes, lashes and eyebrows.

With these posts you can make the decision whether a certain product will enhance your current make-up routine (oh, I need eyeshadow primer to stop my eyeshadow from creasing!) or you can skip on it because it is not practical or suitable for your make-up routine and lifestyle (so it is my primer that is making my foundation look so oily?).

Sometimes you need a make-up collection that takes up more space in your vanity than your underwear does but often we can streamline it to one medium cosmetics bag to create even the most glamourous looks. The key is to know why you own the make-up you do and how to use it.

Follow me on Google+ or Facebook if you would like to read this series and please feel free to comment on your favourite products.

Micellar water - on the fence

I have seen beauty bloggers rave over micellar cleansing waters for a while now and I have been itching to try it. Firstly because I have dry, sensitive skin and micellar waters promise to restore moisture to your skin while cleansing and secondly because it removes make-up as well as cleanse and tone.

For some time now I have been using cleansing oils instead of foaming or gel cleansers and although I have had great results and no complaints with it, curiousity got the better of me and a week ago I got my hands on the Garnier micellar water.

This micellar cleansing water uses micellar technology to remove make-up and dirt from the skin. It is suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin and claims that no rubbing is necessary to remove impurities. You also don't need to wash the product off after cleansing so it is ideal for lazy nights which is every night for me.

My worst fear in trying this product was that my face would burn and become irritated and red upon application but it feels incredibly refreshing on my skin and it leaves my dry cheeks plump with moisture yet toned.

However, my make-up does heavy duty to last through a 16 hour day and the micellar water does not seem quite micellar enough to remove all of the layers setting products. (Micells are tiny oil molecules which attract dirt.) I have to wipe with more than 2ml of the solution more than once to remove everything while my waterproof mascara does not budge. To be fair, the mascara is designed to withstand water but this means that I have to use an additional cleanser anyway which kind of defeats the purpose.

This has left me wondering whether the vloggers and bloggers who loves it do not use waterproof mascara or are sponsored by Garnier. I would like to try other brands to see if I can find one I absolutely love but I do not have the budget for trial and error so please tell me what micellar waters I should try. If it is cruelty free, even better!

Liquid metallic effect

I rocked this look on Friday.

It was a bit bold for a day look and maybe not very wintery but I felt like taking my eyeshadow up a notch that morning so I skipped the winged eyeliner and lashes to make it more wearable. By 22h00 that evening, it was still vibrant and in place.

Here's how I got the colour to go on like a liquid metal and made it stick for over 12 hours.

First, eyeshadow primer. See my favourite eye primers here.


I followed that with my Kryolan black eyeliner pencil (cruelty-free) over my lid and not taking it higher than my crease. I evened it out and then dipped into my colour.

For an intense colour with minimal fallout, it is best to layer your eyeshadow with a flat, dense eyeshadow brush. I used my Clarins Ultraviolet shadow (discontinued) and a purple from an E.l.f. shadow duo (cruelty-free). I set the eye liner with the E.l.f. shadow and then wet a dense flat shadow brush with Smashbox Primer water and pressed it into my ultraviolet shadow. I covered my lid with the ultraviolet until I was satisfied with the intensity and then I pressed more dry ultraviolet shadow with my finger onto the lid while my lid was still damp.

I worked a peach and brown eyeshadow into the crease for a smooth transition into my nude brow bone colour, definition and depth and then sprayed my lids with the primer water again.

I finished the rest of my make-up, leaving my mascara for later and then set everything with my Avon make-up setting spray.  Once my face was dry, I applied my mascara.

I rubbed my eyes during the course of the day and even put some eye drops in but the colour stayed beautifully.

When I achieve long lasting colour like this, I'm always tempted to leave it on overnight to test whether it will transfer to my pillow and smudge or surprise me by waking up pretty in the morning but the threat of premature wrinkles always wins.

So, try this with any of your shimmery, metallic eyeshadows and pigments and let me know how it works for you.

Blue eye shadow, no primer - bad idea

If my previous post about priming your eye lids didn't convince you that applying your eye shadow to naked lids is a bad idea, maybe this one will. For the last two months I've been testing make-up products and experimenting with looks for my wedding day. I've tried glamorous, natural, smokey and long lasting looks - all in nudes and browns and so it was not surprising that after not wanting to wear any make-up for the first few days after the wedding, I grabbed for my bright, blue eye shadows to get into the holiday swing of things.

But, because I was on holiday and lazy I did not feel the need to use my eye shadow primer or foundation before going bananas with the eye make-up, and although it looked great and holiday-ish for the first two hours, it looked bananas thereafter. Pretty soon the shadow started to crease and while my eye crease colour became more concentrated and less blended, the lid colour became more sheer and sore looking.

As a contact lens wearer, I am someone who rubs her eye lids often and without my usual eye lid primer and setting sprays, my blue eye shadow transferred to my bottom lids to enhance my eye bags and smeared to where it created blue cheek bones. I saved what I could with the quick wipe of a tissue but for the most part, I went with it.

I messed up my hair and pulled my shirt over my one shoulder so I could look like I really do not care and pretended that I'm bringing blue, grungy make-up back. I don't know how convincing I was and although I wouldn't have, at that stage, thought that it was my biggest make-up blunder yet, when it came to winding down for bed and removing my make-up, I sincerely regretted not spending 30 seconds more with my eye shadow primer that morning.

After slipping, sliding and smearing all over my eyes during that day, upon using make-up remover that night the blue eye shadow would not budge. My blue eye shadow on my fresh, naked lids had stained my skin. I rubbed vigorously with my various different make-up removers but in the end I had to get into bed with blue lids.

Needless to say that I have learned a lesson but this whole situation made me think of the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy asks the Emerald City beautician: "Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown?" I would recommend that Dorothy primes her eye lids first but if she asked me, my short answer would be: "Yes, Dorothy. Yes, I can."

My cruelty-free make-up products

So I have managed to make my personal make-up collection and artist kit for client s, mostly cruelty-free. I am still using the make-up I bought before taking the cruelty-free pledge but I will not re-purchase as I've managed to find cruelty-free alternatives for most of my favourites.

I've fine tuned my daily make-up to the following cruelty-free products:

 Kryolan foundation
 Essence blush
 E.l.f.  bronzer and highlight
 Essence translucent powder
 Smashbox volumising mascara
 Wet 'n Wild or Morphe Brushes eyeshadow
 and
 Catrice lipstick.

I am really struggling to find a cruelty-free brand setting spray though. I still have my Avon make-up setting spray which works like magic and have tried the Smashbox primer water as an alternative. The Smashbox Primer Water is amazing and really hydrating for under or over my foundation but it does not have the same lo
ng lasting effect on my make-up like the Avon spray has.

I am also still looking for a dupe for my L'Oreal Lumi primer though so please give me a shout if you know of something that I can replace it with.

My magic concealer combo

They say age is just a number but now that I am dangerously close to 30, I want to disagree. Although I still feel 17 at heart, I can see the difference in my skin. Those crow's feet and frown lines are getting just a little too deep for comfort and it seems like I'll never again not have blue circles under my eyes.

This means that I have had to up my game when it comes to concealer under my eyes. I have been taking serious notes from the YouTube guru's lately trying to find the perfect concealer that does not crease under the eyes. I have tried the drugstore holy grail, Maybelline Fit Me concealer (which is great but it does not have enough coverage), MAC studio fix concealer (it's a cream formula and way too thick), my Kryolan dermacolor (cruelty-free) and Essence's coverstick (cruelty-free). It did not work for me.

So in the mean while, I've decided to go cruelty-free on all of my cosmetics. This narrowed my choice of concealers down considerably. Luckily the LA Girl Pro concealer came highly recommended and checked the cruelty-free boxes so I started my hunt for it in Dischem stores. After finally finding an LA Girl Pro concealer in my shade the other day,  I found the concealer that works for me.

Of course, any concealer's potential to stay crease-free is only as good as its setting powder and so I've been setting it with Catrice's Prime and Fine translucent powder (cruelty-free). I was happy with the results but this week I grabbed for my Essence All About Matt fixing compact powder in a hurry and suddenly it was magic!

Assuming that I've been good and used a moisturising eye cream as a primer, the LA Girl concealer with Essence powder does not crease. Not even if I try really hard. Here's what I do:

I apply the concealer with my fingers - I find that a sponge or brush absorbs too much product and leaves the coverage too sheer - to the first eye bag and immediately set it using pressing motions with the powder and a powder puff, before moving onto the next eye.

The staying power is not bad and I don't touch up during the day but might re-apply if we are going out again for the evening. I feel like I'd rather compromise on the longevity than on the coverage.

I am super thrilled with this combination not only because it makes me look not-so-close-to-thirty but also because it is cruelty-free, inexpensive and magic. I feel like I've discovered a unicorn.

Rebuilding my make-up kit for animal love

I have recently signed up for the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet programme because I figured that if I feel super guilty after a spending spree at Woolworths, I can at least console myself in that a portion of my money is going to a good cause. I have been wanting to sign up for a long time and every time that I'm at a Woolies counter, I take one of the application forms (and I even filled out one of them once) but I have never actually submitted a form. I hadn't realised that I could so easily sign up for one online here.

If you're not familiar with the programme and live in South Africa, please take a moment to click here and go look at what it is all about. It might just convince you to sign up too.

In deciding which charities to choose, I came across Beauty Without Cruelty who is actively trying to prevent animal cruelty in South Africa. (WARNING: If you don't know what the word "vivisection" on their website means, don't try to Google it like I did. You'll be disturbed until next week.)

I absolutely support their efforts and have nominated them as one of my preferred charities. This, of course, made me think of all the cosmetics in my make-up kit that might be tested on animals.

Now, before you argue that it has to be safety tested somehow before it is sold for humans, please explain to me why, if they are using ingredients in their products that might not be safe and has to be tested in the first place, you would want those ingredients on your body at all? 

My day job is in the medical field and thus I am not completely oblivious to the necessity of using animals for testing. Without animal testing, we cannot possibly advance our medical research but beauty products are a luxury and I do not see the need for animal testing unless they are adding some crazy, carcinogenic, chemical stuff to my make-up.

Over the last few weeks, through some of my favourite make-up guru's, I have come to the realisation that many of my favourite cosmetic brands are being tested on animals. In this video at 04:00 minutes in, Samantha from Batalashbeauty explains why you might think your cosmetics are cruelty-free when in fact there is some animal testing going on behind the scenes. She also visits Lush HQ in this video so you can understand why Lush is truly such a great brand. (And why we NEED a Lush store in Johannesburg...)

It has been bothering me but I am now committed to do something about it. Before I buy a product, I want to do research on which cosmetics are indeed cruelty free. I am also slowly replacing non-cruelty free make-up in my kit as I run out of it although it is difficult to find good, professional quality alternatives for some of the products.

Beauty Without Cruelty has a list of cosmetic brands which they endorse. Their criteria is very strict and specific so you know that it is guaranteed cruelty-free. It is also worth reading through your favourite cosmetic brands' mission statements on their website to see whether they are against animal testing before making a purchase.

I am a bit of tree hugger and I am hoping that you might become one too but if you are still not convinced that animal testing is not ethical, maybe you should Google "vivisection" and click on the Images tab.

Coverstick Basics

Life lesson #415 that I learned: sunscreen and make-up don't always mix. I wrote about it in my How to rock orange spotted skin post. After I eventually cleaned my face and weighed the long term effects of UV ray damage against the importance of covering zits, I reapplied my sunscreen and went bare faced. For a while.

It didn't take me long to start looking through my cosmetics bag for something else to cover my blemishes with and found my Essence coverstick in 06 Matt Ivory.

I love coversticks. They are compact and thus perfect to carry around for touch-ups during the day. They are also a cream formula which means that they give full cover over blemishes and does not oxidise which is why it was perfect for above mentioned dilemma.

I do, however, feel compelled to cover a few coverstick basics as I see too many women using their coversticks as if they are crayons.

Despite the lipstick tube format that coversticks come in, they are not meant to be applied to your skin the way you would lipstick to your lips . Because of their very heavy, creamy consistency, crayon application of your coverstick concealer is a foolproof way to make your skin look cakey and unnatural. The idea is to conceal your blemishes, not to replace it with an odd-looking splodge on your skin.

When applying your coverstick, dab a sponge or concealer brush on the coverstick tip and apply the concealer with the tool. If you don't have any of these handy, a clean finger will do. This is a good technique for three main reasons:

1. Pressing the coverstick directly onto your blemish transfers any of the bacteria on your skin to the coverstick. By contaminating your concealer, you are not only shortening the life of your make-up but aggravating your acne or zits.
2. Dabbing your tool over the blemish creates a lighter, more even application which blends into your skin or foundation.
3. You are pressing the concealer into the skin and therefore prolonging its wear, as opposed to concealer just sitting on top of the skin with crayon application.

It is also necessary to set the coverstick concealer just like you would your liquid concealer and foundation with powder.

Coverstick concealers were meant to disguise blemishes and discolouration but that does not include the blue bags under your eyes. You are sure to get heavy creasing if you attempt to use this under your eyes. Rather use a liquid concealer for your eye that is known for its non-creasing quality.

I find that it is not necessary to spend a lot on a good coverstick. Most drugstore brands' coversticks are great and inexpensive so adding one to your cosmetic collection won't break the bank. The Essence coversticks are R36.95 and you can pick up a Yardley Oatmeal one for about R59.95  at Dischem and Clicks. Just don't let their containers tempt you into lazy application.

Tuesday shopping!

When doing make-up on a client, I mostly use Kryolan foundation because it gives full coverage and depending on the application technique and what you mix it with, can become dewy, glowy or matt. I also have a range of 10 colours with which I can mix the perfect match for my client's skin tone. So, imagine my distress when I ran out of my favourite two light tones a while ago.

This afternoon I suddenly felt desperate to replace those two colours: Felo and Ivory, and so I did. I quickly popped into my Kryolan store and bought new pallette size foundations for my make-up kit. 

Thing is, Kryolan's Dermacolor Créme foundation is so affordable that I am tempted to go back tomorrow for a full size Felo foundation for myself. Why pay R250 for the Revlon Colorstay (I'm currently wearing daily and is great) when I can wear professional make-up with the same and better qualities for R210? 

Don't be surprised to see me rocking Kryolan Felo on the daily.

(This pic has been through an Instagram filter or two so these foundations look much darker than they actually are. Ivory, left and Felo, right.)

How to rock orange spotted skin

After spending the past weekend in Kwa-Zulu Natal, I've concluded that I truly belong to the sea. It's no surprise really because I was born in Port Shepstone and the first breath I drew was salty, humid sea air. That being said, I don't see myself moving to a seafront cottage soon but a girl can dream and maybe one day when I need false teeth and lashes daily, I'll have a seaview. For now, I'll stick to Johannesburg where I'm close to family and where my concealer doesn't oxidise. Because, let me tell you, some weird stuff happened to my skin this weekend.

I'm very pale which means that sunscreen is my friend and the only thing preventing me from burning tomato red. I use the Nivea face sunscreen with SPF50 when I know I'll be in the sun all day and this weekend I applied it generously in the South Coast sun but for the first time ever, it made my skin break out. These break outs caused me to freak out and I turned to my trusty Maybelline Fit Me concealer. The Maybelline Fit Me concealer is a favourite of anyone who has access to it (hard to find in SA), but no one has ever mentioned the bright orange it becomes when mixed with sunscreen! Bright. Orange.

I, of course, did not notice the colour changing magic that happened on my face until my fiancé stared puzzled, at my chin in Wimpy after I'd already ordered a coffee and smiled at various people looking at (orange spotted) me. I can only imagine what they were thinking...

The other disconcerting thing about my orange spotted skin was that sunscreen, I found, is an excellent setting primer as it makes removing concealer very difficult. Wiping at it with a tissue, did not cut it and so I had to wait until I had access to my make-up remover again before I could fix it.

The only solution that was left to this make-up moment was to remind myself of third world problems and tug my neckline lower to focus attention away from my face.

I won't go into any of the other beauty issues I had to deal with because the weekend was well worth the worries but the highlights include sand, sweat and hair stuck to my face. Luckily no mistake is without lesson so I learned that I still need to master make-up in humid weather and while my heart belongs at the ocean, my skin clearly does not.

Orange spotted face essentials

Foundation woes on a Sunday

I could have easily walked out of Woolworths today with both a Smashbox Liquid Halo and a Stila Stay All Day foundation. I also had my eye on the Smashbox Favourites collection which is a sample size pack of Smashbox's best products but due to lack of service and testers, I left empty handed.

I haven't tried either of the above mentioned foundations yet and because I am in the market for a foundation, I felt like trying one I haven't before. This means that I also had to do some serious colour matching and went with a bare face so that I can find the perfect fit.

I usually go to Woolworths Clearwater when I do feel like my W card is burning a hole in my pocket but because I wanted make-up, I drove the few extra kilometres to Cresta as Clearwater does not stock any high end cosmetics. While I was absolutely vulnerable to spend a great deal of money on make-up on a Sunday, Woolworths just wasn't interested in taking advantage of it.

Upon walking into Woolworths, the Smashbox stand winked at me and I immediately started unpacking the shelves for a tester to try on myself but there were no testers available for my skin tone and so without panicking, I scanned the cosmetic section for the nearest Woolworths employee. No one seemed to be around but without being deterred, I turned towards the Stila shelf. But despite my excitement, I ran into exactly the same problem - no tester and no employee to assist with the no tester problem.

Annoyed, I walked around the cosmetics section for a bit looking for someone to help me. I finally caught the eye of an employee across the aisle in the clothing section and smiled brightly but instead of being encouraged to approach, the employee looked in a different direction.

Should I have asked for the manager? Should I have waited for the cosmetic section employees to return and then complained? I could've but I chose to leave with a frown on my bare face and vowed to never buy from Woolworths Cresta again.

A while ago I wouldn't have been able to keep this vow but luckily Foschini is now stocking Smashbox and if I am still convinced that I need the Stila foundation in my life a month from now, I can buy it from Truworths and Stuttafords. Woolworths clearly does not want my money so why in the world would I get upset if I can't give it to them?

Glue that shadow!

Ever bought an eyeshadow because of its magical, vibrant colour and were then disappointed upon applying it because despite its high price and quality brand name, the colour just does not give off like it promised? Ever applied an eyeshadow with great success only for it to crease and fade three hours into your day?

It might be because you did not prime your eyelids.

When you apply your eyeshadow to your naked, clean lids, you are exposing it to your natural oils and eye cream.  The natural oils on your lid makes for a slippery canvas and gives the eyeshadow a transport medium to those fine lines and eye crease. It is therefore necessary to prepare your canvas as follows:

-  Absorb the oil from your lids.
Whether your oily lids are from your freshly applied eye cream or natural oil producing skin, blot your eyelids with a tissue. If you are particularly oily, try oil control paper. It is inexpensive and you can carry it in your handbag to also use it during the day on your T-zone.

- Apply primer.
There are many different products you can use to prime your lids including concealers, eyeshadow primers, eyeshadow bases and cream eyeshadows.

You can use a liquid concealer that does not crease to conceal the veins on your lids and match your foundation. The best type of concealer for this function would be one you'd usually use for the under-eye area. Try:

MAC pro longwear concealer (MAC stores, R240.00)

or LA Girl (Cruelty-free) pro concealer (Dischem, R45.95). 

If you are wearing shimmery or glittery shadows or an eyeshadow that is very powdery, you want something with a stickier texture, like an eyeshadow base or cream eyeshadow. Cream eyeshadows and bases will conceal any discolouration and veins on your lids as well as create a base colour that you can wear by itself or apply shadow over. Try:

MAC paint pot in Stormy Pink (MAC, R220.00)

NYX Eyeshadow base (Clicks, TBA)

Eyeshadow primers are colourless and is therefore perfect if you don't want your eyeshadow colour altered which above mentioned products tend to do. When I am in the mood to go all out on my eyes, I apply a concealer and a primer for coverage and intense colour. Try:

Smashbox Shadow primer (Woolworths & Foschini, R230.00)

Palladio (Cruelty-free) eyeshadow primer (Dischem, R74.95)

And if you are in need of magic but you have none of the products above? Use eyeliner. 

Just try it:

NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Milk (Clicks, TBA)