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.