Mini Make Up Tips Monday; Lips

Lips are sometimes the first thing people see especially if you have red lipstick on.  There are also loads of different options to choose from, like gloss, satin or Matt finishes and any colour.  So here's when to use those options;

1. To make your lips look fuller use a lip liner, similar coloured lipstick and lip gloss in the centre of your lips.  And just like Kylie Jenner, nude shades work best for plumping.
2. Nude shades work best when you have a bold smokey eye or bold eye look.
3. Bright shades light purple, red and hot pink work best if you have a lighter eye make up perhaps with fluttery eyelashes.
4. Lip balms under your lipstick can make it last longer but also could make your lipstick glossier.
5. Liquid lipsticks are all the rage right now and usually comes out Matt but still very moisturising as it doesn't fully dry.  These are best if you want a Matt look but get dry lips.
6. Lip glosses are also really moisturising and can add a touch of colour without being too solid.

Mini Make up Tips Monday; Lashes

Now lashes are where the drama are at and they can transform your look.  My top tips for getting those big full long lashes are as follows;

1. First up with your bare lashes is curling them with an eyelash curler.  Clamp your lashes and pump the clamp a few times and you can also heat metal ones with a hairdryer to make the curl last longer
2. Mascara is important to use but the type doesn't really matter as there are so many out there that claim different properties.  It's the way you apply it that's the most effective, I often brush the wand down to coat the top of my lashes and then wiggle the wand from the base of your lashes to the tip and pull the outer lashes up and out.
3. A good way to not get the mascara all over the place is to tilt your head back and look down into a hand held mirror.
4. The final wow factor is flash lashes and these can look natural or super fake.  Individual lashes are the best for the most natural look which is build able and then feathery strip lashes also look nice.  Thicker ones look better with a heavier look or with a costume where they don't look odd.
5. A top tip with fake eyelashes is to put extra glue on the ends of the strip to keep the grip where they often spring off.
6. An alternative option to false lashes is Fiber lash mascara where you mascara on small fibres onto the lashes that can look as good as fake lashes.

Mini Make Up Tips Monday; Eyeliner

You can do so much with eyeliner and make your eyes look different.  I have a signature flick which I have done since I was 14 and I don't look right without it.  Follow my tips to make the most out of your eyeliner;

1. Let's start with basic black eyeliner this can be put on your lash line to thicken it, on your tight line (upper waterline) and on your waterline to intensify your eyes.  But be careful as too much black can make your eyes look smaller.
2. To make your eyes look bigger use a white or pale pink eyeliner in your waterline to widen your eyes.
3. Some liquid eyeliners can look shiny or flake off, to solve this you have 2 options, 1 is to put a kohl black eyeliner or felt liner underneath or pat Matt black eyeshadow on top to mattify.
4. In order to do my 60s flick I first line my lash line and then use the edge of my eyebrows to guide my flick and try and make it even each side this way.
5. I also like to use a brown or gold (instead of black) eyeliner on my lower lash line to keep my eyes widened.
6. When using coloured eyeliner try to stay away from pinks, reds and purples right next to your eye as they can make you look tired so if you want to use these colours, add black eyeliner to your lash line to break up the colour.

P.S to get glowing rings in your eyes use a ring light or this Boots No7 illuminated mirror that I got in the Christmas sales; http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Illuminated-Makeup-Mirror-Exclusive-to-Boots_1527178/

Mini Make up Tip Monday; Eyeshadow

Your eyelids are where you can really express yourself and go crazy with colour.  Weather you wear your favourite colour or just neutrals, you can make your eyes look amazing.  My top tips for your eyeshadow are as follows;

1. For longevity and minimal creasing, always use a eyeshadow primer or a long wear eye cream/stick like the Maybelline 24 hour colour tattoo.
2. Always use different shades to define your eyes.
3. Stick to a maximum of 3 different colours
4. The best way to open your eyes up is to use a pale eyeshadow in the inner corners and the darkest shade on at the outer corners.
5. BLEND!  Whatever colour or type of eye product you use definitely blend and build up the coverage to give the best finish.  This can be done with your fingers, an eye spatulas or eyeshadow brushes.
6. Matt verses Shimmer; Matt shadows can be used all over the lid or in the crease if using a shimmer shadow in the centre of the lid.

Mini Make up Tips Monday; Base

Welcome to my new Monday series of make up tips that I've picked up from magazines, YouTube and life.

Now I'm not the best at foundation I will tell you all the tips and tricks I know to make it a little bit easier.

1. Prime your skin, it's good to have a skincare routine but before you start applying any make up you should start with a clean face so it is important wash your face with soap and water or cleanse your face with cleanser, toner or micelle water.  Then apply moisturiser, primer or both so that your make up has something to stick to.
2. Next I personally conceal my under eyes with the garnier eye roll on and pat it in with my ring finger as that has the most delicate touch.
3. To pick the perfect foundation you need to match the colour to your neck in natural daylight and sometimes you just have to mix two shades together.
4. When applying the foundation I tend to use a foundation brushes and blend all over my face and neck equally.
5. I also conceal any areas with blemishes after foundation and blend with my finger.
6. It is very important to set at least your concealer with powder so that it doesn't budge and this will take any shine away from the T zone (forehead, nose & chin).

P.S sorry its not actually Monday.

Halloween 2015

This Halloween I decided to dress up as a mermaid that had been hook by a fisherman.  I got this idea after seeing some images on Pinterest where someone actually stuck a real fish hook to their face!

As I was going clubbing on Halloween night I wanted a costume that was practical and not too extravagant.  So I decided to get normal clothes that look mermaidish.  The first website I looked at was perfect as they do a lot of basic Jersey items and they are within my budget.  Www.boohoo.com

Caroline cross front bralet

Delia drape asymmetric hem midi skirt

Everything arrived really quickly and it was easy to send things back through the post office as I ordered 2 biggish orders.

Firstly I curled with a small barreled wand and pinned my hair out of the way so i could concentrate on my make up.

For my make up I started with some layered on liquid latex and tissue near my mouth to create a fleshy wound.  I then waited for it to dry and continued with my normal foundation, concealer and powder.  Next I contoured and shaded with shimmery turquoise and silver eyeshadow to create a base for the scales.

To get scales I saw people using fishnet tights and purple shimmer eyeshadow but I decided to use some stretchy mesh fabric that didn't work as well.  It made smaller less defined scales, so I recommend using proper fishnet tights.

As I had a lot of colour on my face I decided to use silver eyeshadow on my lids with glitter and bit of grey in the crease for definition.  For eyeliner I used thick matching teal crayon and a thin line of black liquid eyeliner.  As it was a costume I went all out with fake eyelashes which I don't normally wear as they are so fiddly and I have pretty long eyelashes anyway.

Obviously the look wouldn't be complete with some blood in the wound so I used my vampire blood I got on eBay last year.  The final touch was to pile on pearl jewellery and a khaki waterfall jacket for warmth.  I hope this gives you some ideas for the next time you dress up.

How To Shape Your Own Eyebrows

A lot of people compliment me on my eyebrows and wonder where I get them done or how I keep them looking good.  Truth be told I just do what I've always done; just some plucking when it's needed.

Here I will just give to some tips to keep your brows looking good.

1) Never over pluck your brows, it's not the 90s anymore
2) Use a make up brush against your nose to determine the length you brows should be
3) Get some good precise tweezers, this avoids pain and frustration
4) Only pluck hairs from under your brows and the occasional long hair from the outer sides

See small hairs below and central sparseness that will be filled in

5) Try to pluck hairs that are out of the natural line of hairs
6) Brush the hairs back and trim the long ones to keep them neat
7) Use wax, pencil or shadow to finish the look

Below are some of the products I use;

• Anastasia Beverly Hills BrowWiz or any of their eyebrow products.
• Primark eyebrow pencil £1
• MUA Brow Kit
• Any Matt brown eyeshadow that matches your brow hair and a thin brush to get between hairs.

The main aim is to fill in any gaps in your brows with a bit of colour that matches and looks natural.