The basics: The perfect smokey eye

For most people the Smokey eye can be seen as difficult and hard to master. It is a basic technique that can be mastered easily, these few steps are the ones that work best for me and I hope they can help you too.

1. I am going to use light and dark plum shades for my eye look but any colour can be used as the same rules apply. I am also using a mixture of cream and powder eye shadows. I start off by taking a Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shade Metallic Pomegranate, I apply this with a duo fibre eye brush and spread it across my lid.



2. I then take a lighter shade of plum eye shadow and pat this on top of the cream eye shadow I have just applied. I am using an eye shadow from the Vintage Romance Palette by Sleek. I apply this with a flat brush like the Mac 239. This will make the look more intense because I am building up different shades of the same colour.



3. Next I take a dark matte plum shade. I am using Blackberry by Mac. I blend this into my crease using a fluffy brush like the Small Socket Blender from Blank Canvas Cosmetics. this creates definition as I am contouring my eye, It is key to blend out as much as you can because this creates the "Smokey effect". I am also blending this colour along my bottom lash line to intensify the Smokey look.



4. I then take a pale matte eye shadow and highlight my brow bone and inner corner of my eye, you can use a shimmery shade if you wish. I am using the shade unwrap from the Ever After Matte Palette by Make Up Academy (MUA).



5. For my eyeliner, I am using the Maybelline Eye studio Lasting Drama 24hr Gel Eyeliner in the shade 01 Black. I create a "wing" starting from the outer edge of my upper lash line aiming towards the end of my eyebrow. I am not going to do a dramatic "wing" because the eye shadow is quite dramatic already. this step can be skipped if you think the look is dramatic enough already and do not want to wear eyeliner.



6. To finish off I add mascara, I am using They're real by Benefit. If you wish you can add black eyeliner to your waterline to intensify this look , I would not advise this for people with small eyes as it closes the eyes in and makes them look even smaller, instead take a white eyeliner or Eye Bright by Benefit this will open up the eyes. Once all steps are completed you have the perfect Smokey eye.





I will put links to the products I used below. let me know what you thought of this and if you tried it out or found it helpful. Thank you for reading :)

Product list :
Maybelline Colour Tattoo - http://www.boots.ie/en/Maybelline-EyeStudio-Color-Tattoo-24hr-Cream-Gel-Eyeshadow_1253778/
sleek vintage romance palette - http://www.superdrug.com/eye-make-up/sleek-i-divine-pallette-vintage-romance/invt/801971
Mac 239 - http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/145/383/Products/Brushes/Eye/239-Eye-Shader-Brush/index.tmpl
Mac Blackberry - http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/products/spp/shaded.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT154&PRODUCT_ID=PROD363&SKU_ID=SKU1613
Blank Canvas Cosmetics small socket blender - http://www.blankcanvascosmetics.com/products/no-10-small-socket-blender.html
Make Up Academy Ever After Matte Palette - http://www.muastore.co.uk/index.php/matte-palette
Maybelline eyeliner - http://www.boots.ie/en/Maybelline-Eye-Studio-Lasting-Drama-Gel-Liner_1190781/
Benefit They're Real - https://www.carapharmacy.com/p/benefit_theyre_real_mascara
Benefit Eye Bright - https://www.carapharmacy.com/p/benefit_eye_bright

The basics: 5 steps for the perfect contour and highlight.

Contouring is a tricky technique to learn and often the mistake that can be made is not knowing where to contour. The thing to remember with contour is that everything on the outer edge of the face must be contoured and everything else must be highlighted.
These 5 steps are ones that I find the easiest to master. I hope they can help you too.

1. You can contour with a cream or powder product it is really a personal choice. For this tutorial I am using powder contour as it works best for me but if you wish to use a cream contour it is the same method. The product I am using is the Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder. In my opinion, this is the best bronzer I have come across. This bronzer is affordable, easy to use and it has plenty of product (16.5g). I have had mine for 7months and it has not hit pan.




2. First, I took a pointed tapered duo fibre brush to create a sharp line just under my cheek bone. A useful technique is to place a credit / gift card etc just under the cheek bone and create a line, this will make the contour sharper. I then take an angled brush such as the Mac 168 and blend the line towards my ear.





3.Next is my forehead, jawline and nose (optional). When contouring the forehead I blend towards my hairline, this will create dimension and shape. Contouring the nose is optional, if you have a slender /thin nose it is probably best to skip this step. I take a smaller pointed brush to contour my nose like the Blank Canvas Cosmetics E10. I start from the top of my nose beside my eyebrow and blend downwards on the outer of the nose, make sure to blend out and not leave any obvious lines. Finally, I blended a light layer of bronzer around my jawline and blended it out.





4. For my highlighter I used the Sleek Face Contour Kit in Medium. I used the Real Techniques Contour Brush. I am highlighting everything that I haven't contoured.





5. I began by taking a small amount of product on the side of my brush, I then blended my highlighter in a "C" shape starting from the top of my cheek bone to the top of my eyebrow. I dusted my highlighter lightly in the middle of my forehead , nose, chin and Cupid's bow. Once completed you have the perfect contour in just 5 easy steps




I just added some mascara and lipstick to complete this look.please comment below and let me know what you thought of this post.

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The basics : 5 steps to flawless foundation

Foundation can be one of the hardest things to get right, it can be difficult to find a method that works for you. Here are 5 easy steps that I follow when doing my foundation:
1. A good base is key. The base keeps your foundation on all day and makes application easier. For my primer I used L'Oreal Lumi Magique pure light primer. I apply by hand, as I find this method works best for me. I take 2 pumps and spread it evenly on my face and neck.



2. Next is the foundation. It is extremely important that your foundation matches your skin type and colour. For example, if you have dry skin it is best to use liquid foundation as it hydrates and smooth's the skin out. The foundation I chose is Revlon Colour Stay in the shade Buff. A decent brush is essential when applying foundation as it does most of the work. I used Blank Canvas Cosmetics F20 - flat buffer brush.

 



 

3. I then put two coin sized pumps on the back of my hand and dip the brush in the foundation, making sure that only the bristles at the top of the brush are covered.



 

4. Then I applied the foundation, starting in the middle of my face on either side of my nose and working my way up to my forehead using a stippling motion. Do not forget your neck, this will make any difference in colour visible, and wont look good.



 

5. Once I finish this, I let my foundation settle for 2-3mins and spray 2 light spays of Mac Fix Plus onto my skin. This is an optional step, I find it keeps foundation on longer and makes it look dewy and flawless. Add a concealer and powder of your choice to finsh. Now the most important part of your make up is complete.



 

I will be posting another blog at the weekend on contour and highlighting as a continuation of this post. Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment below. Let me know what you thought of this post. I will also try to add links to the products I used if possible.

Product Links:

1. L'Oreal Lumi Magique pure light primer - http://www.boots.ie/en/LOreal-Paris-Lumi-Magique-Primer-20ml_1247613/

2. Revlon Colour Stay foundation - http://www.boots.ie/en/Revlon-ColorStay-Makeup-for-Normal-Dry-Skin_39474/

3. Blank Canvas Cosmetics F20 Flat buffer brush - http://www.blankcanvascosmetics.com/products/f20-flat-buffer-brush-hd-face-collection-black-handle.html

4. Mac Fix Plus -h ttp://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/177/388/Fix/index.tmpl

5. Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer - http://www.boots.ie/en/Rimmel-Wake-Me-Up-Concealer_1253837/

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