My Eyeliner Picks

I feel like I need to take some time to pay homage to my two all time favourite eye liners, Anastasia Beverly Hills 'Waterproof Créme Colour' in shade 'Jet' and 'Magic Ink' by Benefit.

I have been cursed with oily skin and eyelids which no makeup product is ever going to hold up all day against no matter how much Companies insist they will. Certain products can however, at least put up a bit of a fight and put off smudging and fading for a few hours longer. These liners definitely fall into that category.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Créme Colour (£18.00)

A perfect example of what a gel liner should be. These types of eyeliners are brilliant for building up the thickness and intensity of your liner. They take a bit longer to apply than pencil or liquid but blend beautifully into skin without leaving a harsh edge which is ideal for creating a smokey eye. 

Waterproof Créme Colour is yet another 'little goes a long way' product from Anastasia Beverly Hills as should be expected from all premium brands. The staying power of this liner is amazing it it even remains on my waterline for about 4 hours before I need to touch up. It dries quickly when applied and with a matte finish. 

BENEFIT Magic Ink (£15.50)

I love liquid liners for a quick and easy everyday look. They are the best for winged eyeliner and creating sharp and precise looks. 

I received Magic Ink as a birthday present last year and by the time my birthday came this year I realised it had almost ran out and it was time for a repurchase. Bearing in mind that I used this liner almost everyday for daytime use it lasted a little over a year which really surprised me especially since it was such a small pot! On top of being good value for money, Magic Ink dries quickly once applied and applies with great precision due to its thin brush and extra long lid the brush it attached to. It dries with a slight glossy look to it and is as pigmented as a liner can really get. 

Despite my love for these liners I still adore trying new products from different brands and no doubt will try something new at some point. I'd love to hear other people favourites and what they use!

The perfect red lipstick for you

Is there anything more classic than red lipstick?
According to Colour Psychology (the study of different colours as a determinant of human behaviour) red is the colour of energy, passion and power. Many experiments have concluded that women are seen to be more attractive in red and feel more confidence compaired to any other shade.

I'm wearing 'Orange Too' by Calvin Klein (£10.95)

Being such an influential colour it's important to get the shade right for your skin tone as it will make a considerable difference to your overall look.
First you need to determine your skin tone, there are a few simple ways to do this;
Look at your veins where they are most prominent (wrists or back of hands).
If your veins look blue then you have a cool skin tone. If your veins look green then you have a warm skin tone.
Another way to figure it out is by how your skin reacts in the sun. If you burn easily or turn pink then you have a cool skin tone and if you tan with ease then you're warm toned!

COOL TONED
Women with cool tones tend to have fair skin and their best bet is to find a shade of lipstick with blue undertones (also called a cold red shade) in it to compliment their complexion. Blue reds have the added benefit of contrasting against your teeth to make them look extra white! My favourite example of this shade is 'Russian Red' by Mac (£15.50)

Fair skinned girls like Megan Fox, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and Dita Von Teese have really made this their signature looks and there's no denying it's a strikingly beautiful combination! 

WARM TONED
If you have a warm toned complexion chances are you have a medium to tanned skin colour and should generally look for warmer red with orange tones to balance out the yellow in your skin and brighten your whole face! The exception to this rule is brown tones, although the brown counts as a warm tone it can really wash you out. One of my all time favourite lipsticks is an orange, red called 'So Chaud' by Mac (£15.50).

Red lipstick with orange undertones looks stunning on when paired with understated eye makeup and a few sweeps of bronzer. Miranda Kerr, Kim Kardashian, Penelopecruz Crux and Jessica Alba give great examples of this look.

All this is a good gereral guide to go by when it comes to picking your perfect shade but don't forget that everybody is different and some girls may suit both or feel these rules don't apply to them at all! Thanks for reading x

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. 

That, or a kick-ass red lipstick."

- Gwyneth Paltrow 

Beauty Uses Of Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is without question deserving of its title as a "Superfood" and I'm sure most of us have heard the benefits eating it can bring to our health. However, it also has many cosmetic benefits.
A jar of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (and this is definitely the type you should go for as it has no added chemicals) retails at about £5 a jar in larger Boots stores, Holland & Barrett, Amazon and most Supermarkets. 
In this post I'm going to list some of the cosmetic uses of this versatile product.

Moisturiser 

Coconut Oil is incredibly rich, moisturising on the skin and anti bacterial making it a great natural and safe moisturiser. I love using it after a bath and feel as though my skin is drinking in the goodness. There are also studies that suggest it acts as a mild sunscreen due to its ability to blocks out 20% of the Suns damaging Ultraviolet rays, not that they are ever a danger to me anyway living in Britain... But one of the best things about using this Coconut Oil as a moisturiser for me is the way it leaves your skin smelling like Cookies!

Hair Conditioner

An easy, all natural and effective deep conditioning hair mask. Scoop roughly a tablespoon of Coconut Oil into your hand and work it until it has melted, then apply to freshly washed, damp hair all over. Cover with a shower cap or cling film then wrap a hot towel around your head. The heat from the towel will let the Coconut oil further infiltrate into the hair follicle. Try and leave the treatment over night if you can then wash the Oil out thoroughly the next day and your hair will be super soft and shiny! 

Makeup Remover

This is probably my favourite use for coconut oil, as it works so well. Just take a small blob and smear it onto a cotton pad and gently rub this onto your eye area. Not only will this remove even waterproof mascara but the oil will also nourish and moisturise your lashes and the skin around your eyes. However, this should really only been done at night time as mascara won't sit well on the residue of the oil left behind. I use Olive Oil in this way too as it works to remove makeup but is also supposed to work wonders on lashes.

Shaving Cream
Using Coconut Oil to shave with is a great alternative to all those chemical cocktail shaving creams available on the market AND it moisturises in the process. 

Teeth and gums
You might have seen a bunch of celebs on social media posting about 'CocoWhite', a home teeth whitening kit made from Coconut Oil. This technique of swirling Coconut Oil around in your mouth is called Oil Pulling and it originated in India. The idea is that you swish a tablespoon of oil in your mouth for around 20 minutes each day and it is supposed to draw toxins and bacteria out of you into the oil which you then spit out while whitening your teeth in the process. Some people swear it can even cure a hangover!? This all seemed too good to be true to me when I researched it and decided I had to give it a go. The sad part was I HATED the texture of this so much I couldn't swish it around for more that 2 minutes before feeling like I was going to be sick. I tried it once and won't again that's for sure but I would definitely still encourage anyone reading to give it a try and see if it works for them, after all the health benefits speak for themselves on this one. 

Cuticle conditioner

Nail care is something I wish I took more time with and I only really bother with the whole shape, buff and polish routine every so often but when I do I always rub a little Coconut Oil onto my cuticles. For all the time it takes I do notice a slight difference and if your cuticles are in good condition the nails usually are too which is definitely a good thing.

Flawless Skin Basics

Few things knock a girls confidence quicker than waking up in the morning and being greeted with problem skin. It kills me to see the dreaded, dark under-eye circles or a new spot on my chin and there's only so much foundation can cover without caking it on. That's why a basic understanding of concealer types and what ones suit best can be a girls secret weapon to flawless skin.

When it comes to complexion, the same rules apply as they did when we were in school learning about the colour wheel. Any colour on the wheel will cancel out the colour that is opposite when combined, or compliment each other when next to it. This is important to bear in mind when selecting what concealers to use.

PINK/PEACH CONCEALER 
Pink and peach undertone concealers are ideal for counteracting the purple/blue of under eye circles. As the skin is very delicate around this area I recommend lightly patting the product on with a slightly damp sponge or your ring finger as this has the lightest pressure. 

Anastasia Beverly Hill Cream Contour Kit £39.00 shades 'Banana' & 'Cool Pink'

YELLOW CONCEALER
Yellow concealer is a good all rounder and is the default tone found in most products. Yellow works well for brightening skin tone, concealing purple under-eye circles and darker skin patches.

GREEN CONCEALER
Green is directly across from red on the colour wheel and therefore is perfect for neutralising the red of pimples and discolouration around the nose.

NYX CW Concealer wand in Green & Lavender £6.00

LILAC CONCEALER

If you have any yellow discolouration or are sallow skinned then investing in a purple concealer will help you in contrasting this by brightening and evening out your skin tone.

WHITE CONCEALER
White concealer is not so much for colour correction but more for emphasising the natural highlight points on your face (cheekbones, nose, forehead, cupids bow). Many can find the white a bit harsh so mixing it in with a dot of foundation on your hand before applying tones the contrast down to look a bit more natural.

Illamasqua Skin Base Lift Concealer - 'White lights' £18.00

When it comes to colour correction these steps should be followed after applying your favourite skin primer. You should then carefully blend your foundation over with either a beauty blender/sponge or a stippling brush. I wouldn't advise using a foundation brush to blend your foundation over these concealers as they can move the product around and ruin the finish slightly.

If you want to try any of these methods a good palette to pick up would be the Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Corrector Palette as its a very reasonable price and the cream colours are very pigmented. 

Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Corrector Palette £6.00 

Morphe Corrector Wheel £9.95