Makeup Lesson: Liquid Eyeliner

Loved by stars such as Adele and of course Amy Winehouse, liquid eyeliner is perfect for creating many dramatic looks. You can use it to add drama to a bold smoky eye, or a quick flick to add instant sixties sex appeal.

A slick of liquid eyeliner instantly makes your face look 'done' and like you've really made the effort.

However it is also a product many people are scared to try. I myself was really put off using it after a bad experience many years ago. If you're not sure what you're doing it can be really difficult and there's nothing worse than making an absolute mess of your eye and having to start again!

So here you have it, some tips to make applying liquid eyeliner so much easier.

First of all, try out a few different liquid eyeliners so you know which style suits you. Personally I like one with a brush as opposed to more of a felt tip pen style, but either will give great results.

My favourites are Benefit Magic Ink (£14), or if you're watching the pennies Rimmel Glam'eyes (£5.29) is also fab. Both of these eyeliners have nice long lids so you have something to hold onto which helps keep your hand steady. A longer lid also means your hand will be further away from your eye while you are applying the eyeliner, so you will be able to see what you're doing much easier.

Rimmel Glam'eyes

Benefit Magic Ink

If you prefer a felt tip style liner, Yves Saint Laurent Shocking False Lash Effect Eyeliner (£24) is really good as the tip is really flexible and easy to use. Also Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner (£2.99) is fantastic value and really long-lasting.

YSL Shocking False Lash Effect 

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner

When applying liquid liner, make sure you have something to rest your elbows on, such as a desk or dressing table, this instantly helps keep your hand steady.

Rest your little finger on your cheek whilst drawing your line, to stop your hand wobbling and ensure your line is nice and even.

Another useful tip is not to fully close your eyes while doing eyeliner. If you close your eyes, your skin obviously wrinkles a little, so when you open them your line which previously looked smooth, can suddenly appear jagged. 

Combat this by placing the mirror below your face, so you can keep your eyes open but look down into the mirror. This means you can see what you're doing much more easily and your eyeliner will be nice and smooth.

Now when drawing your line, don't worry about getting it all done in one fluid movement. I find it easiest to start in the middle and draw the line to the outer corner of the eye. (Don't worry about adding a flick yet, I'll get to that bit later.)

Then take the line from the inner corner of the eye to the middle. Your line should get thicker towards the centre of the eye.

Once you're happy with your line, add a little flick at the outer corner if you like, and you're all done!

If you do make a mistake, don't panic. Just soak a cotton bud in a little bit of makeup remover and gently rub it off, then when it's dry just go back over it.

And there you have it, perfect eyeliner flicks without the drama.
xxx

Review: Benefit Hervana

Hiiii!
Sorry it's been a while since my last blog post, I've had a mental week and busy weekend but I'm back now!
Today's post is based on a request by one of my blog followers, asking for advice on a matte blusher. Naturally I have come to the rescue with the perfect product.

Benefit's newest box powder blusher Hervana is perfect for anyone wanting a matte blusher. It has a cute swirl of colours inside, and don't be put off by the more purpley shades, it looks absolutely gorgeous on and would suit any skintone. It also has a lovely berry blossom fragrance which is gorgeous for Spring, and the swirl of shades reminds me of ice cream!

Benefit redesigned their boxes a while ago and I must say the new style are much better. Rather than having a removable lid, the new box has a lid which flips back to reveal a mirror on the inside which is so useful.

The blusher also comes with a more angled brush than Benefit's other powders, so it's great for sculpting and shaping cheekbones.

In the picture I am wearing Hervana by itself but it also looks gorgeous if you use a bronzer underneath cheekbones, then Hervana on the apples of the cheeks. This would give the illusion of stunning high cheekbones. (Apologies for how rough I look on the picture, had a banging headache all day, think I need an early night!)

Hervana is a brilliant multi-tasker, you can use it to take your look from day to night really easily. In the photo above I have just swirled the brush around the box and dusted it onto my cheeks, to give a blend of the colours. You can also tap the brush onto the individual shades, so adding more of the pink/purple shades for a brighter pinky look, or add more of the peach/coral shades for a peachy glow. The palest shell coloured shade also works well as a highlighter on the browbone.

Products that would work well with Hervana:
Benefit Highbeam
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose

So there you go Lilycat, hope this answered your question!
Comment below if there are any other beauty dilemmas you need me to solve or products you would like to see featured on my blog.

xxx

Interview with Claudia from Sorority Girls

She describes herself on Twitter as "hair done, nails done, everything BIG! Journalism student/wannabe millionaire/E4's favourite sorority girl" and she certainly isn't lying.

Claudia Wright starred in Sorority Girls, an E4 show in which girls competed to be part of a new American sorority house Sigma Gamma. Basically they put 14 girls in a house together, threw in some twinsets and pearls, and tried to make them act like ladies.

Branded a a 'slooter cahooter' (strange American term for slut) by the sorority sisters, cocktail waitress Claudia was eliminated for the show for apparently having explicit photos on Facebook, a claim she strongly denies. She was the centre of attention from the first episode where she rocked up to meet the sorority sisters wearing tiny denim shorts and became well known for her fake tanning mantra and sarcastic comments.

She's down to earth, hilarious, and she loves fake tan even more than I do, and she's agreed to let you in on her beauty secrets...so get your hairdryer ready. (all will be revealed, go with me on this one)

Claudia's Top 5 Must-Have Beauty Products:

Fake eyelashes Eyelure No. 145

MAC Prep + Prime facial primer

Benefit Hoola bronzer

Rimmel Sunshimmer instant tan

Mac Lipstick in Crème de Nude

Rimmel eyebrow pencil

 (Claudia found it too hard to limit to just 5, I’m no beauty fascist so I let her have 6)

Inside Claudia's Makeup Bag:

 MAC Skinfinish pressed powder

MAC Prep + Prime facial primer

Rimmel Eyebrow pencil

Eyebrow primer

Loads of nude lipsticks- She's obsessed with them at the moment

3 types of foundation- Claudia wears Boots 17 Photo Flawless foundation, mixed with Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, then on top of that she layers Urban Decay Surreal Skin.

A lot of bronzer

Claudia's finished look

And here it is, Claudia's famous fake tanning ritual first shown on Sorority Girls and featured (mocked) on Harry Hill's TV Burp...

"The fake tan I use depends if I’m skint or not! If ive just got my loan in I use Fakebake or Xen-tan, but if I’m budgeting it’s St Moritz dark, sometimes I mix dark with medium because it actually seems to make it darker for some reason!

Then I use a hairdryer to dry my body, everyone made a big deal out of this but it’s literally just so it dries!

Then I put another layer on, and hairdry my body that’s it for a normal day but if I’m going out I’ll put another layer on and then Rimmel Sunshimmer over that."

The (very bronze) finished product

Here is a clip of Claudia explaining her look to the sorority sisters...enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WcnGEzRmjY

To see more from Claudia, check out her blog http://sunjunkiex.blogspot.com/

xxx

Model Beauty Tips

So this week I’ve been speaking to some beautiful ladies and some very hot men (it’s a hard life I know) to find out how models keep themselves looking good.

Tom Bradshaw

(photographer: Scott Ninness)

Blog: http://tombradshawfitness.wordpress.com/

Campaigns: Puma, Nestea, GQ magazine. 

Boys, if you want a body like Tom’s, get ready to work hard! He says he keeps in good shape “by training ridiculously hard in the gym 6 times a week - 4 weight days and 2 circuit. As well as sticking to a strict diet 99% of the time.”

Follow his blog for diet/nutrition and exercise guidance.

His beauty must haves are:

Beard trimmer

Hair clay

Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce aftershave

Body butter (for a shoot)

Whey protein

His ideal Valentines day gift is “something I mentioned I liked a few months ago randomly (not as a hint) and it being remembered...it happened this year too!”

Stephanie Slater

Agency: http://www.bossmodelmanagement.co.uk/models/main-board/women/stephanie-slater.htm

Gorgeous Steph, who has done campaigns for Boohoo.com, Republic and Babyliss, says she can’t live without:

Bio oil

Sudocrem

Dermalogica Face Scrub

Pro Active Deep Cleanser

Moroccan hair oil

She keeps in shape by doing Bikram yoga and eating healthily, although she admits she loves diet coke and chocolate.

Her perfect date night outfit is “something classy, probably a pair of skinny black jeans, dressed up backless top with a black leather jacket, shoe boots and a tote bag.”

David Lancaster

 Twitter: @dclancaster

Campaigns: Abercrombie and Fitch SS/11, Vogue Hommes International, Mens Fitness Cover shoot.

David keeps his skin in perfect condition by using:

A Buf-puf (an exfoliating facial sponge)

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter

Chapstick lipblam

Kiehls or Nivea facial moisturizer

Guys if you fancy dressing like a model, take some tips from David. (Girls, if you fancy a date with David, join the queue). He says, “If you are splashing cash in some fancy restaurant and/or the theatre then a classic smart/casual look would be my attire of choice e.g. chinos, shoes, shirt and blazer. But if it's more of an adventurous date then clothing should reflect what you are doing. No one wants to go to a romantic outdoor spot in a tux now do they?” See not just a pretty face.

Sarah Barrett

Agency: http://www.industrypeople.co.uk/html/SarahBarrett_1390.html.

Twitter: @Sarah_Barrett_

Stunning Sarah explains how she prepares for a photo shoot like her recent New Look campaign,

“The day before, I try to be super healthy with what I eat and try to exercise. I have a shower in the evening where I exfoliate, shave and wash my hair. I use either Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion to moisturise or Garnier's Summerbody if the client wants a bit of a glow. I blow dry my hair out using a round brush and if they're not done already, I file my nails and use a french manicure pink polish on them.”

Sarah’s main beauty dilemma is her skin, she says “My skin has always been a nightmare, having suffered from acne when I was younger. I regularly have microdermabrasion to make sure my skin gets a good exfoliation, use the Clinique blemish solutions face mask every now and again, and always moisturise my skin to keep it hydrated.”

Her must-have beauty products are:

Chloe perfume

Body Shop coconut body scrub

Clinique blemish solutions oil-control cleansing mask

Eyelash curlers

Vaseline

So there you have it, everything you need to look model beautiful!

Now I'm off to drink 17 gallons of water and do yoga til I cant move...I'm kidding I'm so depressed looking at these photos I'm going to go drown myself in cheesecake.

Thanks SO much to all the lovely lovely models who took part, you're all amazing(ly fit).

Le me know what you think!

xxxx

First Ever Blog Post!

Ok so this is my first attempt at blogging...and I'm not quite sure what to do!
First of all I'll introduce myself and tell you a little bit about myself and what I hope to achieve with this blog.

My name is Alex, I'm a journalism student studying for my NCTJ Journalism Diploma.
I've been obsessed with makeup and cosmetics since I was a little kid and my ultimate ambition is to become a beauty journalist.

My 5 beauty must haves are:
1. Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser- I've been using this cleanser for years and it's amazing for oily skin.
2. Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream- Yes everyone loves it...and with good reason! It really deserves its cult status and I seriously couldn't live without it.
3. Fake tan- In particular Fake Bake Extreme or for a budget friendly option St Moritz is fab, either way I can't cope with not being bronzed.
4. Benefit Boi-ing concealer- An absolute wonder-product, industrial strength concealer that covers blemishes, dark circles, even eyebrow regrowth! It's probably the hardest working product in my (bulging) makeup bag.
5. Mac lipstick- Nothing quite comes close to Mac lipsticks for colour, and they're always on top of evey trend. My colour of the moment is Angel, a gorgeous nude pink.

In this blog I am going to try out new products, help you solve your beauty dilemmas and show you how to achieve different looks.

Let me know if there is anything you would like to learn how to achieve, or any products you would like me to try out and I will do my best to get on it!

Alex xxx