Makeup Tutorial: Gold Smokey Eye/New Year's Eve Party

I just thought I'd put up my makeup for tonight, in case you're stuck for ideas. A sparkly, festive take on my regular smokey eye.

Definitely prime your eye, since you need your makeup to last most of the night and pigmented colours just love moving about your face when you don't want them to.

Add a shimmery highlighter to your brow bone and pigmented gold to the inner corner of your eyes.

Build up a black shadow on your top and bottom lids.

 Blend the same gold you used on your inner corner, to the crease of your eyes. Keep dipping between the black and gold and blending until you get a nice, even effect.

Apply black liner to your water lines.

Then apply a black liner of your choice to your top lash line.

Apply some black mascara and false lashes (I prefer winged).

Have a great evening guys and stay safe :)

(Check out my entry on staying safe on New Year's Eve here)

Staying Safe On New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is the time of year when everyone lets their hair down. It's not like Christmas where you're rushing around preparing food and the fact that a new year is beginning fills everyone with a giddy urge to throw caution to the wind and act out of their comfort zone, going places, drinking and doing things they might not usually do. This is great, it's often a lot of fun to do something different and meet new people, as long as you're being safe. With awful things happening a daily basis on the news (as well as the stuff we're not shown) I wanted to write a blog entry on how to stay safe on not only New Year's Eve, but any time you go out and about. I don't want to scaremonger,  I just want to make sure everyone is doing everything they can to keep safe.

Travel

Getting home is usually the last thing on your mind when you're about to go out but it's actually the most important. No one wants to be stranded somewhere they don't know, miles from home with no way of getting there. 

Look up the address of where you'll be partying the day before (letting your parents/guardians know if you live with them) so you know exactly where you'll be going if you haven't been there before. 

Pre-book the taxi. Modern technology is amazing and there are a huge amount of free apps. for smartphones, including Kabee and Cabwise, which cater to those living in and around London, and Hailo, which includes a variety of cities from around the world. These apps. not only hunt down and find your nearest licensed cab office at the tap of a screen, but can also book it for you and help you pre-pay the taxi firm so that you don't have to worry about watching your money (although the sensible option would be to keep some money spare anyway, just in case). 

Make sure to save any contacts, including the cab office, on your phone clearly so that you can find them easily when and if you need them. 

Make sure you have sufficient money on your phone so that you can call anyone at anytime. 

If you don't have a smartphone, a simple Google search should bring up any local licensed taxi companies; give them a call and get a quote so you know exactly how much money to keep tucked away. 

Also, never feel guilty about asking your parents/guardians/friends for help. If you do spend all your money and don't have a way to get home, your parents/guardians/friends would much rather you call them and ask them to pay the taxi once you get there, rather than you try and make your way home alone in the early hours of the morning.

StaySafe is another free app. which acts as a panic button, sending emergency texts out to your contacts if you feel you're in danger. It also has a GPS tracker and a timer that you can set, so that if you don't reach your destination by a specified time, your contacts get an alarm.

Lost

If you're stranded somewhere you've either never been or are too intoxicated to recognise, don't panic. 

Your phone can be your best friend in this situation: call someone. If you don't have a mobile phone on you, use a nearby payphone to reverse charges if you need to. 

Taxi companies can help you if you merely tell them the name of the road you're on or any local landmarks that you can see. 

Call a family member, or a friend. 

If you have a smartphone, they have GPS tracking, so this should help you find exactly where you are.

Friends

If you’re going to a party where you don’t know people, make sure you have at least one friend who you can arrive with and leave with. This is what my friends and I used to do when we were younger and going to house parties. This has to be a friend who you trust and is not going to bail on you halfway through the night without letting you know and vice versa, they have to be able to count on you. Although I'm not suggesting you stay handcuffed to each other all night or stop each other from talking to new people, make sure you keep an eye on each other and don't let them go off with anyone you don't know. 

Circle of 6 is a free app. where you enter 6 friends’ details who you trust completely. When you open the app., there are different icons you can click on: the car sends a text to the contact you've selected asking them to pick you up, the phone sends a text asking the contact to phone you, and the chat icon sends a text saying that you need advice. There's also a danger icon which takes you to a choice of two hotlines: rape and assault or relationship abuse, which you can call.

As I said earlier, just as much as you should be able to rely on your friends, they have to be able to rely on you too. Keep your eyes open for any suspicious activity, such as actively trying to get others drunk or persistently trying to get someone to go somewhere with them, even if it's a person you think you know well. Calmly alert the host if it's a house party, or security if you're at a club or other venue.

Drinking

Obviously the best cure for not getting too drunk is prevention i.e. not drinking. However, this isn't really a realistic tip to give people on New Year's Eve and I know I for one love a drink with my friends at this time of year. This article gives some really great advice on how to look after someone after they've had too much to drink without being confrontational or causing any panic.

If you're feeling as if you've had too much to drink, the first step is to stop drinking. Forget the myths about eating bread and drinking coffee, the only 'cure' for being drunk is time. Stop drinking and have some water to stop yourself getting dehydrated. Also let your friend(s) know how you're feeling and let them know where you'll be if you want to sit down so that they can either keep an eye on you or sit with you. If you're not feeling more lucid after an hour or so, it's probably a good time to go home. Get someone you trust, such as friend, family member or licensed taxi to take you home and get a couple of your friends to wait for the taxi with you so that once you leave, you won't leave anyone alone on the street. If you're only there with one other friend, make sure they leave with you if they don't know anyone else there; don't leave them alone at a party or venue where they don't know anyone.

A couple more tips while drinking:

In the UK, the NHS have brought out a free drink tracking app. where you can keep a note of how much you've had to drink. 

Never leave your drink unattended.

Avoid shots and spirits, drink only what you're familiar and comfortable with.

It is recommended to drink water in between alcoholic beverages, this not only keeps you hydrated but slows down your drinking, making the chance of you over-doing it smaller.

Don't drink on an empty stomach.

And finally, for the hangover, drink water, fruit juice, have something to eat and rest.

Finally, it's important to remember that if you need to call the emergency services (999 in the UK), don't hesitate. Don't worry about getting anyone or yourself into trouble, your well-being is paramount. 

Remember to stay safe, look after each other and have fun :)

If you want to discuss anything I've written in this post, or this blog for that matter, you can find me on Twitter.

Makeup Tutorial: 'Elegant' New Year's Eve Party

I talk a lot on this blog about 'wearable' looks. Well, this is a look which I wear ALL the time. It's my 'go to' look in terms of parties, going out for dinner, drinks or wherever because it's simple but very pretty to wear out and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. So, with New Year's Eve just days away and many of you partying the night away, I thought I'd share one of my favourite looks with you.

Prime your eyes and fill in your eyebrows (I feel as if I need to come up with an abbreviation for this somehow!) and add your choice of highlighter to apply to your brow bones and inner corners of your eyes. I used Anonymous by Urban Decay for this look, as I'd recommend using a matte highlighter for this look rather an a shimmery one.

Apply a champagne colour all over your top lid. I'm absolutely in love with Echo Beach by Urban Decay at the moment, it's perfect for this look.

Blend a shimmery taupe (like Nevermind - Urban Decay) into the crease and onto the outer corners of your top eyelids and underneath your eyes (apologies for the blurry picture in this one!).

Use a black eye pencil on your water lines and on your top lash line. Use a pencil brush or your finger to smudge/blur this slightly and then apply a bit more over the top, right next to the lash line.

Put on some black mascara and winged black false eyelashes.

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Makeup Tutorial: Bronze and Purple

This is the final installment in my 'metallic series': bronze and purple. I've really enjoyed the previous two tutorials 'Blue and Gold' and 'Silver and Green' but unfortunately this one didn't turn out how I'd hoped. However, I thought I'd put it up on here anyway.

After priming your eyes, filling in your eyebrows and adding a shimmery highlighter to your brow bone and inner corner of your eyes, find a shimmery bronze (I used Urban Decay's Penny Lane) and apply it to the inner halves of your eyes and along your bottom lid.

Apply a pigmented purple to the outer halves of both lids and blend both colours into each other.

Use a bronze eye pencil along the top lid and black along the water lines.

Apply black eye pen to the top lash line and black mascara.

This look is a lot more understated than most of my other tutorials and the eyeshadow looks a lot less pigmented in the pictures than it does in real life. If I was to improve it, I'd probably not apply the bronze eyeliner on the top lash line, as I feel it drowns out the rest of the look.

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Rimmel London: Metal Rush Nail Polish: Purple Reign (£3.99/8ml)

After a mixed reaction to Rimmel's other Metal Rush nail polishes, Pearly Queen and Gold Save the Queen, I wasn't sure about Purple Reign. It looked quite pretty in the bottle, with hues of pink, purple and even gold in some lights, but I'd learnt with the others that looks can be deceiving when it comes to two tone nail polishes.

I only needed to use two coats of this varnish and this time it dried really evenly and quite quickly. I think this might be because, before they were dry, I scrapped all the polish off the brush and went back over my nails, therefore taking off any excess that may have dried lumpy. As with the others, it only lasts a few days without chipping, however, you can minimalise the risk by applying a strong top coat.

The colour is gorgeous and unlike anything I own; I own purples and pinks but this has a completely different dimension. In some lights it appears as a deep indigo, in some pink gold, so I'd honestly say it's multi-tonal, rather than two tone.

It's a really nice change to simple reds or purples during the festive period, but is also pretty enough to wear all year round so I'd really recommend it, especially for only £3.99. 

Soap & Glory: Supercat Eyeliner Pen (£6)

You've probably realised by now, since I use it in most of my makeup tutorials, that I love eyeliner pens. They're quick and make the job easier, while having strong black pigment. My only problem with my old one by Colorsport, except for the fact it was getting a old, is that it was by a brand that wasn't too well known and therefore harder for people (and myself) to find. I therefore wanted to look at a different brand for my next eyeliner pen.

As ever, the Soap & Glory packaging pulled me right in. Pink and eye-catching, with cute names, I can't help but be intrigued by their products.

The pen itself looks like... well... a pen and if you picked it up without the packaging, you'd probably use it as one. The problem is, as well as looking like a pen, it smells like one too and it is really off-putting. I don't like putting things that smell too strongly on my face anyway, it just doesn't feel good as you know there's an ingredient or chemical in that product making it smell like that. Well I'm not just putting this on my face, I'm putting it on the line of my eye, and that scares me a little. It straight up smells and looks like I'm drawing with a felt tip along my top lashes and that doesn't sit right with me. By all means, make your product look like something else and be creative with the design of the packaging but please, don't make it smell like I'm slathering chemicals onto my face.

As you can see, the formula itself was pretty good. It was quite pigmented and lasted for an acceptable amount of time (5 - 6 hours) but nothing spectacular and considering the price, it didn't need to be. £6 for an eyeliner pen is very reasonable. It just depends on how you are with smelly products. I'm not sure if I'll use this product again since my Colorsport one is only slightly more expensive and definitely less potent.

Rimmel London: Match Perfect Blush: Medium (£5.99/15g)

On my hunt for a blush colour that was not only appropriate for winter but that I actually liked, I came across Rimmel's new Match Perfection Blush and since I get on so well with their Match Perfection Foundation, I thought I'd give this product a go.

The packaging isn't great but is typical of Rimmel. As I've said before, I'd rather they saved money on the packaging than the product, since their makeup is so reasonably priced.

The way in which the powder is embossed, however, is really lovely (although it looks a bit like little dolphins and I'm not entirely sure what they have to do with blush). It also says on the back that there's a 'hint' of blue sapphire to make the colour even. I might be crazy but I see no blue hint, that might just be me though.

I'm assuming that you use the plum (in the middle) to contour, the pink for blush and white to highlight but the shape and size of the sections makes this difficult. This led me to try the method of mixing them all together, which created a pretty pink, not dissimilar to the pink on the right but with a bit more shimmer.

The powder itself is actually a little disappointing. It's dry, but not in a 'blendable' way, it just flaked all over me, and there's very little pigment, except in the pink. 

After trying this, I'm a little surprised that it costs almost the same as the Match Perfect Foundation, which is far better than this. If you're going for a blush which is worth the money, I'd advise looking elsewhere.

Soap & Glory: Love at First Blush (£11/7.5g)

Soap & Glory's packaging always catches my eye. So much thought goes into it that sometimes I feel rude walking past it without a second glance. This usually results in multiple purchases and an empty purse.

I was actually already on the hunt for a nice blush. I've never spent serious money on one and as a result, I don't own any that I really like. There was a sample of Love at First Blush being displayed and I was so taken a-back by how adorable it was, I had to go for it. 

As you can see from the images above, the packing was Soap & Glory's usual pink/'50s theme. It has a magnetised lid, which I thought was clever, so there's no faffing around with catches or bits that clip into each other. The magnet's not that strong though, only minimal effort is needed to open the compact, so I'd be careful putting it in your handbag in case it gets pried open and ruined/ruins your belongings.

The inside of the compact is perhaps even more beautiful than the outside. It contains 4 shimmery shades of pink, all in varying tones and hues. 

The powders are incredibly soft and pretty pigmented for blush and highlighter. They're stunningly pretty alone, although the sections are so small it's pretty hard to get your brush in them without picking up the others along the way. Instead, what the packaging suggests, is to swirl your blush brush around all the colours and apply it to the apples of your cheeks. This does look lovely and, since there are so many shades, it seems to match your skin tone and look extremely flattering worn this way. However, I'm yet to try it on another skin tone than my own.

If you're wanting to invest in a high quality blush powder without straying into the expensive world of high end makeup, Love at First Blush is for you. It's simply beautiful and adds a shimmer and glow to any look.

Barry M: Metallic Liquid Eyeliner: Gold & Silver (£4.79)

You may remember me recently complaining about my Barry M's Glittery Eyeliner being too crumbly and falling into my eyes. Well, I decided to do something about it, and as I felt it was a tad unfair on what usually is an excellent brand, I went straight to the Barry M section again to find a substitute gold, liquid eyeliner. Oh yeah, and I ended up leaving with a silver as well; don't you judge me!

Firstly, I like the packaging; it's compact, simple and light whilst making it pretty obvious at first glance what's inside. I also love the brush; it's short and easy to hold, and solid enough that it makes applying the eyeliner seriously easy but not so solid that it hurts you. The mixture is thin enough that it dries quickly but isn't runny and is very easy to manage. It's incredibly pigmented and metallic; the gold is gold, not orange and the silver is silver, not grey.

These liners are reasonably priced and perfect for the festive period if you're not used to wearing striking colours on a regular basis. The product itself is pretty much perfect in terms of pigment, consistency and application so you can't really go wrong with these. Although I can only find gold, silver and metallic black, they do have other colours which I really want to try, so it might be a case of just keeping my/your eyes pealed. Nice one, Barry M; you've made up for all that glitter in my eyes. Almost.

Rimmel London: Stay Matte Pressed Powder: 003 Peach Glow (£3.99/14g)

This might surprise you, but I don't actually tend to wear makeup very often. The majority of my time is spent in front of my laptop indoors, so I don't feel any real need to wear it. If I do a tutorial, I take it off straight afterwards. When I do go out, depending on where I'm going, I'll only use liquid foundation on my skin, and a bit of blush (I only tend to wear bronzer and highlighter when I go out to dinner or clubbing). I only wear this because I don't need my makeup to last all day; when I wear primer on my eyes, it's more to get the most out the pigment than to make it last all day/night. I do find, however, that my liquid foundation does wear off by the time I get home. I know the solution to this is either to apply face primer, makeup setting spray or powder on top of my regular foundation. I decided to try the latter and went with Rimmel's Stay Matte Press Powder in Peach Glow.

 

The range was reasonably good, with 6 tones I could see, from beige undertones, to pink undertones. I chose peach, as my skin has a tendency to go pink all by itself at the drop of the hat and it doesn't need any extra encouragement, and I didn't want to go for anything too dark for my skin tone, such as Silky Beige. There was a 'transparent' powder for those with dark skin, although I believe there should be more options for those with black and olive skin tones. However, this is a broad problem with foundations in general and an issue for another post (although if this is a problem you face, check out Illamasqua's range; it's not perfect yet but it's better). I didn't chose 'transparent' as I wanted the powder to add a bit of natural colour to my skin, since foundation tends to make it all one tone and you don't want to look like a mannequin (or maybe you do... each to their own).

 

Now for what you (probably) came here for: the review. The packaging isn't the best as the lid is a little lose but I'm willing to let that go, considering it was only £3.99 and I'd rather the expense was spared on the packaging than the product. 

It has a light, pleasant, floral scent, which disappears within seconds.

The powder itself is incredibly light, whilst producing decent coverage over the top of my regular foundation; I didn't try it on its own as this isn't how I'll be wearing it in everyday life. It takes away any shine your face might have and really evens out your skin tone, while adding a natural glow.

Above, I've taken pictures of before I apply any foundation (left), after I'd applied liquid foundation (Rimmel's Match Perfection Foundation)(middle), and after I'd applied the Stay Matte Powder over the top of the liquid foundation (right). There is real difference in evening out the skin tone and also, far less shine than not only in the first picture, but also the second.

This powder is great. It's an absolute steal at £3.99 and it far exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend wearing it over the top of your regular foundation to increase longevity, as well as making the general appearance of your skin even better.

Makeup Tutorial: Snow Princess

I've been meaning to do this tutorial for a long time now; ever since I started this blog, in fact. Not just because it's seasonal but because it allowed me to have a bit of a play around with different materials and products. This is the only tutorial I've specifically bought products for (yes, that is a wig, in case you didn't know) and I had a lot of fun doing it. It's a little complicated because I kept going back and adding parts (as always), so I'll try and sum it up as best I can.

Apply your usual foundation all over your face, including your eyelids, eyebrows and lips. Then go over your face with either white face paint or eyeshadow (I'd advice using a cheap eyeshadow, since you need a lot). Go underneath your eyes, eyebrows and lips with your usual concealer.

Pick an icy blue and grey to mix together and contour your face. I applied the blue first and then went over it with the grey, drawing along my cheekbones, sides of my nose and temples. Make sure you blend it thoroughly so it looks like a blue 'tinge' rather than clear cut lines. Go over your eye 'bags' to create a 'dead' look.

Go back underneath your eyes with a slightly darker blue-grey.

Go back to the original blue and grey and go over your lips, eyebrows and around the sockets of your eyes. Tip: use a clear lip balm or gloss on your lips first to make the shadow go on smoother. Obviously, you don't have to use shadow on your lips if you have liners in similar colours.

Use your finger to lightly smudge pink along your top lash line and apply red liner onto your water line.

Take a silver eye pencil and go over key areas of your face which may be 'frosty'; for example, top lash line, eyebrows and lips.

Use a black mascara on your eyelashes to length and thicken them, then add a glittery mascara to the tips. I also combed a bit of the glittery mascara over my eyebrows.

Add an icy, pale pink to your cheeks.

Add silver rhinestones (ice crystals) to the corners of your eyes. I also added them to the sides of my mouth. If you really wanted to go all out, you could add them to your top and even bottom lash line as well.

I'm so pleased with this look. Especially with the wig added, I don't even look like me. If I was to do it again, I'd probably add some light blue contacts to make it even more dramatic.

Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Eyeliner (£6.49)

When gel eyeliner first hit the shops, I thought it was a revelation; easier to apply than liquid liner but more defined and pigmented than most pencils. The only problem I found was that it dried out quickly and I ended up throwing out whole pots of the stuff so I haven't bought a new one for a while. 

I like Rimmel, which is why when I was looking through their products online, their Waterproof Gel Liner caught my attention.

The pot of product itself is tiny. Although, as I stated above, I've had trouble with almost having too much product and it drying out, so I can't complain about that, especially considering it's very reasonably priced (£6.49). 

The lid/brush arrangement is clever; the brush clips out of the lid. This is useful if you're one of those people that are always losing the small brushes you get with other gel liners, which always tend to leave black marks on everything from the leftover product. The brush itself is a little thicker than I'd like but it's still very usable and does the job. If it's a real bother, you can always use your own brush. 

The formula itself is a little dry and disappointing in terms of pigment in the swatch. However, in the tutorial I tested it in (Silver and Green) it actually worked really well, so perhaps the first swatch was just taking the 'skin' off the top, so to speak. 

It's incredibly easy to use, I'd highly recommend it if you're not very good with liquid eyeliner or just starting out with makeup. It's very forgiving and this makes it versatile, as it can be used sparingly to create a subtle look which just thickens the eyelashes, or thickly to help create a dramatic look. It may not be for you, but at only £6.49, the risk is worthwhile.

Rimmel London: Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner - 010 Silver (£3.99)

I've made no secret of my insatiable love for Urban Decay products, particularly their eye products, but... let's just say, when I go on an Urban Decay spending spree, my purse definitely feels it. I don't doubt that you get what you pay for with them, which is why I go back to them again and again and can't heap enough praise onto them. However, I've been waiting for another eye pencil to appear on the market that is cheaper but a close enough dupe to Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On formula to take the strain off my bank account and I'm pretty sure I've found it.

Rimmel's new eye pencils, part of their Scandaleyes range, are not only cheap (£3.99) but are incredibly pigmented and creamy. I barely had to apply any pressure at all in the swatch or in the makeup tutorial I used it for (Silver and Green) and although they aren't quite as pigmented as Urban Decay's eye pencils, they're amazing for what you pay. They also last a long time, to the point of me not being able to get the swatch off my hand for at least a day after applying it. 

Rimmel's range isn't anywhere near as broad as Urban Decay, who are world renowned for their high quality eye products (I could only find 7, as opposed to Urban Decay's 24), but considering this seems to be a relatively new formula for Rimmel, I'm sure they'll be adding to it soon and I can't wait.