Warm, Cool & Neutral - The Right Eyeshadows For You

Rules?  There are no rules (or there shouldn’t be any) when it comes to wearing your favourite colours.  It’s all about getting the right shade for your skin tone which will then affect one’s choice of foundation, hair colour, make-up, clothes and accessories – all with the objective of enhancing our natural beauty.  Say for instance, you love hot pink but it makes you look peaky, then you need to find the right shade, i.e. a warm or a cool pink depending on your skin tone.

The skin has three undertones: warm, cool and neutral.  There are few ways to determine your skin tone:-

• Do you tan easily and don’t burn?  The skin’s natural protecting pigment, melanin, is high giving you a yellow to olive WARM undertone.
• Do you burn, blush or prone to redness?  Melanin is lower which results in pink or blue-ish COOL undertones.
• Check your wrist veins.  If your veins are blue/purple, you are COOL.  If your veins are blue/green then you are WARM.
• When it comes to jewellery, which looks better on you, silver (COOL) or gold (WARM)?
• Hold up a white scarf to your face and then a cream one – which one brightens your face?  White (COOL), cream (WARM).
• If you don’t have any pink or yellow undertones then you are a NEUTRAL and luckily can wear any colour and any shade.

I am quick to burn in the sun, I am freckly, my veins are purple-blue, silver jewellery and white look great on me so I am Cool (as if we didn’t know that already….tee hee).  I am very sallow and my skin is beige so if I wear beiges, golds and creams, these colours tend to blend into my skin and I look colourless.  I remember with Clarins one summer, we had to wear some golden yellow polo shirts to promote the suncream….well, let’s say some customers asked me if I was ‘feeling alright?’ and I have stayed clear of all yellows eversince and any colours that literally blend into my skin colour.  I need a contrast (see the colour wheel below) and so anything with a blue undertone is better for me and will make me pop.  That reminds me, I must donate my tan biker jacket to charity – it does nothing for me.

 I have brown eyes and find that darker blues, purples, greens and greys suit me.  Put golds and beiges on me and you can’t tell I am wearing anything.  If I do go for the warmer tones then I have to make sure that they have blue-ish undertones.  A good example of this is my Collection Nude Eye Palette (€4.49), which made my Product of the Week a few months back.  I chose the Nude Grey palette rather than the Nude and the Nude Bronze (as the warmer tones would totally disappear into my skin).  There is however, one shade I don’t wear (second one in from the left) as it doesn’t show up on me.

 My all-time favourite colour is a silvery, grey, mink and I’ve noticed that I seem to have a few shadows in this shade.  My favourite is Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre in Illusoire #3 (€30.50).  To be honest, I don’t actually wear this often – it’s very glitzy – but I do love to get it out of the box and admire it frequently. 

I’ve always been a fan of H&M’s eyeshadows; love their textures and colours (and I can’t wait for their new, revamped make-up due out in a few months).  My favourite colour ever is in their trio palette and it’s the middle shade – a cool, dark taupe.  I’ve had it years and it’s still going strong (it has not gone off).  I use this on my lids and then the darker colour in my crease and outer corners (I don’t use the orange for obvious reasons).  I think I paid under a tenner for this at the time.

On a night out, I will reach for my Give Me Nightmares Palette by Makeup Revolution (£6) – full of greens, purples, blues and blacks (shimmer and matte) – I have great fun with these.  The colours don’t lose their intensity and last the night.

Another palette I use a lot is Makeup Revolution’s Romantic Smoked palette (£4) and this is another example of the minky shades I am drawn to.  Good for a day at work and then glam up at night.

So here’s a guide to colours that will make your eyes pop:-

Brown eyes look great in greys, teals, purples.  Hazel eyes are WARM so contrast them with cool blues, plums and mauves.  Brown/Black eyes benefit from illuminating shades such as ivory.

Green eyes.  As green is a secondary colour (it warms up as it gets closer to yellow and cooler as it gets closer to blue) but to contrast; purples, cranberries and rusty colours are good.

Blue eyes are COOL so contrasting shades that look great are golds, browns and oranges.

Product of the Week - KIKO Liquid Skin - Second Skin Foundation

When I popped across to Lisbon 3 weeks ago, I did a bit of make-up retail therapy and purchased KIKO’s Liquid Skin Second Skin Foundation (well, when we finally found the shop that is.  Apparently there are three in the city centre but we just found the one hidden in a shopping mall). 

Anyway, I have been dying to try this product for ages as it contains three of my favourite ingredients.  Unfortunately, my neck doesn’t tan so I had to wait until my face faded in order to use it so I’ve only been trying it out for a week or so.  It was worth the wait though as I absolutely love this foundation. I have the shade WB15 (Warm Beige). 

It comes in a 30ml bottle with a pipette and I drop a 5c size into the palm of my hand and distribute in both hands and apply.  I have tried with my fingers in short downward strokes like I would normally do (and with a brush) but I prefer getting it on with both hands, applying it like a moisturiser and Ta-da!  Second Skin!

The texture is a bit reminiscent of MAC Face & Body and Makeup Revolution’s The One (runny and water-based) but don’t let you put you off, Second Skin glides on like silk and is so lightweight, it feels like you have nothing on but provides a great light to medium velvet coverage (its buildable).  My pigmentation is lifted (I have sallow, yellowy skin and my freckles can look dull if I get the wrong shade so this is perfect), my skin feels comfortable and it provides a good base for the rest of my make-up which lasts the day.  I have an oily t-zone and open pores so Second Skin is great for providing a smooth base for this area.

There are active ingredients in this; hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and resveratrol – I’ve mentioned these three ingredients in previous posts so you’re probably familiar - moisturising, brightening and anti-ageing.  Oh and when it is time to remove my make-up at the end of the day, my skin is super-soft.

Also, it has some UV protection too and comes in 14 shades.  Which one will be yours?

Second Skin Foundation €18.90 www.kikocosmetics.ie

Moon Face

Eyebrow shapes seem to change as often as I change my lipstick (it’s rare that I would wear the same one every day) and what is in fashion at the moment is the full brow (think Cara, Keira or Kate) and now, one that is straight (without the arch) or so my Sunday newspapers quoted recently...unless this has changed again?

However, I’ve never been a ‘trendy-Wendy’ - I just want a well-groomed brow and mine have been arched for decades and I certainly don’t want to be plucking and changing their shape at this time of my life.  You can always add to them with product to re-shape instead pluck and – horror of horrors – for them not to grow back.  If someone was to ask me if I had a daughter, what advice (can be anything) would I give her, my answer would be “don’t touch them brows.  Ever!”  Best to get the strays tidied up professionally and then maintain the shape yourself.

I have a round face, my facial measurements are as long as they are wide.  The reason I know this is yes, I did measure my face (ahem) but I was on an image consultancy course at the time.   Therefore, an arch in my brows will make my face look a tad longer.  Phew, I was on the right eyebrow track then.

With regards to what I use on my brows, I prefer to use powder rather than a pencil, which tends to slide off me if I get too hot.  Powders are great as they give density and you can build up the colour with ease (remember with make-up application ‘less is more’.  You can always add to).  

I use Sleek’s eyeshadow palette in Au Naturel 601 (€10.49 from Boots) with my Model’s Own Angled Brush (which I love – it’s stiffer than most angled brushes I’ve used.  Another taut brush I’m keen on is Makeup Revolution's Angled Brush).  The colour of my brows are quite fair even compared to my natural hair colour, which is dark brown.  My hair shade at the moment is black so I fill my brows in with one of the browns in this Sleek palette.  Seeing as I shortened my brows back in the 90’s (I think I did this by mistake), I extend them out a bit.  

But I am bereft if I forget to fill in my brows of a morning as it alters my face so much.  I look like the moon without my eyebrows on.  Another example of this I can share; on a recent make-up course I attended, the tutor suggested that the students putting make-up on me, fill in my brows before they start on my eyes so they can see what they’re dealing with! 

I once tweeted the gorgeously talented Lisa Eldridge, as I had forgotten to fill in my brows (I didn’t realise until I got to work) and she very generously tweeted me back with some helpful, amusing advice.  

Other products for brows are pencils (great corrective), waxes (waterproof and carry a slight sheen – which can be a tad unnatural), felt-tip brow pens (good for literally drawing on hairs if you’ve got a shape but have gaps) and gels (good for keeping unruly hairs in check and give a bit of a shine).

Product of the Week - Maybelline's Big Eyes

Big Eyes is a double-ended chunky pencil that has a black pencil liner one end and on the other is either a nude or white pencil.  I have the nude/black one.  (In the past, I have dallied with white pencils but they just make me look startled and it doesn't look natural due to the whites of my eyes not being white so the off-white looks much better).

I always forget that I have this little beauty so now I’ve taken it out of my make-up drawer unit in the spare bathroom and placed it on my shelf in my bedroom (where I now put my make-up on), so I remember to use it.  I then pop it in my bag so I can use it on-the-go should I need it.  This post is really about the nude pencil end.

Following on from my concealers post last week, this is great to have in your bag should you want to conceal a newly formed blemish as well as brightening and refreshing up your waterline and to highlight the inner corners of your eyes.  Also you can dab a bit on your cupid’s bow to give the illusion of fuller lips.  If you don’t need a primer on your eyelids then the nude is great to use instead (make your mascara pop!). And everyone should keep a black pencil in their make-up bags for that 'just in case moment', right?

Funnily enough, the dark freckle on the end of my nose looks terrible concealed with this pencil – the texture is not just quite right for that part of the skin.

Both liners are a good texture.  I really don’t get on with a soft pencil so these are fine and it didn’t feel uncomfortable or tug at my skin.

There are some non-favourable reviews of this product out there but I found that this Big beauty – the nude end – nice to use and I look perky after I’ve applied it.  I do have watery eyes and have a problem keeping my liners on without smudging so I am used to liner touch-ups during the day.

Currently €7.49 from Boots.

Concealers - the secret weapon to flawless skin

First you applied the appropriate primer and now you’ve popped on your foundation.  Now the last step in creating your beautiful, flawless complexion is the application of concealer – an essential in your beauty make-up bag.

There are different types of concealers on the market from light reflective pens to opaques.  Whatever you use, make sure you get the right shade and that you blend, blend and blend the edges so it looks like you aren’t wearing make-up and you have flawless, natural skin.  Either use brushes or your fingers to apply and blend in and build up slowly.  Just make sure you’ve smoothed the edges so they are seamless into your surrounding skin.  I use either my fingers or my Makeup Revolution Pro F102 Concealer Brush (€1.99) or a smaller eyeshadow brush - it depends on how big the area I am concealing.  Gosh, I've just read this paragraph back and I've gone a tad heavy on the 'blending' but its important!

A lot of make-up artists prefer to use eyeshadow brushes instead of concealer brushes as some find them too large.  For pin-pointing concealing (for anything small but stands out), use a very tiny brush, like an eyeliner brush for blemishes, scars and spots.

Opaque concealers can come in the form of a stick or a pan.  These are good to cover blemishes, pigmentation and redness.  Also stick foundations are great used as concealer due to their high pigments. 

Palettes that come with different shades are a fab thing to have in your kit, especially if your skin tone changes from season to season and you can mix the shades too.

Light reflective pens (like the infamous YSL one), have a thinner consistency than sticks/creams and are used for shadowy areas: around the nose, dark circles, inner and outer corners of the eyes – any part of the face you want to lighten so apply to where you are dark.  A little tip that will give the face an instant brightening lift is to draw on some cat's whiskers.  Take your reflective pen and draw three horizontal lines from the nostrils, fanning out across the cheeks like cat’s whiskers and then blend away the edges.    

Also, concealer is great for creating a crisp edge when applying a deep pigmented lip colour.

I have an army of five concealers in my personal kit depending on how my skin is on the day.  Luckily, I don’t suffer too much with blemishes or spots but I do have pigmentation, redness and dark circles so I need to address these issues (and my concealers came in very handy when I had those pesky insect bites on my forehead the other week).

First up, I am very freckly, very pigmented and annoyingly I have one small freckle that seems darker than all the rest on the tip of my nose (it’s the only thing I see in the mirror and it drives me crazy) so that is the first thing to go.  Also I have an area on my right side near my nose that I cover up with my Catrice Coverstick (€3.50 in Nude 010).  I apply from the stick and then blend the edges with my fingers.

I have some redness in between my eyebrows so that is next to go.  I will use either the Coverstick as above or Catrice Allround Concealer (€3.50).  This palette has 5 creams (green for redness, coral for dark circles and beige for imperfections and there are three shades of beige in light, medium and dark).  Depending on how I feel I will either use the green or the medium shade for this redness.  I apply with my concealer brush and then blend with fingers.

For my dark (blue) circles, I’ve just bought KIKO’s Dark Circle Concealer (€8.90 in Peach).  Now because I’m freckly, if I get the wrong shade then some of my freckles look grey and dirty.  I asked the brilliant MUA Leonard Daly for some advice on this and he said to go for a peachy tone instead of my usual yellow.  This fab liquid concealer in peach helps counteract the brown of my freckles and removes my blue circles.  It comes pump-dispensed and a lot does come out on the first pump so I try and pump half a pump and apply it with my concealer brush and then pat it in with my fingers to blend.  I also use my foundation brush in order to buff the edges if I've put too much on.

Another KIKO favourite of mine is the Soft Focus Concealer (€7.50 in shade 02) which illuminates the face and helps to minimize dark circles and fine lines.  It’s a concealer pen which contains silicones (fills in fine lines), white tea, antioxidants and decongestant properties.   The concealer is dispensed by clicking the top of the pen and the product comes out onto the brush.  Then I blend and pat it in with my fingers.

Lastly, I also love Ken Boylan’s Play Liquid Concealer (€20 in C25) which illuminates and hides blemishes and redness.  I tend to use this with his HD Foundation (€30 in C25) for special occasions.

There is one more little beauty that I think is an amazing product – it has dual purpose but I shall be popping it in my Product of the Week next week so check that out on Wednesday.

Enjoy the weekend!

Superdrug’s Simply Pure Hydrating Serum

I normally spend my Sunday’s watching Lisa Eldridge’s make-up tutorials on her website – I must know them word-for-word now but I can’t stop as its just pure Sally-Heaven.  One Sunday, however, I came across Sali Hughes, beauty journalist for the Guardian who has her own channel too and I was watching one of her videos when she mentioned Superdrug’s Simply Pure Hydrating Serum being one of the best she’d tried for dehydrated skin and it only costs £2.69.  It has been designed for sensitive skins too – bonus.

I love a good serum so when I went back to the UK, I bought some so I could use this after my holiday to hydrate my suntanned face seeing as it contains hyaluronic acid, glycerine, amongst other relevant ingredients.  My combination skin has always suffered from dehydration (probably the red wine playing a part here) and even trusty Clarin’s Blue Orchid Oil couldn’t sort this out for me.

I can’t remember now where I learnt this little tip (or even if it’s true?) – it was either at Clarins or while studying beauty therapy - but if you lift up the skin with the side of your forefinger near the corner of your mouth and if you see horizontal lines then that means your skin is a tad dehydrated.  Well, I’ve been using Simply Pure Serum for 7 days now and them darn pesky lines have gone.  Gone.  Disappeared. Vanished.

The serum is a white gel and is pump-dispensed and one click will provide enough serum to cover the face, neck and décolleté (or where you need it).

Apply the serum after cleansing and before your moisturiser.  It’s designed for sensitive skin with a calming action so I thought it would be perfect after a week in the sun.  My skin is much softer, hydrated and feels very, very comfortable.

And I can still drink the vino…Cheers!

Her Name is Rio...

After foundation, I would normally apply my concealers but running out of time this week, I needed a quickie blog and so I’ve written about the third step of my makeover instead - my favourite eye primer (which I think you already know what that is anyway).

Thank goodness for these little beauties as I don’t know what I’d do without one now.  I used to be able to get away with it when I was younger (or were foundations better back then?!) but as the years have flown by, keeping eye make-up on has become a struggle.  Until I started using Urban Decay’s Original Primer Lotion (€21), that is. 

Of course, even if you don’t have oily lids, you can still use an eye primer as it will help to keep the intensity of the make-up true as well as not creasing, smudging or moving.  If you think that an eye primer is yet another product to add to your shopping list, then apply some foundation and/or concealer instead to the lids as this will help to even out the face and skin tone and will cover any veins or discolouration (as well as the not-creasing part).  However, foundation/concealer on my lids is a no-no for me as I crease like hell).

For me, the more layers I put on my eyes, the more my make-up slides off so I only apply a very thin layer of the primer over my lids and sockets and wait until it dries.  Then I apply my shadows, pencils or creams.  Even if I’m going out and about but I don’t want to wear make-up then I will still apply my primer so at least I feel teat and nidy if I’m coming into contact with people. 

I have tried a few eye primers over the years (expensive and inexpensive) but Urban Decay gets the thumbs up so I may as well stick with it and not waste any more dosh.

One thing that does frustrate me though – so any advice out there would be much appreciated – is keeping my eyeliner on all day, whether it be pencil or shadow.   Now admittedly, I do have watery eyes and you’d think that my primer would work underneath my eyes too but still my shadow or pencil slides down and I end up with an untidy smudge (rather than the sexy lived-in look).  I’m also not keen on some waterproof pencils as they tend to look too hard (like I’m starring in a Duran Duran video) and are difficult to smudge.  So it’s great not having to re-do my lids during the day but I do have to sort out my panda eyes – sob.  Any ideas?

Lisbon Beauty

So I did take make-up with me on this holiday and I wore it every night: base, concealer, mascara, blusher, lip gloss.  I had my brows tinted so I didn’t have to take my Sleek eyeshadow palette (I use their dark brown for my brows) but I wish I had as I think my tint faded in the sun.

I took with me Bioderma’s Photoderm Max SPF50+ in Clair (€19) which I wore instead of foundation.  It’s a tinted moisturiser which gave a nice finish with all important SPF and I loved it.

I was planning on bringing my Urban Decay Eyelid Primer but I thought I would get one at the airport.  However, we got stuck behind a family at check-in with suitcases galore and then another family pushed in to be checked in with them so we didn’t have time to buy anything in Duty Free as we were legging it to the boarding gate and as you know, in Dublin, it’s a good 10 minute walk to the boarding gates so I was without my Primer – sob.  Thank goodness we booked Fast Track security tickets else we’d have not got on that plane.  Anyhoo, seeing as I’d brought my KIKO Soft Focus Concealer in Light (€7.50), I used that on my lids instead but nothing does the job like my UD Primer.

I took my favourite mascara (which I have reviewed before) The Viper by Makeup Revolution (£3) and I was pleased to see that it stayed on in the heat and didn’t smudge at all. 

Blusher was Shiseido’s Face Colour Enhancing Trio in RD1 (€38).  It comes in four shades and the trio includes a blush, highlight and contour. I swirl my brush over all three colours and apply to the apples of my cheeks.  I have to say, this was my all-time favourite product while working for Shiseido - it makes such a difference to a makeover – it totally lights up the face and I recommend it to everyone!

Last but not least was that pink lip gloss I mentioned last week, Lancôme’s Lip Lover in 355 (€22).  It’s a balmy, moisturising, intense colour gloss which felt great and looked fab but its fine if you’re not going to be eating and drinking and I didn't have the patience to keep reapplying it after meals.  It’s not for me as I really don't like wearing pink lipstick so it’s going in my pro-kit.

I also bought 15 products from KIKO but I shall review all of those another time – I want to see how they perform first!

However, I've back home with four insect bites - one on each arm and two on my forehead - hilariously symmetrical.  I now look like I am in the process of growing a pair of small horns.  I am no longer a Lisbon Beauty then.  Right, where is my stick concealer?!

Foundations Part II

Following on from Wednesday’s Post, what foundations to do I use?  I must admit, I have loads but I do have favourites (one of which is only £3 – I am not a make-up snob!).

 

I never normally like the effect any foundation gives me on application – I like it to ‘settle’ in order to see the finished result and for me to make my mind up.  Anyway, these three get the thumbs up from me:- 

 

(1)    Makeup Revolution’s BB Foundation – I absolutely love this product – the consistency is so pliable and it has a ‘bounce’ to it, if you know what I mean?  I love the dewy, radiant skin effect it gives me and it smooths over my pores nicely (even when I’m not wearing my KIKO Primer). I actually bought these foundations online so it was a bit of gamble with regards to the right shades but I thought if I do get it wrong (and I did), then I can bung them in my pro-kit (which I did) but you can now buy this brand in Superdrug.  Out of the 3 shades I have, one suits me perfectly so I will definitely be reordering (£3 for 30ml).

 

(2)    Makeup Revolution’s The One Foundation is similar to MAC’s Face and Body.  Now I couldn’t get on with MAC (it made my skin itch) but I really like The One, which adapts to your skin tone and texture.  It’s a liquid (very, very runny) and best applied with your fingers (rather than a sponge or brush which will absorb it and you’ll end up using more) in short downwards strokes but you can build it up to the coverage that you prefer.  It comes in 16 shades but I only bought one of these and got lucky with the shade (#5).  It’s perfect (£4 for 25ml).

 

(3)    I use Catrice’s Nude Illusion (€9) the most – light reflecting pigments for a lovely glow but at the same time mattifying as well.  Who knew?  It feels great on the skin, provides light coverage (which is substantial) and has UVA and UVB protection.

 

I love these too: Benefit’s Flawless (€36), Bourjois Healthy Mix (€12), Catrice 12hr Mousse (€6) and Rimmel’s Stay Matt Mousse (€8), Ken Boylan’s HD Foundation (€30) and Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation (€41) and their Face and Body (€37).  The finishes are great!