Shapes and Shadows: Eyes and Lips Makeup

The eyes and lips are very important features on the face. I love experimenting with these features, different eye and lip makeup can completely change the shape of your eyes or lips, you can make them bigger, smaller, softer, harsher etc, the possibilities are endless. 

Today I played around with colours and shapes to create these four eye makeup looks, and I will also be showing you how I created them. 

Before you start working on the eyes, make sure that you have prepped them. You can prime the eyelids and make sure to powder well as this will enable the eyeshadows to glide on more smoothly and giving you the best base for blending. If you are working with a lot of eyeshadows, it is suggested that you apply base after you have finished working on the eyes, use a tissue under the eyes or a load of powder to catch the fallout. 

Okay! 

LOOK 1: Stretch those eyes. 

Look one is an extreme winged eyeliner. It is simple, and it is one of my favourite looks, this eyeliner will elongate your eyes, making them feline and sexy. I like rocking these eyes to night outs. These pair of eyes look great with a bold lip or nude lip, just keep the rest of your face subtle (calm down on the blush!).

1. Start with prepped eyes, I do not like to wear eyeshadow with this look but you can definitely work any bold shadow with this eyeliner.

2. Using a straight edge, mark the angle of the wing. I recommend elongating wing from your bottom lash line, this will give a more natural elongation. 

3. Using a black eyeshadow, mark the wing. This does not need to be perfect as we are retracing it again later. This just gives you an idea of the angle. Eyeshadows are easier to remove if you mess up. 








4. Now you have figured the angle, you can retrace the line with a liquid or gel liner. Make sure to bring the liner right in and don't forget the inner corners as this gives more of the feline effect. 

I used Rimmel London waterproof exaggerate liner.











5. Line the entire bottom waterline and join to the wing.


Pencil Liner: MUA Jet Black 

6. Lastly curl lashes and apply mascara to both top and bottom lashes. Since I have very short lashes I added some falsies. 



Mascara: Rimmel London Sexy Curves 
Lashes: Brit Rocks Perfect Girl






LOOK 2 

This look is more of an extreme look. I wanted to play around with complementary colours. I also played around with shapes, colliding soft shapes and hard shapes together such as the thick sharp liner and soft blending, I think the eyelashes add shape too as they are very sharp. 

Here is how I achieved this eye look: 

1. I applied a white base (NYX White pencil and white shadow. This will make the colours stand out better. 

2. I added a bright blue semi shimmer eyeshadow to the outer V, pulling it in to define the crease.















3. Next I added a darker matt shadow to further define the outer V leaving the centre of the lid clean. 














4.  I added bright yellow shadow to the inner corners and centre of lid. 

















5. Then using a fluffy blending brush ( MAC 217) I blended all the colours together. The yellow and blue created a beautiful gradient of yellows, greens and blues.

6. I added black liner, winging out the bottom and top to add definition to the eyes. 

I used white accents to add as a strong highlight and to play around with contrast.  

7. Lastly, I added a pair of falsies (Salon system Boholash) I thought these lashes were fun and really defined, I thought they would make the eyes stand out further more.  

8. Finished look. I skipped on mascara on the bottom lash as I wanted the white and black eyeliner to be the main focus. 











Look 3 

I felt like creating a very soft look without using harsh shapes and lines. I chose to use a analogic colour scheme (colours next to each other on the colour wheel) because I thought that the colours would really complement each other and create a warm look. 

1. First I prepped the skin with a white base because I think these colours will look good on a pale complexion and therefore really stand out.

2. Using a cool toned baby pink, I applied it to the inner third of the eye and bottom outer V. Doing this will make the eyes look a little puffy, but cute, giving it a lil bambi effect.

3. Next I added a bright purple to the outer V of the eyes, leaving the centre of the lids clean, by adding shadows to the other corners of the eyes gives the eyes more dimension. 

4. Next I used a blending brush to blend the colours together, creating a little gradient effect and to make sure there are no harsh edges. This will also create a nice feathering effect. 

5. Finally I curled my eyelashes and applied mascara. Unlike the previous two looks, I decided not to apply fake lashes as I felt this would overpower the shadows, taking away the softness and leave the eye looking less innocent.

Look 4

This last look is very minimalist, I wanted to create something simple but can still create impact. I went for a bright underline and mascara. I like this look a lot as I feel that it is very subtle but creates a pop art feel. 









1. Since there are no eyeshadows involved on the eyelid, I did not prep. Using a white eyeliner, I lined the bottom line waterline, extending it out to create a harsh point. This will create a base and a guideline for the bright pigment I will be using.

2. Using a bright baby blue eyeshadow and an angled brush I pressed the pigment over the white liner, this creates a very bold line. Finally, I just curled my eyelashes and applied a thin coat of mascara. to add more drama, I could have applied some feathered out lashes or for a easy intricate design I could have used Paperself lashes. 

The lips are also a very important feature on the face. I have used different lip products to try out a range of shapes to strengthen my lip makeup skills. 

Before using making up the lips, always make sure the lips are moisturised and soft because many lip products, especially lip tints and matte lipsticks will emphasise all the cracks and creases on the lips. 

Personally I like to prep the lips when I prep the face for makeup by exfoliating the lips and applying lip balm. Whilst I am working on base and on the rest of the face, the lip balm will have time to work its magic and really sink into the lips. 

Above is a lip exfoliator, and to moisturise the lips I personally use eos, but for hygienic reasons I prefer to use carmex when prepping a model's lips.













During my practical session with Lara I played around with dimension and edges. I wanted to create a more alternative lip by using harsh shapes on the lips. 

Creating this lip design was harder than expected because it is very difficult to draw straight lines on the lips. I should have used a stencil or followed a straight edge to get the lines perfect instead of going in freehand. I also found the lip liner on the top lip was a little messy, this might be that my lip pencil was blunt and wasn't sharp enough to create a clean edge. 

I further experimented with different lip styles. 

Below is a picture of my original lips, you can then see how I tried to change the shapes of my lips and how I worked with my lip shape. 

 First comes the classic red lip. As I used Ruby Woo, a very chalky matte lipstick from mac, I had to exfoliate my lips very well. Before I applied the lipstick, I used a red lip pencil, this will give the lips a very clean line and stop it from bleeding. 

Ombre/Gradient lips are huge this year. To create this design, I first used concealer to conceal the outline of my lip, then using a lip stain by collection 2000 I coloured the inside of the lip and feathered out the colour with a clean finger. 

This is a more editorial lip, again I wanted to experiment with cold colours, I chose to play with orange and blue as they are complimentary colours.

To create this look, I used pale foundation over the lips to cancel out my natural lip colour and wetting a flat lip brush I applied eyeshadow in a stripy manner onto the lips. This creates a cane effect. 

This is the last lip that I experimented with, again, this is a editorial lip. 

I wanted to give the lips a comical effect by adding an abstract outline and highlight. 

I also made the cupids bow very sharp to give the lips a lot of shape. 

The eyes and lips are very important features of the face as they express a lot of emotion. I encourage you to try a bold eye or lip, or both! 

Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara Review.

You have seen this mascara everywhere. But is this product worth the rave? Today I will be doing a product review.

Note: This is my own personal opinions and experience. You have perfect right to disagree. 

What this UK NO.1 best selling mascara promises your lashes: 

Lengthens
Curls
Lifts and separates 
Long wearing

I have naturally thin stick straight lashes which point in a downwards direction and have been searching for the perfect mascara to give them a boost. After hearing the wonders of 'They're Real' mascara for a while, I finally purchased it. Being £19.50 on the market - it is not a cheap mascara, for me, it counts as an investment. 

Appearance: 

I am a sucker for pretty product packaging and appearance, I think that the design of the tube is very sleek and simple. It feels heavy in your hand with that expensive quality.

The applicator is quite slim, and there is a ball at the end, which enables you to get into the finer lashes and be more precise with the mascara application. 

SO, does it work? 

Below are the before and after pictures. Since I have very short straight lashes I had to curl them beforehand using heat. 

You can see clearly that the mascara has added definition to my lashes. I feel that the formula for this mascara is quite heavy, I had to curl my lashes again after applying the mascara because the formula made them droop. I also feel that the mascara can clump eyelashes together so instead of applying the product with the wand horizontally, I applied it vertically, making it really add length the the lashes. It is true that the mascara separates the lashes, however, it doesn't separate single lashes but a couple at a time, making the outcome look spidery. I had to separate the lashes by combing them through with a disposable mascara wand. However, I feel that this mascara is best for lengthening and it is indeed very long wearing - it stayed put for a good half day with no smudge or fallout. 

Overall, I feel that this mascara is not a miracle worker for me, the formula is too wet and causes my lashes to droop because of its heaviness. I feel that there are cheaper mascaras on the market that can achieve what it promises and or do better. 

I will not be repurchasing this product. I'll stick to my holy grail Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara:

Left eye: Rimmel London Sexy Curves 
Right eye: They're Real! 

Quote of the day, why pay more if you can pay less!

Who are the New Elizabethans?

The Elizabethan era is in the past, however, there are many individuals in the modern day that represent the Elizabethans - from their styling, to their attitude and goals in life.

Examples: 

90s Madonna 

"Take a bow, the night is over" 

-Madonna 90s hit'Take a bow'

The 90s were Madonna's prime-time, she continuously tried out different styles, both fashion wise and music wise. 

The photos below show Madonna in the 90s,I feel that her styling in these photos are very contemporary Elizabethan. The hair is a very gingery blonde - a preference for Elizabethan women - and perfectly curled with some volume at the the top of the head. The makeup on the eyes are very light and is complimented by a beautiful and striking red lip, this is also another Elizabethan feature - light eyes and dark lip. The dark eyebrows make the look contemporary, giving some edge. Madonna looks very elegant and royal in these photos, giving her an upper class feel. 

Madonna has marked the music industry and many music artists now follow in her footsteps. Madonna was also a huge fashion icon across the decades, but one of her most memorable signature look was the cone bra that Jean Paul Gaultier designed for her blonde ambition tour in 1990. Like Queen Elizabeth, she still has an impact today.

Grace Kelly

"Few women have had as enduring an impact on fashion as Grace Kelly, the Hollywood actress who became a real-life princess. Almost three decades after her passing, her name is still synonymous with impeccable chic and effortless elegance."

- H Kristina Haugland 

Grace Kelly occupied a unique position in both Hollywood and fashion history. 

Alfred Hitchcock made the observation that it wasn't the make-up or clothes but because she plays a character from the inside out.

This observation reminds me of the role of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth seemed to be a strong women, but it was her role and her duty to be a strong leader, she had no choice, like an actor she has to hide her own emotions to protect her people.

Hilary Clinton

"Years of applying herself to learn the job and perform well in it"

Hilary Clinton is a controversial figure, being the former United States Secretary of State, U.S Senator and former First lady of the United States, she puts herself up for a lot of criticism. 

Her attitude is similar to Queen Elizabeth's, when she was new to the throne, she had no other choice but to apply herself to the role and learn to be a great leader. Elizabeth was under a lot of pressure to do well - and she did.