makeup

Despite my job as a beauty writer, doing a full face of makeup has never been my strong suit. An intricate, trend-led hairstyle or a complex skincare routine, yes, but a YouTube-worthy makeup tutorial? My dexterity ends there it seems. This is why, initially, beauty guru Huda Kattan’s product line didn’t seem like it would be for the likes of me. The collection of full-coverage foundations, intensely matte lipsticks and jewel-coloured eye shadow palettes looked great online, but at first glance, I just couldn’t comprehend how to make these trending products work in real life. However, it’s no exaggeration to say that Huda Beauty now takes up a huge chunk of my makeup collection. From ingenious base products to essentials for eyes and lips, there ar...

When it comes to natural-looking, understated makeup, French girls know exactly what they’re doing. And considering the country’s centuries-old ties with cosmetics and makeup, it’s no wonder. While the rest of the world has spent the past ten years learning how to contour, create a cut-crease eye look and ‘bake’, French girls have stayed true to their roots, choosing to instead ignore the new norm and stick to the no-fuss, low-maintenance (but seriously chic) makeup looks they’ve always known and loved.  And frankly, we’re here for it. Forget full-coverage bases and eye shadow creations that take half an hour to execute, French girl makeup champions glowing skin with natural texture, a healthy-looking flush and just-bitten lips. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are lo...

The last calendar year has changed a lot about our beauty practices. From co-signing more low-maintenance hair choices to adopting mask-friendly makeup and carrying out more at-home beauty treatments than ever before, we’ve amended every aspect of our hair, makeup, skincare, and nail routines to suit our socially distanced lives. And we don’t know about you, but after being robbed of Hot Girl Summer 2020, we’re feeling the urge to show out this solstice season. That’s why all summer 2021, we’ll be leaning into the most fitting trend that also happens to be so pretty: minimalist makeup. Now, minimalist makeup might not sound all that exciting, but it can be a lot more fun than its name suggests. Remember when Beyonce had us all sho...

Above, I briefly touched on the fact that my dark circles are a genetic trait, and for a huge number of fellow dark circle sufferers (constantly being told we look exhausted means that we do suffer), the case is the same. Thinner skin around the eyes and higher levels of pigmentation mean that unfortunately, some of us are simply born with dark circles and very little can be done about it. However, this isn’t to say that the appearance of dark circles can’t be worsened. In fact, those that don’t have a genetic predisposition to dark circles may, from time to time, suffer with them as a result of certain lifestyle choices. Miss Elizabeth Hawkes, consultant oculoplastic surgeon at Cadogan Clinic, says, “To help avoid dark circles, I advise you get enough sleep, stay hydrated, ...

As many of us continue to work from home, the reality is we’re seeing our own faces a lot more. Even if you’re a mostly camera-off kind of queen (I applaud you!), there are still so many instances where showing your face is a must. It’s not the worst thing, but when the motivation to apply makeup is at an all-time low it can feel like a personal attack to have to reveal our dull complexions and dark circles for all to see. Well, my friends, this might be a good time to practice a little self-compassion. This year has been insane and the fact that you’re still standing is an accomplishment on its own. But if you feel strongly about putting your best face forward, I hear you. These summer makeup launches will put a little pep in your step when...

Zara fans, get ready for a piece of news that’s about to make your year. The mega-stylish retailer, known for supplying the fashion community with affordable trend pieces that pack our wardrobes year-round, is entering the beauty game. In fact, today marks the launch of Zara Beauty, the retailer’s first official beauty collection. That’s right—in addition to loading up your cart with the most enviable sartorial styles for summer, from pleated miniskirts to halter tops, now you can also stock up on vibrant lip colours, eye shadows, makeup brushes, and even nail polish. The best part? It all falls right in line with the elevated quality and inclusive ethos we’ve come to love and expect from Zara. From the get-go, the thing that stands out most about this new...

Zara fans, get ready for a piece of news that’s about to make your year. The mega-stylish retailer, known for supplying the fashion community with affordable trend pieces that pack our wardrobes year-round, is entering the beauty game. In fact, today marks the launch of Zara Beauty, the retailer’s first official beauty collection. That’s right—in addition to loading up your cart with the most enviable sartorial styles for summer from pleated miniskirts to halter tops, now you can also stock up on vibrant lip colours, eye shadows, makeup brushes, and even nail polish. The best part? It all falls right in line with the elevated quality and inclusive ethos we’ve come to love and expect from Zara. From the get-go, the thing that stands out most about this new beauty offering is the shade ...

These days, the mark of a truly iconic beauty brand is some level of TikTok fame. From prestige picks to affordable drugstore ones, the makeup community on the popular app wastes no time identifying its favourite products, sharing the good news, and promptly causing said products to sell out—everywhere. We saw this happen recently with a new launch, the KVD Vegan Beauty Good Apple Foundation (£29) (which is still tough to find ever since the app’s top creators deemed it life-changing), but even products that have been on the market for a while can potentially get a resurgence in popularity based on positive recommendations from the internet’s makeup mavens. This has been the case recently for E.l.f. Cosmetics, a certified vegan and cruelty-free mak...

If you’ve ever wanted to know what’s really inside the makeup bags of the most stylish women in the industry, you’re in luck. We’ve created a new column—Inside My Makeup Bag—to uncover the beauty products our fashion friends genuinely keep in their daily rotation and how much their stashes actually cost. I’ll be delving inside their bags on your behalf and totting up every item in there, from the most expensive to the cheapest. Not only will you be left with an incredible shopping list, but you’ll also get a realistic price tag to boot. Is there someone whose makeup bag you’re dying to see? Slide into my Instagram DMs with your requests, and I’ll see what I can do. This month, we’re delving inside the everyday makeup bag ...

There is nothing more joyful than a fun eye shadow look and now is the time to get playful. Spring is the season of new beginnings: the blooming of flowers, the birthing of baby chicks and lambs, the lighter evenings and sunnier days. Spring is full of life and after more than a year of what feels like deep hibernation and gloom, we can finally start to shed the layers of tracksuits and emerge from our cocoon-like homes. Whether you’re getting back out there with gusto or you’re tentatively starting to socialise once more, with masks a must, the best way to add a spring into your makeup look is with eye shadow. What’s great about most eye looks is that, once applied, there is very little need for touch-ups, unlike a bold lip that is as demanding as a toddler on a sugar high. You ...

When it comes to beauty brands that hold a special place in my heart, few come close to rivalling MAC. And while, for many of us, the brand might hold nostalgic memories as the place that we bought our first fancy foundation or experimented with red lipstick MAC are undoubtedly a brand that has continued to move with the times—innovating new formulations, inclusive shade ranges and classic product pairings. At this point, I’d hazard a guess that I have around 15 years of MAC loyalty under my belt and during that time I think I’ve tried a decent amount of the brand’s beauty offering. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I’ve pretty much tried every single product. But with such an array of products on offer—foundati...

Places, everyone, it’s finally time for the big show! That’s right—the 2021 Academy Awards have arrived (albeit a little later than usual), and we couldn’t be more ready for the epic finale to this year’s awards season. For obvious reasons, red carpets have looked a bit different this year and have taken us on a more digital journey than ever before. But this hasn’t stopped our favourite celebs from serving up some seriously jaw-dropping beauty moments from the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, SAG Awards, and more. This evening’s Oscar Awards are sure to be even more exciting. As we all know, big beauty moments at the Oscars are nothing new. But after a year spent wearing nothing but sweatpants and with less makeup and hairstyling than ever before, we...