makeup

First up, the shades. Honestly, I was more concerned with how the formula held up but I was actually most impressed by the 6 colours. This is probably the first product range where all of the shades have suited my dark skin tone. Even the Hot Pink. There’s usually, always a dud for me and I was pretty shocked that they all worked.  When I applied the stain with the doe-foot applicator, it felt like all I had on my lips was water. It dried quickly and I was left with the coveted ice-lolly stained lips that everyone seems to want to replicate.  Of course, the real test came when I popped my face mask on and headed out. When I came home I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pigment was still on my lips but there wasn’t a hint of it on my mask. It was also...

I spend a lot of my time testing makeup and the large boxes of products underneath my bed exemplify just how vast my collection is. But, when it comes to my own makeup bag, I only use a handful of staples. The core components of my look haven’t really changed from my early days of makeup experimenting. The primary difference is that I’ve had significant product upgrades since then. One of these is liquid eyeliner. I studied fashion and beauty history and exclusively wore vintage clothing for a long time, so my affection for winged eyeliner has been a mainstay. I was captivated by the doe-eyed actresses in 1950s and 60s films and their ever-so-precise feline flicks. My first foray into the world of eyeliner came courtesy of a chunky kohl eyeliner I picked up at in a local market...

More recently, however, I found that the majority of the newer mascaras are genuinely great and the amount of so-so formulas in my collection has started to dwindle. And this year, there have been more mascara launches than I can count on my hands. From seriously amped-up volume to curl-holding abilities like no other, the claims that they carry mean business. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that my top five favourite mascaras ever made all came out in 2020. It seems that suddenly, clumpy, irritating formulas just stopped existing. Instead, what we have are new-gen mascaras with almost unbelievably good results. But with so many formulas out there, how are we supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff? Well my beauty-loving friends, luckily you have me, a mascara hoarder that has tried...

While I really do love and appreciate makeup and all of its beauty, what I really don’t appreciate is what it does to my skin. Just one day wearing a full-coverage base will likely leave my face dry, upset and plagued with breakouts. You see, while most makeup is designed to make you look your best in the short term, the skin likes to breathe, and makeup doesn’t necessarily allow for that.  While a full-coverage finish was once all anyone wanted, as years have gone on, trends have moved toward a more approachable, fresh-faced look. And we’ve been championing it from the get go, because what’s not to love about natural-looking glowy skin? The issue, however, is that the majority of us still itch for a little bit of coverage. And thus, we enter the vicious cycle of wanting to ...

Is it just us, or is applying heavy makeup the last thing you want to do at the moment? Not only it time-consuming, but it seems wasteful to use up our makeup reserves when we’re not venturing out as much as we normally would be. But what if you want to look like you’re wearing barely any makeup, but still want the comfort of some key products? We’ve been looking for ways to achieve a put-together makeup look with an effortless feel to it—and that requires just a few standout products. So who better to ask than some of the people who sport gorgeous and glowy natural-makeup looks every single day? We have reached out to some of our favourite beauty influencers to find out which products they use to create their natural-makeup looks. From dewy skin and b...

“Firstly, it’s a comparatively inexpensive way to add an instant boost in confidence, mood, and attitude in an application; whether it’s wanting to feel sexy or professional while looking fashionably on-trend in a classic timeless way. MAC red lipsticks come in a range of tones that suit any skin tone, and they can universally be worn by all ages, sexes, races, and genders, bringing its magical mood-boosting powers to all.”  The fact that it has inclusive appeal is certainly one of the reasons why MAC red lipsticks are held in such high esteem. “Red comes in a range of various tones that can be worn as a stain to full impact or glossy to matte finish depending on the wearer’s taste, but there are also guidelines you can follow to get the perfec...

Lately, all of my favourite influencers seem to have collectively decided that blue eye makeup is very much a thing again. So much so I spy several shots of blue eyes every scrolling session, and this week, it appears to be gaining even more traction. Much to my surprise, I absolutely love it.  Blue eye makeup, particularly when we’re talking about the eyeliner and mascara varieties, serves as a refreshing alternative to black and brown. Regardless of the colour of your irises, blue shades somehow work to make the whites of your eyes look even brighter and will enhance any colourful flexes in your iris to make them look more vibrant, too.  What I love most about blue is the multitude of shades and tones it can come in. From classic navy to striking cobalt, th...

Whether it’s a DM, email or the topic of conversation in one of my group chats, I’ve lost count of the times that I’ve been asked what my favourite concealer is. I can list my top foundations, eyebrow products and lipsticks, but my mind always goes blank when it comes to concealers.  To be completely honest, I have a major issue with the name. Concealing always suggests that there’s an issue. A problem that needs fixing. Something to be ashamed of. So, I’m not really here for it. But, I’m also aware that because I see concealers as an optional extra and not as a necessity, I have the privilege of being able to say that. I had acne on my forehead when I was a teenager but these were the pre-makeup days, so I wasn’t aware that I could ...

Wolff explains that since she started the tutorial with her foundation already applied, the first step is reaching for a creamy eye shadow stick (or even a kohl pencil—whatever you have on hand) that promises long, budge-proof wear. (Because no one wants migrating eye makeup mid-meeting, right?) After applying your favourite foundation as you normally would, Wolff says to take your shadow stick (she likes the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Heather Steel—a deep grey-purple), and “sketch” it all along the outer part of the eye and into the lash line. Then, blend it out with a brush like Fenty Beauty’s Precision Blending Eyeshadow Brush 230 (£20). “Blend using soft, small strokes to achieve that subtle smokiness in the outer corners of the eyes,”...

Most beauty advent calendars tend to sell out within hours of their release, so it makes sense that brands are now providing us with information on the covetable beauty buy well in advance of the on-sale date; and that’s precisely what happened this week when our inboxes started to fill with imagery and press releases from some of our favourite brands, each pertaining to their beauty advent calendar offering. With so many to choose from, we decided to make it easier for you to find the perfect beauty advent calendar to treat yourself to by listing them all in one place.  Laying everything out, from release dates to product worths, keep scrolling to discover the best beauty advent calendars this year has to offer.  You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Onli...

It’s honestly through no fault of my own that I’m not blessed in the eyebrow department. I didn’t even over pluck them in my teenage years, in order to replace them with a swipe of black eyeliner. (Side note: Why was that ever a thing?) Don’t get me wrong I do have brows, they’re just very fine, but growing by the day thanks to a nightly application of a castor and rosemary oil mix. For a long time, I just did the bare minimum with them and because my makeup routine takes long enough, I have no energy to spend more than a few minutes on my eyebrows. However, as a diligent beauty aficionado, it’s time to break out of my comfort zone and embrace more of a defined look. Eyebrow trends are subject to change, but in general, the emphasis should just be placed...

Honestly, I’m over eyebrows. I’m skilled at many beauty things, but eyebrows aren’t one of them. I can’t master the perfect symmetry, I have zero energy to rectify mistakes and the products just don’t excite me.  That was until I kept stumbling on eyebrow pens that mimic the results of microblading or brow lamination treatments. I usually wear a few products, but mainly Benefit Precisely, My Brow (£21), so when they recently launched their Brow Microfilling Pen, I had to give it a go and see if it was a worthy upgrade. Seeing as they’re such a go-to brand for all things brows. Whenever I see the word pen next to eyebrows, I have awful flashbacks of when my teen self used a black liquid liner in lieu of eyebrow pencil. Luckil...