makeup | makeovertoday.co.uk

01
Mar
2015

Sonia Kashuk Neutral Eye Palette

categories: Blog

When I was in America recently I was lucky enough to pick one of these Sonia Kashuk eyeshadow palettes from Target. I have heard a lot about these on youtube.

Apart from Target, the only place I have seen these for sale is ebay, and that is because this is a Target exclusive.

Although this little compact does not look much, the colour formulations are fab, and as an all matte palette this is very difficult to find.

If I could, I would have picked up more, but this was the last one on the shelf and they seem to have disappeared from the Target web site. However there is a shimmer one being sold with a similar colour range.

I am keeping this gem for myself and if I can procure another I will keep it in my kit. Alternatively, I will see if I can match the colours from MAC or Makeup Geek, but that will prove costly endeavour.

28
Aug
2014

Must Have Revlon Blush Colours

categories: Blog, Makeup Tips and Advice

Revlon has always been a favourite with me. Not quite a drug store brand make up and not quite high end, Revlon sit firmly in the middle.

When browsing for blush colours ( as the newest ELF blush pallets have not made it over the Atlantic Ocean yet) I discovered these two beautiful colours in the Revlon section at boots. I didn’t purchase them because I have two new Kiko blushes recently purchased from The Westfield Shopping centre in London and I have yet to try them out. (That is after I finishing experimenting with some new Tarte blush purchases.) So suffice to say – I have one too many blushes on the go at the moment. But if I can justify it – these two beautiful colours will be added to my collection.

Huate Pink Rose Classe is a beautiful pink which would go well with fabulous cool pink toned lipstick. And Classy Coral Coral Chic is a lovely orange toned coral to compliment a nude look. At around the seven pound mark they don’t break the bank, and are certainly worth the investment.

11
Jun
2014

Makeup brush dupes. How to find the best alternatives

categories: Blog, Makeup Tips and Advice

Sometimes finding the right make up brush can be a real pain. Often we pay out large sums of money only to find ourselves favouring a particular brush that came with a set or pallet years ago and can never be found again.

Find the right brush may involve looking at brush dupes

Often price is no guarantee of quality.So in my experience it is best just to experiment. Discard the ones that come with large price tags and just blind test. Don’t choose a brush just because it says if was designed for a particular area. Contouring brushes can make good blending brushes and visa versa. And I am not against a good old plain hack with the scissor, if you think you maybe able to save a brush that you never use. Rather that than let it go to waste.

Here is a fabulous article which lists brushes and some dupes worth investigating.

http://makeupobsessed-beauty.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/affordable-dupes-for-mac-brushes-dupes.html

27
Mar
2014

L’oreal False Lash Telescopic Waterproof Mascara Review

categories: Blog

L’oreal False Lash Telescopic Waterproof Mascara is a mascara that I have wanted to try for a long time now, mostly due to the good reviews it has had from various Youtube Makeup gurus.

Silver Barrel does not photograph well with a phone.

When I tried it I was not disappointed. It has a good price point, (around the £10 mark) and for that investment I would say that this is a mascara that girls should check out for themselves.

When I tried it, I did not test the waterproof ability of the L’oreal False Lash Telescopic mascara. (However I did recently have a crying fit when I went to hospital, so I can say the Estee’s Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplier Mascara held up relatively well even though the formula is not waterproof – as long as you catch the tears fairly quickly with a tissue.)

The L’oreal Telescopic wand is a thin rubberised construction, which means that you can get to even the most stubborn of your thin eyelashes. The overall effect once applied is quite impressive.

This mascara is going to be in my top five and so I recommend that people check out the L’oreal False Lash Telescopic ( even though it does have a long name,) because this formula at this price point, is worth investigating for yourselves.

27
Feb
2014

Nude lips and why you shouldn’t use them.

categories: Blog, Makeup Tips and Advice

Stop wearing a nude lip, it doesn’t become you. And I am going to tell you why!

I know all things go in and out of fashion. But the nude lip thing that has been around since Mario Dedivanovic started using it on Kim Kardashian for a photoshoot, is one that many pale skin and medium toned skin women should avoid like the plague. They should wish it would disappear from magazines forthwith.

Try using your own lip tone

Please remember this, unless you are a woman of colour with rich olive tones to your skin (and a makeup artist like Mario) a nude lip is going to wipe you out colour wise. It’s going to drain colour from your face and make you look ill.

It may look good and funky on an editorial spread on a red headed freckled faced girl when the art director is trying to call attention to something ( like the motorbike she maybe draped over) but it really is no good for most women and they really, really should stop wearing a nude lip and they should really, really should chuck out those nude lip tones from their makeup bags.

Olive skin tone women, who had had their face dramatically highlighted and contoured by a make up artist can wear a nude lip and it looks great, because the nude lip is a colour contrast to the colour in the skin tones and the colours created by the makeup artist; and therefore it stands out.

There used to be a saying in makeup artistry that many still hold to be true If you go heavy on the eyes then go lightly on the lip.And of course visa versa. However, “going lightly on the lip” does not mean wiping out the colour of your natural lip tone.

If you want a a true nude lip, just chuck on a light gloss over your natural lip colour.In fact I would recommend the Gale Hayman lip lift as an alternative. It’s a great product which protects the lips and has some plumping properties.

So let me just remind you. If you have gone for a big dramatic smokey eye, go lightly on your lips so that you don’t look like a drag queen. I would recommend using lipstick close to your own natural lip tone. That really is a nude lip. Or a gloss over your own lipcolour. But don’t wipe out the colour of your lips with a glossy beige tone and think you look great,. because the chances are that you don’t, and you are the one that is going to have to live with the pictures or yourself trying to be a Kardashian clone some way done the line. We live in an age of social media. Believe me, those pictures are going to come back and haunt you.

12
Feb
2014

When contouring goes wrong.

categories: Blog, Makeup Tips and Advice

There has been a trend of late to heavily contour the face with either different shades of foundation or bronzing powder.

Contouring the face is not new. You trace contouring the face back to the black and white film era and into colour film. Even the likes of the beautiful Marilyn Monroe relied heavily on her makeup artist Whitey to help create her perfected look.

( Above a concealer palette with light and dark shades. The darker shades can be used to sculpt the face, whilst the lighter shade can be used to highlight. Another low cost option when contouring the face.)

Marilyn used contouring to define her face shape and to help alter the look of her nose .But what you didn’t see in her pictures were awful muddy dirty stripes down the side of her cheeks, in an attempt to try and emphasis her cheek bones.

If you are going to contour your face then try to be subtle about it. Remember less is more and never use bronzer with shimmer if you can avoid it. This often has the tendency to react with the oils in your foundation or skin and can turn a muddy colour on the skin.

On a recent photo shoot I did with a professional model, I was a appalled to see a model turn up with awful hollowed out cheek bones in a glittery muddy brown. I asked her to turn up with light make up so that I could touch up and enhance where needed for speed on the shoot. Well that request has taught me a lesson I will never forget. Her facial makeup had to be removed and redone ( without any bronzer or contouring,. The model had great cheek bones, all she needed was a little blush. She looked fantastic once her makeup had been redone. But that time is taken from the time needed with the photographer and the loss of daylight.

Please, please re think the use of heavy contouring on the face. Remember when using a bronzer you should use it lightly in the places where the sun would naturally catch your face. Use it to sculpt around the hair line on a high forehead. If you must use it on your cheeks then use it very lightly just under the cheek bone, and then sculpt the jaw line. But even then, it would probably serve you better to invest in a face powder a couple of shades darker that your foundation, than to use a shimmer bronzer.

Not everyone needs to contour their cheek bones. Some people are naturally blessed and if you over emphasise an asset you can end up detracting from it. So think before you reach for the brown powder and brush.

03
Feb
2014

Pump up Booster Mascara

categories: Blog

I purchased this on the basis of feedback given on the Superdrug website.

Mascara by Miss Sporty, sadly this one does not live up to expectiations

But unfortunately for me all this mascara produced was spidery lashes. So despite its low price tag, other mascaras I tested far out performed this mascara by Miss Sporty.

If you want a good mascara at a low price point, then the NYC Showtime would be a much better investment for your pennies.

30
Jan
2014

NYC Showtime Mascara – put a show everyday!

categories: Blog

This is an excellent mascara. It provides volume and length and is a great everyday mascara, despite its theatrical title.

If you want a little bit of glam everyday, then this is the mascara for you.And considering its price point. 1.99, this one is a no brainer .Again I hear myself saying that this mascara is worth at least ten times its price.

What my reviews prove is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a great mascara. They are out there and you don’t have to get out your credit card to buy them. This one is just pocket change; but don’t discount it. For less than two pounds this mascara is a strong contender for the best list.

28
Jan
2014

7 Top Make Up Highlighting Tips to Improve Your Style

categories: Blog, Makeup Tips and Advice

Highlight with style

1 There is a fashion at present (perpetuated by Kim Kardashian) to severely highlight the areas around the nose, under the eyes and onto the cheeks. In a downward “V” fashion. This looks good on her because of the use of the Ben Nye yellow powder, which compliments her ethnicity and prevents her looking ashy in photo-shoots and in flash photography. It is not a good look for most people with fair to medium toned skin.

2 A swipe of highlight colour from the side outer corner of your eye upward towards the end of your eyebrow will also create instant lift. This is especially useful if you have had problems with darker shades of eye shadow and you are afraid of a muddy look. It creates a very clean and precise illusion.

3 Always carry two lipsticks, so that you can add a dab of lighter colour to your cupids bow and your bottom lip. This creates the illusion of a fuller lip.

4 If you are stuck in a rut with your eye shadow or have a hooded eyelid, add a touch of highlight colour to the centre of your eye lid. This can dramatically open the eye.

5 Highlighting just above your blush is great for younger women. If you have problems with dark circles or very puffy eye bags, highlighting will accentuate bags or darkness so avoid this and use tip no. 2 instead.

6 Dab a sweep of highlight down the centre of your nose to accentuate a straight nose.

7 Highlight just above you brow, (as well as below) to create instant lift to your eyes.

27
Jan
2014

MUA Extreme Curl Mascara

categories: Blog

This product comes in a curved shaped barrel the wand is strangely curved as well.

MUA Mascara

I found this excellent for the top lashes. It really seemed to grab onto the lashes after I curled them with an eye lash curler. I used this with no lash primer. And it seemed to work really well. It really surprised me.

I have to say that it did not work so well for me on the bottom lashes. The curved wand caused a little bit of a problem here, But perhaps using a primer on the bottom lashes would help in this area. I certainly would not discount this product for this reason because it actually gave a nice volume and lash extension

As for the extreme curl, well perhaps compared to some other cheap mascaras it did hold the curl better. But not as well as something like the Lancome Hypnose (Which for me did not provide much in the way of volume, but it did hold a curl.).

This mascara is currently selling for £2.00 in Superdrug. and I have to say it performs better than mascaras I have tried which are ten times that amount. This mascara is a no brainer. It is a mush have.. I would definitely buy this again and it will surely find its way into my top ten once I have completed my mascara marathon.

Posts Tagged ‘makeup’