HOW TO: EASY 1960S INSPIRED SULTRY LOOK

Inspired by the heavy liner dominating the catwalks for Spring/Summer 2014, I thought I'd show you how to recreate a very easy, pretty much fool-proof 1960s inspired look. Yes, I know, how on-trend of me. The tutorial is an example of how I would take inspiration from beauty trends and make them wearable. Truthfully, I wouldn't saunter to the supermarket in this look, but it makes a nice change from a smokey eye on a night out.

So, if you like the look of this homage to the screen sirens of the 1960s, but don't want the hassle of sitting with a makeup artist for several hours, then here's my step-by-step guide:

1. Put a base on your eyes. I actually used the base as the lid colour since I wanted something completely matte. Think of shimmer as your enemy in this look. My choice was MAC's Painterly Paint Pot but any matte skin tone shadow will do.

2. Use a cool brown in the crease for a slight definition. MAC's Omega eyeshadow was perfect here.

3. Using a smaller brush, apply a line of darker brown shadow over the top of the cool brown to create a cut crease. I used Paper Bag from the Sleek matte eyeshadow palette, but any mid-tone brown is fine.

4. Blend in this shadow until the line is softened but still slightly visible.

5. Using a black kohl pencil, roughly line your upper lashline, thickening it towards the outer corner and forming a subtle flick. Join this up with a thin line on your bottom lashline. It's probably best for you to refer to the photo on this one. A photo's worth a thousand words, as they say! You want to make sure the flick comes out quite far but doesn't go above your crease.

6. Using a matte black shadow (again, I used the Sleek matte shadow palette for this) smudge out the line you have create, especially the flick and outer corner. This will give the eye look a hazy, sultry effect.

7. Add as much mascara as you can physically get on your lashes, and remember not to neglect your bottom ones. After all, the 1960s were all about crazy doll-like eyes. I also added a nude liner to my waterline to brighten it up a little.

And that's all there is to it! Using a kohl pencil makes this look perfect for novice liner users because it is much easier to apply than the liquid or gel kind. Plus, it doesn't matter if it's slightly wobbly as you'll be smudging it after anyway.

For the face, I added only a contour and powder over my foundation because I felt the finish was more 1960s than if I had used a blush on the cheeks. I also decided to contour my nose with a small shadow brush to give that really perfect profile. 

Doing such a pale lip is quite new territory for me but I really loved the plumpness it gave. I used a nude ModelCo lip liner (one that I got free in a magazine *ahem*) and a Topshop lipstick in the colour Pillow Talk. 

I hope you like the look. I'm definitely going to recreate this for a few nights out! 

MAKE ME UP! KAT: TALL WITH FAIR SKIN

The first instalment of my collaboration series with Sunna from 'The New Noir' is finally here! After a gruelling day of outfit changes and makeup application, we can reveal our first model (victim). Meet Kat, an Oriental Studies graduate from London. She is tall with a fair skin tone.

Style-wise, Sunna expertly put together some outfits from Kat's wardrobe which suited her height (my 5ft1 self isn't jealous at all...). We may have made her bedroom look like the aftermath of a particularly vicious day at Primark (hands up if you've ever been to Primark after 4.30pm, looked at the mountains of disordered clothing, and turned straight back around again with a "nope"), but I think you'll agree that Kat looks absolutely stunning in Sunna's style choices! If you'd like to have a look at the final outfits, please head on over to Sunna's blog post.

Now, onto the beauty! Since Kat has just returned from a few months in Beijing, where she left all her makeup, it actually gave us the perfect excuse to go and buy a basic makeup kit. As Kat is a self-confessed beauty beginner, I tried to go for products I knew were both high quality and relatively cheap in price (basically I bought her a lot of the items I own myself). The total value of this kit came to around £50, which may not sound that cheap, but, believe me, it is crazily hard to produce an all-round, practical makeup bag for much less. It does make me seriously worry about the amount of money I've "invested" in my makeup kit over the years. Never try and work out how much cash you've accumulated in Boots and Superdrug points, ladies.

The Products

The items we settled on, and those essentials which I think would work well for a beginner with fair skin, are:

Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in 101 Classic Ivory- especially great for fair skin because the shade range is slightly broader than other drugstore foundations.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent- A great all-round powder. I used it to reduce shine as well as set the concealer where it has a tendency to crease (under the eyes, especially).

Rimmel Lip Crayon in 120 All You Need Is Pink- Brilliant alternative to a bright lipstick because it is much easier to apply and you can build up the coverage from fairly sheer to full-on glamour.

Maybelline The Falsies mascara in Black Drama- One of those mascaras that every beauty blogger knows and swears by. It's also cheap, which is a real find because highstreet mascaras are usually quite expensive.

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 01 Black- Just as good as any top-range gel liner and you get a brush included!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair 1- I won't bore you with more praise for this product. If you'd like to see a full review, have a look at this post.

MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Undressed- A £4 dupe for the Urban Decay naked palette with all the neutrals you could possible desire. Especially good for Kat's blue eyes with the pink/gold undertone shades. If you'd like to see a full review of this product, click here, or, alternatively, if you'd like to see what sort of other look you can create with it, check out this tutorial.

Sleek Face Form Kit in Fair- Especially good value for money because you get a great contour, highlight, and blush. The contour is light enough to look subtle and natural on fair skin (as you can probably assume from the colour name; way to state the obvious, Lydia).

Ecotools Bamboo 6 Piece Brush Set- The first brush set I ever owned was actually from Ecotools. I honestly believe that, as an introduction to the (pretty intimidating) world of brushes, you can't get much better for about £16. That's only just over £3 a brush (wow, accurate mental maths and its not even lunchtime yet) and you get a free case included. If you'd like to read some more about Ecotools brushes and see what my first ever set looked like, then here's a post for you.

Eyelash curler (Kat's own)

Flowers (courtesy of Kat's mum)

The Look

A cheeky before for you.

And the after. 

Here's a stock looking-down-so-you-can-see-the-shadow photo.

The look I settled on (or rather the look I ended up with after getting too carried away) is this smokey eye and bold lip combo. I always think a slightly smokey eye is a great going-out idea for beginners because it involves more smudging and less precision. I used the taupey-brown shade (bottom row, third from the right) all over the lid, lined the upper lashline roughly with the gel liner and smudged this in with a bit more of the taupe shade. I ran what was left on the brush of the shadow and gel liner through the crease to add a little extra definition and blended the liner up to meet it. Then, I smudged some more gel liner and the same shadow into the bottom lashline. For a highlight, I used the lightest shade sparingly in the inner corner and on the brow bone. 

I know, I know, a bright lip can wash out pale skin even more, but, I think if it is applied properly and if you don't mind celebrating the fact that your skin might well be so pale that you glow in flash photos (speaking from experience, here) then it can help to create a really stand-out look. Kat likes to wear a red lip, but I thought a pink would be perfect for the spring and summer months. It's also a great way to modernise a really classic look. Plus, I've been loving a bright pink lip at the moment, so I'm a bit biased really. Keep the skin simple with a subtle contour and blush.

5 Tips for Beginners (with a fair skin spin)

1. Ask questions! If you're completely bewildered by the thought of facing those makeup counters, then chat with friends about their favourite products/what they use. Or, if you're going for some high-end makeup ask one of the assistants at the counter. They're there to help. If you have pale skin, it is especially important to get advice about foundation. Certain foundations will look too dark or (god forbid) orange on your skin. 
2. A smudged gel liner or eyeliner pencil is a great introduction to lining your upper lashline. It's more subtle and definitely more foolproof. 
3. Contour should be applied under the cheekbone, on the sides of the forehead, and on the jawline. For the cheekbone contour (which, I admit, is slightly tricky), suck in your cheeks and apply lightly to the hollows you create, or, start at the same height as the middle of your ear and sweep down towards the corner of your lip. 
4. A bright lip is a great way to switch from day to evening. Swipe a lip crayon all over your pout for instant glamour. 
5. Blend any foundation or bronzer down the neck too. Nobody wants to be left with a face three shades darker than the rest of their body (plus, always count Mississippilessly in tanning situations to avoid similar embarrassment- pat yourself on the back smugly if you understand this reference). 

I think Kat looks gorgeous and I hope you all agree! Obviously, this look is more suited for an evening. Please, if you are a beginner, don't start aimlessly wandering the streets with full-on bold eyes and lips. If you'd like a more natural look for pale skin, then please check out my recent spring makeup look. I really enjoyed the challenge of applying makeup to someone else and hope you've found this interesting and useful. Check back in a couple of weeks for a new Make Me Up! I'll start sharpening my eyeliner pencils for the next "participant". 

FOTD: SIMPLE SPRING MAKEUP LOOK

The sun makes me happy. It's a fact really. I'm sitting here tapping away to the picturesque backdrop of a springtime evening and I can't quite believe that I honestly cannot see a cloud in the sky. This, for England, so early on in the season, is somewhat of a miracle. While it lasts, I thought I'd take advantage of the beautiful weather by taking some photos of the makeup I have been loving at the moment. This isn't quite a tutorial (mostly because the look is so simple that a step-by-step really isn't necessary), more a FOTD (face of the day). Wow, look at me using proper beauty blogging terms! Hopefully, this will be inspiration for those of you who are looking to give your look a bit of spring-clean for the start of a new season.

For spring and summer, I tend to live by the beauty mantra that "less is more" (and also not nearly as time-consuming). I blended MAC's Wedge eyeshadow all over my lid, on top of a base (MAC's painterly paint pot). Then, I attacked my inner corners with far more of MAC's Nylon than any girl ever needs.* The ultra-shimmery inner corner highlight looks really pretty when it catches the sun and was also a key trend for S/S 2014 (yes, I know, I'm always so on-trend). I finished off with some winged gel liner. As my eyes are quite big and round, I usually try and thicken the liner at the outer edge to elongate them slightly, but, of course, you could change style according to your own eye shape. And, with lots and lots of mascara, that's the eyes done!

I am so pale that, in the summer, whilst others get a lovely golden glow to the skin, my glow is more a blinding white. So, I usually apply bronzer to the high points of the face (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin) to fake that sun kissed look (don't tell anyone). A quick tip for you: if you're using a pink-toned blusher, apply a little of that over the bronzer to  make it look more realistic. Often when we tan, the skin gets a slightly pink undertone. It really does work, I promise. With a slick of tinted lip balm, the look is complete.

The Products
MAC Nylon and Wedge (far left top and bottom of my rather empty palette)
MAC Omega (for my brows)
MAC Paintpot in Painterly
Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in 101 Classic Ivory
Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in Nude
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent
Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in 1 Light
Collection Blush and Highlighter Cream Duo in Strawberries and Cream
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 01 Black
Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me
Sleek Face Form in Light
L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara in Black

*Sorry for the MAC invasion, just got a few products for my birthday so, of course, I've been using them incessantly.

SPOTLIGHT PRODUCT: A MODERN TAKE ON 'VINTAGE ROMANCE'

This is the third look in my tutorial series on Sleek's 'Vintage Romance' Palette. For a full review and information on the product itself, please see my original post, here.

I have to say, I did set out with a Valentine's day look in mind when I began to create this makeup tutorial. The end result, however, is slightly more dramatic than I had originally intended. The moral of this story: don't listen to Deadmau5 whilst you're trying to embrace your inner-romantic. Sometimes, though, spontaneity gives you the best possible results. So, if you're attending a party this Valentine's Day, or you just prefer to be considerably more extrovert with your makeup choices, this look may be exactly what you're looking for.

And here's a before and after for you:

Anyway, on with the tutorial!

Top row (from left): step 1, step 2; bottom row (from left): step 3, step 4

Step 1: Prime your eyelid with a base. I used my Collection 'Perfection Concealer'. I then decided to go all out with the sparkle and added an extra base of my Topshop 'Glow' highlight all over the lid.

Step 2: Pack 'Meet in Madrid' onto the eyelid using a shader brush. We want the gold to remain as intense as possible so try and keep it very vivid.

Step 3: Blend 'Marry in Monte Carlo' into your crease using your favourite blending brush (yes, this is a rather sparkly shadow to be putting in your crease, but what's Valentine's Day without a bit of unnecessary glitter?)

Step 4: Using a gel eyeliner, draw a line along the upper lashes and add a cat flick that comes out to the crease. My favourite gel eyeliner is the Maybelline 'Eyestudio' which is very good quality for such a value product. You get a brush included as well!

Top row (from left): step 5, step 6; bottom row (from left): step 7, step 8

Step 5: Apologies, this isn't actually a step. I just wanted to make a quick note that this look would be a perfect softer option for Valentine's Day. If you prefer, you can stop here and just add a bit of mascara.

Step 6: Using an angled liner brush (mine was an ecotools one), begin to draw a line with 'Honeymoon in Hollywood' which begins from the point of the cat flick and continues across into your crease. Also, add a some of this shade beneath the cat flick and under your lower lash line. I did also push some of this shadow over the gel liner itself to give it a softer appearance. Blend the shadow out so that it does not look too harsh and add some more 'Marry in Monte Carlo' to the crease if you feel the pink has lost its potency.

Step 7: I added a little 'Love in London' to the lower lash line to help blend the black liner into the rest of the look.

Step 8: Apply a generous amount of mascara to really thicken those lashes and line your lower waterline with some nude pencil. By this point, I felt I might as well go for it and added some gold glitter over the top of the 'Meet in Madrid'. The glitter I used was actually a glitter gel liner from Collection called 'Glam Crystals' in the shade 'Funk 3'. Collection products do tend to be very good value for money and I believe this was no exception. Come to think of it, I may have got it free with another purchase.

This marks the end of my tutorial series on this palette. Nevertheless, there are many, many more looks I could happily create using the beautiful range of shades Sleek has provided. X

SPOTLIGHT PRODUCT: AMBER HEARD INSPIRED TUTORIAL

This week, I used the 'Vintage Romance' palette to create a celebrity-inspired look. If you'd like to know what I thought of this Sleek palette in depth, I'll leave a link to another blog post here. Having seen a photo of Amber Heard at the Golden Globes, I was determined to recreate this stunning look and actually found that the colours in this palette were perfect for it. If you'd like to see the inspiration photos I used, I will link an absolutely brilliant article here. It runs through the actual products her makeup artist used to create the look. Well, I found it very interesting anyway! 

Here's a little before and after for you:

What I like most about this makeup look is that it isn't too much to wear in the daytime. Yeah, Amber might have added a whole lotta glitter over the shadow, but you certainly don't have to. I actually chose not to (it was a struggle, believe me) because I wanted the look to be as wearable as possible.

Anyway, on with the tutorial!

Top row (from right): step 1, step 2; bottom row (from right): step 3, step 4

Step 1: Sweep 'Propose in Prague' all over your lid and up into the crease. I blended this up pretty high because that's how I felt the base had been done on Amber's eyes. I just used my MAC 286 to do this but any blending brush will do.

Step 2: Add the same shadow under your eyes. I brought it down quite far in order to keep it fairly similar to Amber's original look. For this, I used the Real Techniques smudging brush. Leave the inner corner of your bottom lash line free because we will be applying a highlight there later.

Step 3: Apply 'Court in Cannes' over the 'Propose in Prague' for a little bit of sparkle and to deepen the colour slightly. It also helps to give a more bronze tone to the finished look. 

Step 4: Line your top lash line roughly with a black kohl pencil. I used my Rimmel eyeliner for this. 

Top row (from right): step 5, step 6; bottom row: step 7

Step 5: On the website I looked at (linked before), Amber Heard's makeup artist used a plum pencil to line her eyes and then smudged it out with a black shadow. Since I don't have a plum pencil, I decided to get a bit creative. I mixed 'Forever in Florence' and 'Love in London' together and smudged it along the upper lash line to give a purple tone to the liner I had applied. You could just use black here if you preferred but I quite liked the hint of colour this effect provided.

Step 6: For the inner corner highlight, I applied a base of Topshop's 'Glow' highlighter and added a touch of 'Meet in Madrid' on the top for extra sparkle. I absolutely love the Topshop highlighter. It just gives the perfect finish. I would definitely recommend it!

Step 7: I applied some nude eyeliner to my lower waterline and added a lot of mascara. In the original look, individual lashes were used to boost the upper lashline. For an evening look, you could add them for a more dramatic effect.  In the bottom left photo I have attempted to recreate Amber's eye shape because I have a lot more visible lid space than her!

Below is the finished look with open and closed eyes.

Amber has paired this look with a neutral lip and bronzed face. Rimmel do some brilliant neutral lipsticks in their Kate Moss collection and the Bourjois chocolate bronzer would give your face the perfect healthy glow to complete the look.

I hope this tutorial has been useful. I realise it is not exactly the same as the original look, but it is something a lot simpler and more affordable for those of you who aren't on a celebrity budget! X

SPOTLIGHT PRODUCT: 'VINTAGE ROMANCE' DATE/PARTY TUTORIAL

Sleek 'Vintage Romance' finished look.

Having played around with the 'Vintage Romance' palette for a while now, this is by far my favourite look. Although the eyeshadows are rather glitter based, I do think it has a subtlety to it which would make it perfect for a date night. Or, failing that, a party or night out with friends. I am particularly partial to this look because the reddish undertone of the purples really helps to bring out my green eyes but I do think this would look beautiful on any eye colour/skin tone. So, without further ado, here's my step-by-step tutorial for any romantics out there who wish to recreate this look. 

Top row (left to right): step 1, step 2; bottom row (left to right): step 3, step 4.

Step 1: quite straightforward; ensure that your eye is free from makeup and prep it with a base. I often use my Collection concealer as a base because it is so long-wearing, also because I am too much of a cheap-skate to purchase two separate products, but hey! 

Step 2: sweep 'Lust in LA' all over the lid with a blending brush (just a quick note: I used the same blending brush for most of this eye look- a MAC 286- but your favourite blending brush is perfect).

Step 3: add a little of 'Meet in Madrid' to the centre of the lid to add a touch of depth. I also dotted a tiny amount to my inner corner to brighten up my eyes.

Step 4: blend 'A Vow in Venice' lightly onto he outer third of the eye for a pop of colour!

Top row (left to right): step 5, step 6; bottom row: step 7 (closed and open eye).

Step 5: to deepen the purple of the outer corner, I added a little 'Forever in Florence' into the very outer crease and blended this into 'A Vow in Venice' (you could skip this step if you wanted a subtler finish).

Step 6: line your upper lash line with a black eyeliner pencil (mine was a rather well-used Rimmel black kohl pencil) 

Step 7: using a smudging brush (I used a Real Techniques one) smudge the eyeliner with a bit of 'Forever in Florence' for a slightly smokey look. Additonally, smudge some at the outer lower lash line.

To complete the look, I curled my lashes and added a few coats of mascara. Currently I am using a combination of Revlon's 'Lash Potion' and Maybelline's 'The Mega Plush Volum' Express' (reviews to follow!). Then, I applied some Rimmel 'Scandaleyes' bronze liner to my waterline.

When I wear this look out, I keep the rest of my makeup fairly subtle and healthy looking. At the moment, I'll sweep some Bourjois 'Bronzing Powder' ( 'the chocolate one' as it is more commonly known as) over the high points of my face for a really lovely glow. I like this bronzer because it doesn't look too harsh on my pale skin. Then, I have been adding some of Sleek's blush in 'Pixie Pink' to the apples of my cheeks for a fresh and youthful flush. For the lips, I would keep it fairly neutral for a date night- you don't want to be constantly worrying about the state of your lipstick when I'm sure you're overthinking practically everything else. I would just wear a tinted lip balm, perhaps Maybelline's 'Baby Lips' in 'Cherry'. 

For a full review of this eyeshadow palette please see my previous 'Spotlight Product' post http://bellatula.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/spotlight-product-sleek-i-divine.html

Come back next Monday for another makeup tutorial using this palette! X