How To Use Clear Mascara Properly

(Picture Credit: Elle Magazine) 

When you usually think of clear mascara, the words 'pointless' and 'useless' are often at the forefront of your mind. It was the same with me, until I read Anna from VDM's post on the stuff, and my perspective was changed...

Lashes - This is an obvious one (duh, it's called mascara!), but if you aren't allowed much make up at school, or prefer natural over dramatic, then it's worth giving Miss Sporty's offering a go as it will only set you back about £3. Just wack it on bare clean lashes for volume. Or, alternatively, layer it over your existing mascara for touch-ups during the day.

Brows -  Gel any unruly brows down with same product. Fill in your brows as normal, with pencil or powder, and pop a slick of clear mascara over. Wipe the excess off on the back of your hand, and brush through brows. Although I haven't used it, MUA do another mascara option for a quid!

It's A Great Dupe For - MAC's Brow Gel, the Clear Anastasia Brow Gel, and other overpriced products of a similar nature.

El

Pick-Me-Up Pamper Evening!

If I'm feeling down or just a little tired, a soak in a warm bath and a relaxing face mask is always a nice experience. Especially at the end of a long hard week, a pamper evening can be a real pick-me-up.

First I like to set the scene with some candles, surrounding the tub. At the same time, I'll be filling up the bath and adding in Soap & Glory's Foam Call for the bubble factor. Then off goes my make up with the Boots Eye Make up remover followed by a face wash to cleanse my skin. With a tub of Body Cream positioned next to the bath along with a couple of neatly folded towels, I'll tie my hair up and relax in the hot steamy water.

A book, magazine or even my phone will usually accompany me during my soak, as I find the bath tub can be a peaceful place to read or watch telly. At this stage I will either wash my hair with Aussie's Shine Shampoo or Mega Instant Conditioner of the same brand, or get out of the bath and wrap myself in a dressing gown.

My Aussie products sit on my hair and skincare shelf along with other beauty favs

Once out of the tub, a face mask is due, Boots' 3 Minute Clay Mask in this case. I really like to massage this in and take my time, because a pamper is supposed to be a long, lovely experience. Whilst the mask is working its magic, Essie's In Stitches polish makes an appearance and my bathroom (or bedroom if I've moved out of my bath's home) will become my nail salon for the night. By the time a couple of coats have dried, my clay mask is ready to go with a splash of warm water followed by a wash with my Clarins cleanser. Then I like to follow up with a moisturizer, pop on my PJs and retire to my bedroom for an episode or two of something on Netflix!

Essie In Stitches

Monday Moisturizers

As I am now posting more frequently, I thought now would be a good time to delve into the world of skincare products. From cleansers to lotions and creams to masks, the skincare category has it all. As my routine is pretty simple, I don't use many products, but apart from the traditional face wash, moisturizers are something that I use, and seem to have a few of...

left to right: Benefit Total Moisture, Simple Kind To Skin Light Moisturizer, Soap & Glory For Daily Youth

My favourite out of the hydrating trio has to be Benefit's Total Moisture. I have, sadly, finished up my little sample pot and am contemplating whether or not to buy the bigger tub for twenty quid (possibly not when there are alternatives for half the price!). The thing that really draws me to this moisturizer besides the pretty packaging is the smell. Understandably, not everyone likes scented products, because if it doesn't smell good, the user may also end up with the not-so-pleasant scent. But Benefit have really wowed me and my nose with the smell of this- it's so nice! The scent is one of a fresh and creamy nature, which pretty much sums up the moisturizer itself. It has a creamy texture and sinks into the skin really nicely.

A tub isn't the easiest or cleanest thing to store a face product in, so for all you hygienic lovers I recommend Soap & Glory's For Daily Youth. The pump makes it easy to apply just the right amount, and the pinky tint gives any dull face a glowy finish. I have been known to mix a pump of this with some of my concealer to make a tinted moisturizer. Sleek and compact, this is a good carry-around product as it isn't too huge for handbags.

For all you jet-setters, Simple Kind To Skin Light Moisturizer may be the answer. I picked up the travel size of this, and although the screw top lid isn't ideal, is it great for taking on planes and in car journeys. As it keeps working for 12 hours, you won't have to worry about dehydrated skin in hot or humid weather. At first the texture may look quite thick, but once applied to the skin, it soons thins out. Note: less is more with this one.

That's my moisturizer round up complete! All the ones that I have chosen are fairly affordable (bar the Benefit one) and all are great for different skin types.

El
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Less is More- Minimal Make Up

As not everyone gets up at the crack of dawn, goes for a morning stroll and is washed, dressed and fed by 7am, including a proper yet quick and easy make up routine isn't always simple. I for one have been known to skip steps in my skincare script and just used a cleansing water (such as Clarins Energizer Wake Up Booster) spritzed across a cotton pad and then briefly wiped across my face. Or rushed into my room to put on a quick coat of mascara before the school run to open up my eyes a little- everyone comprises in some aspect of their beauty regime! So how can busy mums or city working gals get a record look in record time?

left to right: Soap & Glory For Daily Youth, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow and Benefit Posietint 

Mixing your moisturizer and concealer is a real time saver; although it doesn't give much coverage, it brightens up your face. If you have the luxury of a couple more minutes, applying your foundation with fingers  instead of a brush also works. Apply a moisturizer prior to this to help your BB Cream or foundation blend into the skin.

For a five-minute face, buff in a cream eyeshadow over the lids with your ring finger- this is quick and simple. Seal it in with a powder shadow if possible (again applied with hands- no brush, less fuss!) and whack on a coat or two of mascara. Use a nude/white eyeliner in your bottom waterline to cancel out any redness, and then apply a creamy concealer to hide any bags. Using creamy products is best as they blend very easily.

Dip a finger in some cream blush and sweep over the cheeks and swiftly brush a bit of colour over you face with a bronzer if need be. Pop on a slick of lip balm, followed by some cream blusher or other multitasking product, and you're good to go! Tie up you hair in a rough pony or bun, grab your bag and skip out the door. Easy!

Just remember to start with a clean face and clean hands, and only use products that you really need. Setting out your make up and clothes the night before is another time saving tip- being organized is fairly underrated these days!

El
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Budget Buys

left to right: Soap & Glory Lid Stuff in What's Nude, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, Barry M Kohl Pencils in Bronze and White, Collection [2000] Lasting Perfection Concealer

As much as I do love to splash out on cute products from the much adored brand Benefit, drugstore and highstreet brands are something that I love buying, and I think my purse appreciates it too.

Soap & Glory is a brand more commonly known for their amazing skincare and bath and body products, so I was all for trying out a piece or two from their cosmetics line. I picked up Lid Stuff in What's Nude, a palette of mainly mattes with one brown-purple shimmer. Colour pay-off isn't great, and at a tenner I probably won't buy it again, but it is fab for a subtle hint of colour-you won't be worrying about garish looking eyes with this as even the slightly more whacky colours don't come out overly bright.

After hearing many a rave and review, I just had to try the infamous Maybelline Colour Tattoos and jump on the ever-growing bandwagon of popular products. And I wasn't disappointed. In comparison to other cream eyeshadows that I have tried, I would say that it's just as good as the high end ones and even without the premium price tag, there's no compromise on quality.

Barry M is one of the cheaper brands in Boots that I tend to veer towards when out of pocket. Having heard neither a good nor bad thing about the kohl pencil liners, I picked them up for a couple of quid each. They can be easily blended into the lashes, however in the waterline they don't fare quite so well- lasting power isn't covered by the small cost of them. I do love them though, and at such a little amount of money, another one wouldn't go amiss in my make-up bag.

I love a good trip down to Boots, so I'll be keeping my eyes open for any other budget buys!

El
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Pocket-Sized Pals

If I'm on the go or travelling, pocket-sized make up products are a must have. Over the past few months, I've developed a bit of a collection of Baby Benefit products that can be easily slipped into a pocket or thrown in a purse, because, not many people want to be carrying around massive eyeshadow palettes or full size bottles of things!

Benefit is one of my favourite make up brands, no points for getting that right! The main thing that draws me in is the pretty packaging, and the smaller samples sizes make it all the cuter.

As I don't wear any foundation, a primer certainly wasn't at the top of my list, but after trying out a sample size of Benefit's silky smooth pore-reducing balm, I realized that an extra layer of coverage wasn't needed. The POREfessional, apart from having gorgeous packaging, just evens out my skintone a little. With less coverage than even a tinted moisturizer, it doesn't cover up anything, but mattifies any oily patches.

After hearing them being raved about, I was thinking about fully embracing the up and coming cream eyeshadow trend. At the same time, I had just bought Benefit's Most Glamorous Nudes Ever, which fortunately came with two of their best-selling cream shadows. The perfect size for dipping in a finger or a brush, the creamy little things are easy to apply and blend with other products.

When travelling, multitasking products can be a life saver. No searching in your purse or bag in the hope that there's a blush or lipstick- just pull this baby out your pocket and you're good to go! Posietint is great for this, as I can whip it out wherever I am and simply dab a little of the rosy liquid on my cheeks and lips for an instant glow.

Sample-sized mascaras are becoming somewhat of a cult favourite in my beauty bag; first Benefit's They're Real and now BADgal Lash Mascara. I prefer my lashes to look full and feathery rather to resemble spiders legs which is why I prefer the latter of the two products. There's no compromise on brush size or formula, and this BADgal ain't moving from my make up bag.

I love all of these cute little products, and having mini versions of things are great for touching up your make up!

El
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