#TheSOproject - Eyeliner

Aaaah eyeliner week. I love the stuff. I don't feel right without it on and I wear it pretty much every day.

Eyeliner wasn't something I begun wearing until probably around the age of 18/19, when I was at university. It started off as a night out only arrangement but soon spiralled into every day use, which is a shame because it means my nighttime make up never looks drastically different to my daytime make up. Ho hum.

My recommendations are all high street. I really don't think eyeliner is something that needs to be expensive - I've tried MAC, Clinique and Lancôme eyeliners recently and hated all 3.

I have 3 different types of eyeliner; kohl pencil, gel and liquid.

Liquid
Ok, I can't actually use liquid eyeliner. It scares me. Instead I came across eyeliner pens and I doubt I'll ever feel the need to acquire the ability to apply liquid liner as these give the exact same effect.
They aren't especially forgiving if you make a mistake but I find the felt-tip-like end easy to control and so much easier than actual liquid eyeliner.
My pen liner of choice is Supercat from Soap and Glory. It has a firm but flexible nib and it's really glossy and black. I find that it never smudges during the day, and I wear this for work most days on my top lash line. I tend to only need to buy this twice a year or so, despite daily use, as it never dries out.

I had in my mind that this costs around £8, but having just checked the RRP it's actually £6, a bargain really since it lasts so long!

Gel
Gel eyeliner is supposed to be waterproof and long lasting. It has to be applied with a brush and so it's slightly more faffy than the liquid liner pen option. As a result I tend to only use gel liner for special occasions, but I do like the effect it gives and it's really nice to be able to put it on my waterline as well as upper lash line and know it'll stay there for a decent amount of time.

 My recommendation for gel eyeliner is Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner Black - it lasts all day on the eyes and the little pot is still going strong 6 months later. I've read some reviews of MAC gel eyeliner and other higher end ones drying out really fast so I'm dead impressed with Maybelline. I'm never really one for using the brushes that come with products either but the brush that comes with this is actually really good! RRP £7.99

Kohl Pencil Eyeliner
Kohl eyeliner was my first foray into the lining of eyes and I still always have one in my make-up bag, even though I rarely use it these days. I'm not too keen on pencil eyeliner for my upper lashes because it's too smudgy and messy, and I find gel eyeliner lasts better in my waterline so there's no real necessity for an eye pencil. But you never know.


The one I have at the moment is Collection's Eyeliner Pencil, but they're all much of a muchness. This one is £1.99.  It's only pencil after all!

I didn't do a starting off project post last week partially because I had a crazy week at work (ha, I feel like one of my students making excusing for not doing their homework!), but mostly because after years of buying mascara after mascara I finally found one I loved and I've stuck with it for about 3 years now.  Disappointing for my friends who miss mascara reviews, but much better for my bank account!
My mascara of choice is Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara.  It really does curl my lashes and it never smudges or flakes under my eyes.  Annoyingly, in the last 3 or so years it's inexplicably gone from £14 to £17, but it's still cheaper than the 'buy every mascara you walk past' method I followed previously. 

So there you so; two starting off projects for the price of one! Efficient.


What's your eyeliner recommendation?


Suzy
Xx

#TheSOproject Week 5: Blusher!

Last week's Starting Off Project post was a bit of a 'mare for me since I don't use bronzer (if you haven't had a read of my unmissable (!) tips yet you can catch up here), so I was happy when I checked the schedule and this week was blusher week.

I've always been a big fan of a rosy cheek.  In my teenage years slightly too much of a fan - think big pink doll-like circles - but blusher has remained something that I tend never to leave the house without, along with foundation and mascara. Make sure that when you apply you blusher you aren't smiling and applying it to the apples of your cheeks like off of the 80's! Follow the natural line of your cheekbone.

As I favour such a matte finish to my make up, if I don't put a little bit of colour back into my cheeks, I risk looking like a corpse. To brighten up my cheeks I always use either a powder blush or a cheek stain.  Cream blushes are out of the question because I feel as though they slide around my skin by the end of the day...and they remind me of old women.  I can't even explain why they remind me of old women, they just really do.  I also find cream blush incompatible with the powder I use to set my make up - at no point does it seem like the correct step for it to be applied!


As luck would have it I posted a couple of weeks ago about cheek stains and why I think they're wonderful - you can have a read of that post here, but in summary my favoured stain is Cheekmate by Soap and Glory, and I like to apply it with my ring finger. It stays put for ages and it's a lovely rosy shade.

My recommended powder blush is MUA Blusher in the shade Lolly which is £1.  It's described by MUA as being 'soft orange' but I think it's more of a rose pink.  It's a matte blush, which I favour because I don't like shiny cheeks, and it applies beautifully with my Real Techniques Contour Brush. 
I honestly don't think you could tell once it's on the cheeks that it only costs £1, and now that MUA have changed the packaging and it's a little sturdier I'm even happier.

(Lolly: I can't even describe how far away this is from the actual shade. Sadly mine is too grotty to show)

If you're after a slightly more extravagant cheek then I also really like Clinique's Fresh Bloom All Over in Peony Blend, which is a highlighter as well as blush, but is really subtle and pretty. Unfortunately it's £26 so I haven't been abled to justify repurchasing it just yet.

 

Thanks for reading & I hope you enjoyed week 5.  Next week is Mascara week - follow me on Bloglovin to make sure you don't miss it! I'm genuinely excited to write mine and to read everyone's recommendations cos I loooooove mascara!

Suzy
xx

 

The Autumn Tag

Jess from Lovely Jubbly Blog tagged me to do the Autumn Tag, which is definitely appropriate as it's flipping freezing this week..I've cracked out the fluffy socks and everything!

For Autumn what's your.... 

1.  Favourite thing about it? 

Getting home from work, putting the heating on, snuggling up on the sofa and knowing I don't have to go back out again cos it's cold and dark. 

2.  Favourite drink? 

Malteasers hot chocolate or Ovaltine. Mmm.

3.  Favourite scent/candle?

Vanilla candles are my all-year favourites.  I do like spiced candles for winter, but for Autumn I still stick to my vanilla.

Perfume wise I love Hugo Boss Deep Red as it's a little heavier than Daisy/Fantasy which I've been wearing for spring/summer.

4.  Best lipstick? 

I tend to stick to lipbalms in autumn because I get horribly chapped lips. This year I'll probably be whacking on the Maybelline Babylips quite a bit but I always have a trusty pot of Body Shop's Passionberry in my drawer at work.

5.  Go to moisturiser?  

I mentioned in my #thesoproject skincare post that I am yet to find my perfect moisturiser.  I'm still plodding my way through Clinique Superdefense, which is ok, but I'll be buying a new moisturiser for winter in the next month or so - any recommendations??

6.  Go to colours for the eyes? 

I only ever wear neutrals- colours feels a bit 'fancy dress' on me! Bronze, gold and taupe are my favourites. My most worn shadow in the day time is soap and glory's Lid Stuff - the champagne shade (Top right, below).

 I've been using my MUA undressed palette over the last week or so again too and I'm really liking it.  

7.  Favourite music or band/singer to listen to? 

I hardly ever listen to my own music.. is that weird?! I spend at least 2 hours commuting to work every day and I always have the radio on cos it keeps me more entertained feeling as though someone's chatting to me, so I'll be listening to whatever Radio 1 play to me!  I'm really liking 'Roar' by Katy Perry and 'Same Love' by Macklemore at the moment, but I have a short attention span for music so that'll likely change by the end of the week! 

8.  Favourite outfit to wear?

I am completely obsessed with scarves and I wear them with pretty much everything in autumn. They're so cosy and reassuring though! My favourite things to do though is to get changed into my PJs after work, so without a doubt that's my favourite outfit!

9.  Autumn treat?

Starbucks hot chocolate after a chilly shopping trip or a cheeky Dominos whilst watching X Factor!

10.  Favourite place to be?

At home, all cosy and warm while it's raining outside! I'm such a homebody in autumn/winter!

Thanks again to Jess for tagging me.  

Here are the lovely bloggers I'd like to tag

Louisa at Louisa Loves 217

Charley at Rambling of a Beauty Blogger

Anoushka at Anoushka Loves

Charlotte at Char's Insights

Steph at Steph's Inside Voice

Suzy

xx

#TheSOProject WEEK 2: Concealer

Welcome to week TWO of #thesoproject. This week is all about concealer!

I can't say I use concealer every day but sometimes it can be a bit of a life saver, whether it be a lack of sleep or a lovely big spot that needs covering. I always use my little pinkies to blend in concealer; it's quicker and more effective than a brush.
I've tried loads of different concealers from the old-school stick type, [which I am convinced were that oily they made my spots worse as a teenager..maybe a cunning ploy by cosmetics company to make me perennially reliant on their products?!].. to illuminating concealers like YSL touche-eclat and Loreal's Lumi Magique, and proper hardcore liquid concealers like Collection Lasting Perfection and Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer. I still haven't found one that I couldn't live without, but the thing I've learnt about concealer?  Less is definitely more. Whichever one you use.

The temptation can definitely be, especially with a spot, to go bonanza with the concealer in the hope no one will ever know.  They will.  Often too much concealer on a spot only draws attention to it.  Especially where there is any dryness in the area as the concealer just clings nastily to it. Likewise, trying to conceal dark under-eye circles can result in concealer settling in the fine lines and only drawing attention to the feature you were trying to hide. Lisa Eldridge recommends minimal use of concealer and instead focusing on making the rest of the skin look super duper, and I'd be inclined to agree with this.

When I do decide it's desperate measures and I can't leave the house without some serious repair work these are my favourites:  (you'll notice they're all lower end products - I don't think concealer is something worth spending fortunes on  - spend your money on a good foundation instead!)

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I'm reluctant to mention this as it's become such a blogger cliche.  But it's probably my most used concealer and in line with my cynicism for the prices higher end brands are charging for their concealers, this is a sensibly priced product for an un-glamorous job. It isn't perfect and I find it is a little bit drying, under my eyes especially, towards the end of the day, and don't even get me started on the packaging.  Ok do.  Why oh WHY Collection, in the year 2013, have you not managed to create packaging where the writing doesn't rub off at the slightest touch?!  Come ON! It made such a mess of my make-up bag in the end I took the rather drastic measure of using a cotton pad and nail varnish remover to rub off the rest of the black writing.  and now my poor little concealer is bald.
Back off my high horse..It is good, and I'd recommend it.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer
This is marketed as a 2 in 1 highlighting concealer.  It isn't.  there's nothing remotely highlighting about it.  It's a decent concealer though. Again, it's around the £5 mark, it lasts pretty well and it sits well with the matching foundation, which I blogged about here. My gripe with this one is the ridiculous brush on the end of it; why Rimmel, WHY?! it serves no purpose- it could never be used to blend in the product because it'd  just keep adding more product, and surely if you're using it to cover spots then you're  just spreading bacteria around your face on the brush?  Just no.
I'd recommend this one - it's a nice consistency, blends well and doesn't settle in the lines under my eyes.

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer

Having just read Soap and Glory's ludicrous description of this product I'm loathed to include it really.
Take a look at this tripe:
"Includes an amazing under eye brightening concealer with PUFFEASE-8™ technology, SUPERWEAR™ light scrambling ‘on the spot’ complexion concealer & a weightless transparent setting powder with INSTA-FIX™ polymer technology."

Beauty companies: STOP MAKING WORDS UP!!!! Puffease technology!!?!  Light scrambling??  Literally no one is taken in by your pseudo-scientific spiel. Sigh.

Now technically this costs about twice more than I consider reasonable for concealer, at £10.  However, I acquired it through a combination of a lovely sales assistant in boots and a glitch involving a voucher and a 3 for 2, so it only cost £5.  I'm including it because it's usually 3 for 2 or similar on Soap and Glory and because it isn't a bad product.  It comes with 2 correctors - one for under eye and one for spot coverage, and a setting powder. The concealer is a little heavy for my liking, but it blends ok, and the setting powder is wonderful.  It keeps  it in place for hours. A minor complaint is the bizarre positioning of the mirror - I'd must rather have it in the power half so I can touch up, rather than the concealer section, but its not a deal breaker.

I don't think I'd repurchase this, I find it more fiddly and messy than just dabbing on a bit of lasting perfection, and it certainly isn't worth twice the price.


I hope you found this helpful in some way :)
Which are your favourite concealers? Do you think it's something worth splurging on?

Suzy
xx