How to Apply the Perfect Smoky Eye

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blend, blending, brushes, crows feet, decleor, Decleor Hydra-Radiance Smoothing and Cleansing Mousse, dermalogica, Dermalogica Ultra Sensitive Tint SPF30, eye, eye liner, eye make up, eye shadow, Eyes, greys, liner, make-up, Mascara, pallette, purple, skin, smoky eye, smooth

Make up trends come and go on what seems like an almost daily basis, but if there’s one make-up look which is always in style, it’s the smoky eye. Achievable in a number of different tones with each more effective than the last, the killer smoky eye is easy to achieve providing you follow the right steps:

• Make sure your face is super clean first so that you’ve got the best canvas on which to work. Opt for an all-round cleanser such as Decleor Hydra-Radiance Smoothing and Cleansing Mousse, which is suitable for all skin types.
• Use a good eye cream which will help you to reduce the appearance of fine lines around the area. Nothing ruins a smoky eye quicker than all of your eye shadow disappearing under loose skin!
• Apply a primer to your face, which will blur imperfections and smooth out your skin, making it far easier to apply an even layer of colour.
• Use the right brushes. The applicators which are given away with most eye shadows are actually really rubbish for blending, so invest in a good set of brushes before you take the plunge.
• Choose a shade which suits you – olive and darker skins look fantastic with a bronze-based gradient, while lighter skinned women look great with greys and blacks. If you’re feeling really brave, you could even opt for other hues, such as purple or a shimmery emerald which are both huge right now.
• Use a cotton bud dipped into a little concealer to get rid of any mistakes or smudges, otherwise you’ll end up rubbing everything off and starting again!
• If you use eyeliner – a harsh line of black on your lid will stand out a mile, whereas a well-blended line of kohl will make your eyes pop.
• Use concealer (or dab some Dermalogica Ultra Sensitive Tint SPF30) under your eyes to ensure you don’t have dark bags, which could potentially ruin your whole look.
• BLEND, BLEND, BLEND! The key to a smoky eye is that the colours are seamlessly blended together to create the whole look – fail to do so and ‘smoky’ becomes ‘stripey’!

 

How To Make Your Lips Look Fuller

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collagen, colour, cosmetic, cosmetic surgery, decleor, dermalogica, Dermalogica Exfoliating Face Brush, Dermalogica Lip Renewal Complex, fillers, fuller, gloss, highlight, liner, lip liner, lips, lipstick, make-up, plumper, surgery

Okay, so while we’d like to espouse a message of being happy with yourself exactly the way you are, we know that everyone has their insecurities and if we can do something to help then we should. Lots of women feel that their lips aren’t full enough and turn to surgery to enhance them, but there are lots of products you can use and lots of tricks to help your lips look fuller without going under the knife, so we thought we’d share some of them here.

Exfoliate

When you use your Dermalogica Exfoliating Face Brush to clear away dead skin from your face, spend a little time concentrating on your lips. Sloughing away dead skin will improve the appearance of your lips, making them look smoother, but it will also increase circulation in this area and give the illusion of plumper lips.

Moisturise

Using a product to moisturise your skin is the first step to healthy lips, but opting for a product with cell renewal and plumping action is a no-brainer. Dermalogica Lip Renewal Complex is a powerful daily treatment designed to restore delicate tissue while minimising contour lines and helping to prevent the signs of ageing.

Line

Using a lip liner which is one or two shades darker than your own lips to create a lip-line just outside your natural lip line will help you to create a fuller look whilst remaining natural. Obviously, practice is key as is getting the right shade, but with a steady hand and a decent lip pencil you can significantly improve the fullness of your mouth.

Highlight

Once you’ve lined and coloured your lips with your chosen shades, use a highlighting pencil, or a little highlighter on a fine brush to accentuate your cupids bow and the area below the middle of your bottom lip. We’re not quite sure WHY this makes your lips look fuller but it really does!

Gloss

Using a little lip gloss only in the middle of your lips is another clever, inexpensive way to make your lips look fuller. Wait until you’ve done your liner, colour and highlighting and use a little clear gloss in the middle third of your mouth. You can also use a little bit of neutral, shimmery powder to create a similar effect if you don’t like the feeling of gloss.