Double Bright Contrast Eyeliner

Phew, what a name for a post! I think it’s quite apt for this look though. I wore this last week when there were still a few sunny days to remind me of the summer.

I used my Sleek Eau La La liner in Pumpkin to sketch out the shape of the orange flick first then patted an orange pigment/eyeshadow dust on top with a small flat brush. I then used a creamy turquoise gel eyeliner to draw in the lower flick along my lashline. The look was actually pretty easy to do and I was really pleased with how it turned out. I’m looking forward to experimenting with this eyeliner shape again in different colour combinations.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for colour combinations that you think would work well together!

On a side note, my eyebrows are completely grown out now. I haven’t touched them for as long as I can remember so I guess around a year now. Sure they look wispy at the edges but to be honest I don’t think they look that bad and I love how low maintenance they are so I don’t have any plans to change my eyebrow regime in the immediate future.

Dainty Doll Bargain Pack

I picked up this bargain pack in TKMaxx a couple of weeks ago for £4.99. I haven’t seen Dainty Doll in many shops but I’ve checked the Boots website and the current prices listed there are eyeshadow - £11.50; lipstick £12.50; cream blush £13.50. So this set represented a saving on the RRP of £32.51, cool! (However, I can also let you in on a little secret that this selection of products and more are also available at a reduced price on Fragrancedirect at the moment if you’re interested in checking them out...)

I’m not sure how well known this brand is nor how popular it is really as it doesn’t seem to have wide distribution at the moment. It was launched around five years ago by former Girls Aloud band member Nicola Roberts who wanted to create a range specifically aimed at paler complexions. The products come in cardboard packaging with a cool illustration a lithe-limbed ginger haired beauty.

The packaging itself is very sleek and satisfyingly heavy, although slightly annoyingly the rubberised finish of the pans does pick up dirt and finger prints easily.

Above: eyeshadow in 004 Copacabana

Above: cream blusher in 001 Paper Roses

Above: lipstick in 006 Baby Love

Above left to right: Copacabana, Paper Roses, Baby Love

I bought the pack without being able to look at the products before purchase so it really was a lucky dip. I have to say though, I think I did well! The eyeshadow is insanely bright and pigmented but it’s just the kind of shade that I like. I also got incredibly lucky with the lipstick which is the same kind of cappuccino nude that I usually choose as my everyday work shade.

The cream blush is a lovely shade of pink but unfortunately it’s a bit too light for me – it does show up on my skin, but the finish is too subtle for me. This could be a great choice for somebody looking for an ultra-natural looking blush though.

In the shots below I’m wearing all three of the Dainty Doll products and also a light shade of eyeshadow as a highlight under my brows, a thin slick of teal eyeliner and some mascara.

Gold and Turquoise look

Five years ago gold was my absolute favourite make-up colour.  I wore gold eyeshadow, gold nail varnish, gold lipstick - I even had a gold mascara at one point.

Nowadays I prefer bright colours and haven’t actually worn gold for a long time.  However I wanted to use a splash of my No. 7 turquoise eyeliner again today and I had a bright gold eyeshadow that I felt would go really well with it.  Here’s the look that I came up with, which I’m just about to go to Tescos to pick up some last minute Easter Eggs in!

I used a small eyeshadow brush to apply the gold over the inner 1/2 of my eyelid and took it slightly above my crease by following the line of my socket bone with my brush. 
I then applied turquoise gel eyeliner in a thin triangular shape to the outer corner of my eyelid.  It’s a bit tricky to create a shape that looks good when your eyes are open because the shape of the eyelid changes dramatically from the shape you hold it at as you apply the liner.  The trick that I use it to hold my makeup brush at an angle from the outer corner of my nose to the outer corner of my eye and try to follow the angle of that line.  It’s still not easy though and I think I need more practise myself!

Finally I just popped a tiny bit of green eyeshadow along my lower lash line.  No mascara today again as it’s still so hot outside it would probably just smudge as soon as I step into the sun and start sweating.

I use a small angled brush to apply the No. 7 gel eyeliner.  I’ve not used it that many times although the top of it is so mushed up now it looks like I’ve used loads, but that’s just because it has such a soft, creamy consistency.

I think the pot contains plenty of product and should be enough to keep me in turquoise until I get bored of the colour and move on to a new favourite.  Whenever I’ve worn it it’s lasted all day (on really long days it does smudge but there is still plenty of noticeable colour left by the end of the day) and it’s very easy to remove with some creamy make-up remover, so it’s definitely one of my spring 2011 favourites.

No 7 Limited Edition Turquoise Eyeliner

I stopped by Boots today and decided to make use of the £5 off No 7 voucher that I got last week when I bought the Front Cover Rainbow Eyes reborn palette (will try to do a post on that soon too). No 7 launched a range of limited edition products for Spring 2011 a few weeks ago now which amongst other things includes a couple of lip colours, a couple of nail colours, and three gel/cream eyeliners in navy, turquoise and black. The eyeliners are retailing at £10.00 a pop which is a bit pricey for me, especially since I'm not the hugest fan of gel eyeliners, but with £5 off I decided to give the turquoise one a go since the colour looked beautiful.

The packaging is really cute and makes me think of the French Riviera for some reason...must be all that white criss-crossed with blue lines:




















As you can see from my pics, the product also comes with its own tiny brush, but I haven't actually tried this out. If you don't have another eyeliner brush that you already favour using then it looks as if it would get the job done fine, although it's perhaps a bit fiddly to use as it's so tiny.

I think this photo is quite true to the colour of the product, which is a very opaque turquoise. It's very similar to the colour on the box which is good as you can get a true idea of what the product looks like.

I created a golden and blue shimmery look to try the eyeliner out with:

I used a slanted eyeliner brush and found it very easy to apply. I just dipped my brush in and slowly drew the line in using multiple strokes. You can just wipe your brush with a tissue afterwards and it'll be good to go for the next application so no need to wash your brush every time. The consistency is nice and thick and creamy which makes it much more user friendly than a runnier liquid eyeliner, although it would be difficult to create very thin lines with. However, with a beautiful bright colour like this, who wants thin lines? A nice thick line of turquoise is a great way to show the world that you're feeling that spring in the air, right?

So far I've had the eyeliner on for six hours and it hasn't budged, so it looks like it has good staying power too. When I tried the product on the back of my hand it was easily removed with warm soapy water. So basically I'd say if you fancy the idea of waking up your make-up look for spring with some bright blues, then this could be the eyeliner for you.

No 7. products are available from Boots in the UK and online at http://www.boots.com/en/No-7/