Essential Items For Your Make Up Bag

When putting together your make up collection, it’s easy to lose yourself in a world of sparkling lip glosses and shimmering eyeshadows – and completely forget the essentials of any home make up kit. Here’s a quick list of those boring, but essential, items:

- Cotton pads.

Inevitably, at some stage you’re going to apply make up and it’s going to go wrong. Keep a set of cotton pads handy in the same bag as your make up products to help make those unfortunate slips clean up easily.

- Eyelash curlers.

A mascara is only as good as the lashes it is going on to, so keep a set of eyelash curlers handy. Remember to apply a thin layer of mascara before using the curlers so you don’t damage your eyelashes.

- Vaseline

This small and affordable product can do anything, from smoothing out eyebrows to making lips appear glossy and healthy. Keep Vaseline in your make up bag so you have a go-to for any make up malfunctions, or just in case you want some extra shine.

- A pencil sharpener.

Eyebrow pencils and eyeliner always seem to run out at the least opportune moments, so get into the habit of keeping a size applicable sharpener with the products themselves. For total convenience, you can now buy liners and pencils that come fitted with a sharpener on the other end of the product.

- A pocket sized mirror.

It may seem obvious, but many women apply their make up in front of a bathroom mirror so don’t remember to keep a close up pocket mirror in their make up bags.

How To Avoid Make Up Disasters

Most of us have probably seen our fair share of make up disasters, and it’s never pretty. The usual suspects tend to be involved in creating such an unpleasant look: tide marks of foundation, over-applied blusher that makes the wear look uncomfortably hot no matter what the weather outside is doing, lipstick that misses the edge of the lips and, of course, the dreaded ‘panda eyes’ of mascara and eyeliner.

When it comes to wearing and using make up, there is an eternal truism of the beauty and fashion industry: less is more. The more make up you layer on, the more likely you are to look like a clown. Make up is about enhancing your natural assets, not repainting an entirely new face over your existing features. If you try and do the latter, there’s no way it can look decent.

The trick to getting make up right is a good mirror and good lighting in the room you apply it in. Many women make the mistake of applying make up in dimly lit rooms, where they can’t get a full look at their handiwork. You need to be able to see all the angles of your face (there are specialist mirrors that show different angles at the same time, if you feel like splashing out) clearly, so you can judge exactly what is going where and how it looks.

Many of us fall in to bad habits with make up and products, so keep things fresh by emptying out your make up bag and studying the products within carefully. If something hasn’t been used in six months, throw it away. By keeping things up-to-date and making the occasional new purchase, you can avoid wearing the same ‘look’ for years on end.

Long Live Make Up: Longevity Make Up Explored

Due to the nature of make up – essentially, chemical compounds being applied to the skin and expected to stay there no matter the weather or situation of the wearer – it is somewhat inevitable that everyone has the occasional make up disaster. We’ve all taken a sip from a glass and left a ring of lipstick on the rim, or realised our carefully applied mascara is no longer on our eyelashes but instead sliding down our face. It’s not a crime to get it wrong sometimes.

However, there are products on the market that can help eliminate the chances of a make up disaster. Primer, for example, is ideal for those who go out in the rain or sweat frequently – it’s particularly useful if you wish to wear make up while exercising. A good primer, which is applied under foundation or concealer, should help keep facial make up in place.

Secondly, there are numerous products that claim to ‘last longer’ or ‘fix fast’ – particularly lipsticks, some of which work and some of which don’t. It’s worth experimenting with longevity make up if you struggle to keep make up in place throughout the day, but bear in mind that a mirror and a quick reapplication is usually your best guarantee for day-long make up.

And remember, in your quest for long-last make up, stay away from that famed old wives tale of using hairspray to fix make up on. First and foremost, it doesn’t work, and secondly it’s extremely bad for your skin. Use the right products, expect to have to reapply during the day and keep your skin content!

Three Essential Make Up Tips: Eyeliner

Whether you’re looking to create an enhanced, theatrical Cleopatra-style look, or just something more simple for daytime wear, eyeliner is one of the beauty staples. Here’s a quick guide to getting the most out of this essential product.

Tip One: Liquid or Pencil

Most make up brands manufacturer eyeliner in two different genres; liquid or pencil. It’s worth having one of each, in a trusty black colour, in your make up kit. The type of look you are going for influences which of the two types of eyeliner you should select; for something dramatic, use liquid, while for a more conservative look, pencil is your friend. Alternatively, you can use both: use pencil on the inner edge of the eye for more definition, and liquid on the outside of the eyelid to give a sweeping curve.

Tip Two: Practice, Practice, Practice

Eyeliner is extremely tricky to apply. It requires a steady hand, a good mirror in a well-lit room so you can see exactly what you’re doing, and lots and lots of practice. Over time, you’ll be able to draw beautiful lines over and under your eyelids in seconds, but put the ground work in first. Practice until you can create an unbroken and even line in both pencil and liquid.;

Tip Three: Let Eyeliner Dry

This is such a basic principle but it’s also a common mistake. Whether or not the eyeliner you are using is pencil or liquid, it’s important to let it dry before applying mascara. This takes around two minutes; a very short space of time that will help you avoid the dreaded smudging and ‘panda eyes’ effect.