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Wednesday 23 April 2014

Eye Make-Up Essentials

If eyes are the windows to the soul, we say make damn sure that they're well dressed.

And in that respect, how lucky are we, as girls, that bigger, more beautiful eyes are just a smudge of liner and a swipe of mascara away? As much as we wholeheartedly support the no make-up selfie and everything that it stands for, we generally don't even pop to the shops without a little eye definition (or at the very least a pair of dark glasses to cover our lack of mascaraed lashes).

So, what are our secret weapons for prettier peepers? Given our collective hardcore addictions to anything and everything beauty-related, it's fair to say we've worked our way through a veritable cosmetics' hall of products... So, here are our current make-up bag fixtures which we've neatly divided by our top three eye looks...

The Smoky Eye
An absolute classic, the smoky eye is our night-out stalwart. We've trialled liners, shadows and mascaras galore and boiled it down to three must-have smoky essentials.


Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Mascara
£19.50

On our list of dessert island beauty must-haves, mascara ranks pretty highly. So let's just say we take our mascaras very seriously. Benefit's cheekily titled 'They're Real', has had our mascara crown for well over a year now (and coming from three fickle beauty hounds that's quite an honour). The rubber brush gets each and every lash (including those tricky inner corner ones) and a couple of coats genuinely gives you falsie-esque length and volume that lasts all day.



MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow in Gilt by Association
£17.00

These eyeshadows are a bit of an obsession, we have not one, not two but three (aside from this gold/black Gilt by Association, we also have the green/back Smutty Green and the purple/black Young Punk). Applied lightly they're actually great for daytime, but layered up or applied with a damp brush they give an intense metallic eye which blends and smokes to sultry perfection. 

Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl in Bedroom Black
£19.00


We blogged about our Charlotte Tilbury make-up haul back in December and we can confirm that our love for all things Tilbury has only intensified since then! These Rock 'N' Kohl liners are absolute God sends. They go on smoothly, set to budge-proof within 30 seconds of application and stay looking flawless until you finally decide to take them off. We're head over heels and can't rave about them enough.  



The Beach Goddess Eye
As spring yawns and stretches and threatens to wake-up summer at any second, we're getting in some early practice and refining our sunny, shimmery warm weather beauty looks. Here's our edit of the only four products you'll need   to pack in your beach bag this summer.


Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner in Golden Dress
£4.99

This was an airport impulse purchase a few months ago but has now risen to summer essential status. Bourjois' pretty bronzy gold liner looks fab with a tan and particularly great with blue eyes - perfect for drawing around the lash line. Bonus points for being splash and sweat-proof.

Nars Cream Eyeshadow in Savage
£18.00

Cream eyeshadows are your best friend as the temperature rises and this one's the absolute star of our make-up bags. Nars' cream shadows tend to crease if you use them alone but add a base (if you need suggestions on that front, we have you covered with this post) and you've got the recipe for long lasting, shimmery lids that'll take you through from sunrise to long past sunset.



D.J.V. Beautenizer Fiberwig Mascara
£18.00

Fiberwig is extra-long lash extensions in a tube. You need a few layers to get maximum length but this is pretty life-changing stuff! Our only complaint would be that used alone, it can leave lashes looking a little spidery and sparse so for maximum flutterage we like to layer it over another mascara (it's great over They're Real). 

Bobbi Brown Chocolate Shimmer Ink
£17.50

Bobbi Brown's gel liners are total 3BM essentials. We all have several pots of this wonder liner knocking around in our make-up bags. They're long-lasting, deliver a kick-ass cat's eye and come in a myriad of colours. Chocolate shimmer ink is a rick brown shot through with subtle gold glimmer - the perfect partner to a gilded lid.



The Bombshell Eye
Who doesn't aspire to be a bombshell of the Bardot variety? The sort of girl who looks beyond bewitching in an 'Oh, I just woke up like this' way. While we're working on that, here are three helping hands to give you at least a gleam of the Bardot glam.


Maybelline Volum' Express Magnum Superfilm
£5.99


We snapped this bad boy up on a mad dash to the chemists after forgetting to pack our make-up bag one morning. We weren't expecting much but wow, is this proof that you don't have to spend big bucks to get some serious bang. This little yellow tube delivers glossy, full black lashes with no flaking or smudging. An excellent stand-in for other much more expensive brands (we may still prefer our They're Real, but this ranks higher than other more expensive similar products - MAC False Lashes and Dior Show spring to mind).



Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in Dolce Vita
£38.00

Yet more Charlotte Tilbury love! The Dolce Vita palette is sheer perfection. The warm browns and bronzes make blue eyes pop and the texture of the shadows is buttery and super-blendable. Keep it light for a louche, low-key look or add intensity and sparkle with the delicious glittery chocolate shade.

Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl in Barbarella Brown
£19.00


The more laid-back little sister to Bedroom Black, Rock 'N' Kohl in Barbarella Brown is your perfect everyday liner. For amping up the smoulder, smudge into lashes and draw into the upper and lower waterlines.
  


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