How to: smokey eye using eyeliner

Just a quick tutorial for you today on how to create a smokey eye using a pencil eyeliner, handy for when you're in a rush or just need a more subtle look. 

I used a cheap eyeliner because they are easier to smudge due to the fact the pigment is not that good but it gives a nice slate colour which I like. I also used a 'smudger' but a cotton bud would work just as well. 

Step 1: Apply a line of liner on your upper lash line, it doesn't have to be neat.

Step 2: Start smudging along the line.

Step 3: Begin smudging upwards, as far as you like and into your preferred shape, you can keep to your eyelid or you can wing it out. Make sure it doesn't look patchy. 

Step 4: Then use your finger to get rid of any defining lines so it blends out nicely.

Step 5 (optional): Apply your liner in the waterline and on your lower lash line then smudge it to create a smokier look.

Step 6: Apply some mascara then you're done!

Hope this helps some of you! Thanks for reading.

Beth x

How to: Katniss Everdeen Make-up from Catching Fire

The Hunger Games is one of my favourite film series, and when Catching Fire came out I was really looking forward to seeing what make-up I would see as the make-up in the first film was so colourful and very random! And I was not let down. The make-up looks they created for Katniss were really beautiful and played a big part of her costume. I think Katniss would be a great character to cosplay as so if you are looking for inspiration then I hope this helps! 



The Tribute Parade

In this part of the film, Katniss has very dramatic make-up. She has jet black eyes with an intricate gold pattern underneath and around it, very long eyelashes and defined brows. Her lips are a natural coral colour while her foundation is her natural skin tone with some shading and blush. 



Eyes:

Use a normal eye shadow brush, and a highly pigmented black eye shadow and create the shape. Start from the inner corner of your eye and curve it up towards the arch of your eyebrow and out towards the end of your eyebrow. Then curve it down to the outer corner of your eye. Next, fill it in, making sure it isn't patchy, use a fluffy blending brush to achieve this. I also blended the line so it looked more 'smoky'. Then, use the edge of your eye shadow brush to create two flicks on the outer corner. Next, bring the black down underneath your eye, right to the inner corner and then extend it out onto your nose. 

Then use a black kohl pencil in the water line. 

Next, dot a gel or liquid liner on the top line of the eye shadow to create a dappled effect. 

Now for the gold. I used a gold liquid liner but I think a gel liner would have been better. I used the liner's own brush but you can use your own if you prefer or if you're using a gel, start from the inner corner of your eye and follow the eye shadow all the way up to the flick, then branch off with one flicking up, and then two flicking down. Then use a small liner brush and shade in between the gold and underneath so it makes it stand out. 

Next, apply some false lashes. Apply an eyelash glue along the lashes, wait for it to dry a little bit and using your fingers or tweezers carefully place them as close to your lash line as you can, holding them in place until they are dry. Then apply a little mascara to join your lashes with the false ones, and apply some mascara on your bottom lashes. 

To finish off the eyes, fill in your eye brows, keeping a natural shape.

Face:


Use your normal foundation and apply it as you usually would, being careful around the eyes. I do eye make-up first before foundation as I can rid of any fall out without having to remove the foundation. 

Then apply a powder to get rid of any shine.

Then use an angled blusher brush and a dark blusher and shade underneath your cheekbones and jaw line.

Then apply an orange/pink blush on your cheeks.

Lips:

Use a lip brush to apply a neutral colour such as a natural pink or coral with some clear gloss over the top. 

Capitol Party at the president's mansion 

In this part of the film Katniss has dramatic eyes again. She wears bold orange eye shadow with an elegant flick of eyeliner top and bottom with white separating them and long eye lashes. Again, she has a natural skin tone with shading and blusher. Her lips are a pale pink.

Eyes:

Using an eye shadow brush, apply a pale yellow eye shadow all over your eyelid up to your eye brow. Then use an orange eye shadow and apply this over your eye lid 3 quarters of the way in and not past the crease. Then take a fluffy blending brush and blend this upwards and out towards the outer corner, curving it down from the end of your eye brow to the outer corner of your eye. Then with the blending blush take a small amount of a red eye shadow and blend it into the outer corner and in the crease.

Then use a liquid or gel liner and very thin brush and line along the lash line and flick upwards and out, in line with the eye shadow. Do this for the lower lash line as well. Apply a bright white pencil or eye shadow between the flicks. Then line the water line with a black kohl pencil. 

You could use false lashes again, however I just curled mine and applied mascara.

Then fill in your eye brows, keeping a natural shape.

Face:


Use your normal foundation and apply it how you would normally. Then apply a powder to get rid of any shine.

Then using an angled blush brush and a dark blush, shade under your cheekbones and jaw line. Then apply a pink blush on the cheeks and dust lightly over your forehead, nose and chin.

Lips:


Use a lip brush and a apply a natural pink or light pink colour on your lips.

Wedding make-up 


Katniss is forced to wear her wedding dress on TV and this is make-up she wears with it. It is very pretty
and elegant but also carries powerful imagery as have the others. She has a silver smoky eye with winged eye liner and long, feathery lashes, her foundation is natural with shading and blusher and pale pink lips. In the scene, she spins and her wedding dress is transformed into a 'Mockingjay' outfit which sends a very controversial message. Her make-up is also made to reflect that of a mockingjay with the feathery lashes.





Eyes:

This a design that you can very much make your own. If you don't have the right accessories (like me) such as the lashes and/or the gems then you can find other ways to achieve this look. 

First, take an eye shadow brush and apply a black shadow along the lid, not all the way up to the crease.

 
Then apply a shimmery silver above the black, and then a very light silver above that. Then take a blending brush and blend these together taking it out towards the outer corner of the eye making a curve. Then apply a white, pearly shimmer underneath the eyebrow and blend this down to the inner corner of the eye. 

Next, using a black gel or liquid liner, apply along the lash line, quite thinly, and wing it out and up towards the end of your eye brow. As I didn't have gems, I then dotted four dots of liner on my lower lash line. You could also use a silver for this.

Then, apply some false lashes or lots of mascara and fill in your eye brows, keeping a natural shape.


Face:

Use your normal foundation and apply as you would normally. Apply a powder to get rid of any shine. Then use an angled blush brush and a dark blusher and shade under your cheekbones and jawline. Then apply a pink blush to your cheeks and lightly over your forehead, nose and chin. 


Lips:

Using a lip brush, apply a baby/pale pink and then apply a pearly white shimmer to the middle of your lips and blend this out.

How to: Two tone eyeshadow

I love creating two toned eyeshadow looks. You can have a lot of fun experimenting with different colours, from nude tones to bright and bold tones. Here is my 'how to' on how to create a two tone eyeshadow look. I hope you enjoy :)


To begin, I selected the colours I wanted to use. I love nude shades of pinks and browns so from my MAC palette I chose: 'Naked Lunch' which is a beautiful nude tone, 'Sweet Lust' which is pretty pink shimmery shadow and 'Satin Taupe' which is a shimmery dark brown. And instead of using an eyeliner on the upper lid, I have used MAC's 'Carbon' eyeshadow which is a smokey, matte black.

 I used three brushes for this look. A small eyeshadow brush, an angled eyeliner brush - both by Crownbrush, and a MAC 286 (duo blending brush) I love the 286 because as it is duo fibre, it doesn't pick up a lot of product when you are blending shadows on the eyes so is great for blending colours together, I love using it to create really subtle looks and also glamorous smokey eyes.I love Crownbrush as well because they are such good value for money and they're brushes are excellent quality.

Crownbrush small eyeshadow brush (left) and MAC 286 (right)

Crownbrush angled eyeliner brush

So, first of all I covered the lid with the two pink tones mixed together. Use the eyeshadow brush to get an even coverage and take it up to the crease and the outer corner of the eye.

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Then, using the eyeshadow brush again, apply the brown halfway across the lid and take it out to the outer corner of the eye. Make its as strong or as heavy as you prefer. You can wing it out slightly as well like I have done here. Don't take it past the crease at this point.

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Once you are happy with the brown, take the blending brush and blend the brown into the crease of the eye and out towards the outer corner of the eye as well. Be sure the blend the brown and pink to get rid of the line separating them but not so much that you completely blend the two colours together- you still want to be able to see both colours. I find using circular motions with the blending brush to be a good technique to blend and to avoid patchy-ness. 

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Then bring the brown down underneath the eye using the eyeshadow brush and blend along the lower lashline. This helps to define the eye shape more.

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With the angled eyeliner brush, apply the black eyeshadow along the upper lashline. This creates more definition and using eyeshadow as a liner is great for daytime looks. If you like heavier liner, use a gel/liquid eyeliner and apply it along the upper lashline and wing it out past the outer corner of the eye. This will also be perfect if you want to make this look more glam for a night out.

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For more definition, use a black kohl eyeliner along the waterline. I have used Maybelline's 'Master Drama' in 'Ultra black'. I am in love with this eye pencil because it is so versatile in its uses and I love an intense black.

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To finish off, generously apply some mascara to the upper and lower lashes to really make your eyes pop. I've used MAC's 'zoom lash' in black. I really like this mascara, it works really well for me as my lashes are short as well as straight (worst combo!) and it adds volume as well as length. 

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The finished look!

Thank you so much for reading and hope you enjoyed it! 

~Beth x

Review: Swap your MAC for Maybelline!

I've been using Maybelline's Master Drama kohl eyeliner recently and I have got to say it is the best pencil eyeliner I have ever used. I like my eyeliners to be intensely black and this one is in the colour 'Ultra black' and the name definitely doesn't lie. It also claims to stay on for 16 hours, I wore it for about 12 (16 hours is a long day!) and it didn't need topping up at all. It is really soft so glides on effortlessly and is great to smudge to get a smokey look, however it is quite easy to get your hands in a bit of a mess when handling it! The best thing though is the price, £4.49!

Maybelline Master Drama in Ultra Black

Now MAC's eye kohl is fine... but that's all it is. Fine. It doesn't wow me. It doesn't have an intense colour and I've found that when I wear in the waterline, it smudges off really easily which isn't good if you have particularly watery eyes or in the winter where the cold air and winds make your eyes stream. I have nothing against MAC products, I use them daily at college but I think you can get products that work just as well for a lot less money. This eyeliner costs £14.00 which in my eyes is ridiculous! I have also found that it is quite dry and hard and so is great for getting a sharp line, I often use it more than gel to get a sharp finish, but is very hard to smudge if you want more of a smokey look. 

MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder
(yellow dot is so I know its mine when I use it at college)

Thanks for reading!
Beth

All opinions are my own. All photos taken by myself.