The six problems that only people who LOVE dark lipstick understand

Nov 12, 2015

The dark lip trend is one that we don’t see disappearing any time soon. Which is completely fine for anyone who calls themselves a fan.

For every pretty pink or creamy nude out there, there’s going to be even more vampy shades to choose from. There is something so very glam about the dark lip look.

However, a statement bold lip also comes with some less then appealing flawless side effects.

1. Straws are very necessary:

Well, you can do without them. But then you'll end up with an unintentional ombré effect. Also, no one really wants to leave the Granny-esque kiss marks on every single glass in existence.

2. Falling asleep in makeup means waking up with a red polka dot pillowcase.

Just another item to add to the washing pile.

3. You have to exfoliate your lips. Every. Single. Night.

If you’re constantly wearing highly pigmented lipstick then you're probably familiar with the old toothbrush and lip balm exfoliating trick.

4. The accidental over line:

However, Kylie Jenner has made this a non-problem, the oversized out is pretty much a beauty phenomenon.

5. Attempting to rock a cute and tiny clutch is never an option:

You need your lip liner, lipstick and a compact. Who needs keys these days anyway?

6. If you don't wear it one day, everyone notices:

“You look a bit different today, am I right?” This is because they're so used to you looking like a boss with your amazing lipstick.

And a LIP GLOSS in a pear tree! 5 beauty advent calendars we LOVE

Style

Nov 12, 2015

by Amber Saunders

You can never be too old for advent calendars, in our opinion. Waking up to a piece of chocolate heaven every morning in December is one of our favourite Christmas traditions.

And what is the one thing that could get us as excited as chocolate? Make up, obviously. Spoil yourself this festive season with a tonne of beauty treats and opt for a more sophisticated take on a beloved Christmas tradition.

Or, you know, get both. We won't judge…

Benefit Party Poppers Advent Calendar, €46, Debenhams
Featuring mini samples of all of Benefit's top sellers including the POREfessional, high beam, Badgal lash and They're Real!, this is the ultimate beauty buy for any Benefit fan.

House of Fraser Beauty Advent Calendar, €28
Includes 30 Colour Couture samples, from lip gloss to nail polish to eyeshadow. You'll be nicely set up for 2016 with all those new shades.

Liberty London Bath & Body Advent Calendar, €211, liberty.co.uk
Buy yourself pure luxury with this tasty bath and body set. Includes a variety of products from top brands such as Nars and Dermalogica. When finished, the box doubles as a pretty awesome display case!

The Body Shop Advent Calendar, €85, The Body Shop
Never run out of gorgeous body products with this advent calendar. Luxurious soap, body butter, lotion and lip balm – you'll be spolit for choice.

The 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar, €69.95, Lush
This is a must have for anyone who loves Lush's homemade products – and it smells divine. It's time to start running that bath…

The top 10 Lazy Girl beauty habits every Lazy Girl knows ALL about…

Nov 4, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Look – we do genuinely mean to have a shower every morning. And we absolutely know that we should exfoliate AND moisturise before applying a layer of fake tan.

Yup – our nails could be more manicured; feet less rough. No, a messy slept-in bun is rarely as striking as tumbling GHD curls.

But then we weigh up the prospect of an extra 30minutes in bed, or more time spent on the couch watching Strictly before we head out… and suddenly we’re willing and oh-so able to embrace our inner Lazy Girl.

Do we looked as preened and proper as a Kardashian-Jenner at the Met Ball? Well, no… but hey, we don’t look half bad either.

So here, in honour of those extra 30minutes in bed, SHEmazing! rounds up our top 10 Lazy Girl beauty habits that our fellow Lazy Girls will know ALL about.

1) Dry shampoo is god: in fact, we reckon we're pretty much keeping Batiste afloat at this stage

2) A 'fancy' up-do or messy plait is merely a cunning ruse to get through another day without washing your hair

3) And when we do wash your hair… we never have time to actually dry it properly. Pony-tail or bun still wet at 6pm? Yup, that's us

4) To our total shame, we've found stray hairpins buried somewhere in our tresses DAYS after we've applied them

5) Thankfully, big brows are in – because we haven't shaped, plucked or HD'd them in MONTHS. Au natural ftw

6) Cleanse, tone and moisturise? Lolz; we're ALL about the facial wipes. For a really thorough clean, we'll even occasionally use two

7) Allegedly, lipstick requires a specialist brush for expert application – that AND you need liner too? Oh, we genuinely didn't know…

8) We do own an eyelash curler, but we have never once used it. Nor do we plan on starting any time soon

9) We are aware that contouring is a thing. We have never, however, contoured; tinted BB cream has works perfectly well thanks all the same

10) Sunglasses can be worn at all times, and in all weather, in lieu of actually putting on makeup

WATCH: Amazing beauty hacks that will make your life WAY easier

Nov 3, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Every woman will have a beauty crisis at least once a week. Whether it's your lipstick breaking, your nail polish sticking together or your powder falling and smashing ALL OVER the place (we all hate that one), it can be a kick in the teeth, especially when we've spent all of our hard earned cash on these items.

But fear not, because Cosmopolitan has made a video of insanely easy beauty hacks that will have you back on your beauty A-game in no time.

Watch and be amazed:

WATCH: A university gave women the ultimate daily beauty regime

Oct 23, 2015

by Amber Saunders

For many women, their daily beauty routine can be a source of frustration.

If one brow is aching more than other, or you can’t seem to get your eyeliner to match then you could get up throwing bronzer all over the place in irritation. Don’t even get us started on trying to find the time to ‘bake’ our faces.

The people at Revlon partnered with Fordham University in the US to see if a daily beauty and self-love routine could help women increase their self-confidence- and improve how they felt about their relationships.

They asked several women to start a daily ritual of self-affirmations and keeping a journal.

First the women and their partners were quizzed about their relationships- and what they identified at the biggest insecurities and turn-ons for the women.

Confidence was cited as being a big one. Then, the women were given their new daily routine.

Find a private place where you can spend a couple of minutes going through the ritual:

– Look at yourself in the mirror.
– Apply fragrance or scented lotion.
– Apply eye makeup.
– Enjoy a mint or piece of chocolate.
– Apply lipstick or gloss.
– Take a slow, deep breath.
– Look at yourself in the mirror.
– Smile.

After one week, they were asked to come back and give a report of how they felt about themselves. Meanwhile, their partners were asked to listen, and things got very emotional.

After trying their new routine, 97 per cent of the women felt a positive change in themselves.

It was also discovered that 71 per cent had an “increased desire for romance,” 69 per cent were more open to finding love, 77 per cent felt more outgoing and social and 74 per cent said they were more likely to flirt.

You need to watch the whole video, but grab some tissues first because it will hit you smack bang in the feelings!

The no-brainer beauty habits that women with clear skin swear by

Oct 21, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Getting clear, glowing and blemish-free skin could be as easy as making a few simple changes to your routine – but the key is knowing which ones.

There's no point in splashing out on a trolley's worth of beauty products if none of them is right for your skin.

Regardless of their skin type, there are a few simple things that all women with great skin count as part of their everyday routine.

1. Using SPF every day
Even in rainy Ireland, direct sunlight can cause harm to our skin over time. Avoid wrinkles and dark spots in the future by using a moisturiser with SPF on your face and neck. Many foundations and BB Creams now come with added SPF too – win.

2. Not being afraid of oil-based products
Those of us with oily skin or spot-prone patches tend to shy away from oil-based products. But ensuring your skin is properly hydrated is important for preventing excess sebum production. If you're still reluctant, use an oil-based cleanser on your skin to remove all traces of make-up, before following up with a regular cleanser.

3. Exercising regularly
As if you needed another good reason to hit the gym. Exercise increases blood flow to the skin, helping to nourish cells and improving circulation. Plus, sweating is a great way to get all those toxins out – just be sure to wash your face well after your gym session.

4. Exfoliating at LEAST once a week
People with oily skin may need ot exfoliate more, but most of us should be working up a scrub at least once every seven days to buff away dead skin skills. A regular exfoliation routine will keep your skin looking brighter, and will prevent build up of oil and dead skin in pores. Fewer blemishes and clearer skin – it's a no-brainer.

5. Refusing to go to sleep with make-up on
Whatever guilty pleasures you give into of a Saturday night, don't let falling asleep with a full face of slap be one of them. Even in a worst case scenario you should aim to take make-up off with a cleansing wipe and to moisturise well.

6. Washing bedclothes regularly
We spend eight hours a night in our bed, and if you sleep on your side that means a third of your day is spent with your skin resting on your pillowcase. Washing your bedclothes at least once a week is key to preventing spots and irritation from bacteria.

7. Avoiding alcohol-based skincare products
Unless you have severely oily skin, astringent products are a no-no as they can leave your face feeling tight, dry and red. If you have naturally dry skin, use a fragrance-free cream or oil-based cleanser and moisturiser for all-day hydration.

TOO clean? Your daily routine could actually cause break outs

Oct 21, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We hate to break it to you, but acne is just one of those things that we wish we could leave behind with puberty. Unfortunately, that is sometimes just not the case.

While some of your blemishes can be the result of one too many trips to the take away or that time of the month, some people can face irritated skin or nasty breakouts as a result of one simple habit.

The water in your shower could be causing your skin to break out.

Life Script pointed out that changes in your environment can cause your skin to react badly. This can be a result of our skin adjusting to different pH levels in the water.

However, Dr. Robynne Chutkan recently appeared on Today to inform us that hard water or soft water are the least of our worries. We might actually just be too clean, and that is what leads to break outs.

She says that a certain amount of grime is needed to keep our bodies full of friendly germs that we need to protect ourselves from those that can do us harm.

She explained that we may not actually need to be scouring ourselves in the shower daily with soap. In fact, by doing so, we could be removing bacteria that helps prevent certain skin issues, especially eczema.

She advises to forget about soaps, but if we insist to go for mild, organic products.

We can also ditch the hand sanitizers, unless you’re working in a contagious area of a hospital. While during flu season extra precaution is wise, apparently using too many antibacterial soaps is doing harm to our skin.

So, basically, repeatedly killing off good bacteria on our skin may break down our natural immunity and this can lead to breakouts and skin irritation.

Shattered glass nails are a thing now and we are already in LOVE

Oct 20, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We never say no to a little bit of sparkle on our nails, and when it's as easy as this, we don't have to.

Korean salon owner Eun Kyung Park started something of an Instagram craze recently when she started using tiny pieces of holographic cellophane in her manicures.

The result? A sparkly/iridescent finish that gives the effect of a pane of shattered glass.

Design possibilities for this look are pretty endless – you can pile on the cellophane for a more layered look, or keep it simple, like this:

If your nail art budget won't stretch to a trip to Korea, fear not, as the process it VERY easy to recreate at home with nail foil or pink-toned cellophane.

1. Cut your cellophane into small shard-like triangles.

2. Paint your nails with a base coat as usual.

3. Then paint them with the colour of your choice – light colours work best for the iridescent effect.

4. With the polish still wet, use a tweezers to pick up the cellophane and place it on the nail in the pattern of your choice. Keeping the triangles vertical helps for the shattered-glass effect. You may need to work one nail at a time.

5. Allow your nails to dry, then paint over with two layers of top coat.

6. Enjoy the sparkle!

Enter to WIN a NeoStrata Skin Active Set for a flawless winter glow

Giveaways

Oct 16, 2015

by Amber Saunders

With the colder weather setting in fast, your skin can quickly become dry, tight and irritated – so it needs all the extra care it can get.

We're giving away a NeoStrata Skin Active Set worth over €120 to help you winter-proof your skin and maintain a healthy glow all year round.

The box includes three NeoStrata high-performance hero products, all specially formulated by dermatologists to give you picture-perfect skin.

Cleanse and stimulate cell renewal with NeoStrata Skin Active Exfoliating Wash, re-hydrate and restore vibrance with NeoStrata Skin Active Cellular Restoration night cream, and repair skin damage with NeoStrata Matrix Support.

You can enter via Facebook right now – and be sure to like our Facebook page first if you haven't already.

Cringe! 8 of the worst 00s beauty trends we never want to come back

Oct 13, 2015

by Amber Saunders

While many of us us (thankfully) made it out of the 00s leaving some incredibly cringe-worthy fashion trends behind us, there are still some things which haunt our memories.

Fashion is one thing, but beauty is an entirely different animal.

Remember the days of zero YouTube tutorials, shimmery bronzer and 100 per cent less eyebrows?

Well, let us take a quick trip down memory lane for a reminder of the make up trends which were perfectly fine with letting go of.

1. Less was definitely more when it came to brows:

2. There was a lot of tan happening:

3. Everything was better with 100 per cent more black eyeliner, day or night:

4. Body glitter:

No Miley. Do not try and bring this back.

5. People could not get enough of extensions:

2007 was a tough year for a lot of people.

6. Ultra dark lip liner was on point:

Shades were dark, and then extra dark.

7. Which had to then be combined with a very frosty lip:

This was considered the holy grail according to Bebo photo albums.

8. The 'zig-zag' parting:

It was hard to be taken seriously with this look.

Let this be a reminder to us all that someday we will look back on all of those contouring tutorials and think, 'why?'

Competition time! Want to win these Essence Cosmetics goodies?

Oct 9, 2015

by Amber Saunders

**Competition Closed**

Winner: Shannen McGrane

If your make-up bag is in need of an update, you've come to the right place.

This week we're giving away a range of Essence Cosmetics products, including lipsticks, new season eyeshadow palettes and more.

To enter, simply head over to either Instagram or Facebook – and be sure to follow us on both.

Good luck!

Not feeling so fresh? No one will notice with these make up tricks

Oct 7, 2015

by Amber Saunders

While that extra cup of coffee at 8 o’clock last night seemed like a fabulous idea, the caffeine high until 4 in the morning was not.

Attempting to pull an all-nighter to finish that dreaded assignment may also seem like a great call, but the subsequent panda eyes can be frustrating. Or perhaps some suggested to ‘just go for one’ after a long work day and you couldn’t resist.

It happens, and when you have a busy day ahead the last thing you want to worry about is looking less than bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. So, these are some make up tricks to help you fake a fresh-faced look when you’re longing for a nap.

Dust white shimmer shadow across your eyelids and a beige shadow along the crease.