If you want to impress this Valentine's Day, then these Max Factor goodies are just for you.
Be in with a chance of winning the new All Day Flawless foundation, Voluptuous False Lash Effect mascara, creme blush AND Facefinity compact foundation.
Whether you're going out to town with your beau, having a girly day OR binge-watching Netflix (winning), these little beauties will have you sorted.
If you think this sounds oh-so-great, then you need to be in it to win it. Just head over to our Facebook or Instagram page to enter. Good luck, ladies!
*Competition closed – Congrats to Una Quigley and Francesca Quinlan*
January has been a looong month, and if your make-up is already running out, then fear not, because we have two fab kits of Essence goodies to give away.
Nail polishes, eye-shadow kits, lipsticks and way more, you will look better than ever this month wearing our fave make-up brand.
If you think this sounds oh-so-great, then you need to be in it to win it.
Just head over to our Facebook or Instagram page to enter. Good luck, ladies!
We all know the formula to lasting make-up is a good primer and setting spray, but let's be real, those things can get a bit pricey.
Especially after Christmas, when we don't have a penny to spare, we want something a bit more cost-effective and that will last us a really long time.
Well, all of those fancy sprays can move aside, because the hairdryer is the new way to set your make-up.
Celebrity make-up artist, Susan Heydt told Women's Health that the hairdryer is the perfect way to set your war-paint, but advised that the setting must be on a low heat.
“Although using a blow-dryer to heat up eyelash curlers and dry off skin works well, you’ll need to use a very low heat setting and have good environmental humidity to avoid causing skin damage.
“Youthful skin would definitely be a prerequisite for this type of setting process, as not too many women with mature skin would want to dry out their face any further.”
We might not use this method all the time, but it sure is a good way when money is tight!
It's been a horrible few weeks so far, with storm Barney, Clodagh and now Desmond.
And while we all wish we could hide away under our duvet for days, unfortunately we can't.
So in order to keep your make-up in place during the rainy days, here are five easy ways to make sure you'll always look picture perfect – despite of Storm Desmond.
Keep it simple
There's no point putting on a full face of make-up if you know you'll be out in the bad weather. So loads of eye make-up is a big no-no.
And contouring? That can go out the window. There will be no Kimmy K look-a-likes in Ireland for the next few days – unless you want a streaky face by lunchtime.
Moisturise
Going from the cold and windy outdoors to the heated and warm indoors can cause havoc with your skin, and even people with oily skin will notice it becoming a little chapped and broken and sometimes, even a bit sore.
To avoid this, make sure to use an extra strength moisturiser everyday and a face scrub at least once a week.
Keep like with like
Another disadvantage of going from the cold outside to the warm inside is your make-up sliding off your face – and let's face it, it happens to the best of us.
To combat this, make sure your foundation, base coats and top coats use similar ingredients. Remember oil and water don't mix so if you use an oil-based BB cream with a water-based foundation, it will more than likely become shiny during the day.
Waterproof mascara
This will become your best friend, in any type of weather. Rain bashing off your face? No problem! Storm Desmond ruining your perfectly-put together make-up? No bother!
Once you have waterproof mascara, you'll be OK.
Skip the tan
If you're planning on baring your legs on a night out in the next few weeks, we'd suggest wearing a shimmer to highlight your pins rather than wearing tan. Even the most strongest formulas can streak after ten minutes of standing in the a queue to get into Coppers.
We are girls and we love make-up. SHOCKER. And we will therefore take any opportunity to discuss make-up in detail because make up what makes us happy.
Whether you are all about the packaging or swear by your go-to foundation, we all have our favourite brands for many, usually very specific, reasons.
But how did MAC become MAC? And what benefit is there to be had from Benefit? Oh and just WHO is the Essie behind Essie?
Do we have you wondering? Well wonder no more.
NYX
NYX Round Case Lipstick in Electra, €xx
The glorious Nyx was named after the Greek goddess of the night. Nyx (the goddess that is) symbolises beauty and power (of course).
Touché, Nyx.
Essie
Essie Nail Polish in Play Date, €9.99, Boots
The Essie behind Essie is none other than the company’s founder, Essie Weingarten. Having set up her company in 1981, Essie is a pretty impressive business woman.
Essie cosmetics was sold to L'Oréal ensuring business success for the foreseeable future.
You go girl.
Maybelline New York
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation, €11.99, Boots
In 1915, Mabel Williams mixed coal and Vaseline together and applied her concoction to her lashes and brows, making them look fuller and darker.
Yep, you guessed it! She was one of the first people to create mascara as we know it.
Inspired by her creation, her brother set up Maybell Laboratories and eventually changed the name to Maybelline.
MAC
MAC Studio Finish Concealer Due, €31.50
MAC was founded in Canada in the eighties and was originally intended to be marketed solely towards make up professionals.
As a result, MAC simply stands for Makeup Art Cosmetics
Lancôme
Lancôme Soothing Moisturising Cream, €52.50
This cosmetics brand was named after… a castle?
The founder of the company named his new venture after a French castle called the Château de Lancosme that he had visited on his holiers.
Yellow flowers that were seen growing in the castles gardens served as the inspiration for the brands' iconic flower emblem.
Shiseido
Shiseido Perfect Mascara Full Definition, €27, Boots
Shiseido is one of the longest running cosmetics brands in the world having been founded in 1872.
The name comes from a Chinese book entitled I Ching (that’s the Book of Changes to you and me). This ancient and historic manual is one of the oldest of the Chinese classics.
The word shiseido itself comes from a passage in the text that means: "Praise the virtues of the great Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth new values."
Benefit
Benefit Benetint Lip and Cheek Colour, €34.50
Benefit cosmetics started out as a beauty boutique called The Face Place which was opened by the Ford sisters in the seventies.
As the store originally focused solely on make up products that would tackle common problems and blemishes, it would make sense that the brand eventually became Benefit.
The world of online commentary can be a cruel one indeed. In this particular arena Kylie Jenner is not someone who fares very well. Despite being just 18 years old, she has the biggest target of harsh comments relating to her appearance, career and personal life of all of the Kardashian Jenner clan.
One video editor, Will Rebein, decided to highlight the often vicious world of social media that someone such as Kylie inhabits. An anonymous voice over reads the cruel comments from social media users left on one of her recent makeup tutorial videos.
He explained his thinking behind the video, saying:
“It’s unreal that people take the time out of their day to write these comments, and forget that there is a real person potentially seeing these things and internalizing them.”
He explained that he offers this video as a take-down of the “hate culture” that has exploded on the internet:
“Reading these comments (which were literally just taken from the top comments of two articles) and showing imagery of Kylie makes them seem more real and realize how painful the words can be.”
It was an early start for Nadine Coyle this morning, so early that she must have gotten ready in the dark.
The singer was hoping to add a touch of glamour to her early morning interview with Lorraine on the ITV show, but instead her look turned out to be a complete #fail.
Her make-up consisted of a (very) wrong foundation choice which seemed to be plastered all over her pretty features.
Yep, her face was yellow and her neck was white – a mistake made by many of us in our teenage-disco years.
The contrast was extremely noticeable and her bright pink lips and dark shadow didn't do much to help her either.
Viewers noticed the disaster quite quickly and took to social media to question the make-up fail.
One Twitter users asked, "What the hell is going on with Nadine's foundation it's completely the wrong colour."
Another pointed out, "Nadine has an orange face and white neck. Even I know how to blend," while another blamed the make-up artist, "Ooh, Nadine needs to sack the MUA – that foundation is totally the wrong colour."
So we know there are only two weeks left of autumn and therefore two weeks until the official start of winter (NOOO!), but there is still plenty of time to incorporate the autumnal colour palette into your make up regime.
Sumptuous burnt oranges, leafy greens and deep, mahogany browns were all big beauty trends on this year's A/W catwalks.
You know what we’re talking about.
Here’s how you can embrace autumn on your face:
1. Autumn Flame
The trend: Burnt, smoky oranges are the perfect autumnal colours as seen here on the A/W 2015 catwalk for Hervé Léger . Don't be afraid to embrace these sultry tones across the face.
Make it work for you: Use a pigmented, bright orange across the eyelid (smoke out with a soft brown if it is too intense). Then take a soft coral toned blush across the cheeks and finish with a peachy hue on the lips for a look that ignites your features.
2. Autumn Forest
The trend: Forget the traditional smoky eye using black and grey tones and opt instead for warm brown hues.
Make it work for you: Use a beige eye shadow for the inner crease before using a deep mahogany shade across the entire outer eye area. Smoke this colour right out to the crease and underneath the lash line. Use a gold or honey shadow to bring the autumnal shade right up to the lash line. Keep the rest of the face matte and nude; finish with a brown eyeliner or mascara.
3. Autumn Leaves
The trend: Green might not be the first colour you think of when doing your eyeshadow but deep greens are really gorgeous in combination especially with sallow skin. Just as browns enhance a green eye, greens do the same for brown eyes.
Make it work for you: Use a soft brown tone on the lids and inner eye area before smoking out with a deep, forest green shade. Use a green liner to define the eyes and finish with a brown mascara.
Get the Looks
Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Eyeshadow in Rouge Gorge, €34.49. available in Brown Thomas MAC Lipstick in CB96, €19, available in Brown Thomas and MAC, Henry Street
Bobbi Brown Intense Pigment Liner in Forest, €33.50, available in Brown Thomas No7 Natural Blush Tint Powder, €11, available in Boots
Benefit they're real! Mascara in Beyond Brown, €26, available in Brown Thomas L'Oréal Paris Infallible Mega Gloss in Never Let Me Go, €7.79, available in Boots
Catrice Cosmetics Chocolate Nudes Eyeshadow Palette, €5.49, available in Penneys, Dunnes Stores and McCabes Pharmacies
Let's be real, eyelash curlers are scary. The result of them is typically worth it, but the thought of taking a metal clamp up to your eyes and tugging on your lashes is kinda terrifying.
And if anyone knows the dangers of an eyelash curler, it's Miley Cyrus. The singer experienced what may be every girl's worst beauty nightmare over the weekend.
Yep, a whole chunk of her eyelashes got cut off. Miley posted the crime scene on Instagram, saying "F**king curler chopped my dayummmm lash!" Eek!
We think the mistake Miley made was putting on mascara BEFORE using the curler, but as a lesson to everyone, be careful because you don't want this to happen to you.
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.
Hurrah! It's finally that time of year again. We are happy bunnies here in SHEmazing! HQ as MAC has just released its new Christmas collection.
Full of shimmering shades and deep, smokey hues, MAC's Magic of the Night collection is something you don't want to miss.
Magic of the Night includes bold lip and shadow tones, as well as new colour-drenched pigments, so it will be easy to make an impact on nights out.
Metallic nails are going to be HUGE for Christmas but if you really want to get your glow on, MAC's Mineralise Skinfinish will make you shine from morning to night.
Blue is also going to be major for this party season, and MAC has introduced cobalt, teal and royal blue finishes into its eyeshadows. If you really want to have some fun though, the new eyeliner – which comes in petrol blue and black – is perfect for making an impact.
Along with the new shades of eyeshadows and lipsticks, MAC has also welcomed striking blue packaging for the Christmas collection, just so your make-up bag can look as good as you.
And if you're struggling to find the perfect gift? MAC is bringing back its coveted mini-kits for Christmas, which we all know is the perfect present. You can choose from a lip pencil collection, a pigment collection or a lip gloss collection that all come in this season's most enviable colours.
Sorted for Christmas now? So are we. All Christmas collections are available in Brown Thomas or online tomorrow.
