The Goodness of Skintone Eyeliners: UNE SkinGlow Pencils

I remember when I was completely addicted to black eyeliner - I didn't need or want anything else on my face, if I had this I was good to go! For better or for worse, those days are gone!

In its place, though to a much less degree of essential-ness than black eyeliners in the past, are skintone coloured eyeliners, and the one in particular is the UNE SkinGlow Pencil, which retails at around £7 from Boots or Superdrug. I chose this over white eyeliners for the obvious reason - it looks more natural, especially on medium-toned skintones like mine!

The reason why I got this was because I liked the idea of having brightened and awake eyes, and while it does do that, I think the best way to describe its function is to say that it defines your eyes without looking unnatural.

Black eyeliners really bring out your eyes, but it makes it 10x obvious that you're wearing make up, and on a darker skintone like mine, so do white eyeliners. Personally, this isn't a look I go for in the summer, so I wanted this definition without the obvious make-up.

Up close I suppose it's still a little bit obvious, even if this is G04, the darkest shade they have. In this pic I suppose it wouldn't make a difference if I'd gone for a white eyeliner instead!

But from afar, it really does do your eyes a favour - brightens, get rids of the redness on your waterline, and it defines your eyes.

I find that this particular eyeliner doesn't last very long - but unlike black eyeliners where you are constantly worried whether you look like a panda from melting eyeliner, this is a walk in the park because even if it melts it's not so obvious under your eyes, and the eyeliner is easy enough to carry around :) So no harm in being forgetful like me and forgetting to occassionally wipe under my eyes or top up on make up!

So yes - for the summer days atleast, I am a complete convert to skintone eyeliners. That being said, sometimes I do forget to put it on - I mean, it's fleshtone at the end of the day! But I think it's a great thing to have in general for that little oomph to your eyes, especially for days with really red or tired eyes!

How do you keep your eyes natural during the summer? :)

<3yu

P.S. Apologies for the lack of posting/tweeting - I've been on holiday with my family, as they are here in the UK to see me graduate on Friday! :) Will hopefully be back in business on Monday, from good old Japan :) I've got lots to show you, so I'm very excited! Keep in touch :)

5 Beauty Exam Stress Saviours

-Sigh-, I am done with exams. The relief is tremendous!

Anyway, I just wanted to give a bit of a thank you to some things that I felt helped me to keep feeling good about myself and looking, well, decent (at best) throughout the exam period!

All these things are really easy to use, fast to use, made me feel (and hopefully look) 10x better, and are things that I'll turn to when I'm stressed in the future! (It wont be from exams, I'll tell you that much :D)

* MAC Studio Moisture Tint with SPF15 in Medium Dark

There's no particular reason why it has to be the MAC Studio Moisture Tint - it's just the tinted moisturizer that I use, but I do appreciate that it has SPF15 :) It was great for just popping out for a coffee break, and it's super easy to use with fingers, and just evens out the skin-tone with a semi-matte finish.

* Bourjois Compact Powder in 73 Miel Dore

I buffed this in after using a very rich moisturizer like the Boots Botanics Day Shift Moisturizing Cream or the Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturizer for Normal/Combination skin, and it gave me a bit more coverage than the MAC Studio Tint. Again, great for coffee breaks, quick and easy.

* Rimmel Sunshimmer Bronzing Compact Powder in Medium Matte

I'm not a fan of this when applying a harsh contour with a MAC 109, but it is amazing to use as a soft contour with a powder brush like a MAC 129. It claims to be matte but it has the littlest amount of a pearlescent finish, which I think adds to the glow that a natural contour gives. A shimmery bronzer would be overboard, a matte bronzer would look muddy and flat.

Swatch: Rimmel Sunshimmer Bronzing Compact in Medium Matte

* Body Shop Born Lippy in Watermelon and Pink Guava (latter not pictured)

I leaned towards the fruity scented lip balms, because they are so refreshing! I feel like sugary ones make you lethargic and minty ones are too dynamic and harsh on the monotonous life of a studying student.. Also, I love these lip balms in general - definitely one of my faves!

* ELF Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Medium 

I was flabbergasted when 27vampyr said in her recent monthly favourites video that the concealer end had caffeine in it - the last time I had used it was when I wasn't suffering from tired eyes so I hadn't noticed the kick, and I had always used my Bobbi Brown concealer because I wanted the coverage for my dark circles. This concealer does not give great coverage - but the caffeine is AMAZING. It really kicks your eyes awake! Although this isn't high coverage, it leaves a very natural finish - you could definitely layer a cream concealer on top.

Top: Highlighter, Bottom: Concealer.

So there you have it :)

What beauty products and tips do you use to get you through stressful times? :)

<3yu

EPIPHANY! The Perfect Spring Foundation Application :)

A few days ago, I was in a rush for the first time in ages and I couldn't be bothered with liquid foundation so I grabbed my favourite powder the MAC MSF (which I haven't used in ages thanks to P15P) and my MAC 109.. and had an epiphany!

Step 1: Wash face with Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish - this gives you the smoothest base/skin, and over time will get rid of minor scars and redness.

Step 2: Moisturize - I use Botanic's Day Shift Cream, as this is very hydrating and meant for dry skin (I have combo skin). Try and use one that isn't mattifying, or one that takes a bit longer to sink in to your skin.

Step 3: Load the MAC 109 with the MAC MSF, and swirl on your face in sections. Combined with the smooth palette of a face from Liz Earle's cleanser and the hydration from the moisturizer, it creates a light-medium coverage with an incredibly flawless finish.

This has made me realise how clogged and full-on liquid foundation can feel without us knowing because we use it all the time. I love love love this combo because it's so light, and it gives me a very natural effect, and both of these are perfect for the light sunshine-y weather we've been having here in the UK. What a breather!

All 3 products are quite popular, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people have all 3, but maybe it's worth a try with substitutes too! Obviously what works for me doesn't work for everyone, but I'd still recommend giving it a shot :)

What do you do for a lighter but equally good foundation routine? Or what do you do for your face when you're in a rush? :)

<3yu