How to look Instagramed - in real life!

Everyone always looks a million times better on Instagram and I've always wanted to look 'Instagramed' in real life, and you'd be surprised at how easy it actually is - so let me share the secret with you!

 

{PSSST! IT'S A SECRET}

1. It seems so obvious but using a good quality concealer - not just underneath your eyes but also on the inner corners of your eyes, will brighten up your whole face and give you an overall smoother and brighter complexion. I dab a few dots underneath my eyes as well as onto the inner corners, which I then blend with a concealer brush. I deliberately use a shade lighter than required.



2. I use a 2in1 Foundation & Primer by applying a small amount of this firstly to my cheeks, which should be blended outwards in slow, circular motions and then to my nose, chin and forehead. Again, applying in the same way and blending towards my ears using a flat foundation brush - which results in a flawless finish.

 

If you don't use a 2in1 Foundation & Primer, it's a great idea to mix the seperate primer and foundation together on your hand before applying, to create your own 2in1 product.

3. I then slowly brush my favourite bronzer upwards in a straight line from the corners of my mouth to the edge of my cheek bone using a blusher brush, which defined my cheek bones beautifully, whilst also adding shadow to my face making it seem much more natural and defined. I then applied a pink blusher (the brighter - the better) to the apples of my cheeks using a different blusher brush to before. I blended it slightly into the bronzer where possible.

4. I swept a white eyeshadow across my brow bone using an eyeshadow brush, to act as a highlighter. I keep going on about how much bright eyes contribute to this look - but they really do the trick when wanting to look 'Instagramed!'

5. Finally, I applied a very thin line of black eyeliner along the top of my eye, as close to the eyelashes as possible, followed by a couple of coats of my favourite mascara to define the eyes, but it still looks pretty natural.

 

 

THE FINISHED LOOK :)

Please note: None of the above images have been edited or filtered.



Elizabeth Arden Smokey Eyes Tutorial

It occured to me the other day that I have never actually done a make-up tutorial so I thought I would show you my favourite eye make-up style; my own version of a classic look, using the amazing Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Eyeshadow Quad.

In this pallette (from left to right):
- Sterling
- Sugar Cube
- Black Tie-Contour
- Graphite

 

 

Firstly, I applied concealer under my eyes using my middle finger; I've always prefered to apply concealer with my finger as opposed to using brushes because I believe it is much more accurate.

 

 

 

Then, I swept the Sugar Cube shade across my eyebrow bone to act as a highlighter - this really brightened up my eyes, which is needed considering it's such a 'dark' look. Then, I brushed the Sterling shade - which is light grey - all over my eye lid using the eyeshadow brush which came with the pallette.

 

 

I then began to darken the outer corners of my eyes using the Graphite shade, which is a lovely dark grey colour. Again, I did this using the eyeshadow brush which came with the pallette by brushing from the outer corner of my eyes and blending into the centre of my eyelid. Applying a darker shade to the outer corners of your eyes is probably the most vital part of achieving a smokey eyed look.

 

 

 

Then, using the darkest shade - Black-Tie Contour - which is a glistening off-black. I applied a small amount into my outer corners and into my creases. To complete the look, I brushed this shade along my water line, as opposed to using eyeliner.

 

 

 

Eyeshadow completed! I then applied a very thin line of black liquid eyeliner - I used Collection 2000 Liquid Eyeliner. If you wanted, you could also draw a flick too - but this isn't my strong point so I missed that part out. Finally, I applied a coat of my favourite mascara (Collection 2000 Extreme Mascara) to my top lashes only.

 

I've become a massive fan of Elizabeth Arden products after I recieved a goodie bag worth £77 for free! (Click here to read that blog post) This eyeshadow pallette was part of the gift, however I believe they don't usually sell these shades as a set of four but only in duos or as a single shade - however, I love them and seriously recommend them!