I hate photos of myself. It is a genuine issue that seems to plague me – I have a real problem with displaying a normal, non-gurny face in front of a camera. I much prefer to be behind the camera, calling the shots, so to speak*!
Anyway, my boss, being the wise and knowledgable soul she is, decided to put me up for a photo shoot for some of our business catalogues. This, made worse by the fact that it would only be me going. Needless to say, I was horrified and tried almost everything within my power to avoid said situation.
So, anyway, whilst I was awkwardly posing and trying to look like an accountant (don’t ask), I got chatting to the photographer. He’s a really lovely guy, and was giving me lots of tips to make me feel less out of place! He started showing me some of the photos he’d taken already, and there IT was.
No, not my enormous thighs or my bulging belly. Not even my wonky tooth. Not my spherical face. No, there it was – a make up monstrosity, I’d never seen before! My eyeliner was making me look CHEAP.
If you’ve seen pictures of me before, you’ll know I’m super pale. I’ve what they call “English Rose” skin, aka “Pasty-white-chick-with-freckles” skin. I’m very blonde too (albeit not naturally) and this creates a rather ghost-like image. However, for 10+ years, I’ve been using black eyeliner and black mascara. This has never been an issue thus far, and I LOVE my eyeliner to bits. However, on Friday, looking through the lens at myself, it just looked plain wrong for my skin tone!
I’ve decided to embrace my natural skin colouring. I’ve bought some brown eyeliner and some more light powder for my eyebrows, and although it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to my trusty black superliner, I think it’s best for us both to go our separate ways…
So what have I bought?
L’Oréal Super Liner Smokissime – 102 Brown Smoke
I usually use L’Oréal’s Super Liner Perfect Slim in an Intense Black, and I love the fact it’s so easy to apply. It’s skinny, so you can really hug the line of your eyelashes.
It’s fair to say, the Smokissime is not for me! It’s super thick and that makes it really hard to apply to your eyelids without looking like you’ve borrowed a Crayola from a child at nursery school. Although I’m going for a more natural look, I thought the colour was a bit too light – meaning it kind of looked like I’d just been hit in the face, rather than the sultry look I was aiming for. There wasn’t enough control for me, and it was very hard to get a neat line – the results just aren’t sharp enough for me.
Rating: 1/5
L’Oréal Brow Artist Genius Kit – Light to Medium
I vary in what I use for my eyebrows, but like to use powders best, as I feel I have more control. I purchased the Brow Artist Kit as I was intrigued, and L’Oréal have a 2 for £14 offer in Boots at the moment. Although I’ve pale skin, my eyebrows are quite dark, and I stay true to this in the products I use.
The Brow Artist Kit has been a real hit! I wasn’t expecting much from this, but I am pleasantly surprised! Not seeing a sample, I wasn’t sure which colour palette I should have gone for, but the Light to Medium is just right. The kit is so compact, so perfect for popping in your handbag. It contains pigmented wax to hold your brows in shape, a pigmented powder, some really cute tiny tweezers and a slanty brush with spooley on the other end. The product is easy to apply, stays on pretty well and is really convenient!
Rating: 4/5
It looks like I’m on the hunt for another brown eyeliner! Have you any products you couldn’t live without? Let me know – I’d love to hear what works for you.
*I will endeavour to post more… It’s only fair to show you who’s blog you’re reading!
Lady & The Revamp 