Summery Make-up

Nice weather + new make-up products = today’s make-up look.

This look is a doddle to apply and is a Summer holiday look (long-lasting, natural looking, without the requirement for zillions of products).

PRODUCTS

Face:

• Tinted Moisturiser – Laura Mercier (”Nude”)
• Concealer – Barbara Daly Cream Concealer (“Medium”)
• Blush – Nars Multiple (“Orgasm”)
• Powder – Rimmel Silky Loose Powder
• Bronzer – Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick (“Bronze”)

Eyes:

• Base – MAC Paint Pot (“Painterly”)
• Eyeshadows – Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick (“Bronze”)
• Eyeliner – Smashbox Cream Liner (“Deep Bronze”)
• Brows – MAC Brow Crayon (“Stud”) and MAC Brow Gel (”Clear”)

Lips:

• Lipstick – Nars Multiple (“Orgasm”)
• Lipgloss – Revlon SuperLustrous Lipgloss (“Coral Reef”)

(Not all products featured in the above image were used)

Top Tips:

• Ensure that your tinted moisturiser has a minimum SPF15.
• I find that I have to apply a little more powder than usual in this muggy weather, to prevent my look going from glowy to gooey!
• If using a cream blush like I did, be sure to apply it before/under powder.
• You will notice that I have used some ‘multifunctional’ products i.e. the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick and the Nars Multiple. When going on holidays, it’s a great idea to bring multi-tasking products with you so as you are not weighed down with cosmetics.
• To complete my easy breezy Summer look, I ran a few curls into my hair using a GHD, spritzed it with some John Freida Shine Spray and a dash of hairspray to hold.

Yours in style,
Caroline

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or via RSS.

UNII Palette & Z-Palette

In my previous post, I taught you how to de-pot eyeshadows; however, it’s no good in removing eyeshadow pans unless you have somewhere to put them. So today, I’m doing a review of magnetic eyeshadow palettes.

The guinea pigs in question are the UNII Palette and the Z-Palette. As both products are quite different, it is not my objective to pick a winner – rather to let you decide which is best for you.

Z-PALETTE

• Order Process: I submitted my Z-Palette order through Annmarie Judd (Irish make-up artist and distributor for Z-Palettes). The order process was very simple and straightforward, and was processed via Paypal. I submitted my order on a Thursday morning and received my order the very next afternoon (postage within Republic of Ireland). The items were very well packaged also.
• Choice: Z-Pallettes come in two designs (black and zebra-print), plus two sizes (large and small).
• Price: Large palettes are priced at €19 and small palettes are priced at €14. Note that you will need to purchase magnets separately, which are priced at €4 for €40. There is a postage and packaging fee of €4 per order.
• Appearance: According to the website, Z-Palettes are made of a “high quality matte paper”. I wasn’t sure what this meant exactly until I saw the product in the flesh i.e. it’s the same packaging that Benefit Cosmetics use. On the plus side, this means that the packaging is 70% recyclable; however, I wonder after some time in my make-up kit will it begin to look a little disheveled. Nonetheless, it appears hardwearing, plus it’s easy to clean.
• Pros: The clear cover means that you can see exactly what’s in it before you open it (ideal if you have a few of these palettes on the go). Also, the large size is actually very large (accommodates 27 MAC eyeshadows), and the magnetic base has a good strong hold.
• Cons: The palettes themselves are shallow and will only accommodate pans with a maximum depth of 4mm (you may find yourself caught for space with some brands). I also think that it’s a hassle to have to buy the magnets separately plus I wonder whether they will cope with the wear and tear of living in my make-up kit. Time will tell!

UNII PALETTE

• Order Process: I submitted my order via the UNII Palette website. The order process is simple and you can pay via Paypal, Google Checkout or Amazon. Delivery took about 5 working days (from US to Ireland) and the packaging was excellent.
• Choice: The UNII Palette is available in five different colours (pink, blue, yellow, purple and silver). Only one size available.
• Price: $29 each or 2 for €28 and 3 for $27 (magnets included). Free shipping to the US and Canada. I paid €53.10 for 2 palettes (including postage and packaging to Ireland).
• Appearance: UNII Palettes are very pretty to look at, but more importantly, they are very very strong. They have a deep tray which will accommodate 99% of make-up pans, plus they have a very secure clip which ensures that they don’t pop open.
• Pros: The hard plastic case means that it will withhold any clattering about in my make-up case. I love the fact that it has a large clear mirror in the interior, plus a rubber seal around the edge to prevent leakage. You also receive magnets with labels that you can affix to your products, plus an instruction card which shows you how to depot your make-up. (Similarly there are great videos, photographs and written instructions on the site for depotting and maintenance).
• Cons: My only quibble is the fact that the palette is quite small. (It will accommodate a maximum of 14 MAC eyeshadows) and as a professional make-up artist I would get great use out of a larger size.

My Completed UNII Palettes

I hope that the above reviews are of use to you. Both palettes offer value for money but only you can decide which suits your needs best. If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours in style,
Caroline

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or via RSS.

How to 'De-Pot' Eyeshadow

In my professional make-up kit, I had loads of individual eye-shadow ‘pots’. However, the sheer volume of individual eye-shadow pots in my collection was causing problems of late, namely:

• Din: You know the noise that a box of Lego makes when you dig your hand into it? My eye-shadow kit created a similar racket.
• Delay: Trying to find the exact shadow I was looking for was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
• Damage: Even though the packaging on most individual eyeshadows is excellent, I found, after a while, that the eyeshadows were getting damaged from being tossed about in the make-up kit.
• Disorganisation: I’m a neat freak and hate any kind of mess. 28 individual eyeshadows clattering around in my make-up kit equals one great big mess, in my mind.

In light of the above, I decided that the only solution would be to remove the eyeshadow pans from their original plastic casing, and reorganise them in a new palette. After watching a few Youtube demonstrations on how to de-pot eyeshadows, I figured that it looked quite easy so I gave it a go. Mercifully, it worked out brilliantly so I took a few pictures to share with you in a tutorial.

For the purposes of this exercise I used MAC eyeshadows; however the same technique will work for many other make-up brands.

What You Will Need

• Large, clean surface area to work on
• Individual eye-shadows
• Empty magnetic storage palette + magnets*
• Straightening irons
• Greaseproof paper
• An old tweezers
• Scissors (to cut magnets and greaseproof paper to size)

*I used UNII Palettes in this demonstration shown, but I will be doing a review of both UNII and Z-Palettes very shortly.

Step 1: Separate the Casing

• You will notice a small crevice along the clasp of the eye-shadow casing. Work the flat end of the tweezers into this crevice. Then twist the tweezers clockwise, which will force the inner ‘pot’ to pop out of the outer casing. See photographs below.

Step 2: Remove the Eyeshadow Pan from the Casing

• Pre-heat your straightening irons. Once fully-heated, place a square of greaseproof paper over one of the metal plates (this is to protect your straightener from melting plastic or glue). Then, place the inner casing containing the eyeshadow on top of the greaseproof paper. Leave for approximately 2 minutes. See photograph below.

• After 2 minutes remove the pot from the straightener and place it upside down on a fresh piece of greaseproof paper. Press the base of the pot with the opposite end of the tweezers, which will loosen the metal eyeshadow pan underneath. If the pan doesn’t release, put it back on the heat for another minute. See photograph below.

• Once you feel that the pan is loose, flip the pot back over, and then, with your tweezers, carefully grab the metal edge of the eyeshadow and ease it out of the plastic casing. Caution, the mental will be HOT so don’t touch it. See photographs below.

Step 3: Attach Magnet & Label

• Remember the outer casing that was left over from Step 1? You will notice that this has a sticker with the product name on it, which you will want to put on the eyeshadow for future reference. So, place the outer casing (sticker-side down) on the heated straightening irons for 1 minute. See photographs below.

• While you are waiting for the above, turn your attention back to the eyeshadow pan. Now that it has cooled sufficiently to touch, turn it upside down and affix a magnet to it. See photograph below.

• Back to the outer casing again – remove it from the straightening irons and turn it upside down. Remove the label with a tweezers. (If the label isn’t soft enough to manoeuvre then put it back on the heat for another 30 seconds.) Then affix the label the the base of the eyeshadow pan (place it securely over the magnet). See photographs below.

Step 4: Finishing Touches

• Place the eyeshadow pan in the magnetic palette. Et volia, fait accompli!

• If the shadows used are MAC, then be sure that you don’t throw the leftover casing away. Simply snap the leftover inner casing back into the outer casing, and, once you have 6 ‘empties’ collected, you can exchange them at your local MAC counter for a MAC goodie.

I hope this tutorial was of interest to you. As mentioned above, I will do a review of the UNII and Z-Palettes very shortly, which will be of benefit to you if you plan on overhauling your own eye-shadow collection!

Yours in style,
Caroline

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or via RSS.

Pleased to Tweet You

Style By Caroline is now on Twitter. Click here to follow our tweets.

Treating Sunburn

Okay, I know I regularly dole out lectures here on importance of preventing sunburn; however, there are a heck of a lot of people walking around my locality with pink and peeling skin today, so I think it’s high time that I did a post advising what to do if you are caught out by sunburn:

• Stay out of the sun until the redness disappears.
• Drink loads of water.
• Take paracetemol for pain relief.
• Apply Aloe Vera liberally and regularly to the affected areas.
• Seek the advice of a qualified pharmacist if the damage is particularly uncomfortable.
• Once your skin has begun to recover and is no longer sore to touch, apply a hydrating cream.
• A cool compress or cold shower (with only mild water pressure) might give some relief.
• If you experience blistering, headaches, confusion, nausea, dizziness, fainting or vomiting, seek medical attention immediately.

The Irish Cancer Society has an excellent website called Sun Smart, which is packed with tips and advice, including a “how sunsmart are you?” quiz. It’s well worth a look.

As always though, prevention is better than cure, so please try and avoid getting sunburn if you can at all. Remember, sunburn – whether mild or serious – causes permanent damage.

Yours in style,
Caroline

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or via RSS.

Heat Rash (Prickly Heat)

Hi Everyone,

Pardon the tumbleweed blowing around on this page – I’ve been on a much-treasured holiday for the past fortnight, with blogging being the last thing on my mind. Normal service resumes today…although, it’s not quite normal for me to be outside with the laptop, basking in the sunshine!

On the topic of sunshine, we’re having something akin to an Indian Summer in Ireland at the moment, and as regular readers will know, protecting your skin from the sun’s harmful rays is one of my pet topics. Skin Cancer is the most prevalent form of Cancer on these shores so it’s imperativethat you protect your skin during the current heatwave.

A Prickly Subject

A related topic which is getting under my skin at the moment is that of “Heat Rash” (otherwise known as “prickly heat”). As someone who has suffered from heat rash for years, it’s a topic close to my heart. And I’m not alone – Irish people are particularly prone to this condition as we have pale, sensitive skin, which is not typically exposed to heat/sun/humidity.

Causes of Heat Rash

Heat Rash is caused by a blockage of the sweat glands, which causes the skin to break out into an unsightly rash of tiny red bumps. It is usually prompted by exposure to humid weather is the cause and can develop very suddenly.

Symptoms

The degree of discomfort varies from person to person; however, it’s common to feel an itchy or ‘stinging’ sensation. The skin will develop a rash, consisting of tiny red bumps. Mild fever and fatigue are commonly associated.

How to Treat Heat Rash

• Keep your skin cool: Wear light and loose clothing, drink plenty of cool drinks, take a cool shower, reside in an air-conditioned environment or stay in the shade as much as possible etc. If the rash is particularly bad, cool compresses can help.
• Wear Natural Fabrics: Avoid wearing clothing with synthetic fibres and instead go for natural fabrics such as cotton or linen.
• Wear Suncream: If you are exposing yourself to the sun, ensure that you use an allergy-sensitive suncream. My favourite is Piz Buin Allergy.
• Calamine Lotion: Calamine Lotion can soothe the skin, but needs to be reapplied regularly.
• Medication: Antihistamine tablets can work effectively in alleviating the symptoms of Heat Rash. Be sure to contact your GP before taking any medication.
• Avoid Scratching: As much as it might drive you demented, avoid scratching the skin, as this will only aggravate the condition.
• Products to Avoid: Avoid applying products the skin that will aggravate the sensitivity e.g. perfumed lotions, sprays etc. Avoid products that will further prevent sweating e.g. anti-perspirant deodorants, oil-based creams etc.
• Vitamins: Incorporate foods that are rich in Vitamins A and C into your diet.

Heat Rash must be watched carefully. If the symptoms exacerbate or if the patient develops high fever, dizziness, nausea, confusion, weakness etc., then seek medical attention immediately.

Yours in style,
Caroline

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or via RSS.

Country Living Interview

Style By Caroline was the cover feature on last week’s Country Living Magazine with the Irish Farmer’s Journal, (dated Thursday, 10th June 2010). My sincere thanks to the feature-writer Maria, photographer Donal and the editorial team at ‘The Journal’ for a great experience!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or via RSS.