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Stuck in a Rut? Switch up your Makeup!

21 May, 2019 - 07:40pm by - Head Pixie | 16 Comments

By BR Kellie

Primer. Foundation. Concealer. Bronzer. Blush. Highlighter. Taupe in crease, dark brown in outer corner, light shimmer on rest of lid. Mascara. Lip balm. Done.

Day in. Day out. That's my makeup look. On a good day I can have it done in ten minutes and be whizzing out the door. It's safe. It's solid. 

It's boring.

It's not chic, or daring, or delightful. It's just there.

Which is why every now and then I like to up my makeup ante - and do things a little differently. Not for anyone else's benefit - although I do enjoy the glint my husband gets in his eye when I rock a red lippy - but for my own. It's nice to step out of the comfort zone, to see a new version of my face staring back at me. And it doesn't take a lot to make this happen... a little colour change here, a new technique there...

So what can we do to switch up our makeup? Check out these ten tried and true tricks and tips! 

1. Freshen up your lipstick. If nipple-nude (and if you've read BR Nat's nipple-nude article you'll know why I'm calling it that) is your lippy of choice, switch it out for a different shade. Reach for a red. Go all out with an orange. Pop on hot pink! Conversely, if bold and bright's your thing, why not whip out a nipple-nude and keep it chilled for a day?

2. Bring on the brows! Have a habit of forgetting about your brows? (I do, which is why I get them tinted and shaped regularly.) Taking a few minutes to fill them in will help frame your face, and pull together your entire look. Not sure how to do it? Book in to see a professional who can work with your brows to create a shape and colour that suits you. Once that's sorted you can maintain them at home.

3. Look out liner! Kellie confession: I rarely line my eyes. My upper lids won't have a bar of liner - I suspect due to the shape of them - and well... by the time I've done the rest of my makeup I just sort of forget about my lower lids. BUT, on the days I remember - pow! Hello eyes! They're bigger, brighter, more 'there'. How you switch up your liner-look is up to you. You can wing it. Tightline. Go into your lower waterline with a bright colour. Or you can do what I do and simply sweep a little matte eyeshadow underneath your lower lashline and call it good.

4. Put a lid on the neutrals already! And by that we mean - take a day off popping neutrals on your eyelid and try out some colour. A splash of neon, a touch of plum, a dash of aquamarine. 

5. If colour on your lids is never going to happen, then why not shake up your usual ritual? Instead of crease colour, outer-eye colour and inner-shimmer, why not add shimmer all over your lid and call it good? Or skip the shimmer and go fully matte? 

6. Give contouring a go. You don't have to go full on tiger stripe face, but a little contouring under your cheekbones, on the tops of your forehead and under your jawline can change things up. Start with a light hand (and a good YouTube tutorial) and see where a little artistry takes you. (And if you don't like where things end up you can always wash it off.)

7. Curl your lashes. Okay, you won't see me do this because something about lash curlers makes my gag reflex twitch. BUT, if you're not freaked out by them, they do a marvellous job of opening up your eyes and giving you a little va-va-voom.

8. Mix your mediums. Are you a matte lipstick kind of girl? Give gloss a go! If gloss is your go-to, swap it out for a matte lip. 

9. Give your under eye area a makeover! And by that we simply mean break out the concealer. Sleepless nights, genetics, and your natural eye shape can cause you to look more tired than you feel, but a quick swipe and blend of concealer (followed by a dusting of powder to set the concealer and prevent creasing) is a simple way to brighten up your face.

10. Get cheeky! Fun fact - I swatched my three favourite blushers the other day. They were all identical. Peachy pink, with a hint of shimmer. I eyed my 'brown' blush up, tentatively dipped into it with my blush brush, then applied it with more than a hint of foreboding. Well knock me down with a feather - it looked lovely. Not remotely like I'd been mud wrestling. In fact it was a far more sophisticated look than my usual girlish pinky peach. Yep,ess than ideal you can wash it off and start again.

There you have it! Ten simple ways to freshen up your makeup! So, are you stuck in a rut? Will you be trying any of these tips? Or do you change the way you do your face on the daily? What ways do you like to experiment with your makeup? Chat away!

 

Products featured: MAC Matte Lipstick in 'Breathing Fire', Revlon Colorstay Brow Tint, Maybelline Tattoo Liner Gel Pencil, Covergirl True Naked Palette 'Dazed', Kevyn Aucoin The Contour Duo On The Go, OXX Studio Eyelash Curler, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer, Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher.

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Comments

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13th July, 2019

I do try to ramp up my make up. Usually its with a lippy, hot pink really gets me comments!

7th June, 2019

I just don't wear makeup often enough anymore so when I apply it I feel like I've lost the knack practice makes perfect. I used to wear it alot! I was all about bold eyeshadow colours. I think I've really toned it down now. Wearing eyeliner or none and just Mascara definitely gives a different look to the eyes

2nd June, 2019

I have my makeup palettes on rotation every two weeks I switch them up as well as my blush and lippy. Saves me time deciding what makeup I want to wear and that way I get around to everything.

29th May, 2019

I'm terrible at getting stuck into make up ruts! Current go to is a brown toned smoky eye every day - so boring!

28th May, 2019

I have few on here I want to do like curling my lashes, which I haven't done in years and nipple-nude is rather daring, I can barely get by wearing nude lipstick, but it's one I think I will step out to try.

27th May, 2019

I can definitely do a bright lipstick any time of year!

27th May, 2019

Recently I've been obsessed with adding a pop of highlighter under my setting powder, really adds a bit of glow so I look less ghostly!

25th May, 2019

I like to mix it up frequently. But totally agree Kelly, lash curlers freak me out too.

23rd May, 2019

Use to love playing with eye shadow... but now that i’ve got dry skin around my eyes and fine lines beneath, it doesn’t look nice anymore. Same thing with blush... now that i have freckles i have difficulty covering, blush just looks weird on my face.

22nd May, 2019

I use make up to enhance my natural features...foundation, blush, mascara and lippy. Eyeshadow just disappears these days. Sometimes i use an eyeliner, navy blue, grey or chocolate. But if I want to change things up, I do it with lipstick. Either a bold, hot pink or a red.

22nd May, 2019

I'll probably keep doing what I'm doing. I look like a ghost since I've been sick - pretty hard to cover it lol

22nd May, 2019

No, I like experimenting with makeup these days so I’m not in a rut.

22nd May, 2019

Lol mine is very boring day in day out. Foundation or bb cream, powder sometimes and mascara.

22nd May, 2019

I'm guilty of sweeping on the same eye shadow each day.... I need to change things up for winter

22nd May, 2019

I love this article, so many good points. I've been using a lot of my dark lippies lately. Deep browns and burgundy reds. I don't have a deep plum though..

itsclearascrystal
25th May, 2019

*Kellie. Excuse my phone’s autocorrect.

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