CRUELTY FREE MAKE-UP BRANDS

ARE YOU CRUEL?

95% of cosmetic companies test their ingredients on animals.

Are you using cruelty free make-up brands?

I use eleven cruelty free make-up brands in my make-up kit - I lack nothing and can achieve any look I want with the brands I use. It is great going to work knowing I have done NO HARM to any animals.

These are the make-up brands that are cruelty free. Those marked with a star * make it their priority to be cruelty free:

Mac Cosmetics is a professional range used by make-up artists worldwide. An Innovative and diverse line with great formulas.
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is a professional range used by make-up artists worldwide. High quality, up market cosmetics.
PMU Cosmetics is also a professional brand used by make-up artists in South Africa and available on line. High quality formulas.
BarryM Cosmetics is a fun, colourful range, well know for loose shimmer shadows. Available in the U.K. and on line.
Too Faced Cosmetics is a trendy, interesting brand with great formulas. Available worldwide.
Stila Cosmetics is a high quality professional brand, available worldwide – fresh, fun image.
*Afterglow Cosmetics focuses on pure and natural make-up products. Available in the U.K. and on line.
*Urban Decay Cosmetics is an edgy and diverse make-up brand with high quality formulas. Available worldwide and on line.
Smashbox Cosmetics is a stunning high quality make-up brand. Also popular with make-up artists. Available worldwide and on line.

Although I aim to recommend professional make-up brands - I have included 3 great cruelty free commercial make-up brands:
Estee Lauder Cosmetics
EyesLipsFace Cosmetics
BrandedJ Collection
Estee Lauder: is available in almost every town and city worldwide, making it a perfect choice for my list.
e.l.f.: is available in the U.K., Sweden, Denmark, Norway and U.S/Canada every product they sell is ONLY one dollar in the US, which is hard for any other brand to beat!
BrandedJ: Is a great brand that specialises in cruelty free products. Available On-line

Brands that specialise in cruelty free make-up brushes:
BrandJ Collection
After Glow
Smashbox
e.l.f

Urban Decay
Too Faced

READY TO LIVE WITH AWARENESS AND WEAR CRUELTY FREE MAKE-UP?

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS SUBJECT VISIT THE: CRUELTY FREE MAKE-UP BRANDS SECTION ON MY WEBSITE RealWomenMakeup

Getting married?

ARE YOU A BRIDE TO BE?

I write make-up articles on a few wedding websites. You stand the chance of winning some great prizes from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and e.l.f. Cosmetics. Check out these links where you can enter the competitions and read my featured articles:

www.capeweddings.co.za
www.littleweddingguide.com
www.weddings.co.nz
www.confetti.co.uk
GOOD LUCK!

WHAT IS A PRIMER?

Skin primers are designed to smooth out the skin, minimising the appearance of fine lines and uneven texture on the skin.

DO I NEED TO WEAR A MOISTURISER UNDER MY PRIMER?

Primers have become more like moisturiser and if your primer contains and sunblock and your skin feels nourished, I feel you can eliminate your moisturiser. However, I would not suggest you do this everyday.

AFTER I HAVE APPLIED MY FOUNDATION HOW LONG DO I NEED TO WAIT TO APPLY MY PRIMER?

Allow your primer 3 or so minutes to work into the skin before you start with your make-up application.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED A PRIMER FOR MY SKIN?

Your foundation will generally apply more evenly if you are wearing a primer - it will blend easier and look more natural on the skin.

SMASHBOX COSMETICS have a few different primers - take a look at their website and choose one that is suitable for your skin type. I use their primer for my skin and find it works perfectly! www.smashbox.com

Make-up essentials

Bobbi Brown's cream concealer is an amazing product, making it a make-up essential. The consistancy of the concealer is creamy and soft - but it also has a lot of hold on the skin. The product is original in that it has a loose powder fitted under the concealer(see above image). The loose powder sets the concealer in place. The powder is yellow in tone which looks natural on the skin. This concealer/powder in one makes a handy travel product.

How to apply concealer:

Use your finger or if your nails are long use a firm haired make-up brush - apply a cream textured concealer across your eyelid area, as well as the area through the crease of the eyes. Also apply under the eyes to make the eye shadow last and blend. Concealer also makes the eyes look fresher.

Use a dry latex sponge to blend the concealer onto the eye area. Make sure you blend well – but don’t wipe it off, making sure you keep the concealer on the eye area and don’t stretch it down past the eye.

A high quality concealer will blend well and remain on the skin – it should not wipe straight off. The eyes will feel moist after the concealer has been blended in - an important note is to get rid of the moisture by using a loose translucent powder. The powder will take away all the moisture, providing a dry surface for the eye shadow to be applied on. The eye shadow should last hours longer once concealer and powder have been applied as the base.

You can apply powder with a brush, however the hairs of the brush are soft and don’t set the powder successfully on the skin – especially over the moist concealer on the eye lid area. I would suggest a powder puff be used to apply the powder, if not everywhere - at least over the eyes. If you have a dry skin, just apply powder with a brush to the areas where you feel you need it, but make sure you powder over the eyes with powder using a powder puff and dusting off excess powder using a powder brush.

Make Overs

INSPIRING MAKE OVERS:

No trick photography, no photo shop, just real women achievable techniques.

Take a look at these before make-up and after make-up photos, of women of all ages and skin tones. Sometimes just subtle changes can make a big change - updating a look or making a face look years younger. You can view the full power of make-up.

Choosing glasses and sunglasses

Choosing glasses and sunglasses to suit your face:

When purchasing glasses or sunglasses there are so many choices out there. But once you take your personality, looks, the fashion and your face shape into account, it narrows down your choices quite considerably.

Choose the store you plan on purchasing from carefully. The staff that will help you make your choices, should understand your needs and not waste your time.

Different faces are so different in size and shape that buying on line is not really an option unless
you have an oval shaped face and know most glasses suit you.

Take your time and shop around. Especially when buying sunglasses, as the dark lenses make it difficult to see.

Rimmless glasses make the least impact, and that may be just what you want:

Glasses can be used as more of a fashion statement:


Choosing sunglasses is always fun. Have a look at these examples – if you are aiming for a more fashion look choose sun glasses that have a bit more of an edge. Or choose a pair that will last a few seasons without dating. Sunglasses can be chosen in a more classical style:

Or a more contemporary/fashion style:

Smoky eye look

Use a large dome shaped make-up brush to apply your eye shadow across the entire eyelid area. This should be the darkest part of your application. Hold your dome brush flat across the skin and apply the shadow using the flat side of the brush and not the tip, this technique will help you achieve a more even application of colour.

Using a rounded make-up brush to blend a little of the same shade or a slightly lighter shade into and above the crease of the eyes. Making sure the top edge of the eye shadow is the most blended part of the application. Use this image as a guide line – as to the shape of the eye shadow application. A round brush is used to apply this section because the shape of the hair allows you to hold the brush at any angle and blend. Mainly use the top and the sizes of the round brush to blend and apply the shadow. Make sure you don’t flick and sweep the eye shadow all over the place. Just stick to the area where you should be working, using light short, even strokes. How much shadow you have on your brush and how hard you push will have an influence on the application. Practise makes perfect. Work until the shadow is even in colour and blend.

Using the shadow (darker one if you are using two shades) apply close up underneath the lashes all the way from the out side corner towards the inside corner of the eye. The shadow should gradually get thinner and less towards the inner corner of the eye. Using a firm dome brush, works well for this section of the application. Make sure you apply a fairly wide band of smoky eye shadow under the eyes. Notice how the brush is held to come in under the lashes and the tip and flat side of the brush is used to apply the smoky band.

Applying concealer and powder in a thin band under the eyes, creates a good base for the eye shadow to adhere to and blend on.

Using an eye liner pencil inside the lower rim of the eyes creates more definition and intensifies the look. You can also apply the pencil on the inside upper rim for even further definition.
At this point close your eye and apply your pencil on the top of your eye lid all the way along the base of your eye lashes. Use your finger to blend in the line if necessary. If you like, you can also apply the liner to the eye lid before you start with your eye shadow. My favourite pencils are Teddy by Mac – which is the pencil colour used in the photo – it’s a lovely chocolate shade. Smoulder is another great pencil by Mac, it’s black. The pencils are easy to smudge on top of the eye lid or even under the eyes.

Dip a cotton bud into a shimmery eye shadow – a highlighter, and apply the light shade of shimmer to the inside corner of the eye. Make sure the intensity of the shimmer lasts, while you blend on the small area you are highlighting.

Curl your lashes if necessary and apply a few layers of mascara to both your top and bottom eye lashes to complete the look.

Complete smoky look – with eyes looking down

Complete smoky eye look with eyes open.