EXPERIMENT: DOES A UNIVERSAL IDEAL OF BEAUTY EXIST?

Esther Honig is a young American woman who got the idea to put beauty to the test. She sent a barefaced picture of her to 25 worldwide freelance graphic designers and asked them to make her beautiful using photoshop. Only demand was that it had measure up to the standards of the national beauty ideal. 

This is the photo Esther sent out, without any makeup or photoshop.

As you will notice the differences between countries is huge! Some go for over the top makeup and some prefer natural looks.

Australia

Morocco

Italy

Greece

Vietnam

Argentina

Germany

United Kingdom

Israel

Honig could conclude that a universal ideal of beauty doesn't exist. It's ridiculous for women to try to reach something that isn't real. Once again it is proven that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so try to reach your own beauty ideal and no one else's.

x x x

BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS 2014 - 5 BEST BEAUTY LOOKS

Yesterday the Billboard Music Awards 2014 took place in Las Vegas, and I have to say I'm kind of disappointed in the celeb clan. Some big names like Beyonce, Britney and Rihanna decided to skip the event and the ones that were there didn't care to think out of the box and surprise us with their creativity! 

Normally I do a Best Dressed list after an event like this, but because there was so little to choose from I decided to go for a Best Beauty Looks list! Luckily there were still pretty hair and makeup at the Billboard Awards thanks to the glam squads! 

Here are my five faves.

Sarah Hyland

The Modern Family actress went for flawless skin and natural tones. I love her lighter locks and the way she styled it to the side. Can you believe she's already 23? She looks 18!

Jennifer Lopez

'Miss Jenny from the block' is rarely seen with bad makeup or hair, but well she probably has the best and most expensive glam squad in Hollywood too... I saw a comparison between this pic and the one in the green Versace dress at the Grammys in 2000, and the singer has barely aged a wrinkle! It's unbelievable.

Kendall Jenner

Kendall might messed up her on stage introduction to the boyband 5 Seconds of Summer, but she didn't mess up the makeup part! Kendall went for straight hair and smokey eyes, and is clearly following big sis Kim K.'s makeup tips. Don't you think she's starting to look like her more and more? 

Kylie Jenner

This is probably my favorite look of the whole night. I don't know many girls who can rock out blue smurf hair without looking ridiculous, but Kylie is definitely one of them! I also love how her lips and eyes look so big but still natural. Plastic surgery or just great makeup? I'm not quite sure yet...

Jordin Sparks

That big smile makes every makeup look pretty right? Jordin went for a playful style, choosing a fun braided hairstyle and added some colorful earrings. 

What was your favorite beauty look of the night? And were you a bit disappointed in creativity of the fashion choices? 

x x x

EVERYDAY MAKEUP ROUTINE - UPDATE

Hi everyone! I did an everyday makeup routine post last year and wanted to give you a little update. As you probably notice yourself, your everyday routine changes as you discover new products and techniques. For example last year I didn't fill in my eyebrows, and today I can't imagine not to! I have also ditched black eye pencil during the day and switched to a different mascara.

These are the products I use on an everyday base. 

And this is how my routine looks like in 8 steps:

1. Moisturize - Diadermine Hydra Balance Day Moisturizer

2. Apply foundation with foundation brush - Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid 21 Nude

3. Fill in eyebrows - Catrice Eyebrow Pencil

4. Next I do my eye makeup: a white or very light beige eye shadow in the inner corners of my eyes, bronze shadow in the crease, dark brown eye shadow under eyes, L'oréal False Lash Wings Mascara on top and bottom lashes

5. Concealer: under eyes, around nose, on blemishes - Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer 02 Nude

6. Bronzer on cheekbones - Biguine Terre Doree Bronzing Powder

7. Pink or red blush on cheeks 

8. And finally I apply lipbalm (with sometimes lipgloss or a natural lipstick over it) - Labelo Classic

You can compare my current everyday makeup routine with last year's here http://beautiesmoothie.blogspot.be/2013/02/everyday-make-up.html. Even looking at the picture from last year, you can tell I made some changes in makeup choices. 

I love natural eye makeup and shiny lips at the moment! 

So what do you think? Improvement or should I go back to my old routine? 

x x x

EASY TRICK TO LONG AND NATURAL EYELASHES

If you have naturally short eyelashes like me, you are probably looking out for tips and tricks to make your lashes appear longer and bigger as well. Of course you can always go for falsies or eyelash extensions, but for an everyday look to go to school or work you probably prefer a quicker and more effortless option. Mascara is definitely a must to achieve that elongated and thick lashes look. Some mascaras work better than others, so you have to do some trial and error until you find the brand that works best for you! I've been using the L'oréal False Lash Wings/ False Lash Flutter Mascara for some months now and I've really gotten a grip on how to make it work best. If you're still searching for a great mascara I would certainly recommend it (you can find my review here: http://beautiesmoothie.blogspot.be/2013/09/loreal-false-lash-wings-false-lash.html).

Now on to my little trick to achieve long and natural looking lashes. 

These are my lashes without any mascara. As you can see they are pretty short.

Here you can see my lashes with mascara (L'oréal Fasle Lash Wings). My lashes look longer and thicker, but still a bit clumpy and messy.

Now here's the trick to get the most out of your mascara.

After applying a layer of mascara you need to curl your lashes using your finger. Press your finger to the roots of your lashes so they curl upwards, hold this for ten seconds. 

Then repeat the step of pressing your finger on the roots of your outer lashes, hold it again for ten seconds. 

Lastly I put my finger on the ends of my lashes and fold them towards my upper eyelid, to get a very curly effect. Hold it again for about ten seconds.

Because your holding each step for ten seconds, your mascara and lashes will dry in a curly form. Your finger will also have taken off the excess of mascara, all the clumps are gone!

This is the result.

As you can see my lashes look long, curled and natural. They're even and the clumps are gone. 

Before and After

Full face after

I do this trick everytime I apply mascara. It's basically the same technique as when you're using a lash curler, but it's less damaging since you're finger doesn't have a sharp edge like a curler. 

I hope you will try this trick, it works great for me and it will only take 30 seconds of your time! 

x x x

NYC EXPERT LAST LIP COLOR - REVIEW

 

Some time ago I bumped into a huge sale at the drugstore, mmm.. love when that happens! I bought some of my favorite everyday products but I also went for a couple of new items. Just for fun, to experiment and to try something new. These Expert Last Lip Colors from NYC are an example of it. 

I've actually never been a big fan of lipsticks, as I usually go for a natural or nude lip. But after seeing many celebs wearing bold lips, I decided to jump on the wagon as well. 

I chose two very different, but both bright and striking shades. 

The first one is number 405, Blue Rose.

 

It has a blue undertone which is always flattering for your teeth since it makes them look more white. 

The next one is number 444, Chocolate Chip.

It's a pretty dark shade, with brown and plum pigments mixed together. 

This is how they look on.

 

I love both of the shades. Blue Rose is ideal for spring and summer, I can already imagine wearing it with a tan and a white top or floral dress. Chocolate Chip I would probably wear at night for a dinner or for drinks. The color kind of reminds me of something Khloe Kardashian would wear, and since I've been loving her looks lately I might get some inspiration from her on how to style it.

If you cross these lipsticks at the store I would certainly recommend picking one up. They cover easily and leave a beautiful pigmented color plus healthy shine on your lips.

I bought these two for €5,00, but normally they're each €2,99. 

x x x

KATY PERRY DARK HORSE VIDEO MAKEUP LOOKS

Katy Perry has transformed herself in many characters for music videos, just think of the Geeky girl in Last Friday Night, the Soldier in Part of Me and the Candy girl in California Girls. Yesterday the singer revealed her latest makeover in the video for her new single "Dark Horse". Katy looks like a badass Celopatra with colorful accessories, clothing and makeup. 

Miss Perry chose three similar Egyptian looks that captured the magical feeling of the song. 

A black, red and blonde wig completed the three transformations. 

The makeup looks all contain a key element, that is the intricate liner. It is based on the Egyptian Eye also known as The Eye of Horus, an ancient Egyptian symbol for protection, royal power and good health. 

Wonder how Katy was transformed into this look? Jake Bailey, Katy's trusted makeup artist reveals how he created the piece of makeup art, saying: 

"I used Covergirl Bombshell Intensity Liner in Pitch Black Passion #800 to draw the intricate design around her eyes. It was an adaption of several references that I found online, but I liked this one the best. It was important that I used a long lasting liner as it was a long day under hot lights and I needed it to stay in place. Once the liner was complete I added some sparkle with the Bombshell Shine Shadows. I used the Shine Shadow in Gold Goddess on the center and inner area of her lids and Ooh La Lilac on the outer corners. Before the Shine Shadow dried completely I tapped a bright purple glitter on top of the Ooh La Lilac and a peach glitter on top of the Gold Goddess areas. I finished the look with a strip of false lashes and two coats of Bombshell Volume Mascara. The first coat is a rich volumizing formula that works Katy's own lashes into the false pair and adds extreme volume. The second end was used to add depth with a wet looking laquer finish"

The second redhead look

The dramatic eyeliner is kept the same, but the color palette has changed. The puple eye shadow has been replaced by a blue one and the lips are covered in a peachy natural shade.

The third blonde look

Again heavy black liner and blue eyeshadow, but combined with a glossy nude lip.

Of course this kind of makeup is a bit too much to wear in your every day life, but you can definitely alter it to wearable looks. Just tone down the glitter and leave out the bottom black liner and you're left with great party makeup looks. 

Or if you're celebrating Carnival this month you might as well copy the festive looks as a whole!

x x x

HOW I FILL IN MY EYEBROWS

You might not know it but your eyebrows are the frames of your face, they can add a lot of power to your eyes and can make or break an entire makeup look. However, many women are still scared to fill in their brows. When you say filled in eyebrow many think of the harsh drew on black lines a la Cruella De Vil, well it certainly doesn't have to look like that! You can shape and fill in your brows in a very subtle way so they will look natural and neat. I'm personally a big fan of this look. Since a year I've been doing my brows in a specific way and I've noticed a huge difference in pictures and have also been getting a lot of compliments!

Keep reading if you're curious about my eyebrow routine! 

 The tools

An eyebrow pencil from Catrice in the same or a slighly lighter color than your eyebrows.

A non-shimmery eyeshadow or any powder in a similar color as your eyebrows. I use the color S07 of the Une palette Yeux Universelle.

A sharp angled brush.

The steps

1. Draw on a bottom line with the eyebrow pencil. Make sure it's straight and it follows the natural line of your brow.

2. Repeat the first step but now on the top part of your eyebrow. 

3. Elongate your brow. Create a sharp edge at the end of your brow using the pencil. If you don't know where your brow should end take a pencil and put it in a diagonal line across your nostril and the outer corner of your eye, where the pencil ends your eyebrow needs to end. 

4. Draw a vertical line on the beginning of your brow to give it more definition. 

5. Take your angled brush with some eyeshadow and start filling in gaps in your brows. Don't use too much product, it's better to build up than to overdo it.

6. Brush out the hairs. You can also use an eyebrow gel to keep all the hairs in place all day or night.

Before

As you can see my eyebrows have clear gaps. 

After

The gaps are filled in and my eyebrows have a defined shape.

Sometimes I will fill them in even more, for example when I wear a dark smokey eye or when I go out and pictures with flashes might be taken. But on a daily basis I keep it soft and go for this natural groomed look! 

x x x