TUTORIAL: NEUTRAL, SUBTLE SMOKEY EYE

This is one of my every day routines when I don't have much time on my hands; All you need are two eyeshadows, a liquid eyeliner and a decent volumizing/lengthening mascara. My all time favourite is the Max Factor 2000 Calorie in Black, which is a bargain at £7.99 from Boots. 

Large eyeshadow brush and nude shadow application.

1. Prime your eyelids with a primer such as Urban Decay Primer Potion or Stay Don't Stray by Benefit. Make sure to use your finger tip for no fuss application. I find that eye primers keep the colour of the shadows 'true', and also allow for your shadows to stay put all day without any creasing or smudging. 

2. With a large eye shadow brush, apply a buff, matte nude like Urban Decay's 'Naked' all over the eyelid, making sure to 'pat' the colour in lightly for full application. 

3. With the same brush, using the tip this time, lightly apply a shade like 'Buck' by Urban Decay in the crease of your eyelid. This will start to create definition and widen the eye. Pivot the brush to and from the outside corner to the mid-section of the eyelid to form a defined, pigmented contour. 

4. Using a fluffy blending brush (I use a Revlon brush similar to MAC's 224 Tapered blending brush but it has been discontinued. The MAC one is great, though.) Work a little more of the darker nude into the crease, creating a diffused effect graduating outwards towards the brow bone. Be sure to not use too much product though, we want to keep this natural and subtle. 

Step 5

5. Now here comes the part that I know some people find a little tricky - the cat eye. Don't be alarmed, honestly, practice does make perfect! Grab your favourite liquid eyeliner, (I currently use the magnificently cheap Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner - £2.99!) and line the lash line, building a slightly thicker edge on the outer corner. 

Step 6

6. Plan and sketch the beginning of your cat-eye flick starting from the base of the section you just drew and form a diagonal line, keeping in with the natural shape of the eye, we don't want an Amy Winehouse kind of scenario here.

Step 7 - Cat eye complete!

7. Finally, join the two sections together starting from the very tip, dragging the applicator into the lash line. This creates a seamless connection, and the cat-eye remains polished. 

8. Apply a few coats of mascara, wiggling the applicator at the roots of the lashes to really volumize. Add a little of the excess product onto the bottom lashes. Your eyes are immediately wider and you're looking more awake.  

9. To finish the look off, apply a few dots of concealer under the eye and use either your fingertips or a concealer/foundation brush to simply clean up and brighten the area underneath the eye. Once blended fully, apply your bronzer/blusher combo, a slick of some lip balm and you're done! 

The finished look. Easy peasy!

Once you've got this look down, you'll never bother with anything else again. It's so simple yet looks great; A good one for uni/work or simply just a quick, easy day time look. 

Thanks for reading, 

MAKING A STATEMENT: UNI - WHAT'S THE DEALIO?

I was recently reminiscing about my high school days; feeling nostalgic and possibly a little hormonal after finishing my first semester at university. Wild, I know, but that's just the life I live. 

I started to scroll through old Facebook photos, de-tagging a few, getting my stalk on (we all do it...right?) and I came across a stunning little gem - what made me think that horrific amount of make-up was ever acceptable at school? We've all been there; it's year nine, we're fourteen (going on twenty five) and the black eyeliner and foundation lips are coming out to play. Really, guys, we had it goin' on. 

Now, at uni the girls and I make a somewhat mediocre, sometimes poor effort on our 'appearance'; hair piled mindlessly on top of our heads, a bit of mascara (usually in a rush, nearly poking an eye out) and we're done - not looking half bad, but never intending to look at all show stopping - We're just not that bothered. 

The top knot: A student's 'on-trend' pseudonym of "Not arsed"

But I, being me, have gradually become slightly uncomfortable making such little effort when stepping out into the big wide world without much, if any, slap on. Perhaps my obsession with make-up and all things pretty hinder my chances of ever having a lie-in AND catching the bus on time, but I really do feel I've let myself down by conforming to the standard, borderline 'scruffy' student vibe that I see a lot of girls working around campus. Not feeling looking like I have literally rolled out of bed and straight into my seat in the lecture hall. 

It could be my acute fear of severely offending the entire population with my bare face, but it's got me split - why am I even bothered? Why am I not bothered enough?! I know for sure that without any my war paint I wouldn't be able to do as much as I usually do day to day - and it's all about the confidence, surely. 

I understand some people could say I'm being rather superficial, and this isn't really a topic worth writing about, but I do find it's difficult to decide whether you keep hitting 'sleep' on your alarm or you go and do yourself up for the day. Especially when you're as lazy as I am. First world problems.

Looking back at those pictures from school make me want to revisit that 14 year old and give her a good scrub, but I'm now struggling for reasons why I shouldn't make an effort for a few hours worth of lectures. I envy the male population. This is a genuine dilemma. 

This rant could be completely futile, or I could actually be onto something here. Are all these students just grubbier, more rugged versions of their former selves? I'm definitely not falling into that trap. Especially since I practically blew my loan on the MAC counter. 

What are your thoughts on 'campus beauty etiquette'? Email me at oliviabeautybijou@gmail.com and be featured in an upcoming post.

Thanks for reading!

FAVOURITES: URBAN DECAY NAKED PALETTE

Okay. So anybody who knows me well knows that I am a biiiig fan of the neutrals.

Earlier this year, I was browsing through Youtube, watching make-up tutorials and product reviews, i.e. procrastinating, and I came across the Naked Palette by Urban Decay. I fell in love. Containing 12 full size, full quality Urban Decay eyeshadows all in beautifull matte, metallic and shimmer finishes, I just had to have it. If you don't have it, I suggest you go out and get it. Now.

I have used this every day since I got it, and I haven't bothered to use or buy anything else. Best thing about this product is that it is perfect for a student; easy to pack away when travelling and contains almost everything you need for picture perfect eyelids - Everything coordinates!

For what this palette contains, it is incredible value. Mine was £36 - may seem a little extortionate, but it is so worth the money. It comes with a travel size bottle of the Urban Decay Primer Potion (full size usually retailing at around £14.50) and a synthetic eyeshadow brush (however I think in the States the brush is replaced with a double ended eyeliner.) So it isn't just one product you're getting here guys, it's literally the works.

The 12 gorgeous shades are;

• Virgin; a very pale pink, highly pigmented satin 
• Sin; a champagne toned shimmer 
• Naked; a nude, matte shadow perfect for every day
• Sidecar; a slightly golden/cocoa colour with slight sparkle
• Buck; another nude matte shade, a little richer and darker than 'Naked'
• Half Baked; another highly pigmented bronze shimmer
• Smog; medium to dark bronze shimmer 
• Darkhorse; rich, almost mossy bronze shimmer with more sparkle
• Toasted; a warmer, more copper shimmer tone
• Hustle; an almost plum colour, satin
• Creep; a stunning navy-black shimmer with silver and gold sparkle, onyx
• Gunmetal; another blue toned gunmetal grey with silver glitter

The 12 shadows in all their glory!

The sparkly shadows like Sidecar or Creep have very fine glitter in them so there isn't much fallout all over your face after you've got a little too over zealous in front of the mirror. However, do keep a fluffy powder brush to hand to sweep away any excess shadow, or start with your eyes and apply your foundation etc. afterward to clear any bits left under your eyes and to polish your look off. 

The buff/matte nude shades are my favourite for every day looks, or for contouring your crease, and they don't at all appear dusty like some other matte shadows out there. The light satin shades look beautiful in the inner corners of the eyes, making them 'pop' and appear brighter and wider. They're also good for the brow bone, however you'll only need a tiny dab just to highlight the area. 

You can buy this from most major department stores like Debenhams. 

Thanks for reading,

FAVOURITES: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

My Skinfinish Natural and Ecotools brush.

I have to say, MAC is definitely one of my favourite make-up brands, although it is admittedly a little on the pricey side. The range of colour choices, especially with their foundations and powders is something that drew me to MAC in the first place. 

Drug store brands, no matter what anybody says, still reign supreme in the stakes of affordable, wearable cosmetics. However, I do find it important to splash out on items that, unfortunately for my bank account and student loan, with higher expenditure comes higher quality.

The powders I've endlessly tried and tested from the likes of Maybelline or Rimmel are okay, but they're not quite there. I find myself continuously becoming frustrated with the lack of staying power, the not-so-nice patchy face at the end of the day and also the same old dusty 'cakey' look they've got going on. Maybe it's just preference, but as soon as I discovered this product I was hooked. 

Using a dual fibre brush like the MAC 187 (goes for around £21 - pricey, but like this product - worth the splurge), this smooth mineral power can be lightly dusted over concealer if you're lucky enough to have minimal blemishes, or as I prefer, my Ecotools Bronzer Brush  (A much more modest £9.99) which is densely packed with bristles which can be used to buff more of the product into your skin, creating a much more airbrushed, 'photo-ready' finish whilst still remaining natural - Woohoo!

The one thing I found amazing about this product was how refined it was. No matter how much you pile it on, without going crazy with it of course, your skin still retains a demi-matte, almost 'dewy' glow without the shine, which is created I presume by the minute flecks of glitter which has been run through the product. Skinfinish Natural is slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish, providing perfect low coverage for setting foundation or concealer. 

The powder comes in 10 shades, so there's bound to be one for you. I've known some of my more 'porcelain' friends to use a colour two shades darker as a subtle bronzer/contour, too.  

I use the shade 'Medium Plus', as I'm an NC25-30 in the foundations. If you're not sure of the right one for you, pop into your local concession or pro store to get matched up. 

Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is currently retailing on the MAC website for £21.00, and you can get it here, or at any department selling MAC products - Selfridges or Debenhams are probably your best bet.   

I highly recommend this product to anyone not keen on heavy make-up, but still wants a polished look for every day and night's out, too! 

Thanks for reading, and I hope this has helped, 

ABOUT

bi·jou; Adj/Noun. Small and elegant, a jewel or trinket.

Hi, and welcome to BeautyBijou!

I'm Liv Szczeblewska-Moore. I am an aspiring freelance make-up artist currently studying English at the University of Liverpool. I would love to pursue a career in beauty, whether it be within journalism or full time make-up artistry. 

Whether you're a dab hand with cosmetics or you're a complete and utter novice, I've wanted to create an area where anybody can learn something new, and not be bombarded with over complicated nonsense that, let's be honest, despite sounding difficult, is all really quite simple. 

BeautyBijou has been created with you; the 'average' female, in mind. Not every woman has considered primer to be an essential product for example, and neither has every woman realised cleaning their make-up brushes is a fundamental part of a beauty routine (that's if they've bothered to invest in any at all!)

I hope that from reading this blog, and with simple, straight forward tutorials you are all able to take something from here for yourselves to make yourself feel beautiful or 'bijou', in some way or another.

Thanks for visiting, and lots of love,