EDITORIALS

MAKEUP MOOD: PINK + RED 80’S ALLURE

Inspired by Fenty Beauty’s ‘uncensored’ Stunna Lip Paint (worn in this edit) I wanted to push myself a little further out of my comfort zone and add some clashing yet complimenting shadows for my eyes, specifically for the liner. I achieved this by thinly tight-lining the top lash line of my eyes with black eyeliner, gradually blended in with black eyeshadow to intensify and applied purple eyeshadow to set with.

I thought that a touch of purple would really add to the 80’s glam nod that slowly started to show through in contrast to the softness of the pink shadow I had initially.

Kept the skin simple with not too much foundation applied to give a very fresh approach and mixed in my powder bronzer and blush for a more believable flush on the tops of my cheekbones.

PRODUCTS USED:

SKIN:

Foundation – L’Oréal Total Cover Foundation in ‘Cappuccino’ & Primark Beauty My Perfect Color Foundation

Concealer – L.A. Girl Pro Concealer in ‘Cool Tan’

Powder – RCMA No Color Powder & KIKO GreenMe Bronzer in ‘Raw Sienna’

Bronzer – NIP+FAB Contour Palette in ‘DARK’

Blush – Mary Kay Blusher in ‘Cherry Blossom’

EYES:

Blush – Mary Kay Blusher in ‘Cherry Blossom’

1st Palette – Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette

2nd Palette – Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette

Mascara – Technic Lengthening

LIPS:

Stunna Lip Paint in ‘Uncensored’ [review coming soon…]

I Know this is quite a romantic, Valentine’s Day looking makeup look. But, I hope you all got a bit of an up-to-date glam inspo for Valentine’s Day 2019!

I’m currently loving this idea of eyeshadows as the liner. And although I know this is not so new, I feel like this just really gives a modern dynamic of softness yet sleekness to the eyes. Not to mention it takes a significantly shorter amount of time to apply than eyeliner.

I have gotten a few questions on how to achieve a soft liner without the eyeshadow looking grey in the undertone. So, if any of you would like for me to film a dedicated tutorial on that – do let me know in the comments below! Xx

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,

JANUARY ‘19 MAKEUP MOOD: 60’S PALE BLUES

Happy belated New Year Everyone!

So sorry I wasn’t able to blog towards the end of the year as I’ve had lots of work to catch up on. But as we’re now in the first month of 2019, I’d like to turn over a new leaf and talk about the first makeup mood of January 2019!

Out with the cut creases of 2018 and in with the old school 60s eye-shapes in 2019.

Now, if you’re a long term subscriber to THE BELPER, you’ll notice that this makeup theme (that being inspired by the era of the 60’s) isn’t new. However that’s pretty much the point of what I wanted to talk about.

Makeup Trend Alert:

Look out for the old school cut creases and 70s inspired eye shadings peaking through in 2019. As well as natural brows I’m sure we’ve all observed during the past year, we will be veering into a more natural/skin like territory with foundation and concealer again.

On that note, if you’re a full coverage foundation lover like me, you may find that trying out more lightweight foundations could actually help complete the mood of a lot of new eye-looks you’d like to try out this year. You’d be surprised at how most times natural result foundations can flatter the skin more than full coverage ones. (Foundation reviews will be coming soon!)

Now, back to the eyeshadow, I shot this edit focussing on the eyes and chose a pale blue shade this time as I felt like it represented a refreshing sense of the new year this – 2019. It’s very expressive and carefree, which I love!

PRODUCTS USED:

Foundation – L’Oréal Total Cover Foundation & Primark My Perfect Colour Foundation

Concealer – L.A. Girl HD Concealer in ‘Cool Tan’

Powder – RCMA No Colour Powder & KIKO GreenMe Loose Bronzer in ‘Raw Sienna’

Blusher – NIP+FAB Contour Palette in ‘DARK’

Contour – Sleek Contour Palette in ‘Medium’

Mascara – Technic Mascara

Eyeshadow – Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette (mainly using: ‘Metamorphosis’ & Bump’ mixed)

Lipstick – A dab of L.A. Girl HD Concealer in ‘Cool Tan’ to create a blank canvas in the centre of my lips. Followed by a pink nude lipgloss by NYC Cosmetics (discontinued).

That’s all for this short editorial! Do let me know what you think of this eye-look and if it’s something you’d actually try out for the spring of 2019!

I’m wishing you all a wonderful, prosperous and eye-opening year in 2019.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,

CHRISTMAS DAY MAKEUP LOOK

Since my last blog post was a more laid back holiday look, I thought it would only be fair to publish my own rendition of the very ultimate but wearable, Christmas Day makeup look.

In all realness, It’s nothing more than a glittery eye and a dark plum lip. But I suppose an event like the winter holidays makes a look like this perfect for anyone to wear whether you’re a frequent makeup wearer or not. Another reason why I love makeup! It always has the ability to rise to any occasion, no matter what the mood is.

I added a bit of a late 20s element to the look by diffusing the black liner upon the outer edge of my eyes with eyeshadow. This made my eyes appear more wide and doe-eyed in contrast to the sharp dark lips.

PRODUCTS USED:

Foundation – Primark My Perfect Color Foundation & L’Oréal Total Cover Foundation in ‘Cappuccino’

Concealer – L.A. Pro Concealer in ‘Cool Tan’

Bronzer – Sleek Contour Palette in ‘Medium’

Powder – RCMA No Colour Powder

Blush – NIP+FAB Contour Palette in ‘Dark’

Palette – Too Faced Cat Eyes Palette

Mascara – Technic Lengthening

Lipstick – Illamasqua (in Growl which is now discontinued but they have now released similar shades you can find here.)

So Christmas is finally tomorrow and I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful and Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays wherever you are! I hope your day will be spent with love, joy and lots of your favourite foods lol.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,

MINIMAL FESTIVE HOLIDAY MAKEUP 🎄

Hi, Everyone!

I hope you’re all doing well during this month’s festivities and preparations with your loved ones. This blog post is a makeup look that I think would be perfect for holiday parties without looking too overdone.

I took some inspiration from Rihanna’s 2017 Met Gala Look with an 80’s twist. Opting for bright/pale pinks (mixed in with my bronzer to suit my skin tone) applied and blended all over the eyes. I grazed the shadows right underneath the outer edge of my eyes on to the highest points of my cheekbones too to add depth (this step is highly optional).

I added slightly more bronzer than usual to compliment the red lips. During the winter season, my skin can look little dull with makeup on – so adding some orange based bronzer can really be great for anyone who may feel like their makeup can look a little greyish in undertone during the winter.

The face is really simple, given that I didn’t apply any concealer in this edit. It was unintentional at the time but when I look back at this makeup it appears more organic looking than if I had applied concealer. Just goes to show that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask yourself if you really need concealer whilst you’re doing your makeup sometimes. In the beauty world I think, sometimes we can feel compelled to include all of the makeup ‘steps’ to complete a look – but that’s not really true at all. It all comes down to your judgement and what you think looks right to you at that moment. It’s a part of what makes the way you do your makeup your own creativity.

I finished with a very defined red lip, achieved with lip lining prior and after applying lipstick. I always like to keep a thin lip brush near to blend and apply just to have more control of the product I’m using.

PRODUCTS USED:

  • Lipstick – Coloured Raine in ‘Cherry Blossom’ (similar here)
  • Lip liner – Black Pencil (applied faintly)

Hope you’ve all found some minimal festive makeup inspo from this look!

Be sure to let me know what you think of it in the comments section below.

I cannot believe we are less than one week away until Christmas Day! And although I am aware I’m getting older for this sort of thing, I suppose the one thing I’m looking forward to the most is just spending time with my family 🙂

I wanted to thank you all for being so patient with me this month! You’ve all been so wonderful to me this year whether it’s been by subscribing, commenting to even liking every one of my posts. Though this may seem like a small thing – I am super grateful for the response this blog has been getting lately. And I thank all of you, truly.

Happy Holidays!

Lots of love,

MAKEUP EDIT: GLITZ GLAM, BELLA HADID INSPIRED LOOK

Happy December 1st, everyone! Party season is here and so I thought why not start of the festive looks with one that I have been obsessing over recently. A glitz glam smokey eye inspired by model, Bella Hadid created by makeup artist, Hung Vanngo.  

This look is quite dramatic although, something I liked about the eyes in particular was that it focuses on the depth and contrast of the outer edge – as opposed to a full, closed-off black smokey eye. It really gives you the opportunity to brighten up your eyes and create that jewel tone brightness effect with the sharp placements of shimmery silver eyeshadow.   

So, for anyone who’s not into black smokey eyes but would like to start incorporating more black eyeshadows into slightly dramatic looks, this is a great option to try out! All you’re doing is spending time on building and defining your eyes with black eyeshadow right onto the crease of your eyes, as if you’re expanding the width of eyeliner. This will make your eyes stand out and appear more feline. 

Since the shape of the eye look is very distinct and defined, I opted for a more flawless base and made sure to create a golden glow that complemented the cool-toned eyes with my skin tone. I used my trusty lip balm trick mixed in with a little bit of a coppery/golden highlighter from Sleek’s contour palette in Medium to achieve this result.  

 – PRODUCTS USED – 

Hope this look gives you some festive makeup inspo! Be sure to let me know in the comment section below what you think. Is this something you’d rock for an event like New Year’s Eve? Or would you rather prefer something like a classic smokey eye? I’m just curious 🙂

Random thought: I really can’t believe how close we are to the new year it’s just… lol but anyways.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper! 

lots of love, 

MAKEUP LOOK: FALL RETRO VIBES

This look is by far one of the most complicated eye-looks I’ve ever created and I’m not even exaggerating lol. It was inspired by a look I saw on a model photographed around the 60’s in Italy. Unfortunately, I do not know the credits to the photo – but one thing I do know is that the look was fierce and I couldn’t wait to recreate it!

The Italian’s makeup look in the 60’s/70’s was very much more experimental with their eyeliner I’d say. From the well known feline smokey eye only a few like Sophia Loren could pull off as an everyday look, to even the simplest cat eye with natural skin, popularised by not only their old Hollywood muses but throughout the imagery of some iconic fashion houses we know today such as Dolce & Gabbana.

Anyways, this is definitely less of a pictorial and more of a visual edit of the finished look. And although, in my opinion, this isn’t the most suited look for me, it sure did instantly brighten my aura and put me in such a mood to act as if I was born in the 70’s *shrugs, sighs and visualises*…

I did my absolute best to keep the skin natural whilst flawless, rouged up the cheeks with an orange blusher and added a transparent glow using one of my most favourite makeup tricks, clear lip balm as a highlighter or to put it shortly – Vaseline.

Because the eyes here are so… defined, I carried out the look by making sure the skin had a little more of a saturated glow and even dabbed on the excess of the orange blush on the centre of my lips before finishing with a thin layer of lip balm.

As you’ll be able to notice, the brows are none existent – this was achieved with a brushing of light brown brow gel and a lighter coloured concealer cleaned underneath them to leave a rather faint shape to them. I just loved the way the brows looked in this way! It’s like when you have light brows, you’re almost least resistant to trying out dramatic looks such as this one. If you don’t have access to a light brow gel, the best way to getting the closest match to a bleached brow look is by using your foundation. The trick is to not use too much of it as you apply, a little goes a long way but the end result is just as amazing.

PRODUCTS USED:

FOUNDATION – Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r

CONCEALER – L.A. Girl Pro Concealer

POWDER – L’Oréal True Match Compact Powder

ORANGE BLUSHER – NIP+FAB Contour Palette

CONTOUR – NIP+FAB Contour Palette

LINER – Poundland (Discontinued)

MASCARA – TECHNIC Lengthening

HIGHLIGHTER – Vaseline Lip Balm

NEUTRAL PALETTE – Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette

LIPSTICK – PS Beauty by Primark [Nude Lipstick]

I hope you can take away some fall retro makeup inspo from this edit 🙂 Would you wear this look? Have you already worn a look like this? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,

Outfit of The Day: The Knit Dress

I’ve been a huge fan of knit dresses for a while now and I have to say my most preferred style has to be the long-sleeved turtleneck, long enough to touch my ankles lol. I find that this piece fits right in between comfort and style for me which is a win! I also love collecting them in black, only because it becomes easier for me to wear with different outerwear & shoes as well as being suitable for loungewear throughout the winter too.

I finished off this simple look with my shiny kitten-heeled black ankle boots and a sharp wing to open up the eyes.

Knit Dress: ZARA [Available in 3 colours]

Ankle Boots: ZARA

Are you a fan of Knit Dresses? If so, which ones are your most favourite? I’d love to know what you all think in the comments section below!

Thank you so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,

Outfit of The Day: #CasualVibes

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Today’s mellow outfit features a mustard yellow sweater (a current favourite), put together with my go-to blue jeans and essential over-the-knee black boots.

I’ve never really been one to embrace colour throughout my wardrobe much, but what makes this sweater an exception for me is that the tone within this mustard yellow, merges the brightness and warmth of the autumn season.

SWEATER – ZARA

BLUE RIPPED JEANS – ZARA

BLACK OVER-THE-KNEE BOOTS – ZARA

SUNGLASSES – MVMT

Hope this look gives you some laid-back, brightening fashion inspo!

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,

ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN GLAM | INSPIRED BY NIKKIE TUTORIALS

Not too long ago, beauty mogul and makeup YouTuber, NikkiTutorials released a Halloween glam makeup tutorial! I love Halloween, although in all honesty, my efforts for creating a variety of Halloween looks throughout the month of October are just none existent (as you can already tell) no matter how hard I try. With that being said, watching her tutorial on this look inspired me to experiment with a classic cut crease heightened by a dark twist in mind.

My interpretation of her look includes purple eyes instead of brown as I wanted a pop of colour in contrast with my skin tone.

I also added a very thick wing inside the cut crease as a way to give the illusion of a thicker lash line and more lashes as I don’t wear false lashes.

I didn’t have access to purple glitter at the time, so instead, I went for a dark purple/burgundy lipgloss to tie the look together.

PRODUCTS USED:

Foundation – Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation 440

Concealer – L’Oréal Total Cover Foundation 33 ‘Cappuccino’ & L.A. Girl Pro Concealer in ‘Cool Tan’

Contour/Blush – Nip+Fab Contour Palette in DARK

Purple Eyeshadows Used –

Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette & Stila Eyeshadow in Compact ‘Dahlia’

To Create the Cut Crease –

Makeup Revolution Concealer ’13’

Too Faced Cat Eyes Palette (shimmery ivory shade)

Mascara – Technic Lengthening Mascara

Lipstick – NYX High Voltage Lipstick in ‘Feline’

Lipgloss – Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lipgloss in ‘merlot’

I think this look is great for anyone who doesn’t feel like doing too much for Halloween, but would like to look Halloween presentable nonetheless. For parties, this could easily be a great base for a rendition of a vampire, Chucky’s wife, Cruella de Vil, Ursula and just about any other Disney villain really lol.

I hope this mini post gave you (if not Halloween) some fall/winter makeup inspo! Let me know what kind of makeup you’ll be rocking this Halloween in the comment section below!

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,

MAKEUP MOOD: 1940s Vibes

This makeup mood is about harnessing the delicacy of the 1940s makeup style. Fresh, clean and defined using thin strokes of black eyeliner to give the illusion of fuller lashes with simplified skin to show of the iridescence of the clear like shimmery eyeshadow, pulled together with light brows and a statement brown-nude lip.

The cohesive, monochromatic theme in this look is not only perfect for for the autumn months but is suitable for any time of the year as this can be a great starting canvas for reds, pinks, orange hues etc.

I kept the brows lightweight and feathery whilst leaving the eyes faintly shaped with a dark brown eyeshadow applied higher than usual on the natural fold of my eyelids.

THE LIPSTICK:

I think this lipstick is a true brown, therefore it carries little to no dimension at all, requiring a darker lip liner to actually give opaqueness on the lips. Other than that, this can be a lovely essential in anyone’s makeup kit who loves to substitute lipsticks for blusher, eyeshadow or even eyeliner/eye bases.

PRODUCTS USED:

FOUNDATION – Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r in 440

CONCEALER – Elizabeth Arden Foundation & Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r in 440

POWDER – KIKO GreenMe Loose Bronzer

BLUSHER – Sleek Bronze Block in Dark

BRONZER – NIP+FAB Contour Palette [brown shade] & [Orange shade]

HIGHLIGHTER – E.L.F. in ‘Blush Gems’

EYESHADOW (Shimmer) – Too Faced Cat Eyes Palette [pale, off-white shimmery shade]

EYESHADOW (shading) – Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour refill in ‘Carob’

MASCARA – Technic Lengthening Mascara

LIPSTICK – MAC X Patricia Bright Lipstick ‘@ThePatriciaBright’

Hope this makeup look gives you some inspiration for this fall!

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Belper!

Lots of love,