It's Beautiful & Unspoilt's 1st Anniversary!!!

Happy Anniversary by n2fab featuring a red lipstick

A HUGE thanks to all of you who read/shared/commented on our posts during our first year.   
Beautifully Yours
Beautiful & Unspoilt
"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

Get More Eyeshadow Colours By Doing This

Image Source - www.fashlimited.com

Would you believe that even though I have the FASH Professional 120 Colour Eyeshadow Palette, there was not a single colour that would be the perfect choice for two of my outfits?





And why does it have so many greens and blues when compared to the other colours?  When these large palettes first hit the scene a few years ago all of them had that 'issue', but my preferance is a more even colour distribution. When I first bought my palette I remember thinking that the 120 eyeshadows would meet all of my colour needs. I eventually realised that it would meet most of them, but why should I settle for most? I want all!!!

The colours I wanted were  violet and coral.  So what was a girl to do?  I certainly wasn't going to purchase more eyeshadows, not when I had 120 in front of me.  So I decided to put Colour Theory to the test and mix the colours I had to get the colours I wanted.

I didn't use a special formula to determine which colours to mix.  All I did was compare the colours I had with the colours I wanted:

1) violet was lighter and more red-ish' than purple but it was too dark and more 'purple-ish' than red

2) coral was looked wasn't quite pink nor orange, it looked like a bit of both


The first thing I did was apply NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skin Tone.

Image Source - www.nyxcosmetics.com

For violet I applied purple and then the red on top, and for coral I applied  Sunset Pearl and then pink on top.  For each of the custom colours I kept adding a bit more of the main colours as necessary, until they were the exact shade that I wanted.

Eyeshadow Swatches 

Left to Right - Violet, Purple,Red




Left to Right - Coral, Pink,
                      Sacha Cosmetics Sunset Pearl




It was the first time that I ever did this and I knew it wouldn't be the last.

Creating custom colours is very useful when you can't find the colour that you want anywhere because  it may have been discontinued or it wasn't launched yet. Or even if you simply want to create a lighter or darker colour.  What makes this even more fantastic is that you can also do this with lip products, blush and eyeliner.

Gone are the days when I would search all of the beauty stores; only to return home empty-handed.

Imagine the endless colour possibilities available and the money you can save from mixing colours.


"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

One Important Thing You Must Do When You Prep Your Face

Have you noticed that when some products are applied to the skin, it leaves your skin feeling moist/wet?

All you need to do is wait a few minutes to allow those products to absorb into your skin (i.e. your skin feels normal when you touch it) BEFORE applying the next product in your make-up routine.  This is especially important for your moisturizer, mattifier and primer which prep your face for your make-up.

If you are like me with little time to spare;  you don't have to just watch the clock while you are waiting.  I'm sure you can find some part of your daily/nightly routine to do.

Here's how it usually goes for me:

1)   While waiting for the moisturiser to dry so that I can apply primer, I apply body lotion and spritz on some perfume.  

2)   While waiting for the primer to dry so that I can apply my eyeshadow and foundation, I enhance my eyebrows with browliner.

Waiting a few minutes gives the products time to do what they are supposed to, which should result in evenly applied and lasting make-up.  I don't know anyone who wants streaky, unevenly applied make-up, do you?

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

A Make-up Night Adventure

I remember everything about that night so clearly; as though it only just happened.  It was the first of its kind, and hopefully the last.

I was getting dressed for an elegant event and I was behind schedule.  All I could do when my ride arrived was to toss my essential make-up items (powder, lipstick, brow pencil, mascara, blush) into a cosmetic bag and rush through the door.

Applying make-up in traffic is nothing new, but it usually occurs during the day in slow moving traffic, not at night with the driver's foot flat on the gas pedal.  I thought to myself "this will be interesting" and it was, to say the least.

As you would imagine there was no lighting and I had to make the best of every street-light that I passed.  I waited eagerly for the moments the vehicle was forced to slow down or stop because I did not want to make any mistakes.  I cringed whenever the road got bumpy or there were potholes.

I had to be as quick as possible instead of my usual leisurely, enjoyable pace.  I created a simple make-up look, to attempt to do otherwise would have resulted in certain disaster.

Even though I could barely see what I was doing, I have applied make-up for so many years that I just did what I was accustomed doing.  When I arrived at the event I checked the mirror for the last time.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realized that my make-up looked great.

"All's will that ends well" they say and after all of that excitement I was so thankful that it did end well.

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

Why A Product May Work For Someone Else But Not For You

Soooo...have you ever had a make-up or skin-care related issue that you researched until you finally found someone with the same issue who raved about the product that worked for them?

Did you rush out and buy the product expecting to get the same results; only to discover that it did not work for you?

Words fail to describe how disappointing that can be, especially if the product is expensive.  If it worked for them, shouldn't it work for you too?  The reality is that sometimes it will, and other times it won't.

While there is no 'magic formula' that will predict whether or not a product will work for you,  here are some questions that you can ask that should help:

1. Do you have the same skin type? e.g. Oily, Normal, Dry, Combination
2. Do you live in the same type of climate? e.g. Caribbean, U.S.A, U.K
3. Is your lifestyle the same? Athletic, hectic, relaxed, indoors vs outdoors
4. Is your issue of the same severity or is it milder? e.g slight vs extreme undereye darkness   

If the answer to just one of these questions is no, it could affect how well the product works for you.

So take the time to answer the questions; doing this has helped me, and I hope that it will help you too.

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

Consider This When Buying Your Make-up Brushes

When buying make-up brushes in the past I would usually just check that it was the type of brush that I wanted, and go straight to the cashier.

That worked most of the time, but a few times I ended up with brushes that were too big for my face. Seeing a brush in its packaging is one thing, but when I used the brushes to apply my make-up I realised something wasn't right.  This happened with my blending brush and blush brush.

*GASP*

Shouldn't any sized brush work on any face?  The answer is maybe, but you will have to get a little creative.

When I first used the brushes; I had to do a lot of wiping off to remove the excess product. I soon grew tired of this and started using the corner or the tip of the brush to ensure that too much product was not applied to my face.

So these days  I also consider the size of the brush to make sure that it is the correct size for my face. Thankfully, most brushes are currently available in a variety of sizes. Sometimes I even have to buy a brush of a different type, once it has the same shape and type of bristles as the brush that I need.  In fact, many times I have walked out of the store empty handed because the brush was too big for me.  This happened when I was trying to find a concealer brush for my under-eye area.   It took a while before I found one, but my E.L.F Essential Concealer Brush was worth the effort.

So for those of you who find that your brushes are too large or too small, you may need to check another store or another brand to find the right size brush for you.  It's out there somewhere, you just have to take the time to find it.

From my personal kit - brushes and face products

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

The First Thing To Consider When Recreating Make-Up Looks

I remember trying and trying to recreate make-up looks when I was younger.  But no matter how closely I followed the instructions, my make-up never came out the way it was supposed to.  Especially for applying eye-shadow(especially the infamous smokey eye) and blush.

I just could not understand why this was happening.

Deep in thought (no make-up)

And then one day it just dawned on me...my eyelids and cheeks were different to the ones in the picture or video!!!! Suddenly everything began to make sense.  I realised that all of my efforts had been in vain, that I had been trying to do the impossible.

I remember applying vibrant eye-shadow to my entire lid and thinking "this looks so ridiculous" or even "I look like I am wearing a superhero eye-mask".  And what about the traditional smokey eye? All of that black eye-shadow had me looking like someone gave me a black-eye. I have a large eyelid, enough to share, I kid you not.  These days I use a neutral eye-shadow on 3/4 of my eyelid and just add a hint of colour to my lower lid.  For the smokey eye, green, blue and purple look much better on me.

Don't let me get started about the blush.  Smile and apply to the apples of your cheek I've been told. Well when I stop smiling, the apples of my cheek fall to somewhere near my mouth - NOT a good look.  I prefer to apply my blush to my cheek bone and/or just under my cheek bone, depending on if I am highlighting/contouring.

Now the first thing I do now before rushing off to recreate a look is to check for similarities and differences. Then I make sure that I can adapt the technique if needed before I even think about reaching for my make-up.

The reality is that many times techniques have to be modified to make them work for you.   I see them as more of a starting point/guide than a 'one-size fits all' because quite a few factors will influence the outcome of your efforts.  So please, please, please don't worry if your results differ,  what's more important is that they enhance your beauty.

If only I had figured this out sooner..., but that is one of the fun things about make-up.  There are always things to discover and to learn.


"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires