The skincare and makeup brand jane iredale is introducing a limited-edition product in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with 100 % of profits donated to Against Breast Cancer.

Smokey eyes, dewy skin, and nude glossy lips were the trend during this seasons Fashions Finest S/S17 London Fashion Week event.

It's a sultry glam look that's dramatic enough for the catwalk and perfect for a night out. While the dark smokey eye may not be suitable for everyone, this makeup trend is much requested and here to stay.

There are many ways to achieve a smokey eye, and adaptable ways to wear it to enhance your features.

Here are some tips to find your best smokey eye:

Start by applying an eyeshadow primer first. This will allow even blending, prevent creasing, and keep your shadow staying in place.

2: Find the right shape to apply eyeshadow and accentuate your eyes.

It could be that crisp-angled-edges and using tape when applying eyeshadow looks great on you. Or an eyeshadow that's applied to look more "oval (less geometric)" and is blended out to the temple, works best for your face.

However, heavily packed on basic black shadow tends to make the eyes look smaller. The idea is to "open up" your face.

3: Pairing gold or silver eyeshadow (if you're a warm or cool tone) with your black smokey eye is a great way to make your eye color "pop" and add glamour to your look.

Add a bit of shimmer to the inner corner of your eye to make your eyes appear larger and more spaced. You can also add glitter to the center of your lid for dimension.

4: Do use a pencil liner on your upper and lower lids and blend it out. You can also apply eyeshadow close to your lash line (on top of the liner) for added effect.









Photographer Ioana Mitroi

Designers @UsfashionSource

The makeup on runway models during London Fashion Week S/S17 for Fashions Finest was provided by sponsors at Academy Of Freelance Makeup AOFM ( www.aofmakeup.com) and led by Key Makeup Artist Ann-Marie Lawson (ww.LawsonMakeup.com )

Written by @dinahraphaelle www.DinahRaphaelle.com 

Lip gloss is a staple in every make up bag and we all go through our fair share of lip glosses trying to find just the right one. The qualities that I look for in lip gloss is, easy application, no stickiness and high gloss shine. I found these qualities in two of my favourite lip glosses, NARS and Pure Color by Estee Lauder.

Nars lip glosses are easy to apply with an array of vivid colours, moisturizing, no stickiness and long lasting wear.

A lip gloss with the power to light up your face, exactly what every girl needs for those no make-up days when you want your face to shine.

Pure in colour, great wear, light and no stickiness. In a variety of great colours allowing you to shine, shimmer or sparkle.

I am more of a lipstick girl, it is not like I do not like gloss or lip liner, I just have more lipsticks then gloss or lip liner. To be honest I have one lip liner, from Avon and have had it for so long and hardly ever use it.

So the fact that I only have one lip liner got me thinking, maybe I just don’t invest in lip lines because I do not know how or when to use it. So when you do not know, the best thing to do is to learn. So I did some research and hopefully armed with this new knowledge I will start using the one lip liner that I have and hopefully buy some more.

When to use lip liner and what is the best way to apply it?

Lip liner is like your base coat it makes your lipstick last longer and look better. Do use it if you have thin or uneven lips (maybe this is another reason why I have not used mine so much, I do not have uneven or thin lips)
So uneven or thin lips outline your lips with a liner one shade darker than your natural lip colour as this will make it instantly look fuller and more defined. Avoid contouring outside the lines but you can build up your Cupid's bow slightly and tap highlighter over for a plumped up effect.

Use it to stop colour from bleeding

Glossy and moisture rich lipsticks tend to blend more than matte lipsticks so to keep this from happening use a natural or rose toned pencil to line your lips then dab concealer all around your mouth to and set it with loose powder before applying your lipstick.

Go all day and night long

We all want our lipsticks to last all day long to keep it from fading and to avoid that awful ring of colour around your lips when it does fade. Fill in your lips completely with your liner before applying your lipstick, this will act like a sticky tape and hold the colour down longer.

As a substitute

So you mostly have shiny or glossy lipsticks and you want to go matte for the day. Your lip liner will do the trick just for a liner with a thicker and soft tip and with a smudge brush blend it in on your lips.

Lip liner, gloss or lipsticks always looks better on smooth lips so exfoliate and moisturize lips beforehand you can either use your toothbrush to gently exfoliate, do it in a circular motion or make a DIY brown sugar and oil sugar scrub. Moisturise your lips with a lip balm before applying or every night before going to bed.

Okay as they say, knowledge is power, Lip liner here I come, ready to use and abuse you.