Twiggy vs Edie Sedgwick: Monochrome Mod Makeup

One thing I’ve always wanted to try for a night out is a really mod makeup look like Edie Sedgwick or Twiggy. Both wore similar monochrome looks, but each had slight variations.

Twiggy’s mod look featured very soft eyebrows and some black shading in the socket of the eye. She liked to draw on little lash imitations on the lower lash line.

Edie’s mod look consisted of a really strong set of brows and her socket shading even flicked out to the sides a little. She often took her socket shading as far as to the side of her nose.

I decided to marry both of these looks and create a mod look for my friend Flora. Flora’s skin is flawless so I knew this all-about-the-eyes look would be great on her, and she’d just had her hair cut into a really mod shape so she was the perfect model.

What I combined:

• Soft lid colour from both looks
• Liquid liner along the lash line from both
• Edie’s slightly flicked socket shading
• Edie’s strong brows
• Lashes that mimic Twiggy’s drawn on lower lash lines

Do any of you follow the Pixi Woo YouTube channel? I watched the Twiggy YouTube tutorial for some ideas and it was really helpful. In particular I found it great that she showed me which brushes she was using; anyone can see a picture of a makeup and try to replicate it, but I believe that you’ll only be as successful as your brushes.

First of all I used a white eyeshadow on Flora’s eyelid. Then, I took a black eyeshadow and created a flicked shading in her sockets. Next, I took a liquid liner and lined her upper lash line. I coated just her top eyelashes in mascara… you’ll see why in a minute!

To make Flora’s eyes look bigger, I actually created a fake lower lash line for her. I used white kohl liner on her water line and then I used white eyeshadow under the water line to give the impression of a larger eye. I didn’t apply any mascara to her lower lashes as I was going to pretend that they weren’t there! Using a black liquid liner, I drew on a false lash line lower down her eye.

I used two sets of lashes on her, top and bottom, and both were a No.55 lash from Peaches and Cream. These lashes are perfect for a mod look because as you can see they’re kind of gappy and so they mimic Twiggy’s drawn on lash lines. When applying these lashes to Flora’s lower lash line, I applied them onto her new false eye line. Unfortunately these lashes are currently out of stock at Peaches but I’ll be sure to post on my Facebook/Twitter pages when they’re back in.

What do you think? Would you wear this on a night out or do you think it’s a look best left in the 60s? I can’t wait to experiment with it now that I’ve had some practise.

What I Wore: Chester Races, Ladies Day 2012

 

This week I embarked upon my first ever trip to Ladies Day at the races! To be honest I don’t know too much about horse racing but it was a trip with all of the girls from work and so I knew I’d have a wonderful day. I wrote a detailed blog for the Peaches and Cream website to tell you all of the gossip – you can view that by clicking here – but I also thought it would be nice to share a bit about my outfit for the day.

First of all I snapped up a gorgeous vintage dress at the Vintage Showroom in Liverpool. It was a last-minute dash again (do you remember my scramble to find a piece for the Christmas party?) but I found a lovely dress. Mart, the owner, picked this dress out for me and even altered it as I waited. He was really helpful and funny, I’ll definitely be going back to him again. It was a halter neck floral dress with a thick waist belt and long, pleated skirt.

Next, I took to Bold Street and happened to pop upstairs in Soho Vintage. My flatmates had told me about a lovely new Bollywood-themed jewellery shop, Bollywood Bazaar, that had just opened and so I just had to go and explore. I found the most beautiful earrings and some bindis and so I decided to take my recent Indian Princess makeup as inspiration and head to the races as a Bollywood princess! The lady in there, Dipi, was really lovely and we ended up chatting for ages. I showed her the photos of my shoot with Preserved Vintage recently and she recognised one of the models… it was Dana, the face of her campaigns, ha ha! That’s one thing I love about Liverpool, there’s a real sense of community and everyone is linked in some way.

Picking out colours from my dress, I created a smoky eye look using lime green, turquoise, black and purple pigments. I topped up my look with some No.9 lashes from Peaches and Cream, my all-time favourites. Nicola (one of my bosses) had done Amy Childs’ makeup during the week and told me that she’d gone for two sets of No.9s (you can read all about it here on the Peaches blog). I decided that if two sets were good enough for Amy, they were definitely going to be good enough for me! Funnily enough someone asked me at the races if my bindi was a vajazzle so Amy’s influence was with me in lash and in bindi.

All in all I had a lovely day and I was SO glad I’d worn a floor length dress… my feet were killing by about 3pm so Big Mare smuggled me some slippers and nobody was any the wiser! I really enjoyed wearing my bindi and had lots of compliments on it so I think I’m going to make it more of a feature in my makeup. I absolutely love wearing jewellery and love anything that’s covered in gems (no pun intended) so I really felt glam with it on.

I wasn’t the only one who had put a lot of time and thought into my outfit – here’s a photo with me and all of the girls! We’re all quite different and so I think our outfits were really varied which was lovely. Who’s dress do you like the best? Leave me a comment below and tell me.

ASOS Photoshoot with Preserved Vintage – Bollywood Makeup

A couple of weeks ago I teamed up with my friend Lucy at Preserved Vintage for her latest ASOS Marketplace photo shoot. Lucy has a lovely shop in Quiggins in Liverpool but she also sells online on ASOS. The time had come for her to photograph her latest stock and so I was on hand to inject a bit of my latest beauty must-have… Bollywood themed makeup.

Lucy arrived at mine with two models for the shoot, Kim and Dana. They both look quite different so it was interesting to see how different the same makeup scheme could look on both of them. I used a template for both which featured a variety of bright colours, but gave each of them a colour scheme. 

Kim was first for a cool makeover. Her paler skin contrasted the blue tones of her makeup really nicely, making everything look really bright.

Dana was next for a warm makeover. Her darker skin made the warm colours of her makeup look gorgeous, and I went to town with some golden tones for her highlighter.

When styling the girls, Lucy took their colour schemes into consideration and dressed them accordingly. The photos, and – of course – the clothes, were absolutely gorgeous! You can take a look at the entire collection by visiting the Preserved Vintage marketplace. Which is your favourite outfit? Leave me a comment to tell me below. (P.S there’s free post on all UK orders until this Thursday!)

Happy shopping: https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/preserved-vintage.

Dream Jobs – the Permanent Makeup Artist: Hayley McCaughran of Blushious Contour

Through working at Peaches and Cream during my time in Liverpool, I’ve met some real characters. One girl who really captures the spirit and passion for the beauty industry that Liverpool ladies all seem to have is Hayley McCaughran. Hayley works in the beauty industry as a semi-permanent makeup artist. She launched her own business, Blushious Contour, in May of 2011 and specialises in micro pigmentation.

Micro pigmentation involves using needles to apply pigment to the dermal layer of the skin. It is a permanent makeup procedure, meaning that the pigments applied will remain there forever; however, it is often described as a semi-permanent procedure because skin regeneration can cause the pigments to appear to have faded, and so clients often choose to top up their procedures. Hayley caught up with me to discuss her job, her business ethic and to tell me all about why this beauty craze has taken off so well in Liverpool.

When did you first realise that you wanted to pursue permanent makeup?
My mum was a permanent makeup artist and watching her carry out such excellent work with her clients inspired me to pursue a career in the beauty industry. Before I trained in permanent makeup I went to college and gained an NVQ Level 3 in Beauty. This gave me additional knowledge in normal makeup application.

If you could choose your favourite permanent makeup procedure, what would it be and why?
My favourite procedure to carry out is an eyebrow enhancement, especially if a client has no hair or very little.  Being able to design an eyebrow shape for an individual requires you to understand them as a person. I believe that an eyebrow shape can tell you a lot about a person through the shape, thickness, colour and boldness.

You’re based in Liverpool, a city famous for it’s immaculately groomed girls and beauty lovers! Do you think that this has given you a stronger platform to pursue a career in beauty?
Most definitely!  I have worked in the likes of London, Marbella, India and Dubai, and there is no-one like our Liverpool ladies. We are all about the big hair, those luscious pouts, the smoky eyes and the eyeliner flicks that accompany it all. Permanent makeup is now the way forward for those who love waking up looking perfect; they don’t have to worry about taking an extra 20 minutes to draw on their eyebrows or eyeliner. We are a nation of ladies that know how to look good and feel good, and being from this city has certainly made me want to put my own personal flair into the beauty industry.

What would you say is the most challenging part of your job?
I’d say every day is a challenge but an enjoyable one I may add. The reason for this is that every client is different. Some people desire the bold, brass look of make up; some desire that soft, subtle look. My job requires me to listen to my clients on a one-to-one basis and talk with them about what they want to achieve from having permanent makeup. I’m dedicated to helping those who wish to boost their confidence, and so this is a challenge that I take on every day and thoroughly enjoy.

What is the most enjoyable part of the job?
I love seeing the end result of my work. The before and after images I collate for my portfolio make my job worthwhile. I love seeing people’s reactions to how their whole facial structure can change; I can make them look younger or give them an instant face lift. I have worked with clients who have alopecia, or those who are in remission of cancer and have lost all of their hair through chemotherapy; tattooing an eyebrow or eyelash enhancement on for them and seeing the joy in their face is the best feeling in the world. I just love making someone feel like themselves again.

You’ve recently launched a new website with lots of information about you, your family and your background in business. Do you think you’ve learned a lot from your parents?
My mum and dad are my idols. Growing up, I wasn’t your typical girly girl. I was my dad’s right hand man so to say. I helped my dad with his business of selling quads and even helped out on market stalls my dad had around the country. This was the best form of business advice that anyone could gain as it involved direct contact with members of the public. I learned how to sell, how to pull the crowds in during auctions, make sure that stock take was right, pay wages… everything someone in business should know. He and my mom have always pushed me to follow my dreams and always told me to believe that anything was possible if I was to put my mind to it.

As well as demonstrating a passion for the beauty industry, I think Hayley is a great person to show just how easily business skills can be transferred from one profession to another. If you’re unhappy in your current line of work, why not try something new? Maybe you’ll find your own dream job.

To contact Hayley for more information about Blushious Contour and her services, you can find all of the relevant information by visiting her website below.

www.blushious-contour.co.uk

If you feel inspired to go for your dream job after hearing Hayley’s story, remember to read my ‘How to Land Your Dream Internship or Job‘ feature.

More in the Dream Jobs series:

• Dream Jobs – the Festival Fashionista: Sarah Flynn of Phestival
• Dream Jobs – the Jewellery Designer: Sarah Warner of Bits and Bows
• Dream Jobs – the Nail Artist: Scratch Dollface
• Dream Jobs – the Magazine Publisher: Kerry O’Coy of Fused Magazine
• Dream Jobs – the Art Workshop Facilitator: Becky Waite of the Bluecoat Blue Room
• Graduate Unemployment – Relieve Your Worry! 

Indian Princess Inspired Makeup

This evening I had my friend Jade over for a creative makeup session. Over the weekend I was working in Peaches and Cream for the first time in a while, and seeing all of the amazing makeup that the girls were creating really got me itching to do something colourful.

Earlier this week, my friend Lucy who owns a vintage boutique called Preserved Vintage asked me if I’d do the makeup for a photo shoot of hers this weekend. She asked me if I had any ideas for makeup and I thought back to the time Kate did me an Indian inspired makeup look, as pictured below. When I suggested it to her she loved the idea, so I thought it would be wise to refresh my memory and try it again on Jade before the big shoot.

First of all I chose a selection of bright colours to use within the makeup. Here was my colour kit list:

• Illamasqua blusher in Excite (coral)
• Illamasqua powder eye shadow in Sex (white)
• Lime Crime magic dust in Lime Criminal (green)
• Lime Crime magic dust in Troubadour (turquoise)
• Peaches and Cream glitter in Lizzie (white with gold reflects)
• MAC Pigment in Melon (peachy bronze)
• Lime Crime magic dust in Circus Girl (yellow)
• Lime Crime magic dust in Cupcake Thief (pearly pink)
• Peaches and Cream pigment in Strawberry Shrimp (pink)

To start with I used the Illamasqua pure white shadow as a dramatic highlighter on Jade’s brow bone and inner eye. Then, I took the Melon pigment across her lid. I used the green Lime Crime pigment to blend Jade’s socket and the turquoise to line under her eye. To give the look extra shape, I added some contouring to the side of her nose by putting some Peaches and Cream pigment under her brows and adjacent to the bridge of her nose. I also made sure that I filled Jade’s brows in so that the darkness of them would contrast the brightness of her eye colours.

Next, to really add an Asian inspired twist, I applied Jade’s eyeliner. I took the liquid liner above her lash line and spilling over onto her inner eye, and I started her liner further back from the socket underneath her eye. Jade’s own lashes were so thick that I didn’t apply any false lashes.

Once her eyes were finished, it was time to get started on Jade’s base. I used a new purchase on Jade’s cheeks, an Illamasqua blusher in a bright coral colour, and it looked stunning. The blusher is highly pigmented and I only needed to dust her with a small amount for a real colour pop. Then, I used a creamy highlighter along her cheekbones to give myself an outline, and topped this up with the bright yellow Lime Crime pigment to give her contouring an extra pop. This, to me, was what really made the makeup feel asian inspired.

To finish Jade off I used a subtle pearly pigment from Lime Crime on her lips. I mixed it with a clear gloss so that we could use it as her lip colour. I think that these colours made Jade look very doll-like, and I am excited to see their brightness when contrasted with the darker skins of the models I will be working with this weekend.

Although I was happy with this look, I think there was one thing that really made it shine… the beautiful Mareband that I put on Jade! Big Mare had made it for me this weekend and the bright colours in the band seemed to compliment this look perfectly. She makes all sorts of amazing bands and can make custom orders, too. See more from her collection by clicking here.

Be sure to pay Jade a visit and tell her what you thought of her makeup – she has a terrific blog called A Little Lipstick.

Ladies Day at the Grand National 2012 – the Most Fashionable Guest

Over the weekend, I was working at Peaches and Cream to help out during one of the busiest times of year – the Aintree Grand National. With three days of races, girls flock to Peaches for amazing makeup to accompany their new dresses, killer heels and flamboyant accessories.

On this occasion I undertook front of house duties and worked the desk with Big Mare. It was a really lovely position to see the weekend in because I saw every single girl that came in and out and made sure I took photographs of every transformation. In between answering the phone, selling false eyelashes and cornering everyone with the camera, I found the time to do one very special makeover… a Chanel chic for Big Mare!

Those of you that have read my previous posts about Peaches will know that Big Mare is co-owner Kate’s mom and is a mother figure to everyone in the shop (some clients included, ha ha). She was off to the races on Friday with her beloved Paul and she wanted a nice makeover to suit her lovely outfit. Kitted in a monochrome Chanel attire, I decided that it would be nice to keep her makeup classic and chic just like Coco herself!

Big Mare has got lovely skin, but just to be safe and ensure that I created a look that would bring out her features in the nicest way I used these tips from Kate about doing makeup for more mature skin:

• Apply foundation with your hands. By avoiding my foundation brush, I felt that I gave Mare’s foundation a softer finish and managed to really work it into her skin.
• Avoid too much highlighter. I used MAC Strobe Cream under Mare’s foundation to give her a dewy glow, and then I avoided using highlighter on her cheekbones in case it accentuated any fine lines. I still used it under her brow bone because her skin was great there.
• Go for a soft, blended eyeshadow. Rather than attempting to add any contouring to Mare’s eyes or go for a lighter to darker look, I blended some brown shades to give her a full smokey look. This meant that any fine lines around her eyes were less visible.

I’m sure a lot of you have seen photographs from Aintree (if you haven’t, you can read these pieces from the Daily Mail on Thursday and Friday) but to me the most fashionable lady at Aintree would have to be Big Mare. It was Coco Chanel that once said, ‘a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous’, and I think it is fair to say that she is flying the flag for both!

Thanks for a brilliant weekend Mare xxx

Blogger Style School Event at Meadowhall

Despite an unsavoury 6am start, today has been one of the most enjoyable days I have had in quite some time! You may be aware that I am part of Bethanie Lunn‘s blogging network at the Modern Girl’s Guide, and today some of her team came together for a beauty event at Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield.

After beginning the day with tea and cookies at Starbucks, we headed for our first makeup master class at No.7 in Boots. I learned all sorts of things about the brand that I had never known before. For example, did you know that the government allowed No.7 – founded in 1935! – to keep producing makeup during the war? They thought it was appropriate that women would look nice for their husbands when they returned home from battle. History lessons aside, we were given lots of tips about how to best utilise their products.

Here were my favourite tips:

• Apply mascara in a zig zag motion to ensure that you coat every lash.
• Use water as a toner – if you’ve cleansed your skin properly, your moisturiser is adequate as the next step.

No.7 kindly provided me with lots of products to try so I will post a review of those once I’ve given them a thorough trial. I’m especially excited to try their most famous product, the Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum. Do you remember the storm caused in 2007 when it was clinically proven to reduce wrinkles? People were queueing to purchase it and it had sold out in lots of locations.

Next up was a tutorial from one of my favourite makeup brands, Illamasqua. As my regular readers will know, I am in love with this makeup brand because the products are so pigmented and their campaigns are so innovative. One of their team, Glen, demonstrated a smokey eye on me using the Sophie-I technique. Using a step-by-step method, he did one of my eyes and I did the other, further highlighting how easy the technique was to adapt.

Here were my favourite tips:

• Use a kohl pencil topped up with eyeshadow to make your underliner last for longer.
• Move your brush in circular motions when creating a smokey look in the sockets of your eyes.

I felt like a queen and my transformation took no longer than fifteen minutes. The Sophie-I pencil is a winner!

Our final makeup demonstration of the day was with a brand that I wasn’t familiar with, Bellapierre. Originating in the USA, this mineral makeup brand have been in the UK for 7 years and boast an array of brightly pigmented products that are free of additives. I was new to the brand, and to mineral makeup, so was keen to hear how it worked. Bethanie put this bright red lipstick to the test as we ate our lunch and it didn’t budge.

Here’s what I learned:

• Mineral makeup is a great alternative for younger people wanting to preserve the youthfulness of their skin.
• Bellapierre pigments can be mixed with water, gel, nail varnish… anything! This creates new textures and uses for the products.

All of the brand representatives at Meadowhall were really friendly and insightful. It was great to have detailed talks regarding each brand and learn a bit more about how to best use each product. With samples of all of these ranges, I will be sure to keep you posted on how I’ve found their ranges.

Do you wish you were there? Well, how would you like to win a selection of things that I got to take home?

BEAUTY BAG GIVEAWAY!

How would you like to win this beauty selection? It contains…

• An Illamasqua nail varnish in ‘Smash’ – a vivid green shade
• A lip balm, slanted brush, mineral eye shadow and mascara from Bellapierre
• Samples from Clarins, Elemis, and a number of high-end perfume samples such as Vivienne Westwood and Hermes

Here’s how to enter…

1. Like the Mixed Gems Facebook fan page by following this link: www.facebook.com/ILoveMixedGems

2. Fill in your name and e-mail address using the contact form below. These details will only be used to contact you if you win the beauty bag.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Entries close on Sunday 1st April 2012 at 5pm and a winner will be drawn at random at this time. If the winner does not respond to their e-mail within 3 days a new winner will be chosen. This competition is open worldwide so feel free to enter from wherever you are.

Good luck, and be sure to make use of Meadowhall’s lovely team the next time you stop by for some beauty products.

As seen on The Modern Girl’s Guide.

Ghetto Cleopatra – a modern makeup interpretation

Sometimes iconic figures are inseparable from a makeup concept. Think about it… would you ever picture Kim Kardashian minus her smokey eyes, or think of Twiggy minus her dramatic false lashes?

For their Human Fundamentalism campaigns, makeup brand Illamasqua inverted some iconic makeup looks and gave them a bright and tribal edge.

Here’s their interpretation of Marilyn Monroe. Note the white eyebrows, teal lips, white beauty spot and teal long lashes.

Another look they channeled was that of Cleopatra. They kept her strong brows and replaced her iconic blue shadow with teal and lilac colours from their new collection.

Keen to experiment with their latest products, I invited my friend Denisa round and decided to experiment with the two. Strangely enough, Denisa had already told me that she’d love to be recreated as Cleopatra, so our creative visions were somewhat merged. Keen to capture the iconic look of Cleopatra but give it a modern and tribal edge, we got to working.

Initially I used the powder eyeshadows in Sex (white), Can Can (lilac) and the eyeliner cake in Mislead (black) to create a smoky eye look. White was my highlighter, lilac was my main colour, and I added black to create some depth. Then, using my Sealing Gel, I applied the eyeliner cake. The Sealing Gel mixes with any pigment/shadow to create a waterproof multi-purpose formula.

After creating the smokey eye, I needed to add Cleopatra’s signature dramatic eyeliner. First I added feline flicks to the inner corner of Denisa’s eyes, drawing a triangle and then colouring it in. Then, I followed the natural line of her lashes to extend the eyeliner on the flicks of her eyes.

Next it was time to focus on Denisa’s brows. I used a brown eyeshadow mixed with the sealing gel to create a dark paste and draw very dramatic brows. I followed the natural curve of her brow but made it much thicker using a slanted brush.

For Denisa’s base, I gave her a glow by using lots of bronzer and adding gold highlighter to her brow bone and cheeks. For a few finishing touches, I looked to the Marilyn Monroe look for inspiration. Adding my Sealing Gel to the white powder, I gave Denisa a white beauty spot. Then, I added the amazing teal lipstick in Apocalips to give the trend a modern, eccentric edge.

My final dusting was to Denisa’s nose! I used bronzing powder to chisel some definition to the top of her nose, near her brows, as seen on the Illamasqua Marilyn.

What do you think of this look? Hopefully it has proven that garish colours don’t have to be as alarming to experiment with as one might think. Denisa makes the lipstick, in particular, look effortless!

To swatch or not to swatch… that is the (beauty blogging) question.

Since starting Mixed Gems in 2010, I have enjoyed all aspects of the blogging community. I love writing my own pieces but I love reading other blogs as well, and in particular I am drawn to reading beauty blogs.

One thing that has always puzzled me slightly about beauty blogging is the concept of a swatch. For any readers who are unsure what a swatch is, it is when a blogger takes a makeup product and puts a little sample of it on their arm/hand. Here’s an example of a swatch, with products left to right as follows: Chrome Yellow by MAC, Shoe Addict by Lime Crime and Carbon by MAC.

Now, here’s a photo of a makeup look I created using these three colours. (This was one of my favourite looks! You can see more photographs of this look by clicking here.)

I’d love for you to contemplate the following when looking at these two photos…

• Do you think the colours look different when presented differently?
• Which photo would you find more useful as a makeup consumer/blog reader?

One thing that I really must stress is that some of my favourite bloggers use this technique – I am not criticising them at all. I just wonder why this technique is so popular, it seems strange to me to photograph a sample of a product on a body part that it will not come into contact with?

An eyeshadow swatch is perhaps unusual to me, but I can appreciate that eyeshadows will be coming into contact with skin of the same colour (roughly). When I see lipstick swatches, however, I just can’t see how they’re useful. The product will be touching a completely different colour and texture and will inevitably look different, so I don’t see how a swatch can be appropriate or helpful?

As stated before, the reason I have decided to broach the subject is that a number of people who I think of as brilliant, inspiring bloggers use this technique. By no means do my personal opinions of swatching take away from my opinions of their blogs, I would just love to hear from fellow bloggers/readers in regard to how or why they think swatching is such a popular aspect of beauty blogging. I also want to hear from my readers in regard to whether you think I should be swatching more of the products in the makeup looks that I create.

Looking forward to hearing from you, please leave a comment below or tweet me @RoseGallagherr.

*Here’s the link to a post about Lime Crime makeup and it’s the one time I’ve created a swatch. As above, it was accompanied by a photo of me using the products. Take a peek and see what you think.

How to Rock a Canary Yellow Smoky Eye

I’m sure canary yellow isn’t necessarily a colour that most people would associate with smoky eyes. Most people think of darker colours when they hear the word ‘smoky’; how, then, could yellow fit into this equation? Yes, yellow is garish and not a classic makeup colour choice, but when teamed with the right colours it can create a look that is bright and smoky all in one.

To create this look on my friend Denisa I used four colours: Chrome Yellow by MAC, Lime Criminal (lime green) by Lime Crime, Shoe Addict (sapphire blue) from Lime Crime and Carbon (black) by MAC. I used the yellow shade on her eyelids, used blue and black as eyeliner underneath her eye and then blended lime green and black into the socket of her eyes.

Denisa’s eyes were so colourful that we tried to keep her base muted but fresh. First of all I applied a medium foundation coverage and then I went for peachy tones on her cheeks and lips. Denisa’s skin is flawless so I used lots of highlighter on her to really emphasise her complexion.

Do you think you’d ever go for a bright yellow smoky eye? Let me know what you think of this look in the comment section below.

*I used these images of Denisa in another post about beauty bloggers and the technique of ‘swatching’ products. If you have an opinion on whether swatching is a useful element of blogs, or you’re wondering what a swatch even is, you can view the post by clicking here.