Perfect False Eyelashes ;-)

When you have naturally short eyelashes, using just an eyelash curler and mascara doesn’t always cut it. Enter false eyelashes, the perfect way to bring out your eyes and achieve a more dramatic look. Here are the top falsies we recommend at an affordable price.

The Daytime Set

During the day, you usually want to look more natural and conservative for school and/or work. Stick to straight and even lashes (avoid alternating lengths or crisscrossed styles), so you can still apply mascara to blend them with your natural lashes. You can also try individual lashes, which are easier to control and can be spaced out or condensed to create more of a natural or dramatic look, according to your preference. Individual flares can also be placed in the outer corner on top of any other falsies to make it look a little flirtier.

Glamorous Evening Lashes

To create a bolder, dramatic look for going out at night, I personally prefer Shu Uemura Smoky Layers Lashes, they really add Hollywood volume to your lash line. I also find the Shu Uemura adhesive amazing, it really does keep your eyelashes firmly in place all night.  Be careful though—if you are applying a dark eye shadow or lip colour, pick a set of false eyelashes that will complement, rather than steal attention away from the rest of your makeup.

How to apply false eyelashes

Before applying false eyelashes, determine what style or shape works best for your eyes. Strip lashes will most likely have to be cut shorter on the corners for a perfect fit. Some find individual lashes easier to apply and more natural looking. I think it depends on your own lashes and look you’re going for.

1. Start by curling your own lashes and applying mascara as usual. Hold the lash with fingers or a tweezers and apply some lash glue along the entire strip, making sure not to use too little or too much of the product. Now STOP. The glue must dry a bit to a tacky texture before its placed. You will know its ready when it darkens a bit and looks almost dry.
2. Now you can take the lash with tweezers or even your hand, tilt head up a bit and apply the lash right over your own lashes. Make sure to try and get it as close to the roots as possible. Curling your lashes and false lashes together (with very little pressure) works beautifully to join and blend the two. For added drama, apply more mascara and then separate any clumps if needed.
3. Lining the top lids with a dark eyeliner really finishes the look and conceals any imperfections along the upper lash line ;-)

For fun and glamorous lashes try Shu Uemura and MAC. Another fave of mine and classic are Eylure which comes in tons of different styles.

Remember practice makes pretty! 

Thanks for visiting Tyger talk with Hayley. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter TygerEyes16 or Facebook for more information, tips and prizes! xoxo

Make-up; where to start - Lesson 1 Part 2 (Face)

As promised today we will look at foundation and powders, but before we continue we should clarify the order in which facial make up should be applied - that is:

1. Moisturiser  

2. Base/Primer

3. Foundation

4. Concealer

5. Powder.

My personal make-up regime is fairly light so it tends to be (1) Moisturiser, (2) Concealer (on rare occasions) and (3) Powder.  However, what you choose to use should directly correspond with how much coverage you feel you need and the look you are going for.

...laying the foundation...

Has anyone noticed that this sounds very much like what builders do?  Put the trowels away unless you are going for the drag queen look - and some people do (Christina Aguilera for example).  Anyway, as a starting point foundation is the make-up you put all over your face; primarily to even your whole skin tone out and allow the other (colour based make-up such as eyeshadow) to stay on longer. We think that the best foundations are liquid foundations as cream ones can be too heavy and as it goes all over your whole face it is very important to find out what works for you. Like a coat, your face is the first thing that people see so you should be willing to spend the money on a good foundation which matches your skin tone and would allow your skin to breathe. At Tyger Eyes, our all time favourite is Laura Mercier oil-free foundation.  It is really light and covers beautifully. Also, Lancome's Teint Miracle is great as it creates a bare skin perfection and allows your skin to breathe. Another foundation worth a mention is Giorgio Armani luminous silk foundation - it is oil free and like the title, it feels like silk on your face. We know Clinique is very popular but generally we think it tends to look ashy and really only suits those with blue (yes blue) undertones in their skin - these are (natural) blondes, some people from the Far East and some people from certain East African countries such as the Sudan and Somalia, so it doesn't make our faves list.

Although it is important to get the colour right when choosing a foundation, it is not always possible to get an exact match. So, if you ever need to pick between a slightly lighter or a slightly darker colour - always go for a lighter colour as this is easier to blend and is less likely to give you the look of a 19th century minstrel - race relations have come a long way so this is really not a good look anymore.

...finish with powder.

Powder is great!  It "sets" your make up i.e. helps keep it in place and it also absorbs a lot of the natural oils in the face and your foundation so that your face doesn't look too oily.   Powders come in all shapes and sizes but we prefer loose powders as they are easier to apply and give better coverage.  However, pressed powders are less messy and easier to transport (for later re-application), so it's all about what works for you.

Our favourite powder: we recently stumbled upon an amazing powder by a relatively unknown Australian company - Youngblood High Def Mineral Powder.  It is perfect for setting make-up and helps to create a flawless but light finish. However, if you can't get hold of this powder, Laura Mercier and Nars also make good powders which come in a range of colours

Powder/foundation combos

OK, so I am not fully convinced by powder/foundation combos as they are meant to give the full foundation coverage with a powder finish.  And although they give very good coverage, they can be a little too liquid and don't always give a matt finish.  This means you have to finish with another powder, defeating the point of using a combo.  On the plus side, they are a good starting point for people who don't like to wear make-up very often and don't want to go through the whole make-up process.  Also, they are easier/less messy to apply and easy to transport - so allow for easy re-application.  Our recommendations here would be MAC Studio Fix which can be applied with a good brush like MAC 134 and Chanel's Double Perfection Compact. 

This has been a long long lesson but, before signing off, we just want to address one of the questions we had emailed to us about using cheaper make-up ranges which may have a more diverse range of colours to match skin tone.  This is a dilemma as it is important to find a range that suits your skin but it is more important to make sure that the make-up is good for your skin and allows it to breath i.e. doesn't clog your pores which can encourage spots so in such cases we'd say try before you buy just to know how your skin would react to it and then go for the one you like best.  

We're loving the responses so keep them coming! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter TygerEyes16 or Facebook for more information, tips and prizes!

Much love
Tyger xoxo

Make-up; where to start - Lesson 1 Part 1 (Face)

Ok, so a couple of days ago a friend of mine asked me how to put on make-up.  This wasn't the first time I've been asked to give make-up advice and it dawned on me that a lot of my girlfriends do wear make-up but don't always feel confident doing so or experimenting with colours.  Then again, the people who don't feel as confident with make-up tend to be the ones with great skin and beautiful features so I am not sure it would be the right thing giving make-up advice (for two reasons, (1) why bother? and (2) let's keep the playing field even, yeah?). However, on the balance of things, I thought thought it would be good to give some tips for those who do want to experiment from time to time.

The first thing I would say is not to be scared to make mistakes.  I am lucky in the sense that I made a lot of my make-up mistakes at school and I thank God facebook wasn't invented then, but generally you have to be willing to not always get it perfect or right. However, make-up trends at the moment are so exaggerated that it is a good time to splash out and experiment with styles and colours.

Over the next week,  I will be giving a master class on what to use on your face and future weeks will focus on other aspects such as eyes, lips and cheeks and I will finally bring it all together by linking you to my favourite professional make-up look by someone I think wears make-up well.

So, lesson number one for the face starts here:

First, moisturise...

Regardless of your skin type and tone, it is very important to always start with a good moisturiser. I know people think differently on this point but, at very basic level I believe that if you have great skin, you need not bother with powder/primers/foundation etc.  All they are meant to do is even out your skin tone so it would be unnecessary if you do have good skin or a nice complexion - all you need is a good moisturiser and some bronzing powder (I recommend Body Shop bronzing pearls) to give you a healthy glow. I have tried every type of moisturiser and I think what suits your skin generally depends on your skin type.  I have combination skin - it can look oily but gets dry very easily. I find that my skin reacts well to light, simple products like E45. The moisturisers used by my friends run the gamut from Creme de la Mer to Boots cucumber facial moisturiser so, really, it is up to you what you think works best for your skin.

...then conceal...

If your skin is not so perfect i.e. you get blemishes or you have dark circles from time-to-time, then it is worth investing in a good concealer.  When I used to work long hours concealer was an absolute must! My skin looked sallow and tired so concealer did exactly what is says and concealed this.  You wouldn't necessarily use concealer all over but just on the problem areas such as under your eyes or over any blemishes.  Touche Eclat has the best reputation on the market for coverage but I like MAC's studiofix concealer as it comes in more colours and is creamy rather than liquid so you don't have to mess around to much to achieve the desired effect and it doesn't clog your pores.  You can use a concealer brush to apply concealer but your fingers work just as well and can actually give a more natural finish. I personally like a thin layer of powder all over my face after wearing concealer, just to even everything out.  This look is very good for the daytime.

...to prime or not to prime?
I have put the cart before the horse here but, make-up artists do recommend that after moisturising and before applying everything else to use a primer.  I think this is too much for a beginner and can be daunting.  What a primer or base does is help to keep the make-up in place i.e. to stop collecting in creases in the skin or running, which is especially important when wearing eye make up.  If you have good skin and a good moisturiser on, I personally think a primer or base is not necessary.

OK, I've so now I have whetted your appetite, the next post will focus on powders and foundations so do let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter TygerEyes16 or Facebook for more information, tips and prizes!

Much love

Tyger Fashion Fix - the Cape

As promised, Tyger Eyes will not only keep its pulse on the hottest beauty trends, we'll also be giving you ladies (and gents) out there a regular fix of the hot fashion trends you need to know about. This week is all about this season's most coveted item, the CAPE. This item certainly doesn't get the credit it deserves as a timeless wardrobe stable for every respectable fashionista, however, the cape is back with a bang for Winter 2010-2011. It is highly individualistic, can be dressed up or down, is flattering on women and men of all shapes, sizes and ages. It can take you from daytime or night and can be worn all year round. How many pieces can truly attest to such versatile properties? Very few in my humble opinion.  Last Friday, I met a friend in Spitalfields market for a quick bite to eat.  As usual, I couldn't stop myself from checking out the latest offerings from London's up and coming designers.  As expected, capes featured heavily in most of the outdoor wear stalls and they came in every style and colour you could possibly imagine.  I picked up the most gorgeous cape from a South African designer by the name of Chantel Koning.  Fashion favourite Kate Moss has included this hot pick in her final collection for topshop. If this isn't an indication that capes are here to stay, then I don't know what is. So ladies and gent's make sure you get your hands on this item as it is definitely a worthwhile investment.  Here are our favourite selection of capes: (1) Evening pick - Kate Moss cape (2) Casual pick - Zara Cape                       (3) Work pick - Reiss Cape (4) Cape for the fashion forward man - Salvatore Ferragamo

Guest TE Blogger: Zulaikha Sesay