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Beauty Collective - moisturiser eye cream

Q&A – Can I use my moisturiser as an eye cream?

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You’ve been told to invest in an eye cream but you aren’t sure why you should fork out the extra dollars, after all do you really need to use a separate cream for your eyes? Will your moisturiser not suffice?

You could indeed use your moisturiser as an eye cream but it’s definitely not advised and we are here to explain why.

In short, eye treatments whether it be creams, gels or serums are specifically formulated to target and care for the delicate area around the eyes, the thinnest layer of skin on our entire bodies! In fact, the skin under our eyes is up to 1/10 thinner than other facial skin so it’s crucial to care delicately for this area to avoid any damage.

Like a moisturiser, an eye cream’s main objective is to deliver brightening and anti-ageing ingredients, however in a milder, gentler, safer dose.  Moisturisers tend to have a much richer consistency in comparison to their counterpart which if applied under the eyes can prove too much, resulting in irritation, allergic reactions and milia.

Eye treatments also tend to be targeted to specific eye concerns – crow’s feet,  under eye bags, dark circles instead of the huge array of facials concerns a moisturiser is targeted too, so it actually saves time and money in the long run! Also some ingredients that often appear in eye treatments, not so much face moisturisers (for example Ginkgo Biloba, caffeine…) can offer quick and temporary fixes to problems specific to just the eye area.

The bottom line is that eye creams are essentially facial moisturisers that are modified for use on the more delicate skin around the eyes and let’s not forget this skin ages faster than the rest of your face so there is no time like the present to start looking after it correctly!

Beauty Collective - longlasting makeup

Q&A – Why doesn’t my makeup last?

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Its 11am you look in the mirror and you wonder why oh why you look like you’ve just rolled out of bed even though you spent time perfecting your makeup this morning.

If this is you, we feel you, and so do many, many others. In fact, this is one of the most common questions we are asked – why doesn’t my makeup last?!

In short, excess oil is the number one reason for your makeup breaking down, or simply sliding off your face should we say (thank you pores!) however we are here to tell you how to stop that from happening in 6 simple steps. Hells yeah.

  1. PREP YOUR SKIN

Whether your skin is dry, oily or somewhere in between, it is essential to create the perfect canvas for your makeup and you can do this by correctly prepping your skin with the right skincare! Don’t full under the false pretence that your skin is oily and therefore doesn’t need hydration, incorrect. Your skin WILL produce more oil if it’s not properly hydrated so a skin specific moisturiser is essential. One of our favourites for oily skin types is Phytomer’s Oligopur Hydra-Matifying Control Cream – it literally does what it says on the bottle. Amazing stuff! Just be sure to give your moisturiser enough time to sink in before applying your foundation though. Five minutes at the minimum. Doing so will definitely help your makeup stay put for longer.

  1. PRIME TO PERFECTION

Use a mattifying primer to create a barrier between your skin’s oil and your makeup. If you haven’t invested in a primer before, do so now. It’ll change your life! (or your makeup duration should we say!) Our absolute favourite is the ELES Retexturising Face Primer, not only does it help to protect and condition your skin it WILL NOT LET MAKEUP BUDGE.

  1. FIND THE RIGHT FOUNDATION FORMULATION

Make sure you are using the correct foundation for your skin type. So if you tend to have combination to oily skin a water-based or oil-free formula will be your best friend. We and so many of our customers can’t get enough of the ELES Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation, it glides on smoothly but sets to a matte powder finish on application.

If your skin is edging on the dry side opt for more nourishing formulations. We highly recommend the ELES HD Luminous Foundation.

  1. MIST IS A MUST

A facial mist or ‘setting spray’ can help set makeup so if you’ve never used one before give it a try!

  1. BLOT BLOT BLOT

Rather than reapplying makeup over that layer of shine, blot away excess oil using a makeup sponge, blotting sheets or a beauty blender! Used to apply foundation, a beauty blender can literally double up as a blotting cushion for the face, and its shape will enable you to get into every crevice to soak up that unwanted oil.

  1. DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE

You heard me, and we all do it! But really try to be conscious to not touch your face! Not only can it spread bacteria (not good for those pesky pimples!) the warmth from your hands literally breaks down makeup! Eek.

Beauty Collective - Fuller Lips

BEAUTY Q&A: What Is The Best Way To Make My Lips Look Fuller Naturally?

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The experts here at ELES have been busy beavering away reading all those burning beauty questions you have and in turn have put together a weekly Q&A. Here’s hoping we can help everyone just a little achieve their perfect skincare and makeup daily!

One of the most popular topics of 2018 and 2019 alike is LIPS, and how to make them look fuller naturally, so it’s no surprise that we were asked this very question numerous times too!

Natural, pouty lips after all is something I’m sure we would all love to have but sadly some of us haven’t been genetically blessed, and if you are anything like me the idea of filler in the lips is a NO GO zone. I’m not sold, on the basis that I rarely find it looks natural? But all is not lost! With the right choice of products and crafty application you CAN achieve pouty, pillowy lips naturally and here is how;

  1. PREP

First step is to prep lips. As you would exfoliate the rest of your face, the lips are no different, lips need to be free of dry, flaky skin. Be sure to use a gentle exfoliator and gentle rub off any excess with a face cloth.

  1. HYDRATION

Yes we want to keep our lips moisturised, nourished, but we can’t emphasis the importance of hydrating the area around the lips too. Apply a really good lip cream like Phytomer Youth Contour Reviving Wrinkle Correction Cream – Eye and Lips, after all more often than not it is the lines around the lips which can actually be what’s making your lips look thin and aged.

Top with a good lip conditioner.

  1. CONCEAL

Take a cream or liquid concealer in a shade lighter than your natural lip colour and smooth all over the lips spreading it a little over your natural lip line. You want to blur the edges so that it’s harder to tell where your lip line is. Try ELES Dual Action Concealer. Next lightly blot your lips to remove excess product.

  1. LIP COLOUR

Select a lip colour that will compliment your complexion but best to avoid dark shades which tend to make lips appear smaller. Better to go with a subtle shade that can be mistaken as our natural lip colour, only a shade or so darker. This will create the illusion of fuller lips.

  1. LIP LINER

Once you have chosen your perfect lip colour, match with a Longwear Lipliner in the same or very close to shade. The lip liner will give your lips structure and act as a primer to help bind the lipstick to the lips. Carefully line your lips just outside your natural lip line. Fill the rest of the lips in with the liner, then apply your chosen lip colour. Try ELES Matte Lipstick. Apply with a good lip brush like ELES Lipliner brush for precision application.

  1. GO FOR GLOSS

Next apply a lip gloss to your lips to accentuate them. A clear or natural colour lip gloss such as ELES Pucker up Lipgloss is the best makeup product for making lips look fuller. Applying the gloss just to the middle of the lips will make lips appear plumper.

  1. HIGHLIGHT

Finally apply a highlighter on your cupids bow. Try ELES Liquid Illuminator. Follow all of these steps and achieve fuller lips instantly!