Accessorise your Eyes

Whether its for a long awaited holiday or an average day at the office, there are a few things you can do to bring the spark back into those eyes and learn how to accessorise them in a way that suits you, makes you feel comfortable in your own skin and helps you exude confidence in your new look!

First thing's first, if you're in the business of trying out something new or having a little bit of practice with a new style or type of makeup, you want to make sure your face is clean and clear and ready to take on the world. Your eyes are obviously really sensitive, so whether you're washing your face in the shower or using a cleanser and cotton pad, don't go getting shampoo or cleanser in your eye! That's not the start we need for a new look and you'll only be left with red, watery eyes that feel irritated at the very thought of applying makeup. So gentle cleansers only please and definitely no skipping on this stage especially at night as you don't need to wake up with sore, red eyes either. Mascara should be removed carefully as you don't want to put any strain on your eyelashes and the skin around your eyes should be gently scrubbed being extra careful not to use cleaners that like to dry out the skin.

Speaking of dry skin, there is no harm in sticking to a light moisturiser at night before going to sleep, especially in areas that could be problematic such as the skin around the eyes where dryness can occur. Plus, it has lots of time to sink in and keep your skin hydrated throughout the night. If you can spare 20 minutes to give yourself a facial with cucumbers over your eyes while you let your cares go by, then just go for it. Treat yourself! Cucumber has plenty of water and antioxidant properties that keep the skin cool and hydrated as well as being rich in Vitamin C to help keep your immune system healthy and skin glowing.

If you have ever sat there and wondered if the old cucumber of the eyes trick actually works, then there really is only one way to find out! And let's be honest, it can't hurt and it won't cost the world, so give it a try and I'll bet you can really feel the benefits, plus, who doesn't want 20 minutes of peace and quiet these days! The key to looking good is feeling good so allowing yourself time to destress each day will only help you feel more refreshed when you wake up each day.

So now you have clean eyes, you are pampered and feeling relaxed, its time to pull out the big guns and start the path to new and fresh-looking eyes. Once all the eye makeup is removed and you have followed your moisturising routine, its time to reach for the eyelash growth serum. And I know you'll have questions - But do they work? Are they worth it? Will it irritate my eyes? And the simple answer is yes they do work as long as you put in the same commitment as your nightly cleansing routine, it will definitely be worth it as long as you have a little patience and can see the results in a few weeks and no, eyelash growth serums are formulated with your eyes in mind so it shouldn't every involve putting anything that will cause irritation to the surrounding skin of your eyelashes.

If you are in the market for a new product, Xlash have formulated an eyelash growth serum that not only helps your lashes grow faster and longer, but they look darker and fuller in the process. Containing only colour enhancing ingredients and no harmful dyes or perfumed scents, it could be just what you need if you really want your eyelashes to stand out. So, do yourself a favour and give those lashes a little boost each night and when it comes to accessorising them, you may just find you won't need to!

Next, get yourself to bed for a good 8 hours sleep. It's said that you should sleep with a couple of pillows to keep your head slightly elevated through the night. This helps to get rid of any water retention around the eyes as gravity helps move it away and this should help you wake up free of under-eye bags that you'll only work harder to conceal later. Sleep is very important to keeping your eyes looking good, so if you need to forego the last episode in a Netflix binge to get that extra hour of shut eye, remember your eyes will thank you for it the next day.

You've woken up, you feel refreshed and your skin is feeling smooth and ready for the day, so now before you start to accessorise your eyes you need to get a base on your face so that it is ready to take on your new exploration in makeup. So, to start with, go and splash some cold water on your face to wash the night away without getting rid of the healthy oils in the skin. If you wash your face with hot water, you can scrub these away as well as making the face red and puffy as you wake the blood vessels up. Keep your cool by using cool water and really give yourself a wake-up call.

Now hopefully you have a trusty primer by your side to give your skin the perfect base coat for your foundation and eyeshadow, but fear not if you don't, there are other alternatives. Ok so primer does more than just create a base, it helps to even up skin tone so that you get an all over coverage, but it also helps to smooth out lines and textures created by pores so that whether you cover it with makeup or not, you have the added benefit of smoother looking skin anyway.

Other options include concealer to give even coverage, highlighter creates a brighter base to help eyeshadow really stand out and aloe vera gel will help with the smooth and oil free skin around the eyes. Once you have primed your eyes, leave it to set in for a few minutes and seal the base so that you can trust in your makeup to last longer.

There are a thousand "rules" when it comes to eyeshadow, like what colours you should where depending on your eye colour, how far up the lid you should go with your make up and whether you should apply eyeshadow under the eyes or not. But the aim is to accessorise your eyes, so all rules can go out the window if you really want them to. We want you to feel confident in yourself and not self-conscious that you may have gone overboard But if you are experimenting with styles and colour that may help you step out of your old comfort zone and into a new one, then the main tip is to try new things until you feel your eyes have the flair you have been looking for.

As a girl with deep brown eyes, I grew up feeling jealous of people with blue or green eyes as they naturally popped without the need for too much makeup. But as I got older, I started to appreciate the eyes I had as it gave me more chance to accessorise them and be playful with the colours I use. For an average workday, once I've primed, I opt for lighter shades of brown with bronzes and auburn hues that really make my dark eyes stand out. On a night out my favourite colour to go to is burnt orange and it gets more interesting if you add highlights of bright orange and flecks of amber toward the inner corners of the eyes. But brown eyes can carry off deeper shades of purple or green or even darker browns for the smoky-eye look. Brown eyes can go a long way if you are ready to experiment, so pick up the palette and get to work by building layers of colour and carefully blending until you have just the look you want.

So, this is where things get really good. Eyeliner can be as subtle or as outgoing as you want it to be, and for me is the most fun step in accessorising your eyes as you can bring out your character or even be playful with a brand new one! Depending on the look you are going for you may want to go for an eyeliner pencil, an eyeliner gel or a liquid eyeliner pen.

The benefits of each of these are too good so it can be hard to choose which one you like best, but I reckon having one of each around can't hurt so you can choose depending on your mood that day and how much of a hurry you are in! In terms of giving your eyes a boost from the norm and learning how to accessorise your eyes though, I think you should pull out all the stops and escape that comfort zone we mentioned earlier.

A pencil eyeliner is the most handy as you don't have to be so precise with it, even at its sharpest it won't create the same clean lines as a liquid or a gel but it can be used for getting ready quickly for work or for smudging to create a smoky eye. Pencil eyeliner isn't renowned for its staying power though so be careful on a rainy day or if you are going to be partying hard later on. Sweat and eyeliner don't mix!

A gel eyeliner is great for creating shapes with absolute precision as you completely control your brush and where you want it to go. So a steady hand is an absolute must – with a little patience thrown in! If you are practising, be ready to make a few mistakes and have a little pot of coconut oil and a cotton bud handy for easy and clean removal so you can correct any urgent mistakes.

A liquid pen eyeliner is the best of both worlds, as they have the convenience of a pencil eyeliner but the precision of a gel eyeliner, without having to compromise on staying power. Have a look out for Xlash Carbon Black eyeliner which is a pen eyeliner and has the deepest black hue, perfect for defining your eyes and getting artistic with wings and cat eyes.

As you can change the appearance of the shape of your eyes with different styles of eyeliner, you can also change the whole look of your face, so if you are going for a more dramatic change, try a pen eyeliner to start with so you can draw the outline of the wing, outward and upward from the edge of the eye and follow the shape of the upper lid to create a smooth and uninterrupted line that you can fill in when you are happy with the thickness. Now your eyes as starting to look colourful and lined to perfection, the next step is to think about your eyelashes again and how to make sure they are the perfect accessory to your all new look!

If you have been keeping up with your nightly applications of Xlash Eyelash Growth Serum, then for the last few weeks, if has been getting to work in keeping your eyelashes smooth and healthy and boosting the level of growth within the cycle. You should start to notice that they look longer and fuller when they may have been lacking in this department beforehand. As they are now at their healthiest, they will be ready to get accessorising to add a finish to your brand-new look.

Eyelashes are common on all of us, but their shape can vary from person to person, so even if you have been applying your growth serum, you may still want to enhance their shape a little more by giving them a curl before you get to the mascara. Invest in a great eyelash curler that has a sturdy yet soft grip, and pads in the mechanism of the curler so that it is soft on your eyelashes. The closer you can get to the base of your eyelashes the better, but obviously be careful not to catch your skin as this can get very painful and cause redness and swelling, and you've just worked so hard to make sure this doesn't happen. Loosen your grip slightly and move the curler in short bursts up to the tip of your eyelashes by aiming upward in the direction of the eyelashes. If you hold the curler in place for a few seconds each time, you will start to see your eyelashes take on a whole new dramatic look with ease after a few practices.

Then comes the mascara! So, there are so many different types of mascara and all promise to do various things, such as add volume, length or extra curl, but for the perfect base accessory, I would say to pick a mascara based on the wand shape and the colour of the mascara. You want to apply a layer ensuring coverage over all the individual lashes and do it while your lashes are freshly curled to try and maintain the shape. If required add another layer to boost them even further and just be careful not to go overboard or you'll end up with spider eyes! The lower lash line should only need a little if any mascara, just to emphasise their shape and colour and not lashings like the upper lash line.

Now that your eyes are ready to face the world, you may have tried out a little more colour or a more pronounced wing now that you have mastered the art of eyeliner, its time to finish off the look entirely by getting your eyebrows into shape and adding a touch of colour to your lips.

Eyebrows frame the eyes and if they are looking a little sparse or out of shape then it would be a shame to go through all the effort with your eyes and leave your poor eyebrows out of the beauty loop. You can also get an eyebrow growth serum that boosts the growth deep down so your brows can look fuller and match the fullness of your new eyelashes. If you are going to be encouraging the growth of your eyelashes, then you may as well treat your eyebrows at the same time!

Your eyebrows could just need a little taming or reshaping, in which case you may choose to visit a local beautician to help you out especially if you are just starting out, but if not and you are handy with a tweezer, then grab a few of the strays before you have started your makeup application so that the skin has time to calm down and you're not trying to cover redness with copious amounts of makeup! That will only lead to bad things down the line. Remember that aloe vera gel I mentioned? That would be perfect for applying just under the brow to cool the skin down and prepare it for the next part of your accessorising makeover.

There are plenty of pencils and palettes that come in all shades of browns and blondes to match your eyebrows, and if you want to go a shade darker or lighter then it is time to get experimental and see what works for the tone of your skin and the colour of your hair. I'm a massive fan of darker eyebrows but it works for me as I have such dark eyes that they compliment each other, but if you are fair haired you probably don't want to go as dark as I do as it can just put the wrong emphasis on your face. But fill in the gaps and if you feel the need to do so, create shaper lines on the underside of the brow to really give you the definition.

Once your brows are filled, think about a setting powder to stop them looking shiny or drawn on and make them look naturally filled as opposed to painted strips above your eye! Your eyes are now perfectly accessorised, so take a good look in the mirror at your handy work and admire your efforts. The best thing is practice makes perfect, and with time, the whole process will get quicker and your hands will start remembering how to apply makeup with your eyes closed!

If you are heading for a night out or a festival perhaps, don't just stop at accessorising your eyes, add a touch of your favourite colour to your lips or cheeks, but you don't want to end up looking like a porcelain doll so keep it vague and subtle if you have gone for bright colours on your eyelids. You could accessorise your face with glitter and face gems around the eyes and use the same colour scheme in your eye makeup which gives you freedom to go over the top as much as you want especially on festival days as these accessories are supposed to be flamboyant and fancy, so I say the more the merrier!

At the end of the day, you can accessorise your face and eyes using as much or as little makeup as you want to or that you feel comfortable in, but if you put in the effort to keeping your skin, eyelashes and eyebrows as healthy as you can, then even without any makeup or glitter... your eyes will become your favourite accessory!