Must Have Eye Make-up Autumn/Winter 2016

Every season cosmetic brands launch variations of existing products and new ideas.  Sometimes it's easy to stay safe with what we know and yet as the light changes with season, so it affects the colours we wear, especially if we are starting to look slightly jaded and dull.

I'm all for change but I like to keep it realistic. I look at posts on Instagram and whilst the bloggers look absolutely incredible with their full, made up looks, they just don't transcribe well to a daytime look. Even for the evening some of these looks are so heavily made up for the camera and various filters that in real life, they just look quite frankly trashy.

When I test products I do not use filters, I test in daylight and I don't photoshop - I stay away from what is essentially, in my view - false advertising.  So whilst my pictures may not look as glamourous as some you may see on social media - they at least give a true indication of how they look.  This also translates to 'don't judge me on my photographing skills'. Anyway here's my pick of eye products this autumn.

Benefit Roller Lash Brown www.benefitcosmetics.com £19.50

I love Benefit Mascaras and have long been a fan of the Roller Lash. This time round I wanted to use something to enhance brown eyes and green eyes, rather than bog standard black and so tested the colour in 'Brown'. First as you can see from the picture on the left, I was short-changed on the lash department and so need every helping hand I can get.  With just one coat and when I say one coat, this is no wiggling back and forth with the brush, you can see the difference for yourself. Natural, fluttery lashes that are ideal for daytime - for evening all I need is a couple of coats and I'm good to go. I did have a flash on the eye as the sun wasn't shining today however, you can see that it's a rich brown that compliments the irises. With green & hazel eyes the colour highlights the brown flecks leaving them looking soft and beautiful.

Benefit they're Real Big Sexy Eye Kit £27.50

Three neutral duo shades alongside a custom shadow blender, makes achieving the wide awake look easy peasy.  Simply slide the blender in-between your chosen colour and apply to lids for an instant neutral look, that highlights and shades in just the right places. I love the rose-gold shades as these add warmth to the skin and so ideal for brightening dull skin tones.

Barry M Dazzle Dust £4.59 www.barrym.com

Every year I feature these treasure pots of glimmering dust particles, quite simply as they have always remained a favourite of mine.  Just a smidgeon on the eyelids is all you need for evening glamour, finished with a flick of eyeliner and lashings of mascara. I don't just stop at applying them to my lids, I use them to highlight the inner corner of my eyes, mix with body lotion and apply to my décolletage for a dewy highlight and also mix with lipgloss for the ultimate shimmering pout. I love the oceanic blue, which
can be built up for a solid shimmer, or just washed across the eyelid for an ethereal, mermaid glow.

New for Autumn & Winter 2016 are the palettes in Champagne Dreams £6.49 and Red Carpet Ready £6.49.  Champagne Dreams is ideal if you're clinging on to the last bit of sun kissed skin, as the bronze and gold shades pull out golden tones in the skin.  Red Carpet Ready is as it's namesake, all you need to create a smokey and long-lasting eye.  The pigmented shadow is thickly condensed, so that once layered upon the primer the shadow will last all night without budging.

The Estee Edit Metallishadow £17 Selfridges.com

 Estee Lauder have upped the competition on the metallic market with their newly launched Metallishadow Creme & Powder pots.  For the most bewitching eye, apply the creme base followed by the densely pigmented foil shadow.  The photos speak for themselves, but what the camera doesn't quite capture is the mirror shine, that gives a wow factor each time you blink.  The pots are quite simply fabulous, each containing a mirror and the perfect 'snap' compact, ensuring that the loose shadow stays firmly in the base without any spillage into your make-up bag.  

Clinique Quickliner for Eyes £16 Clinique.co.uk


The Intense Midnight Quickliner for Eyes is a deep, steely blue that lends itself to the darkness of autumn nights.  Its the perfect transition from summer to autumn without resorting the heavy black often used in winter.  The colour will make eyes 'pop', whilst the deep navy makes the white of the eyes look brighter. The pencil itself is of the softest formula, which ensures eyes are treated gently without any pulling or snagging.  I've applied on the picture to the left without any other make-up so you can see the density of the pencil. Best of all it's water resistant and doesn't budge all day long. Also suitable for sensitive eyes.

 I also tested Cliniuqe Chubby Stick Shadow Tint in Mighty Moss £17.50 a beautiful moss green, shot through with shimmering gold and ideal for complimenting autumnal tones.  The Vitamin E enriched crayons can be layered over one another to create your own unique shade, or simply glided across the lid for a softly shaded lid.  Keeping with earthy colours, I looked at All About Shadow in Black Jade, a beautiful crease free, shimmer shadow that again just glides on effortestly and stays put all day.  Again like the Chubby Stick, this shade picks out subtle flecks of gold that pick up highlights in the irises, especially brown and hazel eyes.

KIKO Milano Graphic Gaze Double Eye Marker £8.90 http://www.kikocosmetics.com/en-gb/

This liner is my little secret go-to for creating a range of graphic eye designs. It can be used in so many ways, but first lets talk about the design itself. One end features a tiny pin sized ball that releases just the right amount of ink, whilst the other end has a slightly larger head to it.  For instant volume to your lashes, simply press the smaller end close to the base of your lash and 'dot' your way across each lash - this gives the impression of a thicker base and longer lashes. For more a more dramatic eye use the thicker end to create a 'winged' effect or heavier rock chick effect.  It's a great concept and
I guarantee it will become one of your make-up must have staples.  Note from the picture shown (excuse the scary glare, photography on myself is not my strong point), I have used just on the left eye and not used any mascara just simply dotted the product on the very base of my lashes to 'thicken them'.

Elizabeth Arden £17 Precision Glide Eyeliner  http://www.elizabetharden.co.uk

Whilst this precision eyeliner is a doodle to use, and lasts an impressive 14 hours oh and is waterproof - lets just talk about the colour. Or maybe the photo should say it all. I get sent lots of products to test and sample and have to limit to just a few - and this is why I chose this one. The stunning deep purple is a must for anyone with brown eyes as any shade of purple really emphasises and adds contrast.  Yet on blue eyes and green it looks just as amazing, really making eyes stand out without resorting to bog standard black.  Once again the metallic hues are given extra oomph with the stunning deep grape, and adds instant kudos to the wearer for this seasons must have colour.

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Eye Shadow £18

Luxurious, sophisticated and classy that describes the compact this gorgeous, crease free shadow comes in. I tested Cinnamon a suit all shade, which is perfect for day or evening and great as an all over colour on the lids. As with all the shades, the vitamin enriched formula is gentle on the eyes and comes with a

decent sized applicator. The eyeshadows are also available as a duo and come with a  complimenting highlighter for use under the brow brown or in the centre of the lid, for a flattering wide-awake look.

Eylure Brow Magician £11.95 www.eylure.com

Eylure have made their name for themselves as possibly best supermarket brand for long-lasting eye tints and brow products.  This Autumn sees the launch of the new Brow Magician, a double ended tube with precision brow crayon one end and a tinted fix gel the other.  What I love about this product is that it's easy to create your own personalised brow, whether you want full on thick brows, a more defined brow or simply to darken the colour.  On the left is my natural, over-plucked (from my teenage years) brow and to the right is brow after application of this product. You can see that it looks completely natural and not like the 'scouse' over-dyed celebrity brow, which in my opinion is unnatural and very unattractive. Again I get to test lots of eye-brow products and this makes it a winner, due to it's long-lasting formula and natural colour.