Everyday Neutral Eye

My daily makeup routine has gone through various stages, but through experimentation and tweaking I've managed to settle on something that I find strikes a good balance between looking polished but not overdone. I went through a (short-lived) period of applying a face full of foundation, but found that my skin reacted poorly and the product on my skin felt uncomfortable. Now I've reverted to applying a very small amount worked into specific areas of my face (edges of my nose, corners of my mouth, chin, a bit on my forehead) where I need evening out. I concentrate mostly on eye makeup because it's what makes the largest difference to how I look.

Here are the products I've been using lately for my eye makeup:

• Sportsgirl Time to Shine Bronze Cosmetic Palette
• Models Prefer The Must Have Shadows Compact
• Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black
• Revlon Illuminance All-Over Palette in Passion Fusion
• Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara in Very Black
• Bourjois Liner Feutre in Ultra Black
• Shiseido Eyelash Curler

l-r: Models Prefer silver (first in second row), Sportsgirl bronze and dark brown

I start by applying with my finger the lightest cream eyeshadow in the Revlon palette all over my eyelid. The colour is a very subtle light pink which basically doesn't show up on my lids. I use it more or less only as a primer and base for my shadows. I own a few Revlon cream eyeshadow palettes that I use for the same purpose. For me, it's always worked quite well (no problems with creasing and makes my eyeshadows more vibrant and long-lasting).

Next, I apply the bronze colour in the Sportsgirl palette all over my lid with a small eyeshadow brush. I've tried quite a few neutral eyeshadows and I've found this shade is suitably understated for everyday wear and works well for my skin tone. With a different eyeshadow brush, I apply the darkest shade in the same Sportsgirl palette, a dark brown/chocolate shade with fine bronze glitter, as if to line my upper lid. I blend upwards and smudge it out a little bit to give some depth to my eyes. As I have a monolid, I don't have a visible socket, so I have to keep looking up every now and then to check where I should stop blending the darker eyeshadow. Usually I apply it so it's just peeking through and it's mostly the bronze colour that's visible when I open my eye.

Next, I line my upper eyelid with the Bourjois felt tip eyeliner, making sure to stay as close to the lashline as possible. I extend the line a little past where my eye ends and wing it out a little bit, but not too much. I apply some of the Models Prefer eyeshadow (the shade first in the second row, a sparkly metallic light grey) to my lower lashline to give a brightening effect. I use an angled brush lightly dipped into the Maybelline black gel liner to softly line my bottom lashes. Finally, I curl my lashes and then apply mascara to the top and bottom lashes. The mascara I've currently been using, Define-A-Lash, has an effective wand which is curved and separates lashes well while coating them with just the right amount of product for visibly darkened and thicker lashes.

Picture was taken at the end of the day, more than 12 hours after makeup was applied in the morning. The flash intensifies the shimmer and colour of the shadows and the side angle is a little misleading because front on, you definitely can't see as much of the darker shadow. Excuse the stubbornly straight eyelash that just won't curl at the end.