Stuck in a Rut? Switch up your Makeup!

By BR Kellie

Primer. Foundation. Concealer. Bronzer. Blush. Highlighter. Taupe in crease, dark brown in outer corner, light shimmer on rest of lid. Mascara. Lip balm. Done.

Day in. Day out. That's my makeup look. On a good day I can have it done in ten minutes and be whizzing out the door. It's safe. It's solid. 

It's boring.

It's not chic, or daring, or delightful. It's just there.

Which is why every now and then I like to up my makeup ante - and do things a little differently. Not for anyone else's benefit - although I do enjoy the glint my husband gets in his eye when I rock a red lippy - but for my own. It's nice to step out of the comfort zone, to see a new version of my face staring back at me. And it doesn't take a lot to make this happen... a little colour change here, a new technique there...

So what can we do to switch up our makeup? Check out these ten tried and true tricks and tips! 

1. Freshen up your lipstick. If nipple-nude (and if you've read BR Nat's nipple-nude article you'll know why I'm calling it that) is your lippy of choice, switch it out for a different shade. Reach for a red. Go all out with an orange. Pop on hot pink! Conversely, if bold and bright's your thing, why not whip out a nipple-nude and keep it chilled for a day?

2. Bring on the brows! Have a habit of forgetting about your brows? (I do, which is why I get them tinted and shaped regularly.) Taking a few minutes to fill them in will help frame your face, and pull together your entire look. Not sure how to do it? Book in to see a professional who can work with your brows to create a shape and colour that suits you. Once that's sorted you can maintain them at home.

3. Look out liner! Kellie confession: I rarely line my eyes. My upper lids won't have a bar of liner - I suspect due to the shape of them - and well... by the time I've done the rest of my makeup I just sort of forget about my lower lids. BUT, on the days I remember - pow! Hello eyes! They're bigger, brighter, more 'there'. How you switch up your liner-look is up to you. You can wing it. Tightline. Go into your lower waterline with a bright colour. Or you can do what I do and simply sweep a little matte eyeshadow underneath your lower lashline and call it good.

4. Put a lid on the neutrals already! And by that we mean - take a day off popping neutrals on your eyelid and try out some colour. A splash of neon, a touch of plum, a dash of aquamarine. 

5. If colour on your lids is never going to happen, then why not shake up your usual ritual? Instead of crease colour, outer-eye colour and inner-shimmer, why not add shimmer all over your lid and call it good? Or skip the shimmer and go fully matte? 

6. Give contouring a go. You don't have to go full on tiger stripe face, but a little contouring under your cheekbones, on the tops of your forehead and under your jawline can change things up. Start with a light hand (and a good YouTube tutorial) and see where a little artistry takes you. (And if you don't like where things end up you can always wash it off.)

7. Curl your lashes. Okay, you won't see me do this because something about lash curlers makes my gag reflex twitch. BUT, if you're not freaked out by them, they do a marvellous job of opening up your eyes and giving you a little va-va-voom.

8. Mix your mediums. Are you a matte lipstick kind of girl? Give gloss a go! If gloss is your go-to, swap it out for a matte lip. 

9. Give your under eye area a makeover! And by that we simply mean break out the concealer. Sleepless nights, genetics, and your natural eye shape can cause you to look more tired than you feel, but a quick swipe and blend of concealer (followed by a dusting of powder to set the concealer and prevent creasing) is a simple way to brighten up your face.

10. Get cheeky! Fun fact - I swatched my three favourite blushers the other day. They were all identical. Peachy pink, with a hint of shimmer. I eyed my 'brown' blush up, tentatively dipped into it with my blush brush, then applied it with more than a hint of foreboding. Well knock me down with a feather - it looked lovely. Not remotely like I'd been mud wrestling. In fact it was a far more sophisticated look than my usual girlish pinky peach. Yep,ess than ideal you can wash it off and start again.

There you have it! Ten simple ways to freshen up your makeup! So, are you stuck in a rut? Will you be trying any of these tips? Or do you change the way you do your face on the daily? What ways do you like to experiment with your makeup? Chat away!

Products featured: MAC Matte Lipstick in 'Breathing Fire', Revlon Colorstay Brow Tint, Maybelline Tattoo Liner Gel Pencil, Covergirl True Naked Palette 'Dazed', Kevyn Aucoin The Contour Duo On The Go, OXX Studio Eyelash Curler, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer, Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher.