Tomorrow is officially the most depressing day of the year. Our festive cheer has disappeared, we’re not eating chocolate for breakfast anymore and payday is still SO far away! It’s easy to see why you might be feeling a little bit down in the dumps at the moment.

Rather than feeling blue, we’ve put together some self-care ideas to help you combat those feelings before the 6am alarm tomorrow.

People only wear makeup to cover up blemishes or make them look like someone else, it’s purely skin deep and can be pretty superficial, right? Wrong.

While there have been some wild and unrealistic portrayals of ‘perfect beauty’ in the media over time, there are actually so many positive mental health benefits of putting on makeup that you probably never even realised.

Research has shown that women experience huge emotional and psychological benefits when wearing makeup. This isn’t to say that they feel ‘ugly’ without it or feel forced to wear it, it’s actually the complete opposite.

Makeup can make you feel more positive and strong, it’s more than skin deep, it’s part of who we are as a person and our own wellbeing. We’ve been using makeup to define ourselves for over 30,000 years, so why is it now suddenly being shamed?

Feeling good about your looks can of course give you confidence but beauty routines can lead to so much more than that. Studies have shown the actual ritual of applying makeup can help soothe anxiety, but even makeup itself provides a creative and fun outlet for self-expression that can lift you up during rough times.

Whether you want to apply a full face of makeup or just a swipe of mascara that’ll make you feel like you can tackle the day ahead – that’s okay. Beauty for us, is all about feeling like the best version of you you possibly can.

Whether you use makeup to take back some control, to treat yourself or just to get out of your own head for a bit. It’s such a powerful tool that can help you express your identity and enhance what makes you unique.

Whether you’re a makeup artist or a makeup novice, our products are made for everyone. After all, the way you do, or even don’t do your makeup is one way to help you feel more like yourself in the morning.

The History of Makeup

In 6,000BC the Egyptians were one of the earliest societies to use makeup and would use natural substances such as ground nuts and minerals mixed with animal fat to create products they could apply to their face.

The next movement was the ‘less is more’ approach by the ancient Greeks and Romans, makeup was worn but it was frowned upon so tended to be applied in private. Similarly in the 15^th century, there was a huge association with makeup and deception which I guess we could call the ultimate ‘less is more’

Things started to loosen up in the 16^th century when Venice became the fashion capital of the world and heavy, bold makeup started to be celebrated rather than frowned upon.

We took a step back in the 19^th century when Queen Victoria announced that makeup was vulgar and shouldn’t be worn in public. (eeek!) We weren’t able to shake this view very quickly as in the early 20^th century wearing lipstick in particular was still seen as ‘morally questionable’.

In 1913, red lipstick took it’s place as the symbol of strength, power and liberty when members of the Women’s Suffrage Parade wore it during their marches to demand to vote.

By the 1920s we saw the rise of Hollywood glamour and makeup started coming to the masses and ever since we have seen the beauty industry booming thanks to the digital world.  

Hyaluronic acid has been proven to plump, minimise fine lines and reduce signs of dryness and dehydration, so it’s no fad, it is one of the best ingredients you can use. But let’s break it down some more. 

We’ve rounded up some of our favourite party looks from our customers to get you started.

These looks include everything you need to create your new years eve makeup or party season looks.

Beauty advertisements tend to follow a simple formula. Find a well-known celebrity prepared to endorse the product, a large sum of cash and a little airbrushing and place the result in a glossy magazine and on the telly. And why not? It works. Or does it? 

With so many mascaras out there, you’d think it was easy to find the perfect one. Unfortunately, that was exactly our problem… we couldn’t find our ‘Mr Right’ in the mascara world. I’ll admit, we did have high expectations; we wanted length, volume and an all-day curl without flakes, clumps or smudging. Oh and we wanted it in some super cool packaging that would really catch people’s eye.

Fancy getting your mitts on one of our statement makeup bags filled with CODE Beautiful problem-solvers?

Head over to our social channels to share your answers and be in with the chance to win.

For the past few months, we’ve been working so hard on pulling together our new campaign #GetReal and finding new ways to show you what our brand really stands for.

As you probably already know, we love taking our customers on our journey every step of the way so we wanted to share some of stuff that went on behind the camera!

Did you know there is a holiday that celebrates a plant-based lifestyle? Well November 1^st is also known as World Vegan Day and it’s a chance to really open your eyes to the small changes you can make to live a more conscious lifestyle.

As a beauty brand who are always looking to bring our love of all things beauty together with our cruelty-free ethos, we wanted to share with you why we refuse to test on animals and why this actually makes the products better for you.

What are you scared of? Share your answers with us on social media for your chance to win a makeup bag full of CODE Beautiful products, just in time for party season!