CODE Beautiful Blog / CODE SSL

You know how you look back at photos of yourself from a few years ago and you instantly recoil at your make-up? Those skinny brows! That under-eye concealer that was two shades too light! That fake-tan that veers slightly too close to orange? Nowadays we have Instagram filters to blur away what we don’t like, but that’s no excuse for a make-up faux pas that could be totally unavoidable. And in an era of contouring, highlighting, fake lashes and fake lips, there is a hell of a lot that can go wrong. We’ve all done it – this isn’t about feeling bad about your make-up mistakes – but here are a few tips to avoid repeating the most common ones of 2017, as we make our way in to the New Year….

The one that looks ok in photos.. but not so ok in real life…

Let’s face it – contouring has been around for a couple of years now, but shows no signs of going anywhere – so we need to tackle this one. Contouring works really well in theory – defining your features, giving bone structure a more angular appearance and ‘reducing’ the size of any features you aren’t happy with -but in reality, or at least away from Instagram, contouring doesn’t translate so well. Too much definition can highlight lines, too much shading can make the skin appear dirty, and not enough blending just leaves you looking ridiculous. If you’re going to stay on the contouring wagon – and let’s face it, there are plenty that are – just remember to stick to these golden rules: it’s worth investing in a contour palette that has a variety of shades, so you can keep as close to your natural skin colour as possible; play around with formulas until you find the one that works best for your skin type – whether that’s cream, powder or a mixture of the two; and finally, blend, blend, blend.

The one that ruins your lashes

False lashes – we have a love-hate relationship with the things. While we adore the fat fluttery lashes they give us, fiddling around with glue and the inevitable lash fall out (seriously, how do you pull them off WITHOUT ripping out your own lashes?) puts us off. Give lashes a break from falsies and allow them to grow back to full strength, without forgoing the lash envy they create. CODE FFL Forget Fake Lashes £18 gives enough of a pre-mascara boost – enhancing short sparse ones and coating lashes with volumising and thickening ingredients – that you will genuinely forget you aren’t wearing falsies.

The one that doesn’t make the most of what you have

Wearing the wrong mascara is a bit like wearing the wrong sized bra – you won’t realise how wrong it is until you discover the alternative and then you’ll never look back. There’s a good mascara out there for everyone – and it’s such a personal thing that what works on your best friend won’t necessarily work on you – so make 2018 the year you find your one. You need to first figure out what you want from your mascara – do you have thin delicate lashes that need to gain some weight? Are your lashes full of volume but short and stubby, in desperate need of length? Are your lashes long but straight and in need of a little curl to give a wide-eye look? All of the above?? CODE VLM Volumising Lengthening Mascara £19.95 can be built up gradually, and adds length, volume, separation and curl, while nourishing lashes with vitamins and waxes that encourage natural lash growth.

The one that looks dated (even if it is back on-trend)

The Moschino S/S’18 show was all about a return to the 90’s: so we can expect the Spice brown lip liner/pale concealer lips combo to be making a return too. While this may look cute on the catwalk, in reality it looks unflattering and dated, plus it won’t help you achieve that plumped effect pout that you’ve been lusting after. Stay away from dark brown lip liners and instead stick to CODE SSL Soft Smooth Lip Liner £18 - which is the perfect nude shade - and you’ll create the perfect amount of volume and natural definition, without any telltale dark lines.

The perfect nude lip has become a bit of a beauty phenomenon in its own right. In recent years the nude lip, like the red lip before it, has become a go-to look that, done right, has the power to transform your face, update your look and make you look can’t-put-my-finger-on-why better. Now the nude lip got a – sort of – royal seal of approval, as the signature look of Prince Harry’s gorgeous new fiancé, Meghan Markle.

Like its rouge predecessor, the perfect nude lipstick needs very little else to go with it and should make your teeth look whiter, your skintone brighter an your eyes pop.  With all that in mind it’s worth remembering this: just like with a red lippie– finding the perfect nude lip is a bit of holy grail of beauty. So, while Meghan has found the one (lippie we mean…) finding your own may take a bit of work. But we promise, the payoff (flattered complexion, brighter face…) is worth the graft.  So, what qualifies as a nude lip? Let’s face it, with our different skintones, naked means something different to each of us. It can be a real jungle out there in the world of flesh-toned lippies. So let us steer you in the right direction and help you find the perfect nude lip for you. We like many were searching for the perfect nude so searched high and low and came up with two products we think are the perfect shade for all skin tones...👏🏻

CODE SSL Soft Smooth Lip Liner £18

Never underestimate the power of a good lip liner, and this one is pretty unique... a lip liner and plumper all in one elegant, self-sharpening device.

CODE SSL is the perfect universal Soft Nude Blush shade which looks gorgeous on everyone. Non-feathering, CODE SSL prevents your lip gloss or lipstick from bleeding for an effortless look you can trust. Clever self-sharpening technology means you simply twist the lid till it clicks and you have the perfect tip to glide onto your lips. (We like to also create some vertical lines on the lips to give a stronger base - so you can use it as a lip liner and a lipstick... two in one!)

CODE LIP Lip Intense Plumper £20

CODE LIP is the lip plumping treatment you’ve been waiting for – full of the best lip-plumping ingredients – the more often you apply it, the better the results. Plus it gives you an instant boost in plumpness and moisture. Use CODE LIP on its own or let it dry and wear under your favourite lipstick or gloss.

The magic ingredient in CODE LIP is Hilurlip, containing a blend of lip treats such as Hyaluronic acid, Tripeptide-1, and Dimethicone. This exclusive combination helps to redefine the natural contours of the lips and create a more youthful, sculpted look.

CODE LIP comes in a beautiful soft nude rose colour to suit all skin tones.

Yes it's THAT time of the year again. So, whether you’re ahead of the game and don’t mind joining the crowds or planning on a spot of online shopping from the comfort of your sofa, we’ve taken away some of the legwork and hunted down a collection of the most unique, lust-worthy beauty gifts that money can buy right now.

We are currently in the height of summer and the hottest month of the year, August, and whether we are spending it on holiday, at a festival or just chilling at a garden party we want to look our best. It’s not too late to make sure you summer makeup is on point, here’s how to do it!

Who doesn’t love a girl’s night? And a girl’s night with some fabulous ladies and our wonderful new hero products… that’s right up our street!

After a successful Ireland launch of our eyelash saviours (our CODE FFL forget fake lashes, our pre mascara lash plumper and our CODE VLM volumising lengthening mascara) We were excited to hold the Irish launch of our two life changing #lipheroes! The event was held at the lovely Conrad Dublin hotel (in the Presidential Suite we might add), and we must admit it had us feeling pretty fancy.