CODE Beautiful Blog / makeup

Our very first product and still one of our bestsellers, CODE VLM is a true hero.  

We’re convinced that once you’ve tried it, you’ll be able to throw away all the mascaras you currently have in your makeup bag and just use this one, for any occasion, day and night, rain or shine.  

Sounds too good to be true? We’re here to help... we often get asked questions about our volumising, lengthening mascara because people just can’t believe how good it is, so we’ve popped answers to 5 of the most common questions we get asked below.   

What makes CODE VLM different... why is it the perfect mascara for all looks?  

It’s the combination of the brush and the formula, we spent a long time developing both of these things to make sure we had the perfect product.  

The brush is very sturdy and has different size bristles. The bristles are spaced out to get in between each and every lash to distribute the product where you need it at the base of the lash... we are always getting compliments from professional makeup artists about the brush!  

As well as the formula and brush, we also have a bit of a secret technique. Using the ‘Roots, Wriggle, Roll’ technique means you can get some serious length and curl to your lashes without ever needing to use curlers.  

Roots: Pop the brush on to your lashes as close to the root as you can. 
Wriggle: Give the brush a good wriggle back and forth, this will make sure even the tiniest of lashes are covered. 
Roll: Gently twist the brush from root to tip. 

Will CODE VLM irritate my eyes?  

Not at all. Even the most sensitive of eyes can use both CODE VLM and CODE FFL. In fact, our founder, Sarah has very sensitive, watery eyes herself so she knew how important it was to create a product that would be suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.  

One of the things we did to make sure CODE VLM doesn’t irritate your eyes is add a sealing agent into the formula to make sure your lashes and the teeny tiny fibres stay in place all day long meaning no irritation and no fall out... a win win.   

The formula feels really dry compared to other mascaras I have used, is it meant to be like this?  

Yes, definitely the formula is meant to look like this. Most ‘wet’ mascaras that you may have used in the past often have too much product on the brush which leads to clumps or your lashes dropping half way through the day... not a good look for anyone we must say.  

We spent a long time developing the wiper inside our mascara tube to make sure you get the perfect amount of product on the brush every time. This means no clumps, no smudges and no flakes. 🙌🏽🙌🏽 

Do you make CODE VLM in brown?  

No we don’t, but we have found that lots of people that previously used to use brown mascara (including our own family!), now wear CODE VLM as it is designed to get blacker the more you apply it.  

What we mean by this is if you just apply one coat lightly, it gives you the perfect alternative to brown. But if you prefer a darker shade, you can just keep topping it up until your desired look and it won’t clump. 

Something else that we’ve discovered from chatting to our customers, is that some really fair people use CODE FFL on its own as a mascara as it has a light brown colour!    

Is CODE VLM waterproof?  

It’s water-resistant rather than waterproof. This means that you can have a good cry or laugh and it doesn’t smudge... but we wouldn’t recommend diving in a pool 😉.  

We didn’t create a waterproof formula as this makes the formula very heavy and causes lashes to droop throughout the day, whereas with CODE VLM it’s a buildable formula so the lashes stay put all day and you can build for more volume to take you from day to night.  

Many of our customers (including our founder) have sensitive eyes and love using our mascara, along with bridal makeup artists all over the world!  

We hope you love CODE VLM as much as we do, don’t forget to let us know your thoughts and share your pics in the comments below. 😘 

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.

It can be hard to please your beauty-obsessed friends: with beauty products being so accessible and not usually too pricey, anything new they already have and anything they spot they usually snap up there and then. The key to buying a successful stocking filler is to go for something that they won’t have picked for themselves – something that is either a little bit luxurious or self-indulgent, or something that is so cute and quirky they won’t have thought of it themselves. So here’s a few stocking-filler ideas that they hopefully won’t already have in their make-up bag. And if they do, well, then you can always keep it for yourself…

Beauty sleep starting to become a thing of the past? Why is it that when the nights start to get longer, the amount of sleep we’re getting actually, conversely, starts to reduce? The clocks might have gone back this weekend but let’s face it, the extra hour in bed didn’t touch the sides- we’re getting gradually less sleep each week, thanks to our inability to turn down invitations to all those bonfire night parties/ post-work prosecco/ pre-Christmas drinks (yes, even in November. We like to start early.)....

Halloween is often the first event to kick off party season (yay!) and a great excuse to play about with our makeup. Whatever you’re going as, dramatic eyes can really complete the look (think feline fabulous or sultry vampire) and can give us the confidence to work the room at that unmissable Halloween party. While going for fake lashes can seem like the most obvious choice it might not be the best one, falsies can leave us looking a bit scary, and not in the way we want to.

With Halloween being the traditional time to tell horror stories, we thought we’d have a tale-telling sesh in the CODE office. But with us being a bunch of beauty buffs, we aren’t about the ‘Here’s Jonny’ kinda tales: we decided to tell our make-up horror stories- you know, all those terrifying tales of fake tan tide marks and first date make-up disasters....

Remember when Halloween was just for kids? Oh how we’ve moved on from the days when the 31st October was just a day when we’d go for a spot of after-school trick or treating, dressed in a bin liner and a mask we’d bought at the newsagents. Now, thanks to Hollywood’s love of Halloween, the end of October is one long party, an excuse to dress up, go crazy with our make-up and then Instagram the hell out of it. Figure out which Halloween tribe you fit into...