A Week Of Colour In Lockdown
I think I speak for the majority of us when I say we’re sick of the lockdown situation. Although some rules have been relaxed (or are being relaxed shortly for those of us north of the border) I think it will be a while longer before we see a sense of normality. And what better way to pass the time than with an Instagram challenge? Presenting: Jamie’s Week Of Colour.
I’ve been wearing less makeup during lockdown, like many others. I love getting dolled up for Zoom calls with my friends, or to make content. But most of the time, I’ve been letting my skin breathe. I wouldn’t normally go to work without a little makeup; so it’s been nice to take a wee break! But when I have been reaching for my brushes, I’ve been doing similar looks each time, because it’s easy. It’s quick. I don’t have to think about it.
Turns out Jamie Genevieve has been having the same problem (although I’d be willing to bet my life savings that she’s on more Zoom calls and making more content than me!) So she set herself a challenge to create a look each day using a different colour, and challenged her followers to take part. And Jamie’s Week Of Colour was born! I very rarely do Instagram challenges; mainly because I never stick to them. Commitment issues, anyone?
But I’m always telling myself that I can’t buy any more eyeshadow palettes until I start really using the ones that I have. You might have done the same; you buy a palette, really like it, buy a new one, forget about the one you loved. REPEAT. And remember, palettes aren’t exactly cheap these days! I’m not at Natasha Denona level just yet (that’ll take a lottery win mate) but prices are creeping up across brands.
I love playing with colourful makeup; it’s when I’m at my happiest. Even on a night out, I struggle to do a neutral eye look. It’s just not me! But then again, I’m no MUA. I don’t know my colour wheel off by heart. I don’t have the patience for infinite blending. I’m better at wings in tap than I am in eyeliner (and I’m awful at those too, for the record).
But we’re in lockdown. What else was I going to do with my evenings for a week? Lament the fact that I’ve finished Baby Ballroom on Netflix? Binge even more Recess on Disney+? So, I decided to embrace Jamie’s Week Of Colour with open arms. To test my own abilities – and pray it didn’t all go wrong.
It’s taken more hours than I should probably admit. But, I can proudly say, there’s only been one look which I’ve had to take off and start again (as you’ll see below). It was also the worst time imaginable for my trusted NYX Micro Brow to run out – so I had to use pomade for the first time, with varying levels of success. I’ve definitely preferred some days over others – for instance, I’ve recreated some of my favourite looks from years gone by. I’ve linked eye and products where I can find them – the rest of my makeup was pretty much the same each day. On that note, I used NYX Matte Liquid Liner and Urban Decay Perversion Mascara every day too.
Day 1: Red
I can safely say that Monday was the hardest day for me. By a country mile. It’s clear from the photos, too. I never ever do red eye looks; the closest you’ll get is a sunset eye look which blends the red with orange and purple. But Jamie’s Week Of Colour demanded it; so I tried. Turns out, it’s near impossible to stop red from turning (i) pink; or (ii) brown depending on the undertone. I had to take the whole lot off and start again once it went muddy brown!
It’s a pretty avant garde look. It’s not too far from where I wanted it to be – I wanted a cut crease situation, but I chickened out of doing graphic eyeliner, which would OBVIOUSLY have made this look a lot better. But yknow what? I tried.
Products
Morphe 35B palette
SoSu by Suzanne Jackson x Keilidh Cashell Urban Bible palette
Urban Decay Naked Heat palette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette
MAC Coppering single eyeshadow
Tatti Lashes TL30 lashes
MAC Brick-O-La lipstick
Day 2: Orange
After Monday’s trials and tribulations, I was relieved to discover that Tuesday was Orange. Orange is my go-to neutral look (can you call orange neutral?) so I had the basics down. Of course, I had to amp up the colour a little! This is one of my most popular looks on Instagram of the week (I posted all seven looks separately on my personal account). Hopefully that means I did a good job!
Products
Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam palette
Morphe 35B palette
Urban Decay Naked Heat palette
Tatti Lashes TL17 lashes
MAC x Jamie Genevieve lipstick
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb (Fussy)
Day 3: Pink/Purple
I was BUZZING for this one. Pink/purple combinations are my absolute favourite for glam looks. It was one of the first looks I tried when I got my Morphe 35B palette nearly 18 months ago – it turned out okay back then, but I was so pleased with last week’s efforts. Of course I needed a huge lash with this one! There was a lot of blending involved, but thankfully I’d had a quick dinner to give me as much time as possible.
Products
Morphe 35B palette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry palette
Urban Decay Naked Cherry palette
Urban Decay Heavy Metal glitter liner (Volume)
Tatti Lashes x Mmmmitchell lashes
MAC Brave lipstick
Day 4: Blue
I had big plans for Blue. This was another look that I had tried before, although it was 2 years ago in Tenerife and I had one blue eyeshadow with me plus the glitter! It was lot easier this time with the different blue shadows; although I think I’ll be finding glitter all over the flat for weeks to come. I never play with loose glitters, so it was nice to get some use out of those as well!
Products
Morphe 35B palette
Morphe 35V palette
Urban Decay Moondust palette
Urban Decay Heavy Metal glitter liner (Gamma Ray)
Barry M Pick & Glitz loose glitter
Tatti Lashes x Mmmmitchell lashes
MAC Blankety lipstick
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb (Fussy)
Day 5: Green
Green was a bit of a rush job, as I had a couple of Zoom calls scheduled for that evening. So much so, that I did the whole thing whilst on a video call! That being said, it turned out rather cute (despite me only owning a few green shadows). Mother Nature also decided to play absolute havoc with my skin too, which I really didn’t appreciate…
Products
Morphe 35B palette
Urban Decay Moondust palette
Urban Decay Heavy Metal glitter liner (Distortion)
Tatti Lashes TL21 lashes
MAC Blankety lipstick
Day 6: Yellow
I was a little apprehensive about Yellow. Any time I’ve used yellow as part of a look (usually only sunset looks, same as the red) I’ve had issues building it up. It never seems to look bright enough! Thankfully this time round we got there – although it’s impossible to add dimension without turning the look bronze or gold. So, I ended up biting the bullet and trying winged liner. One eye turned out pretty well… I also added a few wee dots to jazz things up a bit. Not bad overall!
Products
Morphe 35B palette
SoSu by Suzanne Jackson x Keilidh Cashell Urban Bible palette
MAC Chrome Yellow single eyeshadow
MAC Goldenrod single eyeshadow
Bourjois Liner Feutre
Tatti Lashes TL21 lashes
MAC x Jamie Genevieve lipstick
Day 7: Rainbow
A rainbow really was the only way to round off a week of colour, wasn’t it? Surprisingly, this one took less time to do than some of the others! I decided to challenge myself to stick to one palette – I was feeling a bit lazy by the time Bank Holiday Sunday came round! The cool tones were a little more difficult to blend together as I expected, but things came together more quickly than I imagined. I’m pretty damn proud of this one!
Products
Morphe 35B palette
Eylure No. 175 lashes
MAC Blankety lipstick
I’m glad that I stuck with Jamie’s Week Of Colour – there were a couple of days where I really couldn’t be bothered! But it’s definitely pushed me to try new techniques and to think outside the box. And it’s allowed me to reach for products that I would normally save for a night out! It’s also increased my confidence with makeup – I’m definitely no MUA, but my skills have improved in the space of just a few days.
Which of these looks is your favourite? Do you have any go-to styles or colour when doing your makeup? xx
