ONE SWEEP WONDERS

Do you ever have those days where you have left your makeup until the last minute, should be working, or need to leave the door in 20 minutes and when it comes to eyes you're not sure where to turn? Today I will be serving up my dose of 'one sweep wonders' - shadows that you can pack on, blend the edges and add a slick of liner/lashings of mascara and be good to go.

The one I'm sure you were all anticipating being in this post was the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze, the perfect cream shadow that when smoothed over the lids looks like you have put a ton of effort into your look.

Another cult one is MAC Woodwinked, a bronzey sheen of colour which looks good on almost all eye colours. If you have a spare few seconds, pack this on top of the Maybelline offering, take it on the lower lashline, and you have got the perfect bronze eye.

One that won't be for everyone, but one that I think looks really chic with a small liner wing is the Dainty Doll Shadow in Treat Her Like A Lady, a slightly taupe toned pale grey which seems to glow from my lids. I'm not sure where you can get this from any more after the line being discontinued but places like Fragrance Direct seem to have you covered.

Last but not least is something a little more catered for you pink-toned lovers. It goes by the name of Fine Wine by Wet 'n' Wild, and is a stunning shimmery rose (almost leaning on rose gold when you sweep it on lightly) which back in the day I used to wear almost daily.

What are your hacks for the quick fix eye looks?

A WEARABLE SMOKEY

The whole smokey eye look is something I tend to avoid, especially when it comes to the grey, silver and black looks because they basically make me look like a panda. But, I have recently been experimenting with browns and found a few shades which still give you the sultry effect but a little more neutral.

This MUA Pearl Shadow in Shade 11 gives an amazing sheen to the lids, making them almost look wet in some lights. But, I would say to watch out for quite a bit of fall down and do the eyes first with this one, but for £1 it's hardly going to be MAC quality.

Another shadow I really like to warm things up a little more is the Kiko Eye Shadow in 133 because it has that red/burgundy tint to it which looks amazing in the outer area of the eye when you have used some cooler toned shadows.

For a matte offering, the Maybelline Eye Studio Mono in Chocolate Chic is slowly becoming a favourite of mine for crease work. It blends well, defines the eye, and doesn't really crease either. It's a winner for this one.

To get some of that brown smokey-ness on the lower lashline, or even smudged along the top lashes, the Stila Smude Stick in Oscar Fish is incredible. Its creamy, but once set stays put on the eye all day, and the coppery shimmer in it makes it a perfect partner for the warmer Kiko Shadow.

Do you have any smokey-eye hacks?

HIGH END EYES

When it comes to makeup, I am very much a drugstore/high street kind of a gal, but I think it's safe to say that on the high end front I have the most products which slot into the eye category. I'll talk you through what's in my collection...

Bases: For some odd reason, I love a good base, and I have 2 which I have been loving recently. For a standard primer, there is the Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer, which just primes the eye like a dream, and my eyeshadow wears like steel on it. For something more creamy, with a bit of shimmer, is MAC Bare Study Paint Pot. The champagne, shimmery goodness makes me weak at the knees every time I open it.

Shadows: Of course, I have the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, which was purchased as a rather large impulse buy at the end of 2012 for my birthday - wild, I know. This is just the perfect palette with endless amounts of looks housed in a travel friendly metal tin, and only writing this has made me realise that I have been neglecting this guy a bit recently. The brush is pretty good too. Next up, I have this Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Quad (mini) which I cannot find the name of anywhere, but it contains the shades Seashell, Bronze Lustre, Truffle, and Cinnamon, and this is an eye look in a quad, which I have been reaching for a lot recently. Last on the shadow-front, we have MAC Woodwinked, which is my first MAC Shadow. This bronze, sheeny shadow is perfect all over the lid and feathered out for an effortless approach.

Liners: Strictly speaking, I'm not sure whether Stila is considered high end, but more so somewhere in between, but the quality of the Smudge Stick Liners is good enough to be classified high end in my eyes (excuse the pun). In particular, I have been using Angelfish (the taupe-nude), and Oscar Fish (the chocolate-brown shade) all over the lids and blended, and they don't budge.

Mascara: I never really thought of buying high end mascaras, because I am perfectly satisfied with the drugstore offerings, but when this Too Faced Lash Gasm mascara came in a set, I was shocked at just how good it is. It holds a curl amazingly, lengthens and adds volume, and I just love it. My only fault is that it isn't waterproof. Although, this is being rivalled in my collection by a certain Thick & Fast by Soap and Glory, so we'll see how that goes.

Yet again, another ridiculously long post, but perhaps I have enabled some purchases. Apologies..

MY FIRST KIKO PRODUCTS

Kiko. A brand I wasn't all that aware of, until when spending the day in London for my birthday with Megan, and we strolled past the store - and some purchases were made. I wanted to get a product from each category I guess; eyes, lips, and face, and I did that, and I love every single one of the products I got, and now I have a craving for more.

I got 2 shadows, 137 which is a stunning red, which instantly reminded me of MAC Cranberry, which made me throw it into my basket, and for £2.90 a shadow, it was rude of me to only buy one. So it appears I was liking the red eye colours on this day, because 133 was also purchased. This is more wearable, but still has those red tones in it. Basically, it's a warm darkish brown, which has those burgundy tones in it that make it that little more interesting. This and my crease get along very well.

The Natural Concealer in 01 made its way onto the till and now as a daily product on my face. I saw that this was slightly pink toned, and after hunting for something for under my eyes for quite a while at a reasonable price, this £5.50 offering intrigued me. Okay, okay, the coverage isn't that great, but it is light, sets nicely, doesn't crease, and gives a little correcting and brightening action under the eyes, and you know, I really like this little one.

Finally, the Smart Lipstick in 912 came home with me. This made me think of MAC Impassioned (Kiko, you are on point with the MAC esc. products), so I snapped it up straight away, and for £3.90 I have no regrets - in fact, I want more. This has been making me love a bright pout, and for a budget price, a few more shades are on my wishlist.

Have you tried Kiko?