I've always been attracted to Neon. There's something exciting, romantic even, about those bright, luminescent colours illuminating all around them. One of the few advantages winter has over the summer is the ability to see these dazzling beautiful lighting arrangements in their element, in the darkness. I remember first moving to Manchester, and seeing the bright lights of Wilmslow Road for the first time. It sounds silly now, but it was such a buzz.

But now, the love affair with Neon is increasingly spreading to the home. No longer are neon signs the preserve of banners above a shop window, nope. More and more, you can get your hands on neon displays for the home. So whilst Marquees were so 2016, 2017 will be the year of Neon. And even that has an extreme sense of irony, as it first came to prominence back in 1920s America.

This makeup look is inspired by the beauty of neon, cutting through the darkness, lighting it up and bringing a sense of wonder and joy.

For the actual look, I used a black base to represent the darkness, without which, neon just wouldn't be quite so exciting. I applied Illamasqua's Precision Gel Liner in Infinity all over my eyelids and took it out as far as the temples, before setting it in place with MAC's eyeshadow in Carbon. I then took the Carbon that was left over on the brush and started to smoke it out.  I did the exact same beneath the lower lash line, and connected it to the temples.

To get that neon light effect, I used my vibrant AF liquid lipsticks for the winged liner, and the trio of love hearts I created along the temples. On top of that, I thought I'd take it up a notch, so I dipped a thin brush in micellar water, and removed the makeup inside the hearts to create a negative space effect. This definitely makes those hearts POP.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation - Barcelona

Make Up Forever Full Cover Camouflage Cream - #8 Beige (extra coverage)

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - Ginger (under eye highlight)

BEN NYE Banana Luxury Powder 

NYX Blusher - Mocha

Sleek Face Contour Kit - Medium 

Phee's Makeup Shop Luxe Holographic Highlighter - GLO UP

NYX Tint & Frame Brow Pomade - Espresso

Illamasqua Prescision Gel Liner - Infinity (lids, temples & lower lash line)

MAC Eyeshadow - Carbon (lids, temples & lower lash line)

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick - Blow Pony & Jaw Breaker (liner & hearts)

MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil - Industry (waterline)

Face Stockholm Volumizing Mascara - Black 

Barry M Lip Liner - Dark Pink 

Lime Crime Velvetines Liquid Lipstick - True Love 

As this will most likely be my final post of the year, I just want to say that I hope you've all enjoyed my blog journey in 2016, it's been an absolute blast! This year has been a bit of a tough one, and I feel that in 20 or 30 years we'll be talking about how horrendous 2016 really was. 

But it's also been a good year in other ways, it's been empowering for me, as I've spoken out about the injustices levelled against me and and against minorities in general. And I also ticked a huge box off on the bucket list. Japan was a truly incredible place, and I feel so fortunate to have had the chance to spend a couple of weeks in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. It may sound a bit cliché, but it was a truly life-changing time. 

On top of that, for the first time ever I did something serious about harassment, by reporting it to the police. A small step for humanity perhaps, but a giant leap for me personally. And I also learnt how to use my camera properly, and have taken some pretty amazing shots over the past few months. Trust me, you don't need a fancy camera, or the most expensive equipment going to get a nice shot - make the most of what you have!

But I also hope that I've brought a little bit of light in to your lives, I know it's brought a lot into my own. Make sure you end 2016 with a bang, and get stuck right into 2017.

PEACE.