The word January was formed from the name Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. Often he is depicted with two heads, one facing towards the future and one looking back to the past. Reflection is key to living our lives, we cannot expect to continue without knowing the past. January can be a difficult month for many people, the post-Christmas blues where people can feel isolated or bogged down with financial troubles. This is the time that we need more than ever to push ourselves out of the mundane and everyday grind into something new. I like to think of January as a time for people to take what they learnt from past mistakes and channeling negative energy into something different. Use that to do something that challenges you either emotionally or physically or even just try something a little bolder than before. It is not bad or wrong to feel down but it isn’t healthy to dwell or torture yourself on what could’ve been. Instead of waiting for the world to change for you, change for the world instead. I am forced to think about the dreaded ‘M’ word (millennials) when thinking about the problems of youth. I hate the word because it always comes with a healthy serving of negative attitudes. Why can’t we be young yet wise, driven and striving for something better? Why take no for an answer? Must we conform to the ideals given to us by our predecessors. Immanuel Kant believed that enlightenment came from the freedom of conformity; we can all open our minds to more when we let go of what we are told and so we will begin to think for ourselves. We as the ‘M’ people of the world should be more Kantian, expand our minds by breaking away from traditional roles and building new rules for the future. As the days get longer and the heat of Springtime begins to take the chill out of the air, you will realise that all that happened before doesn’t seem so dark.
January is always a blue month in colour as well. Well if you live in Scotland like I do then it’s actually mostly grey. Nonetheless, I enjoy the cold days. The crisp air and strangely unusual the snow flurries. Living by the sea means little to no snow in the winter but this year we have had a little and it is enough to make me happy.
Snow on the sea #photography #photographer #scotland #winter #ice #sea #wintersky #eastlothian #northberwick #beach #snow #scottish #scottishphotographer #landscapephotography #cold #grey #blue #fujifilm #tumblr
A post shared by Rebecca Davidson (@bexphotographer) on Jan 16, 2018 at 7:26am PST
But if you are not like me and can’t wait until the sunshine and the heat kicks in, how about a little something blue to make the grey days better. If I am ever feeling down I know that getting up, doing my make up and going out even if it’s just for coffee will make me feel so much brighter. I know that it is not the same for everyone but I find the act of putting on make up to be extremely cathartic. So instead of shying away from the blue I am embracing it. Here are 4 looks to add a little blue to your day.
SIMPLE
If bold is not your thing then it’s easy to add a little colour to look. Admittedly it is difficult to find a good coloured mascara that isn’t too expensive. I always feel if you want to experiment with cosmetics then it is best to start with items that won’t break the bank and if you feel like it works for you, move onto bigger brands if you feel like its necessary. I am wearing NYX Colour Mascara in Blue and this mascara really gives good pay off for the price (£6). It’s fun, its different and easy to experiment with.
COLOUR BLOCK
If you are looking for something a little more bold, colour blocking is the way to go. It’s a big trend this Spring/Summer so why not add it to your beauty routine? I wasn’t sure about blue eyeshadow, it is not a colour that people tend to look back fondly at. I was also unsure if it would suit my blue eyes? Instead I decided to throw caution to the wind and channel my inner Agnetha (from Abba) and go for a bold blue eye á la 1970’s disco diva. I chose a matte colour to wear all over the eyelids, slightly bringing it under the eye too. I used Kiko’s High Pigment Wet and Dry Eyeshadow in the shade 57 Matte Blue Majorelle (£5.90). I also completed the look with a bright pink lip, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Paris (£6).
STRUCTURE
I alway think that there is never an occasion where a cateye doesn’t work. It’s my go to look, usually in a classic black so I thought that I would mix it up by using blue instead. This is definitely a really easy way to wear a bright colour and looks modern yet chic. I also added a little crease definition using the Kiko colour from before. For this look I used 3ina’s Color Eyeliner in 503 (£7.95). I decided to pair this with my new Lipstick Queen in the shade Hello Sailor (£22) lip colour I got when I was in Copenhagen in November which creates a beautiful berry colour on the lips. (Don’t be too frightened of the colour when you see it in the tube.)
GRUNGE
Looking back to some of my favourite beauty icons, I find that they are quite wide ranging from very prim clean looks like Audrey Hepburn to Blondie with her rock and roll vibes. A smudgy eyeliner always looks edgy and fun and can add an extra element to your look. For this I lined my eyes with Kiko’s Intense Colour Long Lasting Eyeliner in shade 15 Metallic Night Blue which adds dimension because of the metallic pigments in the liner. I teamed this look with defined eyebrows and a bold poppy pink blush applied high up on the cheekbones for an 80’s glam rock vibe.
Be bold, have fun and get creative. Find out what brings you happiness, even if it seems small and insignificant.
Happy January lovely people x
I am embracing the January blues by adding some colour to my beauty routine (and showing off my new hair colour) and talking about looking forward for 2018. The word January was formed from the name Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. Often he is depicted with two heads, one facing towards the future and one looking back to the past.
