X-Factor Make Up: Dannii Minogue, Week One

Dannii's look from the first live show was simple and clean, with a dramatic (yet moisturised) red lip adding a pop of colour. Check out the steps below to be able to work the make up yourself.

First, create a sheer, natural looking base by using No7 Dual Protection Tinted Moisturiser and blending Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer over any uneven areas. Lightly fill in brows using the Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo, before opening up the eyes with a dusting of Barry M Dazzle Dust in Gold Iridescent across the entire lid.

Line the upper lash line with an angled brush and Bobbi Brow Long Wear Gel Eye Liner, before applying Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara to the top lashes. Add a touch of rosy Rimmel Mono Blush to the apples of the cheeks and dot and blend Benefit High Beam along the cheekbones and under brows to create a dewy highlight.

To pack a final punch, line and fill in lips with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil. Apply L'Oreal Color Riche Boosting Serum Lipstick in a scene-stealing red, and get ready to show off that pout.

Tong hair, messily pin it back, loosen a few strands and you're ready to go!

Price list:

• No7 Dual Protection Tinted Moisturiser (£11)
• Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer (£3.99)
• Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo (£20)
• Barry M Dazzle Dust in Gold Iridescent (£4.50)
• Bobbi Brow Long Wear Gel Eye Liner (£15)
• Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara (£8.99)
• Rimmel Mono Blush (£3.89)
• Benefit High Beam (£17.50)
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil (£10.50)
• L'Oreal Color Riche Boosting Serum Lipstick (£8.69)

X-Factor Make Up: Cheryl Cole, Week One

To offset her black lace and leather outfit, Cheryl wore a soft yet dramatic smokey eye with bronzed cheeks, muted pink glossy lips and a slick ponytail on the opening week of the live shows. Volume was added at the crown to stop the hairstyle looking too harsh and to add a bit of glamour (without the use of glitzy accessories). As ever, Cole's make up artists played up her eyes with lashings of mascara and perfectly placed false lashes, framing them with gently accentuated brows.

To recreate this look, start by using a skin perfecting (non-mattefying) foundation such as Lancôme's Teint Miracle as a base, then set in the T-zone or any areas prone to shine with Revlon's PhotoReady Translucent Finisher. 

Define brows by filling any sparse areas with short, light strokes of eyebrow pencil (such as MaxFactor's eyebrow pencil) and brush through. Blend the shadows from Benefit's Big Beautiful Eyes around the socket (using the lightest shade on the eyelid, the pink just above and a small amount of brown to shade the socket line) and then line the lower lash line with an angled liner brush and the chocolate brown, before smudging and smoking it out with a soft blending brush.

Extend the lower line from the outer corner of the eye to create the bottom edge of a wing shape. On the upper lid, use the same liner brush to create a mirrored line that starts from the middle of the lid. Fill the wing shape with the same brown shadow and blend the edges outwards and towards the temple. Apply fine, medium length false eyelashes (such as Shu Uemura s217s) to the upper lid and allow to dry before adding two coats of MaxFactor False Lash Effect mascara to the top and outer bottom lashes.

Use an large brush to sweep Bourjois Poudre Bronzante over the cheekbones and subtly highlight above using Mac's Iridescent Pressed Powder. Finish with Smashbox's colour adapting O-Gloss on the lips, which will change colour to give you a pink pout that compliments your skin tone.

Straighten hair and pull it back into a ponytail, leaving the top layers free. Backcomb these layers underneath until slightly textured and spray with L'Oreal Elnett hairspray to help hold the volume. Gently brush the top section back over the crown, pin in place at the top of the pony tail and add a final spritz of hairspray to keep it in place.

Pricelist:

• Lancôme Teint Miracle (£25)
• Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Powder (£12.99)
• Max Factor Eyebrow Pencil (£3.99)
• Benefit's Big Beautiful Eyes Contour Kit (£19.50)
• Shu Uemura False Eyelashes S217 (£12.50)
• Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara (£10.99)
•  Bourjois Poudre Bronzante (£6.99)
• Iridescent Pressed Powder - Belightful (£17)
• Smashbox O-Gloss (£20)
• L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray (£5.89)

Endeavours elsewhere...

By day, I'm a Wahanderer, contributing my scribbling services to www.wahanda.com as an editorial intern. If you haven't heard of the site, it's basically a wellness and beauty hub that teams up with spa, salon and fitness venues to give consumers massive savings on the latest and greatest treatments. It has the backing of Marie Claire and The Evening Standard amongst others, and you should really check it out (and not just because I'm tied to there; their deals are amazing, honest!).

This isn't a promo post though. It's just a little heads up to let you know that I'm going to stick the odd article from the site (that I've written, obviously) here on Selected Treats. I figured that since I spend most of my day writing about beauty and every now and then I get to test out certain products or services, my musings would fit right in on here (as well as explaining my absense between the hours of 9 'til 7).

Also, I have a ton of nail varnish reviews to get through. Most are my own purchases, but I have a couple of promo samples that were given to me recently which will also get a thorough quality/performance analysis.

I hope to be posting more regularly here ASAP, and I'm also putting plans in place tonight for a regular weekend blog/beauty feature. I'm using tonight as a test run, so fingers crossed all goes well and you'll soon be able to see what I'm cryptically talking about!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to hit follow to keep up to date with all my posts. It means a lot.