3 ways to shake up your summer beauty routine.

What’s the beauty equivalent of a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? Carrying around makeup palettes with dozens of colours and never using them.

Receiving or buying a new makeup palette is a dazzling experience, at first it’s like a shiny new toy, and the possibilities are endless. You think: I’ll use it every day.

But soon enough you find yourself dipping your brush into the same colours over and over again without even glancing at that fabulous olive green shade that caught your eye in the first place.

Summer and the silly season are nearly upon us, and now is the perfect time to shake things up by experimenting with colour.

I’ll be using Napoleon’s Empress Eye Palette to show you three easy and modern ways to incorporate colour into your summer beauty routine.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Napoleon. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

LOOK 1: Coloured eyeliner.

Step one: Napoleon has an amazing product called the Cake Eyeliner Sealer that turns all your eyeshadows into liquid liners. Squeeze 1-2 drops on the mirror of the palette or back of your hand and mix in one of the colours from the palette. I found you only need a tiny amount of sealer otherwise the product gets too runny.

Step two: Use the right tools – an angled eyeliner brush will make your attempts at perfecting the cat eye 100 times easier. Flip the brush each time you change direction (halfway along your eyelids) so that you are always leading with the shorter end of the brush, this way you’ll have more control.

Step three: Build up your eyeliner using small strokes ensuring you pat with the brush rather than dragging it across the eyelid. I used the purple and cobalt blue mixed together.

Step four: When you get to the ‘flick,’ open your eye and draw a line following the outer corner of the eye in line with the end of your eyebrow. Again use the shorter angle of the brush to do this.

Step five: Finish off with mascara and neutral lipstick or lip gloss. (I used Napoleon’s Tannia lip gloss, which is a peachy coral.)

LOOK 2: Metallic smoky eye.

The smoky eye is a look that never really goes out of style, but a new way to update the look (and keep it more office appropriate) is to add a coloured metallic shade, like a green or a purple, on the eyelid.

Step one: Outline your lower lashline with the same colour you intend to use on the outer corner of your eye. I used the chocolate brown shade mixed with a little of the gold.

Step two: Use the same shade and tapping any excess product off the brush and run a soft contour brush over your socket line and blend upwards.

Step three: Pick a contrasting colour and using a flat brush dab the colour on the centre of the eyelid, again tap off any excess before applying. I tried both the purple and metallic green and found the green to look much more modern and better suited to a daytime look.

Step four: Load the brush with the two shades you choose for the socket and eyelid, using a contour brush go over any areas that need blending.

Step five: Using an eyeliner brush add a small line of colour in the middle of your lower lashline. Use the same or a contrasting shade to the one on your eyelid. (I used the green.)

Step six: Dip a small angled or eyeliner brush into the gold shadow and dot in the corners of each eye, this is a trick I like to use to illuminate tired eyes.

Step seven: Finish off with mascara and a neutral lip. (I used Napoleon’s Casey lip gloss.)

LOOK 3: Coloured lower eyeliner.

Step one: The skin on my eyelids has a purple tinge so in order to do a neutral eye I first swept the lid with an eye primer (but you can skip this step).

Step two: I dusted the socket line in a tiny amount of the gold shadow.

Step three: Mix a drop of the Sealer with a coloured shadow of your choosing (I tried the green, cobalt, purple and turquoise with the latter being my favourite.) draw short steady strokes as close to the lashline as you can. If you’ve messed it up, go over it with a cotton bud to get a smooth line. Take the liner upwards towards the corner of your eyes so you don’t end up with a downward cast eye (it’ll make you look tired and well, sad).

Step four: finish with mascara and a neutral or coloured lip (I’m wearing the orangey shade from the Napoleon Empress Lip Palette).

For more tips and tricks watch

What are your tips for shaking up the summer beauty routine?

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Napoleon Perdis has always sought to democratise makeup, ever since picking up his first brush, at the age of 13, to help his mother prepare for an evening out. Fast forward to 1995 and the opening of his first concept store on Sydney’s Oxford Street. Vivid, vivacious colour soon became his trademark, and Napoleon’s reputation soon propelled him into editorial work for magazines and television, allowing him to spread his glosspel and make trends accessible for all.

For more info on the Napoleon Perdis brand or Makeup Academies, go to www.napoleonperdis.com, or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.