Category Archives: Make Up

Eye make-up look challenge: peacock eyes

blue, purple and green eye make - somanylovelythingsThere is no secret that white, red and black are my favourite colours, preferably together. However, the colour combination on a peacock really fascinates me. Actually, I would go as far as saying it mesmerises me. The greens, blues and purples, with the hint of gold and extreme shimmer is just too beautiful.

For that reason, I went for a peacock inspired look, topped with a super cute set of lashes called peacock in the outer corner of the eyes.

Here is how I did it:

After priming my eyes, with a shadow brush I swept the blue crushed pigment in the inner corner of my eye towards the middle. I then applied the purple colour and blended with the smoking from the middle towards the end. Finally, I added the green to the outer corner, also with the smoking brush creating a cat eye shape with the pencil brush and also to the crease, blending well towards the purple. I really saturated the colour, re-applying and blending again.

Then I applied, with a liner brush, the eyeshadows to the lower lash line, first blue, then purple and green, from the inner to the outer corner.

Last, I added the liquid liner in metallic purple, creating a flick at the inner and outer corners of the eyes, and adding four dots above the end.

I finished it off with a set of false lashes and then, on top of them, the extra pretty Paperself laser cut lashes in peacock, of course and a bit of highlighter and sparkle to the brow bone.

I really like this look. It took me a while to achieve it but it was well worth it.

Products I used:

  • myface.cosmetics blingtone eyeshadow in purple haze and crystalline green (they are amazing, the shimmer in them is superb!)
  • MAC crushed pigment in winter sky
  • MAC pigment in Vanilla
  • Kryolan glamour sparks in golden
  • Hourglass Film Noir mascara in onyx
  • Duo eyelash glue
  • myface.cosmetics liquid eyeliner in sugar plum
  • set of eye lashes I don’t know where I got from
  • Set of Paperself eyelashes in peacock design
  • MAC brushes 217, 219, 231 and 130

tools and products used to create peacock eyes by somanylovelythings

Difficulty

eye make up look - hard

Product review: Hourglass Film Noir mascara

Hourglass film noir mascara

I bought the Film Noir full spectrum mascara in Onyx, from Hourglass, after getting a sample with an amazing load of products I got for free at Liberty after spending a certain amount of money on beauty.

It caught me in a time I was quite unhappy with the mascaras I had been using. Somehow my all time favourite Maybelline falsies wasn’t agreeing with my lashes and they seemed clumpy and messy. I bought a Dior mascara and that was horrible – clumpy to the max!

So I decided  to give this a go. After using the sample for a while, I noticed that this mascara gave good lashes separation, length and volume. I hadn’t heard of Hourglass before, and their prices are quite steep (£25 for the mascara) and that was the reason I didn’t buy straight away. What a fool, I could’ve been happier before!

Hourglass film noir mascara

The brush seems have twisted bristles in an hourglass shape. I really like that it doesn’t dry the lashes. If you need to re-apply later in the day, it is not that dry rubbing, that just seems to clump more and more, as the new coat cannot stick to the lashes. It applies softly, almost as if an extra coat when you applied for the first time.

Durability is great, in fact, it is very stubborn and although it is not waterproof, it needs an oil based eye make up remover to come off completely and easily. A normal one requires a couple goes at least.

hourgalss mascara on eye - somanylovelythings

This is what they say on their site:

“A sensational all-round mascara with dramatic, cinematic results: Film Noir volumizes, lengthens, separates, and conditions lashes all at once. The signature hourglass-shaped brush is designed for optimal application, while the intense concentration of Panthenol (ProVitamin B5) generates a reflective, jet-black sheen.

• Signature “pinwheel” bristles of the brush volumize, lengthen, separate and condition lashes for low-maintenance application with high-impact results
• Pro-vitamin B5 hydrates and conditions lashes to keep them supple and healthy-looking
• Added polymers help formula adhere to lashes and resist smudging and fading
• Triple-cut hourglass-shaped brush evenly distributes product to create volume while lifting and lengthening
• Free of phthalate, sulfates, synthetic dyes and gluten”

I really cannot disagree from their description, really. I am chuffed with the purchase. I returned to the brand counter at Liberty since buying this one to buy their Veil primer which is great – will review at some point!!! And they always give you samples! If you have a Regent Street Association card, you get 10% off at Liberty, including Hourglass!

Product review: Beauty Boxes San Remo beauty case

beauty_boxes_1Wild! This gorgeous beauty box from Beauty Boxes is not only functional but also pretty!

The zebra print is lovely and it has a light texture to it too. The size is as I expected and this box is on the small side (the company has a great range with lots of different sizes), but fitted more than I thought! Immediately when seeing it, I thought it would make a great hair styling tools and products box – and it didn’t disappoint.

In the bottom compartment, I fit a professional hair dryer, my straighteners and my curling wand, as well as my brushes and a can of product. In the pull up compartments, I could put other accessories and products. I like that the drawers are different depth and sizes, this is really handy! I could definitely fit more stuff than I did in the pictures!

As expected from a Beauty Boxes box, this item is built to a high standard; all hinges and locks are smooth, the finish is great, the delivery service was superb. It even came with a little stickers saying the name of the person who packed it, and a quality checklist inside, also signed by the person doing the controls! Really nice!

This particular box retails for just over £50 and can be found here, in many finishes, and also browse their fantastic range (including my gorgeous Genoa trolley and make-up brushes).

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Magnifibres brush-on false lashes

magnifibres - so many lovely thingsHaving not heard about it before, so my first admission is that when I opened this product, I had no idea what it was – and was very surprised with what I found. It came inside the fantastic goodie bag from the BBloggers Xmas event.

Magnifibres looks like a mascara bottle, and when you pull out the wand, there is some “wolly” material entangled on the brush, which you apply to your lashes to give them a false lash effect.

How, that’s how it works: the wolly material are actually natural fibres that stick to our lashes, building up volume and length.  You apply a coat of mascara, then brush on the fibres to it, wait 30 seconds, apply another coat of mascara and voilá – the lashes look thicker and longer.

Second admission is that I thought it wouldn’t really work. Well, I was wrong. It does give you thicker, slightly longer lashes. The build-up is evident when doing the process once. You can also build up and add more product and mascara layers, to create an even more dramatic look.

magnifibres - so many lovely things

For me, it is all about the volume. My lashes looked ever so slightly longer, but the volume is more noticeable. Love it. One thing I didn’t like very much is that, as I suffer from super sensitive eyes, sometimes after applying, I can feel a fibre inside. But after a few seconds, I stop feeling it. I would worry, if the company hadn’t stated the fibres are all natural.

It comes off with your mascara, so no special treatment needed there. It looks like there is plenty in the bottle!

It retails at £20 and you can buy online, at QVC or Selfridges.

MAGNIFIBRES

Product review: Beauty Boxes make up brushes

Oh, I was delighted to receive a set of make up brushes from Beauty Boxes. Yes, you remember right, they are the people responsible for that gorgeous Genoa beauty box I can call mine (by the way, we are so happy together).

I got the set that comes in a lovely pouch and comes with 9 brushes: 3 face (duo fibre, blusher and foundation), 5 eye (shading, blending, crease, small shader and angled brushes) and lip liner. It also come with a soft powder puff.  In addition to that, I got the angled contour, the flat powder, a normal powder and a cute kabuki brush in a pouch.

The quality of this brushes is very good, they are all very soft on the skin. All brushes have the brand and also their function printed on – which is excellent for beginners!

Starting with the face, I found the powder and blusher really soft! They pick up product well, and distribute evenly. The foundation brush is also soft but firm enough, also with even distribution. The flat powder and the angled contour are precise. I love the flat powder to apply finishing/setting powder and the angled to chisel cheekbones!  The kabuki performs really well, love it for buffing and blending powders. The only one I wasn’t too keen on was the duo fibre; I use this type of brush to apply serum and then primer. Somehow this one didn’t work as well for me as my current one – but that might be because I am so used to mine. All the others however, are fantastic!

The eye brushes are also great. The shader have the right texture – not too soft, not too hard. The crease and blending ones are fluffy to do the job right and the angled liner is precise. I created this festive gold look using some of them.

The lip brush is also good, although I think it can double up as an eye liner and I don’t line my lips with a brush – I use a pencil!

The set of 9 brushes retails for £71.45 – that is great value at under £8 per brush – really recommend this set, it is a really reliable all rounder. The other four brushes are sold individually and cost between £19.45 and £29.95 and they do free delivery!

For more information on the Beauty Boxes brushes (plus other goods) and to buy online, click here.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: myface.cosmetics liquid eyeliner

myface.cosmetics liquid eyelinersI mentioned this before, at a product review and also eye make-up look challenges, but I thought it deserved a separate post, as every colour I use, I fall more in love with this!

The metallics are really vivid, and striking with only one stroke (I tend to go for two, as I like to really saturate the colours, especially for pictures!) and they have a fantastic range of colours. Application is great – the brush is thin and easy to use, pretty much fool-proof. I tend to avoid liquid, favouring gel or felt tip pens, but this one really changed my mind – they got it right.

The consistency is fluid enough to apply easily, but not too runny. It also dries very quickly, so no smudges – the precise lines sit exactly where they should be – and stays there.

These liners are an easy way of giving your make-up that extra oomph – a little splash of colour that really makes a look different!

To see some of them in action, check some of my eye make-up look challenge posts where I used a some of the colours on a raspberry/orange (metallic orange/copper – tequila sunrise), festive gold (gold – gilt-y) and this light pink/green (metallic charcoal – black ice).

You can get myface.cosmetics here.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: myface.cosmetics blusher

myface.cosmetics blusher in lady monaco and costa del soul Myface.cosmetics sent me (via their lovely PR guys, NBPR) a lovely bag of products for my skin colour to try a while ago. This brand actually has a complete make-up for different types of complexions: fair, medium and medium dark, with foundation, concealers, powders, lip liners, lipstick and lip glosses in shades designed to suit your skin tone, and categorised as such, thus making the right choice a bit easier. They also have amazing eye shadows, eye liners, mascaras and nail polish!

I have been using some of the eye liners which are fabulous, and amongst the great make-up selection I received, there were two R&B rouge/blushers: lady monaco and costa del soul.

Really great products, very well pigmented, good staying power and easy to blend. Packaging is lovely – a mirror finish case with a small brush inside. It is slightly on the large side though, to carry around your make up back, but it is very slim so it just gets away with it.

Lady monaco is warm pink (but not too pink), almost matt, with a very subtle shimmer. Although the colour is very vivid to the eye, when applied it is very delicate and adds a lovely flush of colour to the cheeks. I tend to avoid pink blushers, but this one is very wearable, especially when wearing pinker lipsticks.

Costa del soul has a more orange based, a dark peach with shimmer without being too “metallic”. I love peach-coloured blushers, so this is a total winner. Again, looks stronger than it turns out on the face; it doesn’t look too harsh, creating a soft hint of colour to the cheeks!

They are now part of my make-up routine!

You can get myface.cosmetics here.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Eye make-up look challenge: festive gold

Festive gold eye make-upOooh the festive mood… it is in the air… everywhere you look… Here, at So Many Lovely Things it’s no different. Nothing better than a lovely black and gold smokey eye to go with it, right?

I started by applying the gold eyeshadow across the whole lid. I then applied the black with gold flecks to the crease and swept out and upwards, following a 45 degree “line” from the outer corner of my eyes.

I then applied black eyeliner on the upper lash line, with a nice flick, followed by a gorgeous metallic eyeliner above it, creating a slightly longer flick.

I then applied black eyeshadow to line the lower waterline and lash line, and applied the gold eyeliner slightly below the lash line, creating another flick at the end, in the same direction of the upper lashline.

I then applied a light eyeshadow to highlight the brow bone and sprinkled the gold dust around the brow bone and towards the inner corner of the eye, and finished off with some mascara and gorgeous false lashes.

Great for New Years eve!!!

Products I used:

  • Urban Decays eyeshadows in zephyr (book of shadows IV), jagged and blitz (vice)
  •  Collection 2000 felt tip pen liner
  • myface.cosmetics liquid eyeliner in gil-ty
  • MAC eyeshadow in carbon
  • Mac Zoomlash mascara
  • Kryolan glamour sparks in golden
  • Eylure eyelashes in vintage 124 (if you look really closely you’ll notice they are not perfectly applied – had one of those nightmare days where the lash doesn’t want to sit in properly, unluckily  it was on my “model” eye… oh well)
  • Beauty boxes brushes (first time I used them – they are great!)

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Difficulty:

eye make up look - medium

My last minute spot at the BBloggersXmas event

I found out about this event very last minute, thanks to Grace from All that slap – and I am so glad they had a little place available for me.

This networking event took place really close to my home, at the Reebok bar in Canary Wharf and it was beautifully organised by Lola, from Lola Star Hearts and Victoria, from Victoria’s Beauty and Fashion Review blogs.

Lot of talk about it was going on Twitter (I am still not quite sure how I completely missed it!). Everyone was excited and thinking about outfits! I hadn’t thought about that yet, and panicked a little bit, as I was sure everyone was going to look lovely, so I settled for American Apparel wet(ish) leggings, a burgundy leather peplum from H&M, Louboutin black courts, a multicoloured necklace also from H&M, grey/black smokey eyes and burgundy lipstick (MAC’s Diva).

Around 65 bloggers, I hear, attended the event – an amazing turnout. There were some brands demo-ing their products, such as Slendertone, Aromatherapy Associates, Diva hair styling products, Bad Apple polishes, Bronze Ambition and Twisted Sista hair products. There was a quiz and twitter prize draws – lucky me here got a glass nail file with Swarosvki crystals!

There were cakes pops, Pop Chips (yum yum yum!) and lots of lovely bloggers to meet and chat away! The atmosphere was great! I find that people say bloggers are not very friendly to other bloggers, but I am not sure where people get this from – every event I attended, everyone I met was super lovely and friendly and I always have a great time!

Thank you very much Lola and Victoria, it was an awesome event, really well organised and a goodie bag to really die for – and early Christmas treat (it was like opening my stocking in the morning) and which will generate plenty of reviews!!!

Eye make-up look challenge: light pink and green

light pink and teal eye make-up

As this eye make-up was requested by the lovely Eilidh, I am naming it Eye-lidh! She asked me to use the Urban Decay vice palettes colours Provocateur and Unhinged, which are quite contrasting. Provocateur is a very light pink, quite cold and extremely shimmery. Unhinged is a deep metallic teal, with enough green and blue in it.

This look was very easy to achieve! After priming, I applied the light pink all over the lid, until a little bit above the crease. Using the pencil brush, I drew above the crease with the teal shadow, creating the cat eye shape. I then blended upwards only using a blending brush. I then saturated the colour a bit more.

I applied black eyeshadow with a shader brush to my lower waterline and then teal to the lower lash line. I applied the pink to the corner of the eye blending in the lower lash line.

After that, I applied the liquid liner in a lovely metallic charcoal colour (very pretty – a shame it didn’t photograph very well), creating a flick and then added some light eyeshadow, pigment and crushed pigment on the brow bone, just below the brow arch. To finish off, I put fake lashes on.

Products I used:

  • Urban Decay Provocateur (first on third row) and Unhinged (fourth on second row) eyeshadows from Vice palette
  • MAC eyeshadows in carbon and vanilla
  • MAC pigment in vanilla
  • MAC crushed pigment in white as snow
  • Urban Decay eye primer potion
  • Diorshow Extase mascara
  • Myface.cosmetics Slinky liquid eyeliner in black ice
  • Smashbox photo op under eye brightener
  • MAC brushes 219, 231, 239, 208 and 130
  • Urban Decay double ended good karma shadow and crease brush
  • Duo lash glue
  • Ardell lashes 107

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Difficulty:

eye make up look - easy