Category Archives: Beauty

Eye make up challenge: blue smokey

So, I have been a bit rubbish with my eye make up challenge; overall, I was a bit slack for a couple of months with the blog, but now all is back to normal!

I tried this lovely light and dark blue eye make up recently, and was quite pleased with the results. It was quite simple to put together, and I can see it being beautiful with various shades: green, pinks, or even orange/yellow.

I first applied a primer then brushed a light baby blue all over my lids, the lower lash line and the inner corner of my eye. I used a pencil brush to add the darker blue at the crease then used a smoker brush to blend and extend the darker colour towards my temples. Using a small shader brush I lined one third of the lower lash line with the darker blue. I put some light pigment by the brow bone and blended down to the dark blue, followed by some golden dust. Mascara was applied, followed by a set of lashes. I added more light pigment to the inner corner of the eye, brushed my eyebrows and filled them a little bit, as I usually do.

I think this is a good look for a night out; you could certainly put more dramatic eyelashes.  I usually wear a more smokey look, but will certainly try this “lighter version” next time I go out!

Products I used:

  • Sephora light blue eyeshadow from pallete
  • MAC dark blue eyeshadow in Deep Truth
  • MAC eyelashes 33
  • Kryolan Glamour Sparks in golden
  • MAC eye kohl in Smoulder
  • MAC pigment in Vanilla
  • MAC brushes 208, 217, 219, 231, 239 and 263.
  • DUO waterproof eyelash glue
  • Smashbox Photo-op under-eye brightener
  • Maybelline One by one volum’ express mascara

Level of difficulty: 

Nails of the week: Silver holographic with black French manicure

When I prematurely removed the lovely giraffe foils, I gave my nails a rare breathing day and decided to do a silver holographic and black French I had been wanting to do for quite a while.

I used the beautiful Color Club Worth the Risque, which I wore on its own a while back. I encountered the same problems as before… which I had forgotten about: it takes ages to dry and scratches pretty easily; as I paint my nails in the evening, I had to wait a whole day before feeling safe to use the  strips to do the French mani, then I applied my reliable Barry M’s black and a topcoat (which is the saving grace for the Color Club polish).

Have to say, apart from the pain to achieve, I am very happy with it, and once it is in, it lasts; durability is great, 8 whole days in great state (a very minor re-touch to one of the black tips)!

Rating:

Nails of the week – black/gold giraffe print foil

Months after buying a pretty giraffe print Nail Rock wraps, I decided it was finally time to try them. Have to confess just the thought of using a hair dryer and frantically preventing/fixing creases was enough to make me feel a bit lazy, hence the procrastination – which in this particular department is quite unusual for me, as I cannot wait to try new stuff… Anyway…

I actually found application easier than I dreaded all this time; after two or three nails, the process was quite straight forward, and it took me a couple of minutes or so per nail. I thought with myself: “This is great! I am never painting again!”. They looked *fabulous*!!! I was so excited…

However, excitement didn’t last too long. After a couple days, the foils started to snag in the “most used” fingers (thumbs and indicators)… I tried desperately to hang on to the beauty, but the ragging was really irritating… it caught on tights, hair, it felt weird on touch (as you will know by now, I am very pedantic when it comes to my nails… I am not a big fan of texture, I get quite bothered when the manicure has little bubbles or is not looking perfect, and so on) and by the third day I decided I could not take it anymore – I removed them. So a NOTW part II will follow, as I painted in replacement of the foils.

I knew they weren’t going to last long when I applied them. I so knew. But I was hoping to be proved wrong, after all they say in the packet it last up to 10 days! Removal was alright; again, using the hair dryer to make the foils soft enough to pull off.

Having said all that, I really loved the effect and the finish when they were good, so I will definitely wear again. The final verdict is: as “occasion” nails, YES, PLEASE, WE LOVE YOU!!! As weekly manicure, unfortunately is a no-no.  If you are prepared, like me, to change twice in a week, then go ahead. Or if you have that all special event that requires extra nail impact. But if you just want to think about again in seven days, you will be disappointed!

Rating:

Nails of the week – blue/green duochrome (dazzling blue)

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Together with fantasy fire, I also bought Max Factor’s dazzling blue, which is a lovely mint green with pinkish/gold/blue hues.

I applied over Ana Hickmann’s Vibe Nova, a strong mint green, and it looked lovely. Had the same issue with application, as bottle is tiny, but it lasted really well! It ended up showing a lovely mint green to light blue, sometimes with a hint of gold, which I found very pretty.

Now, I didn’t expect much from this one, so that’s probably why I wasn’t disappointed as I was with Fantasy Fire.

Rating:

Nails of the week – Purple/green/blue (fantasy fire)

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After hearing about Max Factor’s Fantasy Fire so much and feeling the “panic” on the twittosphere about it being sold out everywhere, I didn’t even bother trying to get hold of it.

However, I went to Westfield before going on holidays and popped to Superdrug to buy some travel essentials when, doing my standard browsing through nail polishes and make up, I found said polish staring me in the face. Yes, it was a sign, so I bought it.

I used a purple underneath, as the polish is too thin to have any effect on its own (unless you do, maybe 5 coats!!!). It really needed two coats on top of the purple to look nice. The super small square bottle is a bit fiddly, but durability is good.

The colour in the bottle is stunning – purples, and pinks, with blues and greens, a plethora of changing hues…. and although you can identify them on the nails, and it does look very pretty – I got compliments on it –  it is not half as impressive as the colour in the bottle.

So, I am a bit disappointed. To me, it is not nearly as amazing as it has been blogged, twitted and facebooked about. Don’t get me wrong, it is very nice, but I think the hype made me expect so much about it, and I got too disappointed… oh well….

Have you tried Fantasy Fire? Did you use a different colour underneath and got better results?

Rating:

Nails of the week – multicoloured French manicure

Well, I have spring on my mind so this week I decided to go all out. YES, all out.

Not only I painted one nail a different colour but I also added French manicure on them, in contrasting colours.

And you know what? I really like it. It is a bit different, it is a bit out there, and a bit brave. I wasn’t sure to start with, but they grew on me and managed to stay for a whole week.

To achieve the look, I painted each nail using a H&M nail polish kit; for a mere £2.99 you get four summer proof shades – bright pink, yellow, mint green and purple. As I have five fingers (!) I added a pastel blue, the gorgeous Nails Inc in Oxford Street.

I mentioned the Nails Inc one before, so if you want to know more about it, check here. I was very surprised with the H&M ones – quality was good and 2 coats gave a great coverage, even for the lighter shade, the mint green – I encountered bad quality creamy coloured polish that offers an awful coverage, full of streaks, so this was a very pleasant surprise.

I then waited two hours and applied French manicure stickers which I bought from eBay, but had never used before. I applied a contrasting colour in the same order a applied them on my nails – and voilá!

Durability was ok. French is not the most durable type of manicure, as the attention – and all the rubbing – is at the tip. However, it lasted well for five days. On the sixth day, I re-touched the tips… and it was actually passable, until my next manicure.

I am very pleased I took the plunge and ventured into something different!

Rating:

Nails of the week – Nfu Oh Number 51

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I finally succumbed and paid an outrageous amount of money for a bottle of nail polish. Don’t get me wrong – it is worth it, but I did feel a bit sick afterwards, especially as you see the total with postage being taken from your account for one little bottle.

Price aside, I was extremely happy with my purchase. To start, the bottle is oh-so-pretty. My God, so cute! And it is HUGE! Definitely the biggest polish bottle I have.

I applied Nfu Oh’s Number 51 on a Barry M black base (just one coat) and it looked beautiful. I could definitely notice the plethora of tones, ranging from a deep burgundy to a dark forest green, with gold at some points. The glitter flakes just make the effect even more stunning, giving it depth and texture without actually being bumpy.

Application was smooth, not dodgy flakes poking out at the nail tip. Durability was outstanding, after 7 days, I really didn’t want to remove it, as it still looked pretty perfect!

So yes, I paid the price and I do not regret. And I will try it again on a purple base, as I didn’t see much of its lovely purple tones.

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Nails of the week – blue/pink duochrome

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This week I am a bit rushed off my feet – my office moved to  a brand new building and I am still a bit lost and until I get used to it, I think I will have this feeling of putting some extra effort into going to work – although, that can be easily explained by the fact I have probably paid a record number of visits to various high street shops in one day; office is near Oxford Street, in London, and the temptation is just too much!

I am  also going to Paris for a long weekend (yay), so that has also contributed to my lack of time…

However, I finally found a few minutes to show you my talons: this week I am wearing Andrea Fulerton’s Smile in a storm. Having used two or her duos in the past, and being very excited about those, I almost forgot I had this one; I bought it ages ago, so decided it was time to try it.

It consists of two polishes on a double ended brush; one is gunmetal grey, super sparkly and the other one is an iridescent topcoat. Together, they become a very pretty, although subtle, duochrome which varies from a light, grey-ish blue to darker blue and then to lilac and pink. Sometimes, depending on the light, you can get a glimpse of the grey, but maybe because I just used one coat of each. The reason for that is because the polish builds up quite thick. I had some problems with bubbles, when adding a third coat (second of topcoat), so removed it all and applied again, this time settling for less.

Apart from the bubbles, and the fact that the double ended brush makes it a bit clunky when applying, I am happy with it. Even with an extra shine topcoat, I noticed the finish is not too shiny, and someone even asked me if I had my matte topcoat on! Colour is fab and durability great!

Really like my new H&M ring, so decided to add it here too!

Rating:

Eye make-up look challenge: rainbow

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The sun has been out and I am in a more colourful mood. I always wanted to try rainbow colours in my eyes, but never had an occasion. as it is quite bold and not your week day in the pub kinda look. For that reason, I think my eye make-up look challenge is the perfect way of trying this!

Just as a reminder, the challenge is my way of venturing into looks I would probably never try; it is also a good practice for techniques.

I looked online for some inspiration, but ended up coming up with my version. I am not sure I would ever wear it, may be appropriate for carnival or other flamboyant occasion, but it ended up looking quite pretty – *maybe* I should have the black liner thinner (shhh, don’t tell anyone, I was going to, but had a little accident and as the six-colour blending was already in place, I decided to overlook the mistake and build it up a bit). Still I am very pleased with it. If I were to use this, I would probably slap some fake eye lashes on.

I didn’t have many problems, only blending the blue and green was a bit odd; I had to really pile eyeshadow on  and complement with eyeliner, which I also blended a bit, to get a good distinction of the colours and some definition.

It is a good practice for blending, as the colours are so distinct, and I experimented with a few brushes and eyeshadows rarely used before, so I am glad I tried… my word for it is vivacious, and it really cheered me up!

Products I used:

  • e.l.f. eyelid primer in sheer
  • beautyuk eyeshadow collection in number  2
  • Collection 2000 Extreme felt tip eyeliner in black
  • Smashbox Photo-op under eye brightener
  • MAC pigment in vanilla
  • MAC eyebrow set
  • Maybelline One by One mascara in black
  • MAC brushes  – eyes: 212SE, 219SE, 231, 217, 239SE, 208SE and 263; face: 190 and 167SE (the face brushes were used to clear spills and apply powder/brightener under the eyes)
  • Studio eyeliners in winter white, summer green and blue velvet
  • MAC eye kohl in smoulder

Level of difficulty:

Beauty products and make up I cannot live without

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Most of my eyeshadows!

We all have them, right? Some swear by a handful of products that keep them beautiful on a daily basis… however, you are *slightly* more exaggerated,  like myself, you probably notice that your staple beauty products cannot fit in one hand, or two… better bring out the sack…

I decided to list my essential make up items as well as my staple beauty products, as I believe they go hand in hand beautifying my everyday!

There is an awful lot more stuff and I have to say, I am quite good using most of the stuff I have

Drum roll…. here is my tried, tested and loved list:

Make up

  • MAC foundation, most of the times Selct FPS 15 in NC37 – I have tried many foundations in my life (trust me, I am a girl who had severe acne when younger), and this is the one I stuck with for quite sometime. Great to apply, it has a medium coverage. I am, at the moment, trying MAC’s Matchmaster, which has slightly better coverage than the Select and I am very happy with it too. I sometimes mix my foundation with moisturiser for everyday use or build up for hard-wearing make up.
  • MAC Mineralize skinfinish natural powder, in medium dark – cannot live without, usually brush on top of my foundation to add colour, but sometimes just on its own it offers you good coverage without being heavy, at all.
  • MAC Sheertone Shimmer blush in Sunbasque – so versatile…. could, in desperate times, double up as a bronzer, it goes with most colours. When I am full make up on, I use it only on the apple of the cheeks, with Mineralize blush in Chic Couple under the cheek bone for extra definition.
  • MAC Mineralize skinfinish bronzer in Gold deposit – not too overpowering in colour, gives you that lovely glow, suitable for the winter and summer, can be built up…. great for a bot of contouring.
  • MAC eye shadow in Carbon –  another super versatile item. An intense matte black, I wear it as for fierce smokey eyes or on a daily basis as eye liner.
  • Mascara usually Maybelline Falsies, but lately been dabbling with YSL – you can check the review here, Soap & Glory and Maybelline One by One.
  • Eye liner – I have and use many different ones. The one I am quite into at the moment is the The Collection 200o Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner in black. I use eye shadow as eyeliner, gel liners from Maybelline and MAC.
  • MAC brow shader duo – a nice little matchbox like packaging with a dark shadow for your eyebrow and a lighter for the brow bone. It has been discontinued, I am lucky I have two and they last forever!
  • MAC pigment in Vanilla – so great, really gives your brow bone that extra, glamourous sheen, lifting your brows up to the sky! Amazing buy, a little pot will last you a long time.
  • Eye shadow – I own a plethora of shades… cannot get enough of eye shadow, could not pick a favourite, as it varies with my mood.
  • Lancôme Color Fever lipstick in Hot Stuff Rouge: a metallic red I think this colour has been discontinued, which is  shame, as it is the best red ever! It is not too bright so suitable for day wear, it has a smooth creamy texture, so it glides when you apply – it is so good, I don’t even have to use a lip liner. I love it!
  • MAC Russian Red lipstick – hot. That’s all.
  • Lipcote lipstick fixer – I swear by this product. After reading reviews that it dries your lips more than fixes the colour, I was a bit unsure about buying it. My lips are quite dry, and this product hasn’t made it any worse. It fixes the colour beautifully, and I never wear a red on a night out without applying this on top. It stays put most of the night and it won’t stain glasses when you drink. Great!
  • A primer. Been using MAC’s Prep+Prime Skin for a few years and recently discovered Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting primer (dewy finish) which did wonders for my skin – a brilliant primer for acne scarred skin.  I also use Lancôme’s La Base Pro.
  • Eyelid primer – at the moment using e.l.f and happy with it.

Beauty:

  • Face moisturiser – Nivea visage Oil free moisturising fluid is great value for money. I also wear Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, but this Nivea one is a great budget alternative – the texture is pretty much the same, it absorbs quickly, it moisturises well and my skin likes it.
  • Victoria’s Secret hydrating body lotion in Pure Seduction – been wearing it for a good 10 years now and it is the only moisturiser  my body has seen. Love the consistency, the hydration and the smell is to die for. Sadly, not largely available in the UK (soon to be though), so I stock up from duty free, and suffer the occasional “moisturiser depletion anxiety” when I think I will run out before another trip abroad.
  • Victoria’s Secret ultra-moisturizing hand and body cream, also in Pure Seduction- just like above, but I use it as a hand moisturiser.  It is just great, more supple than the body lotion, also good for elbows and knees.
  • St. Tropez Everyday Airbrush fake tan – easy to apply, never had streaks, the tan looks natural – worth noting I do not abuse it!The smell could be better, but could also be much worse, so overall, I like it and rely on it.
  • Lip balm – my lips are quite dry, and I suffer a lot in the winter; you won’t see without Vaseline lip therapy cocoa butter and lately créme bruleé or cherry Carmex.
  • Clarins Cleansing milk and Toning lotion for combination/oily skin – I know I should wear it twice daily, but I usually do it once, before going to bed. The toning lotion is also a good astringent, and I wear it on my eye lids as part of my eye make up prep!
  • Clinique 3 step system – I usually do this in the mornings. At the moment, I am using the soap bar and clarifying lotion 2, for dry combination skin.
  • Eye drops – My eyes are also very dry, in the wonter aggravated by heating and in th summer by hayfever (I know, lucky me, eh?!), so I use itchy eye drops a lot. I’ve been using Optrex Itchy eye drops and it helps a lot. In the winter,  I usually change to a moisturising eye drop, like Optrex Dry or Actimist eye spray (which I find great!)
  • Batiste dry shampoo  – an absolute saviour. When younger, I used to wash my hair every day, because it is quite fine and looks dirty in 24 hours. Not anymore, dry shampoo (and ballerina buns) changed my life.
  • L’Oréal Absolute eye & lip make-up remover – another saviour, been wearing for a long time, cheap and cheerful, does the job brillianty.
  • Kérastase Nutritive Nutri-termique hair mask –  this is a miracle worker, using it once a week for about a year really changed my hair’s condition. Really amazing product.
  • Kérastase Lait Nutri-sculpt leave in smoothing hair foundation – in combination with the hair mask, this also changed my hair – it enabled me to grow it with the best condition my hair has ever been.
  • Nail varnish – lots and lots of it, in a rainbow-like palette!!!
What about you? What are the products you cannot live without?  Have you tried any of my favourites? What did you think?