Category Archives: Beauty

Nails of the week – blue + stamping

Well, it seems I am still a *little* bit obsessed with blue, and this week, I have painted my nails another shade of this lovely colour.

The blue I am wearing at the moment is electric, almost royal; it falls a shade or two shorter from it, and it is called Pop Fiction from Miss Sporty.

I am rather excited about my nails this week as I have tried a couple things I had never done before: an accent nail, which I painted with Nails Inc. in Oxford, a lovely pastel blue, and nail stamping.

I bought 16 Bundle Monster plates a while back, plus a Konad double ended stamp and scraper, and was looking forward to trying it. So, within this post, I will do a mini review of the plates. The patterns are ok, I mean, there are only about six plates I really like, but that didn’t bother me that much. A major disappointment was the fact some of the patterns are not deep enough, so when you scrape, no polish stays in, so there is nothing for the stamp to pick up. I tried several nail polishes and some of the patterns I really liked were, unfortunately, unusable.

As a first time experience, once I found a pattern I liked and that worked, from plate BM19, I think it was relatively ok. I had to remove the polish and re-do a couple times, and do the “paint plate-scrape-press stamp” act one too many times (and sometimes the pattern on the stamp wouldn’t be complete) but it looks cute and I am very happy with the result! I am not sure if I could actually cope with stamping every single nail…. I suppose practice would help!

The nail polishes application was very good; the Miss Sporty one has exceptional coverage; I used two coats, but with only one the colour was solid enough. The Nails Inc pastel blue was also very good, coverage was great, but two coats are a must. Durability is alright, there was one or two minor chips after five days, but I did put my nails through a bit!

Overall, a winner – the Miss Sporty blue for me is the star here; it is absolutely stunning and is quite similar to a blue Beyoncé was seen using a few weeks ago. I was very surprised I loved it this much, as there had been a very long time since I last wore a block, plain colour on my nails, as you know, I’ve really been into my effects nail varnish! I am very glad I did!

Rating:

Eye make-up look challenge – electric blue eyeliner

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One of the eye make up looks that caught my eye in recent fashion weeks was Anna Sui’s winged blue eyeliner, with a pretty dot on the lower lash line.

So this week I decided to re-create my own version on it, but with a half circle on the centre of the lower lash line, similar to the half sequins used at Givenchy SS12, instead of Anna Sui’s smaller full dot slightly off centre.

In my treasure chest that is the Sephora palette I bought a while back, there are six gel eyeliners, including an electric blue one, so I decided that it was perfect to execute this look.

I prepped my eyes with a primer, dusted with a bit of pigment to give it a glow, used clear sticky tape to work as a stencil so my line would be sharp and precise and voilá – I drew from the inner corner with a brush, as if applying normal eyeliner, but extended it more towards the end of my brows to make it more dramatic.

Then, I built on it, giving thickness on the lid. I took some pictures of it thinner and thicker, and I like them both.

Bearing in mind this took me literally five minutes to achieve on each eye, I think this look is a winner – especially because of its versatility; you can use any colour you want, make the flick shorter and also drop the dot on the lower lash line! If no gel eyeliner is at hand, it can also be achieved by wetting eyeshadow then applying with an angled brush, it will though, be harder to achieve a good coverage and durability, depending on the colour and the eyeshadow. Wet pigments would also work a treat.

Products I used:

  • Sephora gel eyeliner in electric blue, from palette
  • MAC pigment in Vanilla
  • MAC brushes 209SE and 208
  • Maybelline brush (comes with the  Lasting Drama gel liner)
  • Maybelline One by one Volume Express mascara
  • E.L.F eyelid primer
  • MAC eyebrow set
  • Clear sticky tape

Rating:

Nails of the week – blue with glitter flakes

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Blue, I am obsessed with blue at the moment (again)!

This week I am wearing a metallic cobalt blue with a pretty glitter flakes topcoat.

The metallic blue (Blue me away) is from Collection 2000, and the fact that I wore it before on its own proves it is great, only one coat provides great coverage. The topcoat is from a Brazilian brand I didn’t know: Big Universo, and this one is called Raio Gama;  its flakes are transparent with a laser type effect; a lilac/purple/blueish sheen. The polish is laden with flakes and its base, although translucent, has a bit of the flakes colour too. The effect is really pretty and although it didn’t come out well in the pictures, there is a subtle colour change on the nail surface and the flakes, from light to deep blue to purple…

Application was great; the Collection 2000 blue provided a great base, and then I added two coats of the Big Universo on top. Durability is also great, no chips in sight after five days.

I am very pleased with this combination, I really think the beauty of it lies with the subtlety of the colour and how, in a way, the topcoat softens and adds dimension to the base polish. In fact, I like it so much that decided against trying my nail stamps for the first time, but I shall be doing that soon!

Rating:

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Eye make-up look challenge: white and gold

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This week I tried to re-create this quite minimalist white and gold eyes. They are meant to be a techno-chic kinda look; to me, they look a bit futuristic and frosted. Kept thinking I should be using light blue and silver instead of gold, for a snow queen look!

I am not sure in which occasion I would, if I wore to go out with this eye make up. I quite like the white “line” in the middle,  there is plenty of shimmer, and when you close you eyes, it looks very pretty and quite unusual.

Instead of using gold leaves, I used Kryolan’s Supracolour from the Charles H. Fox shop in Covent Garden, so even though my look was quite close to the one in the book, the finish was much smoother, as Supracolour is a paste-like product.
The lashes were meant to be quite clumped, but I don’t like that look very much,  so I just clumped it a little bit.  This look is, overall, quite easy to achieve.

Products I used:

  • Charles H. Fox Kryolan Supracolour metallic in gold;
  • Eyeshadow from Sephora pallete (white and shimmery light gold)
  • MAC pigment in Vanilla
  • Smashbox Photo Op Under eye brightener;
  • Studio eye pencil in Winter white
  • E.L.F. eyelid primer in Sheer
  • Soap & Glory Thick and Fast mascara
  • MAC brushes 208, 231, 239 and 263
  • MAC eyebrow set (discontinued)

Level of difficulty:

Nails of the week: half-moon black and blue

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Inspired by fashion week, I decided to try something different on my nails, so, for the first time I had half-moons on my talons. And I settled for matte pastel blue and black, after my gold and black attempt failed.

Tip number one: paint the half-moon colour one day and the top colour the other, to avoid disappointment.  Initially, I used Barry M foil effects in gold; it is a thick polish and even though it  seems to dry really quickly, after an hour, I applied the French manicure stickers to the bottom of my nails, painted the rest black and when I peeled them, the gold came off.

So I decided to change colours and used two coats of Nails Inc in Oxford, and the following evening, I used new stickers and applied two coats of Black Barry M over it.  Application was smooth, and the Nails Inc pastel wasn’t a pain to apply, as most creamy light shades; the second coat provided a good coverage, fit for a full 24-hour solo use! The Barry M was also good,  two coats for perfect, smooth and super shiny jet black.

Now, second tip: because I wasn’t sure I wanted matte effect, I waited a bit to apply the topcoat. The adhesive on the strips was very strong, so fluff from a hand towel kinda stuck to the remainder of glue on my half-moons and it was pretty hard to get rid of. I should’ve put the topcoat immediately after painting. You live, you learn!

For the very first time I also tried Gosh’s Matte effect topcoat.  It creates a great matte effect which I loved; the idea of turning any nail varnish into matte is indeed very appealing, but after a few days of wear and tear it started to look shiny again, so a re-touch is definitely recommended after three or four days to take it back to its matte glory.

I had to put four coats of nail polish plus one topcoat. Add to that a topcoat re-touch, and you have SIX layers altogether – way too much for my liking, looks like I am growing a nail on top of my nail! It lasted surprisingly well, I really though all the layers would compromise durability, but there isn’t a single chip in sight, after four days.

Overall,  I love the half-moons; the pastel blue+black combination is great. I know they are not perfect, but I am pleased as a first attempt. I will definitely venture on to other designs, have already some things in mind, so watch this space!

Have you tried it before? How did you find it?

Rating:

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Eye make-up look challenge: purple and green

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click to enlarge

This week I have tried what is described in the book as a “jewelled” look with purple and green. Mine didn’t turn out that jewel-like, maybe I need some extra shimmer eyeshadow (mental note!) to get extra sparkling effect…. Anyway…

I love the contrast between purple and green, always been a big fan of the combination (when I was very young I had a lime green and purple bikini!) so this really appealed to me. I manage to get very close to the result in the book (minus the super shimmer), and it took me less than 10 minutes per eye to achieve! The secret is wetting the eyeshadow, so you get extra bright colour.

A fun eye make-up look, to add a splash of colour to a black number, to compliment a purple or green one or even colour clash! For me, this is quite a versatile look, as I could easily have interchanged colours. Bearing in mind it was very quick, I see as a definite winner!

Products I used:

  • MAC eyeshadow in Expensive Pink
  • Sephora palette eyeshadows in different purple and green shades
  • MAC pigment in Vanilla
  • Smashbox Photo Op Under eye brightener
  • E.L.F. eyelid primer in Sheer
  • Soap & Glory Thick and Fast mascara
  • MAC eye kohl in Smoulder
  • MAC brushes 208, 217, 219, 227, 231, 239 (eyes) and 167SE (face)
  • MAC eyebrow set (discontinued)

Level of difficulty:

Fashion week beauty – A/W 12-13

Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Make Up by
Meadham Kichhoff a/w 12-13, image from vogue.co.uk

Meadham Kichhoff A/W 12-13, image from vogue.co.uk

Fashion week comes round one more time in London town, and as I work near Somerset House, the home of LFW, I have been spotting of sorts of weird and wonderful fashionistas around. And that put me in the mood to scour for pretty make up and nails amongst the (mostly) beautiful clothes.

Once again, I have been trashing the London and New York editorials and squinting at the zoomed in pictures to spot nails and make up trends, or just things I like.

I noticed many minimalist, bare face looks and clear or nude nails. Have to say, I have no interest on those at all – so move over… Here are my thoughts on the exciting ones:

Before I go into specifics, I must open with Meadham Kirchhoff which once again dazzled with make up and nails – for the talons, a feast of patterned, colourful and mismatched appearances. For the make up, colourful eyes, with geometrical patterns, also mismatched, half coloured lips and towards the end, fully painted faces. And wacky hair. If for any show, I would be begging to watch this one. Absolutely beautiful, and exquisite.  A brilliant case of beauty being an integral part of the outfits.

Black nail polish has been spotted avast: at Antonio Berardi (with beautiful light coloured half moons), L’Wren Scott and Vera Wang. Vivienne Westwood Red Label presented exquisite inscripted hands and nails, but some plain black.  PPQ had lovely gold nails pointy with black tip designed as a triangle, almost like a heart at the end, facing outside. Pretty.

Still on nails, I spotted lavender blue for Erdem, almost electric blue at Antoni & Alison and deep blue at Anna Sui. House of Holland gave us dogstooth pattern nails, with bright blue and pink backgrounds. Transparent shimmery polish, deep burgundy and hands dipped in gold shimmer appeared at Marchesa (which, by the way, had a stunning collection).

Red lips appeared on Emilia Wickstead and PPQ, as well as at Narciso Rodriguez, with some burgundy, and naked eyes.

Orangey reds and coral lips were seen at House of Holland, Rodarte, Michael Kors, Jonathan Saunders and glossy at Antonio Berardi.

Moschino Cheap & Chic gave us beautiful lilac shimmery lips!

For the eyes, I like the smokey black at L’Wren Scott and eyeliner flicks at Erdem (a high on the lid floating version), Aquascutum (very thick) and Antoni & Alison (smokey), but  Anna Sui delivered my favourite: gorgeous electric blue flicks with a pretty dot at the centre of the lower lash line. Narciso Rodriguez also gave us coral and lime eyeshadow with nude lips and Marchesa presented beautifully gold shimmer lined eyes.

I also enjoyed looking at the coral flushed cheeks at Mulberry. The models looked so fresh and radiant.

Although Meadham Kirchhoff’s colourful extravaganza is my favourite feast-for-the-eyes show, I probably won’t go painting my face blue (unless I dress up as Neytiri), but I see plenty of wearable trends, and I am sure we can all find a few favourites and give them our individual twists to suit our styles!

I highly recommend you take a look at the picture galleries at Vogue for great photos!

Vogue Beauty

Vogue Fashion

Thinking about what trends are hot for Spring/Summer 12? Check my previous posts!

Nails of the week – pink and copper duochrome

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click to enlarge

Another colour changing beauty is on my nails this week – a delightful pink and copper duochrome from Accessorize, called Pink Spice.

It is super sparkly and the colour changes beautifully – it is true you need light, as the shades are not that contrasting, so when I painted my nails, at night, I was a bit disappointed. However, in the morning, I could notice the subtle, but lovely transition between the reddish pink and brownish copper hues.

Just like Aztec, which I tried previously, this polish does not disappoint. One coat is indeed too thin, but you can achieve the effect with two. Application was ok, I still find their brush a bit too small, but didn’t affect application. It has a good consistency and spreads evenly. Durability is good, no chips in five days, so (non-chipped) thumbs up – worth noticing I always use a topcoat to improve durability anyway!

A lovely colour which I am happy with and generated compliments, but lacks a bit of oomph if you ask me… Do I love it madly? not quite… rather pleased to see reddish pink on my nails once again, but the effect, for me, is not impressive enough (certainly not as impressive as Aztec), don’t quite know why; maybe it lacks a bit of contrast, I think. Still, at £4, a great buy for a duochrome – pretty, and I am happy to recommend and perhaps, wear again!

Rating:

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Eye make-up look challenge: black and gold

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black and gold eye make up look

click to enlarge

I am very excited to be posting my very first eye make-up look challenge!

After considering my “menu”, I decided to kick off with slightly something different, dare I say, rather dramatic, although quite simple: a gold base with shadowy, geometrical black outline.

I really enjoyed the effect when the eye is closed. Now, I am not sure how much I like the pokey line once my eyes are open (which will be most of the time, right?!). As mentioned on the book, you must have perfectly plucked and groomed eyebrows if you are wearing this look, otherwise it can appear very  messy. I also think it would look great with some false eye lashes!

I really enjoyed doing it, and would maybe consider for some occasions.  I had a little bit of a problem with the line that pokes out, I drew it with the MAC’s 212 brush and shaded with the 231, after a failed attempt; it is quite hard to get the definition needed for the contrast.

Products I used:

Level of difficulty:

So, what did you think of the look? Would you wear it?

Find out what the rating means.

Eye make-up look challenge 2012

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A while back, I bought a great make up book, Rae Morris’ Makeup: The ultimate guide, which is packed with make up technique explainers and great tips in general. Although the whole book is fabulous, the highlight for me is the eye make-up looks it teaches you to re-create, step by step.

I am a big fan of make-up in general, but crazy about eye make-up and all my life, I favoured big (really, really reeeeally big and  heavy) eyes and just lipgloss. Having fallen in love with red lipstick didn’t quite go with my love of over the top, colourful eye make up, so lately I’ve been sticking to eyeliner with flick, discreet neutrals and to go out, black smokey, sometimes with some variations using a small splash of colour to blend.

This book has, in  away, inspired me to try some different looks for a few reasons: a need to fuel my passion for outrageous eye make up looks; the eagerness to learn new techniques and  ultimately, put the explanation to the test and find out  how easy (or not) it is to achieve the look on each step by step “tutorial”.

I will be trying some of the looks on the book, but also any I spot somewhere else or create myself. The first look will be coming very soon, so stay tuned.

To rate my tentatives, you will find one of this icons on each post:

Easy – pretty straight forward and not too time consuming to achieve look similar to instructions.

Medium – a bit of technique or trial+failure until I achieved look similar to instructions.

Hard – a lot of technique or trial+failure until achieved look similar to instructions.