Tag Archives: black

Nails of the week – Holographic and black

Posted in Beauty by

I am now in Brazil for holidays, and while I am having a break from doing my own manicure, I am still trying new shades. It is so exciting to be able to rediscover Brazilian brands, and explore the new colours. Also, prepare yourselves for short posts, as I cannot wait to run to the pool and work on my much needed tan!

This week I am wearing something quite similar to the Nails Inc. Electric Lane holographic topcoat – it is called Na Mira 3D, from Impala, and it is part of their Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) line.

Although it has the same purpose of the Nails Inc one, this beauty has a slightly darker colour, with great depth and a lovely iridescent pink tint to it. As soon as I looked at it, I knew it would look great on black (my manicurist applied Impala 501, Preto). It dazzles beautifully in the scorching Brazilian sun, but it is very hard to photograph! I really struggled, and the pictures, disappointingly, don´t really represent its prettiness! I am not sure if it can be considered holographic;   it just looks that way when in directly light. Perhaps, I would probably say its a glittery duochrome most of the time.

I didn´t apply it myself, but I know that Impala nail varnishes are easy to apply, gliding nicely on the nails. The texture is smooth and the duration is great (it does help it was applied by a professional!). I have a coat of black, one of the holo/glittery duo and a topcoat.

I am very happy with this, and I even have it on my toe nails. A friend bought me a bottle before I arrived, and I bought another one for good measure. I find nail varnishes very inexpensive in Brazil, this one being R$ 5,00 (£1.78). Bearing in mind this is a special edition polish and the normal colours cost between R$ 2,50 (£0.89) and R$ 3,50 (£1.25), it is great value indeed!

Check all the other Nails of the Week posts.

Product review: New eyeliners head-to-head

Until a couple weeks ago, I had been lining my eyes in three different ways, depending on my mood, time and desired effect: by using eye shadow (MAC Carbon) or gel eyeliner (MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack) and a small angle brush or using an eyeliner (MAC Smoulder eye kohl).

Recently I came across a few products and decided to give them a go – and test which one delivered best results, in terms of ease of application, effect and durability.

Collection 2000 EXTREME 24 HOUR FELT TIP LINER - Dani DutraThe Collection 200o Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner in black really caught my attention – it is unassuming, looks like a normal felt tip and the idea is really good: a pen with which you can draw your eye liner.

Having 24-hour on the label made me a bit nervous – what if I messed up and it was stuck on my face for a whole day? So it took me a couple weeks after buying to try. I was pleasantly surprised with the results; my first application was easy, the pen glides nicely on the eye lid and it is really precise. You can create nice jet black thin lines with it, and a perfect flick.

Other times it was harder, the line wasn’t perfect, but it was easily fixable with a moist cotton bud. After it dries, it really sticks, and removal requires quite a bit of scrubbing! It lasted well, when I returned home after work, it was still present, my eyes looked well lined and it didn’t run, although it was bit faded. I can see it being very useful to fill out the line after applying false eye lashes!

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner 24hr - Dani DutraThe other product I tried- and loved – is the Maybelline EyeStudio Lasting Drama gel liner, in blackest black. I really like that it comes with a brush, and the combo works really well; the gel is smooth and glides nicely, the little brush is a great size for the make up bag and is hard enough to be good for thin and wider lines, and it really, really lasts. After a whole day at work, including a trip to the gym, the line still looked impeccable! I was very impressed!

ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen - Dani DutraThe third product I tried is quite similar to the first one: the Elf waterproof eyeliner pen. I felt that, although the tip was finer, thus enabling you to create extremely fine lines, there didn’t seem to be enough ink coming out, it was quite dry, I had to rub it really hard and go over the line again and again losing precision, and the final result was still faded. I took pictures, but re-touched with the Collection 2000 liner to make it proper. A shame, as the Elf product is only £1.50,was really expecting one of those “amazing finds” moments! I didn’t do an “after” shot, as I had another liner over it.

For the time being, I’ve laid off my old ways and I am alternating between two of the new discoveries. I am divided between the Maybelline and the Collection 2000. The first one has amazing staying power, and the second is so easy to apply it is almost ridiculous! However, the Collection 2000 might just edge the Maybelline (£7.99) one for its price: £2.99, which is unbelievable value for this product!

What about you? What is your favourite eye liner?

Product review: YSL Volume Effet Faux-Cils mascara

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils mascaraI have been using Maybelline mascaras for quite sometime now, and I find them so good that it was love at first brushing – I forgot all about my long-standing affair with the Lancome ones.

When faced with the opportunity to get the Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux-Cils mascara, I did so almost reluctantly, as I was very happy with my Falsies.

It had been sitting in my make up drawer for months, unopened and unused, so I decided it was high time to crack it open, and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils mascara brushIt does indeed give you volume, good separation and length; even though the brush is quite bushy, it doesn’t clump. It has a surprisingly nice smell (had never seen a mascara with a slight fragrance!)  and the tub is lush (although I keep confusing it with my Touche Eclat!)

Even after rubbing my watery eyes  for most of the day (the computer screen is really irritating them, as I left my glasses at home) the mascara seems to hold well, and best of all, I didn’t turn into a panda. This means it has good staying power, and even after a long day at work, simply washing your face with a good face wash won’t do, so an efficient eye make up remover is a must.

eyes with and without YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils mascara

I really like this mascara, but will this be enough for me to leave my beloved Maybelline Falsies behind? Probably not, as value for money is greater with the Falsies (£8.19) and the difference in results is little or none, but this YSL (£22.00) definitely has a deserving place in my heart – and my make up bag!

The Shoe Fund 2011 invested

Posted in Shoes by

Christian Louboutin Décolletté Jazz 100The Shoe Fund has been mentioned by me in countless occasions, but now I am very excited to say that the time to convert an idea (and a number sitting in a bank account) into something that can actually go on my feet (and thus bring me happiness, satisfaction and prettiness) has finally come.

My first ever Shoe Fund purchase came in the shape of the beautiful and elegant Christian Louboutin Décolleté Jazz pumps, in black.  I am a massive fan of the red soles (damn you, beautiful shiny scarlet soles), so there would be nothing better to debut the fund.

I am fully aware they are black shoes, just like my previous Louboutin pair, but my line of thought was that I should start with the basics, build myself a solid classics collection and then branch out into the crazier ones – right?

They have manageable (I barely recognise myself, purchasing sensible heels) 100mm heels, delicate almond toes and not too shiny leather (not matte,  not patent:  it is nicely in between). A perennial classic in any wardrobe, these are shoes I will be wearing for a long time. As my Rolandos are so high and so shiny, I feel they are “special occasion” shoes. My plan is that these ones will get out more often – they were brought in to be my staple, ready to be dressed up or down.

Last year, I actually set off to get the Décolleté, but fell madly in love with the Rolandos – and left the last call to my boyfriend, who chose the latter.

Now that I got it I can assure no more black court shoes will be coming out of the Shoe Fund, which has just started again: the first deposit for 2012 has already been placed!

Countdown mode for the 2012 Shoe Fund on!

Eye contact

Posted in Make Up by

I love experimenting with eye make up.  Sometimes I come across something nice online/in a magazine during the day and when I get home I like to re-create the look.

Smoky crease?! Yes please!

The six degrees of separation rule is a funny thing: the brother of an acquaintance I am friends with on Facebook is  engaged to one of the bloggers of a site called TwoDots, which is actually quite a nice make up tutorial, “today I’m wearing”, tendencies kinda blog, and he posts their new entries quite often, and I, from time to time, peek into it to see what the girls are up to.

That inspired me to try a different approach to smoky eyes:  a line just on your crease that gets smoked upwards, while the rest of the eye is quite simply done, although I went for very shimmery shadows – and I like it, in a weird way!

Summer in your eyes!

The other one was a super summery tricolour make up, with oranges, bright pink and yellow,  with subtle brown eye liner, super simple and quick – with great impact.

It’s good sometimes to get out of the ordinary day to day make up – I do miss bold eyes, as I have been back on the bright lipstick wagon – might give it a go next time I go out!, for old times’ sake!