Tag Archives: MAC

Eye make-up look challenge – black liner

After the super indulgent green witch eyes, I went for something a bit “simpler”. Still, I love the impact of the under the eye liner. It doesn’t pop out as much as I thought it would, so is more wearable then I expected…and simpler to achieve!

After priming, I swept a metallic beige all over my lid up to my brow bone. I then applied a metallic light brown from the inner corner  following the crease, just up to where my eyebrows start, blending with the lighter colour.

Using a felt tip eye liner, I lined my upper lash line, pulling it from outside the inner corner, and finished with a flick. On the lower lash line, I used a white eye liner, from about 2/3 of the way towards the outer corner. I then created a white flick, slightly smaller than the black one from the upper lash line.

I followed with crushed pigment from about 1/3 from the inner corner to the outer corner.

Finally, I drew the line parallel to my lower lash line, following my eye shape and flicking it downwards towards the inner corner. I blended some crushed pigment in the centre of the upper lid and finished it off with false eyelashes.

Products I used:

  • Urban Decay eye shadows in Midnight Cowgirl and Midnight Rodeo
  • MAC crushed pigment in White As Snow
  • Studio eye liner in Winter white
  • Collection 2000 Extreme felt tip eye liner
  • Eylure lashes number 155
  • Duo eyelash glue
  • Urban Decay eye primer
  • MAC brushes 239, 231, 208
  • Maybelline Falsies mascara

Difficulty:

Eye make up challenge: green, as a witch

Green witches (yes, Elphaba, I am talking about you!) inspired me for this challenge. I wanted to do something big, bold, a bit evil and of course, green. I love using green eyeshadow, it photographs really well, it is so vivid.

Here is what I did: I applied a primer, and attempted to erase half of my eyebrow (without much success). Then swept the whole lid with green pigment.

After that, using a darker green, I drew the cat-eye shape with a pencil brush, from the beginning of my crease to close to my eyebrow edge.

Then I applied a lighter darker green to the upper lash line and met the higher dark green line, closing the shape.  To add dimension, I applied very light green crushed pigment to the center of the eye lid, as a swoop that went from close to the inner corner, upwards, meeting the darker line at the top. I then blended all the lines using all the colours and some other shades of green until I was satisfied with the amount of definition of some lines and blending.

I lined the lower lash line with the lime green, closer to the inner corner, blending into dark green towards the outer corner and applied black eyeliner to the water line.

Finally, I added the lime green to the tops, a little bit of black to define some of the lines (close to the crease and from outer corner), applied black eyeliner, making a huge flick, and dabbed more light green crushed pigment close to  the brow bone and inner corner of the eye. I finished the look with false eye lashes.

Things that didn’t go too well:

1. I tried to “erase” the end of my eyebrow, it turns out mine are too dark and thick to do with concealer and foundation only. I did it in the past to re-create Boy George eye make up, but I suppose the person had fairer and thinner eyebrows than me, so it worked alright!

2. Drawing the shape was hard. Very hard. I had to clean everything up and start again.

3. My first combination of greens didn’t give me oomph. This is another reason I started again. Next time, I will swatch them in my hand before applying!

Products I used:

  • Urban Decay eyeshadows in Bender and Hijack
  • MAC eyeshadow in
  • Collection 2000 green pigment in Bitter
  • Ocean Scent green eye shadows from basic palette
  • MAC crushed pigment from Surf the Ocean pack
  • MAC Studio finish and Select Moisturecover concealers
  • Collection 2000 felt liner in Black
  • MAC eye kohl in Smolder
  • MAC brushes number 208, 217, 219, 239, 266 and 195
  • Urban Decay eye primer potion
  • DUO eyelash glue
  • Maybelline Falsies mascara
  • Eylure false eyelashed in Vintage 124

Difficulty:

Eye make up look challenge: blue butterfl-eyes

Click to enlarge

The highlight of a make up show I attended (which was so rubbish it doesn’t even deserve a review or mention) was the Paperself stand, where they were doing free applications of their gorgeous lashes, and I chose to try the gorgeous “Deer& butterfly” small.

Now, I don’t think they are everyday lashes, but they are so pretty, but so pretty, that I actually feel like using them everyday. Their London skyline one is gorgeous, and their “smalls”, shorter versions of a full design, just for the fluttery outer corner, is actually wearable, on occasions. For a fashion shoot, they are just splendid! I love the peacock ones!!!

Inspired but the delicated butterly lashes I had applied, I decided to create a Blue Morpho butterfly wings look.

I started with the primer, followed by a generous sweep of a light blue powder pigment. I then applied dark blue crushed pigment from the outer corner in, blending towards the middle of the lid. Using a brush pen, I drew the oval shape of a wing, and blended into the darker blue.

I applied white eye liner on my lower water line, and then the blue eye liner followed by a little bit of  lighter blue pigment to 2/3 of my bottom lash line from the inner corner. After that, I put a lot of black eyeliner on the outer lash line and topped up with a little bit of the dark blue pigment.

I added white crushed pigment to the brow bone and the inner corner of the eye blending into the lower lash line and also as a half moon to the curve of my “wing” shape,  go give it a bit of a glow.

After that, I re-enforced my wing-shape drawing, with black eye liner, and blended a bit to make the line less harsh, but still visible.

Black eyeliner and mascara followed and then I applied a set of lashes to finish off the look. Of course, the jewel of the crown, the butterly lashes, were applied to the outer corner of my eye, on top of the other lashes.

I love this look. It is different but very pretty!

Products I used:

  • Collection 2000 Dazzle Me Heavenly light blue powder pigment
  • MAC crushed pigments in White As Snow and Wintersky
  • MAC eyeshadow in Carbon
  • MAC eye kohl in Smolder
  • Urban Decay eyeprimer potion
  • MAC brushes 209, 238, 219, 263 and a MINX fluffy one
  • Studio eye pencils in Blue Velvet and Winter White
  • Collection 2000 Extreme felt tip eye liner
  • Maybelline Falsies mascara
  • Duo eyelash glue
  • Ardell 107 lashes
  • Paperself small “Deer&butterfly” lashes

Difficulty level:

Eye make-up look challenge – black and silver

Haven’t posted an eye make-up look trial for quite sometime now; but I managed to get this one out and wanted to share how it went.

My aim was to create a dark silver smokey look, with black, as I had just bought a black silver-studded crop top! I wanted it to be dramatic so I added extra big lashes!

I started with the primer (e.l.f, not shown), and brushed the silver pigment all over the lid. I then lined my upper lash line with the gel liner, extending the flick at the end, and my lower water and lash lines with the eye kohl, also extending the flick parallel to the top one. Then, I generously applied the matte black eyeshadow and smoked it, with the pencil brush for definition, just in the corner and around the crease shape, blending just a little bit towards the centre.

I applied the supracolour cream on to the inner corner of the eye and between the upper and lower flicks, as well as to 2/3 of the way of the lower lash line. I brushed the sparkles all over the lid and the highlighter on the brow bone. Finally, I applied the lashes.

Happy with the look, definitely wearable on a night out! I would however, tone down the lashes, and wear a slightly smaller pair!

Products I used:

  • NYX loose pearl powder pigment in silver
  • H&M eyeshadow in Party Silver (sparkles)
  • MAC eyeshadow in Carbon (matte)
  • Bodyshop brilliance powder (highlighter)
  • Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama gel liner in black
  • Kryolan Supracolour in silver
  • Maybelline Volum’ Express One by One mascara
  • MAC eye kohl in Smolder
  • Duo eyelash adhesive (clear)
  • Eyelashes from eBay (given to me by my dear friend Gisele)
  • MAC brushes 219, 239, 283, 209, Maybelline eyeliner brush and Elf brush (for the Supracolour)

Difficulty level:

Product review: new foundation trial – YSL x Urban Decay

My little samples

My foundation has been purchased from MAC for a good eight years. I have been through almost every foundation they have, seriously, no joke – Select FPS 15, Face and Body, Mineralize Satinfinish, Studio Fix Fluid – and at the moment I am wearing Matchmaster, which I really like.

Foundation is very important for me; I have it on my face pretty much everyday, so I am quite particular: I like a medium coverage that you can build up, natural looking, hard-wearing, that doesn’t aggravate skin conditions and fells nice on.

Being a fan of Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat, I was really looking forward to trying their new foundation, Le Teint Touche Éclat, which retails for £28. After reading several reviews and seeing it described as “magic”, “revolutionary” and so on, I decided maybe it was time to leave MAC and venture into a new world of foundation.

So I booked myself a colour match appointment at the YSL counter and went in full of hope. Foundation aside, I was bitterly disappointed and frankly, infuriated. The beauty assistant treated me soooo badly. The first question she asked, before anything  was “Do you actually intend to buy the product or are you just gonna try?” Rude. I politely replied I used another brand but wanted to try something different; if I liked it, would purchase. She looked unimpressed and didn’t even tell me about the product and the technology, criticised me for wearing powder (without explaining that you shouldn’t with this new foundation, as this is what it was taken away!) and was usually quite abrupt on her comments. And it got worse when I asked for a sample. Anyway, after insisting I left with a sample, which I tried for a few days.

Rant over, now to the foundation: it is not for me. It spreads and blends well, the consistency is medium; not too thick nor too thin. Its coverage is very, very light, so if that is what works for you, you will probably love this one. I struggled to build it up to a level that I feel good about. Also, because the formula has taken the powder finish out of it, I felt it was a bit sticky on my face,. The finish wasn’t great on me, it didn’t photograph well; as I mentioned before, my skin is far from flawless, so I wear foundation to diminish visible problems – but unfortunately you could see everything I want my foundation to conceal in the pictures!

The second product I tried in the past weeks was the new Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition liquid make-up, by Urban Decay, which retails for £27. The consistency of this foundation is quite fluid, and I though the coverage was going to be super light, as it is more liquid than the YSL.

I came across this sample because I wanted to buy the Urban Decay’s All Nighter  long-lasting Make-up Setting Spray (which I will review soon) and the outrageously lovely girl at the counter (take a lesson here, YSL) offered me the sample (and another lesson here). I also left with a sample of the Eyeshadow Primer Potion (which will be reviewed alongside the ones I have been using) – mind you, she didn’t have any samples but she put some in a little pot so I wouldn’t leave without it. THAT’S GOOD SERVICE.

So back to the foundation; the coverage is actually a light-medium, maybe a bit too light for me, but buildable. It has a nice finish to it, they describe it as demi-matte, and I actually quite like it, it looks fresh and natural on me. A serious contender to bump Mac’s crown off, I’ll keep wearing it and will make up my mind when my current bottle is over!

A couple of things to learn here:

  • I refuse to be mistreated, so I put a complaint with YSL and the department store. YSL is yet to reply. The department store, even though I knew from the offset that the beauty counter staff are not their direct employees, was extremely apologetic in their response.
  • How important it is to try products properly before investing in them. Each skin likes different products, so always worth bearing that in mind when thinking “uh, she said it is bad” or “she said it is great!”. Try it, that’s why they have samples. Just go in and ask!

What about you? Have you tried any of the foundations above? What did you think? Or do you love another brand?

What I wore

So, with the weather oscillating so much, and looking a bit grim at points to say the least, I went a bit crazy on the autumn/winter 12-13 items that can already be found in the shops. It is a sad thing; it is not even the pinnacle of summer and I am already thinking about buying warmer clothes…

I started the week with love on my mind, favouring the heart print two days in a row, with two girly dresses I love!

Then I went a bit darker, and yes, I wore trousers, a very rare occurrence; and  I closed the week with a very autumnal blouse.

This week I gave in to the big necklaces. Oh, I am loving them and cannot wait to acquire a couple more.

Monday

Navy and nude heart print dress (Little Mistress),  red patent court shoes (New Look), heart ring (Forever 21), nude round and large over the knuckle rings (H&M), above the knuckle ring (eBay), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger.

Tuesday

Black and mustard heart print ring (Primark), tricolour court shoes (Zara), rings (big heart – Forever 21, small D heart – Miss Selfridge, mustard – H&M, black bars – Primark), bracelets (mix of Topshop and New Look), Lancome lipstick in Hot stuff.

Wednesday

Black sheer shirt (Primark), black trousers (Zara), black peep-toe wedge booties (New Look), rings (skull – shop in Paris, gold knuckle – H&M, resin – Sobral, above the knuckle – Lovehearts and crosses), bracelet (New Look), earrings (News Look and ear cuff – Topshop), necklace (Primark), MAC lipstick in Odyssey.

Friday

Floral blouse (Primark), black pencil skirt (H&M), taupe gold captoe shoes (Viviana), rings (mustard H&M, star – Primark, gold knuckle – H&M, resin – Sobral, above the knuckle – Lovehearts and crosses, bars – Primark), necklace (Primark), Kiko lipstick (it was bought on their sale, has no number, or name, it is quite orange and matte, I put a little bit of Vaseline on top).

Have you started buying Autumn/Winter items yet? What trends are you going to be adopting?

Eye make up – daywear

I could not live without make up. Really. I cannot imagine my life without the colour it, literally, brings into my face. Not that I don’t like my clean face; there was a time I had severe acne and yes, and I would never think of leaving the house bare-faced. I think this is the reason I have such a passion for make up; I had to make it work really hard to cover my problematic skin. Today, its main purpose is not to hide, but to enhance my features.

Anyway… I thought I’d share some very basic, day wear eye make up ideas; I wear it to work pretty much everyday. It is usually a variation of what you see here, with different complementary colours, different products,  but I tend to stick to this for the daily grind. It is usually a 5-minute job (providing I don’t mess up the eyeliner which I occasionally do).

Super mega staple eye shadows for me are MAC’s Expensive Pink, Nylon, Vex, Carbon, Naked Lunch and Brown Down and a light gold L’Oreal one. I mean, they are amazing, have a good staying power, truly everyday shades you can mix and match, build up or strip down for neutral daywear which will not fight with your lipstick, even if the chosen shade is red (like mine, most days).

I prep my eyes with the e.l.f or the NYX primers. Sometimes, I just brush Vex or Nylon on eyelids and brow bone and apply an eyeliner, across the whole lash line of just under half, for more sultry but at the same time lighter eyes.

I usually wear Vex (an iridescent pale silver, goes fabulously with blues and greens, but also with pinks) or Nylon (a shimmery very pale gold – and this my friend, goes with everything!)  as bases, they look great on the brow bone.

Then from the outer corner of the eye and the crease, blending towards the inner corner, I apply the “middle” shade – this could be the golden L’Oreal, Expensive Pink or Smoke ‘n’ Diamonds. Most of the time, I stop there but sometimes, I use a darker shade, if dealing with warm tones, Brown Down (when I use Silver Ring, I don’t add anything darker, it is dark enough!) in the outer part of the crease and the corner, to give a subtle smokey effect.

When lining my upper lid, I sometimes do just 1\3 of the eye, leaving the inner corner clean and bright; sometimes, I do the whole thing, most of the times with a flick at the end – I am really into them now, I think it help flatters my eye shape.

Slap on the mascara on top lashes and eye liner to the water line. Now, depending on my mood (again!), I might do it just a third from the outer corner or the whole line; sometimes I add it to the lower lash line too and smoke with a pencil brush to make it less harsh, but any combination will look good! Promise!

At the moment, my favourite liners are Collection 2000 felt tip pen liner (amazing, and great value), MAC gel liner and Maybelline’s Lasting Drama gel liner, all of which I find easy to apply and long lasting. I love eyeliner, really do.

For the more grungy look coming for A/W12-13, I have been trying a chubby liner, from Miners, it is great for smoking after applying, with a pencil brush, but it smudges quite a lot, and its staying power is rubbish, sadly, as the effect is ace!

For mascara I am currently using Maybelline’s Falsies (one of my favourites).

So, what are your tested, quick day to day eye make up routine? It would be nice to know what works for other people!

What I wore – 21/07/12

It really feels like every week, when I show you what I wore, I mainly moan about the weather. Well, I do. I cannot take anymore. All the tought and effort (and a bit of frenzy) that went inbto building a lovely summery wardrobe are totally in vain. Oh, well….

It feels like my tights are glued to my legs. My only attempt not to wear tights last week was aborted in the middle of the day; I didn~t wear them on Tuesday, but I brought them in my bag. By midday had to gie in… just not warm or dry enough.

It had been a while since I wore leopard print, so I decided to start my week in it; and I closed my week confronting the grey weather by going all colour with a bright pink playsuit.

And on Wednesday, I wore I dress I bought a few years back in New York; so pretty, inspired on the Prada collection at the time, it seems to keep giving!

Here are the details:

Monday

Leopard print blouse (Forever 21), black leggings (H&M), taupe shoes with gold toe cap (Viviana), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), resin ring (Sobral), spike and leather studded bracelets (New Look), NYX lipstick in Peach Bellini.

Tuesday

Mint green lace panel top (H&M), black pencil skirt (H&M), mint green shoes with silver toe cap (Topshop), skull ring (shop in Paris), triple spike and black heart rings (Forever 21), believe ring (Disney Couture),  Revlon lip butter in Strawberry Shortcake.

Wednesday

Black and white print dress (Forever 21),  tricolour shoes (Zara), metal belt (Primark),  pearl earrings (Accessorize), ear cuff (Topshop), flower rings (Accessorize), big heart ring (Forever 21), D heart ring (Miss Selfridge), bracelets (a mix of New Look, Topshop and Primark), MAC lipstick in Russian Red.

Friday

Pink flower print playsuit (Primark), black leather ankle boots (gift from a friend), skull ring (as above), star ring (Primark), snake ring (New Look), purple stone ring (Accessorize), bracelets (a mix of Topshop and New Look), NYX lipstick in Chloe.

How are coping with the “summer” in the UK? If you are not in the UK, how’s the weather over where you are?

What I wore – 14/07/2012

Bad, bad weather. Been desperately trying to keep my pins out, but it feels like the tights are stuck to them!

Black, white and red is my favourite combination ever for dressing. So pretty, effortless and instantly gives you a classic look. Cannot have enough of it, as you can see this week!

Fruit print seems to be a recurring theme this week – appeared twice in my wardrobe!

My favourite outfit was Wednesday’s, I am in love with the blouse… I thought I’d make a bit more of an effort as I attend Cointreau Rendez-vous in London, a lovely event where you got a cocktail master class, mini manis and the lovely ladies from Wish Want Wear. It was held at the super-quirky Ninetyeight bar in Shoreditch.

Monday

Cherry print dress (H&M), red patent court shoes (New Look), red belt (Little Mistress), rings (skull – small shop in Paris, black stones – Primark, apple – New Look), bracelets (spike and gold chain – Topshop, gold and black – H&M), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger, Collection 2000 Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner and MAC eyeshadow in Nylon.

Tuesday

Blue dress with tiny multicoloured hearts and dots (small shop in Brazil), tricolour shoes (Zara), rings (small flower – Accessorize, big flower – from Brazil, white round  and love birds- H&M), bracelets (gold studs+leather New Look, others from Topshop), Nyx lipstick in Peach Bellini, MAC eyeshadow Vex and Deep Truth as liner.

Wednesday

Apple print blouse (Friday On My Mind), black pencil skirt (H&M), black Décolleté 100 pumps (Christian Louboutin), rings (love birds – H&M, apple – New Look, D in heart – Miss Selfridge, white rose – H&M, black and gold resin – Sobral), bracelets (pearls and bow – Primark, gold chain – Topshop), earring (love with pearl – Miss Selfridge, ear cuff – Topshop), MAC lipstick in Russian Red, MAC lipstick in Lady Danger, Collection 2000 Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner and MAC eyeshadow in Nylon.

Thursday

Black and White striped sleeveless blouse (Primark), high-waisted black shorts (H&M), black studs slippers (Topshop), rings (zebra – New Look, love birds – H&M, believe – Disney Couture, other silver – a gift from a friend),  bracelets (spikes and bangle – New Look), Nyx lipstick in Peach Bellini.

Friday

Cornflour blue shift dress (Dorothy Perkins),  black belt with chain (Primark), black Décolleté 100 pumps (Christian Louboutin), rings (love birds – H&M, black and gold resin – Sobral, D in a heart – Miss Selfridge, pink flower – Accessorize, gold flower – shop in Brazil), bracelets (gold with bow – New Look, spike and chain – Topshop), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger.

And here a couple pictures of my outfits in action on Wednesday and Friday and the Cointreau goody bag!

What about you? Any outfits you put together lately that you loved and made you feel pretty?

What I wore – 30/06/12

I have been a bit busy, so sometimes I am not able to photograph five outfits a week; the weather hasn’t been too bad – ok, it hasn’t been brilliant, but at least the temperature has gone up a couple degrees, and the leg bearing opportunities have increased.

This selection takes advantage of that – I took the plunge and I may have gone home slight cold and/or with wet feet, but it is summer and I will insist. I also have a new red in my life: MAC’s Lady Danger, discovered last week. I am obsessed, but that doesn’t mean I forgot my first love Russian Red.

I finally got round to hemming two maxi skirts and a maxi dress I bought a while ago, so I am wearing this lovely, bang on trend tribal-esque print dress on Monday, to open the week.

I had a little bit of a retro feel on my outfit on Tuesday- I love wearing retro inspired stuff, usually don’t stick to a particular decade; I just pull some elements, a few little touches, and make them work with my wardrobe and inspiration.

On Wednesday, I wore a dress I bought ages ago and didn’t have the chance to wear: this lovely tomato print dress. I fell in Love with D&G vegetable prints (the aubergine to be precise), but sadly my budget does not stretch that far, so I made do with what I could find – and what I lovely find that was!

Finally, on Friday, I wore a favourite dress of mine, bought in Thailand a few years back; I feel it hasn’t gone out of fashion, and I can always count on it to feel pretty.

Wanna see what they are? Here is the nitty-gritty:

Monday

Tribal-esque print maxi dress (Primark), sand colour wedges (Território dos Pés, Brazil), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), prince frog ring (New Look), bracelets (Topshop and New Look), Revlon lip butter in Strawberry Shortcake.

Tuesday

Balck and white polka dot skirt (River Island), should ruffle black top (H&M), gold belt (Primark), tricolour court shoes (Zara), owl earrings (Primark), tiger ring (New Look), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), flower ring (a shop in Brazil), bracelet (H&M), MAC lipstick Lady Danger.

Wednesday

Tomato print dress (New Look), nude slingback peep toe sandals (Topshop), bracelets (Topshop and New Look), rings (H&M, Accessorize, Primark and a shop in Brazil), MAC lipstick Lady Danger (not shown).

Friday

White dress with red, green and purple leaf print (a boutique in Thailand), red slingback peep toe sandals (Aldo), big stone ring (hand, custom made in Marrakesh), silver knuckle ring (New Look), little rings (H&M, in a set), believe ring (Disney Couture), bracelets (Primark and Topshop – skulls), Lancome lipstick in in Hot Stuff.

What about you? Obsessed with anything lately?