Pale is the new tan

Blog on hold

2010-03-20T01:23:00.002Z

I'm sad to announce that, for the time being, this blog is going to have to go on hold. I have soooo many FOTDs, reviews, and even a tutorial lined up on my laptop, but I simply don't have the time or energy to post them. I've been super ill recently, and until I can get myself better I don't think I'm going to be able to maintain this blog. I'm gutted, as I feel I was just getting started! Thank you to all that have been following it, and, I hope, I shall be back some time in the future!

Victorian lipstick - my new love

2010-03-09T14:59:00.001Z

I'm actually contemplating buying a backup of Victorian lipstick. It's such a pretty colour! Here's a quick look I did using my new sleek palletes, Victorian lipstick and Azelea blush.

Spring Forcast and Sleek Palletes

2010-03-04T16:10:00.006Z

I've just gotten back from having my MAC Spring Forcast makeover. My makeup was done by the lovely Bonnie.

Face
Fix+
Studio Sculpt foundation NC15 (these run a fair bit paler than SFF, so this was a pretty good match for me. She still applied this pretty sheerly though)
Prep + Prime Powder
Select Coverup concealer NW15
Mineralise Skinfinish in medium to contour (I felt this was a little too dark for me. Think I'll stick with Strada for contouring)
Ripe Peach Blush Ombre

Eyes
Rubenesque paint pot
Corals and Gold quad
Stack 2 Crushed Metal Pigments (just top colour)
Teddy e/l
Studio Fix black mascara

Lips
Mouth Off l/l
Colour Me Coral l/s
Richer Lusher l/g

I loved the quad and the crushed metal pigments, but couldn't afford them (at least not before I get paid tonight!). I'm also thinking that I need to invest in Rubenesque p/p. My eyes just looked so much bluer than they usually do! I wasn't in love with Ripe Peach blush ombre, even though it seems to be the one everyone has been raving about. It was just a little too yellow for my liking. I was in love with Colour Me Coral as soon as she put it on. And I totally love the cremesheen glasses, but I'd told myself I'd only buy one, and the one that won me over was Loud and Lovely (I'm a sucker for anything pink).

I gave myself a £50 limit (excluding the £25 deposit I paid for the appointment). I left with £10 of that remaining, so I dropped by Superdrug and picked up two Sleek pallets, Originals and Sunset. Here's some quick swatches of my buys:

Sleek Sunset Palette, Sleek Originals Palette
Azalea Blossom Blush Ombre, Victorian l/s, Colour Me Coral l/s, Fresh Salmon l/s, Loud and Lovely l/g

Loud and Lovely l/g, Victorian l/s, Colour Me Coral l/s, Fresh Salmon l/s
Azelea Blossom Blush Ombre - Bottom, mixed, top

Sleek Originals Palette (no base)

Sleek Sunset Palette (no base)

Please excuse the gross burn scars on my arm in the last two pics! I can't wait to start playing around with my new goodies!

At last, some colour!

2010-03-04T12:06:00.004Z

Over the past week or so, all my looks have been neutral, and not terribly interesting. I was feeling really unwell on Tuesday before work, so decided I needed some colour to make myself look like I was at least partially healthy. As you can see, my skin was starting to calm down a little at last, so no more heavy foundation. Yay!

Face
Boots Naturals concealer
Illamasqua creme foundation in CF110
Benefit Get Even powder in light
MAC Strada blush to contour
MAC Blooming blush

Eyes
UDPP
Boots Naturals Vanilla e/s
Boots Naturals Plum e/s
Lime Crime Siren e/s
MAC Sweet Chestnut e/s
MAC Blacktrack f/l
Boots Naturals black e/l
MAC Carbon e/s
L'Oreal black mascara

Lips
MAC Beet l/l
MAC Speak Louder l/s
MAC Chatterbox l/s
Jemma Kidd red gloss

I'm off to my local MAC counter to have my makeup done and to check out the Spring Forecast collection in a couple of hours. I can't wait! It seems like forever since I last took some time out and treated myself. Expect a Spring Forcast FOTD soon!

Another 'sorry I've been gone so long!' post!

2010-02-26T00:07:00.009Z

Wow, the last few weeks sure have been a crazy time for me. First my laptop completely died on me. Then I had some work problems, which ended up in me leaving Benefit. I'm sad that I left, but I couldn't afford to work there anymore. Unfortunately, paying the bills had to come first, so I'm now full time at TGIFridays. I love it there, but it's a high energy job, which plays havoc with my ME. In between working hard shifts and recovering in time to do it all again the next day, I haven't had the time or energy for much else. These looks were mainly done whilst my laptop was broken. Interesting makeup looks have been rare recently. But I plan on getting back on track with things soon!

I can't remember all the products used for these looks, but I'll do my best to list the main ones.

Purple cut crease

Eyes
UDPP
Benefit Bikini Line e/s
MAC Retrospeck e/s
Benefit I cannes and I will e/s
MAC Beauty Marked e/s
MAC Blacktrack f/l
Boots Natuals e/l
MAC Carbon e/s
L'Oreal mascara

Neutral Angles (loved this look!)

Eyes
UDPP
Benefit Bikini Line e/s
MAC Satin Taupe e/s
MAC Dipdown f/l
L'Oreal Mascara

Pink and Yellow

In this look I was trying out Clinique's new Everlasting Foundation. It was too dark so I had to mix it with my Illamasqua foundation. However, it doesn't photograph well, hence why I look totally washed out in the first two photos where the flash was used. Apart from that, it's a fantastic full coverage foundation. It's been compared to Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation, but I think this one is much better as it doesn't feel or look as heavy. Plus it smells like watermelon. If they did a couple of paler shades this would be my foundation of choice. I recomended that my housemate try it when her MAC foundation ran out, and she loves it too. In these photos it's set with MAC Prep + Prime Translucent Powder. And as for staying power, I worked a busy night where I was stuck in the kitchen for most of my shift, and there was still some foundation left to take off at the end of the night!

Eyes
UDPP
MAC Yogurt e/s
MAC Ricepaper e/s
Lime Crime Primadonna e/s
MAC Blacktract f/l
Urban Decay Yeyo e/l
L'Oreal Mascara

Lips
MAC Chatterbox l/s

Cult of Cherry

Eyes
UDPP
MAC Shroom e/s
MAC Cult of Cherry pallette (oh how I still love this!)
MAC Coppering e/s
MAC Dipdown f/l
L'Oreal Mascara

Face
MAC Strada (to contour)
Benefit Sugarbomb (I think!)

Lips
MAC Cult of Cherry l/g

That's all for today. I shall try to get into posting reguarly again, I promise!

A couple of FOTDs

2010-01-15T14:09:00.012Z

I really wish I had enough time to update this blog every day, as I'm trying to take photos of all my makeup. Unfortunately, I'm not often organised enough to leave time before work! So here's some looks from the past 3 days. I used my usual face stuff.

Purples

Face
MAC Coygirl blush
MAC Strada blush

Eyes
UDPP
MAC Yogurt e/s
MAC Illegal Cargo e/s
MAC Beauty Marked e/s
Boots Naturals Plum e/s
MAC Blacktrack f/l
Boots Naturals black e/l
MAC Carbon e/s (to set eye liner)
L'Oreal Double Extension mascara
Rimmel Brow Pencil

Lips
MAC Pink Plaid l/s (my latest buy. Think this is going to become a favourite!)
MAC Ample Pink l/g

Simple everyday look

Face
MAC Strada blush
BeneFit Dandelion

Eyes
MAC Shroom e/s
BeneFit Fawn Over Me e/s
Boots Naturals e/l
MAC Carbon e/s
L'Oreal Double Extension mascara
Rimmel Brow Pencil

Lips
MAC Pink Plaid e/s

Purple lips (I'm not sure why I look so washed out in this one. I may have used a little too much Illamasqua foundation. See how pale it is! Must sort this out before I head off to work!)

Face
MAC Coygirl blush

Eyes
Boots Naturals Vanilla e/s
MAC Retrospeck e/s (used damp. Oh how I hate the fallout you get with this shadow!)
MAC Shale e/e
MAC Carbon e/s
MAC Young Punk e/s
MAC Blacktrack f/l
Too Faced Liquif-eye
L'Oreal Double Extension mascara
Rimmel Brow Pencil

Lips
MAC Night Violet l/s
then topped with
Barry M 129 l/s (a pale violet) I'm not sure I like this as much

I couldn't get my camera to pick up any of the pink sparkle of Young Punk, but I used it on my outer V, and over blacktrack with liquif-eye as a liner.

Feeling Green FOTD

2010-01-12T12:19:00.006Z

This FOTD didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped, but I still quite like it. I've also found that MAC's matte lipsticks are perfect to wear to my job at TGIFridays. Obviously I don't have time to touch up my makeup like I do at BeneFit. Matte lipsticks may fade, but by the end of a 8 hour shift (with me eating on my break, and not applying more lipstick!), there was still a pink tinge to my lips.

Face
Boots Naturals concealer in fair
Illamasqua cream foundation in CF110
MAC Prep-and-prime translucent powder
MAC Fashion Frenzy blush

Eyes
UDPP
BeneFit Bikini Line e/s
MAC Juxt e/s
MAC Humid e/s
MAC Nylon e/s
MAC Blue Flame mineralize e/s
MAC Blacktrack f/l
L'Oreal Double Extension mascara
Rimmel brow pencil in dark brown

Lips
MAC Gladiola l/s
MAC Ample Pink l/g

Bargin Buys - Boots Naturals

2010-01-12T11:51:00.004Z

In need of a new concealer, I decided to check out some Boots Naturals products. Before I really got into makeup I used to love their eye shadows. As all boots Naturals products were 3 for £5, I though I may as well try a couple of things out. You can see my review of the concealer in the Foundations and concealers pt. 2 post. The other two products I chose were a black kohl liner (my urban decay 24/7 liner has gone walkies), and a duo eye shadow in vanilla/plum.

The eyeliner isn't bad. It's not nearly as soft as the 24/7 liner, but it doesn't irritate my water line. Staying power isn't fantastic, but once set with MAC's carbon e/s it stays put almost all day. I still prefer my 24/7 liner, but this one isn't bad considering the price.

The eye shadows, on the other hand, did impress me. I remembered why I used to love these. They're soft, pigmented, and easily blendable (without losing too much colour). They sort of remind me of MAC's starflash shadows. Vanilla is like a matte version of MAC's Nylon. It makes a perfect base and highlight colour. Plum is the purple I've been hunting for for months. It's a true purple, without the blue undertones that so many purple shadows seem to have. I don't mind admitting that I am totally in love with this shadow. Definitely my favourite bargin buy!

Onto the swatches!

Vanilla comparisons:
Top: MAC Rice Paper, Boots Vanilla
Bottom: MAC Nylon

Purples:
Top: Boots Plum
Bottom: MAC Parfait Armour

Boots black kohl liner

Foundations and concealers pt. 2

2010-01-12T11:22:00.005Z

I've got a foundation, a powder, and a concealer to review today.

First up is BeneFit's Get Even powder. Since starting work at BeneFit, I've had the chance to try out all of the foundations, concealers and powders. Aside from the Boi-ing concealer, which I owned a couple of years ago, Get Even is the only one I have bought. BeneFit's foundations run pretty pale. Playstick in Jax is a fairly light, pink-toned foundation. However, it's way to heavy for me. Get Even is good if you haven't got too much to cover. I helps even out any uneveness, and gets rid of any shine. It leans more towards the yellow end of the spectrum. This would be a problem for me, considering I have pink undertones, if it weren't for the fact it's so sheer. The yellow-ness really doesn't make a difference. It's a pretty good powder, and I'll probably buy it again for those days when I need only the lightest of coverage. It's handy to have a powder that can just be thrown in your bag too.

Next is Illamasqua's cream foundation. I can't believe I waited so long to check out the counter. <3 I chose the cream foundation as I wanted something with buildable coverage. Let me tell you now, no matter how pale you are Illamasqua will do a foundation for you. I got shade CF110, which is the pink-toned white. It's pretty darn pale. I bought it with the intention of mixing it with my L'Oreal foundation, which I do if I require something a little heavier. As my skin is co-operating at the moment, I've found myself just using just the cream foundation with a very light hand (I use MAC brush 118 to apply it). To avoid shiny-ness, I do need to put a powder on top of this (usually my beloved MAC Prep-and-prime translucent powder). I'm pretty sure that the cream foundation is a little too pale for me, but it's not noticeable unless I pile the stuff on. This is one I'll definitely be re-purchasing. My new concealer is a Boots Naturals one. I've been incredibly skint recently, and when I noticed my L'oreal concealer running low I knew that I couldn't afford another one. Boots Naturals products are about as cheap as they come. I though "why not" and decided to give the concealer a go. It's a little darker than the L'Oreal one, but when topped with the Illamasqua foundation or BeneFit powder it's fine. I probably couldn't wear it alone though. The coverage is fairly good. It can feel a little oily, and I'm not a fan of the plastic-y smell. But you get what you pay for. Until I can afford to spend a little more on makeup, I'm fairly content using this.

Top: Boots Naturals concealer in fair, L'Oreal concealer in vanilla
Bottom: BeneFit Get Even powder in 01, Illamasqua cream foundation in CF110, L'Oreal Studio Secrets foundation in Rosy Porcelain

A day at BeneFit

2010-01-12T10:53:00.008Z

I don't yet own an awful lot of BeneFit makeup. Whilst I'm allowed to do my makeup on the counter, I do try to do it before I get to work. If I use non-BeneFit makeup, I try to make sure that they're products that can easily be replaced with similar BeneFit makeup. Here's an example. I'll put in brackets which BeneFit products I'd use instead of the ones I've used here.

Face
Boots Naturals concealer in fair
BeneFit Get Even powder in 01
BeneFit Dandelion powder (used as blush cos I'm so pale. This doesn't tend to show up as well on darker skin)

Eyes
UDPP (BeneFit FYEye)
MAC Wintersky e/s (light pink from BeneFit's Smokin' Eyes pallete)
MAC Illegal Cargo e/s (BeneFit "gimme some" plum e/s)
BeneFit i cannes and i will e/s
MAC Beauty Marked e/s (no dupe, but simlar effect could be achieved by using a little of the darkest colour from the Smokin' Eyes pallete to darken the outer v)
MAC Blacktrack f/l (BeneFit Bebecakes, with Badgal liner on the waterline)
L'Oreal Double Extension mascara (BeneFit Badgal mascara. I actually put a little Badgal Plum mascara on top of my black mascara when I got to work. I love the plum mascara now!)

Lips
MAC Hot Frost l/g (BeneFit Who are you wearing l/g)

Snow Day

2010-01-06T21:19:00.004Z

Onto day number two of not being able to go to work because of the snow. The novelty has worn off, and I'm now just wanting the sun to come out. I was all ready to go to work when they decided to cancel the buses. So here's what I would have looked like in work tonight! You'll notice I've got a few Boots Nautrals products. Stay tuned for a budget buys post soon!

Face
Boots Naturals concealer in Fair
L'Oreal HD Foundation in Rosey
Illamasqua creme foundation 110
MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
BeneFit Dandelion
MAC Fashion Frenzy blush

Eyes
UDPP
MAC Red Velvet s/s
MAC Yogurt e/s
MAC Beauty Marked e/s
Boots Naturals Plum e/s
MAC Blacktrack f/l
MAC Young Punk e/s (wet, on top of blacktrack)
Boots Nautrals Black e/l
MAC Carbon e/s (to set eye liner)
L'Oreal Double Extension mascara
MAC Spiked eyebrow pencil
Lips
MAC Hot Frost l/g

The benefits of working for BeneFit

2010-01-06T20:27:00.003Z

As I mentioned in my last post, I now work for BeneFit cosmetics. Which of course has given me a chance to play with all of their products. Some I love, some I don't. So here's my list of 'things to buy'.

Benetint and Posietint - Benetint is the product that BeneFit became famous for. It's a cheek and lip stain (it was originally designed for a burlesque dancer's nipples, but I can't say I've tested that one out myself!). It's a rosy tint that suits most people. I'm a big fan of using this on the lips cos it gives a natural, just bitten look, to them. Posietint is slightly thicker in constancy. It looks scarily pink, but it's really not that bright once on. Both are sheer colours, but buildable. Posietint looks awsome with a few coats on the lips. And once they're on, they're not budging. I usually demonstrate the shade on my hand if customers don't want to try them on, and, despite sanitizing and washing my hands frequently, I often go home with stained hands.
Coralista - This blush is a pretty coral that looks good on just about everybody. When I get it I'll compare it to MAC's Springsheen.
Eyeshadows - Whilst there isn't much selection when it comes to eye shadows, there are some good neutral shades. I love the texture of these eye shadows. They're incredibly smooth and easy to blend. My favourite is I cannes and I will, which is a pretty purple shade with gold shimmer. It looks good with neutrals, but even better with other purples, such as "gimme some" plum.
High Beam and Moon Beam - High Beam was my first full sized Benefit product, and it's probably my favourite highlighter for pale complexions. Dotted up the cheek bone, or under the eyebrow, it's a pretty pink simmer, rather than the glittery mess that some highlighters can be. Moon Beam is a pinky-gold shimmer, that, whilst very pretty, looks best on tanned or darker skin.
You're Bluffing - I don't really suffer from skin redness, but I know a lot of people (particularly pale people) do. BeneFit do a couple of yellow products to help correct this problem, and You're Bluffing is my favourite. It's a creamy stick that's easy to use, and easy to blend. I like to put it under foundation, rather than just using it alone. It's a small stick, so it's easy to throw in your bag too.
Brow-zings - I find these are seriously easy to sell, just because they're that good. Each brow-zing (there are three shades) comprise of a powder, a wax, an angled brush, and tweezers. They make filling your brows in easy, and the wax means that they stay put.
D'finer D'liner - This is just plain smart. It's a clear, waxy liner that you use on the outside of your lip line. Being clear means that it's pretty much the only liner you'll need for keeping your lipstick in place. It doesn't leave a shiney line like I thought it would either. This has been tried and tested with red lipstick, and it gets the thumbs up from me!

And the products that just don't do it for me

Lust Dusters - These are shimmery, finely milled, loose pigments. I'm incredibly picky when it comes to loose powders, and for me, these just don't work. I always just end up covered in glitter. Just opening them leaves me looking like I've been in an explosion in a shimmer factory. I find the best way to use them is to use She-laq and the find brush it comes with, and using them as liners. There's a couple of colours that I adore to use like that, including Punk Royalty and Moon Doggie. Both these colours came in the All The Shimmers set this Christmas, so if you are a shimmer fan, I'd recommend picking that up.
Dallas - The only reason I don't like this is because I'm so pale. On tanned complexions it can be really pretty. But with my porcelain skin tone, it just looks muddy.
Miss Popularity - A white shimmery highlight powder. There's just too much shimmer in this for me. However, as it's white, it's not a bad choice of highlighter for the pale skinned. Just not my cup of tea. I've used it on glitter lovers, and they've adored it.
Rush Hour - I love the concept of this product. I creamy coloured stick that's great for eyes and cheeks. Fantastic on the go makeup, right? Not if you're pale. I could get away with this on my lips, but on my cheeks it's just too much. Such a shame, as I was hoping to love this. Oh well, I shall stick to showing it to the tanned!

And finally, one shout out for the Laugh with me Lee Lee fragrance from the Crescent Row collection. I love this so much. First thing I do when I get in in the morning is give myself a spritz of this. Occasionally I'll reach for Gina though. Not a fan of Sofia. She's the marmite of this collection. You either love her or hate her.

I hope to get some swatches of the BeneFit products I own up soon, including the lightest shade of Get Even powder (even though mine has shattered). Unfortunately there is very little natural light at the moment, and I'd rather get some decent swatches up in the future, than put some crappy ones up now. Watch this space!

FOTD dump

2010-01-05T17:14:00.006Z

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Between moving house and having no internet, and working two jobs (one of which is for BeneFit cosmetics), I haven't had a lot of time. So here's a couple of looks that I've liked over the past couple of months. As it's been so long since I've done most of them there's no product list, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

Siren

2009-09-02T16:32:00.004+01:00

Siren was the last of my Lime Crime magic dusts to test out, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. In this FOTD I used it as a shadow on top of a black base and wet as a liner.

UDPP
Yogurt e/s
Red Velvet s/s
Beauty Marked e/s
Sharkskin s/s
Lime Crime Siren magic dust
Blacktrack f/l
Auto-de-blu Technakohl Liner
Benefit Badgirl Mascara
Random falsies

Lollipops and Cupcakes

2009-09-02T16:25:00.007+01:00

I forgot to make a list of what I used here, but I think I can guess most of it.

Face
L'Oreal Infallible Concealer in Vanilla
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Springsheen blush

Eyes
UDPP
Yogurt e/s
Ricepaper e/s
Expensive Pink e/s
Dear Cupcake e/s
Parfait Armour e/s
Beauty Marked e/s
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero
Benefit Badgirl Mascara
Lingering Brow Pencil

Lips
Lollipop Lovin'

So Scarlet

2009-09-02T16:05:00.005+01:00

Seems like ages since I last updated this blog. I've been bouncing between being super busy and super ill, so haven't been able to sit in front of the computer for long enough to post. I have managed to take some photos of some of my makeup looks. This is the first

Face
L'Oreal HD Foundation in Rosey Porcelain
L'Oreal Infallible Concealer in Vanilla
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Blooming Blush

Eyes
UDPP
Yogurt e/s
Silverthorn e/s
Illegal Cargo e/s
Shale e/s
Carbon e/s
Blacktrack f/l
Benefit Badgirl Mascara
Lingering Brow Pencil

Lips
Beet l/l
So Scarlet l/s

The Lime Criminal and the Circus Girl

2009-08-21T22:37:00.003+01:00

This is my second FOTD using my new Lime Crime magic dusts. I was amazed by the lack of fallout when using these. They crease a little, but I have that problem with most eye shadows, so I'm guessing that they'll hold up well for most people.

As usual, all MAC unless otherwise stated:

Face
L'Oreal HD Foundation in Rosey Porcelain
L'Oreal Infallible Concealer in Vanilla
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Alpha Girl Beauty Powder

Eyes
UDPP
White Frost e/s
Lime Crime Lime Criminal Magic Dust
Lime Crime Circus Girl Magic Dust
Humid e/s
Carbon e/s
Blacktrack f/l
Benefit Badgirl Mascara
Lingering Brow Pencil

Lips
Melt In Your Mouth Cremesheen Glass

FOTD - Primadonna

2009-08-20T17:52:00.003+01:00

Here's my first time using a Lime Crime magic dust. Primadonna is so incredibly pigmented! I love it!

All Mac unless otherwise stated

Face
L'Oreal Infallible Concealer in Vanilla
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Alpha Girl Beauty Powder
Fashion Frenzy Blush

Eyes
UDPP
Lime Crima Primadonna Magic Dust
Warm Chill e/s
Cool Heat e/s
Submarine e/s
Plumage e/s
White Frost e/s
Auto-De-Blu Technakol Liner
Blacktrack f/l
Benefit Badgirl Mascara
Lingering Brow Pencil

Lips
Chatterbox l/s

Stay tuned for more FOTDs using my other magic dusts!

Product Review - Lime Crime

2009-08-19T18:17:00.007+01:00

Look what arrived for me today!

Unfortunately, I was halfway through doing my makeup to go out when I got these, so there's no FOTD yet. I can promise there will be one soon. The moment I noticed the Lime Crime stamp upon the white envelope, the rest of my makeup was thrown aside while I tested them out. As you can probably tell, I was excited to receive these!

So what's all the fuss about? Some of you may have stumbled across Doe Deeres makeup tutorials a few years ago. Her looks were bright, colourful, and filled with glitter. Fast forwards to 09, and I hear that she has her own line of multi-coloured makeup. After seeing the swatches on her site, I was sold. So I scrimped and saved, and finally ordered four magic dusts:
(from top to bottom)
Primadona, a hot pink
Circus Girl, a bright yellow
Lime Criminal, a lime green
Siren, a bright red

On the left are the shadows applied wet, and on the right, dry. No base.

Let me tell you now, I'm in love.

Primadona looks kind of coral-ly in the jar, but once applied is a beautiful shimmering pink. It's quite soft when applied dry, perfect for a pretty every day look.

I was a little disappointed when I first applied Circus Girl and Lime Criminal dry. Then I applied them wet, and wow, that really does make all the difference. Circus Girl is a wonderful bright yellow with a slight gold shine to it. Lime Criminal is fantastically bright, true lime green, which I can't wait to try out. I'm sure these two will look great together.

Siren has to be my favourite of the lot. I've been disappointed with a fair few red shadows in the past, but not this one. In some lights it's an almost brick red, but the moment the light catches it, you get a fantastic flash of bright red. The photo really doesn't do it justice. And this one is bright when applied dry too. I'm seriously in love with this shadow.

I know I've heard people complaining about the price for the amount of product. The magic dusts are $12, which is just over £7, which I don't think is bad at all (but then again, as a UK'er, I'm used to paying lots for makeup). You probably get about 1/2, maybe 2/3 about as much as you get in a Barry M dazzle dust. However, I prefer these much more than dazzle dusts. They're more finely milled and they stick to the skin much better. I gave away my dazzle dusts. There's no way I'll be doing the same with these! Here's a quick size comparison, with a MAC fluidline pot, and a 2 pence piece.

As I haven't had a chance to test these out properly yet, I can't say how long they hold up. I have decided I'll be going out on Friday night, simply so I have an excuse to test these out (and show them off!). But my first impressions are that they're a good quality product, and highly pigmented. If they're as good as I think they're going to be, I'll be buying more.

You can get magic dusts from here. At the moment there's 20% off. Presales for the new lipstick line start September 1st, and from the sneaky looks we've seen on Doe's blog they look like they're gonna be colours that make you stand out from the crowd (Airborne Unicorn will be mine!).

For all you UK'ers, delivery took 12 days and only cost $5.

Simple FOTD

2009-08-19T18:10:00.005+01:00

All Mac unless otherwise stated:

Face
L'Oreal HD Foundation in Rosey Porcelain
L'Oreal Infallible Concealer in Vanilla
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Blonde MSF

Eyes
UDPP
Shroom e/s
Satin Taupe e/s
Woodwinked e/s
Blacktrack f/l
Carbon e/s
Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Zero
Benefit Badgirl mascara
Lingering brow pencil

Lips
Fanfare l/s

Bargin Buys - Nail Varnish

2009-08-13T14:09:00.007+01:00

I never spend much on nail varnishes. I'm unbelievably bad when it comes to my nails. I just can't keep nail varnish looking nice for more than a couple of days, no matter how much money I shell out. I chip nail varnish in my sleep (I'm not even kidding. I have no idea how I do it). Because of this, I've tried a fair few of the lower end brands of nail varnishes, and I thought I would share my findings. So here's what's in my nail varnish collection at the moment:

From left to right

Two coats of all, except Barry M, which has one coat

17 Last Fix Nail Polish in Tropical Island - This has a sticker on in, saying 'New Precision Brush'. Personally, it looks like a regular brush to me. It's a pretty coral colour with some gold sparkle. It applies sheerly and evenly and the colour builds up well. This lasted about a day before it chipped on me, which isn't too bad I suppose. It's nothing spectacular, but for what you're paying, you can't complain.
Price - £1.37 (Boots)

Barry M Nail Paint in Cyan Blue (no. 294) - Barry M are know for their brightly coloured cosmetics, and the nail varnishes are no exception. This one is a bright, matte, blue. The nail varnish is a little thicker than the 17 stuff, but it's still easy to apply. I was amazed by the colour pay off. In the swatch photos, I only used one coat of Barry M, compared to two of each of the others, to show just how pigmented this is. Staying power is good. Lasted 2 days on my nails before needed touch up.
Price - £2.89 (Boots)

Boots Natural Collection Nail Colour in Black Cherry - Love this colour. It's a glimmering deep red. Again, it's pretty sheer, but the colour builds up well. It only lasted a day before it chipped though.
Price - £1.75 (Boots)

No. 7 Colour Miracle Nail Colour in Miracle Cerise - This is the most expensive nail varnish, but I got it for free so I thought I'd put it in here. It's a nice pink that turns bright red when you put a clear nail varnish over it (I used No.7 So Strong). This makes french tipping easier. It's a thicker formula, but it still applies evenly. Took a little longer to dry though. And it took me less than 24 hours to chip it.
Price - £6.50 (Boots)

Miss Sporty Lasting Colour in shade 11 - The Miss Sporty nail varnishes are all very sheer. Shade 11 is a pretty blue with a green tint when it catches the light. Really pretty. But because it's so sheer you need a few coats. In the swatches I only used two coats, and you can see how sheer it is. Three coats usually leaves me happy with the results. Because it's so sheer it dries fast, which is good for someone like me who is too impatient to stop doing things to wait for her nails to dry. This lasts about 2 days before it starts to chip.
Price - £1.95 (Superdrug)

Again, from left to right

Two coats of all

Maybelline New York Forever Strong Professional + Iron in Extreme Blackcurrent - This is the thickest of the nail varnishes, and it's therefore harder to apply evenly, and it takes the longest to dry. You only really need two coats of it though. It's a nice dark purple, which I am starting to prefer to black. However, the staying power leaves a lot to be desired. I chipped it in my sleep.
Price - £3.91 (Boots)

Miss Sporty Lasting Colour shades 13 and 29 - Shade 13 has got to be my favourite nail varnish. It's a pretty pink with gold shimmer. I'm curious as to how close to NARS Orgasm nail varnish (£12.50) it is. Shade 29 is a darker pink, with a slight silver shimmer, which, although is nice, isn't one I wear often.

I think I'll be sticking to my cheap nail varnish. Miss Sporty for pretty shimmery colours, Barry M for bright mattes.

FOTD - Black Ore Solar Bits

2009-08-13T13:54:00.003+01:00

The Solar Bits were released with the MAC Solar Field collection last year. They looked so pretty that I couldn't resist them. But once I actually got them, I was kind of at a loss as to what to do with them. Talk about fall out city! But every now and again, when I can be bothered to clean up the mess, and have the patience to work with them, I bring them out. I haven't showed them love in a while, so I thought it was about time I used them again.

All Mac unless otherwise noted:

Face
NARS Mont Blanc Oil Free Foundation
L'Oreal Infallible Concealer in Vanilla
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Blooming Blush

Eyes
UDPP
Shroom e/s
Goldmine e/s
Carbon e/s
Black Ore Solar Bits
Blacktrack f/l
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero
Benefit Badgirl Mascara
Lingering Brow Pencil

Lips
Nothing

Product Review : Too Faced - The Bronzed and The Beautiful

2009-08-08T17:36:00.017+01:00

I've always stayed away from bronzers. Up until recently, my only experience with them left me looking more like an Umpa-lumpa than sunkissed. They were either too orange, too dark, or both. Then I spotted Two Faced's Snow Bunny. It's divided into four sections. A white/gold stripe, a brown bronzer stripe, and two pink stripes, which solves the orange problem. I decided to buy The Bronzed and The Beautiful kit, rather than just Snow Bunny, as my house mate tans beautifuly and I'd been after a nice bronzer for when I do her makeup.

The Bronzed and The Beautiful contains three bronzers; Snow Bunny, Pink leopard, which is a mixture of a light bronzer, a darker bronzer, and pink (all in the pattern of leopard spots), and Sun Bunny, which consists of two darker bronzers. It also comes with a mini kabuki (or as they call it, 'Flatbuki') brush. For size comparisons, I've compared the box with a MAC blush palette, and the flatbuki withM AC brush 129.

Swatches
Snow Bunny: I swatched the four stripes separately, and then them all mixed together. As you can see, three out of the four swatches are so pale they barely show up on the underside of my arm. Now you know they're pale! In my opinion, this is the perfect colour for the paler than paler. It adds a fantastic healthy glow to the skin. However, it is pretty sparkely, so if you don't go careful you'll look like you've been in a glitter-related accident.

Sun Bunny: This one is dark. Waaaaaay too dark for anyone remotely pale. However, it looks beautiful on darker skin tones, and the two shades make it excellent for contouring.

Pink Leopard: This is probably my favourite, when used with a light hand, as it doesn't seem so glitterly. I couldn't really swatch the colours seperately, so here's a comparison with the other two. (click to see larger picture).

I also love the brush it came with. It's wonderfully soft! For anyone wanting to experiment with bronzers, this is definately worth the £20.55. I now know which full size bronzer I'll be going for in the future, and it's given me bronzers to suit a range of complexions without braking the bank. Next on my Too Faced wants list is the matching lip glosses!

FOTD - learning to love mutiny

2009-08-08T17:15:00.005+01:00

I skipped on MAC mutiny pigment when it was released with Naughty Nauticals back in June 2008. I regretted this after seeing all the beautiful looks that people created with it, so I jumped at the chance to buy it when it was re-released this summer with the A Rose Romance collection. This was my first MAC pigment, so you can imagine how disappointed I was when I used it for the first time and got an incredibly sheer wash of colour, and a lot of fallout. After that it sat on my shelf for a long time. After doing a little research, and playing around a bit, I've fallen in love with it. Here's my first successful look using it.

All MAC unless otherwise stated:

Face
L'Oreal HD Foundation in Rosey Porcelain
L'Oreal Infallible Concealer in Vanilla
Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Blonde MSF

Eyes
UDPP
Avon Colour Trend Pencil in Turquoise (used as base)
Mutiny p/g (applied with a damp brush)
White Frost e/s
Sumbamrine e/s
Plumage e/s
Neru e/s
Carbon e/s
Urban Decay 24/7 Kohl in Zero
Benefit Badgirl Mascara
Brow Pencil in Lingering

Lips
I can't remember. I think it might be
Bubbles l/s
Jampacked l/g

EOTD

2009-08-08T17:09:00.003+01:00

Didn't get photos of the whole look, but I like it enough to think it's post worthy.

UDPP
Sharkskin s/s
Yogurt e/s
Humid e/s
Submarine e/s (Naughty Nauticals)
Parfait Armour e/s
Beauty Marked e/s
Blacktrack f/l
Urban decay 24/7 pencil in Zero
Carbon e/s to set pencil
Benefit Badgirl mascara
Random cheap falsies

On the runways

2009-08-08T16:17:00.015+01:00

Whilst keeping up to date with the latest high street fashions doesn't terribly interest me, I love to know what's happening on the catwalks. Both Vogue and Elle magazines did specials on the catwalks in New York, London, Milan and Paris. The trends in this post are the ones that I found to be the most interesting. The biggest one being red lips. Well, coral toned reds to be precise. They’ve been seen on Richard Nicoll, Erdem and many other runway big names. I love bold lips, and I’m not one for saving them for a night out. I’ll wear them to the super market if I want to. They can be dressed down just as easily as they can be dressed up. I’ve played around with a few looks using my favourite coral-red lipstick, MACs Coral Polyp (limited edition, from the Dame Edna collection) over a base of MAC's Beet lipliner. I’ve incorporated them into looks using some of my favourite trends seen on the catwalks.

Aqua and glossy

Summer’s not over yet, despite the weather. And seeing as there’s still a chance of sunshine, the first look I’ve done is a summery one.

Whilst lips are matte this autumn, I've used glossy lips for a more summery look. Aquas and turquoises have been the most popular shades for eyes over the summer, and I've used a gold liner rather than black. I used Barry M clear lip gloss on top of my lipstick. I forgot how much I hated this gloss. The smell is so sickeningly sweet. Sorry Barry M, you guys get my thumbs down this time.

Lines and contours

As far as fashion trends go, sharp, structured lines are in. This is most obviously seenin the return of shoulder pads (a throwback to the eighties, which I will not be partaking in), but also in the skirt suits of Givenchy and dresses from Elie Saab and Christopher Kane. Inspired by this, the next look takes those structured lines, contouring the face, and shaping the eyes.

Soft and smokey

Other designers, such and Donna Karen and Louis Vuitton used soft, draped fabrics. I think that this sharp makeup would make a fantastic contrast against a softer outfit. Similarly, a softer, smokeylook would look fantastic teamed with a sharp-cut suit. Smokey eyes are always in, and this autumn we’re leaving the bright turquoises and aquas behind, and moving towards velvety dark purples and blues. Vivienne Westwood used a dark blue instead of black for a slightly different take on the traditional grey smokey eyes. As this look focuses mainly on the eyes,I chose to have softer lips. I blotted Coral Poylp, turning it into more of a stain. I didn't use the Beet base, which makes the lips seem far more coral than

red, but this same technique could also be done with a red lipstick.

Going nude

Just like last season, nude faces made an appearance. For a softer day time look go nude with the coral lipstick. If you want to brighten up your eyes, white pencils on the water line are out. Use something a little less harsh, such as Clinique’s brightening gold. MAC will be bringing out a new pencil in early 2010 which is going to be shaded in the same way that their foundations are (NW15 etc). I can’t wait for this one, which will be the perfect nude, brightening eye liner.

To take it up a notch, just add some simple black liquid or gel eyeliner.

These last two are the easiest to achieve, and the most wearable day time looks. Definitely my favourites!

Lipsticks to check out

17 Lasting Fix Lipstick in Hot Chilli
No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Gay Geranium
NARS Lipstick in Heat Wave
MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger
Illamasqua Lipstick in Ignite

Product Review: L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets High Definition Smoothing Foundation

2009-07-23T18:07:00.009+01:00

As anyone who is a little paler than average knows, finding a foundation that matches a porcelain complexion is a nightmare. In the age of fake tans and sunbeds, many makeup brands simply do not cater for the minority. After hearing rave reviews from the states about Makeup Forever's HD foundations, I was eager to try it for myself. Unfortunately, there is only one shop in England that stocks MUFE products, and I can't justify a trip to London just for some foundation. So whilst shopping I was delighted to find that L'Oreal have brought out their own Studio Secrets High Definition Smoothing Foundation. I was even more impressed to find that their shades run paler than most other drug store foundations. As I've been looking for a foundation that photographs beautfuly but doesn't cost the earth (I love NARS's Oil Free Foundation, but it's just too pricy for me at the moment), I decided to try it out. I picked up Rosy Porcelain, their palest pink toned shade. They also cater for those of you with yellow undertones, which was also nice to see.

The first thing I did when I got home was compare it to two other foundations; MAC's Select SPF in NW15, and NARS's Oil Free Foundation in Mont Blanc. I took a couple of pictures, and whilst they weren't taken in the best light, they do show the differences.
Top: L'Oreal Infalible Concealer in Vanilla
Bottom from left to right: MAC NW15, L'Oreal Rosy Porcelain, NARS Mont Blanc.

With Flash:

Without Flash:

It's a little lighter than the NW15, but not as pale as Mont Blanc. Luckily for me, I have a little bit of a tan at the moment, so I can get away with it. It also looks a little more yellow, but I found this not to be a problem once I'd applied it.

I applied the foundation using MAC's 187 brush rather than the brush on the end of the tube. I did try using the provided brush, but I wasn't impressed. Once I switched to the 187 I was impressed by how easy it was to work with. I acheived an almost flawless finish with hardly any effort at all. The coverage is quite good too. It covered the couple of spots I had far better than NARS's foundation did. It feels really light to wear, although it is clearly a heavier finish then the NARS. I'd say, coverage wise, it's about on par with Select SPF.

This is a pic of me with just the foundation:

As you can see, it's not got a completely matte finish, and I did find I looked far shinier than when I use NARS's oil free formula. So I added a little L'Oreal concealer under my eyes, and then set it all with MAC Prep+Prim Transparent Finishing Powder (the best powder I have ever tried.

Here are the results:

Once I'd powdered up I was a lot happier with the results. It's a good coverage foundation that photographs well. And more to the point, it's light enough for me to use. The heavier coverage might take some getting used to, but with my skin breaking out at the moment it's nice to have a foundation that disguises it. Given the choice, I don't think I'd pick it over my NARS, but whilst I'm skint it's probably one of the best options I have, and I'm sure I'll be reaching for this fairly often. At least I can save my NARS for special occasions now. The bank manager will be pleased.

With MAC's 'MAC in HD' collection set to make an appearance this Autumn, I'll using it as an excuse to road test the Face and Body foundations (they're already perm, but have never really caught my attention). That's if they're pale enough....