FOTD #10- Eye DRAMA

This FOTD was all about the eyes. It also meant my eyes were a bit overdone to do nothing. Who cares. It's ALL about the drama.

Face- Nyx HD Studio Primer
Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + in shade #15
Rimmel Silky Loose Powder in Transparent

Eyes- Gosh Velvet Touch Waterproof Eyeliner in Black Ink (on lower waterline)
Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in Blue (along upper lash line)
No 7 Lash Adapt Mascara in Black (2 coats on lower lashes, 3 on upper lashes)

Lips- Etude House Fresh Cherry Lip Tint in Red

I was a bit hit and miss with this day's make-up. I loved the way my eyes looked, but the Collection 2000 liner transferred so so badly, so I ended up with blue circles on my eyelids. Which looked a bit stupid, if I'm honest. The Etude House Lip Tint is a bit of a disappointment too, it is basically a pink neon colour! The lasting power is ok-ish. I will do some reviews on the foundation and eyeliner soon!

Love B xxx

NOTD- Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in Rapid Ruby

This is one of my favourite nail colours ever, and in fact I'm desperate to find a red lipstick that matches it because it's so gorgeous!

It's a beeeeeeautiful deep ruby red, originally bought because I wanted a grown 'Mad Men' style red. It applies beautifully opaque in 2 coats, and dries fairly quickly (although not in 60 seconds). The lasting power is a bit dodgy. It isn't horrendous, but I've had a fair bit of tip wear and chips at the nail base (again, *need* a top coat!). The one big downside I see with this is that the fast-ish drying nature of it means that it isn't easier to top up chips smoothly. It's easier to do a full coat (which is why my nails are so messy as I'd just topped them up). For the low price (I believe it's around £4.99) this one is a winner!

Note: one thing I forgot to say... this is a pain and a half to get off. It will dye your nails, fingers and anything in the vicinity red. It's a bit of a horror. To me it's worth it because I love the colour so much, but it's worth bearing in mind. 

Love B xxx

FOTD #9- I feel prettyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I know the title sounds a bit show-offy, but my skin has been a whole host of ugliness for the last 2 weeks and this is the first time in ages I've looked nice enough to post a FOTD!

 

Face- Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream in Sheer Silky Skin #1
Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Rose Ivory

Eyes- No 7 Lash Adapt Mascara

Lips- Kate Moss Lipstick for Rimmel in Shade 8

I've been wanting to try this mascara for ages, and by chance I spotted my mum had it! I snaffled it and tried it out, and it's SO good. I won't do a proper review (my camera is terrible and can't do mascara photos so there's no point!) but in 2 coats this looked a-ma-zing, my eyes looked so wide awake! Definitely getting my own....

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #3- Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Cherry

Packaging: I'm a bit unsure whether I like this Sleek packaging. It is certainly unfussy, but it kinda lacks something for me. Although being small and light makes it easily transportable, it also means it lacks some of the presence you get with a metal case.

Colour: I found this colour SO annoying to photograph! It's actually a deep pink fuchsia blend, but it seems to look really red in these photos! There's a hint of red in there, but it really is pink.

Smudged to show the pink/fuchsia undertones.

Application: Again... I'm not sure. It's smooth and doesn't drag when you put it on, but... hmm. You know those lipsticks where they just won't go onto your lips straight? And they look wonky and uneven as a consequence? This lipstick does that. Maybe it's my application, maybe it's an unforgiving lipstick, but some lipsticks do it and some don't. It's a pain but I didn't feel very happy wearing it.

Kiss Test: That's quite a lot coming off there.



Lasting Power: There seemed to be a lot of colour coming off, but it did fade into an even stain, and was still on after 6 hours and a meal.

I'm not a huge fan of this lipstick, and I don't quite know why. It's highly pigmented and lasts fairly well, but it smudged at the sides of my mouth really easily, and just didn't seem to go on well. It is a good lipstick though, maybe I was in a hyper-critical mood.

For me it was a 5/10, but probably ought to be a 7!

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #2: 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive

 Packaging: I really like the shape of this, particularly when the lipstick is out- it's a very classic shape. However the colours are really not too great! The neonish shiny blue doesn't make this seem like a grown up lipstick. I'm not sure I'd want to pull this out in say an expensive restaurant bathroom to touch up.

Colour: This is a pinky nude colour, it definitely falls into the 'my lips but better' category. Although in the full face photos my lips look quite bare, in real life they definitely have more of a pink tint than normal.

Application: Very very smooth and easy to apply. This feels much more like a lip balm than it does a lipstick (although it doesn't really have much moisturising effect when you wear it).

I apologise for the hideousness of my face close up here!

Kiss Test: It's somewhat difficult to see because of the colour, but quite a bit came off. Obviously though smudging is not going to be massively noticeable even if it does come off.

Lasting Power: Here unfortunately is the downfall of this product. Easy to slick on, easy to come off. As I said before, because of the colour it won't be massively obvious or leave a ring on your inner lip, but it definitely won't last for a meal or multiple drinks.

If you want a nude to wear with a dramatic eye, this is a great colour, particularly if you are pale- it will give some colour, but not enough to clash with your eye make-up. It's pretty cheap at £4.59, but even so, I find it a little disappointing. I don't mind topping up a lipstick per se, but if you have to do it every hour it's going to run out (and get annoying) very quickly, and it just seems like a lipbalm could do the same job and be more moisturising. If you want a lipstick that's low key and easy to wear, you'll love this. If you want a proper lipstick that gives lots of colour and stays on, this ain't your girl.

6/10

Love B xxx

NOTD- Accent Nails

This week, I'm trying accent nails!

 

For my main nails, I used Gosh's Blue Balloon, and for my accent nail I used Rimmel's Black Cherries and topped it with Model's Own's Juicy Jules. I couldn't work out whether to do it on both hands, so I just did it on my left hand ring finger, and left the right hand all blue.

 

I really liked Blue Balloon, it applied beautifully and in two coats was fantastically opaque. As for lasting power, I've had a few tiny chips at the tip of the nails, but nothing too bad (and could probably be avoided if I used a top coat *must get top coat*). 

 I'm not completely sold on this look. I think I could have used better colours (a blue sparkle for instance) and maybe that would have looked better. I think otherwise it has the tendency to look like I got confused by nail number 4 and did something completely different. That said, I do like it- I'm not sure anyone else will, but never mind!

Love B xxx

Beauty LAT: Some goodies from MUA and Sleek

I was really excited to try the MUA Pro range when it was released and have been looking for it ever since. Except.... I haven't seen it anywhere. Not a single shop. Nada. I must have been to 7 or 8 Superdrugs (some quite major ones) and it doesn't seem to exist! So I gave up and ordered a few bits from online....

MUA Pro Matte Foundation

MUA Pro Heaven and Earth Palette

MUA Pro Starry Night Palette

Although I'm not a huge shimmer shadow fan, these two palettes are really beautiful and have fantastic pigmentation, especially for the price! I already had Shade 2 of the Matte Foundation, which I was given by the lovely Lena from The Student's Guide to Nail Polish, but it was sadly too dark (this was before they were up on the website so I didn't know where it stood in the range). I bought Shade 1 instead to try out.

I also went shopping and found the Sleek Oh So Special Palette which I had my eye on. I do like it, although the shades and names are a bit eclectic.

 

Despite not being much of an eyeshadow girl, I seem to be getting a fair few palettes lately!

Love B xxx

NOTD- Smoky Green Manicure

I wanted to do a look that was quirky but not too 'LOOK AT ME'. So I tried a smoky green manicure:

 

For this I used 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in Holding Hands, and Barry M Nail Paint in Grey for the tips.

I don't really like Barry M (controversy I know!) but I don't think they last very well on me. The grey tips here chipped and wore away really easily as I expected. I adore 17's polishes though- cute colours, really cheap and they last really well!

Love B xxx

FOTD #8- Fiery Eyes

Quick look for my trip to the Job Centre this week (I didn't enjoy it much). Although I don't really like copper eyeshadow for some reason, it annoyingly looks quite nice with brown eyes. I must learn to like it!

Face-
- Witch Face Primer
- Revlon Photoready Foundation in Vanilla
- elf Complexion Perfection powder

Eyes-
- Collection 2000 Collagen Curl Mascara in Black
- MUA Pro Palette 'Heaven and Earth'- shadows 6 & 11.

Lips-
- 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Nudist Peach

Love B xxx

A remembrance, and a little church in New York

10 years. A whole 10 years since the day when the world seemed to fall apart. I’m talking, of course, about the terrible events of September 11^th 2001, and the terrorist attacks that took place. But I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about a small church in New York.

Via here.

 

This is St Paul’s Chapel. It’s just down the road from where the Twin Towers used to stand. This church became something of a base for the rescue efforts that took place in the days following the attacks. It is a place that manages to be terrible and beautiful at the same time.

The terrible comes from the memorials for the people lost in those days. It’s hard to comprehend the loss incurred when it is reported as ‘x number of people’ dead or missing. It truly hits you when you see their faces in photographs, when you see the tributes from their families and friends who have had their lives torn apart. Both times I have visited this church I’ve ended up weeping because of those tributes.

The beautiful comes from the rescue efforts from there. People who risked their lives to save others. People who did everything they could to help those who had lost everything. People who provided support, both emotional and physical, to those suffering. If the attacks hurt your faith in humanity, the rescue efforts from this church and elsewhere would help repair it.

 

Today we mourn those lost, and celebrate those who helped bring a shattered world back together again in the face of adversity and fear. We celebrate their courage.

Love B xxxx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Chapel

Beauty LAT: Make-Up Pet Peeves

I was thinking recently about things that can annoy me about a product, my pet peeves. While I try not to expect every product to be a Holy Grail one, it's so disappointing to buy something and find it just doesn't come up to scratch. So here, in no particular order, are my make-up pet peeves:

• My number one pet peeve? When a product doesn't do what it does on the description. I'm not talking about the made up ingredients or miracle results, but the basic stuff- 'non-greasy', 'easily absorbed', 'won't rub off'. If it can't do what you claim it will, it certainly won't live up to my standards.

•  Nail varnish that won't dry. I've tried to be more diligent about my nail varnish application over the last few months- doing it in an evening when I'm watching TV, making sure I've done any nail ruining activities like washing up before hand, and leaving as much time as possible for it to dry. And I mean lots of time. I try to do at least half an hour between coats, and preferably an hour or more on the top coat. It is unbelievably irritating then when it still hasn't dried and smudges after all that time! This isn't a particular brand, it happens within all price ranges. If I (a currently unemployed idle layabout) don't have time to let it dry, how will someone busier than me (i.e. everyone else) have time to do it?

• Foundation ranges with only a few shades in them. I'm talking about the brands with 6 shades of foundation (that covers about 5% of the population) or brands with massive gaps inbetween shades. My particular fury is for shades called 'Ivory', or some variation of that, that come out about 4 shades darker than my skintone. I AM NOT ORANGE, NOR DO I WANT TO BE. 

•  Lack of counters. Now I am biased because I live in the North (it's a barren wasteland up here), but I hate it when brands only have counters in a few cities. I know that they can't be everywhere, but I live in the 5th biggest city in England and I'm severely lacking in a Nars or Illamasqua counter for example. Yes I'd love to live in London and be able to pop out to a counter, but being unemployed and severely broke (my life sucks right now) I can't afford to. I don't mind per se ordering online, but a quick swatch at a counter can save a lot of anguish compared to guessing at a shade online and getting it wrong.

• Products that don't work with other products. This is probably more skincare, but it's so annoying when your suncare won't work with your moisturiser, or primer with your foundation. The ability to join seamlessly into my current routine is an essential thing for me. 

• Foundations that only work with one (very specific) brush. No I do not want to buy a £30 brush because this foundation will not work with anything else. I do not like it that much.

• Products that slide off easily. Foundations that disappear by lunchtime. Lipstick that smudges or leaves the ring of death when you try to do anything. Eyeshadow that vanishes, mascara that flakes off. My day can last longer than 3 hours, it isn't unreasonable that my make-up should too.

What are your pet peeves?

Love B xxx

NOTD- 30s Half Moon Nails

With 30s half moon nails being a big trend at the moment, I'd thought I'd give you my take on it:

 

For this, I used a coat of Mavala Elle Grey (the free one from last month) first. I then marked out half moons at the base of the nails with French nail tip strips, and then painted Nails inc. polish in Victoria onto the top part of the nail. After 20 minutes or so I pulled the strips off. 

I'm a bit torn about these nails- although I did the half moons a bit higher than they were meant to be (they aren't so much a small section, they are more half a nail of the grey and half red) but I actually like that! They kinda remind me of gangster spats like this:

Via here.

 All of which is immense. The polishes I used though were pretty rubbish! The grey wasn't too bad, but the red was HORRENDOUS- I have had so much tip wear and smudging, and have had to top them up so much they look a bit of a mess. Not impressed really!

I'd definitely have a play with this style again, as I love the look of them, but I'm definitely going to find some better polishes and a great top coat as they are really fiddly and easy to ruin if you have to keep topping them up.

Love B xxx