This Week's Nails #13 - Jack Frost/Black is Back

Hey there! It's been a while, I've been crazy busy for weeks and had zero time, but I'm back to regular posting now. I hope your Christmas was as awesome as mine! I got some great gifts that I will review in the not too distant future :) Here is the manicure I did today:

I layered Models Own 'Jack Frost' from the Winter Wonderland collection over Essence's 'Black is Back'. I saw this combination somewhere before and I had to try it for myself, it's so pretty! 'Black is Back' is a nice black creme, opaque in two coats.

'Jack Frost' is a pretty glitter containing a myriad of blue and purple hues. I don't care for it much alone since it's quite sheer, but layered over other colours it looks great! The formula is SUPER thick and goopy, you need to scrape a ton of polish off the brush before you apply it or it will refuse to dry. This is the second time I've done this manicure on myself, the first time was quite bad since I layered 'Jack Frost' too thick and it ended up smudging really bad later on. Also, this glitter absolutely demolishes topcoat. It's a bit silly! I applied three layers of a topcoat here, two of 'normal' consistency and one very thick one. For about an hour or so my nails felt smooth, but now they feel rough again. I love the colours in the glitter but the particles have such beautiful dimension when they're smoothed and glossy, and it's a shame that's so hard to maintain that wet look. I took a blurred picture of this manicure too, to show off the glitter some more:

I'll leave it at that, but I'll be back again soon. Thanks for reading!

Gold Festive Look

Hey guys! Quick post on a look I did today. Everyone's posting festive looks so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon :) Here's what I came up with:

Products used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Urban Decay shadows - Blitz, Echo Beach
The Body Needs shadows - Blackened Gold, Smoked Gold
TKB Trading mica - Forged Gold
Sugarpill - Tako, Goldilux
Inglot Gel Liner - 77 (matte black)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On pencil - Zero
Essence Eyebrow Designer - Brown

Review with Look - Sleek Supreme

This is the second part of the Sleek 'Shangri'la' collection review. The 'Shangri'la' collection is priced at €25, and also contains the 'Respect' palette and two 'Truley Mattely Deeply' lip colours. The limited edition 'Supreme' palette is also available alone at the price of €10. This is what it looks like:

Like the 'Respect' palette, the 'Supreme' palette also has fancy gold writing on the front. The shadows in this palette have quite a different colour scheme to its sister palette.

As you can see there are a good few shades of blue in here, along with a number of green and neutral tones. The shades that stand out most to me are the darkest blue and the dark yellow. Here are some swatches:

Blue Suede, R&B, Bronx Black, P-Funk, Grand Master Flash, Wah Wah White

LA Belle Blue, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, Delfonic, Commodores Cream, Shangrilas Lemon

The top row has strong, bright, bold colours, while the bottom row has some lighter colours, with some pastel shades. They're mainly matte and satin shadows, with just one shimmery shade, 'Wah Wah White'. The shadows are very soft, and apply nicely. Pale shadows look so weak swatched on my skin. I'm sorry, they just blend in well. The barely visible 'Smokey Robinson' is a nice pale matte grey, in case you were wondering. 'Wah Wah White' is whiter than it looks in this picture too. Here's the look I created:

It makes me think of Wolverine! I photographed my left eye for a change. Please excuse the scar. Actually it's because I messed up the liner on my right eye and then the bulb blew on my No 7 illuminating mirror, making it too dark to see what I was doing. This one looked better anyway. For this cut crease look, I defined above the crease with Urban Decay's 'Mainline' pencil from the 24/7 Glide-On Smoked pencil set. I smudged that out and added 'R&B' just above it. I blended this up towards the brow with 'LA Belle Blue'. I also used 'Mainline' on the waterline. On the upper and lower lid I placed 'Grand Master Flash', and highlighted the brow bone and inner corner with 'Wah Wah White'. I smudged Urban Decay's 'Zero' pencil along the outer part of the lower lid. I finished the look by lining the upper lid, adding mascara and filling in the eyebrow.
I like this palette, it's great. As much as I liked the 'Respect' palette, I prefer this one. I can see myself using this one more, but we'll see what happens! Using both palettes together is going to be good too. I'll leave you with more pictures and a product list.

Products used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NXY White Base
Sleek 'Supreme' Palette - R&B, LA Belle Blue, Grand Master Flash, Wah Wah White
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On pencils - Mainline, Zero
No 7 Stay Perfect Liquid Liner - Black
Maybelline Falsies Mascara
Essence Eyebrow Designer - Brown

This Week's Nails #12 - The Man with the Golden Gun/Skyfall

I'm super excited about this post! I've had my eye on OPI's 'The Man with the Golden Gun' topcoat since I learned of its existence. I couldn't justify buying it for myself with its €36 price tag, but my awesome husband bought it for me as a gift for our 5th wedding anniversary! Our anniversary was on November 23rd, but my gift arrived yesterday. Here's a photo of the outer packaging:

*Swoon*

It's beautifully packaged in its own display box. I'm going to keep it in this box to protect the bottle which looks very fancy with a mirrored gold finish. I don't want my other bottles knocking off it and potentially scratching or chipping it. Here's a photo!

When I wear this top coat I feel like the queen of the world. I have never owned something so luxurious before and I love it :3 It looks so pretty and classy, and it's likely my most treasured possession. This is one layer over 'Skyfall', which I got in the 'Get Bonded' set. It would work fantastically over a wide range of colours. Black, midnight blue and deep purple are the first that spring to mind. Here's a closer look:

I love it so much! This is the perfect Christmas gift for the fanciest lady you know. The whole premise of a real gold top coat may seem absurd to some people but I like it. It makes me feel spoiled and special, and that's not so bad. Yolandi knows how it is:

I'll sign off with a photo of the 'Skyfall' bottle. It's a gorgeous colour, a very deep vampy red creme. The closest polish in my collection to this one is Revlon's 'Forbidden', but 'Skyfall' is deeper still. It makes for a trendy and festive manicure. Catch you soon!

Review and FOTD #4 - Sleek Respect

Hello!

I recently picked up the Sleek PPQ Shangri-la collection. It consists of two eyeshadow palettes, 'Supreme' and 'Respect'. Today I'm reviewing only the 'Respect' palette. Also included in the collection are both 'Truly Mattely Deeply' matte lip colours, 'Jazz' and 'Soul'. I've tried using them but my lips are in bad condition and I can't pull off mattes right now :( I have the dry, flaky lips of a corpse. I'm taking a few days to get them in better shape before I review. The whole collection is priced at €25, which is a bargain. Great gift idea for a family member or friend too! You can have a look at it on the Sleek site here http://www.sleekmakeup.com/ppq-collection-complete. This is Respect:

Outer Box

Palette

Shadows!

The outer packaging is lovely on this one. Sleek recently changed the look of their i-Divine palettes, they made their logo smaller and it looks much tidier. Unlike the other palettes I have, this one has gold writing on it too. Perhaps because it's limited edition but I'm not sure! Here are some swatches:

Gladys White, James Brown, Shalamar, Count Basi Beige, Aretha Orange, Otis Red

Roberta Black, Vandellas, Cameo Cream, Motown Mink, O'Jays, New Jack Pink

Some of the lighter colours don't show up all that well on my skin, I'm very pale. The shadows are good quality, typical of Sleek palettes. 'Respect' contains mostly warm colours, some matte, some satin and some shimmery.There's a great range of colour combinations here, you can make a ton of different looks with this. Here's one that I did!

I used 'Count Basi Beige', 'Aretha Orange' and 'O'jays' on the lid. I blended up towards the brow with 'New Jack Pink' and 'Gladys White' above that. On the brow bone and inner corner I added some of The Body Needs loose shadow in 'Iced Red'. The shadows are really nice to work with, they blend great and the colour payoff is good! I like this palette, there are some unique shades and an endless range of looks you can create. I think this color scheme in this palette would look particularly awesome on darker skin tones! Here's how I finished the look:

I stuck with warm colours for the lips and blush too. I entered this look in the 'Bright' category for Viola's Maddstyle contest which I mentioned before, you can read about it here: http://rodeo.net/killercolours/2012/11/03/contest-neutral-or-bright-win-prices-from-maddstyle-cosmetics/. I'll leave you with a couple more photos and a full product list. See you soon for the 'Supreme' palette review!

Products used:

Face:

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation - 120 Classy Ivory

Revlon Colorstay Foundation - Ivory

Revlon Colorstay Under Eye Concealer

Maybelline Cover Stick - Ivory

Inglot Shader/Highlighter duo

The Body Needs Blush - Peaches 'n' Cream

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Sleek Respect palette - Count Basi Beige, Aretha Orange, Ojays, New Jack Pink, Gladys White

The Body Needs shadow - Iced Red

NYX Studio Liquid Liner - Extreme Coffee

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil - Demolition

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Dramatic Volume Mascara - Black Brown

Eyebrows:

Essence Eyebrow Designer Pencil - Brown

Lips:

Revlon Lip Butter - Peach Parfait

Review - Simple Moisture Boost Hydro Cream

My skin has been really dry and flaky since it started to get cold. I was really suffering! It's mainly on my forehead and around my eyebrows. I don't really have a proper skincare routine, I use a Neutrogena wash every two or three days and I moisturize most days. I was using No7 Heavenly Hydration Mask, which normally keeps my skin from flaking, but even that stopped helping. I had a look in Boots last week and decided I'd try Simple's Moisture Boost Hydro Cream. I have a few Simple products already and I like them a lot! I picked it for about €8.

I've used it four times this week so far, it's really nice. It works so well I'm not even needing to use it every day. It's a white cream, and one pump is enough to cover my whole face and neck. This bottle is 50ml, which isn't an awful lot so I'm not sure how long it will last. The packaging says that it's 'clinically proven to carry on working for 24 hours', and it does! It doesn't feel greasy, absorbs quickly enough and makes your skin really soft. It's totally sorted out my dryness. Definitely pick one up if the weather is doing a number on your skin!

This Week's Nails #11 - Goldeneye

Hey! It's been a busy week so not a whole lot of time for blogging. My nails were a complete mess until yesterday, I was quite disgusted with myself! I feel so much better now that they're manicured again. I got the 'Get Bonded' collection by OPI this week. I was dying to get some of the Skyfall collection polishes, I picked it up for €19.95 on http://www.cloud10beauty.com/, reduced from €29.95. Such a steal! The set contains three full sized (15ml) bottles of polish. 

The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldeneye, Skyfall

I've ordered some nail wheels from ebay so that I can swatch my polish hauls, and I was going to wait until they arrive to show you guys this collection but I couldn't wait to wear Goldeneye! The Spy Who Loved me is a bright red with gold shimmer, and Skyfall is a deep, oxblood red. Very trendy for both autumn and the upcoming festive season! Here's a photo of Goldeneye on.

I'm crazy about this polish. I'm not that fond of gold in general, I don't like gold embellishments on clothing or purses, or gold jewellery, but I love gold nails! Goldeneye is kind of a glitter polish, but the glitter doesn't feel rough like in other polishes. It's more like foiled gold. It's opaque in two coats and looks super fancy! This is the first OPI polish I've used, and I haven't worn it for long enough to comment on its longevity or anything like that, but I'm very impressed with the formula and how it looks. This collection would make a great gift for a loved one, or for yourself if you're having trouble choosing from the extensive Skyfall collection.

Review with Look - Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio

Hello! Sorry it's been almost a week again, I was sick and I couldn't show anyone the horros of my face :( I heard good things about the Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trios so I decided I'd pick one up. The one I got is called 'Mordoré Chic', and was priced at around €10. I normally dodge Bourjois products like the plague since I've always been disappointed whenever I've picked anything of theirs up before, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt this time. Here's what it looks like:

The packaging is super cute, I love it. It's very portable, small enough to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Check out the swatches:

There's a look idea illustration on the back too. Normally when I do a smoky eye I'll use the medium shade on the lid and the darker shade to blend out, but this look idea has the dark colour on the lid so I decided I'd try it that way. 

I lined the upper lash line with black kohl pencil and smudged it out to darken the look a bit more. These shadows are nice to work with, they blend nicely and the colour payoff is decent. My favourite one is the dark brown. I think using the medium shade to blend out with looks nice, but it doesn't make the look all that smokey. I much prefer the more common method of blending out with a darker colour. Bourjois claim that this shadow will last up to eight hours, and it certainly did with the help of Too Faced Shadow Insurance. You definitely need a primer in general, but with Bourjois shadows I find the colour payoff especially weak without one. I like this trio, I think it's really nice and I would buy it again. It would make a great stocking filler for a friend at Christmas too! I'll leave you with a couple more photos of the look and a product list. See you soon!

Products used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Bourjois Smokey Eyes Trio - Mordoré Chic
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil - Zero
Maybelline Falsies Mascara
Essence Eyebrow Designer Pencil - Brown

This Week's Nails #10 - Black Galaxy

Sorry it's been so long! I've been quite busy this week, I didn't really have a chance to get anything beauty related done :( Last night I decided I couldn't take it anymore and I did my nails!

Once again I've gone with my 'screw autumn' theme. It feels far too cold for all these warm reds and oranges that are still hanging around. I'm very cold, god damn it, and my nails will reflect that! This gorgeous shade is Isa Dora's 'Black Galaxy'. Black polish with silver glitter that reflects rainbow colours. I picked it up for €3.75, reduced from €7.50. A very good deal! Here's a close up:

After two coats the polish was opaque, but one layer of topcoat didn't suffice. I used three coats to completely smooth the polish and make the glitter look its best. The topcoat I used is quite thin, so perhaps just one or two coats of a thicker one would do. This is my second Isa Dora polish, I'm becoming a big fan of theirs!

#FOTD 3 - Sugarpill ColourPunch

Hello! Viola at Killer Colours is doing a contest, you can read more about it here: http://rodeo.net/killercolours/2012/11/03/contest-neutral-or-bright-win-prices-from-maddstyle-cosmetics/. There are two categories, neutral and bright. Four Maddstyle eyeshadows are the prize for each category. I did a colourful look for the bright category that I might enter! I'd like to do a few more different looks for each and choose the best. This is what I came up with yesterday. What do you think?

I might consider the Bubbles look I did recently as an entry too, but I think this one is better. Here's some pictures of the eye makeup. 

Products used:

Face:

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer
Revlon Colorstay Foundation - Ivory
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation - 120 Classic Ivory
The Body Needs Under Eye Concealer
Maybelline Cover Stick - Ivory
NYX Blush - Silky Rose

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Sugarpill eyeshadow - Midori, Mochi, Acidberry, Dollipop, Buttercupcake, Poison Plum
The Body Needs shadow - Iced Pink
LA Colours Jumbo Pencil - Sunglasses
Maybelline Falsies Mascara - Black

Eyebrows:

Essence Eyebrow Stylist Set

Lips:

Essence Lip Pencil - Nude Coral
No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick - Tangerine Touch

The Powerpuff Girls - Bubbles

A few months ago I did a look inspired by Blossom. You can see the it here on my Makeupbee page: http://bit.ly/XnPS4v. I was planning to do looks for all three Powerpuff Girls, but I didn't get round to it for a while and then it slipped my mind for another while. Yesterday I remembered and did a look inspired by Bubbles.

I was going to do something cute and innocent, but Bubbles can be hardcore too so I made it a little darker. Her dress is blue which is the prominent colour I chose for the look. Here are some more pics and the product list!

Products used:

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Essence Colour Arts Pigment - Little Mermaid
The Body Needs - Bunny Blue, Iced Blue, Steal the Night
Sugarpill - Tako
Inglot Gel Liner - 77 (Black)
NYX Jumbo Pencil - Milk
Maybelline Falsies Mascara
Essence Eyebrow Stylist Set

EOS Ice Green Contact Lens Review w/ Gyaru Look

Hello! I wanted to post about my current favourite lenses. I got them about a month ago, from http://www.honeycolor.com/ for €15, postage was €5. I always get my lenses from there and they're great. I did an eye enlarging, dramatic gyaru style look to go along with them. I often do a really toned down of this look for daytime wear if I wear lenses. It's pretty much this look without lashes!

The lenses are 14.8mm and super enlarging. My natural eye colour blends nicely with the green, if the lenses were smaller in diameter they could look very natural. They're the most comfortable lenses I have. They don't distort your vision at all, you forget you're wearing them.

Products used:

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay Vice Palette - Echo Beach, Muse, Anonymous

NYC Liquid Liner - Black

NYX Jumbo Pencil - Milk

Essence Eyebrow Stylist Set

Lashes:

Cheap ones from ebay.

This Week's Nails #9 - Icy Lilacs

There are a lot of neutrals and darker colours trending right now for autumn. I don't feel like wearing those, here's some lilac instead.

This is my first Isa Dora polish. I've used some of their shadow quads before, but haven't used any more of their products although the quads were really good. Its RRP is €7.50 but I got it on sale for half price. It's called 'Icy Lilacs'. I used three coats of polish, it was still a little sheer after two. It's a pale lilac with turquoise shimmer, I really love these colours together. The brush is good and wide, making application easy. Very nice polish, I got a great bargain! I'll leave you with a closeup:

FOTD #2 - Vice Palette Look

Hello! I finally found time to do a look with the Vice Palette! Viola at http://rodeo.net/killercolours/ is doing a MaddStyle cosmetics giveaway, and I'm trying to come up with looks to enter in either or both categories; neutral and bright. Four MaddStyle shadows are up for grabs in each category! You can find more details here: http://rodeo.net/killercolours/2012/11/03/contest-neutral-or-bright-win-prices-from-maddstyle-cosmetics/. I decided that first I'd try a neutral look:

The contest is open until November 30th so I have some time to try some other looks out before I decide what to submit. I kept this look really soft and feminine, it might make a pretty nice bridal look too. I didn't contour or anything for this one, I'd probably add that if I were to redo it to submit it for the contest! I hope you guys like it. I spent a lot of time on blending, it's something I'm trying to work on at the moment. It needs some improvement! Here's a closeup of the eye makeup:

Products used:

Face:

Revlon Colorstay - Ivory
Maybelline Fit Me - 120 Classic Ivory
The Body Needs - Under Eye Concealer
Maybelline Cover Stick - Ivory
The Body Needs Blush - Passionate Kisses

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Urban Decay Vice Palette - Echo Beach, Nevermind, Rapture, Muse, Anonymous
NYX Jumbo Pencil - Milk
Gosh Long Lasting Eyeliner Pen - Brown
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara - Black Brown

Eyebrows:

Essence Eyebrow Stylist Set

Lips:

Revlon Lip Butter - Peach Parfait