The white line

I have always wanted a fuller mouth, sometimes I think I can look quite severe because of a lack of plumpness.  When I received my Vogue this month there was a striking picture of Kate Winslet on the front. The first thing I noticed was the white line drawn on her cupids bow. 


I love the 1920's style lip and this added to the pointedness of the the top lip, so I decided to give it a try.  I was curious to see if it would improve my lack of top lip.  

BEFORE

Foundations applied, then pink lip liner, and white eyeliner applied in as thin line as possible.  I used Gwen Stefani as my inspiration for this look.  Sad thing is I think this was the noughties not the nineties!!!

The finished look. I used Estee Lauders  Pure Colour Crystal Pink, my favourite natural look lipstick.  I'm not sure this gives me loads of plumpness, but I think the severness is nowhere near as bad.  I think I would give it a go in the "real" world as long as I had blended the white really well.    

double oh seven

I recently went to a James Bond themed 30th. I decided to go with a 70's bond girl theme, channelling a Jean Shrimpton eye (couldn't find a decent pic).  Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic before, and you only have a pic after which was taken at about 1:30 in the morning but you can kind of get the look.  

A blue flick with a extended flick on the bottom lash line too. I'd been dancing so not looking the freshest ha!

Faces I like

Andrea Riseborough

Roksanda Ilincic

Rose Byrne

Volume Length Curl

I recently had a Debenhams gift card burning a hole in my pocket, and decided to treat myself to a new mascara, YSL style.  I have tried false lash effect before I really like it but am slightly put off by the price tag, and the fact it dries out super quick does not make me want to rebuy regularly.  So I decided to give YSL Singulier a go. 

The description of the mascara is volume, length, curl. I decided to apply two coats without curling my eyelashes, and the result is above. It has given my lashes a bit of curl, some volume (although I would like a teeny bit more), length I'm not so sure, I don't believe you can add a lot of length if there is only so much to start with. I do however think it looks pretty good, I decided that I would give the mascara a fair chance, and it has been open about two weeks, and its definitely better for it. I am undecided as to whether I would buy it again, as £22 is a lot for a mascara. It will do me for the next few weeks though, when it runs out I will be buying my Maybeline favourite next, or maybe I could try a Max Factor one, shockingly its been years since I bought one.

The first rule of make up club is never..

I expressed my love of Helena Bonham Carter a few posts ago, and I have decided to do a make up look inspired by the character she plays in Fight Club, Marla Singer.  I was going to go Planet of the Apes, but not too workable!!

Here is a run down of the products I used:

Laura Mercier -gemstone, chocolate garnet (mineral eye shadow)

Benefit - Bad Girl black eyeliner and Hoola bronzer

Bobbi Brown - mahogany eyeshadow

No 7 - moisture drench lipstick in highland mist

Dermacolour camouflage mini palette

YSL - Singular mascara in black (review to follow)

Powder

you will also need your fingers!

*I applied gemstone all over my lid up to my brow.  Everything is applied as rubbishly as possible. Using the chocolate garnet this was applied to just above my socket and down, this was pressed on and then blended out.  I then rubbed this under my eye using my little finger and blended downwards.

*I then drew a really rough black line with Bad Girl and blended until it was very smudged and not really noticeable.  This was then used on my waterline.

*Powdered my eyebrows in with Mahogany, and then using my fingers rubbed the colour to blend.

*As much as Marla has her yellowy foundation caked on, I decided to apply my moisturiser and while it was still tacky, apply a palish concealer where needed.  Then powdered everywhere, this look needs to be as matte as possible.

*Using my new YSL mascara, I applied two coats as roughly as possible, and didn't care where I hit. 

*My cheek bones aren't as defined as Helenas, so using Hoola bronzer shaded mine in.

*Lipstick was applied from the tube, and then rubbed in all over.  I did this twice.

Do you like my mood lighting below?

Stuck in a rut

I got asked to do a friends make up at the weekend.  We were having a girly weekend in Nottingham visiting a friend, and we got chatting about make up.  I was sorting through a friends make up (basically having a good nose) when my friend (S) confessed she felt she was in a rut.  She asked if I fancied having a go at doing her make up, I practically jumped at the chance.  I love doing it and it's good practice.  She explained what she normally wore; lashings of mascara, pink blusher, bright lipstick, and thick black eyeliner, but hardly any eyeshadow. 

 

As you can see below S has the most beautiful natural blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a gorgeous mouth not forgetting her lovely pale complexion.  I had a good canvas, so I thought why hide it.  

 

This is what I used  and in this order -

* Leggy by Benefit - over entire eyelid up to brow

* Dandy Brandy by Benefit - applied up to the socket

* Brown from Revlon Neutral Khakis - in the socket and just above

* Black No7 pencil eyeliner - blended into the lash line

* Black mascara by Yves Saint Laurent - only applied one coat 

* Mary Kay mineral eye shadow Sienna - brushed gently into the brows

* Boots My Face foundation Fair 01 - applied where needed 

* Boing by Benefit - where needed

* Oh La Lift by Benefit - underneath the eyes
* Illamasqua cream blusher - on cheeks and used as a lip tint.

Everything was used sparingly.  See the look below, including before pic of how much mascara was taken off beforehand, this caused great amusement!!   

 

I think she looks beautiful.  On the Monday S sent me a text saying that she had given the eyeshadow a whirl, and had used less make up in general.  I even got a pic! I'm a great believer in less is more especially when you are as naturally pretty as S, why hide?

Special thanks to C who took the pics and noted down the products as i threw them in a pile x

 

Amsterdam

Just over a week ago I went off to Amsterdam with the BF.  It was my  birthday the Wednesday before, and this year instead of being a grump I decided I was going to enjoy my birthday,and enjoy it I did.  (Along with illness this is why I have been so lax in posting!)  We were also there for Valentines day.  I had never been before and I loved it, loved the architecture, and loved the people, so friendly.  So for the first time in years I let myself enjoy my birthday, how could I not when I got these gorgeous pwessies...?

A gorgeous Leighton Denny Desirables kit, the colours from left to right are; Indulgence, Berry Nice, Supermodel, Lolly Pop, Leading Lilac and last but not least the product in the clear bottle is Miracle Drops (helps speed up your drying time).  Also I gave myself a pedicure with Berry Nice and it has only just chipped after two weeks, pretty good or what?

The colours below from left to right are; Barry M Nail Effects (someone reads my blog), Barry M Blueberry, 17 Matte top coat (amazingly weird) and 17 lasting fix nail polish in Toasted Almond. 

The bottom tub is Lancome's Youth Activating Eye Concentrate, and its gorgeous, apparently very expensive.  I have a very generous Bro, so don't need to worry about the price until it runs out!! Heres a close up -

So I did pretty well.  Thanks, you  know who you are x

Dripping

Get the violins out, I am still feeling rubbish.  So here is a nail related post.  This is the second time I have tried this look, after looking at Sophy Robson blog.  I used Belgrave Place by Nails Inc, and then a top coat.  I haven't photographed my right hand because its no where near as good as my left.  So I better get practising. 

pretty rubbish

Sorry for lack of posts, got a bad cold and the posts I had planned involved photos.  Not looking the best so will save them for a later date.

I did however, go to work without any mascara for the first time today.  I knew there was going to be a lot of eye rubbing so thought whats the point.  Not one person noticed, or maybe they were too polite to mention the fact that I looked like Vic and Bob in this video.

Blog soon x

Red Head

Here is a pic of me with my new redder hair, I love it.  I am obviously really stingy when I put my eyeshadow on because you can barely see it, but I am still bothering with my eyeshadow I promise.  Plus I am loving Benefits Dandelion blusher at the mo'.

Had a lovely day a short walk round the art gallery and finished off with fennel tea and a slice of dime bar cake.

Tuesday

Here is my look for Tuesday.  Don't I look pleased with myself?

I used pretty much the same products I did on Monday (how lazy)

*Laura Mercier - tinted moisturiser
*Laura Mercier - secret camouflage
*Bobbi Brown - colour corrector concealer
*Laura Mercier - secret brightening powder
*LOreal - waterproof grey eyeshadow
*Elizabeth Arden - grey sparkly eyeshadow (sorry I don't know the actual name)
*Benefit - Dandelion blusher
*Maybeline - Colossal mascara
*Nars - gloss in a beige/pinky colour (I have had it so long the name has worn off)

Monday

I am a bit behind on my posts this week, working out on Monday (whoo yeah), book club Tuesday (geek), hair do on Wednesday (pics to come).  Anyway here is the look I wore to work on Monday. 

I recently read in a magazine that if you are feeling and looking a bit tired to wear a lilac eyeshadow, so because I hadn't had the best night sleep I decided to give it a whirl. 

I used:

*Laura Mercier - tinted moisturiser

*Laura Mercier - secret camouflage

*Bobbi Brown - colour corrector concealer

*Laura Mercier - secret brightening powder

*Elizabeth Arden - lilac shadow

*Benefit - Dandelion blusher

*Maybeline - Colossal mascara

*Blistex - soothing splash (post to come)

Quite quick to do, but I feel I look better than I felt.  Think I might be a purple eyeshadow convert!! 

Iman

Today while on my lunch break, I was flicking through the pictures of the Golden Globes on the Daily Mail website, (my guilty pleasure) and especially loved Angelina Jolie's beautiful green dress, it pains me to say this because she is not my favourite celeb. 

Here are a few others that drew my attention, for good and bad reasons.

I just love the fact that Helena Bonham Carter has her own thing, and really doesn't care.  Look at her shoes, ha! Her face is stunning though.

I love velvet, I love navy, I love Tina Fey.

Love her hair, and make up, don't really get the dress. 

While I was browsing the DM, I found an article on Iman.  She is just so stunning, and completely in a league of her own (for want of a better less cringeworthy expression).  I hope I look as good when i'm in my mid 50's.

Golden Globe pictures from style.com and Iman from Daily Mail.

Belle and Galaxy

Check out my bling nails, picked these two up from what I call a "cheapy" shop in my local town centre, they only cost £1.39 each.  Both by Revlon, and designed to be a top coat.  I have just used them on their own.

My little finger has Barry M Grey painted on it, with the Galaxy on top just to see what it looks like.

The darker one is called Galaxy, the silver one is called Belle.  I popped into my local Boots and they didn't have it there, so it must be limited edition or something.  Just googled it and there are loads of american blogs loving it.  

I'm not looking forward to tackling the glitter with a polish remover.  I'm sure it will still be there in three weeks time.   

The quest

My skin hasn't been looking the best recently.  With how cold the weather has been and then, how hot it is inside, I have been suffering with dry patches and dull skin.  I have tried lots of different exfoliators, Dermalogica's daily microfoliant, a micro dermabrasion cream whose name escapes me and more recently Liz Earle's gentle face exfoliator I have come to the end of  my second bottle of this, but I just want to try something different.  The problem is I don't want anything with granules in.  When I was a teenager I use to rub my skin raw with Aapri scrub gel, and I think I am now paying for it.  I think that because my skin is so fair, I have developed broken veins on my face and they are becoming more and more obvious.  I think genetics plays a part in this, but I don't think scrubbing my face has helped much either. 

So I am now on a quest to find a gentle exfoliator, that contains salic acid.  I have read that this is one of the best ways to get glowing skin, and I don't think its as harsh as it sounds.  When I visited Leeds I asked round some of the high end beauty counters to see if they had an exfoliator or mask that contained salic acid, I didn't have much luck.  There was a really helpful lady on the Sisley counter who although didn't have what I was looking for gave me two samples Sisley's gentle facial buffing cream and radiant glow express mask, how could I say no, and when am I ever going to pay of £50 for a cream regularly.  My little mitts couldn't wait to get into the little packets.

The lady reckoned there was about six applications in the sample, and I think so far I have had about four and there is more left.  You pat the cream all over your face and then roll off in an upwards motion.  I add water because I still think it seems slightly harsh.  I think it is making a difference to my skin, and it does feel lovely and soft afterwards, just not so sure I could justify spending that amount of money on this cream.  I am yet to try the mask, but apparently it has won lots of beauty awards! So I may be giving that a try later on this week. 

Take care

I don't generally make new years resolutions, but this year I am going to try and take more care of myself.  The idea came from a friend of mine, her new years resolution last year was to make more effort and she really did stick to it.  Sometimes my procrastination skills are worth a medal and stop me from doing what I set out to do, such as applying my nail polish or moisturising my legs.  I know the world will not stop if I don't complete these tasks, but I really irritate myself by forgetting to do this sort of thing.  You may think I have better things to do with my time, but I can tell you I don't! 

Here is a list just as much for my attention as yours, (apparently if you tell someone or write something down you are more likely to achieve your goal).

*Eyeshadow is now going to become part of my daily routine, I have some gorgeous colours, and I really am wasteful if I don't start putting more of them to good use.  I am going to start posting some "this was my look today" pics.

*Apply cuticle cream to my nails, I am sick of my fingers getting sore.

*Moisturise the bod more.

*Give myself more pedicures, or maybe treat myself to some.  I think like most people this area often gets neglected. 

Now I know this list is not going to change my life or anything substantial like that, and it has made me feel slightly embarrassed and very shallow.  But I am not going to pretend that sometimes the littlest, most vain things don't get my goat because they do.  Plus it probably doesn't surprise you that I am slightly vain because I do spend time writing a beauty blog, which often has me posing with certain "looks".  I'll leave it there I think people. 

A different kind of Acne

How gorgeous is my ring??  It's my pressie from my BF.  I love green and NEEDED (cough) a gold ring, so decided on this one.  It's by Acne and I just loved the chunkyness and structure of the ring.

Now, if only I could afford the clothes.

Lip tint on Max's collar

The BF and I went shopping to Newcastle on Sunday, I had to change a pressie at Fenwicks so decided to make a day of it, including YO Sushi, oh how I love the deep fried pumpkin. 

While we were whiling the hours away in Fenwicks (I don't think I have ever spent that long in a shop) I received a phone call from my Mum, who wanted me to pick up one of the new Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Tints.  I really liked the idea of the tint pen when I saw it advertised on the back of my Mothers Easy Living magazine. (I could go on and on about that mag, slightly middle aged, but sometimes makes for a better read than Vogue).  Boots didn't have the whole range so I had to popped into Superdrug, read something similar here.

I decided to treat myself too, I went for No. 03 and I bought No. 04 for my Mum.  

I really liked the idea of the pen and just kind of drawing on my mouth.  Although I love the colour, I found a few problemos.  Have you ever tried to write with a biro or highlighter on a wall?  The ink often can't flow to the nib because the pen is not upside down,  well application to your bottom lip is fine because the tint is the right way up, as soon as I started on my top lip the colour wasn't as consistent.  I think this is more visible on the No. 04 pic.

Also stay away from this if you have even the tiny bit of dryness on them, it will make the dry part stand out like a beacon!

I also think the key to making it last longer, is once the tint is applied keep your mouth slightly parted until it dries.  Excuse the slightly severe mouth above.  

I wore the tint to work on Monday, and got lots of compliments about the dramatic lip colour.  I kept applying a colourless lip balm at work, and it seemed to extend the life span of the tint too.  I will keep using the product, and thought I might where it underneath a lipstick to make that last even longer, but I don't think I will re purchase when it either runs out, or drys out (!?)

Max Factor Lip Tint

Back for the New Year

So its well and truly the New Year.  After completely overeating as I am sure everyone else did, and getting over my Christmas break outs which I get every year because of the overeating.  I was finally able to try some of my new creams and potions that I received for Christmas.

One of my pressies was the Shue Uemura cleansing oil, I decided on the fresh high performance balancing oil click and I LOVE it!!  Yes the wait was well worth it.  It says you need three to four pumps and I can get away with about one to two.  What I didn't realise was how light it was going to be, I can just rub it in rinse and go, and every last scrap has gone.   Officially added to my favourite list.