yesterday was chinese new year. happy new year if you were celebrating! i went out to chinatown with a few chinese friends and we had a meal. it was nice even if i ate about 50kg of pure carb. i've recently just been eating a lot of far-eastern food actually, and would love to learn how to make it. dim sum. sushi. kare lomen from wagamam's. raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar food porn.
to channel my inner china/dragon/communist fan, i went for a block of red shadow on the eyes. red eyeshadow is one of those things which can easily tread that fine line between 2005 emo and looking like your lenses have given you hell. i probably tick both boxes but i don't care, because thie pure pigment i used ('berber' by illamasqua) is absolutely beautiful and is definitely one of my all-time favourite purchases. i think it photographs beautifully and is so unique! i've honestly never seen any pigment like it still.
i could've easily toned it down by applying it with a mac 217 and blending out a lot of the shimmer but i thought that i'd go all out. i patted the colour on my lid using a no 7 eyeshadow brush, and then used the 217 to blend it. i didn't line my lashes with black eyeliner as usual, just so the red could do the talkin'.
this dress is also unbuttoned because, to put it bluntly, cos forgot that girls below a size 10 may also need breathing space around their boobs. i felt that if i had buttoned it up, the buttons would pop and go flying into someone's dim sum. i paired it with a tiger brooch from kenneth jay lane.
face: no 7 lift and luminate day cream, sephora base sublimatrice, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skin finish (medium plus). eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay 24/7 eye pencil (lucky), illamasqua pure pigment (berber), maybelline gel liner, mac studio fix lash (black), mac eyebrow pencil (stud). cheeks: no 7 illuminator (peach), nars highlighter (albatross), mac blush (ladyblush). lips: tiny bit of revlon (peach), clinique superbalm moisturising gloss (grapefruit).
yesterday was my best friend's birthday celebrations and so i am feeling a tad "delicate" as i type this...
her birthday was an excuse for me to try out my latest mascara, called 'they're real!' by benefit. it was always sold out in shops (undoubtedly due to the hype, grumble grumble) so i bought it online around christmas time. my immediate impression was a good one, as i think that the packaging is really sleek and glamourous.
nails - no 7 (totally teal).
however, when it came to application, i was a little let down. it's a good mascara, but not as great as people make out. i felt as if i had to apply it sparingly else it'd clump, and there isn't anything revolutionary about it which would make me want to re-buy. the wand is made out of plastic but i don't sense any sort of difference there, and i didn't feel that this product was that much better than a drugstore brand to warrant paying almost double the price. however, the only good part about this mascara is that it doesn't flake, which usually can be the bane of my life as a lens-wearer - so if that is an issue for anyone then this may be a good option to check out. i do think i'll keep it, but it definitely isn't the best mascara i've ever tried. perhaps it's because i already have long eyelashes, and therefore the change just isn't as drastic as it would be on those who haven't.
face: no 7 lift and luminate day cream, sephora base subliminatrice, illamasqua skin base foundation (10), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralise skinfinish (medium plus). eyes: urban decay primer potion, revlon colourstay quad (in the buff, second colour), benefit 'they're real!' mascara (top lashes), lancome hypnose mascara (lower lashes), maybelline gel liner, mac superslick liquid liner (black), mac eyebrow pencil (stud). cheeks: mac (fleur power). lips: urban decay (buzzkill).
and here is what i wore! i don't really do outfit posts because i'm not interested in my own outfits and i don't think i'm dedicated enough to the cause to get a remote control/tripod/photographer boyfriend...
excuse my miserable mug. i am shattered - i went out yesterday afternoon, went out again in the evening, came home, edited a draft of something rather important until 1.30am, and then i cleaned a bit (whoops). point is, i am feeling it today. my skin is in bad condition because ahem, it is that time of the month (i pride myself on my ability to delve into tmi territory at all times) and so i wasn't in the mood to play around with my make-up. i just wanted to keep it simple and look as if i was barely wearing anything, when really i was. pure stealth.
in an old post of mine, i praised the body shop's lip balms for providing the perfect amount of gloss and hydration. i still do like them, but a new kid is on the block. i actually forgot i even bought this (the cardinal sin, buying something and then losing it in your vortex of a make-up box) and so it was a very pleasant surprise. FYI, still haven't bought any make-up. i'm doing well. i'm chill. chiller than cold turkey.
face: 17 primer, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus). eyes: maybelline gel liner, mac studio fix lash (black), mac eyebrow pencil (stud). cheeks: sleek (rose gold). lips: clinique superbalm moisturizing gloss (grapefruit) (WHAT A MOUTHFUL!)
to me, this is a really exciting product. i never would've thought that anything could top the aforementioned body shop balms but this does. you see, i'm not a massive fan of glosses. i find them too sticky, or lacking in lasting-power. this gloss/balm/beautiful creation is the perfect mix of the two, with none of that going on. i found it to be really wonderful, and my lips felt oddly hydrated whilst staying uber glossy for hours - and as this gloss does not contain glitter, it makes for a fantastic wet look. moreover, i have it in the shade "grapefruit" but as this product isn't scented or flavoured the shade names are literally just based on shade only. i really cannot wait to layer this on my lipsticks!
such a tune. it also shares the name of my lipstick today! anyway, my make-up for today was probably subconsciously influenced by my desire to watch this film. it is indeed 'the artist' and i'm absolutely dying to see it! no one else is interested so i may have to go it alone. i love musicals to death you see (i grew up watching all of them, thinking that one day i'd meet fred astaire and we'd be bff), but as the vast majority of my friends are boys, i have a hard time getting people to go with me. i once threatened to make them come with me to see priscilla: queen of the desert for my birthday i'll have you know. because i am that cruel.
back to make-up. oddly enough, i purchased this lipstick thinking it would be my staple for autumn 2011. however, when it came to it, i barely used it. not because i didn't like it, but because i had some kind of cold-induced breakdown where i needed the reds and pinks and oranges to lift my spirits. i love the colour as it is a very peculiar sort of purple, unlike nothing i've found elsewhere - and so i gave it another whirl today. illamasqua's lipsticks are definitely unique in terms of colour which is why i like them (when i can't find a particular colour stocked in mac etc., i know where to go!) and they are long-lasting, but i do wish that they were a touch more creamy. this particular shade has quite a matte finish so i'm assuming that's why it's lacking on the hydration front.
earrings - forever 21.
very film noire, non? i teamed it up with a grey smokey eye and the result is a soft take on what would otherwise be a very evening look. truth be told, i can't think of nothing worse than doing a smokey eye, because a) it gets messy, b) i don't think it suits me as much as it suits others and c) all that blending does my wrist in.
face: no 7 lift and luminate day cream, 17 primer, mac studio fix fluid (nc35), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay eyeshadows (virgin, gunmental, creep, hustle), nars highlighter (albatross), l'oreal stylo eyeliner (grey obsession), maybelline gel liner, max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: nars (orgasm).
lips: illamasqua (poison).
i'm also loving this shade by gosh, called 'purple heart'. unfortunately the sloppy application is due to the fact that there's barely any of it left! :( and the penmarks on my hands are also naughty, i'm sorry. it's a dark purple which, in some lights, also looks green. i love it, and think it's a classic shade which will never go out of style.
i am so horrifically tired and feel really rough as i type this. it's like having an exhaustion-induced hangover. sleepover? no. fatigover? no. hmmmm. i will need to work on this. come back to me later.
(see the rest of me looking pregnant in the background?)
i haven't really been doing much make-up wise recently, just keeping it simple. it's a little matchy-matchy - but i'm just not feeling anything remotely different right now. i think it's definitely the exhaustion and bad skin talking. saying that, i do have my eye on a headband with spikes poking out of it so i'm sure the old me (the old badly-dressed-with-questionable-taste me, that is) will be back soon enough. make-up wise, i'm just going for a look which makes me appear energised, well-rested and basically not rough. and i must warn you, this is an extremely difficult task.
now excuse me while i doze off....
face: 17 primer, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus). eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay eyeshadows (blunt, chopper, twice baked), maybelline gel liner, max factor false lash effect mascara, rimmel kohl pencil, mac eyebrow pencil (stud). cheeks: no 7 illuminator (peach). lips: no 7 lip pencil (melon), vaseline.
feeling grown-up. what a weekend of full on BORINGNESS. i have to choose my modules for my masters (being cheeky and doing modules with dissertations as i cannot do exams whatsoever) and i am trying to set up outlook so that my three emails all go through that. (i must admit, this is currently failing). i am also thinking about asking for a christmas present for the first time which totally ups my guilt but is slowly becoming unavoidable. i am in dire need of a new mp3 player as mine has been depleted of any free space and it is frustrates me having to delete music i do love in order to make room for new ones. all of these boring decisions has left me feeling relatively boring/safe with my make-up.
face: sephora illuminating primer, mac studio fix fluid (nc35), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: revlon 12 hour colourstay eyeshadow quad (in the buff), no 7 eyeshadow (truffle), maybelline gel liner, lancome hypnose l'extreme mascara.
cheeks: nars bronzer (laguna), no 7 illuminator (peach), tiny bit of topshop blush (high five).
lips: mac (see sheer).
taken with flash.
also haz sadz because my dad is going tomorrow morning and won't be back until christmas. lame. now mum is going to ban all junk food and make us go to bed early and scream until her lungs explode.
MEGA POST FOR A MEGA PRODUCT. i love gimmicks. i love it when brands promise that you will look amazing/stunning/perfect, and i suppose i also love how they lie (i'm like, SO rihanna~). have you ever walked past a new product and wondered which mug would fall for that? nine times out of ten, i am that mug - but i am not ashamed. my latest gimmick of choice is illamasqua's skin base foundation. i like to think i escaped the immediate hype (there seems to be many tales of the foundation being sold out everywhere) and in my own defence, i am genuinely in need of a new foundation and so i figured i'd give it a go.
nails - model's own (nude beige).
i went to selfridges, and was just in luck. at the time when i went, illamasqua was offering 10% off the foundation. the girl applied it on my face and admittedly it looked beautiful, given that as of late my skin has been completely and utterly shit. after much ooh-ing i happily bought it, and trotted off on my merry way. went to exit the building, and in true typical british fashion, it was POURING down. i'm not a wuss when it comes to rain, but this was monsoon-standard downpour. having stood outside for twenty minutes hoping that the rain would at least calm down, it didn't, and so i had to brave it whilst wearing crochet shoes and the world's biggest frown. i had pretty much assumed that my beautifully applied foundation had basically been washed off, after 25 minutes of walking in the rain...
WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2.10 ONWARDS WA
... but - nope! later that evening when i went home resembling a soaked cat, i went to cleanse my face and lo and behold, most of it was still on my face. how brilliant is that?! i therefore love it.
application-wise, i don't think it's something i could apply with fingers or my usual brush without blotching it up. i don't know if this is just down to my own incompetency or whether it's to do with the formulation of the foundation. i don't see that as a bad thing though, i'm just sayin'. when i use this, i apply it with a kabuki brush (£16, the body shop, money-grabbing or what). that way you can buff it into the skin and get the natural finish the product aims to achieve. as dumb as the prices are for body shop brushes, i absolutely swear by them and think they are hands-down the best brushes on the high street - so whatever you pay, you're safe in the knowledge in that these brushes will last you years without shedding a single hair.
here is my make-up whilst on holiday (taken with flash). my hair is wet from a shower five minutes beforehand, i'm probably melting*, and i'm wearing a buttload of new products i'd like to review when i get the chance. i'll also wear it and post a photo whilst in natural light at some point, i'm sure.
skin: sephora smoothing primer, illamasqua skin base foundation (no 10), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light). eyes: collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, rimmel exaggerate liquid liner, no 7 lash adapt mascara, nars highlighter (albatross). cheeks: nars bronzer (laguna), sleek blush (rose gold). lips: max factor (bewitching coral).
and lastly, i'd like to respond and give my take on recurring criticisms i've seen in other reviews, as i'm sure anyone reading this will have probably googled and read a variety of reviews.
- it is not longlasting - gurl, u trippin.
- there is little connection between this and bb creams - i wholeheartedly agree. i am by no means a user of bb creams anyway, but this is such a strong product that it should be praised on its own merits. i am not sure why illamasqua tried to push the bb cream connection in the first place. maybe to branch out into azn markets? who knows. - it made someone's skin oily - i don't understand how this is possible unless your skin is massively oily. it sinks and sets into the skin without feeling heavy, and i wore it in the craziest hot weather. - it highlights dry patches on the skin - i think this is a lazy criticism. it takes less than a minute to moisturise before you put on your make-up. if your skin is still dry after moisturising, then it's the cream you're using which needs to be looked into. - the comparison chart on the illamasqua website is inaccurate - according to the chart, i am supposed to go for shades 9 or 10. i deliberately kept this to myself as i was curious to see if the mua would match me up correctly herself, and sure enough, she did. maybe i was lucky, maybe the chart works better for olive skin tones, who knows.
all in all, i bloody love this foundation. i think i've found the one.
* if you live in a country where the heat is very strong and very humid, i would recommend mac studio fix fluid over this as it will stay in place for longer.
LONDON HEAR ME ROAR. WHAT IS WITH THE CONSTANT RAIN AND COLD TEMPERATURES?! i am feeling remarkably confused when it comes to appearance. my brain is telling me that it is august and that i should opt for summery clothes and bright make-up, but i just don't feel like it when it's absolutely freezing and raining constantly. so, i've sort of developed some kind of mish-mash way of dressing. note: mish-mash is not attractive. it just makes you look retarded. can't wait to leave this place tomorrow, although i'm gutted it's not for a very long time.
my current looks (crimped hair anyone? christ) is semi-inspired by a late night gaze at one of my (many) large photobooks about style in the 80s, as i am planning on selling it. i'll be upfront and confess that i don't even like the 80s unless i'm looking for a giggle. i like the music, but i think it was absolutely awful in terms of style, so why i am drawing anything from it i just don't know. however, there are two exceptions to my "everything 80s is gross" stance. i do like boy george and think that he was exceptionally pretty (there is no other word)... and i also like the look of MADONNA. i do not care for 99.9999% of her music, and i think she is borderline insane. but, no one even comes close to how amazing she looked in her video for "justify my love". that was her PEAK. the marilyn hair, the thick brows, the bold lips... absolutely fabulous. definitely something i'd like to try out for myself! i do wish someone would tell rihanna et al that that video is how you do something risque (even more so considering that it was over twenty years ago in a more conservative society) - as current efforts just seem relatively pathetic by comparison.
U GO GURL
unfortunately, i have about as much sex appeal as a slice of lettuce. i think this still is more me...
nevertheless, that single video is very inspiring (in terms of style, not sex with transgender people) and is one of my favourite things in the entire world.
face: sephora base subliminatrice, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus). eyes: urban decay primer potion, rubie and millie perfect eyes pallette, rimmel exaggerate liquid liner, urban decay 24/7 eye pencil (zero), urban decay eyeshadow (creep), max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud). cheeks: nars bronzer (laguna), duwop blush (peach). lips: revlon (mauve it over).
in other news: i've recently been feeling less of a need to see friends. not in a horrible way at all. i'm just tired and want to live a quiet existence. it's official: i've become old.
not once had i ever seen the appeal of wanting to look as if you have no make-up on all the time. for me, the fun in make-up lies in the fact that you get to look 'done'. you get to be a little bit ridiculous. i wouldn't say that make-up ought to act as some kind of mask, but i personally believe that people should be playful and embrace the possibility of looking different every day. but each to their own. i got a bit sick of my own face and so went for something natural myself, so i guess i better shut up and sit down now - unfortunately i couldn't go completely natural as my skin is awful right now, so i had to cheat...
face: sephora illuminating primer, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), paula dorf magic stick (#2), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay eyeshadow (naked), no 7 perfect eyes pencil (brown), maybelline gel liner, lancome l'extreme mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud). cheeks: no 7 blush tint (blossom). lips: vaseline.
ps - look at all the stuff my mother has dumped in my room, tsk. :( LOOK HOW STRAINED AND OPPRESSED I APPEAR.
