grey smokey eyes.

man, i'm still sick as a dog. that and the fact that my exam is next week doesn't really make for a happy jasmine. see how pained i look? how frizzy my hair is? i haven't been leaving the house, i've put on 2lbs, and i'm just generally pissed off. nevertheless, i put my happy face on and went to the cinema to see avengers assemble yesterday with my brother. it was really good.

the make-up i wore wasn't really my usual. the truth of the matter is, i suck at eye make-up. i'm not even going to pretend otherwise. the only thing i'm a master of is eyeliner, but that's only because i've been wearing it since 2005. smokey eyes? nooooo thank you. but, i fancied a change... and seeing as i'm nowhere near good enough to do some kind of all-black smokey eye, i thought i'd ease into it with grey and black.

the colours i used were 'creep' and 'gunmental' from urban decay's original naked palette - two shades which really don't get the love they deserve. i really can't explain how much i love gunmetal... it's one of those shades where, even though i don't wear it every day, i would still want to have if it was sold separately. it's just this really awesome blue-grey and completely unlike anything else in the palette.

but yeah, i didn't make a massive mess out of it for once. i think my biggest problem is my eye-shape. i don't really have hooded eyes (i think?), but my socket line is elusive so i essentially have to draw one on by working backwards. i used a small brush to draw the outline of my eye make-up (i.e. where my pretend socket line will go) with creep, then blended it out using urban decay's crease brush. i then applied gunmetal onto the lid using a normal eyeshadow brush (i think the one i used was by no 7), not going past the crease line i had drawn on. then, i blended everything using a mac 217 and added bits of grey and black where it was needed.

 see where that awkward crease line is? what even is that. seriously.

face: 17 primer, mac studio fix fluid on nose (nw30), bourjois healthy mix foundation (52), collection lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).

eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay eyeshadows (creep, gunmetal), maybelline gel liner, rimmel kohl pencil, benefit 'they're real!' mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud), the body shop brow & lash gel.

cheeks: bourjois (rose ambré), no 7 vital enlightening highlighter powder.

lips: 17 (bon bon) used as a stain, vaseline.

smokey eyes using urban decay 24/7 eye pencils.

hi friends. i am happy to report that i am slowly figuring out how to do a smokey eye without butchering it up completely. gone are the uneven eyes and looking like taylor momsen! for a ~blogger~ i really am clueless and have the make-up proficiency of a chimp, so please do cheer for me in light of this breakthrough. i suppose i can attribute this new-found success to the fact that, after a long, long journey,  i'm starting to vaguely come to terms with the fact that the crease brush from urban decay is better suited to my eye shape rather than a mac 217. and for the record, i love urban decay brushes as they are soft, never shed, and are cruelty-free. a dream combination.

jumper - vivienne westwood.

face: no 7 beautiful skin day cream, sephora base subliminatrice, illamasqua skin base foundation (10).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, nars eyeshadow palette (arabian nights), urban decay 24/7 eye pencils (covet and lucky), maybelline gel liner, max factor false lash effect mascara, collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), mac eyebrow pencil (stud), the body shop brow & lash gel.
cheeks: illamasqua cream pigment (hollow), mac blush (ladyblush), no 7 illuminator (peach).
lips: revlon (mauve it over).

i used a lot of cream products on my skin to make it look more natural & dewy. to me, heavy-handed powder products and matte skin just look too harsh against the eyes. unfortunately, i wanted to go for a green liner rather than a bronze (i love the combination of green and black), but this is through no fault of my own. now, before i embark on a massive bitchfest of a review, i just want to restate that i love urban decay. i am a serious fangirl and love everything they bring out. if i remember correctly, it started when i 16 and happily discovered that there was a product out there which would stop my eyeshadow from slipping off. hell, i even remember the days where i'd derive happiness from buying so much of their stuff in heathrow terminal 5 - back when they weren't so widely stocked! so yeah, this love goes way back.

however, one thing pisses me off. and it pisses me off a lot. in fact, i think we need to sit down and talk about it. my source of anguish is this: their 24/7 eye pencils. fantastic pigmentation? incredible colour range? creamy to apply? easy to blend? you're probably sitting there thinking "gurl, what's your problem" - and what my problem essentially is, is that there is this fantastic product encased in terrible packaging. i feel like a monkey seeing a banana except the banana is surrounded by lasers and i just can't claw away at it. with the pencils, it is essentially the same thing. their packaging is so tough and impractical that i simply cannot use the product. i can't sharpen the pencils without cracking them and causing a mess. today, it was in fact my sharpener which broke this time instead of the pencil - one which lasted me for years

see what i mean?

it really does hurt me to say this, because i love the pencils. it's not like it's rubbish both inside and out. it's in fact the best eye pencil i've ever used and now i can't use it anymore because of this. :( why must do you do this urban decay? WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY? so if anyone has any recommendations for industrial-strength sharpeners, please do let me know.

benefit's 'they're real!' mascara.

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...

dress - whistles, belt - chanel.

that gurl is poisoooon....

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.

nars holiday 2011 collection: 'arabian nights'.

is it possible for fingers (i totally did not just type "fingurs") to get abs? i feel like i've just been living in some kind of constant type-a-thon bubble. i've been writing this hiv/aids paper throughout christmas (260 words over my limit, not happy with the second half either, kill me now)... and as of next week i'm beginning research for the next one! it's on the human right to a decent environment, linked to development. you'll undoubtedly know how i'm getting along with it eventually.

 anyway, back to business. my second christmas delight (and i mean ~*D-LITE*~) was this bad boy, from nars' holiday collection 2011. my friend was very, VERY naughty. she spent christmas with me, and was naughty in general buy buying me something. i must've tweeted something like "WAAAA WANT WAA NO MONEY WAWAWAWA" ages ago so you can imagine my suprise - and delight! - when i opened this up. isn't it just beautiful? it's called 'arabian nights', which i think is the perfect name. it's evocative, dark, sparkly, and sultry. completely unlike anything else i own.

i've never owned a nars eyeshadow before. it's so soft and easy to blend! and AH LAV IT. definitely has a grown-up and 'evening' feel to it, as all of the shades come out really dark. the only bad point is that if you want to do a smokey eye, you essentially blend out all of the glitter. i haven't applied it in this way yet but i suspect that applying it wet and patting it on heavily should sort that out. please excuse my hair, it was pre-braid and was taken in a total of around 30 seconds.

face: no 7 lift and luminate day cream, bourjois healthy mix foundation (52), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, maybelline gel liner, rimmel kohl pencil, nars palette (arabian nights), mac  superslick liquid eyeliner (black), urban decay eyeshadow (virgin), max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud). 
cheeks: mac (stunner).
lips: mac (modesty).

ps - my friend also bought us a potted plant which i kid you not, is also just as exciting. my beloved little plant is now in my bathroom, in a sunny spot, waiting to grow - and then i will move it elsewhere. i don't think many people know that i'm mad about gardening. my kitchen window is lined with orchids and if i am in london during the summers, i go beserk and plant lilies everywhere. i'm pretty sure that only two people were previously aware of this - and now, the internet. brilliant.

very very sleepy fotd.

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.

....... ZZZZZOVER?!

food overhaul!

since my last post, i am officially a graduate. this september is going to be really manic as i am a) going to bestival, b) winding up working full-time, and c) beginning a new degree. gulp. i need to figure out what my new timetable will be and what my general weekly routines will be like, as i am also going to join a gym and need to figure out when i can fit that in, because having an office job has made me fat. they're pretty slow most of the time when it comes to paying me so i've been in agony as of late as there has been SO many things my heart has pined for (HELLO NEW ILLAMASQUA COLLECTION? THAT RUBBER NAIL POLISH? GIVE.TO.ME.)

i've been watching what i eat and begun a food overhaul since yesterday morning, although i still somehow think i eat too much. yesterday i had bran flakes (which tastes like cardboard), a handful of rice, chickpeas and watermelon. oh, and some pimms (i may/may not be hungover as i type this). so that's my general sort of routine going. start the day with cereal, have a vaguely carby lunch, and then spend the rest of the day snacking on watermelon, water, or green tea. for some reason i've been feeling dizzy and lethargic all week and so i haven't been exercising, but i think i will do an hour today. i shall report any signs of weight loss on here!

yesterday it was my friend's birthday. i am elusive but showed my face briefly. i haven't changed my make-up much recently but i'm really enjoying being silly with it and mixing blushers with lipsticks, using lipsticks on my cheeks and basically just putting things where they shouldn't be. could be the early markings of a breakdown really.

for some reason the lighting in my house is completely off - you'll just have to take my word for it, but there are a lot of gold tones on my face and my cheeks were a nice apricot colour. i'm not really liking my face much at the moment either.

face: no 7 lift and luminate day cream, sephora base sublimatrice, illamasqua skin base foundation (no 10), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), no 7 illuminator (peach), nars highlighter (albatross), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay eyeshadows (virgin, naked, buck, hustle), rimmel exaggerate liquid liner, maybelline gel liner, max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: nars bronzer (laguna), illamasqua blush (lover) and a touch of sleek blush on the cheekbone (rose gold).
lips: urban decay primer potion, sleek blush (rose gold), tiny bit of old no 7 gloss (smile).

brush out those curls and ta dah! a result channelling something between a marcel wave and a cavewoman.

beauty inspiration: madonna.

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.

'no make-up' make-up.

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.

black and gold.

today is my mother's birthday. yay birthday! here are her presents, containing a yves saint laurent 'arty' ring and a pair of chanel earrings.

as it's my first full weekend off since june (i have to edit some papers but let's forget that), i've spent today just taking care of myself. face mask (lush's 'love lettuce'), hair mask (aussie's 'three minute miracle') and painted nails (barry m's 'dusky mauve'). i haven't managed to do any of these things in about a week or so and people have been appalled and have asked me what's wrong. (that does tend to happen if i'm not wearing lipstick or nail polish, i must admit... no pressure...).

as i'm wearing black, i figured i'd go for something with gold tones and a more bronzey feel than my usual sort of look. something shimmery with browns and metallic shades. this is a sort of look i hardly wear, but figured i could do with - although admittedly, it could easily stray into becoming a disaster with my face resembling a disco ball. perhaps it does now. if so, forgive.

my newest plaything is a bit of a wild card. benefit's 'gilded' highlighter... in... wait for it... 'TANGERINE GOLD'. now, i don't know who does the marketing at benefit, but in the united kingdom, the word 'tangerine' in a beauty-related product within the industry has nothing but negative connotations for consumers. at least it sounds a little nicer in french ('enlumineur mandarine')! nevertheless, i like a challenge, and this more tangerine product was bought pretty cheap because no one else was showing it any love (see benefit, i know my shit). the only way i could do anything with it on a regular basis is to treat it like nars' multiples: on cheeks, lids, and lips.

as far as highlighter products go, it's pretty sweet. it's a middle ground between a liquid or powder highlighter/illuminator as it's more creamy, and it does last. it also photographs quite nicely, and is not orange. would i purchase again? perhaps. however, despite the little specks of glitter being miniscule in size, there is quite a fair bit of it and so if you are vaguely shimmer-phobic, i would get that pen from men in black, flash it in your own eyes, click, and forget all about it. for those who want something more subtle, then no 7's illuminator or becca's shimmering skin perfector provide better alternatives.

face: sephora smoothing primer, mac studio fix fluid (nc35), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, no 7 amazing eyes pencil (10 brown), urban decay eyeshadows (smog all over, dark horse in crease, half baked in corner, creep in outer corner), nars highlighter (albatross), nars bronzer (laguna), maybelline gel liner, rimmer exaggerate eyeliner, revlon grow luscious mascara, eyelure girls aloud false eyelashes (nicola), mac eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: benefit gilded highlighter (tangerine gold), nars bronzer (laguna), nars blusher (orgasm).
lips: soap & glory sexy motherpucker lipgloss (peach).


in other news: rest in peace, amy winehouse. what a tragic loss for someone who was a lovely girl before she met her demons; i hope it proves to people that drugs can easily escalate out of control and aren't as fun as they may seem.