review: clinique superbalm moisturizing gloss.

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!

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.

back to work.

that day. that one day, post-christmas, where you have to return to society. whether it be work, school, university or a grocery shop, the 3am bedtimes and lie-ins are over and you have to become reacquainted with your worst enemy: the tube. unfortunately i am still recovering from the traumatic ordeal that is the central line, and so this will be a simple fotd post.

face: l'oreal studio secrets primer, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: illamasqua cream pigment (hollow), rimmel exaggerate liquid liner, maybelline gel liner, mac studio fix lash (black), mac eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: topshop (pop).
lips: collection 2000 creampuff lip cream (fairy cake).

2012.

i cannot believe 2011 is over!  it had extreme highs and lows but i anticipated that from the start. i'm usually quite opinionated on new year's eve (slurring "next year will be SHIT" with cocktail in hand) but i'm oddly neutral this year. 2012 could be good. it certainly has potential. resolutions? to maintain a healthy body and mind, and to not buy anything beauty-related. try not to let this blog die. you know, the usual.

i went through all of my make-up last night and fell in love all over again with a lot of old products. and i basically own everything now as it is... so i'm done. bye bye make-up, hello a less battered bank statement! and before anyone rolls their eyes thinking i won't do it, i'm incredibly determined. :) fortunately this blog was never about 'hauls' anyway, which i find relatively boring to read about. so, for today, here is the make-up i wore - all of it being old!

face: 17 primer, no 7 mineral foundation (light beige), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (#2), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (lightly all over lid), maybelline gel liner, max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: nars multiple (portofino).
lips: sephora ultra-shine gloss (no 08).

i also wanted to share one of my favourite purchases during the sale reason! these earrings from mikey were an absolute steal and are definitely the sort of thing i lust over on a daily basis. :)

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.

rockalily lipstick.

a part of make-up which really excites me is discovering new brands. if you own as much lipstick as i do, you either a) own all the shades that one of the 'big brands' offer, b) feel uninspired by what is there, or c) simply yearn for something different. my 'something different' for today is lipstick by cult-favourite rockalily. i actually was introduced to the brand half because the owner follows me on twitter (who essentially has my dream job, she must tell me her secrets), and half because she knows one of my best friends who SWEARS by the stuff (note: said friend is the utterly gorgeous and extremely talented maxine who runs little miss delicious).

however, as i own about 4 or 5 red lip products (and god knows how many pinks), i just couldn't justify purchasing it there and then. but whaddyaknow. maxine went and got it for me for christmas! the gift of beautiful red lipstick. what a sweetheart. FYI, i also got a new plushie too, although it's not edible. don't ask how i found this out. 

nails - no 7 (pillarbox).

maxine had chosen 'rockette red' (£13.50). if you go on the website, the shade is described as "a creamy and luxurious matte lipstick [and] a classic blue-based lipstick".

i noticed an immediate difference when it came to applying the lipstick. i thought that it might have been due to the packaging being slightly bulkier than what i'm used to, but once i compared it with another lipstick, i realised that the bullet is different in shape.

see what i mean? apologies for the bad picture and everything - the sun was setting and my room has little light. the tip of rockalily's lipstick is a lot smaller than that of mac, which seems to be the more standard size. i think it will take some getting used to seeing as i haven't been blessed with much of a pout a la angelina jolie - but i can see how a smaller tip would make for more precise application. if i don't get used to it, i can always just use a lip brush instead anyway.

application over, my lipstick faced then face the ultimate test: dinner and cocktails. nachos grande, to be precise: chips, cheese fondue, guacamole, salsa, jalapenos, the works. poor rockette red... however, once my carbfest ended, i decided that i really liked the lipstick - it didn't lose any pigmentation as time went on, and even though it did fade after dinner, it still left a red stain on my lips. it felt creamy and soft and oh so good - performing just like any other high-end brand (warranting the price). however, i think it's more of a semi-matte finish rather than being fully matte, which is probably a great alternative for anyone who wants something inbetween the two. if you want something extremely matte as mac's ruby woo, this isn't it.

so yeah, long story short: i really love it. it's a sort of red i don't have, and i adore how creamy it is. i showed the website to another friend who was slightly intimidated by the fact that it's a brand adored by alternative girls - but please don't let this put you off (if it works for illamasqua...!). trust me when i say that it's a lovely product who would suit 99.999% of the population. possibly even obama.

face: no 7 lift and luminate day cream, 17 primer, bourjois healthy mix foundation (52), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay eyeshadows (naked, virgin), maybelline gel liner, little bit of rimmel kohl pencil and mac superslick liquid eyeliner (black), no 7 lash adapt mascara (black), eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: illamasqua cream pigment (hollow), bourjois blush (rose ambré) and benefit gilded highlighter (tangerine gold).
lips: no 7 lip pencil (fire), rockalily lipstick (rockette red).

also, check out the new earrings. i was eyeing up these bad boys for the longest time and bought them on sale. they're by mawi x disney. i've been to disneyland three times but as i share my name with a disney princess, i think i'm going to excuse myself.

warm sparkly look.

here is how i wore my make-up on christmas day. unfortunately my beloved jimmy choo x h&m necklace has gone awol (and still is! i'm sending out a search party) and so i couldn't wear it as planned. :(

i went for a shimmery look on my eyes with bold lips and fresh skin - it was a festive occasion after all. sadly i didn't do anything glittery (i do love resembling a disco ball) or really 'out there' as my christmas was relatively low-key. that and i'm a wuss because i didn't want any make-up to irritate my eyes. i used bronzy browns, some gold, and a coppery red on the outer corners - although the finished result looks like something better suited to a summer holiday i feel, rather than a wintery christmas! don't be fooled by the pink lips either - i skipped red due to my anticipated non-stop eating and lightly dabbed on revlon's 'cherries in the snow' using my fingers. that's how it is when lightly dabbed! it looks like i've applied a lipstick fully...

face: sephora illuminating primer, 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, urban decay eyeshadows (smog, half baked), illamasqua pure pigment (berber), nars highlighter (albatross), maybelline gel liner, max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: nars highlighter (albatross), nars multiple (portofino).
lips: revlon (cherries in the snow) with vaseline on top.

i also embraced the day of christmas with some tights adorned with crystals. forgot how much i love them!

in other news - well, i've seen so many pretty things i would love to own, but lack the money. asking my parents is an option, but i absolutely detest doing it (think i've asked once in the past two years, only because i had £3 in my bank account, o) and so i'm going to be on the hunt for some part-time work and selling a lot of stuff i don't need or use. i'm really loving costume jewellery but annoyingly enough, all the stuff i like costs an arm and a leg. i'm also back on my fitness binge, which i cruelly deserted for the past week and a half. when i say 'fitness binge', i mean FORCING myself to be sensible and doing exercise. it is horrible.