Monday, 26 October 2009
Why I have been (& sadly will be) neglecting my blog.
I am moving (or rather relocating), & will not have stable internet access for a (hopefully not incredibly long) while. So, I'll have to take a break from blogging.
To everyone who reads this, thank you :). Will do my best to be back soon.
Au revoir.
Cris
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Can't think of a title. Just another post with a look & swaps.
*The pics for the palettes collection post have been taken ;) & that'll probably be up next. Unless it's the tags. I'm behind on my tags again. (I always am, it's getting ridiculous...)
Swap 1 [The USA].
(For my Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimising Skin Refinisher mini, unused Veet facial wax tube, and some extras.)
I love Bourjois stuff :D. The extras were pretty nice too ;).
Swap 2 [England].
(For my mini Juicy Tube and lots of extras, 'cause I was just so happy about hers ^_^.)
Bourjois powder in Miel Dore (my new fave contouring shade), and as an extra, a Red Earth (my first item from that brand ^_^!) eye shadow in GR048 (a beautiful sparkly blue grey) :).
Swap 3 [Scotland].
(I got her a Korres Jasmine Lip Butter and added extras too ^_^.)
We agreed to swap for the Sleek Safari palette (and isn't it gorgeous :D?), and I also asked for the Jemma Kidd kabuki brush as an extra. But she added even more extras ^_^! I got a sample of Lush's Daddy-O shampoo (recommended - leaves hair clean but not dehydrated & does enhance its blondeness ;D), a Barry M kohl pencil in 4, and catalogues :D - well, a Benefit catalogue & a GOSH make-up look card ;). I love this kind of paper stuff but rarely receive any, so this was an incredibly lovely surprise ^_^.
Swap 4 [England, Kaleidoscope swapper].
(I got her a Korres Quince Lip Butter, Manhattan waterproof mascara, Oriflame Seeing Is Believing eye cream, Oriflame rose face cream, my two Lancome mini sunscreens, and of course, extras.)
The palette's by a UK brand called W7 - yes, I know I already have too many eye shadows, but I was craving a palette like this one :-P. Also pictured are GOSH On Stage Cool Lip Jams in 101 (blue) and 105 (purple), Lip Smackers lip gloss in Starburst Raspberry, Revlon eye shadow in Riviera Blue (had that, swapped it to her & got the very same one back, lol), NYX Chrome eye shadow in Java and ArtDeco eye shadows in 206 and 376. The double-ended lipstick (Astor Double Excellence in 017) was an extra ;).
Close-ups:
This swap actually arrived with a relatively large hole on the envelope, but somehow nothing was missing :D. (Am I lucky or what?) I suppose the palette stopped things from falling out ;D.
Oh, and this palette has 77 colours ;).
Now for the look. I promise to do a look with no blue on the eyes next :-P. This one's blue based again though, 'cause it's just such a pretty colour ;D, especially with dark eyes like mine.
This look's very simple (almost too embarrassingly simple to blog about :-P), yet has impact ;).
Apologies for this pic's [lack of] quality:
Skin: I tried my Avon loose mineral foundation (in Soft Ivory) for the first time today, & I must say I'm very impressed - it's so beautifully pale :). NYX Concealer In A Jar in Fair took care of the under eye area, and as usual I used my Tigi Fixx-It Stick on any spots.
Eyes: I started with Revlon Riviera Blue matte eye shadow, then changed my mind >:-D and covered my lids (over the Revlon, why not :-P) with Mark Retro Peacock. (The shades are quite close, but Riviera Blue is matte while Retro Peacock has fine glitter.) I filled in the area from lid to brow with white (I used the very top right shade from my W7 Paintbox - probably just to be difficult & make my products picture look bulky :-/, 'cause any white will do) and lined the lower lashline with silver (Oriflame Visions glitter pencil in Silver Snow). Finished off with curled lashes & mascara. That's it.
Cheeks: The cheek colour from my Too Faced Love Lisa palette on the apples & spread out. Looks nice & glowy but you can't quite pin down whether there's a product on there ;). I like that effect :).
Lips: Boots No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in Cameo.
More pictures...
I wish this next one hadn't come out faded. But I still like it & will post it anyway.
Or maybe I like it because it's faded >:-D?
I almost deleted that one because of that shoebox, but ended up keeping it.
Thanks for reading :). Regular quality blogging should resume soon.
Friday, 9 October 2009
My Make-Up Collection Part 4: Face Enhancers.
I keep them in here...
This is everything laid out on my Hello Kitty bag ;).
Well, you cannot see every single product, but it does fit most in one go. Can't imagine doing that with my eye shadows :-P...
I'll begin with my Everyday Minerals minis ;).
Everyday Minerals mini blushes in All Smiles, Anytime, B & B, Best Friends, Chit Chat, Cookie Sheet, Corner Office, Jump Rope, Once And Again, Pink Ribbon, Plum Dust, Photo Album and Theme Park. (Also pictured is a sample of Pure Luxe Cheeky, but I swapped that off.)
Estee Lauder and MAC...
Estee Lauder Deluxe All-Over Face Compact containing Bronze Goddess Soft Shimmer Bronzer in 2, and Tender Blush in Pink Kiss, Rosette and Petal, Estee Lauder mini Soft Matte Bronzer, MAC Fafi Powder Blush in Hipness and Hello Kitty Beauty Powder Blush in Tippy.
Elf and Asian brand stuff...
Elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Sunkissed, Warm Tan and Luminance, Nichido Powder Blush in Sunkissed (it somehow ended up cracked, but I don't mind 'cause I can still use it), and Fashion 21 Fine Blush Powder in 1.
Wet & Wild, Revlon and Mary Kay.
Markwins Eyes & Cheeks palette (there's nothing else written on it :-/), Wet & Wild Silk Finish Blush in Berry Shimmer, Revlon Leading Lady Blush in Smoky Rose, Revlon Pure Confection Highlighting Face Powder, Revlon Cream Blush in Just Peachy, and Mary Kay blushes in Apricot Breeze, Burnished Bronze, Desert Bloom and Pink Meringue.
Bourjois ^_^. I love Bourjois :D - definitely one of my favourite brands ;).
Delice De Poudre Highlighting Powder, Blushers in Rose Fougue and Rose De Jaspe, and Compact Powders in Miel Dore and Abricote. (Being pale, I use Miel Dore for contouring and Abricote as a peach blusher.)
Opened:
Various products in see-through packaging:
Physicians Formula Organic Wear Bronzer, Charm Colour Face Colour in FB5, IsaDora Diamond Glow, The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in 02 Blush, Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in Gold and Sugar Sweet Cheeks in Cupcake.
Various products in opaque packaging:
Models Prefer Blush in Pretty In Paisley, Luscious Cosmetics Luscious Blooms Blush & Highlighter Duo in Coral Gables, my Oriflame shimmer balls I can't remember the official name for :-P (and that cream pot isn't their actual packaging either >:-D - I've moved them), Cargo Mini Medium Bronzer, Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush and Pout Flush Blush in Fuchsia Fusion.
Opened:
That's it ^_^. Of course, I do have blushes in palettes, but those will be published within the palettes section, coming soon ;D. Thanks for reading :).
Monday, 5 October 2009
A tag & my swap with Hanna ^_^.
[I'll do the Daily Essentials tag next ;). Must take the necessary pictures for it.]
So, I was tagged by the lovely ladies at Italian Beauty Blog and The Adventurous Purple Koala (check them out, I love promoting the Euro blogosphere ;D) with the "I think you are an awesome girl" tag ^_^. Thanks :).
Since I (as way too often, hmmm...) end up posting this later than I should've, I'll leave this open 'cause I'm not sure who has or hasn't been tagged. Any reader of mine can take it - if you regularly read this, I do think you're awesome.
Here are my ten facts...
*I've always wanted a middle name. Or three. Having one name is just...Boring :-P.
*My voice changes according to various factors, including but not limited to my mood, what I'm saying and the language I'm speaking. And I don't mean minor changes - I sound like a different person fairly often (which must be odd to others).
*I love having blonde hair and dark eyes, I think it's unique and (along with my pale skin) makes me stand out.
*I can't do that spreading-lipstick-with-your-lips thing. I just end up clumsily squishing them against each other, and if I wore lip colour while doing it, I would just mess it up.
*I'm a fast reader.
*I really like being in motion. Buses, cars, planes, trains - anything as long as I'm moving.
*I make up my own names for constellations. There's the V sign (as in Victory), and the forever (looks like the mathematical symbol for infinity, which is an 8 lying on its side), and more.
*My beauty ideal is pale. (You probably know that.) I honestly don't understand why people use fake tan to lose something attractive they naturally have.
*I love taking photographs of anything that's beautiful. That includes make-up. It does not include myself. (But for the blog's sake, I try to do 'look' posts as often as I can.)
*I'd love it if someone did a make-up video tutorial on Dior Midnight Poison. (I won't do one 'cause I'm not beautiful enough to pull it off without looking like a parody or worse, an insult to the original. Don't argue.)
If you do this tag, let me know, I'd love to read your facts ;). Oh, and coming up with mine was sort of hard...But there they are :).
For my latest Swap Update, I'll begin with a swap I'd arranged with a fellow blogger ^_^. I love swapping with other bloggers :D. So, here it is ;).
Swap 1 [Malaysia - this was a swap with Hanna ^_^].
(For my barely used Mary Kate & Ashley LA Style gift set, containing the perfume & a body mist, all in a blue MK & A pouch. And of course I was generous with extras ;D.)
I was supposed to receive two glosses and a lip liner, but after no swap showed up two months later, Hanna offered to send me a replacement & allowed me to pick some items from her list. Isn't she a wonderful swapper?
So, I got these...
Contact lenses solution minis ;), a Stila Lip Glaze Stick in Brown Sugar (not brown at all when worn - more of a sweet nude), an Estee Lauder mini nail polish in Satin Gold (so cute ^_^!), nail polish remover pads, two mini tubes of Lancome sunscreen, and a Cafe Chocolate lip gloss by Amuse.
I recommend that gloss for occasions when you need to look and feel more awake. It's a beautiful fresh rose colour and smells very strongly of coffee ;D. (If you can't stand the smell of coffee, do not get this.)
But then, three months after the first swap was sent...It showed up!
That did take way too long, but I was still happy to receive it :).The Estee Lauder gloss looks squished and half empty because it now is :( - it somehow was punctured in the mail and ended up leaking all over the other products. But I've cleaned them up ;), and there's enough of it left for me to try out anyway :D.
The Eyeko wipe and lipstick sample were extras :). The actual swap was for the Estee Lauder High Gloss in Berry, Stila It Gloss in Enchanting (bringing my total of It Glosses up to five :D, of which it's my current favourite ^_^), and Stila Glaze Lip Liner in Nude ;).
Thanks again to Hanna for a wonderful swap ^_^ (we're currently through our second ;D), and I do advise my readers to check out her blog ;).Swap 2 [Portugal].
(For my Elf quad in Nouveau Neutrals, and lots of extras ^_^.)Bourjois eye liner in Fil D'Or - this was on my wishlist, and now I finally have it ^_^. She also made me samples of Avene Hydrance Optimale Riche Hydrating Cream and The Body Shop Moisture Foundation in 1 as extras :).
She added the foundation 'cause she'd noticed that I was perpetually looking for pale colours. I love it when people add extras specifically to suit me.
Thanks for reading :).
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Today's look, swaps, new stuff etc. [Warning: Long with lots of pictures.]
I've noticed that looks are quite liked ;D, so I'm trying to post more of them. Here's my look for today.
Huge eyes (enhanced ones :-P), peach cheeks, and nude lips ;). [Finally starring Revlon Nude Attitude. Took me a while >:-) - but better late than never :-P.]
This look's product pic is huge - I ended up using so many products that they barely fit onto my Hello Kitty bag. But they're basics & I don't think this is too hard to copy if you are so inclined.
Skin: Barbara Daly for Tesco Moisture Foundation in Porcelain (for the record, I've finished the Oriflame one ;D), Tigi Fixx-It Stick in Light, and Bourjois Mineral Radiance powder in Vanille. I applied powder with my Jemma Kidd kabuki brush this time. And I contoured with the MAC brush & Bourjois Miel Dore powder - a video I've seen recently recommends using a contour colour similar to the shade your eye lids are (they're usually slightly darker than most of the face), and this fits :).
Eyes: I'll write out steps 'cause this was a bit elaborate ;).
*Line the upper waterline with black (Oriflame Retro Chic Kajal pencil - not pictured, I forgot to add it >:-/), and the lower waterline with white (my ridiculously tiny Laurel & Hardy by Oriflame - will be needing a new one soon).
*Use a sheeny pinky peach colour (I used the bottom left from my Markwins palette) all over the lids.
*With a soft dark colour (top row, second from the right, Markwins), draw a fat line just above the crease. It should be visible but not fully when your eyes are open.
*Sort out the line. Make sure its shape is right. (This is why I recommend starting with a soft colour.)
*Once you have the shape you want, go over it with black powder liner (Revlon Bedroom Eyes in Fishnet Jet). If you don't own a powder liner, you can use pigment or eye shadow.
*With a smudge brush (mine's by Sephora, but the brand doesn't matter as long as it works :-P), blend the colours.
*Line the upper lash line with a black gel (if you prefer, you could use a liquid) liner (I used the Jane Be Pure mineral gel liner in black). Make it a thin line with a slight flick that should end about where the thick black powder line does.
*Use a brightening pencil (Wet & Wild Idol Eyes pencil in Pixie) on the inner corners.
*Curl, and apply loads of (black) mascara on all lashes.
Cheeks: Bourjois powder in Miel Dore to contour, Mary Kay blusher in Apricot Breeze as the cheek colour, and the mess I ended up with when the face products section of my Too Faced Love Lisa Beauty Battle Box palette smashed on me (lol) as a highlighter :-P.
Lips: Revlon Matte lipstick in Nude Attitude.
More pictures...
I never have a 'normal' expression, do I >:-)?
I forgot to take a close-up of my eyes. Sorry about that. I think they are visible enough on these though.
Shiny face, funny facial expression. I must've scared myself >:-D.
Kidding XD...
Here's the usual Swap Update.
Swap 1 [The USA].
(For my Benefit lip glosses in No Peeking and Who Are You Wearing?, and my Just Cavalli 75 ml shower gel.)
A pain. She wouldn't send me anything for three months, and only did after I threatened to report her. The funny thing is that I had a funny feeling about this swap before agreeing to it - so here's some advice to swappers: listen to your intuition, if a swap feels wrong, don't do it, and know what you need to do in case you do get tricked. I was lucky 'cause I did get my items eventually :). She even added extras.
We agreed to swap for two Mary Kay palettes (Floral Fantasy and Enchanted Garden), an Avon Daring Curves mascara in Navy, an Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gloss in Praline, and a Mark Gloss-Tastic See Through Lip Shine Hookup Stack in Crystal Clear. She added samples of Mary Kay gloss and eye shadow, an Avon quad in Blushing Raisins, an Avon Lip Delight gloss in Vanilla Mint, and two mini Avon wash-off waterproof (how that is supposed to make sense, I have no idea either :-/) coloured mascaras (a purple one and a blue one) as extras.
I thought the mini mascaras were black (there's no mention of their shade anywhere on them), so I gave one to my sister and put the other one into my swap box with the intention of adding it as an extra. Fortunately my sister opened hers and told me it was blue. I checked the other one, saw it was purple, and kept them ;). (It's alright 'cause she doesn't wear coloured ones anyway.)
Good: all shades work this time >:-D.
Bad: the bottom two shades aren't as pigmented as they look :(.
But I love the top left colour :D...So I'm keeping this :).
And I adore the Mary Kay palettes ^_^. The packaging is beautiful, they're slim and very portable, and the products work brilliantly ;). Each palette has three shadows, a cream-to-powder cheek colour, and two lip colours.
Swap 2 [The USA again, but a different swapper].
(For my unused Elf quad in Pretty 'N' Pink, two CDs, and a little something extra ;D.)
A Mary Kay empty palette and five lipsticks :-P. (Yes, I really like them.)
Pictured: my new palette, now containing duos in Cotton Candy, Ivy Duet, Jade, Tutti Frutti and Safari Sunset, and Mary Kay lipsticks in Cantaloupe, Downtown Brown, Frosted Rose, Paradise Pink and Shell.
Must post a look with Downtown Brown - it's so not what I'd expected, and incredibly beautiful.
Swap 3 [England, Kaleidoscope swapper].
(For two DVDs, my Revlon highlighter stick in Crystal Calm, and lots of extras as usual.)
Some skincare again ;). I really like the Nivea Gentle Cleansing Cream Wash & recommend it to anyone who likes creamy cleansers ;D. The Superdrug Vitamin E night cream's pretty good too :).
As for the make-up...I got the BeautyUK palette in 4 (most of the top right shadow broke off as soon as I touched it >:-D after taking the pic, but they're pigmented enough and the colours are really nice ^_^), my own L.A. Colours palette in Wine And Roses back ;D, Fyrinnae Lip Lustres in Bounce, Flavour Of The Day and Lollipop-Pop (I hate the packaging of these, but I suppose their inner beauty matters more :-P...), Prestige Total Intensity eye liner in Bold Brown (a cool-toned brown), Everyday Minerals minis in In The Garden, Mystic Night (probably the most stunning purple I have ever seen) and Starry Eyed, and MAC pigment samples in Dark Soul and Reflects Blackened Red. She also added Avon's Ideal Shade Smooth Mineral Foundation in Soft Ivory and a mini lipstick as extras :).
Swap 4 [The USA and yet another swapper].
(For my Estee Lauder DayWear Plus Multi Protection Antioxidant Creme SPF 15 mini, and some extras.)
A second tube of the Jane AguaCeuticals TM :), along with some really nice extras ;D. Tea ^_^ (fancy packaging too :-P :D), and fragrance samples - Missoni, and I've no idea what the other one is but I'll try it anyway :-P.
Will finish this off with things I've bought :).I do shop :-P. It's just that swapping gives me more and better items for my money (and half the time, my junk) ;D. Plus, receiving a 'present' feels so nice :). As does packing one ;). Really ^_^.
So, more Tigi stuff...
Palette containing 8 full size eye shadows: 30 Euros, with Tools Of Attraction (5 mini brushes) and pouch free :D.
Incredible, right? That's a good deal even by US standards :-P.
Cyberoptics eye shadow in Jealousy: 13 Euros.
Blueberry liner: free :D, it was their tester (they had no actual Blueberry pencils for sale left) and they let me have it ^_^.
Tigi Tools Of Attraction:
[Wearing Revlon Not So Blue-Berry on nails.]
A mini face brush, shadow brush, liner brush, lip brush (that I'll be using for eye shadow anyway :-P) and baby kabuki ^_^.
Here's a close-up of Jealousy...
And two pics of the palette, in different lighting.
Peach, Brown, Wine, Passion, Copper, Natural, Black and Vanilla.And some stuff from Sephora...
I paid 5 Euros for the Too Faced eye liner in Ruby Slippers (hey, it's red, I had to get it :-P), and 5 Euros for...
Five mini Sephora brand brushes, and a case (with a mirror). It's so cute too ^_^.
These have their uses written on them. Powder, shadow, smudge, concealer & angle brow.
I think this was my longest post to date. This is what happens when you neglect blogging...Sorry about that, and thanks for reading :).
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Last night's blue look, last week's blue nails, & more new stuff, including my contest prizes.
Finally, a look :-P.
(I know they're the most popular kind of post & everyone likes to see them, but I hate them - my face isn't a pleasant subject to work with in my opinion. Still, I can stand it when I have to ;D.)
This looked nicer in real life :), so I'll be wearing it again ^_^. But...
It looks exactly like a passport photograph. And that isn't a compliment.
(Hey, it's my face, so I can tell the truth :-P.)
In case you can't tell, yes, I really hate taking pictures >:-).
An angled eye close-up. I suppose I got bored of the regular ones.
(I do love that 'looking through the hair' effect. Even on me.)
Here's what I used. (Yes, many things are new.)
Skin: Jane AguaCeuticals (that's a g as seen on the pic, not my mistake :-/) Sheer Tinted Moisturiser SPF 30 in Fair Tones (the lightest shade).
You've noticed? It's not light enough for me :(, and I don't think I'll ever find a technically cheap TM as light as the Stila, but that's about the only problem I have with it. And it doesn't look unnaturally dark, so I can definitely pull it off ;). (In fact, I'm sure that most people would prefer this over my usual pale base colour.) It's a great product :). It makes my skin look (and feel) glowy, soft and healthy, and has SPF 30 :D. I've already arranged a swap for another tube & definitely recommend this to you all to try ;).
I also used my Physicians Formula loose powder (mainly because I wanted to try out the kabuki), and contoured with Bourjois powder in Miel Dore (not Apricote) - I think this one works better ;).
Eyes: I followed the technique outlined in this video. Since I don't have that quad though :-P, I used my Milani quad in Denim Blues (the colours are pretty similar ;D). Also, I made everything blue :D - so my liner & mascara for this look were Barry M Kohl Pencil in 4 and Avon Daring Curves mascara in Navy ;). And of course, I curled my lashes with my Shisem curler.
Cheeks: The Body Shop Shimmer Waves 02 (Blush). I used a mix of the darker colours on my cheeks & the lightest one (which looks white but actually reflects pink when worn) as a highlighter. Definitely recommending this product to all pale girls - it's not as shimmery as one'd expect of it, just softly glowing and very pretty :).
Lips: Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gloss in Praline. Which I thought would be brown (praline's chocolate, isn't it :-/) when I asked to swap for it - and obviously it's not >:-), but it's pretty so I don't mind ^_^.
Bonus pic: I'm watching you :-P...
Some swaps come next :). Read on for the blue nail polish pic ;), it came from a swap so :-P...
Swap 1 [The USA].
(For my depotted NYX eye shadows in Rust and Lime Green, and lots of extras ^_^.)
The Jane TM :D! (See the 'Skin' section of the tutorial for the full name, I'm lazy :-P. Or just read it on the pic ;D.) And...
Revlon Not So Blue-Berry nail polish :).
I've wanted that colour ever since I read this review, but living in Europe, I couldn't just go out and buy it :-P. (Don't get me started on that, there are so many products I wish I had direct access to :-/...)
Here's a pic...
Simply lovely. Oh, and it does smell like berries ;).She also kindly added a Trish McEvoy Beta Hydroxy Pad and mini primer as extras :D.
Swap 2 [The USA, a different swapper].
(For two Prevage minis I had & obviously didn't need, and some extras.)
Clinique Glosswear For Lips Sheer Shimmers in Gold Sparkle. If you'd like to know what it looks like, picture Benefit California Kissin' in this colour, minus the 'freshness' effect, and it's quite sticky. Believe it or not, this looked like a cool-toned gold to me, so if you're after one, check this out ;).
She also added a La Roche-Posay eye cream sample & a face cloth as extras :).
And last but not least, here's my prize lot from Blogspot Beauty's contest :D.
This contest had a really cute concept - the prizes were minis of BB's fave products, so the winner could get to try them out for herself ;) ^_^.
*Estee Lauder mini Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher.
*Estee Lauder mini DayWear Plus Multi Protection Antioxidant Creme SPF 15.
*Boots No7 mini tinted moisturiser in Medium.
*Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess mini bronzer.
*Estee Lauder mini MagnaScopic mascara.
*Lancome mini Definicils mascara.
*Lancome mini Juicy Tube.
And two full-size products: a Sanctuary warming detox mask and a Boots No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in Cameo.
It's a medium rose with a reflecting sort of effect. Reminds me of my Oriflame Skydiver nail polish (which I'll have to repurchase 'cause my little sister knocked it off the table >:-@, but at least I'm glad it was this & not a rare OPI one, lol) or my Barry M lipstick in 123, minus the huge chunks of glitter in that one. I think I'll take a picture 'cause I'm having a hard time describing this with words :-P.
I've swapped off the mini skincare 'cause I know they won't work for me, and the Juicy Tube. I also gave the mini TM to my (teenage) sister - and she adores it :D. (I'm always happy & a bit vindicated to see her excited about a product, 'cause she normally looks so bored when I'm all giddy about my new stuff, it's irritating >:-/. But hey, her friends are all jealous of her & say she's lucky to have a live-in Sephora XD :-P.) I've kept everything else though, and will use it often ;). Thanks again BB :).
And thank you all for reading ^_^. I know I have a few tags pending, so I'll do these soon ;D...And there's more new stuff (swapped and purchased) to share :).
P.S. Thanks to everyone who missed me. I appreciate it more than I seem to.