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 ;) ^_^.

The minis:

*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.

My take on the whole dark eye & pink lip thing. Emphasis on 'my take'.

Inspiration here.

Stunning. But of course, when I tried to recreate it, I kept my pale skin, used pink blusher, and changed the eye make-up a bit. Resulting in...

This.

I know I'm not as beautiful as either Nic Nic or the model :-P. But I still love make-up so I still do these shoots - and anyway, anyone who finds me ugly doesn't have to read this XD.

This look is actually fairly simple. I don't do black eyes usually but it's not that hard regarding technique - just annoying when the (very black) pigment slides to its heart's content onto places where it shouldn't >:-). Here's the stuff you need...

Basic list: your usual matte look skin stuff, mascara, a curler, black eye shadow, black liner, white liner (naturally - it's my version :-P ;D), something pink for the cheeks (preferrably powder to enhance the matteness) and some baby pink lip product. Unusually for me, I chose gloss - but Nice Girl is my perfect baby pink ;).

Detailed explanation: read on.

Skin: Matte. Stick to your natural skin tone for this ;) - mine is pale :). I used my usual Tigi concealer, Tesco foundation in Porcelain, and Physicians Formula loose powder in Translucent.
The foundation is wonderful :) - and you can see that on the pic too, it makes my skin look flawlessly sculpted. And for the record, it's even lighter than my usual one ;). I'm very happy I took a chance on this supermarket product :).
Oh, and I almost forgot - Bourjois Apricote powder for contouring ;D.

Eyes: Black eye shadow all over the lid but not exceeding it (I used my birthday gift Wet & Wild quad ^_^), black liner (Oriflame Retro Chic) on the upper inner eyeline & around the eye, and white liner (of course, Oriflame Laurel & Hardy - I'll need a new white liner soon, it's like 3 cm long right now >:-D) on the lower inner eyeline. Mascara (Pucci Guerlain) on all lashes, and lots of it, and of course, curl (Revlon) ;).

Cheeks: Bourjois Little Round Pot in Rose Fougue.

Lips: Oriflame Plump & Gloss lip gloss in Nice Girl.

More pic spam :-P...

I'm trying to pose, but it's not really working :-P.

"Oh God, may I just please get one decent photograph?!?"

Failed attempt at a wink >:-D.

And of course, I had to pout :-P.

I will be camera-less for the next two weeks, so no looks >:-/, but I have some stuff prepared so I will be blogging ;). Thanks for reading :).

Bonus pic:

My little sister stuck her hand there. I laughed XD.

Alter Ego make-up...It won't be what you expect though :-P.

[This is for Posey's contest ;).]

Before showing my Alter Ego look, I shall (as per contest rules) have to present a 'regular' look of mine ;D. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I do different kinds of looks (that's what's so amazing about make-up, after all), but they normally share one crucial factor - they're expressive. At least one feature (& often more than one feature) really pops. Something is always bright :).

Here goes my 'regular' kind of make-up...Credit goes to Thiamere for coming up with this gorgeous look ^_^. I've wanted to try it ever since I first read that post, and now I finally have an excuse to ;D. My version is even more outrageous 'cause I threw in a bright lip colour :-P :).

Odd pose, but I like it :-P.

Now, here comes my Alter Ego...Ready?

It's not wild. It's actually incredibly boring natural-looking make-up, which I hate. I know it's classic. I know it looks good. But I like colour.

Which is why I never wear this kind of look. Until this contest :-P.

So, which one do you like? I prefer the bright one :D, but maybe that's 'cause the natural look pic is kind of blah XD...
Anyway, read on for details on how to do both ;).

Alter Ego Neutrals Look Products & Tutorial:

[I did that one first ;).]

Skin: My usual foundation & concealer ;). I threw out the Rimmel powder 'cause it stopped working well :-P, and am now using the one from my Oriflame Christmas Palette. It's nicer :), but the placement isn't the best...Yes, every time I use it, I get some on the 2 right lip colours >:-).
I also did some minor contouring on my jawline with the Bourjois Apricote powder & Elf Luminance powder ;D.

Eyes: The very left shade from my Physicians Formula quad in Earth Minerals, and curled bare lashes. That's it.

Cheeks: Everyday Minerals blush in Jump Rope.

Lips: Burt's Bees lip balm as a base, and Oriflame Visions Sweet Talking Lip Candy in Sweet Caramel as lip colour. (That's the heart on the picture XD.)

Thiamere Bright Look Products & Tutorial:

[Note that I'm building on the neutrals look for this one ;). I didn't bother removing it (except the lip colour 'cause that was easy enough), and there wasn't much to remove anyway >:-D.]

Skin: Elf Luminance to brighten. I love this product, will probably do a review :), and if you're in the US and therefore can get it for a dollar, you definitely should ^_^.

Eyes: From the outside looking in ;)...I used bright orange, hot pink, and fluorescent yellow :D. To be more specific, I used NYX eye shadow in Orange, MAC Hello Kitty blush in Tippy (it's not shadow - but so what :-P?), and Wild And Crazy eye shadow in New U Girl ;). My fave white liner (Oriflame Laurel & Hardy), and I opened a new mascara a few days back since the Rimmel ones have expired ;D - the Guerlain mini from my Pucci Guerlain eye set ;).

Cheeks: MAC Fafi Hipness ;).

Lips: Orlane Rouge Extraordinaire Lipstick in 34, one of my favourite brights :). And I used clear gloss (from Oriflame's old blueberry products line) over it ;D.

Eyes close-up...

And another odd pose...

Really like this one :). That sounds strange coming from me, doesn't it?

Well, I guess that's it for tonight ;). Thanks for reading :). I still have a Barbie look and a pigeon look to come up with :-P ;D...