Halloween 2017 Makeup and Nails!

Hi lovelies!

Happy Halloween!! If you've been following me for any period of time, you'll know that I love Halloween, and usually do something on the blog every year, so I couldn't let the occasion pass without doing something special.

I went to a makeup event at Spooktober a few days ago and as I was coming straight from work, I didn't have many options, so I created this quick and easy look. However, I literally did that in 5 minutes in my car outside the venue, so I did want to do something here on the blog that would take a bit more effort.

Now, I've always wanted to try the mermaid look and then I received a Halloween challenge from one of my favorite brands, Rimmel London, where I was challenged to recreate a look created for them by British Blogger/Youtuber called CocoChicBlog. The look is called the 'Dark Mermaid', and encompasses ombre brows, fish scales, smudgy tear stains and a dark lip. Here is my take on it, together with a few small touches of my own! I also decided to do nails to match, which you can see later on in this post.

Before we go further, I'll just admit that I wasn't too happy with this look for a couple of reasons.

1) I couldn't buy proper fishnet stockings anywhere! I went to four different stores on the weekend before finally giving up and buying the pair I used here, but the fishnet pattern was quite small, which became a real struggle when I slipped it over my head, so the 'fish scale' pattern wasn't as clear as I'd have liked.

2) I had really hoped to finish work early, finish this look and take the photos in natural light, as I'd managed to do for the manicure photos. Unfortunately, I left work a little later than expected, by which time the weather had taken a turn for the worse and started storming, so I had to take these photos by the light of my makeup desk which is quite warm. Still, something is always better than nothing, right?

Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween 2016 Makeup Look!

Hi lovelies,

As I mentioned in my Lush Halloween post yesterday, Halloween is one of my favourite times of year!

I wanted to do something simple this year, so here's what I came up with. I'm not very happy with it as I tried to use a glow-in-the-dark base underneath the makeup, and not only did it NOT glow, it also made it really hard for me to apply makeup on top, which is why some of it looks so blurry and smeary. The lighting was also pretty bad as I took it in the light of my vanity table after work, and natural lighting would have been much better! Never mind, more room for improvement next time!

 
Keep reading after the jump!

Lush Cosmetics Halloween 2016 Collection!

Hi lovelies!

Oh my, Halloween is almost here! It's one of my favourite times of year, though regretfully, I didn't have too much time to do much about it this year. I did still come up with something though, so check back tomorrow to see what I have up my sleeve!

In the meantime, I wanted to share a quick post on the adorable offerings from one of my favourite skincare shops, Lush Cosmetics! Now, they have a tonne of stuff in their Halloween collection, but I was kindly gifted with a few of the things pictured below.

Lush Cosmetics Halloween 2016 Collection 

Bath Bombs

They have a total of five bath bombs in the Halloween collection, which include the three pictured below. Monsters' Ball ($8.95) is a mash up of lime and neroli oil and smells so refreshing, Lord of Misrule ($7.95) smells spicy with its blend of patchouli and black pepper oil, and Sparkly Pumpkin ($8.95) is just a glittery gold treat.

Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween 2015 Nails!

Hi lovelies,

I do apologise for the lack of posts on the blog lately...somehow time has just gotten away from me! I promise to do better, and I have something very exciting coming up in the next couple of days...so do keep an eye out for it!

In the meantime, I couldn't let Halloween pass by without doing my nails in a simple look I'll call an arty take on your typical Halloween shades. I chose Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy colours in Hot Hand (orange) and BlackJack (black), using this technique described here.

 
Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween Gory Blood Splattered Nails!

Hi lovelies!

Here are a few photos of the Blood Splattered nails I'm wearing for Halloween! I used stamping for these, using my Bundle Monster plate in BM416, over white polish. I mixed in a little black Konad polish with the red Konad polish for added definition.

I purposely stamped as messily as possible, and left them looking bloody in my Halloween Zombie Doll post, but I've cleaned them up in the photos below.

Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween Zombie Doll Makeup Look and How-To!

Hi lovelies,

Happy Halloween! If you are a long time reader, you'll know how much I love Halloween! There's a lot of fun to be hard getting into the spirit of it. I also adore watching the little kids get all dressed up for Trick or Treating.

Unfortunately, I don't have much of my makeup stash with me here in Malaysia, so I was really restricted with what I could come up with. As a result, I tried getting creative with some simple makeup (heavy contouring, pink and black eyeshadow and a liquid liner). Big thanks to my friend Kris for helping me name this look, which she coined 'Zombie Doll'!

Before I go any further, I will apologise for the terrible quality of the photos...The lighting in my bedroom here is terribly yellow in photos, and I also didn't have my camera with me so I had to make do with using the camera on my iPhone. I was kicking myself for not waiting to do this look in the daytime, but somehow, inspiration only strikes at night for me! I managed to take close up photos of my nails in daylight, so they turned out much better than the makeup photos I took last night. Check out my Halloween nails post here.

Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween 2013 Nail Art #2 - A Spooky Graveyard Manicure.

Hi lovelies!

I wasn't very happy with my first Halloween look from this year, the Jack-O'-Lantern manicure, so I decided I HAD to create something else!

I came up with the following idea, and I'm much happier with it! Apologies again for the photo quality, it's been a terribly overcast week in Victoria and all the photos are looking terrible!

I began by painting my nails with OPI Skull and Glossbones, then sponged over it with Camouflage Colour in Grey, to create a foggy look. Unfortunately, I took the gradient a bit too low so it got covered up when I drew over my nails with the Sally Hansen nail art pen in black, but I still like the overall effect a bit more than the first look! It's meant to depict an overgrown graveyard/chapel by moonlight. A few people have actually stopped me for a closer look at my nails!

Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween 2013 Nail Art #1 - A Jack-O'-Lantern Manicure.

Hi lovelies!

I think I've lost my Halloween mojo, because I managed to do several Halloween makeup looks and nail art for last year's Halloween (check them out here), but this is the first one I've found time to create this year, and seeing as it's four days away,  I'm really running out of time!

Anyhow, I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to create something Halloween themed. It was a bit of fail but I decided to share it anyway (maybe that's a lesson not to try something creative at 2 am when you can't sleep?). I was also struggling to get decent photos of it today as it was really overcast, so you will have to forgive the less-than-stellar photography.

It's just a simple look featuring several jack-o'-lanterns. I was going for more cute than scary, so I painted my nails black using Orly Liquid Vinyl, used OPI Hot & Spicy for the pumpkins and my Sally Hansen nail art pen in black for the jack-o'-lantern features. Leaves were dabbed on using NYC Color in Limelight, but I think I should've left them off as they looked better without.

\Keep reading after the jump!

Halloween Themed Makeup Looks!

Happy Halloween, lovelies!

As I mentioned earlier, I had wanted to do some makeup looks for Halloween but did run out of time as I spent a large portion of last week sick. Boo. Still, I spent some time doing up some quick looks two days ago and thought I'd share them with you here, so please bear with me as it could be a rather picture heavy post.

They aren't particularly original but they are quick, simple and good for doing at the last minute. Oh, and you can get the props from a $2 shop, another big selling point for me. Plus, you can actually wear two of these looks out on a night out (minus one or two details, of course). I'll just apologise for the photo quality as I was using my iPhone instead of my camera, it was a little easier to see what I was doing (I had no idea it would be this difficult to take decent photos of myself)!

Halloween Look 1: The innocent sex kitten. 

Now, obviously the innocent sex kitten look isn't particularly original but it works because it's cute, simple and super easy! I blended some gold shadow over my eyelids, winged a flick, patted on some pink blush, contoured with some brown shadow and added lipgloss (Bourjois Rose Exclusif, to be precise). I also filled in my brows with black shadow for a bit of drama/definition. Trace a little black shadow under your lower lashline (take it only to about the outer third), add mascara and you're good to go!

Now, add a little black kitten nose and draw on some whisker lines with eyeliner. Pop on a cute headband with glittery kitten ears and you're done!

Halloween Look 2: The Cats Meow!

What's that, you say? You want to sex it up and look like you're auditioning for a role as a cocktail waitress (or stripper)? No problem! All you have to do is smoke up the eyes a bit more, I added black shadow to the outer corners and blended it into the gold. I also took the lower lash line further in. Added some black dots where the whiskers would grow out of, and added a sexy ombré red lip (by tracing black liner around the lips and gently patting in the red). I also added a clear lipgloss and patted on some highlighter but it's not really showing up in the photos. Oh, and the last step? Squeeze yourself into a bustier top and add a diamante bow. ;)

Here's a close up of the lips.

Halloween Look 3: Psycho Tortured Mental Patient.

Well, if innocent and sexy aren't your thing, you might like to try escaped, tortured mental patient instead! I didn't have white paint so I mixed up baby powder into a paste and applied that all over my face. I also darkened my eyes by applying black shadow all over the eyelid and lower lashes, drew some patterns around both eyes and then drew a 'stitched shut' pattern over my lips, extending it over my cheeks, much like the Joker in Batman. Try messing your hair up for that out of control, crazy look.

And because I love black and white images, here's one last photo!

 

I hope that didn't spook you too much! I had a lot of fun with all three looks and kind of wish I'd dressed up to go to a proper Halloween party!

How will you be celebrating today? I will be catching up with friends after work, and we'll be having dinner at TGIF at Jam Factory. I know TGIF get into the spirit every year, with the waitstaff going all out and also decorating the restaurant, it's a lot of fun! Plus they have free face painting and treat bags for kids, and they have themed cocktails and desserts, what a win! As I'll be going along after work, I won't be able to dress up too much, but I might do my face up a bit and wear a cute headband/hat! I'll try to take some photos if my friends let me. :P

Have a wonderful Halloween!

Much love,
MM.
x

P.S - I'm participating in Aqeela's weekly makeup theme again so do jump over to her blog and check out what the other gorgeous girls came up with for the weekly theme of 'Halloween'.

Halloween Nail Art #2 - Girly Mummy Manicure.

Hello lovelies,

I have a new manicure to share, which has been inspired by some mummy manicures I saw while browsing Pinterest (speaking of which, would you like to follow me? If so, click here).

I used a Face of Australia pastel polish in Have Your Cupcake and Eat It Too for the base, and then dabbed on some Essie Ladylike using the Saran technique to 'dirty' it up a bit. Then, I drew on some random lines for the 'bandages' using...my old Maybelline master precise eyeliner! I recently bought a new liner and was wondering if the old one could be used for nail work (the answer is no, I think it's just too old to give precise lines). Last of all, I dabbed on some black polish (Revlon Lunar) and white polish (Sally Hansen White On) for the eyes.

Hope you like that, lovelies, I just thought it was a bit of fun. I've had two 'cutesy' Halloween manicures now, so perhaps I ought to try a third, slightly more creepy one for my next attempt? I have some ideas in mind, so stay tuned!

Have a great weekend! I have a hair colour appointment so hopefully I'll be back in a few hours with a different (and hopefully flattering look) to show you!


Much love,
MM.
x

Halloween Nail Art #1 - Spiderweb Manicure.

Hi lovelies!

Okay, I'm going to make a confession. I think it's going to be a heavy manicure week on the blog this week. I usually try to space out my manicure posts for readers who aren't into the manicures/nail art as much as the other stuff that pops up on the blog (which is probably why I have about 20 manicure themed posts in progress) but I've bought a whole swag of new polishes this week that I can't wait to share! Also, Halloween is less than a week away and due to being sick, I haven't managed to do as much Halloween-themed stuff as I'd have liked (I missed this week's makeup tag), so brace yourselves for an overload in the next week, I wanted to do at least 3 Halloween themed posts this year. :)

Taken from Google Images.

I saw my doctor today and was prescribed some medication to help get me over this nasty cold. I think I'm improving a little, though, as the teary eyes and constantly dripping nose (sorry if that's too much information) have almost stopped. To celebrate, I decided to do my nails with one of the new Face of Australia (FOA) pastels I picked up over the weekend, as part of my first Halloween-themed manicure this year (I'll be doing a post on the FOA polishes very soon).

I used my Sally Hansen black nail art pen for the spiderweb designs, which were drawn over FOA's Boys'n'Berries polish from the Pastels collection (if you're wondering why the FOA bottle has stickytape wrapped around it, it's because I accidentally dropped it a few days ago and the lid broke all the way through). I thought it'd be fun to do a 'cute' manicure instead of a creepy one, and doing the designs over a pretty pastel ensured it would be adorable! I will apologize for the shaky design, I think I'm a little unsteady due to being sick, but at least it looks more authentic this way!

Rare right hand photo.

Rare right hand photo.

Rare right hand photo.

Left hand photo.

Left hand photo.

Left hand photo.

Left hand photo.

Left hand photo.

I hope you enjoyed my first Halloween themed look this year, lovelies! Isn't that FOA polish just gorgeous? What will you be decorating your pretty digits with this Halloween?

Much love,
MM.
x

Sally Hansen limited edition polish strips

Good morning, lovelies! Happy Halloween!!!

First of all, I just have to say, I'm totally loving being able to upload posts from my mobile! Woohoo!

Now to get down to serious business! What's everyone up to for Halloween? I have always been disappointed that I never got to experience trick or treating in the U.S. It always seems like a tonne of fun!

While it's not celebrated as widely here, I still enjoy getting all dressed up or doing something in keeping with the Halloween theme. Head on over to my other blog, Everyone Loves Beauty, to have a look at some makeup looks my fellow bloggers and I have come up with.

Now, I have been super excited about the range of limited edition Halloween themed nail polish strips that Sally Hansen brought out not too long ago, but never realized they were available here in Australia, till Glossbandit mentioned it in her post!

So of course I had to pick up a set on Saturday, great timing as I had plans to stop by Priceline that very day! They fit in really well with my last post on foil/Minx nails, as they are a glittery silver with a delicate black webbing overlay. Here they are, what do you think?

Honestly, they're super pretty, and I can't stop staring at them! They're called 'spun for you' and retail at $14.95 for a set of 18 strips (which is an odd number if you ask me but at least there'll be spares if you mess up a nail or two). It does seem a wee bit on the pricy side when you first think about it, but you get some gorgeous patterns that you wouldn't be able to get otherwise, so in that sense it's quite a deal! Plus, no drying time required, so you never wake up with pillow print on your nails the next morning. Win!!

Just remember, you'll have to discard the spares once you've broken the seal, as they lose their adhesiveness pretty quickly!

Sally Hansen: Spun for you

And just for fun, I'll leave you with a couple of photos from another pattern from the Sally Hansen range, it's called 'laced up'.

Sally Hansen Laced up

Have a great Halloween!!

Much love,
MM.
x

P.S- I just noticed the photos are a bit messed up but I'll fix them up tonight!

Update: All fixed up now!