60's Inspired Makeup

Hi lovelies!

I'm so glad it's Wednesday, aren't you? That means the weekend is only a short three days away!

I have a new post to share with you all today, remember when I channelled my inner Lady Gaga? If you don't, click here to refresh your memory. If you just joined us (welcome, I hope you'll stay a while!) and don't know what I'm talking about, my blogger friend Aqeela hosts a makeup challenge on her blog every week, and this week, the theme was 60's inspired makeup!

Now, I was obviously not around during this era (and if you think I was, I might have to hurt you), but every time I think of the swinging sixties, I think of Twiggy! Twiggy was known for her sleek blonde crop, wide eyes, black liner and dramatic eyeshadow/eye makeup, all while managing to look pensive and innocent. Quite the feat when you think about it! Not sure who Twiggy is? Let me jog your memory!

(Taken from Google Images)

I don't always manage to participate in Aqeela's themes as time often away from me, but I do enjoy participating when I can as it's always great fun and all the girls always come up with the most amazing looks.

I didn't have as much time and energy to devote to this theme as I'd have liked, as I have been unusually busy and also a little bit under the weather, but I had great fun putting my own spin on the classic 'Twiggy' look. I couldn't be bothered with false lashes so I just drew them on with a fine liner brush and some black shadow!

Products used:

Eyes
White and black shadow from the Beauty UK Day and Night palette
Black gel liner from the Beauty UK Amazon Palette
Bourjois white pencil for the waterline
Maybelline The Falsies waterproof mascara

Face
Mineral makeup sample

Lips
Mirenesse Lip Bomb #10


I hope you enjoyed my 60's inspired look, it was great fun doing this look and my only regret is not having enough time/energy to do a better job! Don't forget to check out Aqeela's blog for the rest of the contributions to this week's theme!


Much love,
MM.
x

June Haulage!

Hi lovelies!

I've been planning on showing you these for a while now but something or the other always got in the way, so I figured I'd just do them all at once. Here are the items I've picked up in the last 2-3 weeks, through various means. I've found some amazing new loves that I can't wait to share with you all!

So first up, here is my Sleek haul, with blush by 3 palette in Pumpkin, Coral Reef matte lipstick, Oh la la liner in Pumpkin (what can I say, I think I was on an orange rampage that day), and a free gloss they threw in with the order. I have used the Sleek blushes quite a few times now and I think my favourite is the one on the left, but I do like the orange shade on the right too. It's surprisingly versatile! I've been meaning to do an EOTD with the orange liner soon, so keep your eyes open, I just haven't had much time lately to play with my more funky colours.

And here's my magazine freebie haul! Mirenesse Lip Bomb glosses #4 and #10, and the ModelCo Peach Bellini set, containing a black fibrelash mascara, lipgloss in Striptease, and Peach blush. Woman's Day was doing a promotion a week or two ago with a free Mirenesse Lip Bomb gloss, so I tried one for fun, fell competely in love with it and had to go out and buy a nude shade to wear every day. These glosses are valued at $40 each! Honestly, I am in love with these so please expect a review shortly while I rave on about how fantastic they are. The ModelCo set was offered by InStyle magazine and I believe this is still on offer, so do dash out and get one if you fancy it! I do think the blush isn't as high quality as I'd have expected from ModelCo products, but it's still quite decent, and you can't complain much when you get all three plus the magazine for $12.

Now, two weekends ago, I was fortunate enough to visit the Estee Lauder corporate store with two friends. In case you don't know, it's a wonderful store that offers discount cosmetics/fragrances, but the catch is, it's invite only! Access is only through corporate events held at the store or by guest passes from people fortunate enough to hold season passes! Specials vary from day to day, but when I was there, they had $10 MAC single shadows, lipglasses and $15 Bobbi Brown and Clinique foundations, for instance. I did want to take a photo while I was in the store but I asked permission and they said no, so I had to abide by that. Below, Pure DKNY perfume (one of my favourites, and I picked it up for $20!!), MAC eyeshadows (I will have to get back to you with names, they cost $10 each) and two sets I picked up (wrapped in ribbons, also $10 each). The MAC set is an eyeshadow and lipglass, while the Clinique one is the bottom lash mascara and an eyeshadow single in white.

I also picked up two Models Prefer shadow pencils. These are exclusive to Priceline and they work like a dream. They have great pigmentation and last forever once it sets. I kid you not, I actually applied it in the morning and it was still perfect by the time I took it off, 18 hours later, with no creasing! Not bad at all for a pencil that costs $9! I have these in Black Diamon (black, with a bit of shimmer through it) and What  a Poser! (purple)...they are perfect for a smokey eye! They come in six shades, I believe, so there is a colour that's perfect for everyone. I'll be reviewing these separately soon.

Next up, we have a very familiar looking bag...

Yep, it's a mini Sephora haul! I was fortunate enough to have a friend of mine visit the US, so she kindly agreed to pick up some goodies for me (thank you so much, you know who you are!). Below, we have the Buxom lip tarnish (it's quite new out) and two Buxom Big and Healthy lipsticks (which are like a lipstick/pencil/lip plumper in one). I love the Big and Healthy lipsticks and for some reason, it's hellishly hard to find anywhere except for Sephora! I couldn't even find the shades I wanted on eBay! I also got two perfumes from Kat Von D (Sinner, full sized, one of my favourite scents) and the new Poetica rollerball. I also picked up the Michael Kors dual ended rollerball/lipgloss set. I would've actually preferred just a single rollerball, but we take what we can get.

Here's a quick look at the three lip colours. The tarnish is the one on the bottom.

And a look at the Poetica rollerball...I do love these Kat Von D cosmetics, they are simply gorgeous. In real life, that graduates from a transparent, pale golden colour at the bottom, to a deep purple at the top. It's stunning, and I absolutely adore ALL her scents! I think it's quite rare that you find a brand where you actually like all the scents.

And here's the Michael Kors gloss/perfume rollerball set.

Just for fun, I thought I'd throw in a photo of all three Kat Von D rollerballs I own...aren't they simply gorgeous? I do love a perfume that not only smells good, but is packaged beautifully! These are so artistic, it makes me happy just pulling them out to dab some on my wrists!

Have you hauled any goodies lately, lovelies? Is there anything in particular you want to see reviewed from here? I've actually decided not to use the lipsticks or the mascara yet as I have way too many products open that I need to get through for the moment!

That's all from me for now, folks. I have made a pact with myself to get to bed earlier this week, so I've been struggling to get to bed on time. I'll be back very soon (I promise) with a couple of reviews, EOTD and NOTD posts!

Much love,
MM.
x

EOTD - Blue liners

Hi lovelies,

I'd like to share with you all a very simple look I decided to go with today; I've been neglecting my coloured liners a little bit and so decided to show them some love!

All I wore today was my Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin (reviewed in part here), over the eyelid to brighten up the area a little, Mirenesse Tightliner in Sapphire Blue on the upper lash line, and Napoleon Perdis Denim on the lower lash liner, and finished with Max Factor False Lash Effect waterproof mascara.

Keep in mind it was a bit brighter when applied this morning, I took these photos at the end of the day. It is a bit more vivid in real life, my camera doesn't really do it justice!

Hope you enjoyed this simple look, lovelies! Do you often wear coloured liner?

Much love,
MM.
x

Four ways with one lipstick!

Hi lovelies,

I was having a chat with a friend, and she mentioned that she’d received a lipstick in a colour that she wouldn't necessarily have chosen for herself as a gift, and wasn't sure what to do with it as she didn't think the colour suited her.  

As a result, I thought it’d be a great idea to do a post on the different ways you can apply lip colour, and how you can get some use out of that lipstick you never thought you’d wear! I’ve used Mirenesse lipstick in Pierre as my example, which is a glossy, dark red when applied directly on my lips from the bullet. I do find it a bit too dark for daily wear, so these are the different methods I use to get some wear out of it (and the many other lipsticks I own that are too pale/bright/dark for my liking).

Method 1 – Directly from the bullet.

It’s always easiest to apply the lipstick directly from the bullet straight onto your lips. If you’re like me, you've been applying lipstick for so long, you can actually do it without looking in a mirror (best used for nude colours and not shades requiring precise application like red lipstick).

Method 2 – Use a lip liner

Applying the lipstick over a lip liner achieves two purposes. It adds longevity to your lipstick (which means you’ll get more wear out of it before having to touch up) and changes the colour of the lipstick. My tip is to use opposing shades; if you have a lipstick that’s too pale, apply it with a darker liner underneath, or alternatively, if you have a lipstick that’s too dark, use a pale liner underneath. In this instance, I've used a nude lipliner (Youngblood Pout) under the lipstick to lighten the colour of the lipstick. As you can see, it looks a bit more muted than when applying it directly from the bullet, and also provides a more matte finish.

 

Method 3 – Use a lipgloss

Applying a lipgloss over the lipstick also changes the colour. In this case, I used a pale pink lipgloss from Mirenesse, called Hello Kitten. It’s the same principle as Method 2, but it’s a great option for ladies who prefer a bit more moisture on their lips or increased shine.

  

Method 4 – Apply it as a stain

Use the lipstick as a stain, and press the colour gently onto your lips using your fingertips. This will sheer out the colour and give you a pretty flush, as opposed to a concentrated colour. You can also use a lip brush or a cotton bud in lieu of your finger, just dab it on the lipstick and then apply it to your lips!

I hope you found these tips useful, lovelies! Will you be trying these out on a lipstick you seldom use?

Much love,

MM.

x

Blue skies and violet eyes

Hello lovelies!

I wanted to share my LOTD (look of the day) with you. I woke up to sunny blue skies today and it inspired me to try something different from my usual neutral look for work. I actually received a violet Matte Luxurious Kohl eyeliner from Revlon called 'Very Violet' in my January I Love This Box (a full post on the January box will be coming up shortly), and as I love coloured eyeliner, I couldn't wait to try it! I also used the Mirenesse lip gloss from my November Glossybox.

So here's what I ended up going with. It's actually quite subtle except when you're in full daylight.

A close up.

 What I used in this look was:

Face: Youngblood mineral foundation, Youngblood mineral radiance powder in 'Sundance', and Max Factor illuminating bronzer to contour.

Cheeks: Youngblood mineral blush in 'Blossom' and Youngblood lunar dust in 'Sunset' to illuminate.

Eyes: Bourjois Smokey eyes in purple (I used to middle shade), and Revlon Matte Luxurious Kohl eyeliner in 'Very Violet'.

Lips: Mirenesse Lip Gloss in 'Hello Kitten'.

And there you have it! I hope that's given you some ideas on how to wear a coloured eyeliner!

And here's a glimpse of me with my new Calvin Klein glasses...do I look like a nerdy librarian?

How often do you wear a coloured liner and how do you prefer to wear it?

Much love,
MM.
x