Sunday 29 November 2009

What. Where. Why. How.

Hello my lovelies!

This is not some retarded makeup look that I chose to share with you - it's the what, where, why and how of eyeshadow placement. Using different colours I've created an eye diagram to show what goes where, why this is and how it should happen.

So here's a picture of my eye... excuse the unruly, un-filled in brows! And that little black dot on my lashes... that was a rather big clump of powder which somehow got stuck there. You dont need to see that. Trust me ;)

Below the picture is a colour key explaining what each of the colours represents... Enjoy!




Black: this is the inner one-third of your eyelid. Usually, you would apply the lightest colour to this portion using an eyeshadow application brush.

Red: this is the middle-third of your eyelid. Here is where you place the medium colour, again using your eyeshadow application brush.

Grey: this is the outer third of your eyelid. You should apply the darkest colour to this part, using an eyeshadow application brush. This part is normally blended out using a blending brush. Note: the green lines are overlaying the grey - so the grey area is present underneath them as well, you just cant see it.

Green: this is your outer V! And its called this because it looks like a sideways V. If you were to apply one shade all over your eyelid, you can amp up the look by applying a darker colour just in your outer V and blending it for a softly smokey look with added dimension.

Blue: this is where your crease would be when you open your eye. A really easy way of adding depth to your eye or a little bit of drama to your look is to add a darker colour in your crease and blend out really well using a blending brush! But remember, no visible lines!

Purple: this is the above-crease area. On this portion, your crease colour starts softly fading away and becoming lighter and lighter till it meets your...

Yellow: Highlighted portion! This is your browbone, where you will place your highlighter and what brush you use depends on what kind of effect you want - if you want a really obvious highlight, pack it on with an application brush, if you want a subtle effect softly swish it on with a blending brush!

This eyeshadow placement technique (lightest in the inner corner and getting darker as it goes out) is just one of MANY more! But its the most popular and that is why I chose to use it. There are so many other ways to do it... starting with the darkest colour at your lash line and and then softly fading away into the lightest shade on your browbone, etc etc.

I hope this helped a little bit! Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below - it feels really good to hear from you and get some feedback on how you think the blog is getting on :)

x

Brushes 101

A lot of you have asked me to do a post on brushes and here it is!

Before I get started, I just want to clarify that the brushes shown in these pictures are my own and they are from various brands. I haven't stated the brands or the brush numbers on purpose because I dont want you to think that THIS exact brush is the one I'm saying you should have - these images are just to give you an idea, you can buy something similiar from where ever you please!

I'd be more than happy to make brand specific recommendations so if you want something in particular, leave a comment below and I'll get back to you!

Face Brushes

The one face brush that I feel no woman should be without is the basic, fluffy, rounded face brush. Depending on the size of your face, you can get a medium or large sized one. This brush is a major multi-tasker so you can use it to apply all manners of powders - loose and pressed. That covers foundation, setting powder, bronzer, highlighter, blush (if used carefully!) and mineral powders as well. Make sure to choose a nice fluffy one that has a rounded edge - that way you'll have no harsh, unblended lines on your face!

And ofcourse, it must be super super soft - you want to powder your face, not exfoliate it! Generally, brushes with natural hair are very soft, but some synethetic brushes can be surprisingly soft as well.

This is a typical rounded face brush...



This is a similiar one, just as fluffy but slightly flatter - thats ok, too. This has a slightly more tapered finish to it, which can be helpful in powdering the nose, jawline, around your eyes, etc.



For liquid/cream primer, foundation, highlighter or blush, you'll need a brush with synthetic bristles - natural hair brushes tend to just get very clumpy and yucky with liquid/cream products! Featured below is a typical flat synthetic bristled brush - look for one with a rounded edge like this one. These tend to give a nice sheer finish as well. Poorer quality synthetic brushes often leave streaks on the face, as a result of the bristles clumping together. To avoid this, get as soft and dense a brush as possible.

Blush is possibly one of the hardest makeup products to apply - it takes ages to perfect the technique of applying blush at just the right spot but when you do, it makes ALL the difference. I'm talking about taking ten years off your face right there. Ofcourse, to do this properly you'll need a good blush brush.
Blush brushes are generally of two types - rounded like this one...

Or angled like this one...


It's not the case that one is better than the other - honestly, it is just a matter of personal preference. I've asked so many makeup artists and this was the response I always got. Personally, I like using the angled blush brush better just because I feel it sits more comfortably on my cheekbone. Regardless of which one you use, you want to make sure its reasonbly dense and very soft. It should be stiff, but not too much - if its too flexible you'll end up with blush all over your face, if it's too stiff you'll end up with a harsh line of pink which will take you FOREVER to blend out.

(Btw, you can also use your blush brushes for bronzer, highlighter, contouring - get creative!)

The last in the series of face brushes is the concealer brush! Because concealers/correctors are either liquid or cream finish, its most advisable to use synthetic fibre brushes. You can use either a round-ended concealer brush or a square-ended concealer brush - both are shown below. These can cover up dark circles, redness around the nose, darkness around the mouth and any zits or pimples that need to be banished!





Eye Brushes
The most basic eye brush is the eyeshadow application brush; like the one in the picture below, this should be a FLAT, very densely packed brush. This is because you will use this brush to APPLY the eyeshadow, not to blend it. A flat, dense brush will pick up lots of colour without losing any in the bristles (as cheaper brushes often do) and deposit it right on the lid without any fall-out. I would highly recommend that you get a natural hair eyeshadow brush, they are just far more superior than synthetic ones. Here's what it should look like...


And ofcourse once you've got the eyeshadow on you'll need to blend! Hence, a blending brush! Now this brush should be the opposite of the eyeshadow application brush - longer bristles (to allow for more flexibility of movement), not as densely packed bristles and a rounded, fluffy appearance. The softer and fluffier the brush, the easier it will be to blend colors into each other, into the crease, whatever you need. Pictured below is a very good example of what a blending brush should look like...



No - this isn't an eyeshadow application brush again! But it is a mini version of it! I like calling this the Smudger Brush because thats exactly what I use it for - sometimes if I apply eyeshadow on my lower lash line, I use this to blend it out. If I'm doing a very complicated look with many colors and I cant use a huge blending brush, I use this one for more precision-blending. Use it to blend powders, pencils, kohls, whatever! VERY HANDY!


I'm in love with this next brush. This is an angled eyeliner brush and it makes eyelining SO easy. I use it with my gel eyeliner and I get a perfect line everytime! Because its angled, it gives you really good control over the movement - ofcourse you can use a flat ended version of this too but I just prefer this so much more. Its completely flat and very tightly packed with bristles, extremely stiff too. Oh and I use this with my eyebrow powder too!



This is the same rounded concealer brush as the one featured above - again its a great multi tasker so you can use it for concealer, primer, cream eyeshadow, what-have-you.

This is a brow and lash comb. Again, another brush that is ESSENTIAL, in my view. I would never spend more than two pounds on this brush - just get it from the drugstore! Use the sythetic bristles to comb out your eyebrows and keep them look well-groomed and the plastic side to seperate your lashes post-mascara! Because lets face it, any mascara that adds a decent amount of volume and thickness to your lashes WILL clump - I've just resigned myself to seperating right after!




Brush Care


Occasionally, you will find the odd inexpensive brand of makeup brushes that will leave your heart filled with endless joy. But for the most part, good makeup brushes can be quite expensive. So think of them as an investment - because they are. Good quality makeup brushes, if properly cared for, can last for up to TEN YEARS. Here's how...


1. Spot clean your brushes after EVERY use. What's spot cleaning? Grab a cotton pad, throw some brush cleaner on it, work your brush back and forth on it (repeat if necessary) till your brush is clean and then reshape the brush and lay it flat to dry.


2. Dont lay your brushes flat to dry on a towel or cloth, that's going to leave them with a funny smell. I usually lay them carefully at the edge of a table so that just the bristles are off the edge.


3. Once a week, deep clean your brushes. Take them all to your bathroom sink, put a pea sized amount of your REGULAR SHAMPOO in the palm of your hand, wet the bristles of the brush by running them under tap water and work it in circles in the shampoo till all the gunk is out. Rinse well. Squeeze out extra water. Reshape. Lay flat to dry.


4. When running your brush under water, ALWAYS hold it so that the bristles are facing down... this way you wont get water inside the wooden area of the brush which can loosen the glue which holds the bristles together and completely wreck the brush.


5. Some people prefer using baby shampoo for deep cleaning because it keeps the brushes softer - I just use my regular shampoo because... I couldn't be bothered, I guess? And my brushes seem fine. So its all good. Just dont use anything to wash your brushes that you wouldnt use on your own hair!

I'm more than happy to answer any questions you have - just leave a comment below!
x

Saturday 28 November 2009

Short Update

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend and I hope your Eid and Thanksgiving went wonderfully well!

I've been having a bit of a blah weekend... it's never fun being away from home on Eid but I did get to see some extended family today which was nice. But I miss home the most on Eid. And its been raining ALL day. Literally.

Moving on... I'm not going to be posting anything substantial today because I've ordered my camera (so looking forward to that!) and I'll be picking it up in store tomorrow so I'll be back to posting then...

...and tomorrow's post is going to be all about brushes. Which ones you need, which ones you absolutely dont need, which brands are good for brushes, how to look after your brushes, all that good stuff. So stay tuned.

Till then, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

x

Thursday 26 November 2009

And Finally... The Contest!

*EDITED ON 11/12/2009 - THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*

Allow me to introduce my first ever blog contest!!! YAY!!!

Im really really excited about this (as if you couldn't tell...) and Im just going to get right into it and tell you all about the rules and the prize and everything!

The rules: To qualify as the winner, you must introduce the highest number of new followers to the blog! Its that simple! Whoever you introduce must 'follow' the blog and once they have become a follower THEY must comment on THIS post and leave their own full name and the full name of the person who referred them, so for example, "my name is ABC and I was referred by XYZ".

The time limit: This contest is active from the 27th of November, 2009 till the 11th of December, 2009 - 2 weeks only!

And finally... drumroll please...

The prize: A fabulous 27-piece Mini Makeup Collection Kit from ELF Cosmetics worth £15!

This awesome all-in-one compact has 9 powder eyeshadows, 1 cream eyeshadow, 1 blush, 1 bronzer, 10 lipgloss shades, 1 brow powder, 1 eyeliner pencil, 1 dual ended eyeshadow applicator, 1 face brush and 1 precision lip brush!

Feast your eyes on this, ladies...



Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? It looks even prettier in person! And it literally has everything you would need for a complete look so whether you're going travelling or you have a long day out of the house all you need to do is toss this in your bag - its light, compact and stylish!

Here's another picture for your viewing pleasure...



One of you is going to be the lucky winner so get crackin' and tell all the ladies you know (and the men you think might be interested!) about Confessions of a Makeup Addict! ;)

Good luck to everyone!

x

Stop The Press!

I JUST received this email from ELF Cosmetics right as I posted the ELF update!

Today, 27th November 2009, is ELF Cosmetics' second birthday!

And as a birthday treat they're giving FREE SHIPPING on all orders over 5 pounds* as well as a FREE SUPER GLOSSY LIP SHINE** with ever order placed! This offer is just for the 27th of November, 2009 so hurry and get yourselves over to www.elfcosmetics.co.uk!

AND A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ELF COSMETICS! :)

x

*5 pounds excludes shipping. EU code is 2TODAYEU and UK code is 2TODAYUK. One code per order.
**Random Super Glossy shade automatically added to every order.

ELF Update!

Hello my lovelies!

I hope you're having a good week... mine's been a bit of a dragger because I'm meant to be working on my essays but I've been procrastinating and hence feeling very guilty. Sigh.

I've got two pieces of good news to share but before I get started I just want to extend an extremely heartfelt and HUGE thank you for all the support and encouragement you've been giving me about the blog!

This blog means so much to me in my own little way and I'm honoured and humbled that you've reacted so positively towards it.

Every time I read a lovely comment from someone it just pushes me to try and make it even better for you! So THANK YOU EVERYONE! :)

So the first piece of good news is that today I properly properly tried out some of the ELF products and when I say I tried them properly I mean I gave them the 'how does it last through the day' test.

I used the Corrective Concealer palette and mixed the nude and beige colours to conceal my under-eye circles - it worked beautifully and it lasted right till night time!

I also used the Warm Bronzer and again, it just gives me the most natural glow EVER. And unlike many high end brands I've tried this bronzer stayed put all day.

So I'm reassured that I made a good investment! :)

The second piece of good news is huge! And I feel it deserves its own post! So go check out the next one! ;)

x

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Coming Soon!

I'm planning on having a blog contest really soon!

I haven't decided the details yet but it will be something really simple, I promise and the winner is going to get...

*drumroll please!*

...a fantastic ELF Cosmetics product worth 15 pounds!

Stay tuned for more details!

x

Eyes.Lips.Face.

Hello my lovelies!

So as I mentioned in my very excited post from this morning, my ELF Cosmetics package arrived today! I had been so excited about getting my ELF products because I've heard such good things about them - mainly that you get really good products at ridiculously low prices.

First, a little bit about ELF Cosmetics. ELF stands for Eyes Lips Face and it is a cosmetics line that aims to provide quality makeup for the average consumer who isn't looking to shell out the big bucks. And thats exactly what they do. Unlike other brands at the lower end of the price spectrum, they have a SPECTACULAR range of products. They also have a line called the ELF Studio line which consists of products for professional use - but I think these are so lovely and so affordable that everyone can use them.

Ive been playing with these all day and now you get to share the joy - pictures, swatches, reviews... the full deal!

So this is what the stuff looked like in the box... Yay! :)


And this is the complete haul all laid out nicely on my desk....




I love the packaging. Specially the shiny embossed image on it featuring the product inside.



Right, lets get to the individual product breakdown! This first item here is the ELF Cosmetics Warm Bronzer (from the Studio line, £3.50). As you can see the palette is divided into four colours - a light nude beige, a pinky nude colour, a gold-brown and a true bronze (btw, that line is a shadow on the upper half of the palette, sorry about that!)


This bronzer is so, so lovely... its so soft and finely milled and it goes on really sheer but in a GOOD way. It gives my skin the perfect natural-tan effect. Yum. Obviously, you can apply each colour seperately but I like to use a big fluffy brush and swirl it around in all the colours to get a little bit of each :)


Here's a closer at the Warm Bronzer... Can you see that lovely shimmer? Its absolutely gorgeous!


And here are some swatches...



This next product is just SO EXCITING! This is the ELF Eye Transformer (from the Studio line, £3.50) and it is basically a palette consisting of four shades of opalescent eyeshadows - green, gold, pink and lilac. These can be worn under, over or blended in with any darker eyeshadow and the result is a beautiful, completely unique new color! I tried layering the lilac over Carbon from MAC (a matte black) and the end results were so pretty! I am in LOVE with the concept of this product. Big big thumbs up.



Here, you can really see the colours of the transformers (?!)...

And here are some swatches! You cant really make out the colours here...


Next up: the ELF Corrective Concealer palette (from the Studio line, £3.50). This little beauty gives you four corrector colours in one palette at a FRACTION of the price other high end brands do.

I'd been so reluctant to invest in a corrector concealer palette because they're usually so expensive but I knew I had to have this as soon as I saw it! These concealers are really creamy and easy to apply, they go on slightly sheer so I did have to build it up but they definitely do the job!



Here are some swatches... a nude, a beige, a green and a pink! Anyone fancy a post on colour correcting and colour theory soon? Leave a comment down below if you do!



This here is the ELF Complexion Perfection palette (from the Studio line, £3.50) and its meant to balance your complexion out, create a radiant effect on the skin and absorb excess oils.

I was pretty sceptical about this product because, to be honest, I wasnt expecting much at £3.50 but it works. It really does even out the skin tone but I felt like it overdried my skin to a certain extent. As in, I could see a slightly powdery finish on my face which I then had to sort out by spritzing on MAC Fix+. That might be because (thanks to winter) my skin is a little drier than usual nowadays. Sigh.


I havent swatched the Complexion Perfection because there would be no point - its meant to go on colourless and hence it doesnt show up in a swatch, or atleast it barely does!

This pencil is the Lip Definer and Shaper (from the Studio line, £3.50) and before anything else, I love that it comes with a sharpener built into the lid - how handy! This pencil is dual ended - one side (dark brown) is meant to be used a lipliner to define your lips and the other side (shimmery champagne) is meant to be used in the cupids bow and just outside your lips EVER SO LIGHTLY to shape them, creating a fuller effect.

Perhaps I should do a tutorial on that... yes, no, maybe?





The Define side...



and the Shape side...



This is the most expensive item on my list - and it cost £5! This is the ELF Small Makeup Brush Holder... I love the sleek matte black finish. So chic and yet so functional.

The brushes in there are mine... they didn't come with the Holder (haha, I wish!).


I also bought the ELF Daily Brush Cleaner - it comes in a HUGE bottle (250ml!) and it only costs £3.50!!!
I have a mixed opinion about this product... I really like the fact that it works brilliantly for spot cleaning (cleaning brushes quickly; it takes about a minute for brushes to dry using it) but Im finding it difficult to get used to the fragrance. Its a really, really sweet overpowering smell and I'd much rather that it was fragrance-free (ELF Cosmetics... if you're listening please make this a fragrance-free product!).



This is the ELF Dual Pencil Sharpener (£1.50) - its the big one on the right that you can use with regular pencils and thicker pencils as well. And the one on the left is free! :) Works perfectly!



ELF Shine Eraser is a pack of 50 blotting sheets (£1.50) absorbs excess oils on the skin, mattifies the skin and minimises the appearances of pores. Ive only used it once so I cant comment on the minimising pores bit, but it definitely cuts down the shine!




Wow. This has been a long post.


All in all, I'm really impressed with ELF Cosmetics. The shipping was SUPER fast (got my stuff in 2 days!) and everything got here in perfect condition. And for the price I paid I am really, really happy with their products :)


Head over to www.elfcosmetics.co.uk to check it out for yourself :)


x

Coming Soon!

I'm super, super excited.

My ELF Cosmetics order just arrived. Everything is so lovely!

I cant wait to write all about it and show you everything but I need to get my hands on a camera first.

Speaking of which, Im looking to buy a good digital camera - any recommendations? I'll need something hi-res so that product photos and swatches really show up in all their glory...

Till soon!

x

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Yay!

I think I'm finally getting the hang of this formatting business! :)

Lip Stuff...

...that I'm really liking at the moment. With the usual MAC stuff (brand loyalty, anyone?) and one other product that really, really surprised me. In a good way.

MAC DAZZLEGLASSES: In the picture below are (from left to right) Stop! Look!, Phiff and Love Alert. For those who are unfamiliar with dazzleglasses, these are a super-sticky, glittery, sheerer version of the regular MAC glosses. They really are very sticky, and this may be a put off for some people but I don't mind too much because the stickier the lip product, the longer it stays on! They have the most beautiful tiny flecks of glitter in them which somehow doesn't look too over-the-top when worn on the lips. One thing though, the colour you see in the bottle is definitely NOT what you get on the lips. These go on super, super sheer - Love Alert, for example, can look pretty intimidating in the bottle but it goes on as a medium strawberryish tint. That might just be a good thing though... glitter + strong pigmentation = a bit too much maybe?



Next up are two lipsticks - a high end brand and a drugstore discovery. And I adore them both equally. On the left is Darling by GOSH Cosmetics - it comes ridiculously close to being the most perfect nude lipstick ever. Considering that I bought this for under 5 quid, I didn't expect much but I was completely blown away by this product. The colour is the perfect combination of a fleshy pink and a true beige and the formulation is WOW. It goes on super smooth and creamy and lasts for upto 5-6 hours. The only drawback is that if you put too many coats on straight from the tube (as I often tend to do!) you can end up looking a little deathly pale. The key is to apply very little product, either with a lip brush or straight from the tube but with a very light hand. On the whole, five stars for GOSH Darling!




Next to GOSH Darling is Dark Side, a limited edition product from MAC. I cant remember for the life of me which collection this was from... I THINK it was the Marilyn Minter collection but I'm probably wrong. This is the colour that you wear when you want to make the following statement...

Autumn. Has. Arrived. With a bang.

Dark, vampy, berry shades of lip products were all over the Fall/Winter 09-10 catwalks and it's clear that MAC is paying ode to the hottest colour of the season. This one is definitely not for the faint-hearted... as the swatches show it is very strongly pigmented and what you see in the tube is exactly what you get on the lips. This is an Amplified formula which means its really glossy and call me crazy but it does give my lips a slightly fuller look (which the Amplified formula is supposed to do). Another really nice product!

(Im just not sure when Im going to stop wearing it as a tint and build up the courage to wear it as a full-on lipstick!!!)

And here are some swatches for your viewing pleasure...

Without flash... (Darling BARELY shows up - its that very, very, very light pink patch on the left!)



And with flash!


It's been such a long day, London weather is being HORRID and I am exhausted. This was my unwind session. I'm so tempted to just get into bed now but no... must. complete. essays.

Sigh.

Hope you had a lovely Tuesday, and thanks for reading!

x

Sunday 22 November 2009

Know When to Say Goodbye!

It's sad but true - despite how much you've invested in it (and how little it's been used!), that bottle of Chanel Mat Lumiere foundation has to go when it reaches its expiry date!

It happens to everyone... You buy something, play around with it for a few days and then soon enough it finds its way to the back of your makeup drawer where it lays unnoticed for ages, hardly used. But makeup that is past its expiry date can be really harmful for your skin, so it honestly is better to toss it!

I've compiled a list of (most) commonly used makeup products and how long you can keep them before its time to say goodbye. And its pretty useful to keep track of when you've purchased things so you know when to toss them - in a diary, on your computer, little labels on the products themselves, whatever floats your boat!

LIQUID AND CREAM FOUNDATIONS - 2 YEARS
CONCEALERS AND CORRECTORS - 2 YEARS
POWDERS - 2 YEARS
MASCARA - 6 MONTHS
LIPSTICK - 12 TO 18 MONTHS
LIP AND EYE PENCILS - 12 TO 18 MONTHS
EYESHADOW - 2 YEARS
POWDER BLUSH - 2 YEARS
CREAM BLUSH - 2 YEARS
MOISTURISER - 2 YEARS
EYE CREAM - 6 MONTHS
SUNSCREEN - 2 YEARS
FACE CREAM - 2 YEARS

Stay safe!

x

Shadesticks 101

As promised, this is a short post on how to get the most out of your shadesticks.

If you have oily skin, I imagine shadesticks might be really easy to apply, but for people with normal or dry skin, they can be quite difficult to put on straight from the stick. They tend to pull a lot on the skin around the eyes which can lead to premature wrinkling - no, thank you! So here's a couple of ways that you can use your shadesticks and still (hopefully!) keep those wrinkles at bay...

1. You can roll the shadestick between your palms or hold it close to a lightbulb for about 30 seconds before using it just to warm the product up a bit - this will make it go on much more smoothly (and no, it's not harmful for the shadestick).

2. Or, you can just apply the shadestick to the base of your index finger, get a decent amount of product on there and then apply it to your lid using your finger - hence controlling the pressure you apply to your delicate lid area.

Hope this helps!

x

Recent MAC Haul!

So I went to the MAC store in Covent Garden the other day, APPARENTLY to help my friend buy some daily wear makeup - she ended up getting ONE blush and I ended up with an entire HAUL! Ah... the joys of being addicted to makeup.

In my defense, though, I did get products which I had been eyeing for a while and really thought about before getting - they weren't (all!) impulse buys :) And I've had this stuff for a while now so I can give you a review as well! Yay! Ok, let's get straight into it...

I purchased the Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15, shadesticks in Sharkskin and Beige-ing, Rubenesque paint pot and eyeshadows in Malt, Soft Brown, Handwritten, Fig. 1 and Flourishing.

1. STUDIO MOISTURE TINT SPF 15: my new love. This is MAC's take on tinted moisturiser and I love this product so much I've been wearing it every single day since I bought it. First off, I just love the concept of tinted moisturiser because its so much easier and quicker to get your foundation and moisturiser on in one go... and because it's a tinted moisturiser this product gives really sheer coverage which I am a big, big fan of. It's just enough to even out the skin tone but it looks so natural and it really gives your skin that "glow from within" - LOVE. I've got mine in Medium Dark but I think thats just a smidgen too dark for me (I'm an NC30-35). I could get Medium instead but I kind of like the slightly tanned look Medium Dark gives me. I'm completely sold on this product. Completely.


2. SHARKSKIN AND BEIGE-ING SHADESTICKS:
I was really unsure about getting shadesticks because I'd read so many reviews from people that said they were so difficult to work with and they really pulled and tugged on the delicate eye area - which is something that sounded far too wrinkle-inducing for my taste. But shadesticks have also been known for being amazing eyeshadow bases so when I spotted a couple of them lying around, I figured I'd find out the truth for myself... and you know what, they're okay. Yes, if you apply them straight from the tube they do go on really dry and they do pull on your skin, but there are ways to get around that (that's in the next post!). These work AMAZING as a base for eyeshadow; Beige-ing is a beautiful pearl colour shot through with gold shimmer and Sharkskin is black with silvery shimmering flecks. Absolutely gorgeous. And both these colours are so versatile - I can see these working on very fair skintones as well as very dark ones. Sharkskin can be layered as a base underneath any eyeshadow to really make the colour pop. And Beige-ing can be used on its own as an eyeshadow when you want a really subtle but pretty, delicate look.


3. RUBENESQUE PAINT POT: Rubenesque is my first ever paint pot - well, second technically but the first doesnt count because it was a neutral base colour ;) Anyhoo, Rubenesque is a gorgeous peachy-gold colour thats shot through with gold and pink very, very finely milled shimmer. This would be a great base under all sorts of gold, pink, bronze tone eyeshadows or even on its own. It goes on super smooth and its a dream to work with, but paint pots do dry quite quickly so any blending needs to be done fast.


4. EYESHADOWS: I'm really getting into matte finish eyeshadows lately; all the ones I bought are matte or matte-squared finishes. On the whole, I find matte eyeshadows a lot more wearable, they're great for day-time looks and a matte smokey-eye looks effortlessly, amazingly sophisticated. Obviously, these are really good in terms of pigmentation, longevity and blendability - and that's no surprise because eyeshadows are one of MAC's most popular products. Right, individual break-down time: Malt is exactly the same colour as my skin tone, a mid-tone pinky-beige colour that acts as a great subtle highlight. Soft Brown is a clay colour - that's pretty much the best way to describe it. Handwritten is a gorgeous chocolate brown, great for smokey looks or just in the crease to add some dimension. Fig. 1 is a beautiful, dark purple - it's not too red and it's not too blue, this is the perfect purple, in my humble opinion. Flourishing is a deep sea-weed green, this one reminds me a lot of henna!

And here are some swatches (eyeshadows on top, then shadesticks, and then paint pot right at the bottom, the liquidy one on the left is the Studio Moisture Tint)... with flash on top and without flash below it (talk about stating the obvious!)...


So there you have it. One of my recent hauls... I hope you enjoyed reading this, please excuse the insane formatting - I clearly have a lot to learn!

Have a great Monday, everyone :)

x

And so it begins...

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my blog page - wow, this is my first blog ever, I'm so excited! I'm a self-confessed makeup addict - I'm addicted to all beauty-related things, love trying out new products, playing with makeup and I dream of being a makeup artist - one day! Fingers crossed!

This blog is basically going to be about products I've tried and tested, those that have impressed me and those that failed the test, looks and colour combinations I come up with and just my random makeup related thoughts and experiences!

Thanks for visiting my page, and I promise to have a more useful and interesting post up soon ;)

x