Subdued Winter
Posted by ilyana | Filed under Make-Up & Beauty
Went to the city today to check out the European paintings exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria but I didn’t go in the end because I wasn’t feeling too well. Picasso and Monet will have to wait another day. I found out a couple of days ago that I wouldn’t be able to take Art History next year which is such a shame really because I love that subject (and not because my tutor happens to have one fine ass). It’s the only subject that bears the slightest resemblance to design- something I’m familiar with, having dabbled with it for the past 4 years. I’m kinda gutted about it but well, it’s not the end of the world so I’ll just stick to my random visits to the gallery for my art history fix (what a pity tho, my tutor was a total hunk and has a PhD in Art History which I find SO sexy).
I’ve been keeping my make-up really light the past month, I know make-up trends for fall and winter in the world of ~FASHIN~ often lean towards the intense but something about the dreary weather we’ve been having here just makes me want to rebel against the conventional sooty smokey eyes and dark lipstick. I love a good smokey eye but I love the warm brilliance of the sun more. Pink lips and soft hues of taupe & gold in the middle of a somber winter? I am so there.
Face:
MAC Studio Fix foundation in NC25
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC25
Cheeks:
Rock & Republic’s Contrived Pressed blush in Kinky
Eyes:
MAC paintpot in Rubenesque as a base
MAC eyeshadow in Woodwinked
MAC pigment in Blonde’s Gold
MAC eyeshadow in Shroom as highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Honey
Maybelline gel liner in Black
MAC Browset in Girl Boy
Majolica Majorca Lash Expander NEO
Lips:
Lancome L’absolu Rouge in Rose Rhapsodie
I’m loving the gold eyeliner in this one, I think it’s a nice bright change from the smudgy black lined eyes I tend to go for. Finally got to try out the Rock & Republic blush Cat sent me for my birthday and as I suspected, this baby has enough pigment to fill 5 MAC lipstick vials. I had to be very careful with this blush because it’s easy to OD on blush when you’re pale like me. I swiped my brush over the blush with the lightest pressure possible and it was enough to create a delicate flush of pink. I love the blush, Cat! Thank you so much <3
Btw, you only see one side of my face here because I have a pimple on the other cheek LOL. I know it's become socially acceptable to pretend that you have the body of a porn star with perfect skin but I just don't like the idea of retouching my photos to death. You can still see I have pores in my photos and my forehead has tiny marks - battle scars from previous hand to hand combat experiences with pimples (those bastards!).
I have a couple of beauty reviews coming up this week and in true tea noir style, they're going to be squashed together in one single entry lol. I'm also thinking of doing a photography/camera entry too because I've been getting so many questions pertaining to the camera I use for this blog etc - is there anything you would like to know about photography? If you're too shy to ask in the comments, ask on my formspring where your identity and soul remains safe from me. Even if you don’t have a photography related question, ask me anything anyway!
Tags: beauty: maybelline, beauty: rock & republic, fotd: neutral, lancome, MAC, make-up: urban decay
Urban Decay and some holiday talk.
Posted by ilyana | Filed under Make-Up & Beauty
OH MY GOD, I’ve not blogged in ages. My excuse: been busy, busy, busy, busy.
I’m sorry I’ve not been commenting much on everyone’s beauty blogs - I’ve had to play tag team with so many things this week:
My job (which btw required me to google up high-res images of ants a couple of days ago for some design powerpoint thingum….a small ant blown up at 400% on my super sharp monitor is not exactly pleasant), researching and emailing property agents in Melbourne on apartments that aren’t ravaged by rats or frat boys with a little too much to drink, pinpointing potential Melbourne coffee haunts on google maps, meeting friends after work for sushi and coffee and finally going back home, ready to fall into the comforts of my bed but not before I talk to my friends from all over the world on MSN (that’s you Aaron bb!)
I should really mention that I’m moving to Melbourne next year for university which kinda explains how swamped I am right now with work and moving plans. It’s single-handedly one of the biggest life-changing decisions I’ve ever made, I’m going to be there without my family and that’s just really cool and scary at the same time. I’ll be flying to Melbourne later this week with the family though for a holiday/apartment-hunting so it’s been kinda crazy, I have yet to start packing!
Some of my beauty buys from the previous month have finally arrived in the post so it’s HAUL TIMEEEEE!
Urban Decay had their 30% Friends & Family promotion last month and since I’ve been wanting to check out their Primer Potion (UDPP) and their 24/7 eyeliners, it was a good time to grab both!
I was terribly tempted to get more stuff but er I had to save some of my salary for my holiday >.> Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original and 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Honey.
The packaging for UDPP’s pretty neat, I know people have been complaining about the genie bottle design which I agree is kinda stupid because it’s so hard to reach for the remnants of the product after you’ve used it up but..there’s no denying it’s quite unusual. I like how it’s encased in this metallic floral printed box with a transparent case, it makes you feel like you’ve actually purchased a genie bottle from the fairies in the woods.
So if you’ve never heard of UDPP, it’s basically an eyeshadow primer; it makes your eye make-up last longer, stops it from creasing and makes it more vibrant than ever. I have yet to try this out but I have a dinner party to attend later so I’ll be taking this baby out for a test drive ;P
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Honey which is a gorgeous, gorgeous true gold. I’ve never seen anything like it from other cosmetic companies so naturally I had to get it! I think it’s going to make an awesome eye-brightener if you use this on your waterline instead of the commonly-used white eyeliner.
It looks more yellow here, my camera couldn’t capture the color well but take my word for it, it’s a true gold! It’s very creamy, probably the most creamiest eyeliner I’ve ever come across. People have been comparing the UD eyeliners with the MUFE Aqua Eyes since like forever and I think the Aqua Eyes are truly waterproof and smudgeproof but UD has some stunning colors in their collection so if you want a basic black/brown/whatever you use daily, get one from MUFE Aqua Eyes but if you want an unconventional color which you would probably use sparingly, get the UD 24/7 eyeliners.
Got some nail polishes too! I’ve never been into nail polishes but they seem kinda fun so I bought some from OPI and China Glaze on a whim. Here we have: OPI’s Russian Navy, OPI’s Royal Rajah Ruby and China Glaze’s Drastic. I’m into really dark, classic colors because they’re just effortless and fuss-free.
Lol check out my halfassed manicure! I was in a rush to take photos of everything I got this morning so I did some quick nail swatches so you could have a rough idea of what the colors look like out of the bottle. From left to right: Russian Navy, Royal Rajah Ruby and Drastic. I don’t have a particular favourite, they’re all so pretty *_*
Russian Navy’s a shimmery midnight blue with slight purple undertones, Royal Rajah Ruby is a deep, almost maroon red with fine gold shimmer and Drastic is a basic mid-tone jelly red!
SaSa at Tampines 1 is having a promotion at the counter for some ranges of Silk Whitia masks! I think they just have too much in stock so you can get a mask for $1.95 each instead of paying the usual $5.90! That’s a great deal but the masks are running out fast so if you live in the east, get it while you can! I love Silk Whitia masks because they have a really thick consistency and they’re just brilliant for whitening and moisturizing.
Organic strawberry whitening mask, just 20 minutes to a glowing complexion! I prefer the peach one in terms of scent but both are equally good! Silk Whitia has plenty of different masks to choose from and I’ve tried a couple so maybe I’ll review them sometime next week if I’ve the time!
I hope you guys have a great weekend! I need to catch up and comment on all the beauty entries I’ve missed out on this week, write and send out Christmas cards and pack for my not-quite-a-holiday holiday sigh! So much to do in such a short period of time!!
Til next time~
Tags: life, make-up: MUFE, make-up: urban decay, nails: China Glaze, nails: OPI
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