Author: Carina

Tried & Tested: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

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In a fit of consumerist desire, I bought the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer near the beginning of the year. I got it along with the NARS Sheer Glow (review), which I absolutely love. I’m not really a concealer fiend, so I was very unsure of this purchase (but so quick to throw away the money!) and I felt even more unsure when I felt like I had gotten the wrong shade for me. My Sheer Glow shade is Punjab, which NARS has straightforwardly categorized as “Medium 1.” You would think that I had enough sense to pick up the Radiant Creamy Concealer in, similarly, “Medium 1,” but I went against this basic instinct and picked up “Medium 2,” or Ginger.

Made-Up History: Jenny Saville’s “Hyphen,” 1999

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(source) This is the first Made-Up History post in a while, huh? For the new people here who have no idea what I’m talking about, Made-Up History is a series I have been working on for a year or so where I take a piece of art that I am in deep like with and talk about it while kind of recreating what it feels like on my face. It’s not an art project where I duplicate it on my face, but I kind of distill it into a look that represents the work, or at least how I perceive it. For this edition of Made- Up History, I have Jenny Saville’s “Hyphen,” which was completed in 1999. Jenny Saville is one of my favorite artists, though I’m sure her work unnerves a lot of people. I have picked a rather tame work—a portrait of herself and her sister—but she is known for depicting a lot of graphic themes in her work. I was a little wary of picking her for this because a) she …

Sample Stash Sunday: Darling Girl Cosmetics

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I don’t know what happened, but I went sampler-crazy in January. There were a lot more brands I wanted to try but didn’t get to (i.e. Fyrinnae, Black Rose Minerals, Aromaleigh, etc) because they don’t ship to the Philippines. However, I have had my fill of indies for now, I think. (I’m still expecting parcels from Victorian Disco, Notoriously Morbid and Hello Waffle… So yes. I have a problem.) Aside from all of that, though, I picked up a 10-sampler pack from Darling Girl Cosmetics. It’s one of the indie brands that I hear frequently, so I thought it might be a safe place to start. They have quite an extensive collection of collections (lol), including an all-matte one called MILF or Matte I’d Like to Find. I love their musically-named ones, too. Here’s what I ended up getting: And somehow, I ended up receiving one more sample baggie and this GWP: Swatched, L-R: Vicar in a Tutu, Saddle Up, Heaving Bosom, Between the Sheets, Naughty Bits, Bodice Ripper, Tainted Love, Miss Argentina, Pirate’s Booty, …

The Lipstick Tag

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I got tagged to do The Lipstick Tag by Elaine a few weeks ago! I don’t do tags or fill up awards usually (I keep forgetting), but they’re fun from time to time, I think. 🙂 1. How many lipsticks do you own? Not counting glosses, multi-purpose products, lip pencils, lip crayons, etc… somewhere around the 60++ mark. 2. What was the first lipstick you owned? I think the first one I picked out for myself was Maybelline’s Chestnut. The first high-end lipstick I ever owned was a Chanel Rouge Coco in Perlé. 3. What is your favorite lipstick brand? My favorite is Chanel, but I stopped buying from them when I went cruelty-free. Now, it’s Le Métier de Beauté and NARS. 4. What is your most worn lipstick? Probably a NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay. 5. What is your favorite finish? I like sheer/jelly finishes (like the NARS Sheer Lipsticks or the MAC Lustres) and mattes (NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, MAC, Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet are my favorite finishes). 6. What …

Adventures in Contouring: Illamasqua Cream Foundation

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I could never get contouring right. I have been blessed with a really round face, so usually a contour just looks out of place. I stopped myself from buying bronzers when I reached 3 (though I only ever use one for contour attempts), but when I saw this Illamasqua Cream Foundation in a darker shade on sale for £5 from £23, I thought it was worth giving it a try. It comes in a pinched-square standard Illamasqua packaging. I actually looked for the technical term for this… and it turns out it’s just a square… in hyperbolic, non-Euclidian geometry… … so never mind. It’s just a ‘pinched square’ as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, it comes with a full-sized mirror and a sponge that I don’t use because I don’t intend to use it on my face. I got the shade 320, which is just a couple of notches darker than my original skin color. It’s actually a pretty great contour color. I like how the cream foundation stays put. Product Description: “Create a base …

5 Things Friday: Fussy Lip Products That I Just Can’t Quit

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5 Things Friday, it’s been a while. I’m trying to make this series a bit more regular, but lifestuff gets in the way sometimes, you know? Anyway, I’m a self-proclaimed lazy girl, which is probably why it’s surprising that I got into this whole beauty thing in the first place. (Check out my lazy girl face here.) However, there are some fussy beauty products that I can put up with, even with all the added effort. L-R: Le Métier de Beauté Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick (Miami), Stylenanda 3CE Lip Lacquer (Boom)*, Illamasqua Matte Lipstick (Immodest), Obsessive Compulsive Metallic Lip Tar (Black Metal Dahlia), Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait (Orgueil) ONE Le Métier de Beauté Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick (Miami) This formula is actually one of my favorites for lipsticks, but this color! It’s so unforgiving. I’m unsure as to why I picked this up, and though I like it a lot, it needs to be “matched” to the rest of your makeup and isn’t as flexible as some of my other shades. It also …

Random Bits from Oslo Cosmetics: Eye Bond Primer Wand and Lip Slick

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I usually ease myself into indie brands by getting their powder products. I feel like it’s kind of hard to mess up loose eyeshadows or blushes. After a spectacular experience with Oslo’s blushes and eyeshadows, I thought it would be fun to venture into their other offerings, so I got a Lip Slick and their eye primer. I got the Lip Slick mini in Hibiscus. It’s a pretty peachy pink that I felt looked a lot like MAC’s Betty Bright. It’s a bit pinker than Betty Bright, but it’s still a rather pretty color, IMO.