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Tried & Tested: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

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NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - Ginger - Tube Open

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. Read More

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

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saville_independent
(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 might see this—far-fetched but possible, b) her work can be quite graphic and I’m not sure who is sensitive to that, and c) I don’t want to be seen as trivializing the seriousness and importance of some pieces. But. I love here. And I couldn’t seem to move past this work and do other pieces (I’ve had this idea on hold for a while), so I finally just decided to go for it.

I’m putting everything else under a cut. It’s not sick or anything, but just. Graphic. So, you have been warned. Click to proceed! Read More

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:

Darling Girl - All

And somehow, I ended up receiving one more sample baggie and this GWP:
Darling Girl Cosmetics - It's a Ginger Thing

Darling Girl - Swatches - Vicar in a Tutu, Saddle Up, Heaving Bosom, Between the Sheets, Naughty Bits, Bodice Ripper, Tainted Love, Miss Argentina, Pirate's Booty, London Calling, Throwing Stones, It's a Giner Thing
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, London Calling, Throwing Stones, It’s a Ginger Thing

Throwing Stones and It’s a Ginger Thing are both GWPs/free samples with the order. Read More

The Lipstick Tag

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Lipstick Tag

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).

Lipstick Tag - Sheers

Lipstick Tag - Matte

6. What was the last lipstick you bought?
This is tricky because I don’t really buy lipsticks. I am more drawn to eye makeup. The last lipsticks I bought were two shades from the Le Métier de Beauté Hydra-Crème Lipstick range, Cashmere and Sahara.

Lipstick Tag - LMdB

After this, I got some OCC Lip Tars, a Rouge Bunny Rouge Succulence of Dew lipstick (shipped to me by mistake), a MAC Lustre lipstick and a Le Métier de Beauté Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick (gifted by Sarie), and two NARS Lip Pencils, which I’m not sure count as ‘lipsticks.’

Lipstick Tag - Latest1

7. How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?
Three or so. I have the lip I’m wearing that day, and two “easy” lipsticks (i.e. easy to use and wear) if I don’t feel like reapplying my original lip color.

8. What is your favorite red lip color?
Guerlain Rouge G L’Extait in Orgueil.

9. How do you store your lipsticks?
I use MUJI PP Vanity Cases inside a small MUJI Small Vanity Case. I have a post showing my storage from May 2013.

10. Which lipsticks are you currently lusting after?
Some lipsticks by Suqqu and Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylos, but like I said I don’t really buy a lot of lipsticks.

There you have it! To keep the fun going, I’m tagging:
— Tina of What Tina Loves
— Ae of An Artechoke
— Mariana of The Beauty Bee
— Shari of The Misty Mom
— Eula of Eula Sleeps
— Tellie of Beauty By Tellie
— Krysty of This Jane is Vain
— you! For serious. I know it’s irritating when someone does this, but I honestly don’t want to list a frillion people here, but I want to read a frillion Lipstick Tag posts. So post yours in the comments below if you end up doing it! 🙂

Thanks to Elaine for tagging me! I hope you enjoyed this post.

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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.

Illamasqua cream Foundation 2

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…

Screen Shot 2014-03-02 at 5.19.07 PM

… 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.

Illamasqua cream Foundation - Swatches

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 that brings out the bold in you. Illamasqua Cream Foundation provides medium-full coverage and works with your skin to cover and enhance. It blends easily, allowing you to vary coverage as much or as little as you need, effortlessly balancing uneven skin tone and giving you the control to create a flawless finish. Comes in a mirror compact for touch-ups on the go.”

Illamasqua cream Foundation - Face 2

The result is actually… pretty good if I do say so myself. I wish I had gotten it in my real shade, though I’m not too keen on wearing it all over my face because of the strong vanilla scent, GAG. This one blends into my skin pretty well, though. I tried it all over the face and it just looks a touch darker than my regular skin color, so it’s technically wearable.

For contouring, though—I use the standard “3/E” method—I used a tapered Kabuki brush from Ellana Minerals* to apply and blend the foundation into the hollows of my cheeks, and along the edges of my face. I patted on Ellana Minerals Loose Powder Foundation* over my entire face, as my base.

Illamasqua cream Foundation - Face 1

All in all, I’m happy about this purchase!

Illamasqua cream Foundation 1

Illamasqua is cruelty-free.

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

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5TF - Fussy Lipsticks

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.

5TF - Fussy Lipsticks Faces
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 highlights dry patches and makes my lips look like a peeling wall.

TWO Stylenanda 3CE Lip Lacquer (Boom)*
This isn’t actually the fussiest of the fussies but I just have to be careful with this because the color is so bold that I need to focus a little bit more so I can stay within my lip lines. It’s kind of high maintenance, too, because you don’t know how it’s wearing off, so I’m a paranoid, mirror-glancing freak when I wear this. But it’s a great bright color.

THREE Illamasqua Matte Lipstick (Immodest)
I was ready to love this color, but it is so dry. It’s so dry, I actually broke it the first time I used it. In the photo, I’m wearing it over a balm, which is why it looks fine. Otherwise, it’s like swiping your lips with a piece of chalk.

FOUR Obsessive Compulsive Metallic Lip Tar (Black Metal Dahlia)
I actually mean all lip tars. If you need a lip brush to apply it, then I’m not interested… usually. These are so great, though. The colors are truly exceptional, so I’m willing to wield the lip brush for them.

FIVE Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait (Orgueil)
Ah, Orgueil. My favorite red. My issues with this are a) the learning curve of application since it’s a pretty goopy formula and you kind of freak out at first because every expensive drop of this is precious, and b) the insane transfer issues. But, you know. It’s not everyday you come across a beautiful red that you love with all your heart, so I’m willing to weather the storm with Orgueil. (Incidentally, Orgueil is French for ‘pride.’)

There you have it. Five irritating lip products that I put up with because I’m a sucker. What are yours?

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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.

Oslo - Hibiscus

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. Read More