All posts filed under: Miscellaneous

Nailing it with Navy

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My relationship with nail polish oscillates so much between love and hate, we could probably star in a romcom. My small hands (short fingers!) with miniscule nails and nail polish are often a match made somewhere nasty. Call me babyfingers—ewwww. After much trial and error though, I figured out that a) I am not very adventurous when it comes to nail polish shades, b) but I won’t stand by a suckiness in formula, and c) the Seche Vite top coat is a godsend. It is the turning point in my love-hate tale that finally turns it into a romance.

Ellis Faas - Identity Revealed

Identity Revealed: a filmed triptych by Ellis Faas

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Earlier this week, I received an email about a new venture by Ellis Faas—a short film. I’ve always been intrigued by her, as she is one of the most successful makeup artists in the industry. Her line is also brilliant, and she began as a photographer. Last Thursday, the former queen of the Netherlands Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix opened a new exhibition at De Nieuwe Kerk (which is an old church) in Amsterdam: “Magical Africa – Masks and Sculptures from Ivory Coast. The Artists Revealed”. For this exhibition, the curators commissioned a film by makeup artist/photographer/filmmaker Ellis Faas, asking Ellis to draw inspiration from the traditional masks from Ivory Coast. “Since ancient times, humans have been using masks – in order to express power and authority; to feel self-confident; to stand out or to hide behind; to not be recognised and disappear into the masses. Not only by traditional masks, but also by disguising and ornamental elements such as clothing, jewellery, hair and makeup. But can one truly change one’s identity, or is it …

Everyday Necklaces

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A few months ago, I wrote a post called “Statement Necklaces Confuse Me,” and frankly, they still do. Fortunately for me, I’ve shaken off my tendency to be attracted to them and have been switching around necklaces—one of my accessories of choice—to wear everyday. Here are some of my favorites: Sofie Lunøe — This is a random necklace I found at the ICA in Boston. Sofie Lunøe is a Danish goldsmith and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to get a hold of her stuff online. I was hooked on the stunning geometrical shape at play here that it didn’t even matter that I rarely wear silver jewelry. (I do now.) Double Arrow Necklace by BRVTVS (Of a Kind) — Made in just a batch of 50, this necklace by BRVTVS in collaboration with Of a Kind is still a firm favorite. The pair of open ‘v’s juts out of the circle and sits on top of your collarbones, which adds a lovely effect.

Softly Sometimes just turned 2!

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I don’t really celebrate blog birthdays, mostly because I don’t remember to, but I’ve had this date saved on my calendar for a while now. Softly Sometimes just turned two years old a few days ago (October 21, to be precise). What was a seemingly innocent hobby accidentally turned into quite a big part of me—not to be dramatic~ or anything like that; it’s just the truth. I kind of still feel awkward about this because my interest in makeup and all that comes with it is the purely dorky kind—the kind that cares about textures and nuances in hue and shade, undertones and pigmentation, and the complexity of shimmers. I mean, what? All this talk sounds insane, but I love it. I love all of it. So, thank you for being a part of it, o reader of this post. It has truly been a blast. Now that that sentimental stuff is out of the way, please stay tuned for a giveaway I’m planning—the first on Softly Sometimes! I’m still in the process of …

Wes Anderson Week: 5 Things Friday x Lazy Girl Makeup

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Although the idea of a Wes Anderson week was fun in my head, it started to dawn on me that I may not have enough material to last the entire week. You see, the makeup on Wes Anderson’s heroines and female misfits kind of… recur. And are simple. So I thought of doing a post with 5 easy makeup looks inspired by Wes’s dames, as a 5 Things Friday and Lazy Girl Makeup cross-over. First, the thick black liner popularized by Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in The Royal Tenenbaums, Margot Tenenbaum. The same look can be seen sported by Anjelica Houston in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Lazy Girl Makeup: One Shadow Shadows

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Slicking on one eyeshadow on your lid isn’t an entirely new concept for the lazy girl. In fact, before you (we) went off the deep end of the makeup world, that’s what you (we) probably did. So, I’m here to show you some of my favorite singles to put all over my lid when I’m feeling particularly rushed or stumped. Before I begin, here is Liz’s take and here is Bea’s. Here are just a few… by which I mean, most eyeshadows will work for this purpose anyway. I love the type of shades that actually have dimension, though, and these ones are quite effortless to wear. Swatched, L-R: MAC Groundwork, MAC Constructivist, Oslo Vela, shu uemura ME medium brown 885, Rouge Bunny Rouge Abyssinian Catbird, Le Métier de Beauté Alexandrite, & Other Stories Percaline Khaki, Addiction by Ayako Fudge MAC Groundwork – my favorite colored eyeshadow base that, fortuitously, can be worn alone, too. It’s definitely a go-to eye color, both as a base and as a shade itself. MAC Constructivist – darker than …

Favorite NARS Bits

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While I’m miles away on vacation, allow me to share with you a few of my favorite bits from NARS. I think you can tell that NARS is one of my favorite beauty brands. If I could pick just one brand to use for the rest of my life, I can pick NARS and not even feel bad about it. Anyway, like most established brands, NARS is a bit intimidating to approach if you’re a new buyer. Here are a few of my favorite items from them, not including skin care or brushes. Mostly because I forgot, lol, but I quite like them, too. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer — I’ve never loved a concealer as much as I love this one. I have it in the shade Ginger, but Custard works well for me. It is easy to blend, packs on a lot of pigment, and doesn’t look cakey. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation — One of my favorite liquid foundations! It’s a medium coverage foundation with a slightly dewy finish and a great range of …