Nova Silver

So the rather lovely people at Nova Silver sent me a package this week.

 It's a ring! It's from their Marcasite collection and it's friggin' gorgeous.

Seriously, look at it. How beautiful is it? My photos don't show the little sparkly bits properly, so you'll just have to trust me when I say that it glimmers brilliantly.

I really wanted my hands to be looking good for this picture, but I broke a nail the day it arrived and then my cat attacked me. Ah well, just look at the ring.

I have a nail design inspired by this up on my other blog here.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you so much to Nova Silver for sending me this awesome ring.

Check them out at /www.novasilver.co.uk/

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Ventriloquist Dummy Makeup

It's Halloween season aka time to play with makeup, yay!

I find ventriloquist dummies creepy, always have, so I thought this would a good place to start. This is pretty much the only time my uber oily skin is an advantage. No powdering here - it should look like varnish. I also went mascaraless because I wanted the eyes to look really round and the whole look to be slightly androgynous.

Hope you like :)

Foundation - Revlon Photoready in Nude

Concealer (around brows) - Collection Lasting Perfection in Fair

Blusher - No. 7 Natural Cream Blush in Maple Silk

Contour - Sleek iDivine palette in Ultra Matte V2 (dark grey shade)

              - Sleek Contour Kit in Light

Brows - Max Factor Eyebrow Pencil in Ebony

Eyeshadow - Sleek iDivine palette in Vintage Romance (white and midbrown shade)

Liner - L'Oreal Superliner in Golden Black (plain black would be better though, mine's just gone weird)

         - Natural Collection Eye Lines Pencil in White

Lips - Barry M Lip Liner in Red

Black Details - Sleek iDivine palette in Sunset (black shade)

Dramatic Plum Smoky Eye Look

Sometimes you've just gotta go for it. I felt like it was time to step away from the neutrals for a bit and go for something a little bolder. I went for a deep purple and gold smoky eye with a defined edge and lashes, oh the lashes!

A couple of close-ups here. The gold on the top lid is a loose pigment so I could get the super shimmery gradient, and underneath is a pressed shadow because it's less likely to go walkabout. I ran a bronzer along the top of the shadow to help blend and give a flattering edge, and a black shadow over the gel liner to make it smokier. I left my brows au natural, other than some gel to tame, because I have more than my fair share as it is.

 This was my first time using Jinnylash falsies, and I have to say I found them very comfortable. They have a very thin clear strip so they fit pretty easily.

Hope you like!

These are the products I used:

Foundation - Maybelline Fit Me in 130
Concealer (as eyeshadow base) - So Susan concealer quad (darkest shade)
Contour - Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light
Blush - MAC Powder Blush in Royal Sunset
Bronzer - Rimmel Natural Bronzer
Eyeshadow - Sleek iDivine palette in Glory (light gold shade)
                  - Sleek iDivine palette in Bad Girl (dark purple and black shades)
                  - Barry M Dazzle Dust in Old Gold
Liner - L'Oreal Superliner Gel in Golden Black
Mascara - 17 Peep Show in Black
Eye Primer - Absolute
Brow Gel - Maybelline Brow Drama Gel in Medium Brown
Lipstick - Maybelline Color Sensational Nudes in Tantalizing Taupe
Lipgloss - Beautiful Movements Lipgloss in Nude

Marylin Monroe Inspired Makeup

So I watched a tutorial by Lisa Eldridge the other day which was a Marylin Monroe iconic look video (watch it here) and I got all inspired. It's not an exact recreation, it's a more wearable version, and slightly quicker to create. Hope you like.

I tried to keep the main points; the dewy skin, the winged liner (not liquid, apparently!), the red lip and arched brow. I did some contouring, but as my face is so round, if I did as much as her I'd just look stripey.

Here's a close up of the eye and lip. 

And here's what I used:

Foundation - Maybelline Fit Me in 210
Countour & Highlight - Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light
Eyeshadow - Sleek iDivine palette in Au Natural
Mascara - Soap and Glory Thick & Fast
Liner - Rimmel ScanalEyes in Nude
Brow pen - GOSH Long Lasting Brow Pen in Dark Brown
Lip colour - Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Striking and Standout (outer edges)

May Glossybox

I've been getting Glossyboxes for a while now and I absolutely love them. It's like a little present every month (a present that I pay for, but still). The May box was a 50th birthday celebration for Superdrug and I got 5 full size products and 2 samples, that was an awesome surprise.

The products I got were: 

Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturiser in Cocoa Radiant
Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Very Black

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Blueberry Ice

B. Sheer Conditioning Lipstick in Flamingo

Garnier Oil Beauty Lotion (sample)

Ghost Eclipse (sample)

My standout product was The Max Factor primer. I've been hunting for a primer that works for me for years. I have super oily skin so I've been concentrating on ones that promised mattifying properties. This product doesn't promise a matte finish, but delivers it for me. I gave it a proper test on a hot day through a dance class, and although I was shiny by the end, my foundation hadn't moved. It can be worn on it's own to improve the overall look of the skin or to anchor makeup. I feel like it holds my makeup a bit better than (dare I say it?) Benefit's The Porefessional, but doesn't provide as smooth a base. 

I loved this box and several products have become immediate staples. If you're interested in Glossybox, you can visit their website here.

(This is not a sposnsored post.)

Subtle Sixties Eye Makeup

I love a 60s eye. The whole thing just really makes your eyes pop. 

I decided to do quite a subtle version with a pale grey lid, deep grey/purple in the crease and a small wing.

I think it's a look that benefits from a little practice, but it's really adjustable for whatever style you're comfortable with.

The crease colour needs to be really well blended, so it's worth taking a bit of time over. 

I kept my wing a little less bold by using a black powder shadow with an angled brush.

Pleas ignore the horror that is my left eyebrow.

Products used: Foundation - Une Skinglow in G08

                       Blusher - MAC Satin in Royal Sunset

                       Eye shadow - Sleek iDivine palette in Au Naturel

                       Mascara - 17 Peep Show in Black

Flapper style makeup

I was bored and near makeup, there's a touch of the inevitable here. I went for a sort of flapper inspired look this time. It has to be said, I think it's heavier than my face can handle. I love the look on other people, but this would be a fancy dress look only for me. I used a mid brown shadow around the black to soften it a little and to help the blending. Also featuring: the worst attempt at a faux bob you will ever see.

 I do, however, love the lips. I used black eye shadow in the corners and blended in to get an ombre effect. It looks better and brighter in real life. Love. It.

Anywho, I hope you like. It's great fun doing this, because all the black makes it feel like a glamorous rock and roll look.

Products used: Foundation - No. 7 Essentially Natural in Calico

                       Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte in Transparent

                       Eyeshadow - Sleek iDivine palette in Au Naturel

                       Mascara - Soap and Glory Thick & Fast in Black

                       Lip liner - Barry M liner in Red

                       Lipstick - Avon Ultra Colour in Red 2000

Giovanni 2Chic Ultra Sleek Collection Review

I received samples of the 2Chic Ultra Sleek Collection by Giovanni in my February Glossybox. The collection items I received were a shampoo, conditioner and a conditioning & styling elixir.

The Ultra Sleek collection contains Brazillian Keratin and Argan Oil and is supposed to increase shine, smoothness and banish frizz. It's also lauryl and laureth sulfate free.

You can view the full collection here.

So, it being sulfate free, the shampoo doesn't lather very much and I found it quite difficult to use. Afterwards my hair didn't feel completely clean. Using the shampoo & conditioner I didn't notice any difference in shine or smoothness, but my hair did get greasy after a day and usually I can last 2 or 3 days. The elixir did noticeably calm down some of my flyaways and my hair felt softer. I really wasn't a fan of the smell of the products, to me it smelled someone pissed on a coconut.

Overall, if the smell was different, I think I would by the elixir, but I'm not the biggest fan of this collection.

Black and Gold Winged Out Eyes

I needed a look for a dance show for which the theme was black and gold. I love playing around with makeup, so that's what I did - yay!

 There's a nail look to go with this which you can see here.

Ignore the eyebrow fail...

Products used: Eyeshadow - Sleek Primer palette

                                           - Barry M Glitter Dust in Old Gold

                                           - Sleek palette in Au Naturel

                        Mascara - 17 Photo Flawless in Green/Black

Obligatory Red Lip

As I've been posting makeup looks, it was only a matter of time before the red lip happened. It is the first, but I don't guarantee it'll be the last. C'mon, who doesn't love a red lip?

Sorry for the picture quality, hoping for better soon.

Products used: Foundation - MAC Matchmaster in 1.5

                       Eyeshadow - Sleek palette in Au Naturale

                       Mascara - 17 Peep Show in Black

                       Lipstick - Avon Ultra Colour in Red 2000

Cut Crease...Kinda

This was my first attempt at a cut crease. I stuck to fairly neutral colours in case it went horribly wrong. There is a line of burgundy at the lash line, but it's pretty much invisible here.

Hope you like.

Products used: Eyeshadow - Sleek palette in Au Naturale
                         Mascara - 17 Peep Show in Black

Simple and Neutral Makeup

This is a really simple, girly makeup look. It's a bit of an old picture, but given I've been so slack with blogging recently, I thought I should post something! The good thing about getting bored of my hair so quickly is that pictures are easy to date.

Anywho, hope you like, it's very simple to recreate.

Products used: Foundation - Garnier BB Cream in Light

                       Eyeshadow - 17 Peep show palette (pink and matte grey)

                       Mascara - 17 Photo Flawless in Green/Black

                       Lipgloss - Avon Glazewear in Shimmered