Eyeshadows, I Want You Back In My Life!

Does anyone else seem to go through a rough patch with their eyeshadows over the summer? Well, what do they say, "distant makes the heart grow fonder"? Yep, that's the one.

I started off in the make-up world only caring about eyeshadow - I had 1 blush, 1 powder foundation, 0 bronzer, 2 eyeliners, 1 concealer and about 20 eyeshadows. But as this year has been my first serious dabble into blushers, bronzers, foundations and powder, my poor eyeshadows seem to have been pushed aside.

I've also had some issues coming to terms with my eyelid shape - it's difficult to work with! But in the past week or so, I've had the sudden craving to look up gurus with similar shapes and go back to the eyeshadow girl that I once was (que DRAMAAAA!) So here are the lovely bits that I used this week :)

Top Row:

- MAC Brule

- MAC Patina

- MAC Mulch

Bottom Row:

- ARTDeco 34

- ARTDeco 208

- ARTDeco 45

Left Column: ARTDeco Eyeshadows

Right Column: MAC Eyeshadows

I did have a bit of a off relationship with MAC Brule, however I've discovered that it really works the best when used with your finger or a fluffy brush - atm it's my favourite highlighter which is no surprise as I have a very close shade in my 28 Neutral Palette that has hit pan ages ago!

Amidst my research on my eye shape, I've realised that most girls don't realise that you can wear non-browns without looking OTT - we see them in FOTDs of girls who have realised this but a lot of us never really do it ourselves! My fave FOTDs atm is from Amanda!

So I've made a massive list of coloured MAC eyeshadows to purchase when I am back. The one I'm most excited for? MAC Print or Scene, which are both matte greys :)

This has been my base of choice, MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. Even if I don't have an alternative, I had a off relationship with this one as well which probably made the rough patch even rougher! However, I've now realised that I wasn't using enough of this, and now that I've got it down - I love it!

Speaking of eyeshadow bases, if you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed a sudden interest in the Urban Decay Naked Palette from me - I've bought it, thanks to Jade's discount code! :D So not only will I be able to try the legendary palette at long last, I'll also have my first dabble into the Primer Potion :) (Actually I lie, my bf's sister once gave me a teeny one.) It's actually the last item on my 2011 Wishlist besides the Sigma brushkit that I no longer want :)

As I'm in Japan all my recent online purchases have been sent to the boy's so I've got to wait another 3 weeks.. but can I just say I'm so excited for the NARS eyeshadow duo that's waiting for me?

I KNOW I'M SUCH A EYESHADOW HO.

(and a blush ho, and a powder ho, and a bronzer ho, and a foundation ho, blah blah blah sue me.)

What make-up ho are you? :D

<3yu

P.S. I am off on holiday tomorrow with my mother! :) So will be away for about 5 days - I'll attempt to schedule a post during that time, so keep your eyes out, and take care! :)

A Big Fat "I'm Back!" Haul :)

So why have I been so on-and-off? To explain in short, after moving out from university, I spent 1 week in Malta, 2 weeks with my boyfriend and his family, and 1 week with my family to attend my graduation - and now I am back at my parents' house in Tokyo, Japan :)

During this time I've done some major shopping - some essential bits that you can see here. But I've also really been treating myself to make up for my graduation (OOTD/FOTD post coming soon!) as well as just.. stuff. Haha! So here they are!

The bits I picked up for my graduation were the Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation, the MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre and NARS blush in Luster :) The MAC 224 was an impulse buy at the airport, when I saw it discounted - it's a brush that I know I will get at one point, so why not at a discount? :P I love the finish it gives to concealer - def a must have!

I went to the Trafford Centre looking for a natural blush for my grad, and I was set on MAC's Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul, but when I swatched it I found it pinkier than what I was looking for, so I gave up and was wandering about NARS when I realised - they're my favourite blushes, so why am I not turning to them?!

NARS Luster is one in a million. It's a gorgeous peach tan with a golden sheen, which works as a 3-in-1 of highlighter, blusher and contour. I absolutely adore this - it's up there with Orgasm and Sin, and is perfect for a tan or a natural glow :) That being said it might have been a bit too sheen-ey for the flash photography at grad - you can be the judge of that in my grad post :D

The palette you see up top is my ArtDeco palette that I got a while ago in my Berlin haul. I photographed it to show you the Camouflage Cream, which is like a concealer, and the beige-ish eyeshadow, both of which my friend Lisa picked up for me while she was in Berlin - they don't disappoint :D Thanks Lisa!

The Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation was my foundation of choice for my graduation - full coverage, matte, not too expensive, and no SPF. This thing is INDUSTRIAL. I'll do a full post on how I use this and how it turns out,  but you mix it with a face primer, or else it is like.. Sudocrem. That being said - in love :) Just a bit tricky to use!

The lovely 25FLONDON sent me a sample of the much talked about UDPP, but due to incompetent university post room policies, I never got it :( So I went for MAC's Paint Pot in Soft Ochre - because from where I was, Harrod's was closer than Debenham's :P I haven't worn eyeshadow recently, but I can safely say it did the job on the big day :)

Now for the biggy.. the Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte.

I really really wanted a nice, on-the-go natural powder. My MAC MSFN has been letting me down with the lack of mirror, crumbliness and lack of oil control, the Maybelline Mattifying Powder is atm too light for me, and my all time favourite mattifying powder, the Bourjois Compact, is on the verge of cracking (again). What better excuse to indulge in my first ever Chanel? :)

I was always reluctant to buy something else from Chanel - the packaging is always so gorgeous, so I wanted something that I'd carry around and take out - casually of course ;) HAHAHA (vain!).

The Poudre Universelle Compacte is Chanel's "for everyone" powder, which claims to give a transparent satin finish. Honestly, it does. It's not amazing at oil control but honestly, that's only something I need in the summer and the finish is to die for. So far, I much prefer this to the MAC MSFN, not only because of the more portable-friendly packaging, but because it really does disappear into your skin! Hopefully I will have a full review when I have used it more :) But so far - impressed!

And a sneak peek at my graduation gift to myself..

I try not to add up how much I've spent in this haul :P Anyway, with that - I will be back to regular posting, of both blogs and videos, hopefully for atleast another 2 months :) Thanks for sticking with me guys!

Have you used any of these products?

How have you been?! Let me know! :D

<3yu

FOTD: ArtDeco Palette #1

On my Berlin trip I made myself a palette from ArtDeco. One of the eyeshadow shades I got was an aqua colour and to be honest - it was kind of an impulse buy, that was triggered by the want to get non-neutral eyeshadows. Perplexed by how the heck I was going to pull it off, I attempted something :)

Face:

Dior Diorskin Forever Foundation in 030

Bourjois Compact Powder in 73 Miel Dore

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC35

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach

ArtDeco Blush in 19

Eyes:

ELF Studio Eye Primer and Line Sealer Stick

MAC Eyeshadow in Honesty

ArtDeco Eyeshadow in 391

MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara

K-Palette Real Lasting Finish 24hr Eyeliner

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel

Lips:

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight 700

ArtDeco Blusher in 19; ArtDeco Eyeshadow in 391; MAC Eyeshadow in Honesty

I thought it was a good twist to the typical neutral eyeshadow on top, and blue liner on the bottom look!

It actually turned out pretty wearable, and because of the way my eyes fold, when I open my eyes the blue really stands out the most! This colour, when blended out turns into like an ashy dark blue, but concentrated, it maintains its vibrance so it's a really interesting and multipurpose shadow! :)

I also found a great teal eyeshadow look from TiffanyD, but I don't have any pastel teal colours.. couldn't imagine myself wearing it but I'm a bit curious now! :P

How do you wear bright eyeshadows? :)

<3yu

Berlin! & Haul :)

I missed you guys!

If you were with me on my birthday, you know that my lovely boyfriend treated me to a few days in Berlin last week - it was AMAZING. I fell in love with the city and the people, and the history has always intrigued me - I did a class on the Cold War, a class on human rights, and I'm doing a degree in human rights so you can imagine how ecstatic and nerdy I was while I was there! :)

Brandenburg Gate

 Schloss Charlottenberg

Inside of the German History Museum - for H :P

 Jewish Memorial

Me & the Ampelmann (Stoplight man!) :)

 Guess what I found in the German History Museum! :P

Nom nom piggy choc. 

The Sony Center

Perving on Cold War historic icons..?

One of the messages on the Berlin Wall.

We also went to the Reichstag, the cathedral, the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche church, the German History Museum, the Topography of Terror museum, Checkpoint Charlie, a huge chocolate shop and so much more :)

To make it relevant to this blog, I'll pop up a video on my city-break make-up bag as well as post some pictures of the mini-haul I did while I was there - I skipped on Duty Free and went straight for the Germany-exclusive goodies! :)

These goodies are from the Niveahaus, which is pretty much a big store full of Nivea goodies that only exist in Berlin, Hamburg and Dubai. I love Nivea as a skincare brand, so went for some face products! :)

Ideal Finish Foundation in 04 Sand

Stay Real Blush in Shades of Rose

Pure&Natural Colours Powder in 07 Caramel

I also got the classic tin lotion, and they gave me the bag, sample deodorant and sun gel as a gift!

Another stop we made was KaDeWe, which is the biggest department store in Europe, and I stopped by the ArtDeco stand which was recommended to me by my friend. I skipped straight to the palette-making section, as I love customizing anything - and ArtDeco has space for blushers too!

This is the palette I made. As you can see, BIG mirror that I used for my whole face. Here is what I put in:

Blush in 19 - Peach, satin finish.

Eyeshadow in 208 - Plummy, brown, frost finish.

Eyeshadow in 45 - Dirty forest green, frost finish.

Eyeshadow in 391 - Aqua blush, shimmery finish.

Sorry for the poor pictures - I was just too anxious to make a post, even if it was getting dark ;P

I also got 2 things in Manchester before we left for Berlin - but I'm sure you will hear about them in the future! :) They are the UNE Skin Glow Eyeliner Pencil and a MAC lipstick in Vegas Volt, which I am wearing here:

I had an absolutely AMAZING time, and just wanna pop in a big soppy thank you to my boyfriend for taking me there and introducing me to a great city (and letting me browse make up!) - even if he does overcompensate when I ask him to smile in pics.. ;)

Anyone else been to Berlin? :)

<3yu