Halloween

Hope you had lot's of fun on Halloween! :)

I love Halloween - to be honest i would dress myself all year around like that but people would think i'm crazy, it's the perfect excuse for strong, extraordinary make-up.

Well, i had to work on the 31st but i got the permission to get a little over the top :)
The make-up isn't THAT bold, if you ignore the black brows and the heavy contouring it would make a fabulous fall smokey eye.
I decided the evening before what to do with my face and my hair was done in like 5 seconds right before work because i had to do SOMETHING! :)
and i added white hairspray later...i had none at home so i had to go and buy one :)

Here's what i used

MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15 where needed
Illamasqua PF105 all over
MAC Dark Edge e/s to Contour

Cheap Black Eyekohl
MAC Artifact pp
MAC Sketch e/s
MAC Cranberry e/s
H&M Red e/s (i bought this years ago, but it's just a bright red)
MAC Point Black lll on brows, the waterline and top lashline

MAC Creme d'Nude l/s in those photographs - i wanted something lighter so i just used foundation and powder later on and dabbed some red lipstick onto the inside of my lips.

MAC Skincare

Since MACs Skincare range is the only one which works for me i thought i'd share a few things! :)
MAC makes make-up removers, exfoliators, moisture creams/lotions, eyecreams, lipconditioners, fixers and a shaving cream. In asia MAC has a brightening "line" - just like other international companies.
I'll talk about the products in the same order as you find them on their homepage - remember this is personal, it may not work for you! Before you buy a product i recommend ask a MA for a sample!

Make-up Removers

Green Gel Cleanser
this is a refreshing, soap free make-up remover with extracts of cucumber and algae. Like every other gel you activate it with water and massage the foam on your face.
I would use a seperate make-up remover for the eye area - other than that this is a great facial wash for combination to oily skin. I couldn't feel any hydrating properties like mentioned on the homepage and that's why i wouldn't recommend it for normal or dry skin.

Cremewash
This cleanser is like whipped cream infused with muru muru butter and caffeine. Activate it with water and massage on your face.
As with the Green Gel Cleanser i would use a seperate remover for the eye area - it may be only me but this stuff burns in my eyes!
If you avoid contact with the eyes this is a very gental cleanser and washes off easily! due to the consistency it feels moisturising, i'd recommend it for normal to dry skin.

Cleanse Off Oil
I dare to say this is the best make-up remover of all time! It works on all skin types and removes anything- even liquid last liners, for those of you who ever used one you know what THAT means!
It contains oils of olive fruit, evening primrose, jojoba seed and is 100% mineral-oil free.
It's save to use this on the lips aswell as on the eyes, i recommend this to every friend and so far everybody loves it :)
I use this to remove my make-up pm and clean my face with the creamwash am - if you have oily or combination skin you could replace the cremewash with the green gel cleanser!

Gently Off Eye and Lip Make-up Remover
This worked as well as my drugstore eye make-up remover - anything dual-phased will work just as well...or better.


Moisturizers

Moisturelush Cream
This is a thicker cream, very rich and moisturising!
It works great for everybody with dry or very dry skin. Since it is so hydrating i would definitely try a sample first - it could be too moisturising!

Studio Moisture Fix (SPF 15)
That's a great moisturizer if you have combination or dry skin...and that's all i can say :)

Oil Control Lotion
Perfect for combination or oily skin! I would be careful with this one, i had combination skin a few years ago and used this day and night - i had to stop using it for a time because it made my skin so dry! i then used the oil control lotion am and the studio moisture fix pm to not dry my skin out too much.

Strobe Cream
My favourite moisturiser! Infused with botanicals, vitamins, green tea and iridescent particles this makes my skin glowing healthy. Perfect for dry to normal skin - if you have very dry skin you may have to mix it with a richer cream - but i rather mix this cream than using another one! You can also mix this with your foundation or dab it onto your face over your make-up to add that dewy glow to your face.

Strobe Liquid
As good as strobe cream but lighter, it's suitable for combination and oily skin or just to mix it into your foundation or dab it over your finished make-up.

Fast Response Eyecream
I think this cream is good to use it like a primer for the eye area over another eyecream because this is way to less moisturising for me - it probably works great for you...


Fixers

Fix +
I really can't say if this fixes your make-up - i never had to touch up mine but it does hydrate my skin during the day and it takes the powdery finish away. I'm addicted to facial mists so i like this one but i know you can easily make them yourself! Just put rosewater, tea tree water or whatever is best for your skintype in an atomizer and spritz it on!

Microfine Refinisher
This scrub works with micro-dermabrasion and if you ever tried stuff like that you know it's very harsh - "gently" is definitely the wrong word to discribe this scrub! I recomment using this on normal, combination and oily skin - dry and/or sensitive skin should pass on this! And even if your skin isn't sensitive or dry i would only use it once a week - or even once a month!

Lipconditioners (all of them!)
They work, but you can find better ones - the ones that moisturise the most are the tinted lip conditioners. You miss nothing if you don't try these!

Brush 101

I personally think brushes are a very important tool when it comes to make-up, so I decided to make my own brush 101 - i will talk about different brands but keep them in the catergories "Face & Cheeks", "Eyes" and "Lips".

Natural or synthetic bristles?
That can only be answered by yourself. When you start to use brushes you will pick your favourites after a time on your own. For example I love to use the 168 for liquid foundation - after i read all the raving about the 187 i thought i'll give it a try but i always come back to the 168 :), it's a very personal thing!

For me it's like this:
if I want my colour to be opaque and solid no matter if liquid, cream or powder i use a stiffer brush and if it's liquid or cream i'm most likely to choose a synthetic brush.
the structure of synthetic bristles is even therefore they can't keep powder so well - that's why i use a stiff but natural brush for powder!

when i want to blend things no matter if liquid, cream or powder i use a fluffy brush and i'll most likely choose a brush with natural bristles.
the structure of natural hair is rough and uneven, the powder can hold on to something!

MAC Brushes
No other brand has as many different brushes as MAC does - i have to admit i don't think you NEED them all, you could just stick with "ordinary" brushes...but where's the fun? :)

Illamasqua Brushes
All Illamasqua brushes are synthetic BUT they are extremely soft and work very well! They are definitely as good as MAC brushes...or better!
I bought a few more Illamasqua Brushes and i'm so happy with them - i hope they'll expand their range! I never thought this would happen but i choose Illamasqua Brushes over MAC Brushes, they are simply amazing! I will order more soon!

Sigma Brushes
My friend Guinevere recieved her Sigma brushes lately and from what i can tell they're great! They look and feel just like MAC brushes, only difference seems to be the price. No matter if you want to expand or start your collection of brushes you should check them out!

Costal Scents Brushes
Those brushes are fine and for this price absolutely great - the only thing that bothers me is the short handle! If you just do your own make-up that's nothing to worry about but if you have clients this may be uncomfortable...

Face & Cheeks
109 - I like this brush for highlighting and powder blush and I know a lot of people like it for powder & liquid foundation
129 - I use it for powder bush but you could use it as powder brush aswell
136 - this brush seems to be d/c - but if you can get your hands on one it's amazing for powder and powder foundation as it allows a sheer application
150 - perfect powder brush, for face and body
168 - love this one for liquid foundation & concealer aswell as for powder & cream blusher
182 - great brush for powder and mineral foundation, use it to remove fallout or to sheer out blush/contour
184 - i use it for highlighting and to remove fallout, you may also like it for a light application of liquid foundation
187 - i just like it for powder blush and moisturizer but a lot of people like it for liquid foundation & concealer and for cream blush
188 - it's just a smaller version of the 187, i use it for liquid concealer, highlighter and powder blush
189, 190, 191 - it's called a foundation brush but i just use it for moisturizer or primer, probably for a face mask on clients
194, 195 - i would honestly use those for liquid & cream eyeshadows, for concealer i would use the 224, 217 or the Illamasqua blending brushes - they provide a softer finish!

Limited Edition Brushes
131 - it's like an oval shaped 188, i skipped this one but i guess it's nice for highlighting and liquid foundations & concealers
165 - this one is perfect for contouring and highlighting, i also like it for concealer

Illamasqua
Blusher Brush 2 - This one is angled and perfect for contouring! I never liked the 168 for contouring because it's too big and thick.

Eyes
204 - perfect to seperate lashes after mascara or to apply mascara on clients if you clean it afterwards!
208 - simple eyebrow brush, use this with eyebrow powder or rub it on an eyebrow pencil
209, 210 - eyeliner brushes, use them with gel or liquid eyeliner
212 - no necessary brush, i use the 214 instead
214 - perfect for putting eyeshadow on the lower lashline, to smoke out liner on the upper lashline or for a cut crease look
217 - that's one of my most favourit brushes, i love it for highliting the browbone, to blend the crease, the upper crease and to apply liquid or cream concealer!
219 - perfect for lower lashline aswell as blending liner there and for the tearduct
222 - great for concentrating colour in the crease, for liquid and cream concealer and if you have small or asian eyes it's probably easier for you to use than the 224
224 - amazing blending brush, for the crease, above crease and for liquid and cream concealer
227 - lot of people use it for highlighting the browbone, i think it's too big :)
231 - if you want to do rainbow looks, do detail work or precisley smoke out your liner this is the perfect brush, i also like it as a lip brush
239 - hands down, best eyeshadow brush of all time - perfect for packing on colour!
242, 249, 252 - for liquid or cream eyeshadow - but if you ask me, get cheap similar brushes and spend your money elswhere
266 - if you like a visible eyeliner that's your brush, also perfect for winged eyeliner! use it with gel or liwuid eyeliner!
272 - if you want one brush to rule them all! ...to pack on colour, place colour in the crease and slightly blend it that one is worth a look!

Limited Edition Brushes
226 - BEST BRUSH EVER! i still hope they make this one perm! it's not only perfect for the crease (it's like the kid of the 222 and the 224) but also for highlighting the browbone, lower lashline and it even works for packing on colour! i could do the most amazing eyemake-up just using one of these!

Illamasqua
Eyeshadow Brush - honestly, it's not as good as the 239 simply because the bristles are too long, it works for me but if you have smaller eyes this might not work well for you
Blending Brush 1 - this one is a little bit smaller than the 224 but it works just aswell! The bristles are even softer than the 224 - I prefer this one over the MAC one...that's why i bought another 2 of these :)
Blending Brush 2 - this one is bigger than the 224, it is too big for my crease but it works well above crease, highlighter for browbone and cheeks and i love it to apply Illamasquas Under Eye Concealer!
Eyeliner Brush - this one is a little bit thick but with practice i think even a natural line is possible

Make-up Store
206 - perfect for liquid & cream eyeshadow
211 - great for the lower lashline, tearduct and lipstick

Costal Scents
C139 Stiff Tapered Crease - if we ignore the shorter handle it's a great cheap blending brush, it's not as soft as i'm used to but it definitely works!

Lips
316 - works as well as any other lipbrush

Illamasqua
Lip Brush - This Brush is not too soft and not too stiff, it has a pretty thin tip so you can work very precisely


I will update this post from time to time - whenever i get new brushes i will set this information up here!

Pixiwoo inspired Look

The lovely pixiwoo made an awesome tutorial for the new Illamasqua Collection "Dystopia" - since I always loved painted on lashes I thought i'd give it a try...turned out pretty nice I guess :)

Dont be disappointed - but I barley used any Illamasqua products - at the time I made this look the Dystopia Collection wasn't on their website :(

I used the following:
CostalScents Camouflage Concealer Palette
Illamasqua PF135
MAC Perfect Topping MSF to highlight
MAC Fashion Frenzy p/b

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Stars n' Rockets - inner socket and streched it all along the crease, also lid and lower lashline
MAC Fig 1. - to deepen the crease and to smoke out the liner later on
MAC Carbon - used to intensify the crease even more
MAC Post Haste & Passionate mixed - above crease and on the lid aswell as on the lower lashline
MAC Liquid Last Liner in Point Black on the waterline and for lining the lower and the top lashline
MAC Liquid Last Liner in Visionare used to replace the Liquid Metal by Illamasqua on the "lashes"
MAC Beauty Marked - to smoke out the harsh lines of Point Black and to extend the liner
MAC Crystal Avalanche - to highlight

MAC Plushlash
MAC GirlBoy BrowSet
MAC 3# Lashes - just used the part i had to cut off to make the lashes fit my eye, on the outer third of my eye

I used Like Venus Dazzleglass on my lips...later :)