Unusual Smokey Eye

Gosh, I used SO many colours on this one, i'm not sure if i can tell you exactly what i did :)

Basically i started do draw the shape with MAC fl in Blacktrack, blended and worked with black and purple e/s to soften the edges...this is what i remember:

Illamasqua UEC130
MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15
Illamasqua PF135
MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
MAC e/s in Carbon
MAC e/s in Fig. 1
MAC e/s in Vanilla
MUFE e/s 92
i'm sure i used more, but you get the idea :)
MAC Plushlash Mascara in Black
Browset in Girlboy

MAC Cremesheen in Petite Indulgence (LE)

Neutral Eye and bold Lips

I love vampy lips - i think they go very well with every skintone, as long as you feel comfortable wearing bold lips you should go for it!
Usually i don't really like the "intense lips - neutral eyes and vice versa"-rule but sometimes it's nice to make one facial feature the center of attention :)

What I used:

Illamasqua UEC130
MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15 mixed with Jojoba Oil
Illamasqua PF135
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Disobey for Contouring
MAC Powder Blush in Strada

MAC Next to Nothing e/s (LE) - any light shimmery colour will do - lid up to the browbone
The Body Shop e/s in 07 in the crease
MAC lll in Classic Cream top Lashline - a shame they dc it :(
MAC Dazzlelash mascara in black
MAC Browset in Girlboy

MAC Currant Lipliner
MAC Mattene in Bing (LE)
excuse my sloppy lipline - i was in a hurry, i am usually paying more attention :)

Smokey Purple and Orange Look

Illamasqua UEC130
MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15 mixed with Jojoba Oil
MAC Full Coverage in NC15 where needed
Illamasqua PF135
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Disobey for Contouring
MAC BPB in Enough Said (LE Cult of Cherry) any orangey Blush will do

MAC Artifact p/p on the lid blended up the crease
MAC Beauty Marked e/s on the lid and blend upwards
MAC Claire de Lune e/s (LE Moonbathe) - it's a creme with pink duochrome to highlight
MAC Motif e/s on top of Claire de Lune and on the tearduct
MAC Sketch e/s in the crease and blended upwards
MAC Passionate e/s above the crease
MAC Rule e/s above the crease
MAC Point Black lll
MAC Feline Kohl Power Eye Pencil
MAC Dazzle Lash Mascara in Black Dazzle
MAC Plushlash Mascara in Black
MAC Browset in Girl Boy

MAC Créme d'Nude Lipstick
MAC Dazzleglass in Miss Dynamite

Hope you liked it!

Orange and Gold + NOTD

This is yesterdays look :)
It's more vibrant irl though...
Despite it's mainly orange i think this is a very wearable look - you could skip the red lip if that's too bold for you!

I used the following products:
Illamasqua UEC130
MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15 mixed with the MACs new Care Blend in Orange+Lavender
MAC Full Coverage in NC15 where needed
Illamasqua PF135
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Disobey for Contouring
MAC MPB in Nuance
MAC PB in Frankly Scarlett just on the apples of the cheeks

I do this looks quite often, usually i use Rule e/s as a base this time i used Off the Radar p/m - and i have to say Rule works so much better for this look!

MAC Off the Radar p/m
MAC Rule e/s on top for more intensity
MAC Samoa Silk e/s above the crease
MAC Vanilla e/s to highlight
MAC Dark Edge e/s in the crease (LE Cult of Cherry Tempting Quad) - a medium dark brown
MAC Solar Bits in Scatterrays on top of everything orange
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack for a winged eyeliner
MAC Dazzlelash Mascara in Blach Dazzle
MAC Feline Kohl Power Eye Pencil
MAC Browset in Girl Boy

MAC Lipliner in Cherry
Illamasqua Lipstick in Faust

NOTD
MAC Nocturnelle n/l
Illamasqua n/l in Spartan


That's it, hope you like it! :)

Glittery Purple Look + Static Pigment Swatches and Review

So that's my look for today :)
The last time i did this look i applied MAC fuchsia Glitter on top but it all ended up on my cheeks during the day so i skiped this step - if you have transparent Mascara use it as a base for glitter and it will last forever, but i don't have any so no Fuchsia glitter for me today :)

What I used:
Illamasqua UEC in 130
MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15
Illamasqua PF in 135
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Disobey to contour
MAC Powder Blush in Dollymix

MAC Foxy Lady Eye Kohl on the entire lid blended upwards and on the lower lashline
MAC Beauty Marked e/s on Top of the Kohl
MAC Fig. 1 e/s in the crease and the lower Lashline
MAC Purple Shower e/s (LE) over Fig. 1
MAC Passionate e/s and Post Haste e/s mixed over the crease and on the lower lashline
MAC Next to Nothing e/s (LE) to highlight
MAC Young Punk MES (LE) in the lid
Illamasqua Static Pigment all over (used with Fix+)
MAC lll in Point Black top lashline and waterline
Illamasqua False Lashes 07

MAC Dervish Lipliner
Illamasqua Liar Lipstick

Static Pigment is actually pretty cool, i know Christine didn't like the packaging ("Oh, and packaging? I think I already lost 10% of the product on my floor and countertop after only opening it twice.") I had no problems with it...sure it's different but if you are careful it's fine, just pull the lid up on one side and it will open easily.
She also used it on top of a paint pot but underneath the eyeshadows and i think that's why she didn't love it, it IS glittery it has to be on top in my opinion.
And the last point where i disagree with her is that it looks similar to MACs Pink Opal pigment - I wouldn't call Static a pigment it's more on the glitter side and still easy to work with and Pink Opal is like an eyeshadow - Static is compared to Pink Opal purple in colour.

I tried to capture Statics awesomeness and kinda failed - but you can still see the difference in colour and in the second photo (i know it's blurry) you can see the different finish even better!

BUT Illamasqua pigments are very expensive and i personally don't think the pigments they offer are special but Static is and it was worth the money.

Anyways, hope you liked the look! :)

Black Lips and Pale Blue Eyes

Hi there!

It's been a while - but i was busy and sick :)

This is a look from a few days ago - i wanted to try this for a long time and finally did it! I also got a BIG Illamasqua order and will swatch everything for you soon!

And here's what i used:
Illamasqua Under Eye Concealer in 130
MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15
MAC Full Coverage in NC15 where needed
Illamasqua Powder Foundation in 135
MAC Powder Blush in Dollymix and Pink Swoon
Illamasqua Powder Blush in Disobey to Contour

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Illamasqua Cream Eyeshadow in Amour all over the lid and blended upwards
MAC e/s in Warm Chill (LE) on the inner half of the lid and inner lower lashline
MAC e/s in Surreal on the outer half and outer lower lashline
MAC e/s in Jewel Blue over Warm Chill to make it more Turquoise same on the lower lashline
MAC e/s in Electric Eel over Surreal to make it more Blue and on the lower lashline
The Body Shop Hot Brights Highlighter on Browbone and Tearduct
an eyeshadow i mixed myself - goal was a colour like peppermint patti n/l from MAC - dusted over Warm Chill
MAC Prussian e/s in the crease and outer third of the lower lashline
MAC Haunting e/s (LE) upper crease
MAC lll in Point Black to line the upper lashline
Illamasqua Lahes 07 (i cut one of them in half and used that for both eyes)
MAC Browset in Girl Boy
MAC Dazzlelash in Black Dazzle

a black eyepencil to line and fill out the lips
Illamasqua Lipstick in Pristine
if you want to gloss things up add clear gloss or Illamasquas Intense Lipgloss in Repulse

Hope you liked it!

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.

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 :)

Smokey Blue-Green Look

CostalScents Camouflage Concealer Palette
Illamasqua PF135
MAC CCB in Pearl to highlight
MAC Fashion Frenzy p/b

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Aquavert e/s - i dusted it slightly everywhere from lashline to the brow but concentrated it on the lid and the browbone
MAC Shimmermoss e/s - just above Aquavert on the lid
MAC Talentpool e/s - outer half of the lid and in the crease
MAC Flashtrack e/s - outer crease

MAC Blacktrack Fluidline - top lashline
MAC Plushlash
MAC GirlBoy BrowSet

MAC Saint Germain l/s

Bold Teal Look

got a bunch of compliments for this one :) - which made me extremely happy because I failed at 2 looks before I finally did this one!
i also tried to match my nail laquer with my make-up - turned out pretty good, huh? :)
it's China Glazes Turned up Turquoise with MACs Plasma Blu over it!

what I used:
MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15 and Select Cover-up NW15 mixed
Illamasqua PF135
MAC CCB in Pearl to highlight
MAC Pink Swoon p/b

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Aqualine lll as a base all over the lid and above the crease
Make-up Studio Blue Emerald e/s to fix it
MAC Freshwater e/s - crease
MAC Flashtrack e/s (it's a d/c shade but Deep Truth is very similar!) - very crease
MAC Sea and Sky MES by Mac in the crease (the solid side) - slightly above the crease
MAC Surreal e/s to highlight and on the tearduct
MAC Aqualine lll again this time as a liner on top lashline

on the bottom lashline:
MAC Aqualine lll as a base
Blue Emerald to fix
MAC Freshwater on the outer 2/3 of the lashline
MAC Flashtrack on the outer 1/3 of the lashline
MAC Sea and Sky to intensify
and Aqualine as a liner and on the waterline

MAC Plushlash

later Like Venus Dazzleglass on my lips

Green/Teal Look

you probably already noticed that I tend to do the photos before I put anything on my lips...well, I guess you have to get used to that :)

What I used:
Mix of MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15 and Select Cover-up in NW15 as a concealer
Illamasqua PF135
MAC CCB in Pearl to highlight
MAC Pink Swoon p/b

UDPP
MAC True Chartreuse p/m
MAC Electric Eel
MAC Rated R
MAC Crystal Avalanche
MAC Aqualine lll
Drugstore Eyekohl
MAC Plushlash
MAC Browset in Girl Boy

i put Like Venus Dazzleglass on my lips...later :)

Yellow/Teal Look

here you can see the illamasqua powder foundation in action! :) it's a perfect match for me!
and I'm wearing Indulge - I don't like the rule "either bold lips or bold eyes"...I generally don't like rules in make-up :)

what I used:
Costal Scents Concealer Palette
Illamasqua PF135
MAC Fashion Frenzy p/b
MAC CCB in Pearl to highlight

UDPP
Make-up Stores Cybereyeshadow in ra
MAC Bitter e/s
Medusas Make-up Teal e/s
The Body Shops Hot Brights highlighter from the blue duo
MAC Blacktrack f/l
MAC Plushlash
Drugstore Eyekohl
MAC Browset in Girl Boy

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Indulge

Light Blue Look

I tend to wear greens and blues because it looks cool with the red hair :)
i'm not sure what colours i used to achieve this look but it must've been something like this

Manhattan Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base
MAC Warm Chill e/s
MAC Mutiny p/m
and some greens and blues from the 88 palette over it
but I am pretty sure i used Vanilla e/s on my Browbone! :) at least I remember one thing :D

and obviously nothing on my lips again -.-

on my face
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15
MAC Select Cover-up
KRYOLAN Translucent Powder
MAC Desert Rose p/b

Neat Purple Look

even though it's very simple it's still neat and flattering :)

I used:
MAC Select Cover-Up in NW15
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15
KRYOLAN Translucent Powder
MAC MSF (this half n half one) as a highlighter
MAC Pink Swoon p/b

Manhattan Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base
MAC Stars n' Rockets e/s
MAC Cranberry e/s
MAC Dazzlelight e/s
MAC Blacktrack f/l
a Drugstore Mascara
and a Drugstore Eye Kohl

there is nothing on my lips in this photos but I paired this look with Bare Slimshine later