My Favourite Products in 2009

Hi all!

This is the last day of 2009 so I wanted to list my favourite products from 2009. These are the products that I've discovered in 2009 AND I've used most often or fallen in love with them.

10. Meow Equilibrium Primer

It soothes my easily irritated skin. What more do you want, really?

9. Lumene Blueberry Curl Waterproof Mascara in Rich Black

I had searched AGES for a waterproof mascara that would make my lashes look more thicker (I already have ridiculously long lashes) but I couldn't find one that wouldn't make ugly black smudges under my brows. This is THE ONE. It doesn't smudge and it doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. And it stays on beautifully.

8. Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

First I didn't know how to use this and thought it would be the most useless product ever. I was wrong. I use this with strong shimmery eyeshadows. I get to keep all the glitter and make the shadows visible for a kilometre radius.

7. Sassy Minerals blush in Gimme Some Sugar

This is a lovely warm blush with the perfect amount of shimmer. It amounts a nice glow to any look. I use this for work looks to brighten things up a bit.

6. Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Shangri-La

Honestly, at first I though it would look too purple on me. When I tried this on, I knew it would be the start of a very beautiful relationship. It's not too cold (I don't look hypothermic) but it's edgy enough for strong looks.

5. Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Pumpkinfire

I love the black base with the shimmer overload! I don't get to use this often enough but when I do: oh boy.

4. Meow Cosmetics Lost Rainforest Blush in Canna

The loveliest strong pink blush there is! Unfortunately it was limited edition. Boo. I still love it and the full size will probably last a long time.

3. Aromaleigh L'Orchidée collection

These are just beautiful. This is my all-time favourite eyeshadow collection from Aromaleigh. Fortunately, some of these are now permanent. Unfortunately, not all of them are. Nonetheless, they are worth snatching. My faves are Jewel, Unicorn, Orinoco, Pink Fingers and Shadow Witch.

2. MAC Slimshine Lipstick in Long Stem Rose

It's the most beautiful golden pink! And I love the formula. It's a lipstick that truly makes lips look more juicy and glossy. It's a lipstick that feels like lipstick but looks like a gloss. And it's super moisturizing. My precioussssssss.

1. Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish

I run out of this. All the time. It's like an instant photoshop on my face. It doesn't look dusty, it actually disappears into the skin and makes the whole face glow (in a good way that is). I hope this thing was forever.

EOTD: The Grinch (plus some Christmas photos)

Hi there!

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. Right now I'm a bit ill (nothing major, just the sniffles) and I can't show my full face anywhere. As my boyfriend left me alone for a couple of hours today because he went out the his family country cottage to get us a Christmas tree, I felt that I owed you an EOTD at least.

For this look I used HiFi Cosmetics's Holiday Collection shadows. Adeste Fideles is what I would describe a "dirty gold" with green shimmer. It's a really beautiful colour, I love how light catches the green. I paired it with Grinch which is a neon lime type of green with golden shimmer. It really looks like Grinch's fur! It's a very strong, jaw-dropping colour but it can be used lightly for a lovely green shimmer. I also felt like a Christmas look requires a certain amount of glitter so I grabbed a smaple baggie of Slither (green glitter) from Aromaleigh's Rocks! Sonic Glitter line.

EOTD: The Grinch

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer)
HiFi Cosmetics eyeshadow in Adeste Fideles (all over eyelid)
HiFi Cosmetics eyeshadow in Grinch (outer vee and crease)
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Aromaleigh Rocks! Sonic glitter in Slither (over Pixie Epoxy)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara




Oh, how I wish I could have done a full face look! I think these colours are amazing and this tiny picture doesn't do them any justice.

I'm in love with HiFi Cosmetics. Their shadows are beautiful and Veronica, the owner, is a total sweetheart. If you have any questions about her products, I swear she'll answer them all. She names most of her colours after songs which is cool. Right now my faves are Grinch, Tainted Love, Sweet Emotions, Visions of Sugarplums, Pixies and Hot Chocolate. Grinch, Adeste Fideles, Visions of Sugarplums and Hot Chocolate are from her Holiday Collection.

I intend to do a more in-depth review of HiFi Cosmetics but all I can say for now that I'd recommend her products to anyone who loves colours and appreciates friendly and honest customer service.

So I mentioned the Christmas tree. We always have a real one and this year I wanted to buy some funny decorations. Like a sparkly pink reindeer.




Isn't he cute? We also have a teddybear, a robot, a Christmas tree and a voodoo reindeer in our tree. A Christmas tree on a Christmas tree? Yep, that's right. It's made of felt and it has different coloured buttons as decorations.

And here's a little pic of our small tree all done and lit up. Sorry about the photo quality, I just wanted to post this.




I'll post a better picture of the tree and perhaps a whole holiday look if possible.

Any plans for the holidays? How do you like the look?

It's My Party!

Hey guys!

Today is my birthday! I'm a bit closer to 30 (which no one seems to believe) and I still feel like 5.

I don't have a look for you but as you might've guessed, I'm wearing purples today.

So if you feel like joining the party, break out your purple eyeshadows and do the happy dance :)

And watch this space because I'm thinking about giving some presents to one lucky follower...

Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte review and FOTD

The lovely Miss K from Aromaleigh sent me samples of her brand-spanking new collection to swatch and try out. Unfortunately it's dark outside and I can't take decent swatch photos :( Right now it's about the darkest time of year in Finland. In fact, I can almost make a bet that if you came here now, you would think that Finland is the most depressing place on earth. A little snow would help with the lighting problem but in Helsinki there's no snow. It snowed a little yesterday but it was gone almost instantly.

Okay, back to business. To compensate for the lack of swatch photos, I did a look with my new treats. Most bloggers have already done something with this collection and I noticed that most of them have used greens, blues, pinks and purples. I love using orange andd pink together so I decided that I should cover some of the oranges on my blog!

Heels on Fire: Intense mauved pink. Strawberry milkshake sweet shoppe heaven
Cat's Pajamas: matte coral with warm orange tones. It's not orange, it's not red. It's simply the cat's pajamas
Supermurgatroid: Intense coral orange - far out!

The colour descriptions on Aromaleigh's site crack me up. Not only are the colours lovely and cheerful but I like that the same attitude is reflected in the shade descriptions.

FOTD: This is the Cat's Pajamas!

Face:

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in Custom Blend
Purely Cosmetics Silk and Pearl primer (as a top coat)
Cory Cosmetics Illuminator in Riot (as a blusher)

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte eyeshadow in Heels on Fire (inner 1/3 of the lid)
Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte eyeshadow in Cat's Pajamas (middle of the lid)
Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte eyeshadow in Supermurgatroid (outer vee and crease)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée eyeshadow in Orinoco (as a highlighter below brow)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Lollipop-pop









I know that most people are afraid of matte eyeshadows because they're afraid that they're chalky or that they are hard to apply. Well, Hi-Fi colours are not chalky, far from it! Actually, they look chalkier in the sample bags and when I first tried out Fake Out (which looked greyish blue in the bag), I went 'holy cow!!!' because the colour was really intense. For application I suggest that you use a good primer and make sure you apply it very evenly. These colours blend really well so you don't have to worry about that. But go lightly at first because these babies are very VERY pigmented!


What you have to be careful about with mattes is that you don't "rub" the colour to much. It may become blotchy. Aromaleigh mattes are very smooth so you don't have to be too heavyhanded with the blending.

I think these three colours look utterly delicious! I used a shimmery eyeshadow as a highlighter because it makes the mattes pop even more. Try it, I swear it works! Orinoco was a perfect choice for this look because it's a pink-toned peach/coral shade.




Me and my messy hair!

I also suggest using a shimmery blush with matte eyeshadows. Too much matte will make you look a bit washed out, no matter how vibrant the colours are.

I'm bummed out for the photo quality. I tried taking photos indoors with flash but it's so dark that I looked like the ghost of a ghost. Seriously.

I love this collection. When I have the money, I will buy some full sizes. I think only colour this collection is missing is a matte fire engine red.

If you're not sure about using mattes, try them with shimmery colours. Use a matte shadow all over lid and then shimmery colour on your outer vee and crease. The result is stunning.

My opinion of this collection: I think these are the best mattes -ever. These are smooth and non-chalky and very unintimidating to use. The colours are yummy and I suggest getting as many samples as you can because I wouldnever in a million years thought that Supermurgatroid would be my colour. As it is stated on Aromaleigh website, two of the colours, In Orbit and Cranked, contain a little lustre. The shimmer is more visible on the baggie than it is on the skin. So these are both mattes, too.
The matte trend has been going on for ages on nails but I think matte makeup is so much hotter! These candy colours will bright up your day, no matter how much sunlight you're actually getting. In all, this is a wonderful collection to have this time of year!

My list of must-haves: Kookie, Got Dibs, Cat's Pajamas, Heels on Fire, In the Mix, Supermurgatroid, In Orbit, Radioactive.

So, what are your thoughts about the look? Have you tried out Hi-Fi Retro Mattes? What are your faves?

Sophie: Dark Angel

Sophie Lancaster would've turned 23 if she hadn't been beaten and kicked to death by a group of teenagers who attecked her and her boyfriend. The reason for the vicious attack? Sophie and her boyfriend were goths.

Please view this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1NP9VoadI

If you want to support S.O.P.H.I.E (The Sophie Lancaster Foundation), visit Illamasqua store and buy their Sophie eye pencil or wristband.

I wish to express my condolences and support to the family of Sophie. It grieves me that someone should lose their life just because they look different.


Violence is not an answer to anything. Hate only breeds hate. We are all different but each one of us has to have the same right to exist in this world.

Please forward the video to send the message onwards.

Love,

Saila

Review and swatches: J. Lynne

I look like I have the plague. My face is covered in spots and blemishes. I think they are caused by stress (work, my birthday is in a couple of weeks etc) and Friday's office X-mas party didn't help either (although I had fun!).

So this is a perfect day to post a review. I also have swatches but I'm afraid the lighting issues continue. So bear with me.

I stumbled accross J. Lynne through Mineral Makeup Mutiny website. I hadn't heard of the brand before and I decided to have a look at their website. After that, I was 100% sure I wanted to give them a go. All their products are cruelty free and made by the company so that's a huge plus.

I wanted to try out their Japanese garden collection. The colours looked soft and pretty and I'm such a sucker for Japanese-themed products. I also got offered a free gift, either two blushes or two eyeshadows in sample sizes. I went for blushes and I asked if I could choose those samples. I got an answer that due to logistical reasons it wasn't possible to choose the samples which I respect.

The website has pictures of the shades as well as a written description. However, some of the described colours sound a bit odd , like "cool bronze". To me, bronze is a warm colour.





This is the oh-so-sweet packaging in which my order I arrived. I felt like it was my birthday or Christmas already!

I unwrapped the papers and went "hmmmmm...". The jars are HUGE. First, I thought that I got sent full sized products instead of samples. The jars are also fairly heavy because they are made of thick plastic.

This is where the disappointments begun. Inside the enormous jar was a tiny amount of the product. Maybe it wasn't as little as it was made to look like but it felt and looked strange. I took Fyrinnae's sample to compare the packaging and the amount of product.





The website says that the sample size is "1/16 teaspoon of product in a 5 gram jar".






I have used Fyrinnae's sample pictured here several times. It's one of my favourite highlighters, Sakura. Funny thing, J. Lynne's sample pictured here is Sakura, too! (I wasn't kidding with the Japanese names) I'm pretty sure that Fyrinnae's sample has more product but I'll have to verify this. However, putting this little product in such a huge jar is a waste in my opinion. Also, the jars are so large that I have problems storing them!


Let's move on to the swatches. I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a primer.



Top row, from left to right: Mokuren, Nashi, Wakakusa
Bottom row, from left to right: Sakura, Tachibana, Kuzu, Fuji





Kinoko, Takenoko, Seri, Mikage





Mokuren = delicate ivory with icy buff and pink tones
Nashi = lush wheat colour with golden tones
Wakakusa = icy, pale green with golden tones
Sakura = sweet, lustrous pinky-peach
Tachibana = golden-peach with pink irisdescence
Kuzu = sweet, luminous plum-pink
Fuji = soft, icy silver-violet with hints of pink
Kinoko = lush golden-brown with silver tones
Takenoko = olive green with icy bronze tones
Seri = soft, cool green with silvery highlights
Mikage = lustrous silver-grey
(shade descriptions from J. Lynne website)

These colour are all Satin Pearls shadows which means that they are silky and pearly shades. They are pretty but nothing special, to be honest.

Also, there's an issue with the price. Sample sizes are $1.25 a piece, full sizes $8. Sample set (all 12 colours) is $15. Shipping fee for international orders is $11.

I wanted to love J. Lynne but I just can't. There's nothing wrong with the products and the colours are all pretty but something felt missing. Also, the sample blushes I got? One was almost fark brown and the other beige. A bit of a risk sending these sort of colours to an unknown customer.

I hate writing negative reviews and I wasn't sure if I should write this at all but I've also promised to give my honest opinion of the products I've tried.

If you're a fan of easy, pretty colours then you might like J. Lynne. Their customer service is first class and the formula of the products is good.

Have you tried J. Lynne?

HiFi Cosmetics Black Friday sale!

I'm waiting to get my hands on HiFi's samples so I can't testify for the products but just wanted to let you guys know that HiFi is having a Black Friday sale that ends on Sunday.

All HiFi shadows are BOGO (buy one, get one free) and there are other discounts as well.

Check out the shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hificosmetics for more information.

HiFi also released a holiday collection that looks positively yummy. I especially like Grinch, Adeste Fideles and Visions of Sugarplum!

Meow coupon code and holiday collections

Meow Cosmetics have just launched their holiday collections (yes, that's a plural). My favourite of them is "12 Pains of Christmas", a rather humorous approach to the 'dark side' of the celebrations. I also love the Glacial Grove collection. I might be ordering samples after all...

Use the code CatsEatTurkeys2 to get 20% off of your order. This code is valid until Sunday so now's the time to get ready for the holidays!

FOTD: Make It Work (+ a mini review on Sassy Minerals)

Guys, it's Caturday already!

Yesterday I received a huge sample haul from Sassy Minerals. I had seen Lisa Kate's and Nea's looks and swatches and so I had to make an order.

So, I wanted to do a look with Sassy. Yesterday I watched the Project Runway finale (I had hoped that Carol Hannah would win) and I got my inspiration from Tim Gunn.

Do I hear you say "Whaaaaaat?"?

Well, let me explain. I adore Tim Gunn. He seems so sweet and I love his catchphrases. Sassy has an eyeshadow called Make It Work and I have to admit that I ordered a sample of that simply because I loved the name. But I love the colour, too. It's a "rosy brown with aqua sparkle". The sparkle is nice and not too disco. Because of the theme I paired it with Fashionista which is a "rich copper with silver sparkle". An amazing colour that I believe will soon be lemminged all over the blogosphere, just wait and see. For highlighting I used Witty Banter (I think it suits the theme perfectly), a golden tan colour with gold sparkle.

Although Tim Gunn will probable never see or hear from this look, I hope that he would be happy with what I came up with. At least it's not too costume-y :)

FOTD: Make It Work

Face:

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in custom blend
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish finishing powder
Sassy Minerals blush in Plus One

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper lids)
Sassy Minerals Eye Candy in Make It Work (all over upper lid)
Sassy Minerals Eye Candy in Fashionista (outer vee and crease)
Sassy Minerals Eye Candy in Witty Banter (as a highlighter below brow)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (upper lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

Aromaleigh Nourishing Color Creme in Cakewalk





I hate that I couldn't get a decent photo showing the sparkle of this colours. They are really shimmery in a nice way. It's that time of year again when we have a minimum amount of daylight in Finland. As a matter of fact, the sun doesn't come up at all in the north in the winter. Summers are a completely opposite, the sun doesn't seem to set at all (and it doesn't in Lapland, the northernmost part of Finland).





The colours blend really well and I love the chocolatey look of this combination. Although these are the most shimmery colours that Sassy offers, they are still perfect for days at the office.





The blush I'm wearing, Plus One, was the free blush I received from Sassy. I'm in love with it. It's very delicate peach/pink/beige blush with a hint of golden shimmer.

I hate the pic. I'd love to post perfect photos everytime I do a look but it seems impossible. I still blame the lack of natural light.

For the review part. Sassy's website is very easy to navigate, all the products are in alphabetical order in their respective categories. The shipping was incredibly fast: I placed my order on Friday 13th and I received it exactly 7 days later. That's really fast for international orders. I also got a shipping notice when my order was dispathed (I like when companies do this because then I know that my order is on it's way home to mama).

The colous are beautiful. Sassy may not go crazy with its colours like Fyrinnae but it provides gorgeous and well-pigmented shades that blend well and are multifaceted. The shimmers seem to be a big hit but I also ordered from the less shimmery line and wasn't disappointed. There are photos of the products as well as written colour descriptions which is extremely helpful. I wanted to post you some swatches but I have to leave that until later because the colours wouldn't look as exciting as they are because of the lack of light (Fashioned in Finland and Sparkle Is My Crack have beautiful swatches of some of the shades).

Eyeshadow samples are $0.75 and full sizes are $4.25. There is enough product in the sample jars for several applications. You get free samples with every order you make.

I'm very happy with what I got from Sassy. I just sent them an e-mail asking if they create their own colours and I will post the answer as soon as I get it.

Some must-have shades: Lyrical (emerald green with bright aqua sparkle), Cocktail Party (purple with blue shimmer), Fashionista, Hang Out (taupe with subtle mauve tones), Fierce (smoky grey with red and blue sparkle).

Have you ordered from Sassy? What did you think about their products? How do you like the look?

****UPDATE****

I contacted Team Sassy and they said that they create their own colours. They were supernice and gave me additional information which makes me very happy to recommend them to my lovely readers.

FOTD: Twinkling lilac with soft peach

Today I wanted to base my FOTD on MAC's Dazzleglass in Jingle Jangle. When I saw the colour yesterday, I went "OMG OMG OMG" in my head. Then I read the shade name and my heart sank. Jingle Jangle. I almost retched. Now don't get me wrong, I love winter and yuletide (I love the word). But I hate the gross commercialism around it. I love the smell of freshly baked gingerbreads and I love to decorate my christmas tree. But I hate how everything that appears around this time of year has to be so.. hokey. Finally I gave up because the colour is delicious.

Jingle Jangle is described as "sheer yellow peach" in Temptalia but to me it's warm peachy pink. I can't see no yellow whatsoever. Maybe they've mixed it up with another Dazzleglass from the collection that was actually yellowish.. Hmm.

Anyhoot, in MAC promo pics for the collection, the model is wearing Jingle Jangle on her lips matched with soft lilac eyes. I didn't want to copy that directly because I had my mind set on something peachy. I decided to jazz up the peach with lilac to pay homage to MAC (for making me buy a lip gloss with a hokey name).

I decided to use Fyrinnae's eyeshadows for this look. I chose Orangutan (a soft satiny peach), Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat (sparkling lilac) and Shinigami (deep purple with shimmer). I also used Sakura (an off-white with lilac shimmer) to highlight.

FOTD Twinkling Lilac with soft peach

Face

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in custom blend
Meow Lost Rainforest glow powder in Chameleon (on cheekbones, bridge of the nose and chin)
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Finish finishing powder
Illamasqua cream blusher in Rude
Meow Lost Rainforest blush in Heliconia (over Rude)


Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Orangutan (inner 2/3 of upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat (outer vee and crease)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Sakura (as a highlighter below brow)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Shinigami (wetlined on upper and lower lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara (on upper lashes)

Lips

MAC Dazzleglass in Jingle Jangle







I had problems with blending Orangutan. It stuck on primer and I spend a good amount of time making it look softer. I think it might be the shimmer in it that makes it a bit harder to blend than for example Fyrinnae's Tamarin which is a similar shade but more matte. Usually mattes are harder to belnd but with these two it's the other way around.






I love Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat. It looks much darker in the jar which is why I hesitated a moment but on my skin it's a lot softer. It also has some sparkle in it so it's not a bland kind of soft colour. I actually didn't have to blend it that much to Orangutan, the colours worked perfectly together.

I was going to line my eyes with black pencil or Fluidline. But then for some unknown reason I grabbed Shinigami which I haven't used before. I was afraid it would be too harsh but it turns a lovely plummy purple when used wet.





And here's the end result. I love these colours together. I'm a bit sad that the camera doesn't capture the incredible shimmer in Dazzleglasses (I've had this problem everytime when I try to photograph them). But it really is very sparkly and beautiful.

When I first took photos of this look, I was wearing only Rude on my cheeks. Somehow it looked off and I went over it with a hint of Heliconia which seemed to brighten up the overall look. Maybe it was the sparkle on my lips, dunno.

Also, second day hair. I freshened it up with a spritz of Spoil Me but I left it looking a bit messy because of my makeup. I don't want to be look too made up on Sundays. Okay, sometimes I do but this is a laid back Sunday.

I think I need to find a brow pencil...

How do you like this look? Do you ever base your makeup purchases on the shade name? Do you like Dazzleglasses?

New Hair, look and hauls: it's a 3 in 1 post!

Hi there!

Today, November 14th, is the International Diabetes Day. I've had type 1 diabetes for a couple of years so my contribution for today was to wear blueish makeup (a cerulean blue ring is the symbol for diabetes).

I was supposed to wear Fyrinnae's Baby Beluga (a soft pale grey with blue shimmer) with Mirrors (a shiny antique silver) but the look turned out bland. It just looked black and white on me. Rather than go wash my face, I took Fyrinnae's Blue Footed Booby (teehee) and used that for a wash of colour.

Blue for a Purpose

Face:

Meow Cosmetics Equilibrium primer (as a primer)
Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in custom blend
Meow Lost Rainforest glow powder in Chameleon (as a highlighter on cheekbones, bridge of the nose and chin)
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Finish powder (as a finishing powder)
Fyrinnae blush in Bewitching

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Baby Beluga (all over upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Blue Footed Booby (middle of the eyelids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Mirrors (outer vee and crease)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Underworld (as a highlighter below brow)
Fyrinnae eyshadow in Shinkirou (over Underworld)
MAC Technakhol in Graphblack (upper and lower lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

MAC Slimshine lipstick in Long Stem Rose





Sorry for not getting pictures but there's just no light anymore. I tried taking pics with a flash but it didn't work because we're using energy saving bulbs that are not as bright as regular bulbs. As you may notice, I've lined my eyes almost all the way around. This is because after getting my hair cut, I noticed that I have almond shaped eyes. I had never noticed that before but the hairdresser cut my fringe a little wider to show of my eyes. What I did with the lower lashline was that I draw the line from outer corner to the middle of the lower lid. Then I took a sponge applicator and smudged the line inwards.
I wish the blue shimmer of Baby Beluga was more visible but on me it just isn't. Oh, the joys of being unnaturally pale!





Okay, here's the overall look. I'm very pleased with my hair (which explains the wide grin). It's not a drastic change as such but my eyes are much more noticeable now with the blunt and wider fringe. The back is shorter and as you can see, I have bits of longer hair I can play with in the front. I went to a different hairdresser and a salon than before which was a completely new experience for me. I've gotten my hair cut in the same place since I had hair in my head to get cut. But I wanted someone who hadn't seen me before to do something new.

I still need to work on styling the new 'do...





Which brings me to my haul from yesterday. My hairdresser recommended me to get a can of Tigi's Queen for the Day volumizing spray. I also wanted to get Spoil Me which is used to defrizz the hair. My hair is extremely fly-away, especially in winter. For some freak chance of luck I found them as a set "Buy Queen for the Day, get Spoil Me for free!" called "Royal pain". Score!





Today I went shopping with my best friend (and a follower of my blog, the lightweightthinker) and I strayed to MAC counter. They were celebrating the launch of Magic, Mirth and Mischief! holiday collection. I snatched Jingle Jangle dazzleglass (the top lipgloss in the pic) and Lucky Number nailpolish from the collection as well as Funtabulous dazzleglass. I also visited Lush and got BB Seaweed fresh face mask and Bohemian soap (not pictured).

I wanted to swatch the dazzleglasses for you guys but it's way too dark. Jingle Jangle is a soft warm pink with loads of shimmer (I see blue, pink and maybe peach) and Lucky Number is a metallic pink nail polish. I think it will look foiled on nails.

How do you like my hair? Have you been shopping any Magic, Mirth and Mischief! products?

A Big Thank You

I'm soon off to have my hair cut (I have a vague idea what to do but it might change over the bus ride to the salon).

I noticed that my blog now has over 30 followers! When I started this blog, I never imagined going over 5 or even reaching 5. I started this as a sort of a makeup journal and a guide to some of my friends who had requested makeup help and tips from me.

I know there are lots of blogs with hundreds of readers but I just wanted to thank you all and tell you that I'm happy to have you reading my makeup adventures :)

If you have requests for looks or swatches or anything, just e-mail me at adventurous(dot)purplekoala(at)gmail(dot)com. I'd like to know what you like to see and read so I can take that into account when writing this blog.

BIG HUGS FOR EVERYONE

EOTD: Aromaleigh L'Orchidée Jewel, Orinoco, Unicorn and Shadow Witch

Hi there!

It's Father's Day in Finland so I opted for a softer look because we're going to my boyfriend's parents for a Sunday dinner.

I would have posted a full FOTD but my hair seems to have overgrown and I can't find my face under it. Don't worry guys, I'm going to a FANCY hairsalon next Friday so there may be some pics of my new hair next Saturday. So watch this space!

I decided to revisit Aromaleigh's L'Orchidée collection which just might be my favourite of all Aromaleigh's LE collections.

Jewel is a purple with golden shimmer. This makes it a bit warmer which is why I decided to use it with Orinoco which is a warm coral/pinkish peach. For highlighting I used Unicorn which looks pale yellow in the jar but on my skin it's a yellowish off-white. Shadow Witch is a truly unique colour. As most of you have noticed, I'm not big with blues. Shadow Witch is a navy blue with silvery metallic sheen/shimmer to it. It makes a great liner when used wet and it's also beautiful as an eyeshadow.

Here's what I used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée LE eyeshadow in Orinoco (2/3 of inner lid)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidee LE eyeshadow in Jewel (outer vee, crease)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée LE eyeshadow in Unicorn (as a highlighter below brow)
Lumene Eye Graphics eye pencil in Coal Black (as a liner)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée LE eyeshadow in Shadow Witch (wetlined on top of the black liner)







I love Orinoco. It looks so velvety on my lids and it has a beautiful sheen to it. It looks more shimmery in the jar but on my skin it just glows. Usually I don't wear peach shades with purples but the golden shimmer in Jewel makes this combination work. Also, Orinoco has pink in it so it's easy to combine it with a warmer purple.






This pic captures the shine effect of Shadow Witch when it's applied on top of a black liner. It's subtle but it makes the look more interesting. What initially happened is that as I used a pencil, I couldn't fill the gap between my lashes and my lids so it looked a bit unfinished. I'm so used to getting it done as I usually use gel liners or I use minerals for wetlining that I didn't even consider that I might not get my eyes lined properly. So I grabbed Shadow Witch and went over the pencil line with it. I suggest you try it, it makes the eyes a bit brighter (which I need today because I had a few drinks last night).

For my cheeks I'm using Illamasqua's Cream Blusher in Rude and I'm wearing Illamasqua's Intense Lip Gloss in Mistress on my lips. Sorry I couldn't get a face picture. I just look a bit like Chewbacca at the moment.

I'm trying to post some looks but the light is becoming an issue. I've tried to post looks a couple of times but there hasn't been enough light to take decent photos. Right now it's almost 2pm but it looks like 7pm. And I don't like taking pics indoors because I hate how the light is too warm. It just warps the colours.

Any ideas for my new 'do? And how do you like this look?

Feeling really angry

Yesterday when I came home, I noticed that I had received a Cease & Desist from a certain person who's been sending these to other people as well.

I'm certainly very angry at this point because I feel like I'm being threatened without justification.

However, my address and the address of the sender were handwritten. I expect to receive a bit more official looking mail from a law firm. I haven't opened the letter yet because I need to take some photos of it.

Although I KNOW that there's just no base for these kinds of letter as I've not written anything in blog about the said person and the company, I feel extremely angry that people think they can act like this. I know my rights in this matter but I'm concerned that bloggers will not dare to express their honest OPINIONS when these things happen. I've already read comments from other blogs that people are afraid to write anything negative in their blogs because they feel like someone can come after them. This means that the scare tactics are working which to me is sad.

I will, however, continue to write honest opinions in my reviews and other posts. I will not praise products that do not please me or recommend companies that I don't find worth recommending for.

I WILL NOT TOLERATE BULLYING.

Fyrinnae Halloween: Werewolves and Pumpkins

I think I promised more Halloween looks... I got a haul from Fyrinnae a couple of days ago. I picked up some more of their Halloween 2009 stuff. I love them. Druid Werewolf looks dark, tarnished gold (with burgundy notes) on my lids. Pumpkinfire is black-based shadw with tons of shimmer ranging from gold and orange to green. Medieval Haunting is an antique gold with flashes of silver. I decided to use these three together and create a darker look (but not as freaky as my Death experiment).

Werewolves and Pumpkins

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (on upper lid as a primer)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Druid Werewolf (all over upper lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Pumpkinfire (outer vee and crease, wetlined on upper lashline)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Medieval Haunting (wetlined on lower lashline)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Platinum (as a highlighter below brow)
Lumene Blueberry Curl Waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Face:

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in Custom Blend
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish finishing powder
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Sphynx (to contour, under cheekbones)
Meow Cosmetics Firefly blush in Illuminate (on cheeks)
Meow Cosmetics Crystalline Cat Glow in Quartz (on cheekbones, temples, bridge of the nose, chin)

Lips:

Illamasqua Sheer Lip Gloss in Soul
Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Solstice






Here you can see how velvety the Fyrinnae shadows look. I had a bit of a problem blending Pumpkinfire because it's so glittery. I even tried using Pixie Epoxy but that made things very sticky which didn't help. So when I had done the crease, I blended Pumpkinfire in with a little Druid Werewolf. Pumpkinfire looks so good wetlined because it really brings out the shimmer.

I didn't want to do a cat eye because we're talking werewolves here. And my eyes have been watering lately so my look would've been destroyed before any pictures. So I blended the shadows upwards and made the shape of my eye a bit rounder.





I didn't get a decent pic with my eyes closed. It seems that it's that time of the year when we Finns don't see much of the sun, even when it's middle of the day. But you can see the shimmer of Pumpkinfire.

Some of you may wonder why I don't line my lower waterline. I have really sensitive eyes and lining my waterline makes my eyes red and watery. I do it sometimes when I absolutely have to but it doesn't feel nice. I actually can't use Fyrinnae's Inks because I get an immediate reaction to them. It's a bummer because the colours are really nice and interesting.






With such strong eye makeup, I wanted to do almost nude lips. I first put on some Soul and then I dabbed Solstice over it. I didn't want to use too much of Solstice because I was afraid it would go too Egyptian instead of werewolf.

I'm a huge fan of Druid Werewolf, I think it's a fabulous shade. It doesn't look like much on the jar but it's gorgeous. I like the velvety finish and the almost burgundy undertones. It's almost metallic but not really. It's also easy to use for everyday looks. Yes, it's a bit dark but it's not "young lady, please wash your face" dark.

I might do more Halloween looks so if you have something in your mind, let me know? But in the meantime, how do you like this one?

Join the Mineral Makeup Mutiny

Are you tied of ordering mineral makeup and noticing that what you've ordered seems so... familiar?

Join the mineral makeup mutiny and support independent businesses that create their own shades - for real!

Say NO to re-packaging and greediness!

Illamasqua swatches and review

Hello there!

When you are a beauty junkie, you pretty much browse the net looking for new exciting things to drool at and test. I had never heard of Illamasqua and would've lived my life in complete ignorance if I hadn't found out about their nail polishes through Scrangie's blog. I had no intention of buying nail polish but I decided to check out Illamasqua's webstore and just have a quick look. UH-OH. They were selling cosmetics, too!

Illamasqua is a relatively new makeup brand from UK. They are not selling trend products as such, they are interested in night time makeup. They describe their line with the words "Makeup for your alter ego". Simply put, it means the edgier and stronger side of you that comes out when you go clubbing etc.

Well, it didn't take me too long to make the decision to check their products out. And it only took a week when I got my goodies.

Here are some of their lip glosses in their nifty squeeze tubes:

From top to bottom: Move, Mistress, Soul, Galactica

Move, Mistress and Galatica are Intense Lip Glosses which means they are more pigmented than Soul which is from the Sheer Lip Gloss line. Move and Mistress are both matte in the sense that although they are very glossy, they don't have shimmer or glitter in them.

This is Move on my lips (sorry about the face, I'm not wearing any makeup apart from the lip gloss in these photos). It's a lovely pink-mauve colour. I used to have a similar colour but I think I accidentally threw it in the bin (and afterwards banged my head on the wall for several minutes). Really lovely, I'm very happy with this shade because it's so flattering.

And this beauty is Mistress. A warm, a bit orangey red that looks scary in the tube but gorgeous on the lips. I find it hard to wear red lippies because they usually clash with my skin colour but this is just pure love. It's becoming my mistress for sure!

Soul is a champagne shade and compared to the other glosses I hauled, it's very sheer. I like it and it gives a nice shine to my puckers. It's from Summer 2009 Sirens collection which concentrated on sexiness and golden shades. I think this is a beautiful shimmery nude and from what I've gathered, it's a big hit among the Illamasqua fans.

Galactica is pure, molten silver. Not just silvery but really rich, foiled silver goodness. I had a hard time taking this one off after taking the pics because it's full of shimmer and highly pigmented. Although it seems unwearable, I have worn this in public in daylight hours. Just apply it a bit less and it gives your lips a nice shimmer. This looks awesome on top of other lippies, too. This lip gloss is from Autumn 2009 Dystopia collection that has some really dark and edgy products.

I wanted to concentrate on the lip products because I often ignore them on my blog because I like to concentrate on my eyes when doing my makeup. Here are swatches of some other products from Illamasqua:

Upper row, from left to right: Solstice, Phenomena, Involve

Bottom row, from left to right: Fondle, Rude

Solstice and Phenomena are Liquid Metal products. They are creamy and can be used on eyes, lips, face and body. I've only tried them as eyeshadows and they are too greasy for me, they just creased in less than an hour. But I'm not giving up on these because the colour pay-off is great and the metallic effect is so cool. I swatched them on bare skin.

Involve is a Pure Pigment. Of course I had to have something purple for my eyes, are you kidding! I love it. It's very pigmented and as you can see from the photo, it has this amazing silver and blue shimmer to it. I swatched this one on top of Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Fondle is a golden pink (or pinkish gold) Illuminator. It can be used on eyes, cheeks, lips, basically everywhere. I wanted it for a blusher and a highlighter because I'm such a sucker for golden pinks. It's very runny when you squeeze it out (same packaging as with the lipglosses) but it dries quickly.

Rude is a Cream Blush. The pan is HUGE for how little of the product you need. And I mean you need only a small dab and you get a lot of colour. It's completely matte but because of the creamy texture, it looks very dewy on your skin.

I haven't tried out Illamasqua's Powder Shadows. From what I've read, they are almost all completely matte because Illamasqua wanted to cater also for people who have a few or more wrinkles on their skin.

I'm going to buy Illamasqua again. I love their approach to makeup and they have interesting products (and crazy product names!). Right now I have a serious hankering for Underworld lipstick, Tantrum sheer lip gloss, Phallic nail polish (told you!) and some of their false eyelashes. They also have brushes and other makeup tools. AND, when you have made your second order through their website, you get 10% off from the following orders until a year has passed from your very first order. In the US, Sephora is carrying Illamasqua but I've understood that they aren't yet having the limited collections in sale. So if you want to shop something from Dystopia, you either need to travel to UK or make an order through Illamasqua.

So what do you think? Does this make you want to buy some stuff for your alter ego?

Meow is having a sale!

The owner of Meow Cosmetics is celebrating her birthday so she's giving US a present: if you use discount code champagne, you're getting 15% off - and there's no minimum order!

I had to get a new top coat because my Top Cat is dying. This time I went for Equilibrium. I've tried and tested it and it works both as a primer and a top coat. Also I got a few Halloween samples.

So, enjoy the code champagne (and perhaps a glass of champagne to celebrate Tammy)!

The code is valid until Monday 8am so you still have time!

Getting duped

I remember one of my very first posts being about Lime Crime. Back then I thought I had discovered something unique and fun. Xenia has her own super-famous blog with awe-inspiring tutorials and style guidance. She always stressed how she had come up with her makeup line herself and how she had created all the colours.

I started hearing some alarming news about Lime Crime through my friend Phyrra's blog. Lime Crime was accused of repacking TKB minerals that are on sale on places like eBay with ridiculously low prices. I immediately e-mailed Xenia, asking whether these accusations were true or if they were concocted my jealous competitors. Here's the answer I got:

Hi Saila,

I knowww, it sucks how people would try to bring you down like that. :( But
like you said, it comes with the territory when you start to stick out a little
too much. It's a good example of how competitors will follow and try to imitate
something that's been prooven to be successful.

Colors cannot be legally copyrighted but we still stand by the quality of
our product as the best and most pigmented on the market! While we can't protect
ourselves from copycats, what we can do is continue moving forward, offer new
products and hopefully set new trends - exactly what we are trying to do with
our upcoming lipstick line, Candyfuture! The competition has no idea how much
new, exciting stuff is coming up in the Lime Crime line but once they do, it
will their minds all over the room. ;)

Thanks for your question & concern. xoDoe

So there's no way she wouldn't be telling the truth, right? Right?
　
Well, there are several bloggers who have done some more hands-on research about the matter and who have also e-mailed Xenia and gotten completely different answer than mine was.
　
Here are a couple of links:

http://www.lipsticksandlightsabers.com/2009/08/lime-crime-so-ordinary-it-should-be.html
http://www.lipsticksandlightsabers.com/2009/10/will-real-slim-shady-please-stand-up.html
http://sparkleismycrack.blogspot.com/2009/10/lime-crime-is-ripoff-please-read.html
http://gothique.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/made-me-giggle//lcomment-172
　
You can also do a search on Google by typing in 'Lime Crime' and 'repackage'.

So why I am I so bothered by this? Because I was being lied to when I asked for an honest answer. Mark (Xenia's husband) e-mailed Anastasia (the blogger behind 'Lipstick and Lightsabers') a completely different answer when she approached them and told about the little swatch test she did with Lime Crime and TKB.
　
So I've been duped. Not only have I been using products that are just repackaged cosmetics but Xenia also tried to pull one over me.

So bright it's illegal? I hope it was illegal.

FOTD: The Cat Caught the Beetle!

I know I promised more Halloween looks but I couldn't help but playing with Meow's Egyptian Treasures collection again. As you all know, these colours are metallic and I think they're the best metallic colours I've ever seen (if you don't count in cream eyeshadows).

When I swatched the colour Miw, which is metallic neon-ish green with golden undertones, I was 100% sure i couldn't wear it. But I decided to give it a shot because it looks awesome in its sample baggie (a bit like acid green, like the shade they used in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series in the early 90's). Because it's such of a show-stopper, I decided to do a very simple look. I mean, anyone who can hold a makeup brush can replicate this so if you like it, give it a go!

The other shades I used were Hieroglyph (metallic chartreuse with verdigris overtones and metallic gold undertones) and Scarab (bold metallic olive with a chartreuse undertone).

Are you wondering about the name of this look? Miw is Egyptian for 'cat' and scarabs are these big dung beetles that have a metallic sheen to them. Scarabs were and still are thought to bring good luck.

The Cat Caught the Beetle!

Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper lid)
Meow Eye of Horus eyeshadow in Miw (middle of the upper lid)
Meow Eye of Horus eyeshadow in Hieroglyph (inner corner of the eye)
Meow Eye of Horus eyeshadow in Scarab (outer corners, wetlined on upper lashline and on lower lid both wet and dry)
Meow Lost Rainforest glow powder in Queen Alexandria (as a highlighter below brow)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Face

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation
Meow Egyptian Treasures Blush in Isis (on cheeks)
Meow Lost Rainforest glow powder in Queen Alexandria (as a highlighter on and between browbones and cheekbones)

Lips

MAC lipstick in Sandy B

I really love all of these colours and I think they work well together. I started by applying Miw on the middle of my lids. I used a lot of the pigment but you can use it less if you want a lighter effect. Then I took Scarab and darkened the outer lid with it. I used Hieroglyph to the inner corners, and over the tearduct area. it really opens the eyes. I was going to line my eyes with Blacktrack but it would have looked harsh because these colours look almost smoky when blended in together. So I wetlined my upper and lower lashlines with Scarab, however I darkened the lower lashline by using Scarab dry.

The colours blend very well which is pretty unique for metallic shades. In my experience metallics are usually pretty "heavy" and when you try to blend them, the metallic effect pretty much disappears. Not with these babies. These are incredibly easy to work with and I think Meow has done an amazing job formulating these shades.

As you can see, the colours just glide from one to another seamlessly. I didn't have to blend in that much, I used a clean wide brush and went over the shadows with a windshield wiper motion.

I had to take the pics inside (however, I'm not using flash) because it was too sunny outside. I think my look would almost pass as a smoky eye, don't you?

I'm not sure about the blush. I love the metallic shimmer in it but I'm not sure if the shade is flattering for me. Or maybe I've used cool blush shades for too long!

I wanted to keep the lips pretty neutral. Sandy B is a frosty golden peach. Unlike many frosty shades, it's pretty moisturizing. My lips are in a pretty bad shape now but the frost didn't get stuck on the unflattering parts.

I also vamped my hair colour up a bit yesterday with my trusty colour mousse for the Death look I did. I think it's more visible with this look because the other was so... lifeless?

So what do you think about this look? Have you tried Miw?

Halloween look: Death

I've been ill for a couple of days which really sucks. Nothing big, just a bit of fever and blowing my nose off my face. So yesterday, and I'm not sure if this was fever-induced, I went to the bathroom and started applying Fyrinnae's lip lustre in Diabolic Masquerade (black with burgundy shimmer) on my lips. I looked in the mirror and what stared right back at me looked like death. This gave me an idea to a slightly couture-ish Halloween look. I usually don't wear makeup when I'm ill but at the moment my skin looks just perfect for a deadly look.

Death

Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on both upper and lower lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Faerie Realm (all over upper lid and lower lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Mephisto (lashes, cheeks and lower lid)

Face

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation (all over face)
Meow Cosmetics Crystalline glow powder in Quartz (to highlight cheeks, chin and nose)

Lips

Bepanthen lotion
Fyrinnae lip lustre in Diabolic Masquerade

First of all, I went over my upper and lower lids with Faerie Realm which to me is a purple-shaded off-white. It's almost silvery but there's a purple/lavender shimmer to it. Then I rubbed some face lotion on my upper lashes. After that I dipped a cotton bud into Mephisto (really dark royal purple) and batted my lashes against it, letting the shadow stick on my lashes and fall to my cheeks. Then I used Mephisto again on my lower lids and went over Faerie Realm. I wanted to keep the shade darker on the lashline but I extended it downwards. The idea is to look like you've had no sleep in the last 100 years or so.

I applied Diabolic Masquerade on my lips by dotting small amounts of it at a time to my lips. Then I used my finger to blend it in with the Bepanthen (any good, non-sticky or non-slippery lip balm works just fine).

Tadah! I look like I feel at the moment. I could've really used more Mephisto but my skin is really dried out and sore because I'm ill. I also considered using Mephisto or a black eyeshadow on my upper lids but I thought it would be too literal an interpretation of death (skull and that stuff, you know).

I also did a bit of Konading yesterday which didn't turn out as awesome as I would've liked. I used this as my entry to a Halloween themed nail art contest. I'm 100% sure I'm not going to win anything but I wanted to enter anyways.

I used Spa Ritual Protein Boost Nail Fortifier as a base coat (it's excellent, dries very quickly), China Glaze IDK as the main colour (it's a really cool lavender holo polish, I'm pretty bummed out that I couldn't get a decent pic of the holographic effect) and then I stamped on some bats using CO4 plate (Coraline II kit) and Eyeko Vampy Polish (dark blue black), Color Club Revvvolution (black holo) and Zoya Trixie (foiled silver).

So what do you think? Would you be interested to see more Halloween looks this month?

Konad Halloween Treat contest on painted Lady fingers!

Since I decided to buy myself some Konad stuff, I went ahead and subscribed to a boat load of Konad/nail blogs. One of them, painted Lady fingers, is having a Halloween contest where you have a chance to win a set of Halloween themed Konad set!

To enter and see the rules for this contest, go to http://paintedladyfingers.blogspot.com

NOTD: Color Club Revvvolution

O hai! It's my first Nail of the Day post, woot! I did this because I found THE most amazing nail polish yesterday. I love reading nail blogs. I'm jealous and in awe of how people can make their nails look so beautiful with different polishes and nail art. I have my name day tomorrow so my Mum and Dad gave me some money. And I knew exactly where to spend it. NAILS.

I love black nail polishes. So when I saw Color Club's Revvvolution, I went to a nail salon I've visited a few times and got it (I also got some Konad stuff, too, but that'll be a different post).

It's a black holographic polish! I can't stop staring at my nails because they look so cool! You can see the holographic effect in these photos but for better pics, check out Scrangie's blog (for example) or google 'Revvvolution' and you get zillions of hits.

Isn't it gorgeous? Hehee, my nail pics are a bit nerdy, I just love Terry Pratchett :)

So what do you think?

Meow's Egyptian Treasures: Sand Dune, Pyramid and Anubis

I forgot to post this look I did with Meow's Egyptian Collection. First of all, the metallic shimmer in these shadows is beyond amazing. So if metallics are your thing, I'd suggest you go shopping.

I chose three eyeshadows from the collection for this look. Sand Dune is a metallic, French vanilla type of colour. At least in theory. I applied it foiled and I almost had a stroke: it turned into liquid gold! Well, not literally but you get my point. Pyramid is a coppery shade, I used it very little but it looks beautiful. Anubis is deep, chocolatey brown goodness. I think this will become a bestseller because I can see a lot of people using it. It's a very versatile and an incredibly yummy colour.

I also used glow powder in Immortal for highlighting. To me it's a shimmery light taupe. It's lovely but I can't use it on my face because it makes my skin look ashy. But it's perfect for eyes.

Sand Dune, Pyramid and Anubis

Face:
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Himalayan (two layers plus used wet as a concealer on blemishes)
Meow Lush blush in Kiss-And-Tell

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper and lower lids)
Meow Cosmetics Eye of Horus eyeshadow in Sand Dune (all over upper lid, foiled)
Meow Cosmetics Eye of Horus eyeshadow in Pyramid (to blend in Sand Dune and Anubis)
Meow Cosmetics Eye of Horus eyeshadow in Anubis (outer vee and crease, 1/3 of lower lashline and over Blacktrack)
Meow Cosmetics Egyptian glow powder in Immortal (below brow as a highlighter)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (upper lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black (upper lashes)

Lips:
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Flavor of the Day
Lancôme Color Fever lip gloss in Electro Flash Orange


This look actually turned out darker than I anticipated because I foiled Sand Dune. The colour changed almost completely. But it's not a bad thing. I wonder if all the metallics in this collection turn out darker when they're foiled... Hmmm...

I took this photo to show you that the colours really are glistening metallics and that they really shine when they catch the light. Some metallics are simply eyeshadows with some metallic shimmer in them but these colours are the real deal. My boyfriend commented when we were inside that my makeup was almost unnoticeable. When we went outside, he looked shocked and said "I didn't realize that your makeup was so dark!". Haha. That should teach him. Yes, the colours look better in natural light but any kind of bright light makes them glimmer.

This pic was taken inside. Yes, the colour are still stunning but compared to the previous photo, they look more subtle. I wanted to take a full face pic with my eyes closed because I really wanted to show you what the metallics actually look like.

For my lips I mixed Flavour of the Day and Electro Flash Orange because neither of them looked right on their own. I love both colour to death. I would've never in a million years believed that I look good wearing orange lippie before a makeup artist wanted to demonstrate Electro Flash Orange on my lips.

So what do you think? Have you tried the Egyptian collection from Meow? Do the colours look darker to you when foiled?

Meow Lost Rainforest retires TODAY.

Okay, Meow's gorgeous Lost Rainforest collection retires today. I love the collection and I bought a lot of stuff from it.

If eyeshadows are your thing, I'd suggest snagging Bromeliad, Mantis, Poison Dart Frog, Boa, Amazon, Nabau and/or Mayantu.

For cheeks, both of the blushes, Canna and Heliconia, are stunning.

I also recommend the glow powders, my absolute favourite is Chameleon which looks off-white in the jar but has this rosy golden sheen to it.

So get them while you can! Personally I think this has been the most beautiful collection from Meow to date.

http://www.meowcosmetics.com/rainforest.htm

You're an awesome girl-tag

Nea from Fashioned in Finland tagged me with 'I think you're an awesome girl'-tag, thank you :)

So, I'm going to tell you 10 random facts about me. I'm supposed to tag 10 other bloggers but I've only got 4 this time...

Random facts about me

1. I was a member of the chess club because I thought that would make me cool. It didn't.

2. I don't know how to whistle.

3. I can swim 2000 metres (about 1.24 miles) in an hour without resting or letting my feet touch the bottom of the pool.

4. I have been with my boyfriend for a little over 9 years.

5. Lolcats make me laugh, as do cats in general.

6. I'm addicted to ice cream.

7. I love Alan Rickman's voice.

8. I hate to do my hair.

9. I love Converse shoes.

10. I read Lord of the Rings in three days which impressed my boyfriend to ask me out.

And I'm tagging the following bloggers:

Phyrra / Fresco Phyrra
Robyn / Robyn's Nest
Vee / Glamour Doll
Cris / Diamond Enigma

Here's a photo I took in Istanbul when we were visiting the harem of Topkapi Palace. I just love the colours of the tiles and that window is simply divine! Something pretty to start the day :)

FOTD: Chlorophyll and Sennyo

I wanted to do something bright today because my last two postings have been a bit on the dark side. Because I had work today, I took these photos at 6.30am which means that it was almost dark outside. But I think they turned out rather well, actually.

The idea behind this look was that I haven't used Fyrinnae's Chlorophyll, ever. It's an almost orange yellow shade, very bright. Sennyo is magenta-purple and one of my favourites. I also had to use Meerkat, a golden pink-purple shade, to act as a medium because the contrast seemed too harsh at first. As a liner, I used Fancy Lad, which is a warm pink with green sparkle (to me the sparkle looks more gold than green but it's a great pink nonetheless).

FOTD: Chlorophyll and Sennyo

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer on upper lids)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Chlorophyll (2/3 of upper lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Sennyo (outer corner and crease)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Meerkat (to blend Chlorophyll and Sennyo together)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Fancy Lad (as a liner on upper and lower lashline)
Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Sakura (as a highlighter below brows)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Black

Face:

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation (2 parts Fair Maiden, 1 part Peaches N' Cream, two layers)
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish (over foundation)
Meow Cosmetics Lost Rainforest glow powder in Chameleon (cheekbones)
Meow Cosmetics blush in Tickled Pink
Glamour Doll Eyes blush in Doll Face (over Tickled Pink on apples of the cheeks)

Lips:

Lancôme Color Fever lip gloss in Funky Pink
MAC Slimshine lipstick in Pleasing (over Funky Pink)


The end result was very colourful and I noticed some people staring me at the cafeteria. I looked around and in a quick glance I noticed that out of twenty women sitting nearby, I was the only one who had used something else than beige or taupe in her makeup. So maybe not the best look for work but at least I got noticed!

I love how shiny Chlorophyll looks. The colour reminds me of autumn leaves which is perfect for this time of year. And it looks yummy with Sennyo! You really can't see much of Meerkat (which was the point) but it's there, trust me :) I think I could've chosen a darker liner but then again, the end result would've been darker, too. The pink is a bit different but it brightens up the overall look.

Despite my expression here, I was very delighted with my look! I did a bit of layering in eyes, face AND lips. For the cheeks I added a bit of Doll Face over Tickled Pink because I needed more colour. Tickled Pink is a nice, almost sheer pink so I needed to 'oomph' it up a bit. With the lips I first used just Funky Pink but the photos revealed that it was too light. So I added a bit of Pleasing (which is one of my favourite lippies, it feels so soft and looks juicy) on my lower lip and smacked my lips a few times.

I need to get a haircut and maybe have a little colouring session with a colour mousse, my hair had faded noticeably this summer. I think it was the trip to Istanbul that did it, it was very sunny and I didn't use a hat or UV protection on my hair. Shame on me.

What do you think of the look? And was your Monday colourful or beige? :)