NOTD: Lost My Marbles

No swatchiness today, I'm afraid. It's too cloudy to take decent photos and I don't want you to stare at muddled colours, going "Is she seriously saying those are gorgeous greens?". No, I won't do that.

So yesterday I was browsing nail polish blogs. I saw that Polish Pixie had done some gorgeous green marbling and that Cucumpear has done a spring manicure (check out their blogs, they're on my blogroll on the right). I decided to try marbling after I had watched a video from a blog Polish Pixie directed me to. I wanted springy marbling, so I made my way to my bathroom and grabbed three cheery polishes (and had a hell of a time bringing them to livingroom because I still have the crutches). I also took a mug of warmish water (that was a challenge to get), some nail polish remover, cotton pads, q-tips, matches (to mix the colours) and scotch-tape.

Polishes I used:

Spa Ritual Protein Boost Nail Fortifier (as a base coat, I've been using this ever since I got my gel nails taken off)
OPI Elephantastic Pink (lovely bright pink)
Butter London Cheeky Chops (yellow creme)
Essie Mint Candy Apple (mint green)
Konad Top Coat (to seal it all)

So I covered the skin around my nails with some scotch-tape and got cracking. It took me exactly an hour to do all my finger nails and it was messy.

This is the end result:




Yeah it's not perfect but at least it's colourful! Not only did I loose my marbles, I also went bananas! Banana here was the perfect prop*.






I fuxxed up the tumb because the polish hadn't dried when I started to set up my photography studio. My poor hands are parched! I have to wash my hands more often because I have to change the dressings in my knee. Also, nail polish remover doesn't help. Don't worry, I'm bathing in cuticle cream now.

These look seriously crazy. Like Carebear uniform pattern or like my manicurist was Willy Wonka. I'm not complaining, though. I'm just getting cabin fever.

What do you think? Have you tried marbling your nails?

*The banana wasn't harmed during photography. It only got eaten afterwards.

Smurf's Up: Blue-ish swatches

As Phyrra and Nea requested on Twitter, I'm doing blue swatches today as well (aren't I nice, two swatch posts in one day, read the other one too so I'll feel special). The problem of course was.. I don't wear blues. Blue clothes make me look dead and same goes with most blueish eyeshadows. Blue is just not my colour. It does nothing (good) for me. Le sigh. But dark blue jeans make my butt look awesome :P

Onwards!



(L to R) Fringe, Misfortune, Bali Mynah, Anemone




(L to R) Jinx, Cheshire Cat Grin, Starstruck






(L to R) Sleepy Hollow, Hypercool, Japan

Fringe (Mixology): Silvery icy blue. Do I detect a hint of pink? This isn't a matte shade, it has a stainy sheen but no actual shimmer. This is the one I like to use because it pairs up perfectly with dark, plummy purples.
Misfortune (Meow Cosmetics, Friday the 13th collection): You could say this is green but I'm saying that this has some serious blueness in it. It also has a coppery flash. Looks lovely with greens so one of my faves.
Bali Mynah (Fyrinnae): Shiny turquoise. I've never used this one but I think I will this summer.
Anemone (Fyrinnae): Sky blue that flashes green and gold. I think I need to pair this up with a purple...
Jinx (Sassy Minerals): Heather grey with aqua shimmer. The shimmer is so strong that it passes for a blue. This is another favourite because it looks ohmogodsoamazing with silvers.
Cheshire Cat Grin (Fyrinnae): This is Delft blue with aqua sparks. I have to admit, I bought a sample of this just because of the name. I can use it as a liner but otherwise it's WAY too cold for me. Would look awesome on brown-eyed girls.
Starstruck (Sassy Minerals): To me, this is navy blue with multicoloured sparkle but the official description says "smoky midnight blue with intense blue and silver sparkle". Looks good with purples.
Sleepy Hollow (Fyrinnae, discontinued?): Teal with amazing sparkle. Looks greenish in some angles. I need to come up with a way to use this because it's just so amazing. The photo washes this one out, much more intense and sparklier in real life. Props for the name.
Hypercool (Fyrinnae): Brilliant turquoise on a black base. I think I can use this as a liner. I'd like to try this out for a smoky eye because this is just such an edgy beaufiful shade.
Japan (Fyrinnae): Deep shimmery teal, leaning towards green. Black base. Looks oily, in a good way. A liner colour for me but a great smoky eye base for those who dare.

As I already mentioned, my favourites are Fringe, Misfortune, Anemone, Jinx and Starstruck.

Fringe, Misfortune, Anemone, Jinx, Hypercool and Japan (in a way) are duochromes. For someone who wants sparkle, Cheshire Cat Grin and Starstruck are good choices (as well as Sleepy Hollow but that seems to have disappeared from Fyrinnae site).

Do you feel the lust for blues? Anything here you like?

Not Just For Goblins: Gold Swatches

So yesterday I tweeted that I would accept suggestions for swatch posts. My friend Phyrra acted the fastest and suggested aquas/turquoises and then golds. My eyes started gleaming. Yes, golds.

Golds seem to divide people. Some stay clear of them because they feel like gold will make them look like Christmas decorations (it's a bit telling that the Aromaleigh shades were LE and weren't voted as part of the regular lineup). But golds are as wearable as any colour. If a strong metallic one isn't your cup of tea, why not try a lighter gold shades? Golds are especially good friends with green eyes, making them pop but there is a gold for everyone.

This swatch post has lighter golds and darker golds and I'm sure that everyone will find something that they'd like to wear on their lids.





(L to R) Sticky Buns, Iberian Lynx, Platinum, Wild Coco




(L to R) Pavane, Polar Bear, Griffonrider, Half-Elf Hottie





(L to R) Sand Dune, Lucky Charmed, Medieval Haunting, Bastet

Sticky Buns (Fyrinnae, unfortunately discontinued): Warm, peachy-shaded gold
Iberian Lynx (Fyrinnae): Tawny brown with various shades of gold and bronze sparkle. This is a very safe gold for those who want just a little dusting of gold powder.
Platinum (Fyrinnae): "Not silver, not gold but somewhere in between" sums this shade up nicely. Very wearable yet striking. Highly recommended to have in your makeup kit.
Wild Coco (Aromaleigh L'Orchidée, discontinued): Satiny gold with a hint of khaki. I'm so glad i snatched a full size of this and sad that this didn't get voted to become a part of the regular lineup.
Pavane (Aromaleigh, En Pointe, discontinued): Taupe with golden highlight, very satiny.
Polar Bear (Fyrinnae): White-gold, shimmery and soft. If you don't have this, you should get it. The gold isn't in-your-face but gives you a nice glow. Universally flattering and simply divine.
Griffonrider (Fyrinnae): Metallic (dirty) gold with turquoise sparkle and highlight. The turquoise is more visible in real life but in the swatch photo you can see how it makes the gold look very cool, almost silvery. A favourite.
Half-Elf Hottie (Fyrinnae): Gold with purple highlights. You can see the purple in the swatch on the edges of the colour. Really interesting and unique colour.
Sand Dune (Meow Cosmetics, Egyptian Treasures): Metallic golden French vanilla which to me just looks really striking, EXTREMELY metallic gold. Almost sandy, looks gorgeous paired up with chocolate browns.
Lucky Charmed (Fyrinnae): This is what I call olive gold (i.e. gold with chartreuse/green undertones). Very metallic and shiny. If you love greens, this one's a keeper. Can be easily paired up with greens and chartreuses.
Medieval Haunting (Fyrinnae): Antique gold with gold and silver sparkle. This one almost looks brownish but it's not. It looks great with browns, though. Another favourite and I think this would be a good darker gold for those who have a fear of golds.
Bastet(Fyrinnae): Deep velvety black with gold sparkles. This one's a stunner! Great as a liner, too. I once wore this almost by itself (I had highlighter) and it made even a milky-faced pansy like me look edgy! BTW, great name.

Again, these are not the only gold I own but the ones I could easily find and that were in jars. If you want golds that are easy to wear, I'd recommend Platinum, Polar Bear, Iberian Lynx and Medieval Haunting. For those who want their golds supermetallic, check out Sand Dune, Lucky Charmed and Griffonrider.

So, what's your take on gold eyeshadows? Do you see anything that pleases you?

Royally purple'd off: Aromaleigh swatches

Yesterday I tweeted whether people wanted to see Aromaleigh purple swatches or Fyrinnae pink swatches. The answer was the sound of crickets. I've heard that Fyrinnae is struggling with a large volume of orders and I discovered that the lovely Miss K was a bit angry and down because some nasty e-mails she'd received so my vote swung for Aromaleigh. Not to worry, I'll be swatching a lot and there still will be a post about Fyrinnae pinks.

The pics are a bit blurry because the photographer is a tool (c'est moi, mes petits bonbons) :P I swatched these over TFSI + Pixie Epoxy.




Top row (L to R): Dollhouse, Butterfly Kisses, Jewel, Clara
Bottom row (L to R): Penelope, Got Dibs, Fragile Charms, Girl's Night Out





(L to R) xoxo, Odille, ladystardust, stillinhollywood

The colours fall into following collections:

Eye Plush: Dollhouse
Les Papillons: Butterfly Kisses, Fragile Charms
L'Orchidée: Jewel
En Pointe: Clara, Odille
Pure Eyes Lustre: Penelope
Retro Hi-Fi Matte: Got Dibs
Hot in the City: Girl's Night Out
Valentine 2009: xoxo
Rocks! Sonic Eyes: ladystardust, stillinhollywood

As you might see from the upper photo, Dollhouse isn't completely matte. The Pixie Epoxy brings out the shimmer a bit more than just TFSI. But the shimmer is very, very subtle, the kind you won't necessarily notice. Got Dibs from the much lemminged
Retro Hi-Fi Matte collection is completely matte.

The sparkliest colours of these are definitely Girl's Night Out (exquisite aqua shimmer), ladystardust and stillinhollywood. The weird thing about ladystardust is that if you apply it wet or if you tear up, the colour will be redder, close to stillinhollywood except for the sparkle. Ladystardust (royal blue purple) has multicolour glitter, stillinhollywood (dark amethyst purple, almost burgundy) has gold and copper sparks.

The duochromes of this bunch are Butterfly Kisses (lavender with bluish silvery shimmer), Clara (blue highlight), Jewel (gold/coppery shimmer), xoxo (blue highlight) and Odille (dark purple with pinkish highlight). One might be inclined to think that purple with gold sheen would give too much of the infamous princesymbolthingy vibe but it's actually very pretty, gorgeous even. Butterfly Kisses is the kind of colour that seems to glide on your lids from lavender to silver. It looks mirrory, an effect that I love.

These are no means the only purples from Aromaleigh I have. These are the full sizes I have. I have loads of samples but as my immobility makes it hard to do things (even standing up without crutches when I swatched these was hardcore) I decided to swatch these.

See anything you like? :)

Thursday Poll

1. How has your week been so far?

Haha. Painful.

2. Have you ever gone through an entire bottle of nail polish and bought a second of the same color?

I don't think so. I'm the kinda girl who keeps on buying new polishes before the old ones have been used. I'm such a bad kitty.

3. What’s on your nails?

Finger nails: Nfu'Oh #51. Toes: China Glaze IDK with a pink Konad stamp on my left big toe.

4. What are you reading right now?

Lord of the Rings, the Finnish translation (which is amazing, by the way).

5. Do you do pedicures in the winter?

Of course! But I may not keep them as fresh as in summer.

6. Where do you paint your nails?


In my living room.

7. What’s the last thing you bought?

Sparkly silver Converse trainers. I haven't got them yet but they're on their way. A new leg needs new shoes, no?

8. Do you love it when we “spring forward” and it’s light out until 8:00-9:00 pm?

I hate it more when they pull that stuff in the winter. It's dark here anyway so what's the point?

9. What is your favorite print or pattern (can be for clothing, furniture, or whatever)?

I love tartan.

10. What are your two fav color combination’s?

For makeup? Purple+orange and purple+purple, haha.

Purple is my Purpose: Some Fyrinnae Swatches

I just can't sit around doing nothing. And I already have withdrawal symptoms from makeup.

So, because I can't make myself pretty at the moment, I decided that I should swatch some of my Fyrinnae purples. Some people ask me "Why do you always wear purples? Don't they all look the same?". The answer is there are plenty of purples, ranging from fresh lavenders to darker royal purples. I don't think I even have two purples that would look exactly the same.

These are not all of the purples I have from Fyrinnae but I wanted to give you a range of purples from the soft to the edgy. I pat the eyeshadows on, using TFSI + Pixie Epoxy as a primer (TFSI as a base topped with pixiepoxy).





Top row (from left to right): Tempting Hansel, Snow Bunny, Meerkat, Sennyo
Bottom row (from L to R): Bubble Tea, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, Lemming, Parental Advisory, Delvian





Top Row (L to R): Broken Doll, Arctic Fox, Sluagh, Shinigami, Mephisto
Bottom one: Freya

I hate that I couldn't take better pictures, some of the shades don't even look purple. BUT that's because the guys of Fyrinnae are wizards in making colours that have different tones in them.

The sparkliest in terms of multicolour glitter type-thingy are probably Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat and Shinigami. As you can see, most of the colours are dual-toned. For example, Tempting Hansel has aqua sparks in it, Meerkat has that golden glow and Mephisto looks almost reddish/coppery.

So all purples are not the same. And I shall continue on my quest to collect more of them BECAUSE THEY ROCK.

Monstrosity

Hi everybody,

I'm feeling a bit better today. I'm still heavily medicated but I've been able to move my leg a bit more. However, makeup posts are out of the question for now. I have to walk with crutches for 6 weeks and since almost anything involving moving or not moving my leg hurts like a bitch, I'm just concentrating on the Things That Matter More Than Makeup (which sucks). I really miss looking like a human being but the knee is more important. I need to get mobile. I need to heal.

Okay, here are two pics of my mangled limb. I strongly advise you NOT to look at them if you think you're sensitive. I have a total of 4 scars on my leg, the smallest one is about 1-2cm and the largest is about 15cm. The thing is that what they were supposed to do was an operation that would've been performed through arthroscopy (sorry, if there's a typo) BUT before the operation my doctor had discovered that I had a small anatomical problem with the axis of my knee so they had to perform a more extensive surgery. I've had some bone cut off, I have steel screws in my bones and my hamstring have been re-organized a bit.

Yeah, when I first saw my leg I started crying. Not because of vanity but because I wasn't prepared. So I spent 10 minutes in the hospital shower washing my hair and crying my eyes out. Oh yeah, I'm tough.

So for now my life is about small victories. Such as being able to flex my knee or getting to sit down on a toilet seat in less than one minute. So if there's an olympic medal for this kind of stuff, let me know :)

Here comes the leg:

Bye For Now

Sounds a bit overly dramatic, doesn't it? Well, that's just me.

So I'm having a surgery on my knee tomorrow which means that I'm not able to answer my phone or any e-mails for a couple of days. But it's all for a good cause because after this operation I shouldn't be dealing with constant dislocations with my knee. Yes, it's gross. And I've always put the knee back in it's place myself. Considering I've done this dozens of times, you may guess that a) it's painful and b) that I've been afraid to do normal things (such as running) because my knee can dislocate itself even if I'm just walking (which happened this summer and which caused the chain of events that has lead me to finally getting surgery).


I was going to blog you about makeup but this day sort of flew by as I've been obsessing about tomorrow. So I'm going to share some of the stuff I'm taking with me.



Adorable skull slippers by ing00te (Etsy)

I was told to bring my own slippers to the hospital. I didn't own a pair so of course I rummaged through Etsy until I found ing00te and her lovely felted designs. These were partly custom-made as I wanted the roses to be purple (of course). If you want snuggly, non-slipping felted slippers then Inga is your kind of woman. She's a Lithuanian designer and felt artist who's both friendly and professional. Her works have been displayed in felt exhibitions.





I'm not packing any makeup with me because that would be too much of a hassle. My Anya Hindmarch bag is packed with cleansers, face lotions, toothbrush and toothpaste. I'm also taking my Haus of Gloi sugar scrub in Elevenses with me. I hate hospital smell. As wearing a perfume isn't encouraged, I need something to distract my nose from the smell of chemicals and old people.





Of course, I need a book. So I'm taking the Finnish translation of the Lord of the Rings with me. I've also packed the felted sleeves I got as a gift from Inga to keep me warm, my Aromaleigh Candy Cane lipbalm to keep my lips soft and smooth (and a bit sparkly) and my ugly doll.

I'm also packing some other stuff but since I don't think you'll be interested in my choice of undies, I'll leave them at your imagination :) I was about to pack my painkillers with me until I realized that the hospital will probably have a sufficient supply of those when I need them...

Well, I need to get some sleep because I need to wake up at 5am or so. Wish me luck :)

Saila

Nymphette

I did this look some weeks ago but the upcoming surgery has wreaked havoc on my brain so that I completely forgot to blog about this! Sorry.

I bought some samples from Evil Shades and I have to say that I'm very happy with the products AND the customer service. If you're an international customer, you have to e-mail about your order to get an exact price on your order. But that's not a hassle and Andrea is very quick to respond. Also, she makes her own shadows which gives her a big plus as well as some virtual chocolate chip cookies.

Mysteria (a soft lavender shade) and Nymphette (electric blue) are both shadows that are prismatic, almost holographic. So I decided to keep it very simple and work with these two shades.

Nymphette

Face:

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation
Evil Shades blush in Pin Up

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Evil Shades eyeshadow in Mysteria (all over eyelid, lower lashline)
Evil Shades eyeshadow in Nymphette (over Blacktrack)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (upper lashline)
Lumene black kohl (lower lashline, smudged)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

MAC lipglass in Prrrrr





Nymphette is such a vibrant colour that it looks bright blue even on black. This is a really good sign. Some colours just loose their thing with black. I also used Nymphette on the outer corners of my eyes in an attempt to create the famous and fabulous 'cat eye look'. You'll be the judge.




I did mention that the colours are close to holographic? This photo shows some of the amazing glitz the shadows have. Mysteria just twinkles like crazy. Of course, the effect is more visible when used over Pixie Epoxy (of course).





Pin Up blush surprised me the most. It looks a bit dull in the sample baggie but on the skin it just glows. Don't let my grumpy expression fool you, I'm verry happy with it.

I'm sure I will buy from Evil Shades again. I love the blushes, other favourite was Burlesque which is a peachy sort of shade. Great for pale girls, I tell you.


BTW, I'm not commenting your comments on the giveaway post because I want to make the drawing more easy for me. I deleted one comment from SilhoutteScreams (don't worry, dear, you're in) because I want to keep it in a system I call "one comment, one entry". I suck at maths so this is my way of coping with my numeric disability. Thanks for everyone for your kind thoughts, they are very much appreciated!

The surgery is on Friday and I'm posting you a little something tomorrow. Nothing huge, though. I don't know when I'll be able to post something after that because I don't know how many nights I have to spend at the hospital and how it takes me to feel better. You'll be in my thoughts, though :)