New Years Eve Chic Sparkly Black Smokey Eye!

Clockwise: 

Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold Slik Gilding Highlighter, 

Chanel Powder Blush in 84 Accent,

Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl Iconic Liquid Eye Pencil in Bedroom Black,

MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline,

Cosmetics a la Carte Plump & Prime lip base,

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in 8 Pink in Confidence, 

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in 85 Marifique.

Hey Beauty Lovers! New Years Eve is almost there, just one day left and this is the look I came up with that I will be wearing. It's important to start with the outfit, depending on what you will be wearing you can then create a fitting beauty look that will be in tune with the style. I have decided to keep it chic and wear a black dress, but because it's a rather special night I have also gone for a bit of sparkle. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in 85 Mirifique is the perfect match, as it's a black cream/mousse textured eyeshadow with lots and lots of black and silver fine glitters! It is a stunning shade, I'd highly recommend it!

So to create this rather stunning smokey eye I have first applied a base, I find the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre eyeshadows sit much better when applied over a base. In this case I used the MAC Paints in Sublime Nature [a neutral shade], over the top I layered a generous amount of Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Marifique. If you prefer a sheer look one layer will be enough, but I repeating this step twice as I was going for a more pigmented look, and it also makes the eyeshadow last much longer. Then for extra definition I have lined the lid with MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline, which is a very intense black, blending it with the eyeshadow. And on the waterline and under the lower lashes I applied the Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl  Iconic Liquid Eye Pencil in Bedroom Black, which is a soft black and it's absolutely smudge-proof, it will last a whole night without transferring under the eyes.

Because the eyes are so intense I chose Chanel Powder Blush  in 84 Accent [a must-have], it's the most gorgeous bronzy shimmery shade, very natural and warm. And of course I wanted my skin to look fresh and glowy, so I added a touch of Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold Skin Gilding Highlighter, it can be used on the face and body, so I applied it on the top of my cheek-bones and also highlighted my collarbone! And as for the lip I wanted to keep it nude-ish with a touch of pink and quite light. YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in 8 Pink in Confidence, is perfect for this type of look as it is super moisturising and really lightweight and sheer. To make it also last longer I applied it over the Cosmetics a la Carte Plump & Prime lip base, which makes any lipstick look even better!

LOVE

Luxurious Smokey Eye with YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette!

Hey Beauties! I have featured this stunning YSL Marrakesh Sunset palette from the Summer 2013 Collection so many times before.  Here is another look I have created using all the eyeshadow shades except from the purple. There is something about the shades in this palette, which creates that luxurious eye makeup look. Firstly I applied the brown shade all over the lid, blending in the peach shade to soften the edge. Then I took the glamorous gold shade and applied it right in the centre of the lid. And finally the lightest shade I used as a highlighter on the brow bone. Et voilà!

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Editorial Vampy Purple Smokey Eye with YSL Marrakesh Sunset!

Hey Beauties! As you know I have been really obsessed with this palette creating looks from natural to evening, so now with the NYFW on the go I decided to go for a more editorial dramatic vampy purple smokey eye. Purple eyeshadows can be challenging to wear but they also can make a beautiful smokey eye during fall. This smokey eye can be worn for an evening event, or a special occasion, particularly with LFW also being so close! For most people taking a purple eyeshadow so low under the lower lashes can make them look quite drained, which is sort of the idea for this look! But you can easily rectify an editorial look into a more wearable look simply by applying less of the purple eyeshadow under the lower lashes, or if you courageous go all the way and just have vampy fun with it!

So here is how I created this look: Firstly, I applied MAC Paint Pot in Nubile for a nude natural base. On top I just used this purple shade from the YSL Marrakesh Sunset palette, which is a stunning vivid purple with blue and purple sparkles and shimmers, this purple looks amazing over black eyeliner, super saturated! Then I used a black kohl to create extra depth, winging it slightly out, taking it on the waterline and also smudging it under the lower lash line taking it down more they I would normally. 

I haven't used any other colours to increase the depth in the crease-line just because the purple is such a complex shade that the blue and purple sparkles make it almost look like a blue/purple duochrome. To highlight the brow-bone I applied the middle eyeshadow shade from the palette blending it into the edges of the purple making sure the purple fades out nicely and there are no harsh lines.

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Secrets of a Classic Black Eyeliner & Fall Red Lip Look!

MAC Matte Lipstick in Russian Red

[to find out how I created this nailart look click here!]

Hey Beauties! Here in London it is evident that the fall season has official begun, which can only mean one thing - taking your red lipstick for a walk! One of my favourite autumnal red lipstick shades is MAC Matte Lipstick in Russian Red. It's a tone darker than Ruby Woo and I find it looks stunning up against all the fall colours. The look I'm wearing is a classic black eyeliner and a red lip, but my way, the smokey way! One thing I have realised is that black eyeliner can either make your eyes look tiny or huge depending on your eye shape and on the application. So a black eyeliner can be either your best friend or enemy... For my complexion it suits me most when I also have the black kohl on the waterline. Although it's a lot of black, somehow it just makes my eyes pop, the white looks whiter and my grey eyes stand out a lot more. 

Black kohl eyeliners is what I like to use most, they are very soft, which is great for smudging. The perfect kohl eyeliner for me is the one that not only smudges well but also sets and stays put until I take it off! So far having tried lots of black kohl eyeliners my favourite is the Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl [I think it only comes in one colour, black] - unfortunately I couldn't take a picture of it as it looks embracingly short, I only have like an inch of it left, so I definitely need to run and get a new one. 

Randomly, I'll also throw in that my other must have makeup product from Soap & Glory is Archery Brow Tint & Precision Shaping Pencil in the shade Love Is Blonde, which is also on its last leg, naturally... If you are a blonde this is a must have brow pen, it's double ended and doesn't make your brows look either ashy or ginger, which is a revelation on its own, who would have known it's so hard to find a good brow pen to for blondes! I don't think I have actually reviewed this Brow Pencil, so once I get a new one I will definitely share all the good aspects of this double ended blonde brow awesomeness!

For this look I decided to keep the eye as nude as possible concentrating on just the blackness rather than colour, to look contrasting to the red lip yet it isn't stealing the limelight. I have used MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork as a base, and over the top I blended a touch of the peach eyeshadow shade from the YSL Marrakesh Sunset palette [for review click here!], which I have been really loving lately. I have used in so many different looks click on the looks to see them: the same eye look with a hot pink lip, and a brown smokey eye with a nude lip ! 

Then using the Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl I applied it not really winging it out, keeping it short and connecting it in the corner with the line under the lower lashes, which I usually haphazardly dot across and then blend with a pencil brush, also taking it onto the waterline. MAC Russian Red I applied straight from the bullet, blotting it with a tissue then applying it again and this time blotting it just with a finger breaking of the perfect straight lines. This is my favourite way of applying a matte red lipstick.

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Beauty AW13 Trend: Smokey Eye with a Bright Pink Lip Look!

  YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette [Summer 2013 Collection]

 

 MAC Matte Lipstick in Candy Yum-Yum

Hey Beauties! A smokey eye and a bright lip are generally hard to pull off but I was inspired by some of the Fashion Shows for AW13 beauty looks, including Carolina Herrera, Holly Fulton, and Costello Tagliapietra channeling a bold eye and a bright lip trend. So I decided to pull out the brightest pink lipstick I own which is MAC Matte Lipstick in Candy Yum-Yum and create a more wearable beauty look with a soft smokey eye. 

For this look I decided to use the peach eyeshadow shade from the YSL Marrakesh Sunset palette that I applied over MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork, creating a warm nude look with a sheen. And then I used my beloved black Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl to create the smokey eye, blending it with the peach eyeshadow. And to highlight the brow-bone I applied the middle shade from the palette, which is a very pretty shimmer. This soft smokey eye looks great paired up with a neon pink matte lip like Candy Yum-Yum!

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Smokey Eye with YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette!

 YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette from Summer 2013 Collection

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free and Lipliner in Liberated

Hey Beauties! I have recently featured the stunning YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette, if you haven't seen the review yet click here! So as promised here is the look I have created wearing some of the eyeshadows from this palette. Firstly I applied MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork as a base, then I took the brown shade in the palette and applied it all over the lid blending it through into the socket and also taking it under the lower lash line for the smokey effect. Next I applied the middle highlight shade on the brow bone to highlight the area, this helps to visually lift and arch the brow. 

Then I took a black kohl, my favourite still is the Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl [I think it only comes in black], applying it as a liner with a light flick to elongate the eye, on the waterline, as well as under the lower lash line. I like to take a pencil brush and smudge the kohl before it sets to create extra smokiness, which I then went over with a touch of the brown eyeshadow. The final eyeshadow step was to take the golden shade and apply it just in the middle of the lid, this is something I saw Charlotte Tilbury do in her 10 Iconic Looks to transform a day look to a night look. It just adds extra bit of glamour and sparkle. 

And finally with this look I love a nude lip, my favourite nude lip combo of the moment is the new bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipliner in Liberated as a base [filling in the entire lip] + Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free over the top, and then blotting it, always makes a better lip!
 

LOVE

YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette from Summer 2013 Collection!

Hey Beauties! As I have already mentioned on Instagram I have purchased this beautiful YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette from the Summer 2013 Collection back in June as an early B-Day present to myself. But because it's so stunning I almost was scared to mess it up by using it, it's silly but you know what I mean. This palette, as are all YSL 5 Colour Eye Shadow palettes, is pretty expensive but they are so stunning that I can't help myself and break the bank on occasion when the palette is extraordinarily stunning as is this Summer's Marrakesh Sunset palette! The Limited Edition palettes always have a different and opulent design, which makes them a real beauty collector's item! 

The palette has five colours, all are very shimmery to replicate the Moroccan decadence and glamour. There is a brown shade with multi coloured shimmers, underneath it there is a peach with pink and silver shimmers, across it there is the gold with pink and gold shimmers, and above it there is the purple with blue and purple shimmers, and finally in the middle the highlighter is a cream with gold, silver and pink shimmers. It is really hard to pick up the exact shimmers with a naked eye as they are super finely milled, but the purple shade seems to be the most sparkling and glitter packed! A beauty look wearing the eyeshadows from this palette is coming soon.

LOVE

My Fragrance Collection and Favourites!

As some of you wanted to see my fragrance collection I decided to do a blogpost and share some of my beloved perfumes. I love perfumes, and personally I think life would be dull and inexpressive without them. This collection took me years to put together. My oldest fragrance is the Chanel No5, it's probably about seven or eight years old. I use it really sparingly, it's a timeless and classic scent, which I probably wear only a few times a year, predominantly during winter. Generally I love sensual and strong fragrance, full of character and flirtation, with Jasmine and Patchouli notes. When I smell a fragrance I want to be picked up by a tantalising and decadent sensation. Sometimes I don't wear a fragrance for months and then suddenly I start craving it. If I had to pick top five fragrances that I love wearing most they would be:

Chanel Coco - I have almost finished this one, but I only wear it during winter!

Tom Ford Noir de Noir - the sexiest and also the most expensive in my collection.

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver - if a fragrance would be a man, this would be the love of my life. Click here for a full review!

Elie Saab Le Parfum - this is probably the most feminine and pretty smelling fragrance. Click here for a full review!

Reem Acra Reem Acra - Reem Acra is a designer of beautiful wedding dresses and this is her first fragrance, with a middle eastern accent to reflect her roots. Click here for a full review!

There is something about all of them that makes me feel very happy when I smell them on my skin, some sort of chemical reaction that gives me an endorphins rush... They all are Eau de Parfum, the only Eau de Toilette fragrance I own is the YSL Cinema [for a full review click here!], which I almost emptied within a month because Eau de Toilette doesn't last on me. It is a gorgeous and glamorous Hollywood inspired scent. It's a perfect summer scent, I actually purchased it last summer!

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Flattering Warm Brown Eyelook with YSL Eye Shadow Duo in Caramel Tan!

If you want to know how I created this nail look check out my previous blog post or click here!

Very excited to share my love for this gorgeous YSL Eye Shadow Duo palette in 35 Caramel Tan! Warm brown is the most flattering colour on any complexion, I find... I got so many compliments on this eye look... When I saw this palette it took me right back to my teenage years when I used to adore my best friend's older sister's make-up, she wore this black eyeliner with beautifully warm brown smoked eye... It really brought out her eyes, she had brown eyes but liked to wear blue eye contacts [it was the 90s!] and it looked amazing with either eye colour! So I decided to walk down the memory lane of what was my early make-up adorations... 

This is how I created this look: I used MAC Paint Pot in Nubile as a base and applied the lighter eyeshadow shade all over, then blended in the dark caramel shade into the socket and also the outer-corner to smoke it out a little... The lighter shade has nice shimmer to it and the darker is a satin finish, very gorgeous combination! The YSL eyeshadows are one of my top favourites, they are smooth as silk, blend like a dream, and have a beautiful colour pay off! 

To create that striking effect, which brightens the white in your eyes more [which makes you look instantly more radiant] I used my beloved Chanel Long-Lasting Eyeliner in 88 Noir Intense... Winged the eyeliner a little, also applied it on the waterline, and dotted it along the lower lashline to keep it soft, blending it with a sponge applicator and with a little of the darker eyeshadow shade not taking it too low this time... Speaking of applicators, I love how in this palette they click into place and do not fall out unless you want to take them out, great little bonus! And for the lips I found this lovely nude lipstick shade in my collection - Chanel Rouge Coco in 79 Plumetis, also very flattering and not too nude, with a gorgeous light gold shimmer to it!

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Chic Festive Sparkly-Plum Look...

I wanted to create a fresh face look with a touch of colour swept over the eyes and lips in plummy shades as they are really flattering and seasonal... To start off with I applied MAC Paint Pot in Idyllic [a beautiful metallic plum] lightly over the lid and under the lower lashes... Then I took Lancome  Les Paillettes aux Yeux, Glittering Eye Powder in 10 A la Belle Etoile [a super sparkly peachy champagne], which is from the current Christmas Collection... A la Belle Etoile is a beautiful intense glitter pigment, it's very shimmery and smooth but it doesn't have any chunky glitter particles, neither does it have a fall out! I particularly love it over a dark base... 

As I kept the eyes quite chic and light I wanted to bring some element of festive glamour yet still keep it natural... Lancome Hypnôse Waterproof Custom Volume Mascara in 01 Noir is super voluminous and you can control the thickness by building it up... But what I love about it is that although it is incredibly volumising it does not clump your eyelashes, but it actually separates them, giving you a glam eyelash look without the need of wearing fake lashes... I also love the very creamy consistency and the fact that it is waterproof and will stay on no matter what! To add a little definition to the eyes I applied the bareMinerals Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in 7pm [an incredibly flattering dark chocolate] - also dotting it along the lower lashline without smudging it, gives an impression of fuller lower lashes...

And on the lips to stay within the plummy shimmery colour scheme I lightly applied Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Vintage, Long Lasting Stain Formula and Glossy Shine in 1 Violet Edition... You can build it up to a very intense and dark shade if you layer it applying straight from the applicator [to see the intense dark lip look I previously created with YSL Violet Edition click here], or you can leave it quite sheer and natural looking by gently applying it with a finger... These glossy stains are pretty great for party season as they are long lasting... Over the top to add the shimmer I applied YSL Golden Gloss in 54 Golden Sand [limited edition]... Et voilà!

 

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Holiday Inspired Look...

It seems ludicrous to publish pics from summer where I still had a bit of colour going, from that one day of sunshine we had here in glorious London... But somehow I kept forgetting to do this blog post and now we are in the middle of drizzly autumn, while I'm wearing a linen dress with a headscarf in the pics, hey-ho! But maybe there are some of you lucky ones out there somewhere in hot countries or those from drizzly countries that are planning a holiday which involves heat and sunshine, that may find this look inspirational... Let me know if you do! And the rest of us shall reminisce about the few pretty sunny days we had this summer...

Back then, I have created a bronzy eye which I actually tend to wear a lot during summer... As a base I used MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist to make the bronze eyeshadow from the N7 Limited Edition Palette look slightly more deeper... I got this palette couple of summers ago and haven't used it much, but the eyeshadows are right on trend now so I gave it a good use this summer... I think I also used Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner to create that 50s flick, the rest I kept pretty nude... On lips I used the YSL Golden Gloss in 54, which came out with that Swimming Pool Summer 2012 Collection... And as of foundation, of course I used my favourite summer foundation of all time, the Shiseido Sun Protection SPF 30 Liquid Foundation in SP50, which is perfect for oily/combo skin as it always stays put! 

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