17 BB cream - quick post!

There's been a lot buzz going on lately about BB creams.. (or maybe I'm actually one of the last to jump on the bandwagon?) Well, atleast in my world, which goes at a different pace, BB creams are still something new.
At first I was quite sceptical about this kind of a product as it just didn't make much sense, a balm-like skincare product that is also make-up? When I think of a balm, it's something thick and quite heavy, although good for body moisturizing, the dry skin for hands and hair, deffinately not to create "a fresh-faced, flawless look" as it's supposed to. And what do we have tinted moisturizers for then if this is so new and genius?

Anyway, after a Sunday morning spent make-up bargain shopping in Boots, I saw this product - 17 BB Blemish Balm - such a bargain at just £6.99 and a 3 for 2 make-up offer, so I decided to finally find out what is this product all about. And I'm so happy I did!
It is deffinately nothing like I have ever used before, the texture is like a balm (but not too heavy) and it covers my skin with almost a powdery effect. And the effect itself is unbelievable as well - the skin just looks like it has been blurred out!
I've got very large, visible pores and my skin is really complicated to take care of, as it's sensitive and changes very very radically depending on whatever is going on around me - it will literally be super-oily on a hot or a rainy day, super-dry if I get up too early or don't have enough sleep, etc. I know it sounds strange but it's just very sensitive to the external circumstances so I do need something that protects my skin as well as covers all the flaws -a multi-tasker product and this is one!
The one complaint I've seen other bloggers talking about is the lack of shades - right now it only comes in light and medium. I'm lucky enough and the light matches my skin quite well. Also, take Your time blending it. If I do need concealer under my eyes or the chin/nose area that tends to be a bit red or swollen at times, I actually apply the concealer first for a super-natural effect that blends together perfectly. Another tip - don't be scared to use Your fingers to blend it into the skin - don't forget it's a balm! So You need the warmth of Your fingers to melt the product a bit so it blends evenly and glides on the skin. Just make sure Your hands are clean and if needed, use some hand hygiene gel atleast 5 minutes before doing that for a sterile and clean application. (Please don't pack Your hands with the sanitiser and then try to touch Your skin straight away as it is all spirit-based and way too strong for the delicate skin on the face! Give it a few minutes to work and wipe Your hands)

Anyway, to sum it all up -
No matter if my skin is oily or dry, the 17 BB blemish balm will always deliver the same amazing effect!
A very light coverage, even skintone, no dry or oily patches, no visible pores - I don't know how they do it but now I know why BB creams are called "magic make-up"!

What are Your thoughts?

Lots of Love,

S

xoxo

Glitter & Sparkles & Make-up

As we put the plastic skelletons and false blood back in the boxes for next year, we feel another season coming closer and closer - less than two months till Christmas.
Windows filling with shiny garlands, Sinatra singing "White Christmas" and ..guess what? Party season!
Sequin dresses and golden heels, the shinier, the better! Bold cranberry lipstick and red hair bows, it's the most wonderful.. and glamorous time of the year. More opportunities to get all dolled up and wear heels, what else can a girl ask for?
So, inspired by what's coming up I created an evening/going out look using my favorite products this season.

Here's the products and tips&tricks on how I created it: 

 

• Jemma Kidd Crushed Jewel Duo in 01, Lolite is one of my favorite products for an evening look and it's super easy to create super-glamorous eyes in minutes. Just blend the cream all over Your lids and finish by sweeping the glitter on top. It does not have the usual heavy glitter feeling, it's super light and blendable, the cream does not crease at all.. a must have in every make-up bag! Plus, You don't always need to use both of these products together. The cream is a great base for a smoky eye that will last for ages as well and sometimes I just sweep the glitter over an eyeshadow primer and add some falsies for a more subtle look when going out. Also, You can use it as an eyeliner.. The variations are limitless and, although this product has been around for a while now, I just can't get over the fact how amazing it is!
• Keep everything else plain and simple - the heavy eye and fresh face combo will look very high-fashion. If the rest of the face is too done up, You might end looking more drag than catwalk. So, leave the brows natural and bushy, blend a light foundation over the cheek, nose, forehead and chin area and cover blemishes with a good concealer such as my personal favorite - Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection.
• Don't powder - YET! I know it's very hard to keep away from the loose powder to finish off a look and although we will leave the house looking amazing, after a few glasses of champagne and hitting the dancefloor, the foundation might decide to move around the face a bit, and leave us looking more shiny than sparkling. So, don't powder but DO take a light loose powder with You for a much needed touch-up during the night. Just don't go overboard!

 

• Finish the look with some highlighter on top of the cheekbones - Bourjois Illuminating Touch - will work brilliantly!

What is Your must-have for the party season?

Lots of love,

S

xoxo

Wearable Urban Witch Look

As I was having my daily dose of vogue.it I came across the trend of the day - Urban Witches - a seductive, dark look with rules and spells of it's own.
This has deffinately given me wardrobe inspiration for atleast a week - faux leather trousers & stilletos, all in blacks and deep dark shades, perfectly matched with lacy lingerie peeking through a fitted blazer.

 

 

I need need need these now!

Anyway, to finish this look to perfection, I created an eye look as well - something dark, bold yet wearable. Almost rock chic but with a touch of sophistication.

If You want to create something similar, feel free to add a dark lippie if You feel like it. I chose not to 'cause the clothing etc. makes enough of a statement already. As often as I do ignore the rule, this probably is the time to choose eyes OR lips.

 Here's a few tips to achieve this look:

• As I already said, it's all about the eyes, but don't forget Your brows as well - think thick, dark but nicely groomed to balance the bold eyeliner, if the brows are too light or thin, the overall look will lack all the mystery and darkness we want to add. Also, such a unique eyeliner-smoky shadow mix needs to have a frame to enchace the structure of Your eyes and face,
• Use a sheer matte eyeshadow that's a shade or two lighter all over the lid and on the browbone for added brightness and contrast - such a heavy eyeliner can sometimes make You look dull.
•  Draw the shape You desire with a black kohl - like Gosh Kohl Eyeliner in Black - then trace over it with a black eyeshadow, sweeping it a bit over the lines for a subtle smoky look. I blended a bit of purple on the outside to enchance the color of my eyes. See how blue they look? (Usually my eyes are more gray than blue) If You have brown eyes, use a green, etc.
• A jet black liquid eyeliner along the lashline is a must! This will create an even stronger shape, enchancing the cat-eye shape and making it all about the eyeliner, not the smoked out eyeshadow - exactly what we want.
• Finish the eyes with a pair of falsies of Your choice for maximum impact and there You go - strong, dark, mysterious - casting a spell of amazement on everybody You set Your eyes on!

On my face I used Healthy Mix Foundation in shade 51 and Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch concealer. You want a nice coverage but keep it as natural as possible. The same with lips - as the eyes will do all the talking - I just filled my lips in with Jemma Kidd lip line duo in 05 - but I actually used the neutral and added a slick of Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipgloss in Frivolous Pink
Tadaaaaaa - You're done! 

Hope You found this helpful, 

Lots of love,

S xoxo

.. And one more thing on the side..

Click here to see my newest Halloween look


I was so excited to check the comments on my blog today and find out that the gorgeous

LoveFaye xoxo had awarded me with this blog award!

This absolutely made my day, Thank You!

So these are the lovely blogs I love to read because of their good taste, great sense of fashion and wonderful style of writing and chose to pass the award to:

• http://zozeze.blogspot.com/
• http://lifeisunplanned.blogspot.com/
• http://lindanbeauty.blogspot.com/
• http://yolandaas.blogspot.com/
• http://aliciadoll.blogspot.com/

Be sure to check these wonderful blogs,

lots of love,

S xoxo

Another one.. Pretty Zombie/Burlesque Zombie

I have to admit, I am having fun trying all these Halloween looks out even though I'm not sure I'm even celebrating it this year.
It's just so much fun transforming myself absolutely, throwing crazy color combinations together and actually letting myself get carried away to the world of my bizarre imagination.
So this time I am doing something a lot more comic-strip inspired and a lot less realistic, as so many commented that my previous look - a ghost (see it here) - was actually a bit scary! I think I just got into the character so easily and got so tangled in the personality of the soft and lonely being that I was making up in my mind, I didn't even notice how realistic it turned out!
I did this look to show You another top tip for creating a great costume and make-up -
DO combine several characters into one!
This lets You go as far as You want with Your idea and do the good old characters with an absolutely different twist than before - do a nerdy werewolf, a nurse-vampire or a pretty, girly zombie as I did here

Top tips for creating this look:

• When doing a zombie look, it's all about the texture of the skin rather than shading or contouring. So, before dabbing white facepaint all over Your face with a sponge, add some texture by layering little, thin pieces of tissue soaked in lash glue on the desired areas of the face. I used Eylure Lashfix Adhesive but I suggest using any of the cheap little lash glues that You might have piling up in Your make-up bag - they are mostly latex-based which is not so good for the lashes but perfect for this! Just apply a few layers of soaked tissue using the same technique as You would for Papier-mâché, then let it dry for a few minutes. Do this before facepaint, otherwise it will not stick!
• You don't need expensive greasepaints or professional materials to make this work! To color the texturised skin in, I used MUA lipstick in Shade 10! You can use any product (a cream blusher, liquid eyeshadow, etc.) with a creamy texture and a deep, warm nude tone to imitate the color of rotting skin. We don't want these to look like fresh wounds so don't use anything too red or bloody, also avoid products with pink undertones, as that will look too fake and stand out too much! It's all about old, rotten wounds, bruises and skin that has no blood circulation left, perhaps posessed by a deadly virus. 
• Shade the deepest parts of the wounds with a deep, dark green eyeshadow to make the skin look like it's about to detach from the face.

Blend some fake blood over the wounds to add some more dimension (as a top layer of the skin that is still trying to heal), dab it over the lips and neck to look like You've been eating human flesh or fighting another zombie over it. DO be careful when choosing false blood as the cheapest brands can stain Your skin (and You don't really want to still look as a zombie days after Halloween) and cause allergic reactions! I suggest Kryolan as they do a wide range of good quality fake blood that will not stain skin or clothing.

• Finish it with a flick of black eyeliner and a bright red lippie! Any other make-up would look out of place. Just try to accentuate the eyes and lips with a feminine touch to symbolize the zombie's longings for still feeling beautiful despite the rotting skin and, perhaps, the urge to eat human flesh!  
  
  When it's all done - accesorize! Here I used a feather hair clip for a burlesque vibe but You can do a 60's beehive, a blonde barbie wig or even drag - anything You wish!
  
  
  
   
  Once again, think of the personality and life of the character You are creating and let Your imagination flow! 
  Hope You found this helpful, 
  Lots of love,
  Sam
  xoxoxo

Halloween look: Ghost

Halloween is deffinately my favorite time of the year make-up wise as people can let all their creativity show on the outside with costumes, hair, make-up, create absolutely bizarre or absolutely genius looks with their own twist and just for a night forget themselves in the whirlwind of the imaginary, historic or scary silhouettes.

The top tip from me, whatever You choose to go as, is to create a story in Your head about the character You are going to choose. What does it feel, what does it think, where is it from and why? As You let Your imagination flow, the costume will create itself with it's unique little features and additions, creating something absolutely unique and unseen. 

So, here's the 2nd look from me - a lonely, neglected ghost. She's been around for centuries, her sad eyes telling a story of what once happened. The effect I tried to achieve with make-up is the illusion of her slowly fading away, the skin is so transluscent the features of the skull have started to show through.
Once again, this look is all about shading and higlighting, no essential details really, just a lot of blending and precise placement of color. Here's a better shot of the shadow placement:

And yes, I did the pictures in my bathroom as the lights are so much better there and the pictures turned out much more clear, so ignore the tiles and the occasional tap haha

Here's top tips to create this look:

• Start with a clean base, make sure there's no foundation or tinted primer on Your face as it is most likely to mix with the white greasepaint You'll be applying. No introductions needed now, use a white greasepaint. It will be much more pigmented and thick than most facepaints bought at costume stores etc. and last You through the night (You don't want Your MU to go patchy) I used Kryolan Supracolor in White.  I would suggest to pat it in the skin with a sponge instead of blending or using a buffing brush as this is not about covering the skin with a thick layer - we want to create a fragile porcelain effect.
• Use a grayish-mauve matte color for shading - I used an Estee Lauder one from a quad that's long been discontinued, but it was something like this Wild Sable one with a mauve and berry kick to it. Shade the hollows of Your cheeks making all the deeper parts the darkest, chin, forehead, etc. Just follow the natural lines of Your face for the best effect that will work only for You. Dip Your brush in a light blue or gray pigment to help blend the dark color in.
• Create the eyeshape as seen in the pic - think of the way the hollows of eyes look on a skull. Use a black eyeshadow to draw in the deepest parts, then blend with the same color You used to shade the face.
• When that's done, finish off by blending a pearly white shadow everywhere else to create a glow that I imagine a beautiful ghost would have - It will catch the light, create a nice contrast and create a halo effect as if You're about to dissolve in the background on the face.
• Use baby powder in Your hair and add a few plastic spiders, accesories or whatever You feel like depending on the story and background You imagine for this characted. The sky's the limit! (how ironic for a ghost look, haha)

 Hope You found this atleast a bit helpful, Lots of love,

S

xoxoxo

A quick Thank You and Halloween post

Soo.. It's been about a month since I started this blog so I could talk more about what I love doing so much - make-up. It truly is my passion and my dream, and nothing makes me more excited than trying out new products, transforming people and making other women feel beautiful.

I'm so excited to read new comments on my posts every day - Thank You so much to all my new followers for inspiring me to keep doing this!

xoxoxo

Anyway, I felt a bit inspired this evening so I did a quick and easy Halloween look on myself and I know many might be looking for inspiration and ideas right now - it's already October!
I've had this idea for a She-wolf character in my head for a while now, I did some sketches of it yesterday and I tried it out today. Sadly, it was already dark outside and the camera is not as advanced to pull this off and the pics turned out in a bad quality so I can't do a tutorial on this look.
I'll do another look - a neglected ghost - tomorrow. I promise to do it earlier in the day so the pics turn out better.

For now, here's just a few pics to get the idea of what's coming up:

A few tricks and tips if You are planning to do something similar:

• Use Your usual liquid foundation instead of greasepaint or facepaint, we want the base to match Your skintone - this look is not about the skin - and It will be easier to blend in all the other products used for highlighting and shading.
• Cover the ends of your eyebrows with a concealer stick - using a plastic palette knife or a spoon's edge, then use a dark brown eyeshadow and an angled brush to draw the shape in, finish off with a dark brown lash thickening mascara - Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara in Black Brown adds a lot of beast-like texture and thickness to the brows. Don't comb the brows, think lots of small strokes opposite the direction Your brows grow naturally for maximum effect.
• This look is all about the brows and eyes, they have to be bold and dark - think of an animal that is about to attact it's prey, a look so intense it could cut like a laser. Do a black smokey eye as You would usually do, then with a flat-top eyeshadow brush drag it outwards so the eyeshadow goes parallel the new brow shape.
• Use a dark brown shadow to contour the face, but as Your highlighter use white greasepaint - it will provide a more intense look - on top of Your cheekbones, the apples of Your cheeks, the tip and bridge of Your nose and the upper lip.
• Don't powder, we still want You to look sexy and sultry, attracting the prey with Your exotic, animalistic facial features.

Hope this was a bit helpful, come back soon for a more advanced and detailed look and a tutorial!

Lots of Love and Thanks for reading,

S

xoxoxoxoxox


 P.S. Who are You going as this year?

Little Mason shows me his teeth - that's how it's done, auntie! haha