Sunday 13 November 2011

Crazy Purple Eye and Red Lip Look

Hello lovely internet guys and girlies.

The look I have for you today is the bonkers purple eye and red lip combo I did for our friend's birthday night out.

Recently I have been rocking a more neutral look, with a shaded crease, like this one, or silver smokey eyes (which are my standby look for any night out). Feeling a bit bored with both of these colour combos I wanted to go for something completely different, so came up with a look influenced by this video by Tanya Burr and this one by Pixiwoo.

Hence, a crazy purple eye, which I originally teamed with a nuder lip, that's a bit more wearable:






^ That one was originally the whole of my face, but it came out a bit creepy, so I cropped it for you.

An hour later I was sat admiring it and then remembered the Pixi2woo video and thought, yes, a mental red lip would go with this coo-coo purple eye perfectly. Et voila. Apologies for the very silly face pulling, this was at 4 o'clock in the morning the other day:



Products I used:


Face: 
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in no.2 Light (actually a touch too dark for me, but the lightest I could get when I was buying concealer in a rush this summer)
MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 1.5

Eyes:
MAC Pearlglide Eye Liner in Rave (this was a limited edition purple glitter kohl liner from absolutely ages ago, but any purple creamy textured product to use as a base would work as a substitute)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Fishnet
This was in an old palette of my flatmate's, but Urban Decay recycle colours so frequently in their palettes that you're bound to find it again. MAC Stars & Rockets is an okay substitute, though its texture's not as satiny. I used this all over the lid, up to the crease, and under the eye pretty heavily
MAC Eyeshadow in Swish
I blended this lightly into my crease
Benefit High Beam Highlighter
I used this under my brows
Sleek Bad Girl Palette
I used the glittery purple just on the lid, more concentrated close to the lash line, but very well blended so as not to darken up the look too much
Sleek Storm Palette
I used the matte black (which is actually featured in the Bad Girl palette now I think of it) to line all around my eyes. It actually lasted really, really well.
Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Brows:
Sleek Storm Palette - the matte darker brown

Cheeks:
Collection 2000 Bronze Glow in 01 Sunkissed
This was one of my birthday presents from my flatmates and I really like it - I've never owned a bronzer before! It doesn't show up as much in the photo though.


Lips:
For the neutral-ish lip:
No7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick in 40 Lovely
This really is lovely - so balmy and I got it in a free gift set!
For the red lip:
Max Factor Colour Elixir Lip Liner in Red Rush
I bought a replacement of this when I lost the first, I adore it so much! I used this all over the lips as a base
Clinique High Impact lipstick in 12 Red-y To Wear


And there you have it. I hope this was of interest to you - I intend to continue to be a bit bolder with my make up in future as this was so much fun!

Saturday 5 November 2011

Cut Crease Attempt From Ages Ago :)

Hello beautiful people of the Internet!

How are we today? Good? I hope so, I so so hope so.

These are some old photos of a subtle cut crease look I attempted ages ago (before I moved to uni, you can tell from the background!)

I used my beloved Steek Storm Palette again for this bad boy - man I love the Sleek Storm Palette.



Anywho, I hope you enjoy!







 Apologies for some of the weird face pulling, I'm new to this! And also, my skin looks ridiculously shiny -  I can assure you that in real life it definitely was not like that!

Products I used


Face:
MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 1.5
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20

Eyes:
Sleek Storm Palette
Basically, the golds across the lid, the browns (bar the darker, sparkly brown) in the crease with a smidge of the black, and a teeny bit of the lightest gold as a highlight
Gosh Kohl in White
I put this along the water line and all over the inner corner of my eyes - I like that it makes the black eyeliner look a bit more graphic and cool!
Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 01 Black (on the upper lash line)
Max Factor False Lash Effect Fushion in Black

Cheeks:
Bourjois Blush in Lilas d'Or

Lips:
Benefit Benetint Lip Balm
Vaseline Rosy Lips

Et voila! The video I used to learn about cutting my crease is this one by Ronnie at Bows and Curtseys. I would wear this look to go out at night, or on super hot dates!

Have a lovely day lovely people!

Thursday 3 November 2011

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish vs. No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser

Hello everyone!

Today I'll tell you my thoughts on Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and No 7's Hot Cloth Cleanser.

I have used Liz Earle for about two years and am definitely a complete convert. As a teenager with very teenage skin (I have acne, but also patches of dry skin, which is excellent) I had long struggled with finding the right kind of product on my skin, and Cleanse and Polish was the answer to my prayers: it was gentle, but so very effective, and could take off my makeup so easily. I loved going to bed knowing my skin was clean but in no way irritated.



The only problem with Cleanse and Polish, as far as I'm concerned, is its price. Though there are deals to be had that make it cheaper (like buying three pumps of 100ml at one time, for example), the fact remains that one 100ml pump will cost you £13.75, and one of these pumps will usually last me roughly six weeks (maybe more or less, but I've never fully checked). For a student without much income, it's become a luxury I now struggle to justify, for all its amazing benefits.

So I looked elsewhere. I wanted another hot cloth cleanser, but with a reasonable price tag, and No7's seemed to be the obvious choice.
The Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser costs £10.00 for 200ml (twice as much cleanser as Liz Earle!)

In principle, it does all the same stuff as the Liz Earle one: my skin always feels soft, it takes of my makeup (no matter how stubborn) without too much difficulty, and it's a creamy texture.

Naturally it's not perfect - as you'd expect with such a difference in price. Its texture is wetter and less creamy than Liz Earle's, and the smell is that No7 pong that I hate so very much. I do find it ever so slightly irritates my eyes, and my eyes aren't the most sensitive in the world. Furthermore I do have to work for a bit longer to shift my makeup, where as Liz Earle's seemed to almost melt it off effortlessly.

However, these are all things I'm willing to live with. If you want a hot cloth cleanser, do please try the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. If you want a hot cloth cleanser on a budget, No7's Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser is a fairly good substitute. As cleansers go, it's not the cheapest, but as hot cloths go it's not bad.

So guys, do you have any cleansers that are melting your hearts (and your makeup)?! Let me know, I'd love to try another after No7 runs out.
Just Bananas Makeup. All rights reserved. © Maira Gall.