Nails of the Week

I didn't manage to take a photo before it started to chip. Oops. I've forgotten which purple I used for the plain purple fingers, but I do know I used Etude House Help My Finger Matte top coat. For the glitter nail I applied two coats if W7 polish in 123 Moonlight, the one coat of each of Satin polish 12, a Sportsgirl purple/holographic glitter polish in a skull shaped bottle and the Face of Australia Dark Side polish in Darth Vader (shown in picture). I like the combination of simple matte nails with a glitter accent nail - its simple but pretty and fancy.

Models Prefer Christmas 2014 Eyeshadow Palettes Review

As Christmas is nearing, many stores are starting to stock a lot of gift sets. Models Prefer brings out such sets every year, which are sold at Priceline in Australia. I chose two of the eyeshadow palettes, although there are also nail polish and lip gloss sets, and an eyebrow makeup palette, and more. Most of these seem to be priced at $10, including the two I purchased - Shadows Party Glam and Brown Smokey.

Cardboard Packaging

Models Prefer Brown Smoky Eye palette is one of several "2 in 1" type palettes that remind me of some of the Two Faced eyeshadow palettes. This one includes a mini brown eyeliner pencil and 6 shadows, which are designed so that you can create two specific looks. There are some other "2 in 1" type palettes that include Blue Smoky and Classic Smoky. 

The outer cardboard box has a flap you can open in the store with instructions for the two looks, as well as, for some unknown reason, a Photoshopped eye showing the supposed final look repeated three time with the three steps, rather than a picture of each step. I don't think this is a huge issue, just a bit odd. The instructed looks are not really the same as the picture, and I feel the "Warm Smoky" look is less smoky and more of a cut crease, but I do really like the colours, and you could easily create a smoky look with those same three colours.

Inside the palette

The instructions are also shown on the inside of the palette below the relevant eyeshadow, with the names listed above the eye shadows, which are also numbered. The first look is the three eye shadows on the left, and the second are the three on the right. It's nice, sturdy and convenient, with a large mirror, and as such I chose it as a palette to take with me on holiday.  The two looks are simple and neutral, so should be able to go with any lipstick, outfit or occasion. Plus warm eye shadows are good for bringing out blue or green eyes.

Indoor natural light

Outdoor natural light

The dark line on the left is the eyeliner, which seems to be fairly okay for a pencil eyeliner. It applies fairly easily and is pigmented. The eye shadows are backwards, and so are from left to right, look 2 (Warm Smoky look) step 3, step 2 then step 1, and then look 1 (Natural look) step 3, 2 and then 1. Step 1 in the natural look is quite hard to see because its very close in shade to my skin tone - so for me it's a great base shade for blending. As you can see, the shadows are nice and pigmented and are swatched on my arm over Face of Australia Eye Primer in Matte. They apply and blend well enough too - probably not as good as Naked by Urban Decay, but well enough for the price ($10 for 6 eye shadows and one eye pencil, if all are considered the same value, that makes them $1.43 each approximately).

Back of palette

 This is the back of the palette, the front is plain black with "Models Prefer" written in the centre. For some reason the cardboard packing calls the palette "Brown Smoky" but the back of the actual palette has it labelled as "Warm Smoky".

Cardboard Packaging

The case for this palette, Shadows: Party Glam, looks a bit like the Urban Decay Naked series. It's a set of 12 eye shadows and a double ended eye shadow brush. The names of the shadows are written underneath each one, and there is a convenient mirror on the inner side of the lid. Other Models Prefer palettes in the Shadows series are Shadows Nude and Shadows Day to Night.

Inside the palette

Indoors natural light

Indoor natural light

Outdoors

The colours are again in backwards order in comparison to the palette. It contains two blue shades (Royalty and Midnight), two purple shades (Suspect, and Mysterious), two green/turquoise shades (Foxy, and Envy), two browns (Tease, and High Heels), two greys (Busted, and Blackout), a silver (Disco Ball) and a pink shade (Princess). Disco Ball, the silver eyeshadow, is quite pale. Disco Ball and Princess are both very shimmery. The other shadows are more of a moderate shimmer. The shadows are quite pigmented and blend easily.

The brush is quite good, one end is a standard brush for applying eye shadow, while the other end is a large blending bush. The blending brush is very soft but possibly too large for use on the eye.

Back of Palette

Matte About Blue: Nails of the Week

So, I just love matte mixed with glitter and flakies. Regardless of the combination, it's almost always a hit with me. This week, I came across some super pretty Sinful Colors nail polish, and couldn't help but splurge. And then wasn't happy just wearing one of them.

I started with a base coat, and then used Sinful Colors Matte About Blue polish, which is pretty awesome on its own. So if you want a cute but simple and quick look, Matte About Blue over a base (no top coat) is a great way to go. It's a "Silk" matte and looks and feels really nice.

I followed Matte About Blue with a couple of coats of Pearl Harbor by Sinful Colors (show in the pictures). This is a really pretty duo-chrome glitter in a sheer base. The glitter shifts from blue to green, and is super pretty. The glitter applies thinner than I'd like, but otherwise I'm really happy with the polish.

To finish, I coated my nails with Etude House Help My Finger Matte Top Coat to make my nails matte again. I really like this matte polish - It works great and is pretty cheap. In comparison, the ELF matte top coat is the worst polish I've ever bought - I ended up just tossing it. I don't know if I just got a dodgy one, but it's not worth the risk to me to buy it again.

Halloween and the Amazing Amanda Chapman

Amanda Chapman is an amazing makeup artist and photographer from Alabama who is currently undertaking a 31 days of Halloween challenge on her Facebook page and Instagram. She has done the challenge every October since 2012, and the results are always amazing.

Jared Leto

 This is a before and after comparison, which shows how amazing her transformations are! 

Charlie Chaplin,

Norman Bates, and Edgar Allen Poe

I'm loving the black and white makeup looks a lot. The one on the right is Edgar Alan Poe, which is one of my favourites from this year. You can view a short video of the Edgar look in action here, and one showing some of the creation process here.

 Here are some of my favourites from 2012 to now. The quotes are from her Facebook page. 

 

Nosferatu

October 22 2014

"To my knowledge, Nosferatu was the very first on screen vampire. Bram Stoker's Dracula was the first novel (Stoker's widow sued the filmmakers because they did not get permission to make a movie based on the Dracula novel). The silent film was released in 1922 and to this day Nosferatu is one of the creepiest vampires in my opinion.

Products used:
Vampire Stack in gray
Urban Decay black eyeliner
Bald Cap & Vampire teeth from Halloween Express
Mehron Synwax for nose and ears
Black contact lenses"

Lydia Deetz - Beetlejuice

 October 18 2014

"Because I'm a photographer and so was Lydia...also I did the Beetlejuice character in 2012 so I thought I'd make it complete I have a collection of vintage cameras so it was nice to incorporate one of them into my series.

Products used:
Bare Minerals BareSkin foundation in Bare Natural
Make Up For Ever HD powder
Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette
Urban Decay black eyeliner
Benefit They're Real mascara
Rimmel Color Rush lip crayon"

Tina Belcher - Bob's Burgers

 October 5 2014

"If you know me then you know I'm a huge fan of animation...The Simpsons, King Of The Hill, Family Guy, American Dad and yes...Bob's Burgers! In honor of the new Bob's Burgers season 5 premiere tonight, here is one of my favorite awkward little animated characters, Tina Belcher!

Super simple makeup

Products used:
Revlon Colorstay Foundation
Urban Decay 24/7 black eyeliner
Mehron Paradise Palette in light blue and white"

 View more from 2014 here

Heisenberg/Walter White - Breaking Bad

 October 6, 2013

"I used a bald cap to cover my hair, Mehron's dark brown color palette for shading, contouring and facial hair. The glasses, hat and shirt are from Dollar General. "

 Larger version of the image here.

 

Coraline

October 5 2013

"I blocked out my eyebrows using layer upon layer of glue stick, concealer and powder. I also used the glue stick to attach the black button over Coraline's eye. Her blue starry top is actually my daughter's jacket from Target worn backwards and the yellow coat is mine."  

Larger version of the image here.

 

Bellatrix Lestrange - Harry Potter

 Oct. 14 2013

Larger version of the image here.

 

Little  Dead Riding Hood

Oct. 16 2013

"She didn't go down without a fight.

For the big bad wolf's (who ain't so bad anymore) claw marks I used Spirit scar putty...which I do not recommend. It's very sticky and difficult to work with. Then I shadowed the cuts with dark red and added a little fake blood. I had an old wolf mask just laying around (because who doesn't) and I purchased the red cape and dress from Walmart several years ago. I know she normally has blonde hair but I wanted to change up her look just a bit." 

Larger version of the image here. 

View more from 2013 here. 

 

Willy Wonka - Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

 October 26 2012

Lord Voldermort - Harry Potter

 October 30 2012

 

Sugar Skull

 October 1 2012

 View more from 2012 here.

 

 Isn't she just amazing? In case you want to go check her out but don't want to scroll all the way back up, here are the links again:

Amanda's Website

Facebook

Instagram

 

 
 

Favourite Makeup Posts This Month on Reddit

"Today's Fall Inspired FOTD" (FOTD stands for 'face of the day') by Checkmate1234. She said: "Not sure what neck of the woods you hail from - but where I live, it's beginning to get rather chilly! Thought I'd bust out my fall colors and match my look to the changing season. :)" and listed the products she used.

"Artsy-fartsy paintbrush stroke-inspired eye makeup" by mkguyote. She said "Saw that last image in the album on Pinterest and since I love artistic looks in general I knew I had to try it. Varied the color and structure a bit; I had this vision of bolts of electric blue shooting out of a cloud of purpley smoke." There are more photos included in the post, as well as on her blog. Her blog, like this eye makeup look, is super cute! The list of products can be found here, and in her blog post.

"decided to play with my lorac pro2 this morning - navy smoke it is!" by GlitteronyourFace. This awesome look was done using the Lorac Pro2 palette (obviously), but the full list of products can be found here.
She says "For this look I used the Lorac Pro 2 palette - specifically Nectar and Light Brown in the Crease, Buff on the brow bone, Navy packed on the lid, and Beige on the brow bone and inner corner. Oh, and Charcoal is also in the crease to deepen the Navy." Her blog is here, you should check it out.

"My first time daring to wear this lip outside of the house. I owe my newfound confidence to you, MUA! feat. Maybelline The Nudes!" By Blekah. Her product list can be found here.

""I'll just do one neutral eye," I say. "It'll take five minutes," I say." By 1_DayAtATime. Such a cute fun look! She said: "Using UD's Virgin as a base, traced out the crease first with Naked and then Buck. Used UD's Peace over half the lid and bottom lid. Then blended teal color from L.A. Colors Water Lily palette onto bottom lid. Tightlining eyeliner was Bobbi Brown's gel liner and Stila Stay All Day Liner for the wing". Also, her instagram is Breebeauty411 if you want to check her out :)

"Rosey Red Makeup Look" by KikiDeevolution. Such a cute and sophisticated look! Her product list is here. 

"Why bother matching your foundation shade when you can just use them all!?" by Warrden. While not an everyday wearable look this is absolutely amazing. Reminds me of an art piece. She has a Facebook, and you should check out her Instagram: @cnartistry.

"New favorite red lip: Napa Vineyard--Burt's Bees" by gthomas13. Her thoughts on the Burt's Bees lip colour: "I didn't have super high expectations for this color but it suits my complexion so well (this picture doesn't quite do it justice). This is also without a liner and it took me maybe 3 seconds to apply. Super easy, super pigmented, super smooth, super beautiful. I'm in love". Her full product list is here. 

 "In The Deep End: A Smokey Teal and Pink Look :)" by macker401347. Such a cute mermaid-esc look! There are more pictures included in the post. Her full product list is here. You should also check out her blog :)

"First Attempt at Galaxy Makeup using new Makeup Forever Shadows (30 Artist Shadow Palette)" by oatberry. This is amazing and so cute! I think it would look great with a little black sparkly dress, especially for a "night under the stars" or similar themed party. There are more photos included in the post, which you should check out. Her product list can be found here.
She now has a YouTube channel you should check out. :)

"Neutral Smoked Winged Liner for Fall using Maya Mia Palette" by pittpanthermua. Her product list and some diagrams for recreating her eyeshadow look can be found here. There are more photos in the post, including a close up of her eye, which you should check out because her eyeshadow is amazing. Her Instagram is @pittpantherelle and her blog is here. 

"Vice 3 palette look and grand pumpkin lipgloss from Mac/Simpsons :)"  by Mollydolly. She listed the products here. This is such a cute, simple but amazing autumn/fall look, which could also double as an evening look for those not in the nothern hemisphere.

"Using Chequered Lily Apothecary's "Hearts in Ice" on brows" by Supercircinus. She also has some other creative avant garde inspired looks included in the post. Her blog is alittlejar.blogspot.com. 

"I love a bold lip and some contouring " by rsquaredpie. I love this simple look and bold blue lip. Also, look at that contour! Amazing! Her product list is here.

"Purple and black liner" by Kaayell. So so cute! I actually copied this tonight on one eye just to try it, using MAC Paint Pot in Blitz & Glitz and Australis Budge Proof Gel Eyeliner in Pure Purple. Her product list is here.

"Late-night experimentation with an eyeshadow look that's outside of my comfort zone!" by Lumiere. This is amazing! I've got to try this myself. Her product list is here.

 "I found a NYX Studio Liquid Liner in "Extreme Coffee" that I forgot I had (oops) and tried out a gradient liner look for fall!" by threat_levelmidnight. I love the liner, it's so cute and sophisticated. I need a brown/brownze gel liner now! That contour on those cheekbones is amazing, and such a cute hair colour! Her product list is here. 

"Pop of color LOTD feat. Vice 3 and the Electric palette!" by sweaterbrau. I love the pops of colour on an otherwise neutral look. Its super cute and really well done. I wish I could get my eyeliner so straight. She says: "Center lid shade is "brokedown" from Vice 3. The outer corner is darkened with "defy", and the crease is transitioned with "DTF" (also used on lower lash line). Browbone has been highlighted with "truth". On the inner corner I blended Nyx milk as a base and packed on "thrash" from the Electric palette. I lined my inner rim with milk and packed on "chaos" overtop.
Upper liner is wet'n wild Fergie gel liner, and mascara is good ol' clump crusher."

 "Another halo eye, this time featuring the LORAC Unzipped palette! With a short tutorial. :)" by PainfulHiccup. Her tutorial and product list is here.

"Seeing Red: FOTD featuring red eyeshadow" by aborted_foetus. The red eyeshadow is subtle in this photo, but there are closed eye photos included in the post. Her product list is here.

"I am in love with purple lips" by maliciouscheese. That purple lipstick looks amazing, and surprisingly natural on her! Her product list is here.

"Burgundy gradient liner with the Vice 3 palette" by sporophyte. This is an amazing ombre liner! Her product list is here.

My Favourite Nail Art Posts of the Month from Reddit

I've decided to expand my favourite Reddit Beauty round up into multiple more specific posts - there is just so many cute manicures and makeup looks that everyone posts - all such great inspiration! So to begin with, these are my favourite nail art posts.

"Squirrel and Sparkles" by Manicurn_it

"Cherry blossoms on a French manicure gradient with a matte finish" by roflypenguingasm

Pretty Floral Nails by Stephsnails - for photos of the process or just because she's awesome, you should check out her blog!

True Blood Logo Nail Art by PiggieLuv. This is so amazingly detailed and awesome. I wish I was this talented. She also has a post about it on her blog, which you should totally check out :)

Awesome vampire fang nails by Kimberlykitty. These are such an awesome idea - especially with Halloween approaching. Kimberllykitty says "The black and white polishes are just plain Wet and Wild cream black and french white. The two middle fingers (and my thumb) have one layer of black topped with one layer of Kleancolor's Chunky Holo Scarlet. :-)"

This is another great manicure for Halloween -a dripping poison look by -Diet-Cokehead-. She says that "I used Nautilus You Say So by Different Dimension for the green and OPI's matte top coat over the black. The skull and crossbones is a nail vinyl from Lou it Yourself's Halloween set. Here's a link to her store http://louityourself.storenvy.com/ she has some really awesome designs" and also explained how she did the drips: "What I did was lay down the green color first and then top coat it and make sure it was completely dry. I then used a super fine black sharpie (this worked since I was using black as the background color) and drew out the outline for the drips. I wasn't happy with one of them so I took the sharpie off with rubbing alcohol and drew it again. Then it was just a matter of staying within the lines. I've also seen some tutorials where people use a dotting tool for the bottom of the drip and then connect the dot to the top part if that makes sense". She also has an instagram that you should check out. :)

This is a simpler but still fabulously adorable 1930s-esc manicure by atxlacquerista. Cedricsmiles also did a very similarly awesome look in red and white.

Awesomely fantastic Totoro nails by Kikidiwasabi. So well done, and so very cute. I'm a bit of a sucker for Studio Ghibli.

These super cute "Autumn Owls" are by Esperanza.

Sandwich bag galaxy nails by Panduuhh. I think they look like an exotic marbled stone. So pretty. She says: "Basically you put drops of nail polish on a sandwich baggy and fold the bag on top of the wet polish and smoosh it around a little bit to make the colors get to know each other and once its dry, you can peel it off like a sticker and apply it to your nail". She also has a tumblr full of nail art that you should check out.

"Blue sparkly mosaic mani" by DoctorCrafty. There are more pictures on her blog, which you should check out.

This cute Jupiter inspired nail art look is only one of a set of all nine planets in our solar system by PeanutMonkey. The post hyperlinked above includes all nine. She also has a blog called Pretty Girl Science (the planet series of blog posts can be found here).

This adorable floral mani is by adcherub. Her instagram is @bwlblogger.

"Fall Equinox Mani: Gradient Chevrons Inspired by Fall Leaves" by Missus_b. I love this, and also the inspired manicures by Publicidentity and Remalin. Missus_b listed the polishes she used here.

This absolutely adorable fox nail polish is by Felinewarrages. It was apparently inspired by One Nail To Rule Them All. Felinewarrages said: "I used Surprise I'm Drunk by Vapid Lacquer for the base, Rose Bowl by Cult for the fox color and flowers, bikini so teeny by Essie for the blue flowers, Alpine Snow by OPI for the white flowers, Mahima by Julep for the middle of the flowers, and last but not least is Innocent by Sinful Colors for the leaves. Topped it off with a matte coat, but a glossy top coat looks cute too!"