• Kat Von D’s Rock N Roll Eyeshadow in Believer. A frosted white paired with a glittery silver.
• Rimmel’s Glam’Eyes Mascara in Black. The wand is great for separating eyelashes.
• OPI’s Nail Polish in OPI Ink
• http://hel-looks.com/about.html . A fun website of street fashion photography from Helsinki, Finland
• [U]Hairstyles of the Damned[/U] by Joe Meno. A punk coming of age story http://www.joemeno.com

  Hairstyles of the Damned, photo courtesy of Amazon.comOPI INK

Hi guys and dolls! As you can guess from the title, I’ve decided to start doing monthly fave videos. Everyone seems to really enjoy this type of video, I myself love them, and they seem like easy videos to make. Not that I’m trying to take the easy route, but making my life a bit easier is pretty high on my priority list right now.

In truth, I’ve been wanting to do them for a long time, but I always feel like I need to properly review each item first, and for me,  that’s sort of a hassle. Then I had an ephiany: the monthly faves videos sort of ARE a mini review for each item, DUH! So here’s my first monthly fave video, and a mini review of each item. Some of these you’ve seen me review before, some of these are things I’ve kept mum about!

First up is Rimmel Lasting Finish Intense Wear Lipstick in “Celeb”.  I first tried this brand/type of lipstick back in 2006, and at that time I had “Alarm” (a  dark red I bought for a Sally the Rag Doll Costume). For some stupid reason when I became full-fledged obsessed with MAC I bought their Russian Red Lipstick, and gave Alarm to my then- housemate.  I bought Airy Fairy last winter, and I love it; I always use it for light lip looks (it’s sort of a light nude pink with very subtle gold sheen).

I’ve been dying to get Celeb, but it’s never in stock when I look. Rimmel was recently 50% off at my local Walgreens, and they only had one “Celeb” in stock, and the top had been smashed into the cap (GR) but I bought it -and sanitized it- anyway. Celeb is a deeper, warmer nude-pink than Airy Fairy. For me, it’s somewhat similar to my natural lip color, so I’d call it a nude lipstick. I myself am not really a fan of the flesh-tone lip color thing that a lot of people call nude. To me, nude should be somewhat similar to your lip color.  Anyways, Celeb is a very creamy lipstick, similar to a MAC Amplified Cream finish. It has sort of a Chocolate (or is it cinnamon) smell that I like and dislike at the same time. The smell dissipates after about 3 minutes, so it’s not a major deal. Rimmel says this lipstick formula gives you 8 hours of wear, and I really wouldn’t know about that. I for one think lipstick starts to feel weird after 2 hours, so I always remove and re-apply. I’m also not a fan of eating with lipstick on ( have you ever seen your lipstick on your sandwich? that means you’re eating your lipstick, ICK!) Overall, I think celeb is a great creamy, warm,  nude-pink that feels smooth an moisturizing on your lips.  This is about 5.99 at drugstores.

Celeb Rimmel Lasting Finish Intense Wear Lipstick

I already reviewed the Hard Candy “Nobody’s Perfect Concealer Palette” so in the interest of keeping this post a bit shorter/not repeating my self too much, I’ll simply link you to that review. This was somewhere between 5-8 dollars at Walmart.

I said I didn’t want to repeat myself, (sigh) but once again, I already reviewed the Urban Decay 24/7 Liners so here’s a link to that post (blogging is getting easy, LOL). What I will say is that I’m pretty much obsessed with these. I want all the colors. Hopefully I’ll be getting some of the  MUFE Aqua Eyes liners so I can do a comparison these are normally 17.00 on the urban Decay Website and at Sephora and Sephora.com

The Migi Velvet Liner was sent to me for review purposes by the same company that makes the Migi Nail Art Pens that I previously reviewed/demoed . Basically, this is a liquid liner pen it’s like drawing on your eyeliner with a VERY fine tipped marker. Several companies make eyeliners like this, one that comes to mind is MAC . I can’t find out how much is in the Migi pen, and I searched the pen itself, the Migi Velvet Liner site, &  the packaging, so who knows, the MAC one could have more or less in it. If I remember the MAC one wasn’t completely smudge proof, but the Migi one is. I put it on in the morning, ant it’s right there exactly as I had it when I come home 9-11 hours later. I can get a SUPER thin line with this and I love it! It has a slightly shiny finish as well, which is a nice break from the Matte blacks I normally use. I will say I only like the Black color, the green and the blue seem a bit sheer, and I really don’t like how the pens are not color labeled.

Last but not least, “Worth My Weight” Sephora by Opi nail polish. This is a gold (hence the name, ha-ha) glitter polish with silver 3-d silver glitter that is far more that the sum of it’s parts. Applied on the nails is had a rough almost matte finish and appears cool-gold. When you apply a top coat, the gold deepens and  warms up!  One way or the other, I feel like this polish could work for everyone. It dries lightning fast, and since it’s Limited edition, I only have 3 words: FREAKING GET IT! even if you hate it, you can give it as a gift to a friend or in my case, a kid sister. The only thing I don’t like is that the brush is humongous.  The only other Sephora by Opi nail polish doesn’t have such a big brush, so I don’t know if the glitter makes it bigger, or if it’s something they did because it’s a LE shade, but it’s like a big nail polish mop. But seriously, Just look at this polish, it’s clearly worth it!

Blurry to show the 3-d Silver glitter OOOOHHHH

Thanks for stopping by my blog and reading my LOOOONG blog post!

<3 Cora

I don’t know how I managed the luxury of shopping at Sephora and department stores exclusively for beauty products while in college, but I do know times are a-changin’.

My tube of Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer ($42) was running low and I started to research for a replacement.  I wasn’t going to miss it since I found it too thick to be considered “sheer” natural coverage.  Plus, the limited shades offered at the time meant that I had to choose between a pale-gray wash or slight orange tint.  I went with orange, the seemingly lesser of two evils.  (Sorry, Laura, I usually like you!)

So, I had a new mission in mind:  sheer, natural coverage + easy on the wallet.

I stumbled upon Rimmel’s line and remembered I had read somewhere that the texture and sheer coverage of Rimmel’s new Stay Matte Foundation was closer to that of a tinted moisturizer.  With a friendly price ($6), I thought, why not?

Luckily, I found a color that matched my skin (half the battle is won there).  The formula was surprisingly smooth and light, and went on with a natural finish (I used a foundation brush, but fingers work just as well).

It really did feel like a moisturizer, and a little went a long way.  It does tend to stay matte for more than 8 hours and with a mattifying base under, it’s shine-free for the whole day.  Coverage is natural — looks like my skin, but better.

For $6, this is an amazing bargain.   I was really surprised by how well this worked  and how great it looks — it works just as well if not better than dept. store brands.  I’m pretty happy with this find for now.  Just make sure to test a little on your wrist or jawline to find the closest color match.

today i love RIMMEL make up.. atm @boots (uk only) they have an awesome deal, if you spend over £10 on rimmel products you get a free £15 set with lips glosses, eye shadows and lots of gorgeous stuff in it. i realllly recommend it, especially if you need to christmas shop and are gonna be buying nail varnishes anyway (or whatever else you might be getting..)

i got some eye liner, and two nail varnishes.. normally love darker shades but have been into pinks recently so got a pink and an orange (?!)

Amostras/Brindes de produtos que chegam -grátis haha- na sua casa. YEEH

- Revista Solzinho: http://www.solzinho.com.br/fique_socio.asp

- Protetor Solar: http://www.avonsun.com.br/splash

- Produto Rimmel: http://www.rimmellondon.com.pt/questionario.html-

-  CLEAR:  http://www.clearanticaspa.com.br/amostra/

 - VEET:  http://www.mudeparaveet.com.br/

I recently wrote a seasonal how-to which I thought everyone would enjoy coming close to Christmas. I also did the make up for this editorial with amazing  photographer and good friend Dave Wise.

Evening make up

It’s that time of year again when grudgingly we watch our tans quickly fade, pile on the woolly layers and wave good bye to the last days of summer but thankfully we have a glitz filled party season to cheer us up. I have created professional step by step evening looks so you can turn heads this autumn.

Effortless glamour

This look is long lasting understated and elegant; the alluring lashes add instant femininity.

Individual eyelashes  Eyelure  (£4.80) are a make up artist’s favourite beauty secret. They can be customised to every model to simply add exceptionally natural thickness to lashes or even to create long-lasting fluttering glamour puss lashes. They can last up to 4 weeks and need little or no mascara eradicating the possibility of smudges or chips so perfect for evening beauty

Application

Before you start make sure your lashes are completely clean and oil free.

Select the lashes that will work best on you and thing about the finish you want, natural, glam, flared at the corner….

Choose how long you want the lashes to last, if only for1-2 days Duo lash glue (£8.50) is an outstanding glue for easy application and removal. Or for more of a semi permanent lash (up to 4 weeks) use Eyelure’s individual eyelash glue and remover which is included with the lashes.

Keep the eye you are working on closed throughout application.

With the glue applicator or a fine disposable brush apply the glue from the stem of the lash and spread up the lash a little so the lash has lots of surface area to adhere to your own lashes, be careful not to drown the lash in glue.

Give the lash a few seconds to go tacky.

Start from the corner of the lashes and work towards the middle

Hold the individual eyelash carefully with clean fingers tips in place pressing as close as possible to your lash root.

Open your eye when the glue is dry; do not panic if the eye corners stick at all when you open your eye. Carefully use your nails to pick any pulling glue off. Do be extremely careful through out the application, if any glue goes into the eye follow manufacturers guidelines.

Once the lashes are totally dry you can apply the rest of your make up but be extra careful not to pull or rub the lashes out of place. 

 A flawless base is key when working a naturally gorgeous look and vitally important for every model to be able to achieve in their working lives.

Determine your skin type and ensure you select your skin care according to this. Banish any overly perfumed or abrasive products from your bath room cabinet; don’t over load your skin. (For advice try a Dermalogica skin mapping consultation 0800 591 818 ).

Now your skin is perfectly clean and moisturised a primer is a fantastic product to get a prolonged smooth finish from your foundation. Smooth Laura Mercier’s moisturising primer £26.43 in with finger tips to get a deliciously dewy glow to dry/normal skins or apply L’Oreal studio secrets anti shine mattifying primer (£9.99) This competitively priced primer holds its own to the big dogs and gives a beautifully smooth velvety finish which controls shine for oily skins and keeps your foundation fresh for hours.

Start your make up with your eyes this way any drop from the eye shadow can be wiped away before your foundation is applied.

Lightly sweep Bobbi Brown Bone eye shadow £14 all over the eye from lid to brow as a base, follow with Mac Woodwinked £11 blending over the lid area and blend a lighter shadow to highlight into the inner corner of the eye and to highlight just below the brow area, Mac Shroom £11.

Wipe away any drop and line the eyes tracing neatly around the lash line and blend with a fine eyeliner brush. Chanel long lasting waterproof eyeliner in Espresso.

Wipe away any powder drop with a face wipe and then apply Bobbi Brown Skin foundation (£27.00) with a foundation brush for long wearing buildable coverage that looks like perfect skin. Cover up any visible imperfections with Bobbi Brown touch up stick (£17.00).

Lightly press a little Rimmel Stay Matt Powder over the t-zone to set and bronze outwards from the forehead spread out from the tops of cheeks and dab a tiny small amount on the bridge of the nose. Bronzer gives more believable depth to the face and eradicates any unnatural blankness from the foundation Guerlain Bronzer (£30.00).

To give an instant healthy glow to the apples of the cheeks dust Illamasqua’s powder blush in Chased (£16.00)

Finish with a glossy long lasting lipstick Bobbi Browns Creamy lip Colour in Crystal Pink (£15)

Smokey eyes and pale lips (Annalise)

Again start with the eyes. You will get a lot of noticeable powder drop from a dark smokey look so start with a cream to give extra drama and a good base for shadows to adhere to.

For the eye look I have used Dior 5 Couleurs Designer palette in Smokey design 08. An all in one palette with 4 textured blendable shades and a cream liner with a matt velvety texture which in this case I also used as a base for my shadows.

I spread the cream over the whole of the lid and blended the darkest shadow over the lid and the medium shimmering shade over the centre of the lids and into the corners and traced it around the lower lash line.

Macs smoulder eye kohl pencil (£12.00) was densely penciled into the upper and lower water lines and blended into the lash line using a fine brush to add fierce intensity.

A matt brown powder was blended in to the eye socket area and Bobbi Brown’s Bone Powder (as before) was used to high light under the eyebrows.

I applied 2 coats of mascara combing through from roots to tips as the finishing touch to the eyes Make up Forever’s Smokey Lash Mascara (£14.00)

After combing through the eyebrows I used Laura Mercier’s double ended brow brush (£27.00) and swept through Laura Mercier’s brow defining wax in a light feathering motion where ever the brows looked sparse. As the eyes are so striking do not over do the eyebrows, keep them natural to avoid the look becoming hard.

I applied Iman’s Luminous foundation to Annalise’s skin using a sponge, the oil free formulas and vast selections of colours are perfect for darker skin tones. Cover up any visible imperfections with Bobbi Brown touch up stick (£17.00).

Once the foundation has settled lightly press a little Rimmel Stay Matt Powder over the t-zone with a powder brush to set. Bobbi Brown’s blusher in Tawny (£16.00) was subtly brushed on to the apples of the cheeks to give a healthy flash of warmth.

To create a long lasting pale lip a pencil liner slightly lighter than Annalise’s lips was applied all over the lip area to tone down the lips MAC Naked Rose Cream stick Liner (£10.50). Nars Supervixen Lipgloss (£17.00) was painted neatly over the lips to finish this look.

Article from Every Model Magazine, written by Lauren Baker, Models Annaliese and Roksana @ Oxygen models

Leanne from Do Not Refreeze and I did a super fun pigment swap. We each made samples of 20 loose shadows we had and sent them to one another. It was great because I have sooo many full sizes that I will never use up, and we both get to try out some new companies and colors!

I swatched the Barry M Dazzle Dusts first. The ones I already have are Aqua Gold and a limited edition lavender, which I found very soft and pretty and easy to use. I’ve heard very mixed reviews on Dazzle Dusts, so I was eager to try out more!

(As always, swatches are dry on arm with no base, click on em for a bigger and better picture!)

Barry M dd9 Pale Silver- just as the name says, a pale silver color
Barry M dd59 Lilac- light pinkish purple with silver shimmer
Barry M dd24 Old Gold- medium brown base with warm golden shimmer
Barry M dd64 Fuschia- bright pink with pink shimmer
Barry M dd88 Winterberry- deep plum berry with red and purple shimmer
Barry M dd78 Kingfisher- light to medium teal, more blue than green
Barry M dd72 Emerald- darker slightly grey green
Barry M dd23 Midnight- deep grey-blue navy

I haven’t used these on my eyes yet, but my first impression was still pretty good. There is a lot of spray/fallout with them, but Pale Silver especially got all over my arm! I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of these have a different colored base when you rub them in…If you look closely in the pictures, you can see that Lilac, Old Gold, and Winterberry have a darker base and a lighter shimmer overlay. I think I’ll have to be careful because of the fallout issues, but overall I’m still really liking Barry M!

Collection 2000 Dazzle Me Eye Dusts in Jaffa- bright orange
Maybelline Eyecolor Express in Vintage Rose- sheer warm tan
Maybelline Eyecolor Express in Golden Brown- warm midtone brown
Rimmel Colour Loose in Satin- shimmery pink with gold tones
Avon Precision Glimmer in Wheat Grass- deep forest green
Illamasqua Static- lilac glitter
Illamasqua Furore- peach champagne shimmer*
Illamasqua Involve- violet shimmer*

The Collection 2000 was nothing too special. I was a bit disappointed as the other Collection 2000 items I’ve tried (liners, pressed shadows, etc) were amazing. I really liked the Maybellines, although sheer, I feel like they are a good base color and the texture was perfect! The Rimmel one was so yum! I loved the color and it went on smooth like buttah! I wasn’t impressed with Avon, although I honestly wasn’t expecting much. The color was very muddy and flat, especially next to Satin & Static! Speaking of Static, OHHH! This was my first Illamasqua try and it is amazing! Static is the most lovely color that of course I couldn’t get a good picture of. It does feel a bit grainy, like maybe I’ll try really hard not to get it in my eyes cause it might scratch a cornea or two >.< Still love it though! Furore and Involve were also very nice, although I didn’t quite like them as much as Static. The texture on these two were smooth and fine milled, yet not creamy like MAC. If you want to see an actually good picture of Static, check out Cosmetic Candy.

Beautylicious Cosmetics Sorbet- pale yet bright orange with shimmer
Beautylicious Cosmetics Eldiberry- plum with pink shimmer
Beautylicious Cosmetics After 7- pink-based purple with gold shimmer
Beautylicious Cosmetics Afterthought- dark brownish greyish color with a hint of purple and multicolored sparkle

PS If anyone else is interested in doing a swap like this, I’m totally game! I know I have waaayyy too many full size pigs that I’ll never use up. I got the baggies from a craft supply store for like $1.50! Its a fun way to feed the addiction, while not spending grocery money!

PPS I just learned what “Yeyo” meant (you know, that white liner from Urban Decay?). Still a bit shocked. Am I only the dumbass who didn’t know??

* denotes color description taken from website

photo: Sebastian Moise

 

 

 Sandro Sermenghi

This is the mascara with the crazy wand. It’s curvaceous. And it makes your lashes curvy, too.

According to Rimmel:

Exclusive brush design curves IN to maximize lash loading, curves OUT to curl and de-clump each lash for a complete curved look. Lashes look lusciously curled, plumped and defined.

Sexy Curves only comes in two colors: black and extreme black.

This is not a subtle mascara. It creates dramatic lashes. The formula is creamy and loaded with pigment. You should see how dark it is when you wash it off.

So, if you need to wake up your look, try Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara. I got mine at Walgreen’s on sale for $7.00.

Consegui uma proeza nunca realizada antes. Pintar as unhas à luz de velas!!

Começei eu a pintar minhas unhas, quando de repente, apaga tudo! Não tive escolha, terminei à meia luz mesmo!

A unha dessa semana foi muuy dificil de escolher, porque amanhã tem encontreeenho, e tinha que ser uma bem bapho!

Consegui escolher uma cor, mas talvez mude até amanhã! hihi

E é uma cor sensação  total, mas infelizmente é de uma marca gringa.

É o Orange Bliss da Rimmel. Ele é um coral leeendo, mas na foto sempre sai mais pra vermelho, ou alaranjado.

O que mais gosto dele é o aplicador, que é quase um pincel mesmo. Fica muito mais fácil de passar.

As marcas daqui podiam investir, hein? Bom, que for no CafécomBlog amanhã confere a cor real!

E hoje também tem participação especial de unhas! Sábado rolou lançamento de vídeo no Jardins, e bombou de gente elegante!

Tati e Thai, foram descombinando sem querer!! Transmissão de pensamento total!

Tati encontrou outra amiga pra combinar os esmaltes da mão. Uma pequerruxa fofa toda produzida, com unhas pintadas também  de azul e batom rosa pink!

Do batom ela não deixou tirar foto porque disse que tava borrado! hahaha

Girls, se o blog ficar meio paradinho, é por conta da correria pra deixar tudo pronto pro encontro, tsá?!

Não nos abandonem!

:*

I ran across Rimmel Night Before when I was at Wal Mart checking out the new Hard Candy collection. It caught my eye because I’m a sucker for purples and blues. This is a gorgeous blueish purple with red  micro glitter. I have dozens of purple polishes, and this one is nothing like any of them. I’m usually a polish snob, but I just love this color!

It claims to dry in 60 seconds, which it does if you don’t use a base or top coat.

2 coats + base and top coat.

Available at Wal Mart and other drugstores. $2.88

Alli

A new AMAZING section is in the making VICKY’S SKIN:

“This is my concealer.

It’s like an old friend…that is ill in some way…and when we’re alone we get on, but I am embarassed when we are seen together because people  look at me like I am abusing the friend.

Is it wrong to love a concealer?

One time I got imatigo. The concealer was my only hope. Did it help? NO.

Another time I tried to fix my skin when I was 16. I spent five hundred pounds on CRAP

I got a facial, all the make up that would help in the world from all the shops…and some rare bizarre formula you get to erode aging skin as a sort of exfoliant..which in fact has some sort of sulpur in…

Some people might say I was obsessed with my skin.

I was.”

More skin soon… xXVvhg

For as long as I can remember, I have been an absolute fanatic about makeup. I was the kid who got yelled at for wearing mauve lipstick to church at age nine, and the girl who wore wayyyy too much sparkly eyeshadow- in different colors- in middle school. I’ve had good phases and, erm, unfortunate phases (my “patriotic” eye makeup phase, in which I striped red, white, and blue eye shadows on each eyelid, comes to mind), and for awhile, I had the makeup artist at the Stila counter at Nordstrom programmed into my phone. The upshot of all this is that I’ve tried pretty much every major brand out there, and I think I have a good grasp on which looks are worth hanging onto, and why. In this post, I’ll be sharing with you my favorite looks for all occasions, and the best products I’ve found.

I start with a light concealer for under my eyes and on any spots I may have. For me, concealer always goes under the foundation so it looks less splotchy if the foundation and concealer aren’t perfectly matched. I lay a liquid, full coverage foundation on top of the concealer- I’ve always been blessed with pretty clear skin, but I’m very fair and prone to splotchy blushes, so full coverage is key. I finish up by dusting a light powder on top- I prefer loose, not pressed- and then use a tissue or damp towel to sponge off excess so I don’t look like a porcelain doll.

Next! Eyes.

I have green eyes (though they get mistaken for blue a lot) with a tiiiiny touch of gold, and during the day, I usually go with either green or purple for eye shadows. I also do eye shadow before eyeliner, because otherwise the powder falls over the liner and covers it up, and then what’s the point of the eyeliner in the first place?? So.

Look #1: Purples

I sweep the area above my eyelid and under my eyebrow with an eyeshadow that’s close to my skin color- beige or pale gold or the like. It’s probably not necessary for everyone, but I’m thin skinned and you can see veins and I think it’s gross. So, yeah.

I then use a lavender shadow on my entire eyelid. I don’t use brushes for eyeshadow because I don’t really see the point, and I always pick up too much shadow by accident with brushes. Then, I take a deep amethyst type color and dab it on the outer third or so of my eyelid, making sure that the color shows up very intensely. I then blend the pale and dark purples together and blend the dark purple outward juuuust a tiny bit, which creates kind of a day-friendly cat eye and has the added benefit of making my absurdly round eyes look slightly more almond-shaped.

I follow this with black eyeliner (even though I am blonde—I feel like anyone can wear jet black liner and get away with it even during the day, as long as they don’t jump overboard and go all Taylor Momsen with it). I line the bottom first- couldn’t tell you why- then the top, from the inside out, continuing a little beyond the outer corner of my eye to keep the pseudo cat eye consistent. Finish with black mascara, and you’re done with this one.

Look #2: Green

Ok, so this is really more of a green and gold. I didn’t think I could pull off green shadow with green eyes, but my eyes are a paler shade and I use a more jungle green makeup, so I think it works. For people with blue eyes, I recommend using a shade of blue that isn’t remotely close to the shade of the eye in question—either a navy or a baby blue is probably best. Brown-eyed girls, in my opinion, are the luckiest- they can get away with green, blue, purple, and almost any color in between. I has a jealous. Anyway, moving on.

I use a pale, shimmery gold on my entire lid, from lashes up to eyebrow. I like it to be close to my skin color, so it’s more of a base/background than a standout. I then take a green eyeliner pencil with a dull tip, and- with my eye half closed- trace the outer third of my eyelid crease. This leaves me with an extreme green line in the no-man’s land that you can’t really see when my eyes are open. I blend it just enough so that when people look at me they can see a faint trace of green, without having their first thoughts be “WOW WHY IS SHE WEARING GARISH MAKEUP DURING DAYLIGHT ZOMG.”

As with above, I follow and end with liner and shadow, respectively. I don’t usually wear lipstick, but a pale pink gloss is awesome to complete this look.

Look #3: Silver

The accomplishment of my life was figuring out how to wear glittery silver makeup without looking like a drag queen at a bad rave. For this one, I start with a very thin layer of pale silver eyeshadow on my eyelid, followed by eyeliner. I then take a bright silver liner- my favorite is verrry bright, think quicksilver- and draw an incredibly thin line of it just above my black liner, from corner to corner. I finish with mascara, and add a little blush and pale lip gloss. This one is my favorite for winter.

Look #4: The Non-Eye Focus

In case you couldn’t tell, I focus a lot more on my eyes than I do on, well, anything else. This is mostly because I have big eyes and a little, rabbit-y nose and mouth, so my eyes are the natural focus of my face. Occasionally, however, I like to go very basic with my eye makeup, and draw out my lips—generally for galas and big occasions.

For this one, I also start with a very thin layer of pale silver shadow. I then use grey liner- not black, black is too emphatic, and I need my eyes to be more subtle and basic. Finish with mascara, as always, and I brush a little pale pink on the outer parts of my cheekbones.

Then, it’s pretty straightforward. I start with a chapstick in case my lips dry out, and then I use the boldest red lipstick or gloss that I can find. I like more berry-tinted colors because yellower tints wash me out, but that’s a personal thing.

Finally, I’ve compiled a list of my personal favorite products, the best I’ve found on the market. I’ve tried to include an upscale option (Sephora holiday and birthday wish list style), and a more affordable option (broke student actress buying for myself style).

BEST CONCEALER:
Department Store: Stila Perfecting Concealer
Drugstore: Almay Nearly Naked Cover-up Stick

BEST FOUNDATION:
Department Store: Dior DiorSkin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup
Drugstore: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse

BEST POWDER: (I like to use the same brand for foundation and powder.)
Department Store: Dior Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Fresh Powder Makeup
Drugstore: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

BEST EYESHADOWS:
Department Store: Stila (shimmery beige and purples), Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Covet
Drugstore: Revlon Matte shadows (for purples and silver), Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Pencil in Jungle Green

BEST EYELINERS:
Department Store: Stila Smudge Pots in Jet Black (Do not be intimidated by the fact that this is a gel liner—it is the best I’ve ever used, and I swear by it. It sticks through Bikram yoga classes, and I’ve converted countless friends to it.)
Drugstore: Almay Amazing Lasting Eye Pencil Precise Black

BEST SILVER EYELINER:
Department Store: Dior Style Liner in Argent Silver
Drugstore: Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Pencil in Pure White (ok, it’s not silver per se, but it’s close, gives the same general effect, and doesn’t look tacky. I promise.)

BEST MASCARA:
Department Store: Tie between Estee Lauder TurboLash Vibrating Mascara, and DiorShow (for the love of God, do not do waterproof. Do not do not do not.)
Drugstore: L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black

BEST BLUSH:
Department Store: NARS blush in Orgasm (Not my personal favorite, but I’m overruled by virtually everyone I know. So.)
Drugstore: CoverGirl Cheekers (go easy on it, a little goes a long way)

BEST RED LIP PRODUCT:
Department Store: Estee Lauder Double Wear in Stay Scarlet (for now—favorite used to be Bobbi Brown, but it was discontinued.)
Drugstore: Maybelline Color Sensation in Red Revival (it’s my new favorite)

What are your favorite products??

Perfume Plus Direct have launched their new look, easy to use, website just in time for Christmas.  Getting Gift sets, men’s and women’s fragrances  or fantastic make-up has never been easier. 

Along with their usual fantastic selection of products by well known manufacturers,  like Chanel and Armani, the prices  that Perfume Plus Direct sell at have to be seen to be believed.  They have always offered great value but they have outdone themselves this season.  Plus they deliver direct to your door in the UK so you can shop on the website in your pajamas and know that you have lots of your Christmas shopping wrapped up without having to even go out of your front door.

So, whether you are looking for something for your kid sister or something for your father-in-law you will find something to suit on their site without breaking the bank.  Lots of us are trying to keep the cost of Christmas down this year and Perfume Plus Direct can certainly help us all do that whilst making us look like we have spent a fortune.

Perfume Plus Direct may have been a well kept secret for the lucky ones for years now but with this new look site that won’t be the case for long.  If you are looking for great make-up and fantastic fragrances you had better get on their site now before the rest of the world does!

All you need to do is go to www.perfumeplusdirect.co.uk and you will be in Christmas present heaven.

Just last week it was announced that rock royalty Georgia May Jagger would be the new face of Rimmel London. 17 year old Georgia May, the youngest daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, shot the campaign during the week looking ever inch the sultry beauty with her scarlet lips & glamourous waves.

Georgia May is having one hell of an amazing year – with her modelling career kicking off by doing a campaign for Hudson Jeans, appearing on the cover of Vogue Uk and now following in the footsteps of international beauties such as Kate Moss, Lily Cole and Sophie Ellis Bextor by becoming the face of Rimmel London.

Georgia May dazzled on the set of the campaign in a gorgeous sequin midnight blue Mango dress which is priced at €139 and in stores now

Quién nos iba a decir que  una portada de Rihanna iba a ser noticia. El caso es que sigue siendo rompedor que esta tipa sepa llevar tan bien el look “pelo corto y pendientes de botón”, que a otra cualquiera le haría parecer Antonia Dell’ Atte pero que Rihanna ha convertido en todo un modo de vida. El artwork de Rated R continúa el rollo oscuro navajero al que ya nos tiene acostumbrados, disimulando además las espantosas mechas rubias que se ha puesto para celebrar su comeback. El color es un acierto, nunca viene mal un poco de blanco y negro en tu vida, y casi ni se nota que va pintada como una puta puerta.

La portada además encaja con el sonido de Russian Roulette (cuyo video se estrena el viernes que viene), muy dramática, muy sin miedo a morir. Rihanna nunca se ha caracterizado por tener una estética demasiado llamativa, incluso en temazos tan míticos ya como Umbrella o Don’t stop the music iba vestida como si bajara a la papelería. En Disturbia ya se empezó a adivinar un giro más siniestro (o todo lo siniestro que puede ser la autora de la frase “in the dark you can see shiny cars”), aunque el mérito hay que atribuírselo al gran David Lachapelle.

No fue hasta que apareció en los Europe Music Awards con un parche de lentejuelas (para ocultar un ojo morado) que Rihanna empezó a vestir como una payasa, lo cual siempre es un paso más hacia el estrellato. Para que luego digan que no se puede sacar provecho de una desgracia. SY si bien en esta imagen parece un poco un caballero del zodiaco, la actitud de chunga sin ley es todo un acierto.

Rihanna representa a la nueva choni por excelencia: quizá no sepa leer, la mitad de sus piercings son innecesarios y se maquilla con una pistola, pero eso sí, si te metes con ella no se achantará y te sacará una navaja aunque estés en medio de los Grammy. No miró ningún espejo, pero se siente to guapa.

Porque a veces la estética es más importante que la propia música. Mañana descubriremos las cotas de elegancia que es capaz de alcanzar Britney en el videoclip de 3 (¿se lo montará con dos tíos? ¿acaso sabe contar?). En su caso, eso depende del nivel de medicación que haya recibido por la mañana. No nos defraudes, Brit.