Barry M haul plus Nail Effects Demo!!

While in Boots Pharmacy earlier today picking up some goodies for the lovely Heather of Sokolum79 on Youtube, I found myself adding extra bits into the basket all for little old me. It's almost like I go into a trance in that shop and have no control over myself, makeup must be bought!! Needless to say, I avoid going in so frequently now-a-days, ha ha ^_^

Anyhu, I was excited to try the Barry M Nail Effects "Crackle" Polish that my Cousin Ríona recently told me about. I have seen people wearing the stuff but as I'm really not that into nail art that much, I generally "x" out nail tutorials and the such so I wasn't that aware of this product. And for me to be excited about nail products is rare enough as like I said, it usually isn't my thing.

This little beaut however is right up my alley!! It's different, new, interesting and very alternative looking!

 Nail Effects over "Raspberry" Nail Paint (€4.50)

 Over "Dusky Mauve" Nail Paint

As I said in the video, there are a few bad points to, erm, point out! First, I hate the feel and bumpiness of it, not a fan of texture on my nails. Secondly, it dries really really fast so you don't have much time to get it on and I'd say the bottle would dry out in no time if you weren't careful with the lid.

Besides that it's class!! One coat is enough. It's cool to experiment with a thin coat versus a thick one for a slightly different effect.
I got it in Boots here in Galway where we recently acquired Barry M. (Yipee!!) It usually costs €5.95 but there's as special offer on at the moment (As I write this, check date above!) of buy any 2 nail varnishes for €8.00. And I must say that the Barry M Nail Paints are very long wearing and durable. One negitive is that some colours can stain, same as the lipsticks!

Let me know if any of ye have tried it out!!
Take care Guys,
Siobhán.
xx

Lady Gaga Viva Glam inspired look!

Hey Guys ^_^

So I saw the picture of Lady Gaga for Mac's new Viva Glam Lipstick and fell in love instantly with the makeup in the shot, soooooo....
I decided I had to re-create it! But I chose to tone it down a tad to make it a little more wearable but still tried to incorporate all the elements!

Products used;.....

EYES:

Mac EyeShadow's
"All that Glitters"
"Woodwinked"
"White Frost"
"Quarry"
"Handwritten"
"Kid"
"Typographic"
Makeup Factory Concealer Pencil
Mac Fluidline "BlackTrack"
Mac "Haught & Naughty" Lash
Mac "Sophisticated" Brow Set

FACE:

Vichy Aera Teint Pure Foundation in "Trés Clair, Opal"
Mac Select Cover-up Concealer NW20
Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural "Light"
Illamasqua "Primal" Blush
Mac "Chez Chez Láme" Special Reserve Highlighter (LE)

LIPS:

L'Oreal Indelible Liner "Always Toasted" #708
Mac's "Freckletone" Lustre Lipstick

(But remember guys, don't worry too much about what I use, use what you have!!)

And the original promo pic of the woman herself ^_^
(How beautiful does she look??)

Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural! ..... Best Powder Ever (In my opinion) ^_^

 

"A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day."
http://www.maccosmetics.com

Cost.....

$24.50 (USD)

€26.50 (Euro)

SHADES;
* Light (Soft pale beige) - Cool
* Light Medium (Pale golden beige) - Cool
* Medium (Soft creamy beige) - Warm
* Medium Plus (Tan beige) - Neutral
* Medium Dark (Caramel beige) - Warm
* Medium Deep (Rich golden tan) - Warm
* Dark (Deep caramel) - Neutral
* Deep Dark (Rich golden bronze) - Neutral

Suitability.....
This powder will definitely suit dry/normal/combination skins best. Leaving very oily skin out in the cold I'm afraid!!
It isn't quite as matte as the name would suggest, containing minute mineral particles that reflect light subtly, and will not do much to aid the appearance of grease-heavy skin.
As it is a mineral baked product, it's recommended for people with problematic or sensitive skin.
8 Shades from a nice pale light shade up to a fairly dark brown shade to suit most skin tones.
Matte enough for photography with little to no flash reflection.... ie. photographs well!
If you're looking for a natural looking powder that's non cakey and doesn't look flat or dry then this is for you!

Uses.....
Use as a setting powder over your normal foundation or base, or use it on it's own on clean skin (or over concealer)
It can be built up to a medium coverage that evens the skin-tone but doesn't necessarily offer much correction in relation to blemishes etc.
As with most of these powder types, it can also be applied damp, for more coverage.
Great for use in blending out darker eyeshadows on the eyelids.
Darker shades work great as a natural bronzer over your base colour.

Cons.....
It's not enough on it's own for hardcore shine control. I often use it with a mattifying primer or sometimes use a silicone heavy powder over top on my most oil-prone areas.
It is a very soft powder and therefore has the strong possibility of breaking if not stored securely.

Verdict.....
I love it and personally give it a 9.5 out of 10. I will not bash it for not being great for oily skin as it never claims to be!
For me and my requirements, it ticks nearly every box.
xx

Ingredients.....

Mineralize Skinfinish:
Talc, Nylon-12, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Isopropyl Palmitate, Jojoba Seed Oil, Yeast Extract, Tocopheryl Actetate, Retinyl Plamitate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, BHT, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben

MSF may contain:
Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Bismuth Oxychloride, Blue 1 Lake, Carmine, Chromium Hydroxide Green, Chromium Oxide Greens, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Manganese Violet, Ultramarines, Yellow 5 Lake

Emporio Armani S/S '11 Silver Winged out EyeShadow.....

Hey Guys ^_^

While looking through some of the looks from Spring/Summer '11's runway, I was largely underwhelmed by the (too-often repeated) beautiful yet slightly boring natural 'no makeup' makeup that many of the designers decided to go with for their model's looks.
One design house that did not fall into this category though was Emporio Armani who had their models wearing a striking silver winged out eyeshadow look, leaving the rest of the face natural & matte, allowing the eyes to be the main focus.

And here is my re-creation of the look.....

PRODUCTS USED.....

For the Eyes.....

BH Cosmetics Eye & Lip Primer
Mac "Smoulder" Kohl pencil
Mac EyeShadows:
"Electra"
"Print"
"Typographic"
"White Frost"
Mac "Haught & Naughty" Lash

For the Face.....

Vichy "Aera Teint Pure" Foundation in Trés Clair, Opal
Mac Select Cover-up in NW20 (Under-eye)
Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in "Light"
Mac "Sculpt" Sculpting Powder

For the Lips.....

L'Oreal Indelible Liner "Always Toasted" #708

GlamRocksLuna PhotoShoot Makeup!!!

Hey hey Everyone:)
Sorry for the lack of posts inbetween Youtube offerings lately, work has been majorly keeping me away from the internet apart from checking e-mails etc!
But it's not all been doom & gloom as I've had some really enjoyable jobs recently. My favourite being the shoot I did the makeup for with the fabulous girls of GlamRocksLuna. (Recent Winners of Irelands' most influencial fashion blog award) http://glamrocksluna.blogspot.com/
I've worked with Úna & Louise before and it is always a very fashionable pleasure!!
As the girls haven't posted the final pic's from the shoot yet I don't want to give away the goods but I can show ye the makeup I did for the shoot which consisted of sophisticated black with plenty of glitter .....

And of course how gorgeous is the model, Maire Huges!! (Catwalk model agency, Galway)
The rest of the face and lips were kept pretty natural and nude with light contouring, allowing the eyes to take the lime-light.
For the eye makeup I started off by applying Mac's "Blackground" Paint-pot from lashline to brow using my #224 blending brush and applied a little under the lower lashes. (http://www.maccosmetics.com/index.tmpl)
I then added "Blacktrack" Fluidline, for more depth, in the same way but just brought this up a little beyond the crease line.
I applied a matte black eyeshadow to set the base and kept it most intense closest to the lashline.
To prepare for the glitter I pressed a little of MakeupForever's "Eye seal" on top (http://www.makeupforever.com/) before applying plenty of Ben Nye's Black Glitter. (http://www.bennyemakeup.com/)
I used a disposable mascara wand to flick away any glitter that fell down. The false lashes are a NYC pair (http://www.newyorkcolor.com/) I picked up at a local pharmacy.

The brilliant photographer on the day was Shane O'Connor (http://sketchyinc.com/) and I will definitely show ye all his gorgeous handy work as soon as he has finished with the photographs!

Apart from that, here are a few shots from the previous shoots I worked on with the guys in case anyone missed them before!

(It's Maire again ^_^)

Anyhow, that's it for now.  I will be posting pic's from the shoot, as well as the "behind the scene's" one's that I took, as soon as i can so keep checking back for that.

In the mean time......

Take Care!!

Siobhán.

xx

Sexy, Kissable Valentines Makeup look!!

(Check back tomorrow for full products used list!!)

Colourful, Sunset inspired tutorial using 120 Palette.

For the Eyes.....

BH Cosmetics 120 EyeShadow Palette, 1st  edition
Mac "Smoulder" Kohl pencil
Elf EyeBrow Kit "Medium Brown"
Maybelline "Falsies" Mascara

For the Face.....

Vichy "Aera Teint Pure" Foundation in Trés Clair, Opal
Mac Select Cover-up in NW20 (Under-eye)
Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in "Light"
Mac "Sculpt" Sculpting Powder
Mac "Chez Chez Láme" Special Reserve Highlighter (LE)

For the Lips.....

L'Oreal Indelible Liner "Always Toasted" #708
Rimmel Glam Shine Juics "Juice Candy" #224

120 Palettes & 88 Tropical Shimmer Palette..... BH Cosmetics Review!

http://www.bhcosmetics.com/

120 Palettes:
1st Edition ..... $29.95

 3rd Edition ..... $34.95

88 Tropical Shimmer Palette: ..... $25.95

Eye & Lip Primer ..... $11.95

Also according to the website, they do not test their products on animals ^_^

Like I say in the above video, I highly recommend these palettes, and since I've never tried the 120 palettes from other companies like Coastal Scents etc, I cannot tell ye how they compare or recommend them.

One word of warning though, that I forgot to mention in the video....
Some of the Red-based colours stain the lids like no-one's business so use with caution. This is common with most strongly pigmented red/pink/purple colours so no need to worry too much. Some of MakeupForevers shadows do this also!!
ALSO: Another bummer a subscriber brought to my attention is that the international shipping charge is nearly $40.00, which is phenomenally expensive when you consider it costs more than the palettes themselves!! 

Anyhow,
Let me know your opinions on these if ye have them also!

Take Care,
Siobhán.
xx

Animal Testing ..... Vichy & Olay

Hi Guys ^_^

Some of you asked on my most recent video, where I show some skin-care products I bought, about why I use products that are tested on animals if I am a vegetarian, etc.

I 100% do not condone animal testing and do take heed of it and try to research companies if I think they are in question or sometimes just to see their stance on things.
Just to clear up things about the products I showed the the video, here is some information about the companies in question.....

In regards to Vichy, they do not test on animals. I know they are owned by L'Oreal which many believe to still test on animals, however L'Oreal state now that they no longer test on animals and nor have they for several years now. They say that they only test on Invitro skin now and that they are working towards being totally cruelty free in regards to source materials and ingredients.
Click the following link for more information.....
http://www.invitroskin.com/_int/_en/topic/topic_rub.aspx?tc=R_HOME_IN_VITRO_SKIN^R_POURQUOI_DES_MODELES_DE_PEAUX&cur=R_POURQUOI_DES_MODELES_DE_PEAUX&rtlid=corporate

There is confusion in that L'Oreal, for whatever reason, will not sign PETA's form stating that they are cruelty or animal testing free and because of that, PETA have kept them on the "BAD" list just to be safe!

However, as far as Vichy is concerned, they don't test on animals and also say that they do not use ingredients that have been animal tested.  They have a bad name due to being under the L'Oreal umbrella.

Also, L'Oreal USA & L'Oreal Paris have different allowances due to regional laws.....
Animal testing has been banned in Europe since 2009 but to date no such ban exists in the US   .....


"The European Union established a ban on animal testing implemented in 2004 on finished cosmetics products. In March of 2009 an amendment to the ban outlawed animal testing in seven toxicity tests on any ingredient used in a cosmetic product. These tests are for skin irritancy, sensitivity to light, corrosivity, skin absorption, genetic toxicity, eye irritancy, and acute toxicity. The amendment also bans the import of cosmetics containing ingredients that have been animal tested in this way. Another ban, set for March of 2013, would outlaw eight more tests – these to determine long-term effects, like cancer or birth defects. Currently, the US has no such restrictions on animal testing of cosmetic ingredients or finished cosmetic products."
Sourced from http://www.lavera.com

Olay have a similar confusion surrounding them. They are on PETA's "BAD" list also due to the same reason as L'Oreal's (See above)
Olay too claim to be cruelty free. Olay, owned by Procter & Gamble, hold the following stance on animal testing.....

"P&G Beauty & Grooming Animal Testing Principles
As for animal testing, P&G Beauty & Grooming's position is clear: We do not test our products on animals, nor do we ask suppliers to test them on our behalf.
We do not test ingredients on animals, except in very rare cases when necessary to meet government-mandates or safety obligations.
We are committed to continuing our key contributions in research to develop non-animal alternative methods which will ultimately permit the elimination of animal testing. "

 Sourced from .....
http://www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com/animal-testing-alternatives.html
via.....
http://www.olay.com/Pages/olaypromise.aspx

As so far as the vegetarian things goes, I don't eat meat but I do eat by-products, dairy, eggs etc. I wear leather and I use makeup and painting brushes made with real hair.

I definitely don't condone or approve of animal testing or cruelty in any form what-so-ever but at the same time I can't claim to know all the companies that do or do not test.
Most companies who do not directly test on animals still use source materials that have at some stage been tested on animals which spreads that gray area ever wider.

Wayne Goss of GossMakeupArtist on Youtube recently did a video touching on this very subject and I share his stance pretty much exactly. He always explains things so easily and clear though so I suggest ye go and check out his video also on the subject as I would just be repeating what her says anyhow!!

Anyhow, hope that answered some of yer questions!!!

Take Care,
siobhán.
xx

SkinCare & Beauty Haul.... Jan' 2011

Products mentioned:
All available from http://www.boots.ie (boots.com)

Olay "Regenerist Kit" Micro-dermabrasion and mini facial peel ..... €35.00 approx.
RapidLash Eyelash enhancing serum ..... €50.00
Mr. Mascara Eyelash Curlers ..... €9.50 approx.
Boots Omega 3 Fish Oils ..... €2-3.00 approx.
Boots Nail file/buffer ..... €3-4.00 approx.
Batiste Dry Shampoo Gold Shimmer ..... €3-4.00 approx.
Vichy "Lift Active Retinol HA Eyes" Total anti-wrinkle renovation care ..... €26.00
Vichy "Aera Teint Pure" Fluid Foundation ..... €18.00
Avene "Thermal Water Spray Compress" ..... €7.50

Favourite EyeShadow Primers, plus how they work!!

Products Mentioned:

*Mac "Painterly" Paint Pot ..... $16.50 or approx €19.00
http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/154/1573/Paint-Pot/index.tmpl
*BH Cosmetics Eye & Lip Primer .....$11.95
http://www.bhcosmetics.com/products/Eye-and-Lip-Primer/
*Urban Decay Primer Potion ..... $18.00 (Full size)
http://www.urbandecay.com/categories/EyeshadowPrimerPotion.cfm
*Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Eye Shadow ..... $22.00
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com
*DermaColor Camouflage Concealer ..... Approx £18-19.00
http://www.dermacolor-camouflage.com/product_group_detail.php?cid=104&id=140&pageid=1
http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/dermacolor-camouflage-cream_v_4629.html
*Mac Prolongwear Concealer
  Mac Select Cover-up Concealer ..... Approx €18-19.00
  MacPro Eyeliner Mixing Medium
http://www.maccosmetics.com/