Just a place for me to put a bunch of photos of ladies I think are badass, wearing makeup I think looks badass.
I have been hopelessly devoted to this photo of Rihanna for several months. The lipstick! The eyelashes! The plaits! The lipstick! I'm obsessed, and my brown lipstick enthusiasm has been fueled. Is Rihanna a good person? - I honestly have no idea. I know next to nothing about her, but I'm obsessed with her style. She always dresses all crazy and DGAF and I love that. Also, I read a Buzzfeed article about her meet and greets and based on that she seems like a top laugh.
My first, my last, my everything. No matter how many people she calls a bitch on Twitter, I just can't quit Azealia Banks. I still dream about one day owning the Yung Rapunxel lipstick. I love this photo because of the red lip / purple hair contrast and the big infectious smile. Flawless.
We all know that young (and, indeed, current) Nigella Lawson is a total dream, right? I can't get over the teenage-witch vibes of her wild hair and OTT eyeliner. She's reminding me of those spooky photos of the Manson girls in court but much much sexier. A cool girl who grew into a pretty cool lady.
My fringe-spiration: Grimes. I find her a very cool and inspirational girl, too, because she is so independent and self-motivated and just worked really hard by herself for a long time. I also am v into her mix of natural and artificial vibes, she gives good contrasts which is my MO. Look at her lil baby face compared to her grumpy scowl. Look at that lipstick! I'm in.
Showing posts with label makeup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label makeup. Show all posts
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Friday, 27 March 2015
when things are really good
I'll just preface this post by saying I don't have anything particularly subversive or clever to say here. I don't have a link to a wider social point, or any sort of interesting overriding theme. I just have a few things which I think are really fantastic and I wanted to talk about them, ok? Usual service will resume soon.
This Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow (also mentioned here) is just a cool little thing. It paints on a longlasting metallic colour which looks so cool.I have the shade called "Rio de Rose Gold" which is a perfect warm, neutrally colour. Luckily I wasn't too fond of the shade range so I wasn't tempted to buy them all, but this one seems to walk the fine line between very extravagant and somewhat subtle. I love this with v little other makeup to suggest you have made an effort, but it was a small one because you're a bit too cool.
I'm actually amazed by this Wet n Wild Coverall Cream Foundation. I paid $2.33 for it and it outperforms every other "drugstore" base product I've tried. Glowy and covering, but most importantly, when buffed in it is completely undetectable, thus tricking everyone into thinking it isn't there.
I bought the Lorac Pro Palette and I'm bloody glad I did. Unfortunately the only picture I've taken while using it was the most plain eye look ever (Lt. Bronze all over and Champagne to highlight), but the QUALITY is what is so pleasing about this palette. The shades are all buttery soft and really pigmented, AND I like all of the colours! If you are a very streamlined person this would be a great one eyeshadow palette to have. If you like good quality eyeshadow this is a great palette to have. This is a great palette to have.
After lots of fannying around in the world of liquid exfoliants, I decided to bring out the big guns and got the Make Up Artists Choice 25% Mandelic Acid Peel. I've only ever read rave reviews about this and I can see why. It has made my skin so much brighter, more even, softer, nicer. I put it all over with a Q-Tip every ten days and then wash it off after 3 minutes. I've never had any flaking or anything (but my skin is pretty hardy when it comes to acid) and I just feel confident that this is working. See: my makeupless and unedited face (taken with flash because I'm not that brave). Apart from extremely sensitive, I think pretty much any skin type could benefit from this - and you all know that using acids means you have to use sunscreen, ok? Definitely a great product: I'm very happy to have it.
This Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow (also mentioned here) is just a cool little thing. It paints on a longlasting metallic colour which looks so cool.I have the shade called "Rio de Rose Gold" which is a perfect warm, neutrally colour. Luckily I wasn't too fond of the shade range so I wasn't tempted to buy them all, but this one seems to walk the fine line between very extravagant and somewhat subtle. I love this with v little other makeup to suggest you have made an effort, but it was a small one because you're a bit too cool.
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| Don't look at the mad eyebrows, look at the SKIN!! |
I bought the Lorac Pro Palette and I'm bloody glad I did. Unfortunately the only picture I've taken while using it was the most plain eye look ever (Lt. Bronze all over and Champagne to highlight), but the QUALITY is what is so pleasing about this palette. The shades are all buttery soft and really pigmented, AND I like all of the colours! If you are a very streamlined person this would be a great one eyeshadow palette to have. If you like good quality eyeshadow this is a great palette to have. This is a great palette to have.
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| Mad eyebrows AGAIN! |
Friday, 20 March 2015
waterline brighteners for suspicious eyes
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| Taking photos of myself makes me aware how weird my face is - I'm discovering I have a lazy eye and a really weird overbite. But my waterlines look cute, right?? |
The Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils are really good for this purpose. The two I have are slightly iridescent which brings even more light to your peepers. Cottage Cheese (a gross name, right?) is sparkly white and Lavender is sparkly lilac, which counteracts the warm, red tones by being a cool colour - and a "cool" colour, too. These last pretty well and come in all manner of shades. In a pinch, they also work well as a cream highlighter on the tear duct, brow bone, cupid's bow etc. Not bad for $5.
I also have the famous Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in Nude. This is very well loved, but it has recently got somewhat of the shaft because I err more on the side of pale and pastel nowadays. You can see that by comparison, this shade of "nude" is actually pretty dark, so it doesn't give my eyes the lightness I want. It lasts well and is a good product otherwise, so I think this is probably a good one for those less deathly pale than myself.
The one I'm proud to have discovered is the Korres Eyeliner Pencil in Green-White. I found it through a series of investigative Google searches (starting with "mint green eyeliner" and ending with "Nars barrow street dupe".) My extremely limited knowledge of makeup led me to believe that using the opposite colour works to counteract the colour - and the opposite of red is green. Therefore, a pastel green colour doesn't appear greeny, just pale and not-at-all-red! See for yourself, it is what I'm wearing in the pictures. Other bonuses include it;s long-lastingness and the face it doesn't contain any poisonous eye chemicals.
This "trick" is one of those mythical 30 second fixers which makes you look healthier, prettier AND more engaged with life. I wear it on lots of makeup days and "no makeup" days alike. Who doesn't want bigger, brighter eyes? That's a rhetorical question because the answer is no one.
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
just-been-kissing lips
In some ways a pinky-reddy lip goes against all of my beauty ideals, in that it is conventionally "pretty" and appealing. However, a focus on the "just-been-kissing" look results in a cooler way to wear pinky-red, Disney princess lips. A jbk smudge firstly implies that you have been kissing, which is fun and cool. But it also implies that you don't really care enough to fix your lipstick, and that you probably just want to go on kissing people.
First, you need to choose your weapon. The look (a pared down version of Adore Delano's) can be achieved with a balm, a lipstick or a gloss-stain, so it's versatile and requires absolutely no skill. I focus all the product in the center of my mouth, and then rub it outwards. You could call this "kissing" your fingertip, however that is too depressing to contemplate and I'm not calling it that. I think this might be what people call an "ombre" lip? The idea is to start strong in the middle and fade outwards to nothing. It's advised (by me) to go very very slightly over the edge of your lips to maximise the jbk vibes.
The entry level jbk lip is any sort of pink/red tinted lipbalm, which makes your lips look like you've been kissing a lot and have swollenish, soreish lips that you've lipbalmed over. I have an inexplicable affection for the Maybelline Baby Lips. The "Pink Quartz" one gets extra points for smelling like sweets and being packed with glitter.
Your favourite red lipstick can easily become a jbk lip. The Rimmel Kate Moss 110 is matte and therefore pretty long-lasting, particularly when smudged and pressed in. It's a great red-pink-coral.
The ultimate in jbk lips come in the form of the L'oreal Wet Shine Stain in "Endless Red". It's an extremely pigmented gel which looks shiny and plump, and stains the lips underneath for bloody ages - I put some on my arm and it lasted several days. It can be carefully applied to give a really cool, precise, glossy and long-lasting red lip, but applied with a finger it is smudgy, jbk perfection.
I just wanted to put this picture at the end because it's one of my favourites ever. Imagine if this was how you got your just-been-kissing look ... sigh.
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| Adore Delano is such a jbk icon. |
| Slightly subtler in Rimmel Kate Moss 110. |
First, you need to choose your weapon. The look (a pared down version of Adore Delano's) can be achieved with a balm, a lipstick or a gloss-stain, so it's versatile and requires absolutely no skill. I focus all the product in the center of my mouth, and then rub it outwards. You could call this "kissing" your fingertip, however that is too depressing to contemplate and I'm not calling it that. I think this might be what people call an "ombre" lip? The idea is to start strong in the middle and fade outwards to nothing. It's advised (by me) to go very very slightly over the edge of your lips to maximise the jbk vibes.
| Top to bottom: Maybelline Pink Quartz, Rimmel Kate Moss 110, L'oreal Endless Red. |
Your favourite red lipstick can easily become a jbk lip. The Rimmel Kate Moss 110 is matte and therefore pretty long-lasting, particularly when smudged and pressed in. It's a great red-pink-coral.
The ultimate in jbk lips come in the form of the L'oreal Wet Shine Stain in "Endless Red". It's an extremely pigmented gel which looks shiny and plump, and stains the lips underneath for bloody ages - I put some on my arm and it lasted several days. It can be carefully applied to give a really cool, precise, glossy and long-lasting red lip, but applied with a finger it is smudgy, jbk perfection.
I just wanted to put this picture at the end because it's one of my favourites ever. Imagine if this was how you got your just-been-kissing look ... sigh.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
not playing by the rules
Sometimes I buy things and don't end up liking how they work, sometimes they get usurped by superior prods, sometimes in a pinch I discover multi uses for an old fave, and sometimes I buy something with rebellious intentions in mind. Here are a bunch of things I like to use in ways not intended.
First is the Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer in "Reserve your Cabana". This is certainly not the traditional colour of a bronzer, and I originally thought it would make a nice highlight. However, extensive swatching in direct sunlight (being obsessive about makeup is sometimes weirdly stressful) showed that there was no actual shimmery particles in this prod. So I've started using it as a sort of all over setting / glow-boosting hybrid and it's bloody lovely. Probably similar to those Hourglass Ambient Lighting ones, but $5. These types of things are hard to describe, but it gives an almost imperceptible blurring effect, and makes your face look lit from within. It's also SPF 15 which is pretty cool. If you have a highlighter which you're finding too subtle in targeted areas, and you are a fan of a glowing (shiny) complexion, might I suggest dusting it lightly all over.
I have a lot of love for Cymex Lip Protectors, as they are the best functional lipbalm I've tried (in a tube, cheap, works, makes lips look glossy and pink). Whilst on a plane recently (I'm a jetsetter, it's not a big deal) I tried this on my cuticles and it did a great moisturising jobby. I don't think a separate cuticle oil is necessary when you have any old lipbalm, and this one works particularly nicely.
I've recently had a skincare revelation: I don't think my skin particularly likes salicylic acid. It seems to irritate without any noticeable "activity" reducing benefits. I have a whole bunch of salicylic acid prods to get through now, and I've been using this Bravura London Detoxifying Eucalyptus Toner on my arms and feet. The skin there is much hardier to potential iritation, and the effects of this are much much better than with manual exfoliation. It's a cool feeling to not have something go to waste. This one was mid-range, but if you've got some skin texture issues on your bod, salicylic acid is so easy to buy cheaply - any drugstore acne range will have something.
I still have a soft spot for the Lacura Gentle Face Wash Gel. It's from Aldi, which is not exactly a cool place to shop for skincare, but it's cheap (under £2) and as far as my limited knowledge goes, the ingredients are fine. This has been surpassed by the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, but I've been using the Lacura fellow to clean my makeup brushes and it really does the job. If you think about it (and trust me, I have - so deep) you shouldn't really wash your brushes with things you don't want on your face, because your brushes touch your face a lot. I would buy this again for brush cleaning purposes - and if, like me, you have an embarrassing collection of cleansers and a fussy face, this is a good way to use them up.
Don't play by the rules. Don't follow the instructions. Be your own person, man! And never, ever throw anything away.
First is the Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer in "Reserve your Cabana". This is certainly not the traditional colour of a bronzer, and I originally thought it would make a nice highlight. However, extensive swatching in direct sunlight (being obsessive about makeup is sometimes weirdly stressful) showed that there was no actual shimmery particles in this prod. So I've started using it as a sort of all over setting / glow-boosting hybrid and it's bloody lovely. Probably similar to those Hourglass Ambient Lighting ones, but $5. These types of things are hard to describe, but it gives an almost imperceptible blurring effect, and makes your face look lit from within. It's also SPF 15 which is pretty cool. If you have a highlighter which you're finding too subtle in targeted areas, and you are a fan of a glowing (shiny) complexion, might I suggest dusting it lightly all over.
I have a lot of love for Cymex Lip Protectors, as they are the best functional lipbalm I've tried (in a tube, cheap, works, makes lips look glossy and pink). Whilst on a plane recently (I'm a jetsetter, it's not a big deal) I tried this on my cuticles and it did a great moisturising jobby. I don't think a separate cuticle oil is necessary when you have any old lipbalm, and this one works particularly nicely.
I've recently had a skincare revelation: I don't think my skin particularly likes salicylic acid. It seems to irritate without any noticeable "activity" reducing benefits. I have a whole bunch of salicylic acid prods to get through now, and I've been using this Bravura London Detoxifying Eucalyptus Toner on my arms and feet. The skin there is much hardier to potential iritation, and the effects of this are much much better than with manual exfoliation. It's a cool feeling to not have something go to waste. This one was mid-range, but if you've got some skin texture issues on your bod, salicylic acid is so easy to buy cheaply - any drugstore acne range will have something.
I still have a soft spot for the Lacura Gentle Face Wash Gel. It's from Aldi, which is not exactly a cool place to shop for skincare, but it's cheap (under £2) and as far as my limited knowledge goes, the ingredients are fine. This has been surpassed by the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, but I've been using the Lacura fellow to clean my makeup brushes and it really does the job. If you think about it (and trust me, I have - so deep) you shouldn't really wash your brushes with things you don't want on your face, because your brushes touch your face a lot. I would buy this again for brush cleaning purposes - and if, like me, you have an embarrassing collection of cleansers and a fussy face, this is a good way to use them up.
Don't play by the rules. Don't follow the instructions. Be your own person, man! And never, ever throw anything away.
Thursday, 5 March 2015
a nude illusion
| Yes, I'm wearing clothes, it's a NUDE ILLUSION ok |
| Feat. a rogue lock of hair. |
First is a new love who I am hot and heavy for, the Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint in Pearl. Sometimes I feel like cheap things are just the same, but then I get something like this which just feels expensive. It gives minimal coverage, more of a blurring than a concealing effect, and has tiny tiny bits of shimmer which diffuses lights over your chops and makes your face glow like the moon. It's love! I know it's early days but I'm not afraid to say it, ours is the love that dares speak its name. To add extra shine I put the RMS Living Luminizer on my inner eye corner and browbone. This is a long term and committed relationship. In spite of generally being a makeup floozy, if I'm putting on makeup, I'll put on this. It's bloody expensive for such a tiny and seemingly useless little pot, but it's one of a kind. It gives a wet look shine with almost undetectable shimmer, and it lasts for ever on your face. I've used it every day for a year (?) and there is no end in sight. You feel like you don't need this until you have it, and then it's game over.
Hairy eyebrows are still my jam, and add structure to a seemingly-naked face. I put through a really cheap brown mascara, I'm sure the cheapest brown mascara you can find will work fine for a makeshift tinted brow gel. If it's cheap, chances are it won't be particularly amazing in terms of volume or length, so if you play your cards right it should just add a touch of colour and hold. I focused the majority of the product in the front section of my eyebrows, because I think a bushy front section (stop it) looks kind of youthful and relaxed. I curled my eyelashes which makes my eyes look about 46% bigger and put a touch of mascara on my top lashes, more to colour them in than anything else.
To add a subtle bit of sculpting to a face that errs on the side of enormous I used the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed. It chisels the cheekbones without actually being a contour - mysterious but interesting. Finally I smudged some of the Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose on my mouth. I really do want to try to By Terry Baume de Rose, and the worst part is I know one day I'll lose my mind and actually buy it, but for now this is doing the trick. It's pretty moisturising, smells good and imparts a milky-pinky look.
Now tuck your penis between your legs, whack on a lace front wig and werk!!!! (I'm talking about Drag Race again, duh.)
Saturday, 28 February 2015
making a case for brown nail varnish
With a whole world of "pretty" colours to choose from, it does seem a bizarre idea to paint your nails what is probably regarded as the least appealing colour of all. (It is, after all, the colour of poo.) But to go along with my well documented brown lipstick obsession, I've recently been all about a murkier look on my fingertips. Brown nail varnish says "I have done my nails, but don't think I've spent lots of time thinking about my nails, because I've been thinking about very important things." I think brown makeup strikes a perfect balance between between scruffy and polished, combining elements of grunginess (after all, it is also the colour of dirt) and business (because it is the colour of leather, wood, etc.) Ok, enough about things which are brown, onto some nail colours.
The Lilac-y Browns on my thumb and pointer are the most obviously appealing (and, probably not coincidentally,least brown) browns - a gateway-brown, if you will.These two look really nice, apply smoothly, last well and are generally great.
The Dark Browns on my ring and little finger are also surprisingly aesthetically pleasing. I think they are a cooler take on the Chanel-Rogue-Noir type of look. The e.l.f. fellow is slightly warmer, while the Rimmel is almost a black-brown. Like black's slightly cooler but less successful little sister.
Then there is the truly Ugly Brown on my middle finger (perhaps no coincidence, as it is somewhat of a middle finger to the concept of pretty nail varnish). It's a slightly greeny-mustardy bile-ish brown. But sometimes I love these really ugly colours, particularly when paired with something really conventionally "pretty" in contrast, like shiny pinky lipstick or a really girly dress or something. It is a challenging colour, but I've been wearing nail varnish for about 15 years, and I'm ready for a challenge. I have always wanted to be an overachiever. People probably told James Joyce Ulysses was stupid, just like they'll tell you you're nails look ugly. Don't worry, they just don't understand.
The Dark Browns on my ring and little finger are also surprisingly aesthetically pleasing. I think they are a cooler take on the Chanel-Rogue-Noir type of look. The e.l.f. fellow is slightly warmer, while the Rimmel is almost a black-brown. Like black's slightly cooler but less successful little sister.
Then there is the truly Ugly Brown on my middle finger (perhaps no coincidence, as it is somewhat of a middle finger to the concept of pretty nail varnish). It's a slightly greeny-mustardy bile-ish brown. But sometimes I love these really ugly colours, particularly when paired with something really conventionally "pretty" in contrast, like shiny pinky lipstick or a really girly dress or something. It is a challenging colour, but I've been wearing nail varnish for about 15 years, and I'm ready for a challenge. I have always wanted to be an overachiever. People probably told James Joyce Ulysses was stupid, just like they'll tell you you're nails look ugly. Don't worry, they just don't understand.
Friday, 27 February 2015
wear pink lipstick like a cool chick
Wearing pink lipstick can be a one way ticket to looking basic, which is pretty much my biggest fear. Pink mouths are a fundamentally girly look, as any cartoon will tell you: boy + eyelashes + pink lip = girl. Therefore, putting one on can suggest that you are trying to look more pretty, which is not the point of make-up at all! One way to determine that you are trying to look more interesting rather than more attractive (my modus operandi) is to pick a jarring, extreme type of pink colour.
My top three pinks are all extreme in different ways. Pink Pop is really the ultimate Nicki Minaj bubblegummy pink, cool in tone and erring on the pastel side. Pinkerbell is much warmer, hot corally-pink. Pink Pong is a darker, purplier take on hot pink, but still extremely fluorescent. (It is an extremely pleasing coincidence that all of these names start with "pink".)
Lisa Eldrige said that a really "modern" way to wear a bright pink lipstick is to not wear too much other makeup. I approve because 1) Lisa said so, and 2) lazy. So some sort of light base and not very much mascara will be good for you. I like the Body Shop Tea Tree BB Cream because I feel it helps keep chacne at bay, and I used a pound shop mascara because crap mascara gives natural, subtle lashes.
To prove that you aren't trying to look girly and pretty, it's important to emphasise a not-coventially-feminine feature. I chose werewolf eyebrows, and combed them upwards with the Rimmel tinted brow gel. I also think wearing a really utilitarian, boring outfit pairs well with a bright pink lip. All black, or other dark neutrals (grey, navy, etc.), and nothing too floucy or loud. Let your mouth do the talking (literally and figuratively).
I got my fringe out of my face using a plastic tortoiseshell hairband from the supermarket. I think fringes have a tendency to make you look like a little girl (not least because when I was a little girl I had this very haircut), so when paired with a bright pink lip, that needed to go. I like the new-girl-in-the-office-in-the-80s vibes it gives, because the seriousness contrasts nicely with an essentially stupid lipstick.
Wearing bright pink lipstick is really fun, and one of the things which make me glad not to be a boy (ignoring the pay gap, catcalling, etc.). (Not that I think boys can't wear lipstick, in fact I'm all for it.) But to wear it in a cool way, it is important to focus on contrasting it with the rest of your "look". So, because pink lipstick suggests heavy makeup, wear light makeup instead. Because pink lipstick suggests girliness, emphasize an unfeminine feature. And because pink lipstick is lighthearted and silly, wear serious clothes and hair. Wear pink lipstick like you've never heard of pink lipstick before, and with a total lack of regard for the conventions and connotations of it. If you wear pink lipstick like the kind of girl who hates pink and hates lipstick, you will definitely look great.
| Top to bottom: Maybelline Pink Pop, Wet 'n' Wild Pinkerbell, Bourjois Pink Pong. |
| Pink Punch - more like just been punched and completely dazed am I right? |
Lisa Eldrige said that a really "modern" way to wear a bright pink lipstick is to not wear too much other makeup. I approve because 1) Lisa said so, and 2) lazy. So some sort of light base and not very much mascara will be good for you. I like the Body Shop Tea Tree BB Cream because I feel it helps keep chacne at bay, and I used a pound shop mascara because crap mascara gives natural, subtle lashes.
| Pinkerbell and an aggressive gurn. |
| Pink Pong and gurn 2: the remix |
Wearing bright pink lipstick is really fun, and one of the things which make me glad not to be a boy (ignoring the pay gap, catcalling, etc.). (Not that I think boys can't wear lipstick, in fact I'm all for it.) But to wear it in a cool way, it is important to focus on contrasting it with the rest of your "look". So, because pink lipstick suggests heavy makeup, wear light makeup instead. Because pink lipstick suggests girliness, emphasize an unfeminine feature. And because pink lipstick is lighthearted and silly, wear serious clothes and hair. Wear pink lipstick like you've never heard of pink lipstick before, and with a total lack of regard for the conventions and connotations of it. If you wear pink lipstick like the kind of girl who hates pink and hates lipstick, you will definitely look great.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
cool looking lady writers
I'm sure all of y'all are aware of that famous Joan Didion for Celine pic which was probably the most universally loved thing the internet has ever seen. I am firmly on the bandwagon and also think it was the business.
Huge sunglasses, huge necklace, boring black sweater, coral lip, I am seriously about this. But it got me thinking about more, less "mainstream" pics of some of my favourite female writers who have aesthetic vibes which I dig.
Joan was ALWAYS a cool chick, even before the Celine stamp of approval. Girl knows how to work an oversized sack dress in a way I seriously admire. I'm also all into the bare faced, simple haired look.
Another strong look of Joan's (we're on first name terms) is the oversized plain coloured jumper. On the left she pairs it expertly with a simple necklace and more ubiquitous big black shades, and on the right I think I can spy some 90s-revival white trainers. A trendsetter of the highest order. And her writing is obviously really cool, unusual, sad, clever and all around inspiring.
Read: Play it as it Lays, Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The Year of Magical Thinking.
Wear: No makeup, shapeless dresses and jumpers, big sunglasses, simple hair.
Another of my favourite lady writers is the surrealist Leonora Carrington. From youth to old ladiness she had an ethereal, other-worldy beauty. Pile up your hair on top of your head, put on some sort of cape, define some inquisitive eyebrows and light up a cigarette (pls don't do the last one based on my advice).
Leonora Carrington is seriously so cool. She's most famous as a painter but I am massively into her writing, too. She has some really cool ideas about how being a woman is magical, subversive and amazing. Left, she rocks an incredibly trendy crochet top, and right perfectly pairs a boxy cable knit jumper with small hoop earrings and a cat.
Read: The Hearing Trumpet, Down Below.
Wear: Messy "up-dos", baggy collars, lots of white, bushy eyebrows.
What is really interesting about Sylvia Plath's vibes are the enormous contrast between how she looked and how she "really" was - if we are going by her writings. Plath always dressed like the cleanest-cuttest, least subversive, most "together" girl in the room. Pearl earrings, pearl buttons, alice bands and collars all lend themselves to a timeless, "girly" look.
Light, bright colours pair well with each other, and a toothy grin is accentuated by a smudgy red lip. I don't really need to tell you that Sylvia Plath is a seriously good writer. Her poetic imagery is some of my absolute favourite.
Read: The Bell Jar, Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, Ariel. (Also, The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm is a really interesting read.)
Wear: Neat curls, pastel colours, hairbands, subtle red lipstick.
Donna Tartt is everything I want to be once I finally escape the siren call of really long hair and stupid coloured lipstick. She seems to perfectly balance the look of a corporate business HBIC with a somewhat spookier, witchy, Wednesday-Addams-grown-up vibe. It's the contrast between the formal blazer / "sensible" haircut and the Victoriana flouncy shirt / mystical looking rings.
Here are some pix of Donna Tartt as a younger, but equally cool, woman. She knows how to to pair the world's subtlest feline eyeliner with a barely-there orangey lipstick. Her brows are small but perfectly formed, suggesting she has just said something extremely interesting and is waiting for you to argue with her. And can we talk about those leopard print gloves? I want them. Ok, I'm done. Tartt is such a good writer. She has really good ideas, and says them in a way which is really original and never annoying.
Read: The Secret History, The Goldfinch.
Wear: Understated eyeliner, black and white, neat hair, witchy jewellery, LEOPARD PRINT GLOVES.
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| An OBB (Original Bad Bitch) |
Joan was ALWAYS a cool chick, even before the Celine stamp of approval. Girl knows how to work an oversized sack dress in a way I seriously admire. I'm also all into the bare faced, simple haired look.
Another strong look of Joan's (we're on first name terms) is the oversized plain coloured jumper. On the left she pairs it expertly with a simple necklace and more ubiquitous big black shades, and on the right I think I can spy some 90s-revival white trainers. A trendsetter of the highest order. And her writing is obviously really cool, unusual, sad, clever and all around inspiring.
Read: Play it as it Lays, Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The Year of Magical Thinking.
Wear: No makeup, shapeless dresses and jumpers, big sunglasses, simple hair.
Another of my favourite lady writers is the surrealist Leonora Carrington. From youth to old ladiness she had an ethereal, other-worldy beauty. Pile up your hair on top of your head, put on some sort of cape, define some inquisitive eyebrows and light up a cigarette (pls don't do the last one based on my advice).
Leonora Carrington is seriously so cool. She's most famous as a painter but I am massively into her writing, too. She has some really cool ideas about how being a woman is magical, subversive and amazing. Left, she rocks an incredibly trendy crochet top, and right perfectly pairs a boxy cable knit jumper with small hoop earrings and a cat.
Read: The Hearing Trumpet, Down Below.
Wear: Messy "up-dos", baggy collars, lots of white, bushy eyebrows.
What is really interesting about Sylvia Plath's vibes are the enormous contrast between how she looked and how she "really" was - if we are going by her writings. Plath always dressed like the cleanest-cuttest, least subversive, most "together" girl in the room. Pearl earrings, pearl buttons, alice bands and collars all lend themselves to a timeless, "girly" look.
Light, bright colours pair well with each other, and a toothy grin is accentuated by a smudgy red lip. I don't really need to tell you that Sylvia Plath is a seriously good writer. Her poetic imagery is some of my absolute favourite.
Read: The Bell Jar, Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, Ariel. (Also, The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm is a really interesting read.)
Wear: Neat curls, pastel colours, hairbands, subtle red lipstick.
Donna Tartt is everything I want to be once I finally escape the siren call of really long hair and stupid coloured lipstick. She seems to perfectly balance the look of a corporate business HBIC with a somewhat spookier, witchy, Wednesday-Addams-grown-up vibe. It's the contrast between the formal blazer / "sensible" haircut and the Victoriana flouncy shirt / mystical looking rings.
Here are some pix of Donna Tartt as a younger, but equally cool, woman. She knows how to to pair the world's subtlest feline eyeliner with a barely-there orangey lipstick. Her brows are small but perfectly formed, suggesting she has just said something extremely interesting and is waiting for you to argue with her. And can we talk about those leopard print gloves? I want them. Ok, I'm done. Tartt is such a good writer. She has really good ideas, and says them in a way which is really original and never annoying.
Read: The Secret History, The Goldfinch.
Wear: Understated eyeliner, black and white, neat hair, witchy jewellery, LEOPARD PRINT GLOVES.
Friday, 20 February 2015
g bless the giorgio armani luminous silk foundation
I have finished a bottle of the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation, and I have some thoughts.
I'm just going to quickly address the issue that many of you will say it is too expensive. Well, I don't think it is, in the grand scheme (for example, a pair of shoes at the price would be considered pretty cheap, and they will not improve your quality of life as much). I think it was Cat Marnell who said "It was my dad tried to teach me the value of money, and I hate my dad" - though I actually really love my dad, ok?? Furthermore, if there is a more expensive thing you can think of, you can always justify buying something expensive - "ok, I'm behaving poorly, but at least I didn't buy that £70 By Terry foundation!!" - and I never will (but don't quote me on that). I have fond memories of the day I bought this; Lilly and I had a no good, very bad day in London where we just bought everything we wanted to cheer ourselves up about being nannies. Never a day has gone by where I have regretted buying this, and I think it is perfect. It basically makes you look like you're not wearing foundation, except for the fact your skin is perfect. It makes you look (skinwise) like a cross between a model backstage with buisness cards clipped to her hair and a baby. Don't tell me you've never been given skin envy by a baby.
Here I am, wearing GALS and no other skin makeup and I didn't edit the photos or anything like that (as if I know how). It has worked out for me during my worst chacne outbreaks and the dryest of Massachusetts winter skin: it goes over anything and makes it look about 2453% better. It looks damn good from the moment you put it on until the moment you take it off, and I haven't had any adverse skin effects from wearing it (it is a siliconey formula, but it doesn't smell of anything, praise jeezy). I was matched to shade 4.5, but that was nearly two years ago (wtf) and I have been a diligent sunscreener since then, so it errs on the side of too-dark-but-definitely-manageable. If you are a lazy-makeupper like me (except when it comes to shopping for it... sigh), this plus a buffing type brush is all you need for good skin by day or by night. I will probably wear this on my wedding day or if I had actually gone to graduation.
Another photo on another day of GALS and only GALS on my face. This well demonstrates that this foundation looks just as good after a day of #business. I have some benzoyl-peroxide related cheek and chin peeliness and it looks FINE. I honestly think if you use this and have luminous and silky looking skin, you can get everything else for cheap and maintain the illusion of being expensive. It gives really great "cool girl skin", that paradoxical look of perfected-ness without any hint of effort-to-perfect; looking like you haven't tried at all but just happen to be both luminous and silky. Now I have finished it, I am yet to repurchase because I am a floozy. In fact, I have broken the ultimate girl code and cheated on GALS with his own brother, Giorgio Armani Lasting Silk, who is waiting for me when I go back to England (something to ease the pain of leaving USA). Another exciting foundation-related thing (if you get excited about foundations in the way I do) is that I managed to find the elusive and extinct Jemma Kidd Light As Air foundation on American eBay!! I was so excited that I actually texted Lilly to tell her, and she didn't care at all. But if those two fail to live up to the hype, I am happy to know I can always go back to Old Faithful, my BFprobablyF, the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk.
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| 2 pics, because I liked both |
I'm just going to quickly address the issue that many of you will say it is too expensive. Well, I don't think it is, in the grand scheme (for example, a pair of shoes at the price would be considered pretty cheap, and they will not improve your quality of life as much). I think it was Cat Marnell who said "It was my dad tried to teach me the value of money, and I hate my dad" - though I actually really love my dad, ok?? Furthermore, if there is a more expensive thing you can think of, you can always justify buying something expensive - "ok, I'm behaving poorly, but at least I didn't buy that £70 By Terry foundation!!" - and I never will (but don't quote me on that). I have fond memories of the day I bought this; Lilly and I had a no good, very bad day in London where we just bought everything we wanted to cheer ourselves up about being nannies. Never a day has gone by where I have regretted buying this, and I think it is perfect. It basically makes you look like you're not wearing foundation, except for the fact your skin is perfect. It makes you look (skinwise) like a cross between a model backstage with buisness cards clipped to her hair and a baby. Don't tell me you've never been given skin envy by a baby.
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| Ugh, behave yourself fringe |
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| Emerging from the entrance to hell / in a poorly lit bathroom |
Friday, 30 January 2015
hairy eyebrows
I don't know if it's through over-saturation or what, but I am so over the perfect, Kardashian style, ombre, fifteen-products and one hour of perfecting, "strong brow". My brow goals are set on something higher now, and that thing is a wild, out of control, bordering on unibrow, werewolf look. Perhaps not the prettiest, but certainly easy to maintain, and, in my head they are now the "cool girl" way to wear brows.
I have naturally somewhat ashy, somewhat hairy brows. I've never been much of a plucker because of my lazy sensibilities, and since brows took off in a big way I've been dyeing them on the reg. I use a product from Eyelure called "Dyebrow" (very well done) in the shade black, which isn't black but very dark brown. I get it on Amazon.
I basically do it when I can be arsed, but they only look properly hairy for about three weeks. Then day to day, I wear brow (or sometimes not brow) mascara ... and that's it! I like the Rimmel Brow This Way (I'm not sure I properly understand this pun), or a brown mascara from a pound shop. I brush them upwards and try to get every hair to maximise werewolf potential.
It's weirdly hard to take a photo of your eyebrows without the rest of your face looking rather too deep in thought about what is essentially facial hair. Notice, new fringe, which acts like a signpost on my face saying "Have you noticed how hairy my eyebrows are?"
Recently I've been experimenting with some cheap American brow options. I bought the e.l.f. eyebrow kit in the lightest shade, which is much lighter than my eyebrows. But I like to apply the shadow with a smudgy brush in an imprecise manner, which acts as a sort of "dry shampoo" in terms of volumising the hairs. I also bought the Tame and Treat thingy, which is pretty cool. One end is a super fibrous mascara which really bulks up the hairy-factor, and the other end has some sort of dubious "vitamin infused gel" to encourage growth. I've only used the gel a couple of times, but I genuinely think the hairs are getting longer and thicker (and even, dare I say it, curlier. Which I know wouldn't be a plus for everyone, but I'm into it). Very impressive. I've heard castor oil also works well for this, but castor oil stinks like the bottom of a shoe.
I think hairy eyebrows are cute and cool, and a perfect antidote to the crisp, drawn on brows which are bloody everywhere nowadays.
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| It deeply offends me that that creepy makeover guy felt that Princess Mia couldn't be a princess and have werewolf eyebrows at the same time. |
I have naturally somewhat ashy, somewhat hairy brows. I've never been much of a plucker because of my lazy sensibilities, and since brows took off in a big way I've been dyeing them on the reg. I use a product from Eyelure called "Dyebrow" (very well done) in the shade black, which isn't black but very dark brown. I get it on Amazon.
I basically do it when I can be arsed, but they only look properly hairy for about three weeks. Then day to day, I wear brow (or sometimes not brow) mascara ... and that's it! I like the Rimmel Brow This Way (I'm not sure I properly understand this pun), or a brown mascara from a pound shop. I brush them upwards and try to get every hair to maximise werewolf potential.
![]() | |
| Left, wearing Rimmel. Right, wearing the £1 brown mascara. |
Recently I've been experimenting with some cheap American brow options. I bought the e.l.f. eyebrow kit in the lightest shade, which is much lighter than my eyebrows. But I like to apply the shadow with a smudgy brush in an imprecise manner, which acts as a sort of "dry shampoo" in terms of volumising the hairs. I also bought the Tame and Treat thingy, which is pretty cool. One end is a super fibrous mascara which really bulks up the hairy-factor, and the other end has some sort of dubious "vitamin infused gel" to encourage growth. I've only used the gel a couple of times, but I genuinely think the hairs are getting longer and thicker (and even, dare I say it, curlier. Which I know wouldn't be a plus for everyone, but I'm into it). Very impressive. I've heard castor oil also works well for this, but castor oil stinks like the bottom of a shoe.
I think hairy eyebrows are cute and cool, and a perfect antidote to the crisp, drawn on brows which are bloody everywhere nowadays.
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