LOTD Sparkle Pink

Today I'm wearing something neutral-grey, so I wanted to add some bright color to the outfit.

Products used:
MAC Paintpot Artifact
MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow Quartz Fusion
Kiko Eye Shadow Colour Sphere
MAC Eye Shadow Blanc Type
MAC Pigment Neo-Orange
Armani Mascara Eyes to Kill

Tip: MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow has a lot of sparkle and glitter in it. So use a moist (not wet) brush for applying. So nothing can fall down. I use MAC Fix+ for this, just two pumps will do it.

Cheers!

Spotted: Before and After Make-up

Spotted on Randommization.com

I always love to see before and after make-up pics. It's so fantastic to see what make-up can do and how it can modify your face.

These pics of transvestite make-up are really stunning.

See more here. (all pics via randommization.com)

Have a great week!

Tutorial: Talbot Runhof Autumn/Winter 2012/13

One of my favorite looks from the last issue of the In Beauty, was the one from Talbot Runhof.

Instead of doing a cat eye with a wing they emphasize the crease with another line to create more deep and expression to the look.

They used a lime green color for this. In my version I used a coffee-brown kohl pencil.

I can imagine that this style would also look good with a blue, purple or bordeaux color.

Sorry for "creepy lenses". 

I run out of the neutral ones. 

And now to my version of the runway look:

start as always with a primer (e.g. MAC Paints)

put some matte fair brown eyeshadow on the lid
(e.g. MAC Omega)

draw a line with a kohl pencil
it's easier to use the kohl pencil instead of a liquid liner
because you can correct more easily (MAC coffee)

draw a second line along your crease of the eye
Tip: the pencil will more glide if you keep turning it

put some of the fair brown eyeshadow over it to fix it
blend a little bit of the eyeshadow over your crease up
to the eyebrows

since I was not satisfied with the effect on the lash line
I gave some black liquid eyeliner over it
just a fine line (Lime Crime)

blend the black line into the brown line with a fine brush

some cream eyeliner for the water line (Isadora Inliner)
and a little bit of the brown kohl pencil exact on the under lashes
(make some small points)

Mascara! (MaxFaktor 2000 kcal)
Highlighter in the inner corner and on the highest spot under
your brown, then blend it (e.g. MAC Blanc Type)

Done! :-)

Cancer Warning on American Apparel Neon Nail Polish

Yesterday I went into an American Apparel Store to have a look at their neon nail polishes.

I was looking for the yellow one to do a similar look like PShiiit.com did it (see pic below).

Beside that the yellow one was sold out, I was shocked to see the warning on the package:

WARNING
THIS PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN A CHEMICAL KNOWN TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO CAUSE CANCER, OR BIRTH DEFECTS OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HARM

Can someone please explain me this? Why would AA sell stuff that makes cancer? And why is this only in California known?

And which chemical is this?
And why they don't tell about the risk on their homepage? There it only says:
All sales of this item are final. No returns or exchanges.
These unique shades of of high-quality neon color are quick drying and long lasting. Manufactured in the USA. Cruelty free, DBP and toluene free.

They say it's DBP (Dibuthyl Phtalate) and toluene free. Those ingredients are known to cause cancer and might make infertile. That's why the EU banned them from toys and cosmetic products. But if they are not in the nail polish, why they put the warning on the package? This feels like buying cigarettes...

I will write AA and ask them what this is all about... I'll keep you posted.

Review: Eye Rock Tattoos and Tape

Do you know Eye Rock?
I'm a big fan of graphic eye make-up, so it was no wonder, that I gave it a try as I spotted them on asos.com.

It's instant perfect eye make-up, no smudging, perfectly balanced eyeliners on both eyes... too good to be true?

They look really perfect on the pics in the internet or on their homepage. But when they arrived I was a little disappointed.

Let's see why...

While the ones with the feather and the lace pattern are removable tattoos, the liners came out as tapes (as it says on the package, but I over read it somehow).

The tape is matte and a little bit like a fabric.

The printed black line is not high quality. It's more dark grey than black. You can see the white dots (not printed) through.

The tape itself is way to long even for the biggest eyes. So I had to cut it in two pieces.

And since the black wasn't well printed I went with some liquid eye liner over the tape...

... but then it didn't stick any more.

And it felt very heavy on my lid, I couldn't move my eye very well, so I took it off after a few seconds and painted my own line with an ordinary black liquid eye liner.

BETTER!
and more comfortable :-)

On the other day I tried the "spiky" tape, but it was even more uncomfortable. It was pulling and pricking... ouch.

I gave up.

Finally I tried the lace tattoos yesterday. It's easy to apply, just as you might know from the Bazooka-Tattoos: place the sheet on your skin, apply some water, wait and take it off.

The only "problem" for me was, that the stencil was huge. It's lace pattern on the upper lid and under the eye. Way too big and too bold for a "nice daytime look with something special".

So I cut it.

But the piece did not fit right. And it looked weird.

I thought about making really dark smokey eyes and combine it with the lace, but...

... it wouldn't  have make it better. It looked so misplaced.

Thought that.
Laughed loud.
And took it off.

(Actually you have to rub it off quite hard.)





Résumée:
The tape is very inspiring. You can do so much more than just an ordinary line. In theory it sounds promising, but in daily routine it does not work for me. I'll try the other lines, when there's a special occasion like Street Parade or maybe for a shooting, but it's nothing you want to wear a whole day. Although it says it lasts up to 16 hours, I wouldn't want that. So only one pencil for the idea.

The tattoos are more comfortable and there are very nice patterns. But for me they are too big and too loud. They could have been designed more delicate for a better subtle look. Or maybe more smaller pieces just for the corners...? Just similar to PaperSelf lashes? I think the ones with the feather pattern are the better choice than the lace. You can cut them easily in smaller pieces to decorate your eye. I will try this soon and of course I'll keep you posted. Only two pencils: one for the handling and one for the idea.

Hair Tutorials for Summer

One of my favorite blogs is the one from Joanna Goddard, A Cup Of Joe. She's living with her husband and her toddler son in Manhattan and writes about everything a woman likes to know or to talk about. From motherhood to sex, from recipes to fashion, from accessories to decoration or holidays or...

With her friend, Caroline, she does wonderful hair tutorials with lovely pictures. In case you don't know her blog, check it out.

Bella L., this post is for you ;-)
So if you are fighting with frizzy hair now in the heat of this summer or if you are tired of just making a ponytail or you need some inspiration, check out the wonderful tutorials. They are pretty easy and won't take long in the morning. All you need is long hair.

These are my favorites:
(all pics via A Cup Of Joe)

ROPE BUN
tutorial here

PERFECT KNOT
tutorial here

SLEEK PARTED PONYTAIL
tutorial here

THREE TWISTED BUNS
tutorial here

MESSY FRENCH BUN
tutorial here

BRAIDED CROWN
tutorial here

Now I want long hair, too! 

Mixed Cat Eyes and Lines

Spotted at Stylecopycat and Anothermag.com I find it very interesting how different a few more or less lines can make your eye.


Sometimes all you need is good eyeliner or kohl pencil.

Speaking of different eye lines... do you know Eye Rock? They make removable tattoos for the eye, I ordered some... of course I keep you posted.

Have a great day!

DIY Make-up Magnet Board

What to do with all your make-up stuff?

Spotted on Laura Thoughts I found this DIY.

Such a nice idea and decoration for your room or bathroom.
Unfortunately it wouldn't work for me. With all my stuff I would need a gallery :-)
But maybe it's something for you?


Have a good week!

Tutorial Anna Sui

I've already showed you my favorites of the new In Beauty and promised to do some tutorials and to make my own version - from runway to ready-to-wear:

Let's start with Anna Sui's runway look for autumn/winter 2012/2013:

It's a very strong and bright blue color, it's not only an eyeliner, the whole lid was filled with the opaque color. The focus was on the upper lid, so no mascara or color under the eye beside a little blue point in the middle of the eye.

Tip: blue doesn't like red undertones, so be sure to use a good foundation and concealer to cover up spots or red marks. Don't use a red toned blush, I just used some (pale) bronzer to complete this look.

... and here's my version:

start with a primer (I used Mac Paints Bare Study)
and a white kohl pencil for the water line (IsaDora Inliner)

If you find it hard to draw a symmetric line, start with a
white line first and then fill it out.
You can easily correct the white line with a q-tipp.
See also tutorial here.

Fill out the white line with a blue eyeliner (Lime Crime's Lazuli)

For more depth go over with a black eyeliner
be sure to wait long enough until the blue color is dry

clean the white line if something's left
go with some brown shimmer into the crease and blend
it up to the eye brown for more definition
(Bobbi Brown shimmer brick)

For more definition under the eye use a matte brown eye shadow
and blend it upwards to the wing

Don't forget the little point!
I marked it in the inner corner because under the eye it looks like a teardrop
And because I used mascara on the under lashes it won't be seen well anyway.
Mascara, eye brown and ready!