Geek to Chic

Chic Post: Finally Some Inspiration

2012-01-14T18:54:00.005-05:00

Greetings Geeks!

So after a long, long time - I have re-emerged on the blog-o-sphere with some inspired looks. It's only been like 10 months but better late than never right? I will post a life blog after explaining my hiatus (yeah, there really isn't a great explanation so please set your expectations low hah kidding).

Anyways, over the last 10 months I have acquired a passion for American Football. Weird, I know right? But there is something about the hits...and the strategy that really captures my interest. The primary team I cheer for is the Pittsburgh Steelers but I also have a soft spot for the Buffalo Bills. Since neither of this teams is in the running for the Super Bowl I've done a few looks for the remaining teams (mainly the Saints, the Broncos and the Ravens). Nothing super fantastic but I was quite happy with the way the Saints and Ravens look turned out -

For Tebow and the Broncos:

For this look I used:
Sugarpill Flame Point in the Crease
MAC White Pigment on the Lid
Lime Crime Cleopatra around the edges of the white/orange
NARS Night Flight in the Outer Corner
Joe Fresh Liquid Liner in Classic Navy
Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liner on the waterline
Urban Decay Radium 24/7 Liner on the bottom Lash Line
NARS Night Flight on top of Radium

New Orleans Saints:

For this look I used:
MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot on the Lid
Urban Decay Shag Deluxe Shadow on top of Rubenesque
Urban Decay Darkhorse in Crease
MAC Copperplate E/S in the Crease
Urban Decay "Cobra" from Black Palette in Outer Corner and Crease
Lise Watier Eye Glitter in Golden Taupe on Inner Lid
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Perversion on Waterline

Baltimore Ravens:

For this look I used:
Sugarpill Poison Plum in the Crease
Sugarpill Goldilux on the Lid (applied wet)
MAC Trax (transition colour from gold and purple)
Sugarpill Bulletproof in the Outer Corner and Crease
Sugarpill Tako as Brow Highlight
MAC Feline Power Kohl Liner on Waterline

I have to say that the Saints look is one of my favourites...it's been a while since I've done a look I like as much :-)

It's a little bit of a different area for inspiration - so even if you aren't a football fan, I hope you enjoy the looks!

Life Blog Post...

2011-12-17T23:27:00.005-05:00

Howdy Dolls!

I don't even know how to begin this post - it's been a while (yes I am aware these hiatus' happen often) but you must admit, life has a way of getting away from us. It seems like I lost track of time when the earthquake and tsunami happened in Japan - the company my company works for was deeply impacted by that tragedy...so things at work were slower between the months of April and September - and since then it's been a rat race to get everything back to the way it was. Plus I was super busy in the fall with wedding makeup...there were a lot of weddings this fall :-).

It's been 10 months since I last posted regularly...I feel I have changed a lot. Ok, I still love make up and I still love all things nerdy...but I've picked up a few new passions and interests along the way. It's weird to me that some things feel like they are changing, and yet nothing is really different around me...maybe it's just me changing. A couple of the new interests I've picked up are American football (OMG I love the Steelers and the Bills!), I also started baking more and am hoping to expand my horizons into cooking! I cooked for myself when I was in university and college but having worked shift work for the last three years and generally not being a fan of packed lunches...I don't cook as often as I would like. Another thing I've become fond of is...country music. It's my guilty pleasure let's leave it at that lol! I don't really know what else to say but I am taking my next steps in life (got my own apartment) and while this transition scares me a little...it is necessary and I'm really excited about it!

Anyways, I just wanted to do a blog post as motivation to do more in a more timely manner. Thank you for all of you who take the time to read this!

Dragon Age Inspired LOTD

2011-03-13T21:13:00.010-04:00

Hello Dolls! Greetings Geeks!

This past week marked a very important week for geeks and nerds around the world...that was the release of Dragon Age 2! In honour of this joyous occasion I have done a look inspired by one of the characters in the newest Dragon Age installment - Bethany Hawke - sister of the main character.

Eyes:
Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance - Primer
MAC Hush Cream Colour Base - Lid
MAC Hush Eye Shadow- on CCB (lid)
MAC Naked Lunch Eye Shadow - Inner corner and brow highlight
MAC Expensive Pink - Crease
Morgana Cryptoria Coraline Shadow - Outer corner and crease
MAC Sable Eye Shadow - Darken Crease
Lancome Shadow in Couture for brows
Revlon Lash Fantasy in Blackest Black Mascara
Gosh Truly Brown Eye Kohl - Lower lash line
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk - Waterline

Lips:
Morgana Cryptoria - Coraline's Kiss

Face:
Benefit Stay Don't Stray
MAC Longwear Concealer in NW20
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20
MAC Marine Life (LE) Highlight Powder on cheeks
Estee Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush in Peach Nuance

So looking forward to falling in love with this game!

Thanks for stopping by, until next time!

Chic Post: Bomberman Inspired Look!

2011-03-05T21:44:00.007-05:00

Hello Dolls!

Spring is slowly creeping its way back into Canada (finally) and I am super pumped. As mentioned in my last post - there is some geekery goodness coming out this month and I want to embrace the nerdy vibe so I will be posting some geeky chic looks inspired from video games.

Today's look is inspired by Bomberman!

For those of you who are interested in video games and have xbox live - you should definitely download this game...albeit a tricky game, certainly fun.

Anyways - here is what I used for the look:

Eyes:
- Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance as a lid primer
- MAC Paint Pot in Fresco Rose - lid base
- MAC Vanilla Eye Shadow - Patted on top of Fresco Rose
- MAC Crystal Avalanche - on lid near lash line and brow highlight
- Coastal Scents 88 Matte Palette Pink (combo of lighter/brighter pink: see picture) - outer 1/3 of eye
- Coastal Scents 88 Matte Palette Violet - Blended into crease area
- Coastal Scents 88 Matte Palette Dark Purple (touch of black) - placed in outer corner
- MAC Feline Power Kohl - Waterline
- Revlon Lash Fantasy in Blackest Black Mascara

Face:
Benefit Stay Don't Stray - concealer and primer
MAC Studio Fix Fluid and Powder Foundation in NW20
Bonnebell Bronzer in Golden Tan - Hollows of cheeks
MAC Highlight Powder in Marine Life (LE) - Apples of cheeks

Lips:
MAC Lip Gelee in Luxure

I am looking forward to making many more geek inspired looks - are there any in particular you would like to see? Leave me a comment...I am always up for a challenge! :-)

Geek Post: March Madness

2011-03-04T12:22:00.007-05:00

Greetings Geeks!

March is picking up where February left off and already is looking to be a very promising month for video games. Unless you have spent the last month with your head in the sand you know that there are at least two big titles that everyone is eagerly anticipating this month and those are Dragon Age II and Rift.

Last Tuesday Bioware released to the general gaming world the official demo of Dragon Age II. I have to say – that it does look promising. I personally enjoy the maneuverability your character has now when fighting (this is especially great for warriors in close range combat who want to avoid being plowed by Ogres), as well as the combination attacks that flow together more seamlessly than the short pause then execute of DA: Origins. I think Bioware will definitely surprise us with some features in the game – I am however wondering if DA2 will break the repetition that DA: Origins developed with the main quests. Dragon Age 2 is set to release March 08, 2011 – Can’t wait!

Rift is an MMORPG that was released March 1^st – and while some of the advertisements I have stumbled across for this game state “You’re not in Azeroth anymore”, I don’t really know too much else about the game…it has all the makings of your standard RPG (class, race, saving the world…all that jazz); I would really like to try this game out – I did enjoy WoW and would like to diversify my MMORPG experience so this game is on my radar to try. If you would like more details for this game you can go here.

There are another 2 games that haven’t received as much hype as some of the multi-platform games are Final Fantasy Dissidia 012 and Third Birthday (Parasite Eve). Both of these games will find themselves on the PSP at the end of March. Dissidia 012 is the continuation of Dissidia Final Fantasy which was released August 2009 – and introduces some new characters to the mix – Laguna from FF8, Yuna from FF10/FF10-2, Tifa from FF7, and Lightning from last years FF 13 release to name a few. I must admit I am still bitterly disappointed that Zack was not chosen to represent FF7 – I understand that Cloud was the main character but after playing Crisis Core – Zack is so much better! Alas I digress – I am looking forward to this game and have included a play through of the first Dissidia as my March homework.

The 3rd Birthday is the third installment in the Parasite Eve game franchise. This story will once again be set around Aya Brea (protagonist in previous games) – and havoc once again will be reeked upon New York City. The first two titles Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2 were originally released on the PS One. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to play the original games – there are rumors that both Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2 will be expected on PSN – I have the first game for my PSOne and will be cracking that out this month as well – but never did have the chance to play the sequel (come on Sony – please release on PSN).

I can definitely say (and I know it has already been said by many a person) 2011 looks to be a promising year for games and I can hardly wait to get this month started and finished!

What are some of the games you are excited about this year?

Chic Post: Balmbini LOTD

2011-03-01T09:46:00.005-05:00

Good Morning Dolls!

A while ago I did a review on The Balm's Balmbini Palette and today I thought I would post a look I did using said palette.

Eyes:

Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance – Lid primer

Mary-Lou Manizer – Lid

Insane Jane – Outer Corner (outer 1/3 of lid)

Jealous Jordana – Blended in the outer corner and into the crease

MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder – Waterline

Lancome Definicils Precious Cells Mascara

Lancome Couture Shadow for Eye Brows

Face:

MAC Studio Sculpt in NW20

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20

Hot Mama by The Balm – Cheek hollows

Down Boy by The Balm – Cheek Apples

Lips:

Balmbini Palette Special Edition Tinted Lip Gloss

Featured in this photo my "Achievement Unlocked: Red Ring of Death" t-shirt from ThinkGeek.com I heart this shirt!

My thoughts on the Balmbini Palette: The shadows are very smooth and silky to applied - the Marylou Manizer is prone to fall outs so apply with caution. However the staying power of the shadows is good - the shadows also didn't crease so definite bonus.

As mentioned in my review - the cost of the palette is reasonable for the product you receive ($37.00CDN).

Until next time!

Geek Post: Favourite Time Wasters

2011-02-28T11:10:00.005-05:00

Greetings Geeks!

Solitaire, Bejeweled, Mahjong, Free-Cell…we’ve all played them while in zombie mode - just trying to kill time. I am dedicating this post to the games that supply us with hours upon hours of mindless entertainment.

Truthfully in many ways I believe that these time wasters are really under-rated, they rarely factor in on anyone’s radar – we simply take these simple games for granted. True, while most of these games are 2D and are void of any story…they still carry a quality of entertainment. Solitaire, Mahjong and more recently Bejeweled are among the most popular computer time wasters. In recent years with the development of portable gaming devices we have seen an increase in the rise of new time-wasting games. Most notably Brick Breaker (which is standard on Blackberry devices), and now Angry Birds is a common download for the iPhone and iPad devices. Who would have thought that launching angry birds at smug pigs would be so much fun? – And reflecting on that statement I think…hmm is that a metaphor for something.

What makes these games so addictive? It could be our human nature to compete or perhaps it is the subtle yet trying strategy required to complete the level or win the game. What I personally love about these games is that in most cases they are not trying enough to frustrate me and have me stop the game, but challenging enough as not to make me feel completely simple.

My all-time favourite time waster is Bust-A-Move (originally Puzzle Bobble). I have this game for all of my portable devices…and somehow I am still not sick of the game. For many, Tetris is their time-wasting kryptonite – Bust-A-Move is mine…plus Bub and Bob are super cute!

What are your favourite time-killing games?

In closing – we salute you oh games of which without you…sitting waiting on a bus bench or in a doctor’s office would seem so tedious without your sweet escape!

Chic Post: GDE LOTD

2011-02-27T11:42:00.007-05:00

Hi Dolls!

This look is using the Glamour Doll Eyes shadows I picked up quite a while ago. Click here to visit the website. GDE is a company that has a solid reputation and understandable so. GDE offer a variety of shades and textures with their shadows. Many of the shadows contain shimmer or sparkles that add depth and dimension to the colours. I will include some swatches below of the colours I picked up.

Eyes:

Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance

GDE – Angel Wings applied in the inner corner and brow high light

GDE – Skinny Jeans applied 2/3 of lid

GDE – Victorian applied into the outer corner and blended into the crease

MAC Smolder Liner on waterline

Lancome Couture Shadow for eye brows

Lance Definicils Mascara

Face:

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden for dark circles

MAC Studio Sculpt foundation

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20

Nars Orgasm Blush

Lips:

Sexy Mother Pucker in Peche

Here are the swatches of some of the shadows I picked up, the colours on the left were applied without a base, the middle row were applied on Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy and the right row was applied on top of Bella Pierre shadow base:

All of these colours are beautiful and have great pigmentation. My favourite colours out of my collection are Skinny Jeans and Veteran - such beautiful colours!

What are your favourite colours from Glamour Doll Eyes?

Geek Post: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

2011-02-24T16:37:00.007-05:00

Greetings Geeks!

I would absolutely be lying if I said that I enjoy arcade-style fighting games. For me, there has always been a degree of frustration and fury with the random button mashing that I fall into while playing games like Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Because this game isn't really my forte or a usual genre - I decided to scratch a little deeper under the surface while trying this game. My verdict - it's an arcade style fighting game, but this of course is said with a little more enthusiastic tone.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this game was the range of characters. I love Marvel comics - and being able to play, as well as fight some of my favourite characters was fabulous...this in itself should be a highlight for Marvel or Capcom fans. My two favourite characters were Morrigan from Darkstalkers in the Capcom corner and Deadpool from the Marvel side.

The animation style in this game definitely gives the sensation of a graphic three dimensional comic. I did enjoy the comic book feel while watching the special moves or trio/duo special attacks. The cut scenes were by no stretch of the imagination the pinnacle of breaking- edge, stunningly beautiful cine graphics however it was still very well done and detailed enough to match the depth of this game.

One of the things that I personally found grinding was attempting to master all of the combo moves. In some ways starting out with Wolverine's combo attacks were rewarding - especially for those of us who usually button mash and hit one repetitive move over and over until our opponents (if human) either a) are K.O'd or b) throw the controller in a fit of understandable rage. However towards the end with the multi-combo moves - which consist of hitting about 15 buttons in the proper sequence made me focus less on the experience of the game play and more on hitting the buttons in strategic order. (This is definitely a game to test your short term memorization skills...take that Brain Age). I am also one of those people who does frustrate easily and lose ungraciously so I tend to avoid games like this - unless I have already prepared myself with a defeatist attitude...at which point I tend to thoroughly enjoy the game (as was the case for most of my Halo career).

Would I recommend this game? That depends on the type of gamer you are - if this post has peaked your interest and you are either an avid fan of arcade-style fighting games or love Marvel comics; than absolutely check this out. If you are more of person who fears change or has a comfort bubble I might be inclined to say skip this one. All in all this is a game that can be enjoyed by all those willing to try it - it doesn't require an intimate knowledge to play or be successful at.

That is it for this game review - geek on!

Vampy Tutorial for Shangel

2011-02-18T17:29:00.013-05:00

I did this look for a friend of mine (Shangel) – this is a vampy look. I used some readily accessible products which can be found at any local drugstore or Wal-Mart.

For this look you are going to want to work on the eyes first as the colors used are dark and any fall outs on your cheeks will prove exceptionally irritating.

If you have shadow primer use this first to prime your lids. If not you can use concealer and seal it with a setting powder or you can go with out. Please be aware that if you skip the primer the pigmentation is likely to fade over wear time and you also run the risk of your shadow creasing.

I used two different eye shadow palettes for this look. On the left eye – I used Wet ‘n’ Wild’s Coloricon Lust Palette and for my right eye I used Rimmel’s Dark Angel trio.

Step 1: Take the lightest color in either palette (should be either a white or gray) and place this in the inner corner of your eye:

Step 2: Take the purple color (or any shade that isn’t monochromatic -not black, white or gray) this is going to be placed on the lid and pulled up into the crease. Also to make your eyes look longer pull the color up and out.

Step 3: Using the gray colour in the Lust Palette or combine the silver and black color in the Rimmel trio. This will be placed in the outer V area and blended above the crease.

Step 4: Using the smudgeliner from Annabelle in Ohmygoth – line your upper lash line. Don’t worry if it is messy. You are going to smudge this and blend this out and into the crease. Also line your waterline and lower lash line.

Step 5: The darkest color in each palette is now applied along the lash line and blended into the outer corner and blended above the crease – blend on inner crease. Also place some black or dark shadow on the liner beneath the lower lash line. Reapply some of the light purple onto the centre of the lid again.

Step 6: Use the lightest color in each palette as a brow highlight and blend the edges of the black.

Now onto the foundation.

The foundation I used for this look is Revlon Colorstay Active Light Weight Foundation. This is a foundation that allows your skin to breathe and it has some moisture in it. It will leave your skin looking dewy however you can tone down the shine with loose mineral powder. It will also endure the lights, and heat of a club.

Basically all you are looking to do is to use a foundation color one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. Don’t use concealer and when applying the foundation pull some of the foundation around the edges of your lips to lighten the color.

Next use a loose mineral powder to set the foundation – either use a light powder or a translucent powder to keep your face looking washed out.

Face Products Used:

For blush – I focused the color along the bottom part of the cheek bone to add depth.

Finish off by applying black mascara and use a brow pencil to define your eye brows or use a clear gel to keep them in place.

You can use a dark lip color or keep your lips light – your call!

Good luck!

Chic Post - Sugar Sugar LOTD with GDE

2011-02-14T15:27:00.003-05:00

Hi Dolls!In honor of my chic side and Valentine’s Day I am posting another Valentine’s Day look. Today I am using products from Glamour Doll Eyes – which you can check out here.

Eyes:

Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance – Primer

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk – Lid – blended out

Glamour Doll Eyes Angel Wings – Applied on top of Milk

Glamour Doll Eyes Strawberry Cupcake – Applied in inner and outer corners blended into the crease

Glamour Doll Eyes Victorian – Blended into the crease

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy – Used to apply glitter

Glamour Doll Eyes Glitter in Fierce – Applied in Centre of Lid

MAC Reflects Very Pink Glitter- Applied on top of Fierce

Glamour Doll Eyes Angel Wings Blended Around Edges of Glitter

Maybelline Stiletto Liquid liner in Black

Stila Kajal Liner in Onyx – Waterline

Lancome Couture Eye Shadow – applied in brows

Revlon Lash Fantasy in Blackest Black Mascara

Face:

Benefit – Stay Don’t Stray

Studio Fix Fluid and Powder in NW20

Pur Minerals in Diamond Rose Blush

Lips:

MAC Lustreglass in Love Nectar

Happy Valentine’s to everyone – I hope you are all able to spend the day with those you love!

Chic Post: Fyrinnae LOTD

2011-02-13T21:22:00.010-05:00

Hello Dolls!

I love Fyrinnae cosmetics! The shadows offered by this company are gorgeous and very unique. There is definitely a lot to the shadows in terms of depth, texture and pigmentation. I really found that if you applied the shadows by using a sweeping motion – you almost got a different result in the look of the shadow than if you were to place or pat the shadow on. I will do a review probably in the next few days. I wanted to share with you a look I did using some of my Fyrinnae shadows! You can find Fyrinnae here

Eyes:

Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance – Primer

NYX Liner Pencil in Pinky – lid blended out

Fyrinnae Sakura Shadow – placed on top of liner

Fyrinnae Faerie Glamour (Arcane Magic Collection) – placed in crease

Fyrinnae Sorceress (Arcane Magic Collection) – outer corner

Fyrinnae Jade Ghost – Brow High Light and inner corner high light

Fyrinnae Faerie Glamour – under bottom lash line

MAC Power Kohl in Feline – Waterline

Face:

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden for dark circles

MAC Longwear Concealer in NW20

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20

Bonnebell Bronzer in Golden Tan – cheek hollows

Lancome Blush in Plum – cheek apples

I really enjoyed how this look turned out and am super pumped about my Fyrinnae cosmetics!

Sweet Dreams and Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Edit** Lips are Shift to Pink Lipgelee from MAC!

Chic Post: V-Day LOTD with Morgana Cryptoria

2011-02-12T23:44:00.006-05:00

Hello Dolls!

Today at Morgana Cryptoria - Melissa launched her new lipstick shades which you can view here. I had ordered from her back in the summer...sadly like some other products I have tried I never got around to doing a review, and well I am rectifying that right now. Super excited about her new lipsticks (I ordered Gilded Ballerina and Enchanted Emerald so pumped!!!) I thought today would be a great time to bust out some of the pigments I ordered and pair them with the lipsticks I ordered in the summer as well.

Here is my Valentine's Day Look:

Eyes:
Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance - Primer
Urban Decay Liquid Liner in Gash - Base on lid
Morgana Cryptoria Druscilla's Sister - Applied on Gash
Morgana Cryptoria Coraline - Applied in outer corner blended above crease
Morgana Cryptoria Tavern Wench - Blended into outer corner/crease
Wet 'n' Wild "Lust" Palette light cream colour - Brow Highlight (applied on top of NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Milk)
Stila Kajal Liner in Onyx - waterline
NYX Liner in Pinky for Eye Brows
Sugarpill in Dollipop in Eye Brows
Revlon Lash Fantasy in Blackest Black Mascara

Face:
Benefit Stay Don't Stray
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20
Bonnebell Bronzer in Golden Tan - Hollows of Cheeks
Pur Minerals Blush in Diamond Rose - Apples of Cheeks

Lips:
Morgana Cryptoria's Coraline's Kiss
Morgana Cryptoria's Ravenna shading outer areas of lips

Morgana Cryptoria offers a variety of pigment shadows but perhaps they are most known for their vegan lipsticks. These lipsticks are incredible and all unique in colour! I have tried other lipsticks from an indy company that promises brilliant colours and true, while the colours are unique...I found that the application wasn't as creamy as Morgana Cryptoria's. Also, the texture and ease of application (doesn't require many coats) doesn't come close to the lipsticks from Morgana Cryptoria. To anyone looking for a new company or some unique lipsticks you NEED to check out Morgana Cryptoria.

Chic Geek: Mass Effect N7 FOTD

2011-02-12T00:07:00.010-05:00

Evenin' Folks!

Today was an exciting day for mail - I received my Mass Effect N7 hoodie! Woo! Now there was some disappointment with my package...it appears someone at Canada Post felt it would be a great idea to open my parcel using an exacto knife and consequently nicked part of my hoodie. It isn't really noticeable and truthfully it will be more hassle trying to resolve compensation, I do however intend to write a strongly worded email to Canada Post expressing my disappointment with their employee.

I decided to wear my hoodie today (I love this hoodie...so warm and cozy heh ^_^) and to match my hoodie I did an N7 inspired look on my eyes:

Eyes:
Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance - Base
Kryolan Aqua Color in White - Lid of eye
MAC White Pigment - On lid of eye
Kryolan Pressed Eye Shadow in Red - Out corner pulled above crease
MAC Beauty Marked Eye Shadow - Outer 2/3 of lid
Maybelline Stiletto Black Liquid Liner - Outer 2/3 of liner
Glamour Doll Eyes Angel Wings - Brow Bone Highlight
MAC Feline Power Kohl Liner - waterline
Lancome Definicils Mascara
Lancome Powder Couture for Eye Brows

Face:
Cover FX Concealer in Light
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20
Bonnebell Bronzer in Golden Tan - Hollows of Cheek
MAC Marine Life (LE) High Light Powder - Apples of Cheek

Lips:
MAC Lipgelee in Luxure

That is all for this evening. Take care everybody!

Geek Post: Just Dance 2 Review

2011-02-09T11:18:00.006-05:00

Greetings Geeks!

Today I wanted to do a game review - recently I picked up Just Dance 2 for the Wii!!! I was a little skeptical of this game (I didn't play the original Just Dance), and in all honesty I am a little bit of a DDR snob. I LOVE DDR! To me it was that must-have game in high school and then it finally became a little more accessible for purchase when I was in university (thank god lol). So for me...dancing games since have become (in my snobbish mind) just a less fun replica. Well friends, I was quite wrong in this assumption.

This weekend at my local EB Games I was inquiring about the Zumba Fitness game for the Wii and was talked into trying Just Dance 2 which had similar movements but with a wider music selection. My sister (Kara - ofmomentsinmoonlight) and I busted this gem out and this is probably one of the best games to play with friends around. I will advise that if you are a person who takes yourself seriously or is easily embarrassed - this might not be your cup of tea. The key to success and fun with this game is complete and utter lack of self awareness. (I think that is why I enjoy the Wii more than the concept of the Kinect - I know I look ridiculous Xbox...this isn't Halo 3...I don't want to relive the ridiculousness of my movement)...also so long as no one tells me how terrible my coordination is - in my mind, I am Ginger Rogers! hah totally just kidding.

This game can be played by up to four players or enjoyed by yourself. One of the best features of this game for me was the duets that you and another player can do. The movements are pretty much identical but include movements of moving around each other or dancing towards each other (tip: watch where arms are at all times!)

Another great feature of this game was the range of music - there was music from the 70's, 80's, 90's and more recent music (Tik Tok by Ke$ha). There are also songs available for download (300 Wii points for most) including "It's not unusual" by Tom Jones (Totally Carleton Banks dance for that song hah!), Kung Fu Fighting, Barbie Girl and Maniac (from Flashdance).
There were several songs that I thoroughly enjoyed dancing too notably: Idealism by Digitalism, Body Movin' by Beastie Boys, Jump by Studio Allstars (Kris Kross original) and the Bollywood track.

This was a game Kara and I played for 2 hours and probably would have continued if our house wasn't so hot with the furnace (I think we revolutionized a new game - Hell Dance cousin of Hot Yoga (lame yes I know haha)).

My only real complaint about the game is the motion detection - basically you can flail about and still rack up points so long as the Wii-Mote was moved in the general way as on screen. Timing does play a factor however, there are limitations for accurately gauging calories burned in the sweat mode because you can still move your arms and not your legs and get a "Great" or "Perfect" point. If you are planning on using this as a tool to get into shape I would suggest trying to match the footwork - however if that is proving to be challenging just make sure you are still step touching (as they say in Body Attack) just to keep your heart pumping.

I give this game 4/5 for play value. This is a game suited for everyone and is best enjoyed with friends over. For those of you still working on the New Years resolution but are not liking the sub-zero temperatures - pick up this game...you can work out in the comfort and warmth of your own home!

This game is exclusive to the Wii - so if you have a Xbox360 and Kinect - you could try Dance Central...same idea.

Geek Post: Tron: Legacy

2011-01-09T23:54:00.005-05:00

Hello Dolls!

So in case some of you missed my post about my top ten favourite things of 2010 - Tron: Legacy is my new obsession! I love this film...and I don't know what it is about the film (yes I do...Jeff Bridges) that really makes it spectacular! Anyways...instead of reviewing the movie I wanted to show you guys something I am working on. I did my first test today but am hoping with more lighting and a better camera I can totally rock this:

Fun with a black light! I would like to get a better camera and more black lights to really rock this concept but still had a blast testing this out!

Chic Post: TheBalm Balmbini Palette Review

2011-01-09T00:11:00.008-05:00

Good Evening Dolls!

A while back I picked up a palette from my local Rexall - it is from TheBalm cosmetic line. I haven't heard too much about this company in the blogosphere but saw that this palette had a selection of blush and eyeshadows and figured, why not.

The palette contains:
2 Blushes (which can also be used as eye shadows)
- Down Boy: Soft Pink
- Hot Mama: Peachy shade with gold irridescent flecks

3 eye shadows
- Mary-Lou Manizier - Soft Beige color with shimmer (can also be used as a highlighting powder)
- Insane Jane - Taupe/Grey Colour almost more of a frost texture
- Jealous Jordana - Deep Green - with black/bluish tones

2 lip tints
- Cherry Red
- Peachy Tone

Please note that the blush swatches are without a base - the three shadows were swatched on Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance.

The cost of this palette was only $37.00 CDN - I have to say that the price tag on this item wasn't too bad - I do enjoy the lastability of the eye shadow and am quite smitten with the Hot Mama Blush/Shadow. I would recommend snagging this if you are looking to try something new and don't mind the price tag - truthfully this is much cheaper than many of the palettes sold at Sephora.

Anyways, that is it for now. Sweet dreams all!

Night

Chic Post: Make Up Artistry Certificate

2011-01-03T16:02:00.014-05:00

Good Day Dolls!

As many of you have noticed there was a significantly long period of time from my last post on Special FX to the last post I put up. I will save you all the excuses but there was one thing that I have been working on for the last 4 months and that was my make up artistry certificate. I studied at Gemini Models in Kitchener, Ontario. I had first heard of the program through a lady who works in the local Beauty Boutique at Shoppers and I have to say I loved the program!

It was a basic make up program, we studied everyday looks, bridal, fashion/runway, aging and ethnic skin. Honestly there were techniques and different things I learned in this course that I really don't know how quickly I would have learned on my own. The instructor Sarah D is absolutely awesome and Audrey the CEO of Gemini Models is a stunning and gorgeous person - both of them have that very upbeat intoxicating personality - so overall the environment was very positive to work in!

We got to work back stage at a Fashion Show which was an incredible experience and something I look forward to continuing!

As part of the course we had to do a final project look which could be taken from anything (other looks done by artists in the past, inspiration from objects, styles, characters...etc.) For mine I am a huge science fiction fan and love looking at the Hubble Telescope pictures so I drew inspiration from two areas - one was the skin texture of Trance Gemini from the show "Andromeda" (please note the older version of Trance post purple days) and the second was from Orion Nebula pictures.

I did some test looks on myself and a friend before working on the model.

Below are three pictures of the final look - photography by Ema Suvajac, model: Michelle P.

It was a great experience working with models, backstage at the Fashion Show and with a photographer, and has me itching to do more photoshoots. I was very sad to see the course come to an end but on the plus side...I am certified! Woo - officially a certified Make Up Artist!

That is it for me dolls!

Chic/Geek A Few of My Favourite Things

2011-01-03T14:35:00.008-05:00

In the spirit of the New Year and reflecting on the past 365 days that have passed that collectively defined 2010 (also because it is completely cliche and lame :-P) I have decided to list off a few of my favourite things that I discovered and fell in love with in 2010. I will include both geek and chic items because well, they pretty much define my interests and loves!

1. Dragon Age Origins - I realize this game came out in 2009 but I really didn't start playing until 2010 - I love Bioware's intricate character development and the interactions and dialogue between characters even while roaming around areas - brilliant!

2. My Blackberry Curve 8520 in Lavender. I love this phone so much - I recently started using an iPhone 3G and I enjoy each phone for various reasons but the ease of texting on my BB makes me happy and less frustrated on the inside.

3. Sugarpill Cosmetics - This line of eye shadows is absolutely gorgeous! I often find myself drawn back to this website to pick up more items! The pigmentation and over all quality is stellar - I am definitely addicted to this kind of pretty!

4. MAC Strobe Lotion with MAC Vanilla Pigment on top - This really fills both the geek and chic areas - this combination of products gave me the stunning sheen on my model for my Make Up Artist final project (I will do a post on this after) and I know in my make up future I will be using this combination on photo shoot projects to come! This was an amazing discovery for me - thank you MAC Store in London!

5. Indy Make Up Companies such as Meow Cosmetics, Fyrinnae and Morgana Minerals - I believe I mentioned this in the past but Phyrra often highlights great Indy companies and these 3 are some I have tried. The products are very decently priced and the quality is incredible (hoping to post my swatches in the future)

6. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - This movie was epic! I really haven't seen another movie that really integrated video game aspects without making the movie horribly cheesy. If you haven't seen this - please check it out!

7. iTravel - I know this is maybe lame but my car is a base 2008 model so it doesn't have a plug in for an mp3 player. This device plugs into your cigarette lighter port and uses radio frequency/channels to play your iPod or mp3 player through the sound system. This has definitely made my ride more modern!

8. Special FX Make Up i.e. Wax and Latex! I have just dabbled in the world of special FX make up but I really really want to expand my horizons and take on more challenging projects and learn new techniques!

9. Tron: Legacy - This is a visually spectacular movie - a little disappointing to some I'm sure that it wasn't really meant for 3D (was filmed for 2D so only has a few 3D scenes) but truthfully that really made the movie better for me (I really find the novelty of 3D wore off in the 90's) anyways - the story leaves you feeling a little disappointed because you want more but overall the music, fight/gaming scenes and graphics really are stunning. Jeff Bridges rocked it in his reprisal role of Kevin Flynn and CLU.

10. Urban Decay Naked Palette: Well worth its hype and lives up to its reputation. The must have eye shadow palette of 2010 - get it, now!

That is it for me - what did you discover this past year that you love?

Till next time Dolls!

Happy New Year!

Geek Post: Not For the Faint of Heart or Weak of Stomach

2010-10-05T23:59:00.005-04:00

Hello Dolls!

Seriously...it has been a while. Let me fill you in on what has been occupying my time as of late.

I enrolled in a make up artistry certificate course in a nearby city. It is focusing on bridal, everyday and fashion. I am about 4 weeks into the course and I have to say I am really loving the course! This past week we did everyday make up - and even though I have been doing free lance, there have been some tips and tricks that I would never have considered...so yay for learning things! We will get to style for a photoshoot so that is awesome and I can't wait!

The last couple of weekends I have also taken a special effects and zombie makeup workshop in Waterloo - at Mavis Theatrical Supplies, it is the local theatrical make up and costume store. I have a couple of pictures of some of the effects we learned (see below - WARNING - not for those with a weak stomach). The workshops were super fun, and I am sooo pumped for the Zombie Walk in Toronto! I am really hoping that I will have a chance to go this year!

Finally - the last thing of late that has been occupying my spare time is the gym. I have seriously been enjoying food a bit more than I probably should have as of late and really would like to get myself into a bit of a fitness regime - so consequently I am still working on getting my routine down.

Anyways, I hope those of you celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend - that you had a great weekend with friends and family! And for everyone else...hope your weekends were splendid!

Ciao!

Bullet Wound

Chemical Burn

Gash

ZOMBIE!

Update and FOTD Star Violet

2010-09-12T00:04:00.007-04:00

Greetings Dolls!

Well I guess two posts this week is better than nothing. I have been staying fairly busy with work - canning (yes I'm that awesome, jams, jellys and relish) and general day to day stuff. I really need to get into a routine - one that includes the gym. The holiday season isn't that far away and my waistline can't expand any further than it is :-S

It is only 12th of September but fall really seems to be settling in. Fall is my absolute favourite time of year - and Halloween takes the prize as my favourite holiday! I am glad fall is here but this summer was great - especially after last year and I am sad to see it done.

In other news I will be joining my sister Kara from ...Of Moments in Moonlight in Ottawa this coming week to support her and Autumn Splendour Fall Beauty Event at the Bay Rideau Centre. If you click the link to her site you can get the low down on this event. I think it will be a lot of fun!

Here is my look of the day:

Eyes:
-Too Faced Shadow Insurace - Primer
-Nyx Eyeliner in Purple 97 - Base on inner lid
-MAC Fuchsia Pigment - Patted on the Nyx Eyeliner, inner 1/3 of lid
-MAC Star Violet - Outer 2/3
-MAC Satin Taupe - Crease
-MAC Fig. 1 - Outer Corner
-Nyx Purple Liner on lower lash line with Star Violet and Fig. 1 put on top
-MAC Feline Kohl Power Liner
-Bare Escentuals - Buxom Lash Macara

Face:
-Cover FX Camo Concealer in Light
-MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 - Foundation
-MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Medium
-MAC Vintage Grape Blush Ombre - Contour
-MAC Azalea Blossom Blush Ombre - Apples of cheek

Lips:
-Vera Wang Rock Princess Lipgloss

I hope you enjoyed the look! I will post again soon.

ps. All of my orders except my Morgana Minerals have come in so I will do some swatches and post my impressions on them soon! Fyrinnae = love...amazing products!

Blog Update: Nail Post

2010-09-06T23:09:00.003-04:00

Hi Dolls!

I really can't believe that it is now September - yikes where has the time gone? I know I always talk about this...but seriously everything including this summer seems to fly past. This was definitely one of the better summers I've had in a while.

I wanted to do a quick nail post today - I really hope that I can get a few posts up this week (as I have been M.I.A for a couple of weeks now).

Anyways here is the look:

I used "Ocean" by Gosh as the base color and "Absolutely Alice" by OPI on top.

Sorry for such a short post - but I will post again soon!

Bellapierre Cosmetics EOTD and Review

2010-08-19T11:18:00.006-04:00

Hello Dolls!

A while ago I was at my local Winner’s and picked up a Bellapierre “Ocean Eyes” mineral eye shadow kit for about $17.99 (I believe). Included in this kit were two brushes (one small shadow brush and one angle brush); eye shadow primer, and three eye shadows/shimmers.

The three shadow colours are a light blue (Ocean), a medium blue (HaHa) and a dark navy blue/black (Refined). Here are a couple of swatches – the swatch on the top is without a base – the ones on the bottom are using the Bellapierre eye shadow primer.

The shadows/shimmers are pretty colours and while I found applying them I needed to pack on some of the colour (especially for Ocean). I also forget sometimes that there is a difference but mineral make up and pigments.

Overall I have to say that the shadows/shimmers themselves were nice and blended quite easily. I am not a fan of the eye shadow base/primer at all. I personally have pretty oily eye lids so for me to use a cream base for an eye shadow primer – it just doesn’t pan out. I have creasing and smudges as the day wears on. I did try sealing this with some powder before applying the shadow but to no avail.

All and all the verdict – the mineral shadows/shimmers have a decent but not wonderful colour pay off…and their individual price tag sits at $12.75 per container. Having been introduced to the world of fairly priced mineral cosmetics with Morgana Minerals, Meow Cosmetics and Glamour Doll Eyes…I would suggest maybe checking these out first before shelling out the cash for Bellapierre.

EOTD:
Ocean - all over the lid
HaHa - in outer corner and crease
Refined - outer and inner corners
Ocean - lower inner lashline
HaHa - outer lower lashline

Thanks for reading!

FOTD: Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette

2010-08-17T01:08:00.005-04:00

Good Evening Dolls!

So I have had Alice in Wonderland on the brain for a while now - but I realized that back when I did some inspirational looks when I first got my Urban Decay palette I missed the Caterpillar! Without further hesitation I present to you my Absolom inspired look:

For this look I used:

Eyes:
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Drink Me, Eat Me - Inner 1/2 of eye lid done to the crease
-Wonderland - Outer 1/2 of eye lid
-Mushroom - Crease and outer corner
-Alice - packed just inside the outer corner
-Absolem - Lower Lash Line
MAC Feline Power Kohl - Waterline
Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara
Couture Eye Shadow from Lancome for Eye Brows

Face:
Cover Fx Concealer in Light
Studio Fix Powder in NW20
Bonnebell Bronzer in Golden Tan (contour)
MAC HighLight Powder in Marin Life* LE To The Beach Collection
Maybelline Shinesenational Lipgloss in Cherry Blossom

PS. I cut my hair and made bangs yesterday - I think it actually went well :-)

Sweet Dreams Dolls!

Geek Post: Movie Review Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

2010-08-15T23:57:00.009-04:00

Hello Dolls and fellow Geeks!

Finally a quasi-geek post! I just saw (seriously like an hour ago) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World with my sister. Since I heard about this movie I have really wanted to see it! Not only is it starring Michael Cera (Canadian) but it was filmed in Toronto and the creator/author (Bryan Lee O'Malley also Canadian) of the comics the movie is based off of is from London Ontario!

I have heard some great reviews about this film - so I was pretty amped going into it! Basically the story is about Scott (played by Cera) who is a bit of an underachiever; happy to drift through life without real employment - and dating his "fake-highschooler girl friend". All of this of course changes once he dreams about Ramona (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and later meets her at a party.

In order to win her heart he must defeat her seven evil exes including Chris Evans and Jason Schwartzman (who I have come to really enjoy!). The battle scenes are crazy intense with a combo of the traditional kung-fu style meets video game with a hint of retro Batman action (the Adam West & Burt Ward Batman show). I can say that the majority of non-gamers might not fully appreciate the film because there are a lot of inside jokes and gamer references but all in all I feel this movie will be a true cult classic!

At times I can say I half expected there to be a "day dream scene" when it came to fights...however to my pleasant surprise - it really was part of the story. I really really loved this movie and am glad it lived up to the hype. Again this movie might not be for everyone - but if you are a gamer do check it out!

As part of my closing Chic Geek - here is a look I did inspired from the Decepticons logo from Transformers:

PS. There was a trailer for Tron: Legacy...geek SQEEEEE I can hardly wait for that!

Chic Post: Joe FOTD

2010-08-14T23:05:00.007-04:00

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Good Evening Dolls!

So just as a quick poll: who is loving that many mineral/indie companies are having sales? I am in serious like with many of these companies. Mind you...my bank account isn't in complete like with them...but there have been soo many that I have been wanting to try! Glamour Doll Eyes had their July sale, Meow Cosmetics had 25% for Friday the 13th and now Morgana Minerals is having a sale this weekend (until midnight Sunday) - if you use "crystallake" as a coupon you receive 25% off with a minimum purchase of $15. I am sooo excited! I really look forward to checking the mail in the next month because I have some goodies headed my way! I have been following Phyrra's blog and she is a big enabler lol I have been introduced to such incredible indie companies in following her blog! And well she is just an awesome blogger! :-)

I really have this belief that when I work afternoon shift - I will post more frequently...sadly this is not the case, maybe this week?!

Anyways here is my look of the day:

Face:

Face:
We have had very very humid weather here in Ontario so I have been trying to lighten up the weight on my face so lately all I've been using is:

Cover FX Concealer in Light - On any areas I want to conceal
MAC Mineralize SkinFinish in Medium - To set the concealer
MAC Mineralize Blush in Nuance - Contour color
Nars Orgasm Blush - Apples of Cheeks

Eyes:
Lancome Ombre Perfectuer - Primer
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Flipside - Used as eye shadow base blended out with finger and applied on waterline
Joe Fresh Eye Shadow in Peacock - Applied on inner 2/3 of lid
Joe Fresh Eye Shadow Trio in Spice - Dark Brown applied in out corner and crease blended into Peacock
Joe Fresh Eye Shadow in Silk - Highlight under brow
Lise Watier Couleur Folle in Folie Aqua - Inner corner
Buxom Lash Mascara

Lips:
NYX Sparkling Diamond Lipstick - Sorry don't know color!

My thoughts on Joe Fresh Cosmetics - I am actually surprised. For such an inexpensive cosmetic line the quality isn't terrible. I would honestly say - if you are looking to buy cheaper cosmetics, don't buy Covergirl...try Joe...seriously.

Thanks for reading and I will post again soon! Maybe even finally a geek post?!?

xoxo

California Gurls FOTD and Award

2010-08-08T23:17:00.005-04:00

Howdy Dolls!

Phew - last week was a short one but seriously kicked my butt...there was a lot going on but all of it was good! I did make-up for a wedding for my sisters friend! The bride was gorgeous (she did her own make-up) but I did all of the bride's maid make up and I think it turned out nicely. I am so happy for my sister's friend - she is such an amazing person!

I have had Katy Perry's California Gurls stuck in my head for the last week so in the spirit of it being stuck on repeat in my head I created a look inspired by her make-up. Here it is:

Face:
-Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Ivoire 4
-Cover FX Camo Concealer in Light
-MAC Mineralize Finish in Medium
-Nars Orgasm Blush

Eyes:
-Too Faced Eye Shadow insurance as a primer
-Kryolan Aqua Color Interferenz in a duo chrome magenta on the eye lid
-MAC Stars and Rockets placed on top of Kryolan colour
-MAC Sushi Flower in inner crease
-MAC Fig 1. in outer corner crease
-MAC Reflects Very Pink glitter on eyelid
-MAC Reflects Duo Purple glitter in crease
-MAC Vellum Eye Shadow as a brow highlight
-Stila Kajal Eye Liner in Onyx
-Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion Volume + Length Mascara

Lips:
-Revlon Lipstick in Pink Please
-MAC Lip Gelee in Shift to Pink

One more thing! I was awarded the "I love your blog" award by Kara from ...of moments in moonlight
She is a super blogger - and fashionista, definitely check out her blog. But in the spirit of carrying this on - here are my top ten fav blogs:

...of moments in moonlight
Makeup Zombie
Because Girls are Princesses' Too
*The Makeupholic...*
All Made Up
Beauty H2T
Confessions of a Make Up Addict
Sparklz & Shine
Phyrra
Black Nail Polish and Lipgloss

Thanks dolls! Have a wonderful night :-)

Chic Post: Photoshoot

2010-08-04T18:57:00.013-04:00

Good Evening Dolls!

As mentioned last week - I did the make up for a photo shoot! I enlisted the help of my sister and friends as the models and Lisa S. Yates from Basik Elementz Photography!

Originally I had an idea of what I wanted the photo shoot to be however due to location and other logistical issues the theme/idea changed a bit (which is alright...I will still use my other idea someday soon!). Anyways - let me set the stage here so to speak - imagine you and a friend are enjoying a glorious afternoon in the park; soaking up the sun and catching up on gossip...all the while unaware of the pixies watching, waiting to create mischief.

Enter the pixies!

All photos by Lisa S. Yates - Basik Elementz Photography.
All Make-up by Me :-)

Hope you enjoy the pictures! It was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing more in the future!

FOTD: Forest Nymph

2010-08-03T22:48:00.003-04:00

Hello Dolls!

Here is my look of the day:

I have been trying some brighter/more dramatic looks but I have to admit - Wedding Season has me focusing on soft looks...to a point where I'm almost feeling "writer's block"...sigh. Anyways this is what I used:

Eyes:
- Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance - Primer
- MAC Eye Shadow in Lucky Green - Inner Corner
- Sugarpill Eye Shadow in Midori - Outer Corner
- Nars Eye Shadow in Night Porter - Outer Corner/Crease
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle as a brow highlight
- Lancome Definicils Mascara
- MAC Feline Eye Kohl - Waterline/Tight line
- MAC Eye brow in Stud

Face:
- Lancome Teint Idole Ultra in Ivoire 4
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium
- Bonnebell Bronzer in Golden Tan - Contour
- Nars Orgasm Blush - apples of cheeks

Lips:
- MAC Funshine Slim Shine

Hope you enjoy the look...sweet dreams everyone! -_-

Chic Post - DIY Make Up Sorter

2010-08-01T22:25:00.006-04:00

Hello Dolls!

My blog header has been revamped to better depict the nature of this blog - for a person who isn't really into Photoshop or any graphic designing I enjoy it! Anyways, for today's blog I wanted to discuss a fun little Do-It-Yourself project.

My addiction to make up has required me to upgrade my storage system. Basically instead of cramming all my powders and eye shadows into a make up kit - I purchased some of those clear plastic three drawers (complete with wheels). This is a much improved storage system however I still found that my make up was sliding all around the drawers and I had to dig to find anything. I want to warn you all that in no way am I crafty person however I did notice that I was still holding onto my parcels from Lime Crime and Sugarpill which are super cute packaging and suddenly thought of a way I could keep those boxes and make them useful.

This project is super easy...all you need to do dolls is cut the lids of the packaging (sorry Doe and Shrinkle)! The boxes are super sturdy and hold a range of compacts and eye shadow jars. Just add these to your drawers or counter tops and you have a perfect/organized view of your products and you get to keep the super cute packaging! (I know...I'm a dock)

Just a fun simple project! Hope you enjoyed dolls!

Disclaimer: I have Sugarpill and Lime Crime make up in my banner - but in no way am I sponsored by them. I love both company's products. Any and all products reviewed/used on this blog of these lines I have purchased and all opinions are my own and truthful.

Chic Post: FOTD Moon's Reflection

2010-07-28T20:43:00.005-04:00

Hello Dolls!

Here is a look I did on Sunday (I know delays in postage). I wanted a bright fun look as I was doing the make up for a photo shoot! I am very excited to see how the pictures turn out – I had the help of my sister and friends…they were my models…thank you lovelies! I have been working on building my portfolio for my freelance work so thought I would hire a photographer and have some fun…I will post some of the pictures once I get them weee! Anyways here are the details for this look -

For this look I used:

Face:
- Lancome Teint Idole Ultra in Ivoire 4
- Cover FX Camo Concealer in Light
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium
- Bonnebell Bronzer in Golden Tan
- Pur Minerals Blush in Diamond Rose

Eyes:
- Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance as a Primer
- Gosh Velvet Touch Eye Liner in Ice Blue as a base on lid – blended into the crease
- Lime Crime in Duchess applied on the outer and inner corners
- MAC Silverthorn Eye Shadow (LE) blended with MAC Tilt Eye Shadow applied on the centre of my lid
- MAC Naval Eye Shadow (Pro Colour) applied on the edges of Silverthorn
- MAC Vanilla Pigment as a brow highlight
- MAC Stud Eye Brow Pencil
- Revlon Fabulash Mascara

I hope you enjoy the look and I will post again soon!

Chic Post: Who says being chic has to break the bank?

2010-07-26T19:44:00.007-04:00

Hi Dolls! I wanted to do a look for you using drug store products. I know that many of the gurus out there prefer to use make up that falls on the higher end of the price scale, however even with just one or two items that are a little higher in price you can still use drug store brands to accomplish everyday or bold and long wearing looks.

For this look I used:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance (eye lid primer/base) – at Sephora in Canada the price tag sits around $24.00 CDN, or $17 USD. This product although on the expensive side is key in maintaining long wearing looks. I have tried a lot of primers and I have to say this is still my absolute favourite! Splurge on this and you won’t regret it.
- Annabelle’s Custom Quad Compact – the colours I have in my quad are: Vanilla Chilla, Bronzed Idol, Metallic Meltdown and So Foxy.
- Maybelline Eye Studio 24 hour Lasting Drama Liner Gel in Blackest Black
- Revlon Fabulash Mascara

And here is the tutorial:

First things first, I applied Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance all over the lid of my eye.

Next I used Metallic Meltdown and applied this all over the eye lid and blended it slightly over the crease.

Bronzed Idol was then applied into the outer corner and pulled into the crease area.

I used So Foxy in the outer corner to add depth to the look and also applied this under the outside lower lash line.

Vanilla Chilla was added to the inner corner and used as a highlight under the eye brows.

For eye liner on the waterline and along the upper lash line I used Maybelline 24 hour Liner Gel in Blackest Black.

I used Revlon’s Fabulash for Mascara (this is currently my new fav!)

And finally for my eyebrows I used the So Foxy Eye Shadow.

This look lasted me well over 10 hours without smudging or fading. It is a fairly easy look and just one of the many looks you can do using drug store make up.

I hope you all enjoyed this, let me know if you'd like to see more tutorials using drug store products!

Chic Post: Nails!

2010-07-09T22:03:00.003-04:00

Hello Dolls!

I really have been wanting to include some nail posts - in no way am I gifted with applying nail polish...but I enjoy sharing any neat combos or just great colours with you all :-)

I was reading Flare and saw an article suggesting to use scotch tape to create a divide for funky-ness on the nails. So…I thought I’d try it out:

The colours I used were:

Comet Loves Cupid by Opi as a base
Celebration in Red – Nicole by Opi on top

The blues were:

Dating a Royal by Opi
Titanic by NYX

One suggestion – if you are going to use scotch tape be sure to use a top coat on top of your base colour otherwise the tape will pull off some of the colour.

And in case you were curious - yes this was Superman inspired :-D

Until next time darlings!

Chic Post: Eye Shadow Eye Shapes

2010-07-04T15:58:00.006-04:00

Hello Darlings!

Today I thought I would be productive and take some pictures showing you how you can recreate or alter the look of your eye shape just based on where you focus the eye shadow colour.
I intended for the chic part of this blog to focus on some helpful tips/tricks. I know there are a ton of gurus out there with tips and techniques of their own - but I really wanted to focus on defining the shape of your eyes by eye shadow placement...this is something I haven't seen too much of. These techniques below will work best for most eye shapes. Sadly I don't have any friends close by to demonstrate how to do these looks on eyes with heavy folds or monolids...but I will explain what needs to be added below.

In the picture below – this is more of a side note/explanation then really shaping the eyes. I love to put light eye shadows/liners/powders in the inner corner of my eye lid. I do this because it will open up my eyes and make them appear wider and more awake.

I also place a light colour under the eye brows to highlight the brow bone – it makes the eye brows look “lifted”. It also creates a nice contrast. For those of you who are new to the make up game – I suggest using the highlight on your brow bone, depending on the look you want to achieve you could use a matte eye shadow that is the same colour as your skin tone, or a lighter brown/beige depending on if you have a darker skin tone; a shimmer/frost finished eye shadow will add a bit more flare...as a side note, if you are like me and fail at plucking your eye brows consistently...I would avoid shimmer as it draws attention to those rogue hairs.

If you want to add depth to your eyes or make the shape of them appear bigger – place your eye shadow on the upper lid close to the lash line starting in the inner corner and headed towards to outer corner. Be sure not too extended the colour higher than the crease. Then use the same shade along the bottom lash line as in the picture below. For eyes with heavy folds, blend a dark eye shadow along the upper lid over the fold/crease and underneath the eyes.

Now if you wanted to make your eyes appear rounder – using the same technique as above extend the eye shadow slightly above the crease, and blend the bottom lash line a little lower. With monolids, apply the shadow as you did with the depth look however blend this colour above the fold/crease making the widest/fullest section of colour in the centre of the lid.

To extend or elongate the look of your eyes – place the eye shadow on the outer 1/3 of your eye. Be sure to keep the shadow more on the lid and less into the crease. Also apply the shadow on the bottom outer corner lash line. For eyes with a heavy fold - start the colour on the inner corner and blend the colour out at the outer corner. Be sure to bring the colour up over the fold but keep it highest/widest on the outer corner. Also blend the colour along your lower lash line.

Finally if you want to lift the shape of your eyes – place your eye shadow starting from the centre of the upper lid and lower lash line and sweep out and up towards the outer corners. Basically you want to pull the shadow towards the direction of the end of your eye brow (see picture below) - when using a deep colour this will pull the look of your eyes up. For monolids - start applying the colour about 2/3 in the eye lid and blend the colour up over the fold pulling the colour up and out. Only blend eye shadow on the outer corner of the bottom lash line.

I will admit I haven't had too much experience working with monolids - which makes me sad. I hope this tutorial/tips guide was helpful for those looking to create new looks.

Coming up in my chic posts I will be doing a tutorial using "Annabelle" eye shadows. And discussing some products to look for if you are new to make up and aren't really sure what to try.

Take care everyone! xoxo

Girly Geek Post: Eclipse, HoN Burned

2010-07-03T18:56:00.007-04:00

Hello Darlings!

So today I thought I would spend some QT with my poor blog. This week was really busy - I ended up working late a couple of nights at work and played baseball on Tuesday (we won woot woot). And today it seems I have acquired a cold (blah) so why not be constructive while being sick? No?

Anyways - One of my busy nights this week was occupied in the company of Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Rob Pattinson - that's right Twilight Eclipse.

Thoughts on the film - I personally love New Moon (the book and film) - it has been my favourite so far in the series, however I think this director did a great job of sticking to the story. Some of my criticisms had to do with the steady cam they used during the "tender moment" scenes - it sort of took away from the emotion...at least for me anyway. Also I don't know if anyone else noticed this but the make up done on Rosalie and the Vamps was kind of terrible...the texture was uber noticeable. And Bella seemed frumpy, I have a feeling they made her look tired and sloppy because in Breaking Dawn *spoiler* she is very beautiful...so this kind of sets up the contrast...at least that is my best guess. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and look forward to the final installments!!

Those of you who have followed my blog (or know me in real life) I am a fan of the House of Night Series. "Burned" the most recent installment in the House of Night series came out at the end of April (and yes sadly...I just got around to reading it) but I have to say...this book saved the series for me.

One of the things I struggle with in this series is the annoying protagonist Zoey Redbird. She is really a Mary-Sue character and the amount of guys drooling over her was soooooo annoying in the previous books, so it was kind of nice to have a book that she isn't really in. I'm sorry P.C and Kristin...I love your series...but Zoey really ain't all that and a bag of potato chips. If you are interested in this series...I recommend it. Vampirey goodness! lol.

Oh and True Blood this season = so so awesome! And I am so excited about the Vampire Diaries...I LOVE this show. As my friend Kristina says - it is indeed a guilty pleasure! ^_^

That is it for this post - I have a fun one coming up next for those of you who are looking for drug store make up and interested in what is out there and what you can do with it!

Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Chic Post: Mail Box

2010-06-23T12:05:00.006-04:00

Hello Darlings!

I love getting things in the mail (unless of course they are bills) but there is nothing more exciting than ordering something from the intrawebs and waiting in anticipation to get it and try it out...sort of like a Christmas/Birthday present.

Recently I put in an order through Sephora online and I have to say - I didn't mind paying the $9.95 for shipping because it would equate that at least in gas for me to drive to the closest Sephora store (and they recently opened and are still short on a late of products). It took about 7 business days to receive it...and well getting the package was the challenge because Canada Post and I are not friends currently lol! One generally has to knock on a door to get a response not just attempt to open it! Anyways here is what I got:

I purchased:

Nars Blush in Orgasm - I love this colour! I have so many pinks that I really wanted to try a peachy colour and this is gorgeous! Definitely worth the price!

Nars Eyeshadow in "Night Flight" - I love love love the Night collection from Nars - I have been on the hunt for this eyeshadow and most stores seem to have been sold out so I caved and ordered it from the website. Not one bit disappointed in this purchase either!

The final thing I purchased was the "Stila: It Girl" Palette. It is an online offer only and more than worth the $10! I love this palette! I imagine with my neutral mood for eye looks lately will put this to great use! So excited!

There were a few samples in the order as well - I have tried the Nars Eyeshadow Primer and I was surprised by the texture but pleased with how well it held the eyeshadow. Perhaps something I will have to consider getting in the future.

That was my excitement in the mail...I am currently waiting on a Unii Cosmetic Palette! I am super pumped to try this out - if you haven't seen them you can check them out here These palettes are so pretty and look very durable so I am super excited to try this out. I will be reviewing it once I get it woo!

Anyways hope you all have a wonderful day!

FOTD: Stila and MAC

2010-06-22T12:20:00.005-04:00

Hello Darlings!

Here is a look I wore yesterday:

I have been wearing a lot of neutral/earthy tones lately. I actually wore a bright look on Sunday and it was almost uncomfortable (could be because it was a blue look and I still haven't conquered the Mimi fear...shh don't tell anyone that!)

Featured in this look is the Stila "It Girl" Palette available online at Sephora. This palette is being sold for $10 in the US and $11 in Canada and the BEST part of this palette is that it is full size eye shadow pans. I sort of figured it was going to be small in size but I was very pleasently surprised!

This is a pic of my palette:

Colours in the palette are left to right: Lame, Chloe and Kitten. I really love these colours and although I haven't tried them wet - I hear the colour pay off wet is spectacular!

In this look I used:

Face
Le Base Pro - Lancome Primer on my T-zone to cover shine and create a dry surface
Teinte Idole Ultra in Ivoire 4 - Lancome Foundation (Product Review coming soon!)
Cover FX Camo Concealer in Light
MAC Studio Fix Pressed Powder in NW20 to set foundation
MAC Naunce Mineral Powder for Contour Colour
Pur Minerals Mineral Blush in Diamond Rose

Eyes
Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance - Lid Primer
Stila "Kitten" applied dry - Inner Corner
MAC Amber Lights - Outer 2/3 of eye
Stila "Lame" - blended in between Kitten and Amber Lights
Stila "Chloe" - blended in out corner and crease
MAC Espresso - Outer Corner to add depth
I used GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner in "Truly Brown" along the lower lash line. I applied this by taking a eye liner brush and rubbing it on the eye liner so that the amount on my lash line would be minimal and smokey looking. I also put some of the Stila Chloe using a smudger brush on top of the liner.
Mascara - Revlon Grow Luscious by Fabulash (I love this mascara!)
Eyebrows = Stud from MAC

Lips
MAC "Love Nectar" Lustreglass - a peachy/pink sheen

Here is the full face look:

Hope you enjoyed the look!

Chic Post - Aldo Nail

2010-06-20T20:25:00.004-04:00

My sister and I were in Aldo the other week and I happened to notice that they are now selling nail polish. I picked up a couple of colours to test them out – I picked up “Daisy on a Date” which is a vibrant yellow and “Bright Idea” which is a matte coral. The ring was also purchased at Aldo - thought it was so cute.

I have to say that the coverage of “Bright Idea” was great and it was almost like a matte nail polish. There was no shine once applied. You can give it a nice sheen with a top coat.

“Daisy on a Date” was a little more sheer and required two coats to really make a bold statement but the thickness and lastability of the nail polish was quite impressive. I believe that the nail polish was selling for $6 a piece (not 100%) but there were other colours like a teal/blue, and a hot pink. All and all not a bad product.

Geek Post - E3 Coverage

2010-06-15T12:16:00.004-04:00

Hi Guys!

This week is a very big week for geeks/nerds and gaming enthusiasts around the world - E3 is currently underway in LA. And much to my surprise - while I cannot be there in person, G4 TV is providing live coverage of the convention, which is AWESOME! I am just watching Nintendo's showcase on "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" which will be the newest Zelda game projected to release late this year/early 2011.

This game will be compatible with the Wii Motion Plus controller as well as the Nunchuk. Using the Nunchuk in this game will be your shield and you will use your motion plus as your sword. It looks incredible and very interactive! Definitely watch out for this Legend of Zelda fans!

This may push me to complete my next generation gaming with the addition of the Wii to my collection. Loves for Nintendo.

Oh they just announced Just Dance 2 for the Wii! Woot!

I will keep posting as more is revealed!

Edit: GOLDENEYE 007 was just announced! By Activision - this game is available exclusively for Wii and will be available Holiday 2010! OMG YES Goldeneye will be reborn! Wii it is!

Geek Post: Update

2010-06-07T20:12:00.006-04:00

Hello Darlings!

I hate time. I'm not going to lie. It doesn't seem to matter how effective I try to be with it, it always slips through my fingers. Anyways, I thought I would start off this blog with a few explanations on my absenteeism.

First - I have gotten into the really bad habit of having naps. They are so wonderful and yet so evil. These seem to demotivate me completely after work (I am so sorry)

Second - I am currently doing an online course that is quite demanding in study. I was taken by surprise Thursday night when I discovered I had a mid term due on Sunday...eek! I completed the assignment (I am a deadline junkie) but it still really consumed a lot of my time.

Lastly - My free lance make-up casual job thing has been starting off well this year (and with minimal advertisement on my part) - this has really got me thinking that I should consider getting more serious about make up.

OK...onto the Geek Post!

Comic Book Heroes! Growing up, I read a few comics, not a lot though because I felt (as I do now) that if I hadn't followed the series since the first publication I was missing out on all the little details that make series so involved. However the books I did read (The Uncanny X-Men - Spider Man) nonetheless lured me in.

With the rise of the comic book hero taking Hollywood by storm...I have been taking this opportunity to read up on other heroes as to have a better knowledge base on the multitude out there. (I am working on getting to know my DC Heroes/Villains...because well, Marvel was my first love). Oh and Stan Lee is going to be at FanExpo in Toronto so I can hardly wait for that! Woo!

Anyways here are some of the comic-ish I have picked up - I plan on getting the Flash, Batman or Wonder Woman comics in the future (I really need to round out my nerdish-ness)

I love comics/video games (if it wasn't obvious), but what I enjoy most about many of the characters particularly in the Marvel universe is that they are all subject to imperfections (personality, physically, etc) and in a lot of ways could be construed as metaphors (as Stan Lee uses on Brody in "Mall Rats" love Kevin Smith).

Well that is all for tonight - I am going to try and jump start on some posts so I can update more frequently. I wish you all a wonderful evening...tune in next time!

PS. Check out my Wonder Woman inspired look heh!

Chic Post: Tokidoki Look

2010-05-26T11:02:00.002-04:00

This is the look we are going for today - it is using the tokidoki "Adios" Quad Palette

Eyes:
- Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance
- Indianwood Paint Pot from MAC on lid blended into crease
- Malandrino from Tokidoki applied on top of Indianwood
- Candy Cane from Tokidoki applied on centre of lid
- Carina from Tokidoki applied on brow bone
- Adios from Tokidoki applied in outer corner and pulled into the crease
- NYX Liquid Liner in Black along upper lash line
- Smolder by MAC on waterline
- Definicils Mascara by Lancome

Face:
- Make Up Forever HD Liquid Foundation in 120
- MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20
- MAC Blot Powder in Medium
- MAC Mineral Blush in Nuance
- Pur Minerals Blush in Diamond Rose
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

Chic Post: Tokidoki Adios Palette Review

2010-05-24T21:41:00.006-04:00

As promised...yay - here is my chic post on Tokidoki's Adios Palette available at Sephora.

Tokidoki was launched a few weeks ago as a new cute anime/fun/crazy make up line which is exclusively available at Sephora. Tokidoki means "sometimes" in Japanese - and this line is quite colourful in its own right.

I was at a Sephora that recently opened near my home town (yay and so bad for my wallet) - and I was quite taken with the cute comic/anime characters depicted on the cover of the cosmetics. I picked up the "Adios" quad -

The packaging is uber cute! And the colours of the palette - though monochromatic are nice. My only issue with using the palette is that the light colours (Candy Cane and Carina) are very lustre-ful...meaning they are almost chunky to apply as they contain glitter. The grey and black were very nice to apply - both smooth and have great coverage.

Here are the colours swatched:

All in all for the price - the palette isn't bad. If you like shadows with lustre the light colours are perfect...I personally find I probably won't use them that much as they are messy and require a lot to be applied to give off colour.

There was a surprise trinket in the bottom of the palette:

I recommend checking out the line - I am looking forward to trying the liquid eye liner they have.

That is all for now - next chic post will be of a look using the tokidoki palette! I will type to you all soon! =)

Geek Rant: Update and Loves for Chic

2010-05-20T13:49:00.007-04:00

HELLO!

Alright...seriously where does time go? My deepest apologies to my neglected blog and its readers, there has been a lot transpiring in my life in the last month and it seems that in the whirlwind of events it is now May 21 and I am only just getting back to blogging. Le grr...that aside, I am going to be all over the place in this blog but it will include some geek content and chicness at the end woo! Ok here I go.

First off - Has anyone seen Iron Man 2? Serious loves for this movie and Robert Downey Jr!!! I have to say personally I was thoroughly entertained by this movie - great action, fast paced witty remarks and a gorgeous lead man! (Come on...RD...uber hot) That aside I have to say about the only downfall to this film on a uniquely personal level is that Mickey Rourke scared the crap out of me. He did a superb job as the antagonist and I have to say I'm actually a little disappointed that there wasn't a bit more of him in the film. For any fans of the first Iron Man - this, in my humble opinion, trumps it. Check it out if you get a chance!

Next - I BOUGHT A PS3! I am so pumped for this...loves loves loves for Sony! I have to say that when I bought this console one of my requests of the sales clerk was that I required an epic game to launch this new generation of gaming...I picked up Heavy Rain. Now before I get into this rant...I want to say that there have been a ton of positive reviews for this game and one of my friends strongly recommended it. This tangent is more of my first impression of the game...which I am hoping in time with more game play will change.
First impression of Heavy Rain - I hate it. When I read the back of the cover it mentioned "Interaction" with items, which to my mind was like "oh so for special events you will move the controller a certain way just like an added little extra." WRONG, you interact with EVERYTHING! And to make it more challenging you have to push the buttons correctly at the right time or it won't execute the movement. For example at the beginning your wife comes home arms full of grocery bags and asks for your help...after three attempts I still apparently was unable to assist her and she finally says "Never mind, I've got!"...le grr. The other thing I struggle with is moving my character...I just keep having flashbacks to the original Resident Evil games where up was always forward no matter where you were...you can't see it right now but I'm shaking my head. Anyways I plan on toughing this one out and seeing how it will go...there is always the potential for it to get better...right?!

Finally, Sephora just launched a new cosmetic line "Tokidoki". It is super cute - it has anime characters (yes I will admit this was a strong selling point for me) on the packaging. I picked up one of the eye quads in "Adios" so I am really looking forward to using it...I will be doing a post/review plus a look using this (probably my next post).

Anyways that is it from me for now...sorry for another uber wordy post! Enjoy my geek/chic look below - It is my "Green Lantern" inspired look! Weet!

Woe Canada

2010-04-24T22:40:00.004-04:00

The title of this blog seems pretty lame I’m sure – trust me though…I was trying to be cute.

I wanted to do this blog for all of my fellow Canadians, and this probably could apply to cosmetic fans/junkies all around the world. For anyone living inside of the US…you might not totally understand the frustration of ordering something from a make-up company in the US and paying for shipping across border. I thought I would share in how I have acquired some of the items in my make-up collection and what alternatives there may be for those of you living through out the great white North!

First off – Kryolan. A LOT of youtube gurus use Kryolan products. For those of you unfamiliar – Kryolan specializes in stage quality make-up. They have water based make-up (their infamous UV Day Glow Neon Aqua Colour Palette) and they also have powdered eye shadows as well.
How did I acquire the Kryolan in my collection? I ordered the majority of my Kryolan products from Shrinkle on ebay. She has a great selection – definitely some seriously gorgeous colours. The only downfall of ordering from Shrinkle is that I am located in central Canada so it takes usually 10 business days for it to arrive from California. Nothing that can be helped and otherwise her shipping costs are super reasonable! Most of the products on Shrinkle’s ebay go for $7 US, or $12 US for the aqua colour make-up. The Canadian dollar is having some sway these days so the exchange rate isn’t too bad for ordering out the US. Always use the currency converter to check the price differences!
Other places you can go to get Kryolan are local stage/theatre make-up places. If you live in the Halifax region there is a great store “Gloomth” they carry Kryolan and their prices aren’t too bad. Not that I want to discourage supporting local businesses – they usually charge more for the product than Shrinkle, not much more…but it is your decision!

The next popular item is the “Mehron Paradise Palettes”. If you are a follower of Jude Riviera or xSparkage you know that both of these gurus have used the Mehron Water Activated palettes. In my collection I currently have the Tropical and Pastel palettes. These are seriously great for using as bases for loose eye shadows or amping up those pressed eye shadows. I purchased my Tropical palette from Don Reed Productions on ebay. The price of the palettes typically is around $34 US. There are 10%-25% off sales though frequently with Don Reed Productions so you may even have the possibility of getting the item on sale. The shipping was decent. It was a little more than I had expected but by no means is it the worst I have encountered.
I purchased the Pastel palette from a theatrical store in a nearby city and really the cost of buying it there equaled to the cost of buying the item on ebay and having it shipped to my house. Mind you these prices are certainly significantly less than what it would cost to order the item from an independent theatrical store in the US. I looked at SillyFarm.com and the shipping alone was a lot. So definitely again decide on which method you prefer. I will say that Don Reed shipped the item super fast and I had the palette within a week so yays for that!

Coastal Scents – I both love and hate this company. You can buy knockoffs on ebay – personally there is no guarantee on the quality of the make-up…and I am leary of the “it’s too good to be true”. So I completely ruled out the ebay approach on this one and ordered directly from the company.
The cost of the items is super reasonable – I purchased the 88 Matte Palette, 88 Shimmer Palette and the blush and contour palette. The two eye shadow palettes were $19.95 US and the blush palette I believe was $21.95. The quality of these products is outstanding for the cost to buy them. I recommend this but…the shipping is bs. The least expensive form of shipping costs $21 US. Because I didn’t want to pay more than the item I had purchased with shipping I purchased 3 palettes and the shipping worked out to $27. That was fine considering I figured I wouldn’t frequently be buying from Coastal Scents. The real hurt came when FedEx delivered and I owed an additional $18.68 for duty…seriously WTF?!! This was the first time I have ever paid duty for shipping an item over the border. I understand because the weight of the box probably was more than it was supposed to be…but GAH! I love this product but am in no hurry to relive the hurt of shipping.
My suggestion to all Canadians…go halfsies with a friend on the shipping. Place an order of 2 or more palettes and split the shipping and duty on delivery. Again these are great products it’s just bs dealing with the cost of shipping. Although depending on where you live I saw my order within five days so…at least it was quick lol! Silver lining?!?

Lime Crime! As all of you who have followed my blog for a while – or who follow Doe Deere’s Blogazine – you know I am a fan of Lime Crime cosmetics!! The products are very fun…especially the lipsticks! Anyways I have got to say that every transaction with Lime Crime has been great. The cost of shipping is I think $7 US or free with purchases over $100. That is awesome! Seriously the price is super reasonable and I have usually received my order within 4-7 business days. I have no complaints about this product. And for those of you who live in Quebec, Ontario and I believe BC if there is an Urban Outfitters near you they are now selling Lime Crime in the store. I’m not sure if there is a mark up (as versus the website) but a lot easier than dealing with the internet if you are leary of ordering online.

MAC/Sephora online: All I am going to say is…try and shop in a store for both of these if you can. Sephora is ridiculous. The mark ups between US and Canadian dollars is sometimes a difference of $10 - $15. Even with the exchange rate…there is no way that the products should be that different in price. In truth I have never ordered from Sephora online for this reason.

MAC on the other hand – the products cost the same whether or not they are in store or online however I believe they charge shipping regardless if you are over the $65 mark because I attempted to purchase two blushes online (there was some drama regarding this…when I ordered online the website showed that they were available however I get an email from a customer service rep saying “Oh we are all out” and instead of offering any sort of reparation because of their error – they simply asked if I wanted to still order the other item. Maybe I am in the wrong here – but my order said it was available and they weren’t going to make amends for an error on their end). Anyways I cancelled the online order and picked up the blushes in a store instead. Get this the total cost of the products in the store with tax = $64 the online purchase = $76. Perhaps there is a reasonable explanation – I’m not counting that out…all I am arguing is that my grapes are sour over my MAC online shopping experience and therefore I will conduct my purchases in store…I know I’m stubborn but I was and am miffed over that ordeal lol.

Lastly and by no means the least SUGARPILL!! Shrinkle you are once again my hero. Amy – the ebay seller “Shrinkle” has started her own makeup line…and seriously nothing but loves for her and the company! The make up quality is superb! And I think the pricing is fairly reasonable. If you visit her website she has a variety of pressed eye shadows and loose eye shadows. If you are looking for fun, vibrant colours definitely check her out. The shipping costs are reasonable and similar to the Kryolan orders it took me 10 business days to receive my order…but trust me…so worth the wait!!! *heart* Shrinkle!

I hope this post/rant was helpful to all of my Canadian comrades looking to get their hands on some of the popular products out there. Two places I would still like to order from are Glamour Doll Eyes – I have heard some great things about their products and I definitely don’t mind buying from independent companies. I would also like to order some Heavenly Naturals. I am a little miffed – I sent them an email asking if they could guess-timate the cost of shipping to Canada and they kindly ignored my email. I’m not sure if they thought I was joking or they never got the email but le sad. If any of you have ordered from the website – please let me know how the shipping is…because as I said I would like to try their products.

Thanks for your patience with the long post! Loves!

Sugarpill Face of the Days

2010-04-19T21:21:00.007-04:00

Hi guys! As promised here are some of the looks I have done using Sugarpill Cosmetics As seen in my previous post - these eye shadows are incredible...I love them so much!

In the above look I used - Tako, Dollipop and Poison Plum. Tako was applied to the lid, with Dollipop blended into the crease with concentration on the inner corner. Poison Plum was applied in the outer corner and blended into the crease.

This next look - "Blackened Plums" consists of Poison Plum, Tako and Bulletproof.

Tako was applied on the inner corner and as a highlight. I applied Poison Plum on the centre of my lid and blended it into Tako. Bulletproof was applied in the outer corner and blended into the crease and Poison Plum.

For the final look I used a combo of the pressed powders and loose shadows:

Used in this look: Tako in the inner corner and highlight, Afterparty on the centre lid blended above the crease. Loose powder in Magpie in the outer corner and blended into the crease with Tiara dusted around the edges of the look!

Minor note about the last picture - The false lash on my left (your right) started to come unglued :-( this was my very first quasi-successful attempt at putting on falsies...so I must say it wasn't terribly awful! Woot go me...lol

I have a few more looks...but I think I will actually use them for tutorials. I love Sugarpill...and it's all I have been using lately! <3

Hope you enjoy the looks and I will blog again soon everybody! Loves!

Product Review: Sugarpill!

2010-04-18T17:37:00.007-04:00

I know this is way late…but I really wanted to do a review on Sugarpill Cosmetics. For those you who aren’t familiar – Shrinkle (Amy) is most known for being the biggest seller of Kryolan on Ebay! She also has her own clothing line and now she has her very own cosmetic line – Sugarpill! Sugarpill is addicted to pretty…and I am addicted to it!

I got my hands on some of the products a while back (and have ordered more since!) and I truthfully have to say these are quality products at a reasonable price. The pressed eye shadows sell for $12 US – but by comparison if you buy MAC eye shadows you are looking at $13 CDN for the pans and $17.50 CDN for the individual eye shadows. I would go out on a limb here and say that Sugarpill’s pressed eye shadows are comparable to MAC in durability (wear through out the day) as well as pigmentation.

Here are some swatches of the pressed eye shadows, I didn’t use any primer on my skin with these:

One of the other things I love about this product – and excuse the digression…is the packaging of the product. It is super cute and a lot of work and detail went into the design. Love love love the packaging!

This was my first Sugarpill order:

Sugarpill also offers loose powder eye shadows. The size and price of these is supra great! The cost is $12 US and you get a lot of product. By comparison with MAC’s new pigment jars I would say you are easily getting the same if not more Sugarpill pigment for almost less than half of the price of the MAC Pigments. I swatched some of the pigments I got…serious heart on for these!

All of the pigments shown in the above picture are swatched without any primer – so there is some great pigmentation with these products. I love Goldilux and Tiara because of the glitter effect of them without the hard granular texture of glitter. These are even finer than MAC’s Reflects glitters (I think so anyways!)

The shipping fee to Canada was great…it wasn’t that expensive at all (and it is measured on how much you spend). The order takes about 10 business days to get to my house but that isn’t an issue considering it is coming from the west coast US. I seriously recommend this to anyone looking to try something new! I love trying new independent make-up companies and am in full support of them. Thanks Amy…I love Sugarpill!

I have done a few looks using Sugarpill which I will post either later tonight or tomorrow...so watch out for that post!

I Promise I'm Not Dead

2010-04-11T18:40:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone!

First of all I want to apologize to everyone for being absent recently. The last couple of weeks have been supra busy IRL! I can't believe all the things going on! But in exciting news I got a tattoo this week! Now I know some of you are probably thinking - "what's the big deal?" but I have been wanting to do this for seriously four years and finally got enough guff to do it!

It is a touch geeky but totally me! I love it heh - here is the pic I wanted:

And here is the tattoo:

I seriously am so happy with this tattoo! Woot woot! Anyways I will be posting more this week I promise - I have a couple of tutorials I want to do so that will be awesome! I will post again soon! <3 xoxo

Geek Post: Revenge of the Hedgehog

2010-04-02T20:25:00.001-04:00

It’s a hard road – well for Sonic the Hedgehog it has been. If Sonic were real, he’d probably consider himself a has been. Sega has made this Hedgehog jump through more hoops and gimmicks in the last decade than the Spice Girls comebacks however nothing has really grabbed the audience. An article in March’s OXM indicated that Sega is once more trying to rekindle the fond memories of the true essence that was “Sonic the Hedgehog”. How do they plan on accomplishing this? In light of Nintendo’s success in reinventing the 2D Mario Bros for Wii – Sega will put aside the flashy graphics of the 3D world and follow suit. The title of this game “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” will fall chronologically and story wise behind “Sonic and Knuckles”. This may be Sega’s last ditch effort to reclaim Sonic’s fame and love from the fans; the project is set to be released on Xbox Arcade Live this summer.

Chic Post: FOTD Playful Plum

2010-03-24T00:36:00.010-04:00

Hi Guys!

Today I am going to be doing a post that is a tutorial. I have set up my format a little differently this time. I did progress pics, as well as swatches of the colours I used in an attempt to try and give you some more visualization.

The products used on the eyes were:

Here is a swatch photo of the eye shadows used. I have Fresco Rose underneath the eye shadows as that was the base colour used in this look.

1. Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) - This was used to prep my eye lids
2. MAC Paint Pot in Fresco Rose - I used this as a base to really bring out the colour of the eye shadows
3-7. Eyes hadows used on the lid (3. Primary Lid Colour and highlight, 4. Inner Crease, 5. Crease, 6. Outer Crease and Outer Corner, 7. Outer Corner)
Not in photo - MAC Kohl Power Liner in Feline
The three brushes in the picture were used to apply the shadows. I have labelled them A, B, and C.
I curled my lashes using my Revlon Eye Lash Curler, and I used Revlon's Fantasy Lash Mascara.

The Steps
The first thing I did was apply UDPP all over my eye lids starting at the lash line and working up to under the eye brow.

Next I applied with my index finger #2 Fresco Rose MAC PP as a base colour on my lid starting at the lash line and continuing above the crease as seen in the picture below:

Using the medium sized shadow brush "A" - I applied MACs Vanilla Eye Shadow (#3 from picture) on top of the Fresco Rose and I also dusted some lightly under my eye brows, do not apply over top of the Fresco Rose in the crease. It should look like this:

Next I used my small shadow brush "B" I applied the lightest dusty rose colour from MACs Spring Colour 3 Forecast Quad #4 on the inner crease.

In the crease I used "B" brush and applied colour #5 into the crease and blended it with the Vanilla eye shadow.

In the outer crease and outer corner I used my fluffy crease brush "C" and applied colour #6. I concentrated most of the colour on the outer corner and swept back and forth in the crease to draw some of the colour over.

Last - I used the fluffy crease brush "C" and applied the darkest plum colour in the outer corner.

I used my Revlon lash curler and curled my lashes - and coated them with Revlon's Lash Fantasy Mascara in Blackend Brown. I also lined my waterline with MACs Kohl Power in Feline.

When the look is finished it should resemble this:

On my face - I performed my regular regime - Dove Moisturizer, CoverFX Camo Concealer, MUFE HD Liquid Foundation in 120, MAC Blot Powder in Medium Light, MAC Studio Powder in NW25, MAC Mineralize Blush in Nuance and Pur Minerals Blush in Diamond Rose.

Please let me know if you liked the layout of this blog from a tutorial standpoint. I am trying to set this up not only as review blog - but also a place where you can attempt to try a look I have done.

Thanks for reading! <3

Geek Post: Final Fantasy XIII Review!

2010-03-21T18:28:00.002-04:00

Not so unlucky 13 jumps front and centre…released March 9 in North America – the Square Enix Empire once more produces gold for Final Fantasizers around the world.

There are many true gamers – and to those of whom I am speaking of, I salute you. These are the gamers that have played every Final Fantasy game since the first translation (or first game in Japan) was released. Over the last two decades the creators of Final Fantasy have lured us in seductively over delicious storyline, intricate fighting/magic systems and of course stunning graphics. In the last decade Square Soft, now Square Enix (Sqenix) has made us laugh, made us cry both in sadness and frustration, and most of all left an indelible mark on our gaming careers.

Every person I have ever talked to has said the same thing – “the first Final Fantasy I ever played was my favourite”. Luckily for me – my first was Final Fantasy VII probably the peek of Square’s empire. While like many empires – we have seen our share of dry spells and/or games that were “Ok” – and seriously…13? When is it going to end? In truth…I certainly hope never. I would easily say that as Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy X did – Final Fantasy XIII has once again blown away expectations and lived up to the hopes of sheer “win” and “epic-ness” of fans around the world.

The story starts off true to Final Fantasy form – there are tragedies, one such that as destiny would have it bring together your team of heroes.

This is one of the few Final Fantasy games that pretty much give you all of your characters at the beginning of the game. One of my only true frustrations is the re-assembling of my team…which I suppose is the point of the game after all…it moves the story forward.

Anyways…the really cool feature of this game is the fighting system, particularly the reinvention of the “job” system. Typically in the older Final Fantasy games – you were either set at one job incapable of switching mid battle and therefore had to plan your job assignments carefully, or in the case of Final Fantasy X-2 – you were restricted by your sphere grid and therefore needed to monitor three grids that best complimented each other without being too similar.

In Final Fantasy XIII you have the ability to construct what are called “Paradigms” which on the surface look like the reinvention of the sphere grids seen in FFX-2 although you have more maneuverability. You can assign the role of Commando, Ravager, Synergist, Saboteur, Sentinel or Medic to each of the characters. While there are characters that display a certain aptitude for magic or combat – you can still structure a kick @$$ team and switch back and forth between heavy offensive and strong defensive as need be. I haven’t had this much fun since the materia system! Another key point is that you only control one main character and AI controls the other people in your party. To all advanced gamers this may seem lame but I have got to tell ya – I am a control freak and not having to worry about healing the party is freaking spectacular. I focus on heavy offensive while being healed….seriously so simple! I never thought relinquishing control of my other characters would be so great.

In saying all of that though – there are positives and negatives. You don’t ever stick with one main character throughout the entire story so you are sometimes forced into the Medic role which is for the best because I’m sure the majority of us would rather maintain an offensive role. However you more often than not end up playing a character in the offensive role so you begin to lose out on understanding the supportive roles in the paradigm. Try to maintain a balance – it will come in handy at the end of the game…trust me.

All around this is a solid game – excellent story mashed with a user friendly battle system with just enough intricacy to ensnare the most advanced gamer. I strongly recommend this to fans of the Final Fantasy series as well as any RPG fans – it will not disappoint.

Geek: Random Cutesy Lolz

2010-03-18T13:05:00.002-04:00

I was catching up on some other blogs I follow and on .tiff I read a post she did about an Arrest Development cartoon! For those of you who don't know me IRL - I LOVE ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT!! I can hardly wait until the movie comes out! Anyways I wanted to share this cartoon with you:

Tiff found the drawing here by mudron on Flickr!

Definitely brought a smile to my face...thought I would pass it on if there are any other Arrested Development fans out there!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2010-03-17T14:46:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Here is a look I did for today…showing off some festive greens:

Instead of a typical tutorial-like run down I will only list what I used on my eyes. Please follow your regular face routine…and to accomplish this look I used:

Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion to prime my eye lids
- Mehron Paradise Pastel Palette – the lime green colour used wet (needs to be used wet) all over the lid of my eye…I blended the colour out into my crease.
- Lime Crime Magic Dust in “Elf” on the centre of my lids spanning from lash line to crease
- 88 Shimmer Palette from Coastal Scents – the lightest lime colour – on the inner corner
- 88 Shimmer Palette from Coastal Scents – darkest vibrant green – on the outer corner and into the crease
- 88 Matte Palette from Coastal Scents – I mixed the black from this palette with the corresponding darkest vibrant green in this palette and used it as a depth colour for the outer corner and into the crease
- 88 Matte Palette from Coastal Scents – I used the lightest flesh colour as a highlight
- MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack gel liner on upper lash line
- MAC Kohl Power in Feline on waterline
- 88 Matte Palette from Coastal Scents – dark vibrant green bottom outer lash line
- Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

I hope you all enjoy the look. Have a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day!

Chic Post!

2010-03-13T21:11:00.001-05:00

Super exciting everyone! - Doe Deere creator of Lime Crime Cosmetics asked me to do a tutorial look for her blog: I was so pumped! I created a look and she posted it!!!! Seriously this is the highlight of my life! You can check out my look - here!

Thank you so much Doe, this means a lot to me! ^_^

Product Review - Urban Decay Eyeshadow Palette Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-06T14:06:00.012-05:00

I purchased the "Alice in Wonderland" Urban Decay palette about a month ago - which my dear sister was kind enough to pick up for me loves!

I haven't used any Urban Decay eyeshadows prior to picking this up - but I am thoroughly impressed with the pigmentation, and coverage these eye shadows give. I would say the only thing I am not very fond of would be the shimmer in a lot of the eyeshadows in this palette. Don't get me wrong - I loves me some shimmer every now and then...but I love matte eyeshadows because they tend to give a more bold look...and require a little more skill to work with. Just a personal preference - not a product deficiency by any means.

This palette includes 16 beautifully diverse colours - and two 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils in Black and Electric Blue. As well as a tiny bottle of Urban Decay Primer Potion!

Here is what the palette looks like:

What I love most about this palette (aside from the gorgeous eye shadows) would be the adorable pop up Alice picture that is under the cover of the palette - so cute! I loved pop up books but sadly was older when I started to fully appreciate them...sigh well pop-up books and the dino-roar which was the cutest Preschool stuffy ever!

But I digress...

Sadly the Alice in Wonderland was LE but based on the Urban Decay products I would strongly recommend any of their palettes (in fact I really really want to get the deluxe shadow palette - AMAZING)!!

Urban Decay is available at Sephora!

Go Ask Alice

2010-03-04T01:18:00.010-05:00

In the spirit the Alice in Wonderland movie out this week - I have been putting together some inspired looks.

Here they are:

Alice:

The Queen of Hearts: I took this inspiration from Tim Burton's Queen of Heart rendition:

And the Dormouse - he is so cute and often forgotten heh ^_^

Fun Fun! heh...more to come!

Alice in Wonderland...March Countdown

2010-03-03T01:36:00.007-05:00

Hi Guys!

This month came in like a lamb...and starting this month I have a countdown of some great things that are being released.

Final Fantasy XIII - for the xbox360 and PS3 is being released next week...I am super pumped for this game, if you want the details check out the official website. Graphically stunning, and a list of characters that I'm sure will be unforgettable. I really believe that this game will be on par with Final Fantasy X for awesomeness! Hehe...I can hardly wait, March 9th will not come soon enough!

Also this month - New Moon from the Twilight Saga is being released on dvd. Probably the best book and more than likely movie :-P (sorry I'm team Jacob everyone)! I am super excited to watch this movie again...it was seriously everything the first movie should have been. Woo! March 20th...be there!

And lastly is this weeks release of Tim Burton's twist on "Alice in Wonderland"! I'm sure it will be a delightful twist with on the already twisted tale! Starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter. This movie will if nothing else be interesting!

In spirit of the Alice in Wonderland release I have done a few looks using my Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette - which I will be posting this week!

Post again soon! Yay! xoxo

MAC Review...Spring Colour Forecast and Viva Glam

2010-02-28T17:33:00.006-05:00

MAC’s Spring Forecast of Colour has been released for a couple of weeks now – so in following in my better late than never formula I thought I would do a quick review for you all!

I finally FINALLY got my hands on the Blush Ombres – Azalea Blossom and Vintage Grape…and holy!! OMG I love these blushes. Not only are they seriously unique, gorgeous and down right groovy – the colour pigmentation and coverage is to die for! Definitely worth all of the drama to obtain! These blushes are a hot ticket item…I couldn’t get Ripe Peach anywhere – and struggled a bit to get my hands on the Azalea Blossom but if you have these items or can find them (try Makeupalley.com or ebay) they are well worth the trouble.

I also recently purchased the Colour Forecast 1 – Crush Metal Pigment Stack “Stacked 1!” I must say while I love pigments and the colour pay off they give – the texture of these pigments are much different. They are very lustre-ful. Meaning that they have a lot of shimmer to them and are almost best used wet. Having said this though – I love the colours of this stack and will find a home for them in my regular make up rotation!

The Colour 3 Eye Shadow Quad is gorgeous! I love LOVE the colour purple in every incarnation possible. Probably the best colour in the world…anyways I seriously love these eye shadows. If you are a collector – or are a big fan of purple and are looking for that extra oomph to your arsenal – pick up this eye shadow quad.

Finally the last thing I wanted to mention is the Lady GAGA Viva Glam Lipstick!!! (Loves for Lady Gaga) It is a pretty pink shade with a lustre to it. A must in your lipstick collection – not only because it is quality, pink, and GAGA…but because the money spent on any Viva Glam products is donated to the M-A-C Aids Fund. Well worth the money…on so so many levels. Also check out Viva Glam Cyndi – Cyndi Lauper also has a lipstick out!

Much loves for MAC – check out the MAC website!

* All product pics from the MAC website.

Lime Crime FOTD!

2010-02-23T02:09:00.007-05:00

Hello Everyone...yikes too much like work emails...HI GUYS!

I am super excited! I got my most recent order from Lime Crime in the mail today...and it came in the cutest box ever!

It's actually ironic...Doe Deere just did a post on the new packaging for her cosmetic line so you can check out the full story here

As you all may recall...I am a huge fan of Xenia and her Lime Crime Cosmetic line...and I could hardly wait to crack open my package today! I ordered "Twilight", "Duchess" and "Elf" Magic Eye Dusts; as well as "My Beautiful Rocket" Lipstick from the Candy Future Collection - all available here

I love the colour "Twilight"! I cracked open my package and created this look with "Twilight" as the primary colour:

Here is a product break down:
Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion: Lid Primer
- Lime Crime Magic Eye Dust in "Twilight" - applied wet (Lise Watier metamorphix) on lid of eye
- Lime Crime Magic Eye Dust in "Duchess" - Inner crease and inner corner
- Lime Crime Magic Eye Dust in "Empress" - Outer corner and crease colour
- Lime Crime Magic Eye Dust in "Medusa" - Outer corner
- MAC Eye Shadow in "Vanilla" - Highlight
- MAC Eye Brows - "Stud"
- MAC Eye Kohl in Feline
- Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

Face:
- Dove Moisturizer
- Make Up For Ever Cameo Palette in 5 - colour corrector
- Avon Magix Face Perfector - blots out t-zone shine
- Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 120
- MAC Blot Pressed Powder in Medium - t-zone shinage blocker
- MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20 - set foundation
- MAC Mineralize Blush in Nuance - contour
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle - highlight

Lips:
- Lime Crime Candy Future Collection Opaque Lipstick in "Airborne Unicorn"
- Lime Crime Candy Future Collection Opaque Lipstick in "D'Lilac"

The finished look:

YAY! I seriously heart Lime Crime...you needs to check it out!!! Go!

Face of the Day Blue Sorcery!

2010-02-18T20:54:00.004-05:00

Ok time for another look! I know I've been lacking with my posts lately...but Lost has kind of consumed my life lol! This show is soo amazing...and I can't believe that I didn't start watching it when it first aired! Anyways here is the look:

Products Used
Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion as an eye shadow base
- NYX Black Bean Eyeliner Pencil - lid colour
- Blue Sorcery Mineralized MAC Eye Shadow - place on top of the lid colour
- Naked Cosmetics Blue Mineral Eye Shadow from Ebony Stack - crease colour
- Naked Cosmetics Black Mineral Eye Shadow from Ebony Stak - outer corner
- Light side of Sea and Sky MAC mineralize Eye Shadow - highlight colour
- Feline Eye Kohl from MAC - on the waterline

Face:
- Make Up Forever HD Liquid Foundation in 120
- MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW20
- MAC Blot Powder in Medium
- MAC Mineral Blush in Nuance
- Pur Minerals Blush in Diamond Rose
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

Another fun pic I'm wearing Lime Crime Lipstick in "No She Didn't" loves!

Geekish Post...House of Night Series

2010-02-15T20:50:00.005-05:00

Everyone I have a confession...there is secretly a part of me that is a teen-bopper!

I love the House of Night series! Now I know, I know...these books are meant for young adults...however I can't help but enjoy the story. I wanted to do a quick review on the series.

I know this book series has been out for a while…but I want to keep the hype going because the next installment is due out on my BIRTHDAY April 27th!!!!! The new book is called "Burned" - EXCITING!

This book series…like many currently, is about Vampre culture. One of the things I like about this story is that it views Vampires as beings known within human society however the vampires are not made by other vampires…they are chosen by the Goddess Nyx. Once a person is marked he or she must enroll in a House of Night and their body begins to change.

Zoey Redbird – the main protagonist is gifted by Nyx with an affinity to control all elements. She and her group of friends are unraveling the mystery behind students who died because their bodies “rejected” the change into a vampire…and suddenly reappear. This mixed with a seriously heinous powerful wench keep for interesting stories.

There is one character in this book series - “Heath” that ever time I read about his character…all I can think of is “STEVE HOLT” from Arrested Development! Lol!

The most recent installment “Tempted” was released in October and unlike the book before it (Hunted) the story progresses quite rapidly and definitely leaves you with a cliff hanger at the end.

I will admit that this book series is nowhere near the pick of literature however it is an excellent, quick read and is definitely entertaining! I recommend if you are looking for a new book series to read…check this one out!

Product Review: Lime Crime: Candy Future Lipstick Collection

2010-02-09T19:34:00.007-05:00

This is a blog post I have wanted to write about for quite a while! Doe Deere (Xenia) creator of Lime Crime Make-up launched her Candy Future Lipstick collection in the Fall of ’09. And I have gotten my hands on some of the lipsticks which are awesome! =D

Xenia – first started as a blogger posting make-up tutorials and has since grown into a fashion and make up revolutionary! She posts weekly on her blogazine. Her cosmetic line “Lime Crime” – the company mantra “So Bright It’s Illegal” lives up to it’s image. She first launched a successful line of eye shadows (another review to come) and just this past Fall Launched the first installment of her Candy Future Lipstick Line.

The Lipsticks as described on the Lime Crime website “In typical Lime Crime fashion, this lippy is bursting with pigment for criminally bright, opaque results!”

These lipsticks are fantastic! There are 12 colours ranging from Opaque Black – a “Strawberry Milk Shake” shade – to an “Electric Bubble Gum Blue”. The colours are all unique – and the names are cute!

Here are four of the colours I purchased! I seriously love them! *SQUEEE*

“Great Pink Planet”

“Airborne Unicorn”

“D’Lilac”

The Unicorn Queen – has made it her mission to spread colour, individuality, and GLEE to all of the world…and she more than lives up to this promise with her weekly posts and sparkling cosmetics line! I definitely recommend these lipsticks to everyone, especially the daring, bold individual!

Beauty School Drop Out!!

2010-01-30T23:22:00.002-05:00

I've made a huge mistake! Alright well it isn't that horrible...I may have had a minor mishap with my hair...and it is currently varying shades of pink. I must say it isn't horrible but is very reminiscent of Frenchie from Grease...in the classic song beauty school drop out!

Beauty School Drop Out!

Here is the hair:

Guess...I'll be heading back to highschool =S Epic Fail! lolz!

Hooray for Late-ness! IMATS

2010-01-28T01:44:00.004-05:00

Alright...alright I know I epically fail at this...but I wanted to do a post on IMATS!!!

For those of you who are not aware – IMATS is the International Make-Up Artist Tradeshow. It came to Toronto in November…and was definitely a great experience. I have to say I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this convention – I have been to anime and sci fi conventions in the past which are in and of themselves unique.
This convention was definitely more geared to selling products for professionals in the field but there were some really cool shows and demos. There was one model who was painted as a bronzed statue. And there were some great demos on air brushing which was super cool because I have never seen it done before.

Here a picture of the swag I got:

- Brush Apron
- 4 Make Up For Ever Colours
- Make Up For Ever Camo Palette for Skin Colour Correction
- 3 Brushes – Blush Brush, Crease Blending Brush, Eye Highlighting Brush
- 6 Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic Lip Tars (in RX, Tarred, Anime, Feathered, Katricia, Vintage)
- 2 Naked Pigment Stacks in Ebony and Rainforest
- Nurturing Force Blot Out Offensive Shine
- Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 120

All around I enjoyed myself even though earlier that day I had got my first speeding ticket =(

I am definitely looking forward to next year!

Geek Post: My Hero!

2010-01-26T13:19:00.003-05:00

Wii
It is official…my friend Tyler is currently hero! In my time of need he has been kind enough to let me borrow his Wii…while I await my xBox returning from its lobotomy.

This week I wanted to do a Geek Post on the sheer awesomeness that is the New Super Mario Bros. game. This side scrolling – flash back to my childhood is sooo much fun! This game allows between 1 to 4 players to co-op throughout the levels. I must admit though…having played with others…sometimes you are more of a hindrance to each other than a help.

Some of the key high lights of the game are the Beanie Cap which allows you to propel into the air – as well as the best item in the entire game THE PENGUIN SUIT! Now for those of you who don’t know me…I LOVE PENGUINS!!! They are the cutest animals ever!!! But I digress. Definitely check out this game if you are looking for a new Wii game!

Also on my list of games to try are Wario Ware and The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess – I have heard that LOZ Twilight Princess is as good if not better than the Ocarina of Time…which is super exciting.

Anyways…I will keep you updated on my adventures with the Wii…and again Tyler you are my saviour!!

Face of the Day! Pink Swish!

2010-01-26T01:49:00.003-05:00

Here is another look for today - I'm calling this one Pink Swish, like the fluoride we used to have to take as kids!

The Look:

The Products Used:
Face:
- Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NW20
- Lemon-Aid by Benefit
- Mac Pressed Studio Fix Foundation in NW20
- Pur Minerals Sun-Kissed Mineral Bronzer
- Pur Minerals Mineral Blush in Diamond Rose
- Mac Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

Eyes:
- Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance
- Mac Frescon Rose Paint Pot
- Mac Eye Shadow in Paradisco (Inner Corner 1/3)
- Mac Eye Shadow in Star Violet (Middle 1/3)
- Mac Eye Shadow in Fig. 1 (Outer Corner 1/3)
Blend all eye shadows together.
- Mac Beautiful Iris as a highlight
- Mac Eye Kohl in Smolder (on waterline)
- Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

Thats it for me tonight everybody!

Chic Geek? Or Just Geek?

2010-01-24T02:29:00.007-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I am doing my first Chic Geek post - translation...taking something geeky (aka. AWESOME) and using it as inspiration for a make-up look!

With the launch of Mass Effect 2 on Tuesday...YAY!!!! I wanted to share in the spirit (as I can't play it until I have my xbox back) I did a look inspired by one of the characters. Mass Effect 2 Website

A friend of mine challenged me to take this character Liara T'Soni -

And create a look. This is what I came up with:

Products Used:
Eyes
- Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance
- Kryolan Black Aqua Color
- Kryolan Satin Powder in Pink Sunset
- Kryolan Satin Powder in Smokey Blue
- Innocence Mineral Cosmetics in Sapphire Sparks
- MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder
- Cover Girl Lash Blast
- Large Gold Craft Glitter

Lips
- MAC Dazzle Glass in Funtabulous
- Kryolan Satin Powder in Pink Sunset

This was a super fun look...and I hope it keeps the spirit of Mass Effect 2 alive! Woot 2 more sleeps!!!!

All Kryolan Products Available From: Shrinkle

Geek Post: Top 10 Retro Video Games!

2010-01-22T14:45:00.005-05:00

I have been having some nostalgic thoughts lately – maybe as a result of my xbox being out of commission. But I wanted to do a blog post on my top 10 favourite retro video games of all time.

10. The Incredible Machine – this was a great puzzle game that was on our Windows 3.11 computer.

9. Command and Conquer the Original PC Game – I really enjoy RTS games…and nothing can beat “Mechanical Man” song found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2-89XZTBOE

8. Challenge of Ancient Empires – I LOVED THIS GAME in Elementary school. Now mind you it was like the only game the computers could play. It was a DOS game…and it took me 15 years to find out the name of this game.

7. Sonic the Hedgehog 1 – The first video game I ever owned…and I still remember the code to pull up the list of all the levels (up, down, left, right, A, B, C – start)

6. Super Man Bros. 3 – Although we never owned a NES or SNES – I used to love going to my cousins house and other friends houses to play this game. It was so much fun!

5. Star Craft – Yes this game is now retro. It has been out for over 10 years…and at the rate Blizzard is going it will be another 10 before we see the first installment of the sequel…apparently 11 Billion Players on WoW isn’t enough…they need to invest more time in that…while the rest of us grow old waiting for Diablo 3 and Star Craft 2.

4. Perfect Dark – This game was sheer brilliance. It took all the greatest features of Goldeneye and built on them. Proximity Pin Ball grenades…who could ask for more?

3. Goldeneye – Probably the first – first person shooter games I ever played. This game was simply AWESOME and brought one of the best Bond movies to a whole new level of fun. Oh 006 – you sly fellow.

2. Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time: I love this game. There is something about being able to drift back and forth through time – pick up chickens and throw them. And the relentless “HEY HEY HEY LISTEN HEY” yelling of your fairy companion…I just can’t get enough of.

1. FINAL FANTASY VII!!! This is probably the best game I have ever played! I spent the vast majority of the summer of 1999 perfecting the art of this game. The story – the characters…and game play are something I have loved since I first started playing. I must apologize to my friend Denise though for relentlessly asking her when I was going to get my Highwind. >_<

Well that is about it for me. What is your favourite retro video game? Please leave comments!

Face of the Day!

2010-01-21T14:42:00.003-05:00

Just doing a quick post today. I got to use my "Reflects Duo Purple" glitter today...which is awesome! Yay!

Products Used:
Face
- Mac Studio Fix Fluid NW20
- Mac Studio Pressed Powder NW20
- Pur Minerals Mineral Glow
- Pur Minerals Pressed Mineral Blush in Diamond Rose

Eyes
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Mac Pigment in Vanilla on inner 1/3 of eye
- Make Up For Ever Pressed Eye Shadow in #26 Outer 1/3
- Make Up For Ever Pressed Eye Shadow in #92 Outer Corner and Crease
- Mac Reflects Purple Duo Glitter
- Feline Eye Power Kohl on waterline
- Too Faced Lash Injection

Yay!

EPIC FAIL!!!! LE tear

2010-01-18T15:48:00.002-05:00

It is with a very heavy heart that I must report...my Xbox 360 has three flashing lights also known as the "red ring of death." *bites knuckle*

I have contacted Microsoft and I will be sending the xbox in for repairs, which is covered under the extended warranty so that is awesome, and I am super grateful for!

It is just so...shocking...like you think "it will never happen to me". And it does...and your sad.

I had made a deal with myself that I wouldn't buy Mass Effect 2 until I finished Mass Effect...looks like everything is getting postponed.

Today is a gray day. *tear*

Simple NYX Look!!!

2010-01-17T21:49:00.008-05:00

Alright everyone! Today I am going to attempt another look/tutorial thing for you all. This one is pretty simple...it is basically two eye shadows. I think it will be pretty straight forward and let me know what you think!

Product List:
Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- "Untitled" Paint by MAC Cosmetics
- NYX Earthy Shimmer (main colour on the lid and highlight under eyebrows)
- NYX Triple Shadows in Lake Moss (the green shadow from this trio - outer corner and crease)
- MAC Cosmetics Kohl Eyeliner in Smolder lower waterline
- Two Faced Lash Injection Mascara

The biggest trick of this look is to make sure you blend the lines in between the Earthy Shimmer and the green eye shadow to give it a smooth smokey look.

Anyways that is it for right now...I hope to post a little more this week considering it has been a while. <3

Let me know if you guys want some product pics and swatches with these kind of posts!

The Last 4 looks for the Holidays!

2010-01-04T01:58:00.006-05:00

Here are the final looks for my 12 FOTDs for the Holidays!

For all those who received a lump of coal in their stockings...

This next look was inspired by the feeling my toes and fingers experienced while putting up the Christmas lights with my dad - Frost Bite:

And tying in with the frosty spirit - Ice Queen:

The last look was inspired by the best squares in the world - my mom's Midnight Mints! NOM NOM NOM!!!! -

Thus concludes the 12 faces of the holidays. If you have any special requests please let me know I am always up for trying new things!

This look is dedicated to Shane!

2010-01-02T15:25:00.005-05:00

Hello! So about a week ago a dear friend of mine requested a look - Amy Lee's look from the Evanescence music video "Call Me When You're Sober". This is a great look - and definitely is outside of my regular sphere of work so I gladly accepted the challenge.

To do this look and give it justice - I enlisted the help of my beautiful friend Kristina. Her dark hair, fair complexion and light greeny-blue eyes are very reminiscent of Amy Lee herself.

Here is the look:

Hope you like it hun! <3

GEEK POST: AVATAR

2010-01-01T12:59:00.004-05:00

I haven't had one of these in a while, so today I am going to briefly talk about James Cameron's Avatar!

Now for those of you who aren't interested in a) pop culture or b)science fiction in general than you probably aren't really going to enjoy this post...as I am about to gush about the movie.

AVATAR = 5 *****

This movie in so many ways has really upped the ante. Graphically it is a beautiful movie - and while there were underlying political messages throughout the primary plot of the movie; you could easily lose yourself in the visual splendour that is the planet Pandora.

For me personally I found the faces of the Navi the most interesting to view. I have, as you can tell from this blog, a fascination with make-up. One thing I have caught myself doing anytime I play a video game or watch a movie recently is looking at how the make-up artists/character designers did the make-up for the actors or the vg characters.

Now...let me quickly say I am aware that the characters are mostly CG in Avatar - there is a degree of realism with the facial expressions that you can tell are the actual face of Sam Worthington or Zoe Saldana. This leaves me wondering if they ever did a base look while filming the motion capture for CG or whether it is completely CG created. But I digress.

I really enjoyed this movie. I believe it has lived up too - if not surpassed the hype surrounding it. It is visually stunning and beautiful to watch. The story is well written and developed - the pacing is also excellent; you really don't notice that you have been watching almost 3 hours of movie which is very nice.

Basically I suggest to those of you itching to see it...GO! I don't believe you will be disappointed. Watch it in 3D if you have a theatre close by that is showing it in 3D. It certainly adds depth to the movie and you feel more a part of the action which is super cool. In closing - Avatar is awesome! lol

Anyways - I hope this post wasn't completely scattered. And some what helpful without spoilers!

More of the 12 Holiday Face of the day

2010-01-01T12:40:00.007-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So remember that time I disappeared for a while? Sorry folks. Due to the holiday season I've been pretty busy and well...lazy. I am, however, with the ringing in of the new year hoping to post more frequently.

Anyways here are some more picks - all 12 looks will be completed by this weekend!

Inspired by Burl Ives - Silver and Gold song from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer:

This next look...I don't know...I am personally not really impressed with it. I have noticed that tangerines and clementines are most readily available this time of year so here is my tangerine inspired look:

The last post of this blog is a look I created. It is a new years eve look and quite fun:

More posts will follow with the rest of the holiday looks! I hope you have enjoyed them thus far!

12 FOTDs for the Holidays!

2009-12-18T15:00:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of more looks:

My Merry Mistletoe Look:

As well as my Mid-Winter's Eve:

I pose a question to ye: Do you want me to post tutorials on here as well?

The 12 FOTDs of the Holidays!

2009-12-16T03:00:00.004-05:00

Alright...in my vainly Scrooge like attempt to bring holiday cheer to this blog I have decided that I am going to under take the 12 looks of the Holiday. I know...I know all of you are probably thinking...but there are only 9 days...yeah so I'm a bit behind the draw (I said it was a vain attempt). Anyways here are the first two looks:

The first look is my Gingerbread inspired look:

My second holiday look is the O Tannenbaum inspired look:

If you guys think this is totally lame I will drop this project...I understand.

The Do-it-Yourself Waxing Experience

2009-12-16T02:44:00.003-05:00

This should actually probably fit under my "Epic Fail" posts however in some shape or form I would like to believe that today was not a waste...and that in some way was the first step to a very cheap eye brow waxing future!

The lady that typically does my eye brows is off for the next year...as such I have been seriously pondering how to remedy this vacancy. In an attempt to be economical and "cheap" I decided to try one of the at home waxing kits. Anyways today was the day that I decided I was going to wax my own eye brows.

When I opened the box...I realized that the wax itself is in a metal pan which needs to be heated on the stove. I can spare you the details but round 1 - 4 concluded in the wax not being hot enough and re-solidifying before application. And during round 6 I burnt my finger because it was too hot. *head desk* But I digress.

The biggest note in all of this is that yes I was successful (eventually) in maintaining my brows. It however wasn't until much later - after I applied my eye shadow that I noticed there was a piece of wax still under my brow...it added a little je ne sais quoi.

The moral of the story ladies and gentlemen - is that at the small cost of personal maiming, and temporary disfiguration you can save more money over all by waxing your eye brows yourself.

Disclaimer: Please note all fail-ness was due to user error and in no way reflects the effectiveness of the at home waxing products. Please use responsible.

Product Review: Lise Watier!

2009-12-13T19:47:00.007-05:00

Allo!

Today I am going to do a product review for you...it is on Lise Watier's Couleur Folle Loose Mineral Powder. I will post swatches at the end of the post.

I purchased a bunch of these from my local Shopper's Drug Mart for $18.00 CDN (in case anyone is curious). I must say that I am quite in-like with them! They are loose shimmer powder - with bright pigmentation. I have mostly used them wet (I use Lise Watier's MetaMorfix - transformation liquid $13.00 also at Shopper's Drug Mart).

I find personally the best way to use mineral shadows is by either applying them wet (just a drop of liquid works) or by using them on top of either a cream colour base - or an aqua colour. Not only does the cream base allow the powder to pop - it also prevents it from falling down your face and wiping off easily.

These colours are gorgeous and are definitely worth the extra bit of coin!

So...

2009-11-22T23:18:00.003-05:00

Fail for posting. I'm not sure how many are digging this blog currently however I thought that I would do a quick post.

This is my "Things I am Loving" post:

1) Lime Crime Candy Future Collection Lipsticks in Airborne Unicorn and No She Didn't (available at http://www.limecrimemakeup.com/). These colours are incredible! Not only are they super opaque - but they apply easily and the colours available are far out. Yes everyone...I said far out! I will be doing a blog on this in the near future.

2) L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara - FINALLY! This mascara is FINALLY available at a drug store near me (and was probably available to most of you earlier this season). This mascara uses the rounded ball as an applicator and I find it very helpful for getting the lashes closest to the eye and the bottom lashes.

3) Urban Decay Primer Potion - I finally got to try this...for the first time ever I went to Sephora last week and I must say a part of me has been completed. I went to the Urban Decay section and picked up some of the Primer Potion to try. It gives really good coverage and requires a touch more of blending than Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance but I would definitely say this is a product worth having.

4) Body Shop - Shea Body Butter - I know this is nothing new to the Body Shop but I love this! It's hitting winter in Canada and so my skin is starting to dry out - I find this has great coverage and doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy or sticky like other lotions do.

5) MAC Studio Fix Fluid - I have been trying a bunch of other foundations lately but I must say that I have not gotten the coverage or wearability out of other foundations the way I have out of MACs Studio Fix Fluid. If you want a full coverage, matte - long lasting look...this is definitely the foundation for you!

That concludes my list of things I am loving! I will be posting again soon. I will be doing some product reviews as well as a follow up to my geek post and some other geek posts as well!

Geek Post! BSG: The Plan

2009-10-20T13:39:00.003-04:00

The Cylons Were Created by Man.
They Rebelled.
They Evolved.
They Look and Feel Human.
Some Are Programmed To Think They Are Human.
There Are Many Copies.
And They Have A Plan.

I wanted to do a quick post on something I am super excited about..."Battlestar Galactica: The Plan". For those of you who are a Sy Fy nerd such as my self - I hope you can appreciate where this post is coming from ^_^

For any of you who watched the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series by David Eick and Ronald D. Moore - there may have been a lack of closure...well for me there was anyway. The show wrapped up this past Spring after four seasons with what should have been a tidy ending...however was anyone else really unsatisfied about the explanation of what Starbuck turned out to be? Battlestar Galactica too me is by far one of the best science fiction shows I have ever seen on television!

For those of us who can't get enough...I have to say my hopes are high on this project. Caprica which was released earlier this year as a "prequel" - explaining the origin of the machine cylons was a bit of a miss. The story was weak...and could have had a lot more potential.

BSG: The Plan will take us back to the days leading up to the attack, as well as fill in the gaps about how Anders was surviving on a Cylon occupied Caprica prior to meeting up with Starbuck and Helo. The story will be told from the Cylon's prospective. With Cavil as the brain child behind the attack on the colonies, his struggle to annihilate the human species and let the Cylon society thrive.

I am really really hoping that this movie will fill in some of those questions we still have that never got completely answered at the end of the series.

Battlestar Galactica The Plan - available October 27, 2009. Check it out!

Product Review: Gosh Effect Powder!!

2009-10-19T01:45:00.005-04:00

Today I thought I would do a product review for you all. I will be discussing Gosh Cosmetics Effect Powder

I have included some pictures with swatches of the different colours I have...these are only a few...there are a ton more in the line.

Quasi recently the local Shoppers Drug Mart has started carrying this line and OMG wow these are some wonderful cosmetics! These powders are loose minerals and I must say that they are gorgeous! The beauty about these powders is that they can be used wet (via mixing medium - I use Lise Waiter's Metamorphix) and the colour payoff is incredible. Truthfully I would suggest that if you want a really vibrant colour payoff from these powders you should use them wet.

Any of you who watch xSparkage have probably seen her videos on duo-chrome colours, and how by using a dark base the shadow will actually change colour...well Yellow Sea Horse is amazing! This Gosh Effect mineral is a yellow powder with a green undertone and when used on a black base turns into a vibrant green! This is currently my new fav shadow!

Anyways I thought I'd give a quick post...but cheers everyone!

Epic Fail of the Day

2009-10-18T21:19:00.001-04:00

I purchased a day planner today because I have some really busy weeks coming up - epic fail for writing everything in November instead of October >_<

The Base-ics: Part One

2009-10-17T20:17:00.005-04:00

One of the most neglected but probably most important items that you should have in your make-up arsenal is an eye shadow base.

What is in a base? Why do I need a base?What is in a base? Why do I need a base?

For the casual make-up wearer you might notice that your look has gradually faded to nothing throughout the day – sometimes even within a few hours of applying your eye shadow you may notice that it doesn’t look as fresh as it did. While in some cases this may be a result of the quality of the make-up, however a large percentage has to do with the fact that you may not be wearing an eye shadow base.

I personally am a complete convert to the eye shadow base hype. Not only does it make my colours pop; it also helps my look stay fresh throughout the day. This post is going to list some of the eye shadow bases out on the market that I have used – as well as other products out there that can be supplemented and used as an eye shadow base. It is a bit of a longer post but worth the read – I believe you may find it insightful…at least that is what I hope.

Too Faced – Eye Shadow Insurance:
Available at Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/canada/ $24.00 CDN
Rating: * * * * *

Maybe I should have saved this to the last however OMG!!! This is by far my favourite eye shadow base. It applies so easily – and it requires minimal to blend it out. It holds eye shadow for hours – literally I have worn eye shadow at work for up to 12 hours and it stayed fresh looking and not faded at all. All you require is a tiny amount – apply it directly to the eye lid and blend it out towards just under the brow line. While the price tag is a touch hefty…it is so worth the splurge.

Benefit – Lemon Aid
Available at Sephora http://www.sephora.com/canada/ and Shopper’s Drug Mart $26.00 CDN
Rating: * * * *

This product is versatile and there is much love here for it. It is not technically meant to be just an eye shadow base – it is meant to correct colour on and under the eye. This product is great to use if you are one of the hundreds of us that suffer from dark circles under our eyes.

The application of this product requires a little more than the Too Faced shadow base as it is creamer and needs to be worked out. To ensure the best result only use a little bit, and really rub it into the eye lid. I have personally found this to be another really good base for eye shadow. It leaves the eye lid with a matte finish and unlike the Too Faced it evens out tones on the eye lid.

Caryl Baker – Shadow Magnet in Natural
Available at Visage Salons or Online: http://www.carylbakervisage.com/cbvhtml/fr.catalog1.html $19.50
Rating: *

I picked this product up a while back – and I think on record I can say that I have used it a total of maybe three times. I am not personally impressed with this eye shadow base. It is another creamy texture however it leaves a greasy finish on the eye lid. I also found that this eye shadow base was better used with loose mineral shadows versus pressed powders.

If you prefer this item or would like to try it – it like the Lemon Aid needs to be worked in and smoothed over the eye lid to ensure that your make-up won’t crease.

CoverGirl – Invisible Concealer in Light
Available at Wal-Mart, Shopper’s Drug Mart, Zellers
Rating: *

Alright, I had heard that you could use concealer as a eye shadow base. I finally tried it and I have to say DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME! Concealer is phenomenal at covering imperfections on the face however on the eye lids…I really don’t recommend it. The biggest the issue I had was the thickness of the concealer. Now having said all this…I haven’t tried other concealers and perhaps in the future I will to ensure full product review however the CG concealer really isn’t a good eye shadow base at all. As I said before the thickness of the concealer made working it into the eye lid time consuming – and even after I made sure it was smooth and level – over the course of the evening it creased.

If you use a concealer that you find is amazing please let me know – so I can pass the good word on.

The following products I am going to review now are not technically eye shadow base products but are things you can definitely use as a base and in some cases these products are almost better because they themselves have colours that help pop any colours you put over top.

Gosh – Waterproof Eye Shadow – Love That Violet
Available at Shopper’s Drug Mart $14.00
Rating: * *

This eye shadow is in a cream stick that you apply to your eye lid. I have found that these eye shadow sticks really need a lot of product to apply to the eye lid and actually give off a colour. Of course when using these you need to blend out the colour once you’ve applied it so that it doesn't clump together - it won't be a very bold colour but it is a nice sticky base for your eyeshadow.

I've found that this is an alright base...however not something I use everyday.

Rimmel - Stir It Up - No Way
Available at Wal-Mart, Shopper's Drug Mart, Rexall
Rating: *

This product in particular isn't a base so much as an actual eye shadow. It is very creamy and it has a metallic shine to it. It is a cream and therefore needs to be worked out smoothly and evenly on the eye lid otherwise clumpage. I definitely think this could be a great base for a very dramatic look. If you are looking for something that is quick and easy - and will give you a good starting colour for your look I recommend these.

I have more eye shadow base reviews - however I will post those later. Of this first bunch I seriously seriously recommend you splurge - spoil yourself and get the Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance...you won't regret it!

Inara Serra Themed FOTD

2009-10-15T01:59:00.006-04:00

Before we go any further - I did warn you all that I am half geek therefore a lot of my inspirational looks have been based off of video games and television. *End of warning*

Inara Serra is a character from the brilliant Joss Whedon's Firefly! I love the colours and make-up the character wears so I tried to create an inspirational look. I have included 2 pictures - the first is the finished look and the second outlines the placement for each of the colours I have used. At this point in time I won't be doing video tutorials on youtube - that is my eventual goal. For the time being I want to try it out this way. Please let me know what you think!

Make-up Break Down:
- Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance
- Kryolan Aqua Colour UV Day Glo Palette - Neon Pink and Neon Orange
- Mac Eye Shadow in Shroom
- L'Oreal HiP Bright Shadow Duo in Adventurous and Flare
- Gosh Black Liquid Liner
- Black Eye Liner on waterline

Step by step:
So the first thing I did was apply Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance all over my eye lid.

1) I then took an all over shadow brush and placed Shroom from Mac on the inner 2/3 of my eye lid as well as placed some below the brow line.

2) Next I used my Kryolan Aqua Palette Neon Pink these must be used wet! I use Lise Waiter's Metamorpix as a mixing medium for water activated make-up however Mac's mixing medium or water can also be used. Just a heads up: Do not use too much water. One drop is more than enough with the Kryolan aqua sets. I started on the outer 2/3 of the eye - concentrating the pink in the outer corner.

I then switched colours and added the Kryolan Aqua colour in Neon Orange into the outer crease.

3) While the aqua colours were still damp I placed the pink eye shadow from the L'Oreal HiP eye shadow duo in Adventurous on top of the pink Kryolan. I just lightly patted the pink on. I also used the orange shadow from the L'Oreal HiP eye shadow duo Flare and placed it on top of the Orange Kryolan.

Using a blending brush - work the pink and orange eye shadows together.

Along my lash line I used Gosh Eye Liner Pen in Black and I used Mac's Smolder as an eye liner on my bottom waterline.

The mascara I used for this look was Cover Girl's Lash Blast in Very Black.

Please leave feedback! Let me know what you thought of this look. And I will be posting again soon!

Thank you ^_^

To New Beginnings

2009-10-15T01:57:00.002-04:00

Hi all! Lately I have found myself drawn to the blogging community I had so long avoided...truth be told I have in some ways felt that blogs were nothing more than a mere tool as a means of publicly airing ones "dirty laundry". However in more recent days I have come to embrace and enjoy the blogging community, and as such I'd like to put my thoughts to this electronic blinking icon and perhaps walk away from this with an enriched sense of self (if you all tell me to shut-up I won't hold it against you).

My goal with this blog is to take some things in my life that I am very interested in and mesh the cornucopia of hobbies into a place where I can come to indulge in all faculties of my own geekness. Some of the things I would like to post here are make-up (I heart makeup!!) xSparkage has been a HUGE inspiration for me! I love your style and creativity girl, you are AMAZING! I have always been interested in make-up since I was young...I tried copying styles I saw in magazines/movies but I have to say that having watched Leesha's work...WOW it opened up pandora's box...so thank you thank you!!!

I also imagine I'm going to touch on other things here such as fashion...and video games and anything else that comes to mind...It is my intention to come here as often as I can...I guess time will tell.