I'vebeen chancing my arm with colour lately, well, not so much my arm as my lashes and it would appear that I'm not the only one. Pixiwoo's latest video on Ombre looks featured some of the most stunning burgundy mascara I've seen (By Terry Bordeaux) and it's prompted me to show you some of my favourite colours for adding a little life to my lashes.
Although highly pigmented, Nettle is actually one of the subtlest coloured mascaras I own. My eyes are a green grey, circled with blue and this works perfectly to complement them. I pair it with Estée Lauder's Intense Kajal Crayon in Dramatic Teal on my lower waterline to up the ante and create brighter look.
YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in Golden Sand - €31
From the YSL Summer 2012 Swimming Pool collection, Golden Sand is the perfect colour to use as a highlight over your regular mascara choice. I use it just on the very tips of my lashes and with NYX's Sparkle Leopard for a brighter, more awake effect, almost like frosted tips but not so 80's.
Max Factor Eye Brightening Tonal Black - €8.99
As part of the new complement of gorgeous Max Factor mascaras (more of which soon), Eye Brightening Tonal Black for blue eyes is one of the three colour choices. It uses gem tones colour beads and light reflective particles to bring subtle shine to your peepers. The effect is so quietly blue that people have asked what I'm doing differently with my eyes when all that's changed is this mascara. I'm using it with the YSL Azure Blue from the Swimming Pool collection and it's a love from me.
Clarins Wonder Mint - €24.40
Clarin's Wonder Mint is the brightest of all my coloured mascaras and I love it long time just for that. I haven't been brave enough to use it on all of my lashes yet (Festival territory maybe?) but on my lower lashes with a slick of the Estée Lauder Dramatic Teal I adore it. It's wetter than other mascaras but once dried it doesn't budge. Gorge.
From the Clarins Ombre Minerals collection for A/W 2012, Intense Plum is a go to mascara for me. The brush works brilliantly for precision and definition and the colour on the lashes is so close to black that you'll only ever notice that your lashes seem more soft focus that usual. I wear this with my go to liner Avon's SuperShock in Blackberry from their Smoke and Mirrors collection. (If you don't own that liner you should rectify that situation ASAP) And they're my picks for bringing a little colour into proceedings in your day to day make up. Are you a fan of coloured mascaras? Are there any other brands or colours I should be checking out?
By the by, if any of these have tickled your fancy & you'd like to see them on the lash (fnar fnar) just let me know.
I was delighted to be invited along to check out the newest collection from high end favourite Giorgio Armani yesterday, titled, Maestro. Consisting of deep to bright purple, pink and coral hues, this is one of the most wearable Autumn/Winter collections I've seen so far - there really is something here to suit everyone. There's a full post coming up very soon to give you the full low down with pricings and product reviews, including the stunning Maestro Complexion Perfector and the Maestro Eraser but I thought you might like a sneak peak at the what you can expect from this September launch.
Probably my favourite piece from the night was this face and eye palette consisting of a velvety face powder and three shadow shades. Heavy weight and with the satisfying click magneticclosing that I've come to love with Armani lippies, this one is definitely on my Lust Have list.
Swatch ALL the Armani
I've been given a few bits to play with from the collection so please believe this hairy handed swatch fest isn't all you'll be getting. Just wanted to show you how flattering these colours are on the skin.
'I know, right?'
'International Face Designer' for Giorgio Armani, Thoa Tran, showed us the beautiful effect that can be achieved with just your fingers, the Maestro Complexion Perfector and the Maestro Eraser. The result was luminous, completely transforming the lovely model's look in minutes with minimal effort. I'm seriously looking forward to properly testing these new generation of make up products. So what do we think? Has anything from Maestro piqued your interest (yet)?
I had the chance last week at a sneaky ogle at what's new from Avon polishes and, yep, I leapt at it. I'm going to put together a similar post to the recent NailWear Pro + one to let you see all the goodness but I couldn't let this pretty pink number leave my talons without giving you a peak.
Avon Perfectly Flesh - €8
Perfectly Flesh is a beautifully creamed, dusky pink that actually made me think of Barbie's nails as I put it on. The formulation is fantastic and takes two coats for full, smear free opacity.
With Flash
Natural Day Light
Isn't it pretty? Subtle enough for office wear and the perfect base coat for a sneaky slick of glitter, Perfectly Flesh, despite it's sliiiiightly weird name, will see you right through the seasons. Love. Are you a fan of pastel pink polishes? Psst. My talons are recovering nicely with thanks to Nail Envy too. Getting longer & stronger every day.
I'm guessing if you're on Twitter it was pretty impossible not to know that X-Factor was back on Saturday night. While I'm not a huge fan of the show, I'm a super fan of the live tweets that accompany it. Pithy, razor sharp and usually hilarious, these tweets make the show for me. A couple of tweeters were aghast that it's back so soon, calling it 'Winter Telly' and that got me thinking... While I'm loathe to admit that Summer is over, I'm chuffed that some of the best telly is hurtling back toward us this Autumn.
One of the stand out shows for me last year was American Horror Story, even the title music gives me the heebie jeebies and season two is set to be even creepier. I loved that so many conspiracy theories were thrown up on Twitter as its viewers tried, unsucessfully, to figure out just what was going on. This season is set in an asylum... the possibilities are endless. Cannot wait.
The third series of Downton Abbeyis making its way toward us too. The addition of Shirley MacLaine is sure to spice things up. I do love a good acerbically tongued matriarch, just as much as I love the lightening fast tweets that accompany this, sometimes, slowly paced but addictive costume drama. There's no specific date for release yet but it's coming.
Another one that can't come fast enough for me is the stunning Irish show about Dublin gangland violence Love/Hate. I literally watched the season 2 finale through my fingers with my heart racing. It's fantastic television and could show American production teams a thing or two when it comes to gritty Irish shows. While it wasn't always tweeted throughout, as soon as each episode ends, twitter explodes with 'OMFG' tweets, disbelief that it would push boundaries like it does - shock and awe from RTE, who'd have thunk it? That's just three of my favourites set to return very soon and of course bring with them endless entertainment as they're live tweeted. I've seen twitter all aflutter with news of the Homeland return too, though I've never watched it - I might have to get on that. Tell me, what show are you most looking forward to returning this Autumn? And are you a fan of live tweeting them?
Can you believe it's almost September? Summer has whizzed by and the schools are back next week, MAD! This week has fairly kicked my ass but, as usual, there were highlights that have lifted my spirits and moments to chase the Monday Blues away, let's take a look, shall we?
1. The Old Switcheroo..
I mentioned one of my favourite methods of child torture a couple of weeks back - singing ridiculously catchy songs to the lads and waiting to see how long it takes them to sing it. It melts their heads and warms my cockles. This week, the eldest pulled an old switcheroo though. This song, a camped up version of The 4 Non Blondes, What's Up is one of the stupidest songs I've ever heard and still I'm stuck with it. Every time I entered the room he played it, every time I opened a text he'd sent me lyrics, my screensaver was set to He-Man shaking his booty - still I wouldn't admit defeat. When I was sat in a meeting on Wednesday I had to text him on the sly. 'It worked. You're dead'.
2. Brekkie from Heaven
On Wednesday night the Sis, her pals and I stayed in The Dylan as part of her Dublin Horse Show prize. It included Champagne brekkie, hair and make up in Toni & Guy and a day in the Blossom Hill Suite at the show jumping. I'll be doing a little something with Toni & Guy soon so had to choose this as one of the moments of the week.
The nicest brekkie I've eaten and there's been tough competition. Eggs Benedict á lá Dylan Hotel was the perfect 5 star end to a 5 star stay. If you're in Dublin and in need of a breakfast of Champions get yourself up to Eastmoreland Place and bring your stretchy pants!
3. Room with a View
Following brekkie in the hotel, we headed back up to our room to get dressed. While getting ready I had to Sally Hansen up my legs so headed out onto the balcony. I threw my foot up onto the window ledge to tan my legs under my dress, safe in the knowledge that the balcony wasn't overlooked.
It was only when I was halfway through the second full, propped up leg and noticing the curtain twitch slightly that it dawned on me that we didn't have a window looking out onto the balcony!! I don't even think my feet hit the floor I ran back into the room so fast. Hey, hotel neighbourino, you're welcome.
4. Oh That's Good Luck...
While stood for 20 minutes in the Post Office queue last week, the entire place was subjected to one of the most spoiled brats I've seen in a long while. She was about 7, pulled from her mother, pinching and slapping, whined that she wanted ice cream and every time she thought no one was looking she was winding the arms of her poor little brother in his buggy.
There was much tutting and glaring from the queue, while her mother said absolutely nothing but to tell the poor little blighter in the buggy to shut up. Me no judgey but sweet jebus she (& her mother) made me grind my teeth. When I eventually got out the family were outside where Madam was squealing. She'd an enormous bird plop right on top of her head and was inconsolable. I know it's petty, I know it's wrong but that made me chuckle for the rest of the day.
5. The Longest Night
I wasn't sure whether to share this moment or not but since it's been my moment of the year, maybe even of the decade, I reckon it's worth a mention.
We had a little health scare with the youngest on Friday. It only came to light late on Friday night and was sorted by Saturday morning but that was one of the longest nights of my life (they've all been Adam related, believe it or not). We got to the Doctor's on Saturday and were told that everything's absolutely fine. I can't put the feeling of relief into words only to say that I may have aged 10 years this weekend... I'm sure hoping grey balayage is in for Autumn/Winter 2012.
So tell me, what's made your day, your week or your month then? I do love to hear your happy haps.
