Petrilude 'Color Splash' Inspired FOTD

I rewatched a few of Josh/Petrilude youtube tutorials yesterday and had to copy this look. The colours are so gorgeous together, right? The products I used varied a little bit from the original so I'll post those in detail below. I hope you enjoy looking at my face because you'll be seeing a lot of it if you scroll down.

Not Another Apologetic Post

Yes... yes it is. Hi there. I am a terrible blogger. It's not that I'm not looking into, wearing and working with make-up all the time, it just seems I am a sucky regular-blogpost writer. Phew, got that bit out of the way (again). Not really been in the mood and that, sorry. Now onto the post...
I've worn purple smokey eyes and false lashes for two Saturday's running at work, as you can see above. Although last Saturday (which I did not photograph) it was not by my own choosing; we had a look to wear on counter and... it turned out to be Young Punk MES as a smokey eye. D'oh.

Looking to break this cycle...

...more creatively than this tomorrow - what I wore on Sunday. This is the lazy Sunday face. It included Prolongwear foundation NC15 and concealer NC20, Prolongwear lipcreme in Red Dwarf, Posey cremeblend blush, Opulash mascara and Stud eyebrow pencil.

Today... I had a play around. It's messy, I know. But it was very fun!

Daphne Guinness Work EOTDs and Some Nail Schtuff

Using Circa Plum and Nebula pigments from the Daphne Guinness collection (Electric Eel and Plumage brows, and a little bit of Carbon eyeshadow was used to darken crease). Funny I should do turquoise greeny brows when I'm hiding most of my turquoise greeny hair with this high pony tail.

Bird of Paradise FOTD

This reminded me of a bird of paradise flower when I was finished with all it's craziness, so that's what I'm calling it, something bright and cheery to ring in the New Year. This is the sort of make-up I don't have the time to do for work (plus I'm scared co-workers would laugh at me or something! And the products aren't all MAC!)
Product list and more photos under the cut.

In the sunlight (I liked the shadows the lashes made).

Illamasqua Winter Sale Haul

I don't often do haul posts because they feel like a cop out. This is also because my blog is based around what make-up I wear, not my seemingly rampant consumerism. However, I wanted to show that although I currently work at a MAC counter, I do still love other brands! I tried to resist the recent Illamasqua New Year sale, which has become a bit of a tradition for me (this is my third year shopping, if I remember correctly...) I usually stock up on nail polishes, as theirs are my favourite nail polishes of all time. This time I also branched out a little.

 Cream blushes in Betray and Devour...

Festive Nails

Just a post of my nails so far this month. This is MAC Asiatique from the Rocking lip and nail bag with green flakies from Inglot alternated with Edward - green round and square glitter - from Essence. Sorry about my cuticles, no amount of OPI Avoplex oil seems to help. Thinking about buying one of those cuticle remover liquid things (Inglot do one, has anyone tried one? A little help...?)

This was Illamasqua Radium, Barry M Spring Green and Illamasqua Viridian in a gradient with MAC Unconditionally Fabulous glitter polish as a topcoat.

OPI Rainbow Connection (I had this on my toes for a few weeks and finally put it on my nails last week and I <3 it best on my fingernails, even if it's so hard to remove, the glitters are just SO big! A customer at work even knew which one it was and complimented me. It wouldn't photograph clearly tho, the camera blurred everytime :( Sorry )

OPI Excuse Moi! (I love this one even more than Rainbow Connection *GASP* Infact, I loved it so much that after a week when a couple of nails had chipped I just repainted those ones and did an extra coat on all the others to refresh it. It's BEAUTIFUL.)

More to come,

Ruth x

Adventure Time Inspired Series - Slime Princess

I've seen a lot of green looks around lately because of The Makeup Heroes Depression Awareness Week posts. If you haven't seen them already I insist you check them out -  

Robyn  - wearing green ALL over (awesome).

Wendy - looking sweet and subtle.

Kathy Effing Jacobs - rocking green with her lovely red hair.

Priscilla - gorgeous forrest green (and her brows are flawless).

Helen - brilliant dramatic smokey green.

Jerry - Jerry Dazzlepants indeed! Love the lower lash/lid colours.

Hope I linked to each look (so far) and didn't miss anyone out. I gather there are more to come. Keep your eyes peeled. I am not a Make-up Hero but I have suffered with depression and anxiety like so many others and just thought I'd draw attention to these lovely posts with all their information and inspirational eye make-up - it's all good stuff and they are all worth following if you don't already!

Now, Slime Princess. She is one of many princesses in the Land of Ooo and has her own underground Slime Kingdom. She's so upbeat and cute - she wants to marry Finn for rescuing her and she kisses alligators. She was what I thought of when I thought green and Adventure Time (that and Finn's backpack, which isn't even a person). More photos and products below.

An EOTD that until now I did not know matched my hair and scarf! Ha!

I got some new MAC goodies from the CCO on Friday. It was sweet. They had superslick liquid liners (all except black), coloured zoom lashes (I didn't like the black version of this when I had it years ago - too wet for me, so I didn't buy), all the big bounce eyeshadows (eewww... they are even gross at reduced prices - in my opinion), a few interesting pigments (mostly smaller jars now though... boo!) and the aforementioned nail polishes. They also had lots of the Tartan Tale sets and I was torn between a pigment set and a couple of full sizers. I picked the full size... the colours were brighter and I think you all know how I feel about bright colours., yes?

This look used Shimmermoss eyeshadow, Full Force Violet pigment and my first ever CCO purchase MAC Dame's Desire eyeshadow trio. More info under the cut.

Adventure Time Inspired Series - Jake the Dog

Jake the Dog! I have finally decided to base a look on him. He's so cute, probably my favourite dog of all cartoon history. See, Santa's Little Helper is adorable, as is the Tramp etc... but... Jake farts to great comedic effect just like a real dog. He also has stretchy powers, is boyfriend to Lady Rainicorn, and sings pretty well. So here it is - my Jake based eye using Sugarpill Buttercupcake (easily my favourite yellow eyeshadow).

More photos and details if you click below.

Blogroll and Schtuff

This is just a quick update to say I finally added a blogroll with my favourite blogs at the bottom of the page (it may move to the side at a later date, let me know what you think). If there's anyone awesome I forgot to add (or anyone you think I should follow) go ahead and comment. Here's some bonus make-up photos to show what I have been feeling comfortable in recently.

I've been focusing more on lips...

Pastel Leopard Nails

I went a bit mad with many pastel shades (eight in total) on Saturday night. Yes, I have no life.

I used Blow (baby yellow), Wayward (yellow), Lament (coral) and Jo'Mina (warm lilac) from Illamasqua, Inglot 337 (baby pink), Barry M Spring Green (bright green) and Mint Green (pastel green) as well as Model's Own Beth's Blue (blue lilac) and my only (nearly all gone) cream black - Essie Liquorice.

It is still on my nails now through a day of work, a day of rest and a scary as Hell interview. I predict I'll keep it for a good while longer, because it's cheery and chunky and I like that. When I get paid, I am getting a nail oil, creams just aren't cutting it. My cuticles and nail-side-bits (finger edges?) shame me.

Ruth x

Neon Leopard Nails

Adventure Time Inspired Series - Princess Bonibelle Bubblegum

Princess Bubblegum is the ruler of the Candy Kingdom. Pictured above she is 13, as one of her experiments  went awry. Usually she is 18. Peebles is a scientist and I like that, she's got a brain. Finn has a crush on her and Lumpy Space Princess is her best friend. She has a strained/difficult relationship with Marceline, it is suggested perhaps they used to be close. Aww. Sad times.

I created this look on Monday and only just got around to posting it. I have no idea why, as I have had a lot of free time. Eeep! Anyway, I went with a pink and purple cut-crease. Click fo' mo'

Anita Berber / Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless inspired FOTD

Anita Berber first came to my attention during the second year of my A-level in Art (when I was 17). I was studying Otto Dix for my contextual folder and his portrait of this Weimar-era dancer, writer, actor and prostitute really inspired me. He is my favourite German expressionist to this day and this is one of his most captivating paintings. Detail of the work is shown below. (I also really love his Portrait of the journalist Sylvia Von Harden which I managed to stumble on at the Pompidou centre when I was 19.)

But I digress, I find Anita interesting in a similar way as I find Marchesa Luisa Casati interesting; even all that time ago they looked so modern. Red hair, copious amounts of stage make-up, tight fitting dresses... sigh. I also dig her monocle (ha). She died before she was 30, after giving up her addictions to cocaine and alcohol, when she caught TB. A sort of 1920s Amy Winehouse, if you like. She also looks like Helena Bonham-Carter in the above nudey-monocle photo, so what, I ask, is not to love?

I'm pretty sure the red haired model in Alex Box's promo shots for the A/W 2011 Illamasqua collection Theatre of the Nameless is inspired by Berber, as their new deep red pigment is named for her. I love that.

This led me to have another little play with make-up today and will share the results below.

Adventure Time Inspired Series - Royal Tart Toter

The Royal Tart Toter used to deliver tarts for Princess Bubblegum's Back-Rubbing Ceremony (above) but has since gone insane, as well as blind and deaf. He is sometimes called the Old Tart Toter, as he no longer totes the tarts and is getting on a bit. Basically, this guy is a crazy gingerbread man. He makes me feel whistful and sad, poor fella. Hence today's FOTD.

I've been to London (and absent again!)

Mmmm look at that pizza. I stayed with my friend Mandi from Thursday to Sunday in her flat in Hackney. It was my first time going down to London on my very own so I was quite excited. I must've visited London about 15 times but never ever alone. Inititally I met her at her day job (Pizza Express) and had free pizza and drinks until she finished her shift (bonus). She is studying Art Writing MA at Goldsmiths. I am jealous.

More make-up stuff follows.

Two Cyan and Purple EOTDs (one high-end, one low-end) and NOTD

Above is what I am terming the high-end cyan look I did last Saturday. I used NYX jumbo pencil in Milk and MAC pigment in Hi-Def Cyan patted on top. The browns were from the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette and I added dramatic liner just because! There ended up being a Sikh wedding at work on the day, so the liner felt kind of appropriate. A little bit Bollywood? (ps did you know Sikhs drink alcohol... a lot? Judging by this wedding anyhow. You live and learn!)

Today I ended up doing another light blue/cyan look using the Sleek Curacao eyeshadow palette - Blue Lagoon, Blue Hawaiian, Singapore Sling and Purple Haze (again using the NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk as a white base to help it pop). I also used the Wet n Wild I'm Feeling Retro palette (the white as inner-corner highlight and the pink for blending). Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Asphyxia was a base for the crease and also Perversion (blackest black pencil liner) was a softer version of my usual black liner. 

More pictures and a NOTD under the cut.

Yesterday my nails were the best bit EOTD

I used Illamasqua Blow (baby yellow cream) and Barry M Raspberry (dark raspberry red) nail polishes for this freehanded half moon manicure. It's particularly tricky for me as I have no natural half moons to base it on. As much as I'd love to make it pristine and perfect, using those ring binder, circle-around-the-holepunch, stickers just seems too slooooowww to me. This manicure took me half an hour including filing and removing the previous chipped polish. I used a coat of quick dry topcoat between the cream and red and ontop of the red, making my nails super thickened and claw like. This is a photo from five minutes ago, I have worn this for two days working a busy museum till (I took nearly £4000 in cash and card payments) and as you can see, no visible wear. Bonus.

Eyes under the cut.

Adventure Time Inspired Series - Lady Rainicorn

 
Lady Rainicorn is a rainbow unicorn cross breed, companion of Princess Bubblegum and Jake the Dog's girlfriend. She speaks in Korean although sometimes she wears a universal translator so people other than Jake and her parents can understand her. (Of course this all makes perfect sense within the context of the cartoon :-p)

I based this look on her length, wigglyness and colours (although the blue did not come out as planned :( )
Anyhoo, more pictures and list of product if you click...

Simple work EOTD and Illamasqua Raindrops

Just a simple work look using Jealous Jordana eyeshadow and Cabana Boy blush from The Balm. The blue on my lid is Hi-Def Cyan pigment from MAC (another Cosmetic Company Outlet gift from my mum!) pressed over aqua blue HD cream liner from Kryolan. The pigment is very similar to the matte blue I got from Inglot (371) but as it's a pigment I feel it's more versatile (Cyan blue liquid-eyeliner using mixing medium will be a doddle with this, for example... no crusty eyeshadow pan!)
It stayed this intense all day.

My nails this weekend were Illamasqua Raindrops. The glass flecks were really pretty, but I had used a coat of Mavala grey I received free with Elle magazine this month (I subscribed for free Liz Earle cleanse and polish a couple of months ago) and I think that may have darkened the grey and obviously, as I used less coats of the sheer jelly Raindrops, lessened the glass flecks of glitter showing through.

Ruth x