Late post tonight - it's almost 11pm here.
May I present to you Mavala "New York"!
This is a wet cement looking, midtone grey creme. To me, this is a true grey in that it doesn't lean either brown or blue, it appears to be pretty pure. Me likey!
Application was a breeze, two coats offered great opacity.
I wonder how this one stands up to China Glaze Recycle, shade wise... Since I am probably the last one in the polish Blogosphere who doesn't own Recycle, I'm afraid I can't compare them for you.
I must say I am totally in love with this one, though!
What do you think, readers? Is grey out in the cold, or still rocking hot? Do you have a fave grey, and if so - which one?
That's all I have for you today - I wish you all a fantastic, relaxing, loving, caring, inspiring, enjoyable, fun weekend!
♥
Friday, February 5, 2010
Guess My Name - Time To Come Clean + Misc Hauls
Good Day, everyone!
OK, so I've been meaning to do this post for awhile, but as usual haven't gotten around to it until now.
There has been some confusion (naturally so) regarding my changing my posting/blogger ID name from Vanessa to Helen; I've received a couple of emails about it, and I know there are some of my other blogger acquaintances wondering as well - so today is the day to come clean about it.
(Of course, those of you who are new followers haven't seen me posting as Vanessa, so there will be no adjusting problems for you ;) )
I've decided to start posting under my real name - which is Helen - Vanessa is the name of my precious daughter, and I felt it was time to stop hijacking her name, lol!
Also, it does feel quite awkward having people write: "Hi Vanessa" when it isn't my real name...
This means we are now officially two "Helens" in the nail Blogosphere (at least that I know of) - myself and our wonderful fellow English blogger (from Helen & Sheenie).
Hopefully you won't have too much trouble telling us apart!
So - now you gals have something new to learn over the weekend, which is a hard thing, isn't it...? lol!
Really - I bet you'll adjust in no time.
And here's just a few teaser pics of recent hauls - I'll feature these items in upcoming blog posts soon.
OK, so I've been meaning to do this post for awhile, but as usual haven't gotten around to it until now.
There has been some confusion (naturally so) regarding my changing my posting/blogger ID name from Vanessa to Helen; I've received a couple of emails about it, and I know there are some of my other blogger acquaintances wondering as well - so today is the day to come clean about it.
(Of course, those of you who are new followers haven't seen me posting as Vanessa, so there will be no adjusting problems for you ;) )
I've decided to start posting under my real name - which is Helen - Vanessa is the name of my precious daughter, and I felt it was time to stop hijacking her name, lol!
Also, it does feel quite awkward having people write: "Hi Vanessa" when it isn't my real name...
This means we are now officially two "Helens" in the nail Blogosphere (at least that I know of) - myself and our wonderful fellow English blogger (from Helen & Sheenie).
Hopefully you won't have too much trouble telling us apart!
So - now you gals have something new to learn over the weekend, which is a hard thing, isn't it...? lol!
Really - I bet you'll adjust in no time.
And here's just a few teaser pics of recent hauls - I'll feature these items in upcoming blog posts soon.
Have a GREAT weekend!! ♥
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
200 Followers/Valentines Giveaway Alert!
Just a quick post to inform you that fellow Swedish blogger (whose blog I just discovered) Anna is having a really cool Giveaway! You really should check it out and sign up to participate - the prize is awesome - discontinued China Glazes!
You can access the contest post directly by clicking here!
So - what are you waiting for? Go for it, best of luck!
xoxo
Left to Right: China Glaze No Way Jose and China Glaze 100 Proof Pink
You can access the contest post directly by clicking here!
So - what are you waiting for? Go for it, best of luck!
xoxo
Labels:
China Glaze,
Fellow Bloggers,
Giveaways,
Misc,
Nailpolish
◆ NARS Spring 2010 Collection ◆
Inspired by Catherine Deneuve’s role as Lucille in La Chamade; the NARS Spring 2010 Collection features soft, sexy shades that are as elegant as they are versatile. “I love Catherine’s makeup look in this movie,” says Francois Nars. “She is the perfect reference for this collection, and apropos for spring, a time to embrace color and get noticed”.
- Duo Eyeshadow - Kuala Lumpur
- Duo Cream Eyeshadow - Camargue
- Single Eyeshadow - D. Gorgeous
- Glitter pencil - Bains Douches
- Lipstick - Cruising
- Lip Gloss - Ophelia, Easy lover
- Nail Polish - Purple Rain
Til next time - ♥
Monday, February 1, 2010
♥ Makeup Techniques Based on Eye Shapes ♥
Good Day Lovelies!
It is not very difficult to learn how to use optical illusions to your own advantage. This post will show you how to improve your eye shape and make your eyes look more beautiful with the help of shadows, mascara and eyeliner.
Before we get into talking about different eye shapes, there are some general rules that can be helpful as guidelines along the way:
Close Set Eyes
To correct this with the help of an eyeliner, draw a very thin line along the upper eyelashes so that it becomes thicker near the outer corner of your eyes, or you may start lining a quarter of the way out from the inner eye corner. Smudge lines.
Deep Set Eyes
Hooded Eyes
Then sweep a lighter shadow on the brow bone and on the inside corner of the eye. Draw a very thin line along the top lash line (to keep the eye looking open) and smudge it with a cotton swab.
Apply dense black mascara to upper lashes only.
Asian Eyes
Small Eyes
Prominent eyes
For Girls Wearing Glasses
It is not very difficult to learn how to use optical illusions to your own advantage. This post will show you how to improve your eye shape and make your eyes look more beautiful with the help of shadows, mascara and eyeliner.
Before we get into talking about different eye shapes, there are some general rules that can be helpful as guidelines along the way:
- Dark shades make your eyes visually smaller, deep set, whilst light shades, on the contrary, make them appear bigger. If you want to create the effect of big, attractive eyes, prefer light eye-shadows.
- Eye shadows applied after an eye pencil or any other kind of eyeliner will make your eyes look softer and dreamy. For a more dramatic look, apply eyeliner after the application of eye-shadows.
- Don’t forget to curl your eyelashes, and then cover them with a layer or two of mascara. Avoid lining the inner edge of the lower eyelashes, as it can make your eyes visually smaller (unless lining with light shades). (My optician also told me that lining the inner rims may cause clogging of the inner rim glands, we do have tiny ones there)
Wide Set Eyes
You can visually reduce the distance between your eyes. Start at outer corner of eye with medium tint shadow, angling slightly upward. Apply shadow color on entire eyelid as far as crease, blending outward. Spread medium-light toned shadow to brow bone and blend to center of the lid. Apply darker color in the inner corner of the eyelid, going softly along side of bridge of nose into fullest area of brow.
Put darker color from inner corner to the center of your eyelid, blending into medium shade that started from the outer corner. The lightest shade should be concentrated in the center under the brow.
Stay away of adding the lightest shade to outer edges under brow, which would pull your eye outward. Line eyes completely – top and bottom – from inner to outer corners. Apply mascara. Brush lashes straight up. To make the eyes appear closer together, use mascara generously, on both upper and lower lashes.
Close Set Eyes
Close set eyes are those which are narrower than one eye width.
To correct this with the help of an eyeliner, draw a very thin line along the upper eyelashes so that it becomes thicker near the outer corner of your eyes, or you may start lining a quarter of the way out from the inner eye corner. Smudge lines.
Put a thin layer of light eye-shadow from the inner corner of your eyes to the middle of your eyelid. After that apply shadows of darker hues starting from the middle of your eyelid to the outer corner. Blend the colors in the middle of the lids. Mascara on both upper and lower lashes, but do use more mascara on the outer corners.
Deep Set Eyes
If you have deep set eyes, opt for light and nacreous colors of eyeshadows that will aid in making your eyes appear visually bigger. Apply light eyeshadows on the eyelid from the inner corner of your eye slightly angling upward and a bit further.
Apply light colors in the middle of the lid, and darker colors on and just above the socket line. Blend the darker shade softly up and out.
And put the lightest shade under brow. Remember, dark colors on brow bone will make deep set eyes look even deeper. Avoid using eyeliner on top lids, which will sink eyes further back. But line lower lid under lashes on outer one-third. Then smudge pencil line to just a shadow to minimize heaviness of top brow.
Hooded Eyes
These eyes are set so that natural crease in the eyelid is not readily seen. To make such eyes look more expressive apply a medium to dark shadow on the crease and hooded area.
Then sweep a lighter shadow on the brow bone and on the inside corner of the eye. Draw a very thin line along the top lash line (to keep the eye looking open) and smudge it with a cotton swab.
Apply dense black mascara to upper lashes only.
Asian Eyes
These eyes have a distinctive lift at the corner and have very little lid. To create a better look, apply light eyeshadows on your eyelids. Use an eyeliner to make a thick smoky line along upper eyelashes (the line should be thick enough to be seen well when your eyes are open).
Draw a thinner line under the lower eyelashes. To make your eyes look visually wider put brown eyeshadow on your eyebrows or apply a brown pencil. Cover your eyelashes with two or three layers of dense mascara.
Small Eyes
They are proportionately smaller in comparison to the rest of the facial features.
To enhance small eyes apply a medium-toned shadow (such as soft grey or blue) to the crease and lighter shadow on the eyelids. Then use a soft-colored liner both on the top and bottom lash lines, extending the top line across the entire lash line. Apply black mascara on upper lashes.
Prominent eyes
These eyes tend to dominate the facial features. The eyelids are too large.
Your best decision is – medium to deep shades of shadow on the lids as they help to minimize the appearance of your lids. Liner when applied to the lash bases from corner to corner gives prominent eyes a smoldering and mysterious look. Finish with a coat of black mascara on both upper and lower lashes.
For Girls Wearing Glasses
If you wear glasses your make-up should depend on the color of the frame. If the frame is bright, you don’t have to add color with eye shadows.
Pay attention to your eyelashes and put the accent on them. Opt for a black mascara.
To give your eyelashes more volume and make them fluffy, use a dense mascara and apply it from the roots to the tips. Besides, you should correct your brow line as it will be seen before people see your eyes.
That's all for today, I hope you have found this post helpful, and remember - the most important thing is that you FEEL good in the choices you make!
Til next time - ♥
♥ !! I'm Tagged !! ♥
Thank you, HeavenNRJ from Less Is More..., for tagging me! I really appreciate it! :) *BIG hugs*
If you haven't checked out her blog, do head over there to do so - lot of entertaining reading to discover!
The rules for the award are as follows:
1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.
2. Pass the award on to approximately 10-15 other blogs that you recently discovered and think are great!
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
I've recently discovered these great blogs:
- Olivia from The Land of Makeup Obscurity
- Gildedangel from Naive Nails
- Glittermillie from Glittermillie's Nails and Sparkle
- Karianne from Neglelakkmani
- Evil Angel from Black Nail Polish and Lipgloss
- Michèle from Laquerized
- Katie from What Katie Did Her Polish
- Juicy Nails at Juicy Nails
- Olivia from Livy Lu Lu
- Nihrida from Nihrida's blog
- Nea from Fashioned in Finland
- Kelliegonzo from Also Known As...
- Em from Too Much Blush
You are all fantabulous fabulous beautiful wonderful human beings and Great Bloggers!
Please Note: If I haven't mentioned your blog, it doesn't mean I don't like it - it probably means that:
A. I'm your old follower/fan.
B. You've already got this tag a while ago.
C. You're not following me, and I'm too shy to tag you. lol
D. I accidentally missed your blog. :)
Do spread the love, and do have a GREAT week, y'all! ♥
Saturday, January 30, 2010
NOTD - OPI Absolutely Alice ♥
So, I know I'm kinda late to the ongoing party in Wonderland, but hey - being an International means never getting your hands on new polish collections very early, I'm afraid ... :(
Well, since I am in a party mood today, I'll add in my swatches of Absolutely Alice anyway.
I almost fainted when I opened the parcel and digged out this beauty! This one (as well as "Mad As A Hatter" which was also in that very same package) is truly amazing - just looking at the bottles brings a smile to my face. Perhaps I'm easily amused.... ;)
On to the pics then, shall we..?
Well, since I am in a party mood today, I'll add in my swatches of Absolutely Alice anyway.
I almost fainted when I opened the parcel and digged out this beauty! This one (as well as "Mad As A Hatter" which was also in that very same package) is truly amazing - just looking at the bottles brings a smile to my face. Perhaps I'm easily amused.... ;)
On to the pics then, shall we..?
Direct sunlight...
Bling-gasm!! :)
Chillin' in the snow...
Close up - do enlarge!
Absolutely Alice is a bright blue glitter with some gold suspended in a clear base. It's the gold that makes this an interesting and quite unique shade, I can't recall having seen any polish quite like this one before. It’s truly dazzling!
Application was very nice, just make sure you load the brush with enough polish - if the brush is too dry you may easily end up wiping away the glitter, leaving blank "spots" behind. Since the base is clear, three coats are needed in order for it to be opaque.
I did apply a fairly thick coat of Seche Vite on top, since the surface otherwise tends to feel a little grainy.
Have you bought any of the AIW shades? What do you think of the collection?
Til next time - ♥
Have you bought any of the AIW shades? What do you think of the collection?
Til next time - ♥
♥ Romantic Valentine's Contest Alert! ♥
Hi All - and Happy Saturday!
I don't know about you, but I love weekends :)
Just a quick post to inform you that my dear blogging friend Tuli is having the most awesome Valentine's Day Giveaway! You really should check it out and sign up to participate - the prize is spectacular!
If you're not familiar with Tuli's blog, do pay it a visit - she is blogging mainly about nail related subjects; featuring lots of gorgeous nail polish pics and reviews, but also sometimes she blogs about daily life, cooking, and travel/trips. Being located in Israel, she writes her blog in both Hebrew and English - I find that amazing!
You can access the contest post directly by clicking here!
So - what are you waiting for? Go for it, best of luck!
xoxo
I don't know about you, but I love weekends :)
Just a quick post to inform you that my dear blogging friend Tuli is having the most awesome Valentine's Day Giveaway! You really should check it out and sign up to participate - the prize is spectacular!
If you're not familiar with Tuli's blog, do pay it a visit - she is blogging mainly about nail related subjects; featuring lots of gorgeous nail polish pics and reviews, but also sometimes she blogs about daily life, cooking, and travel/trips. Being located in Israel, she writes her blog in both Hebrew and English - I find that amazing!
You can access the contest post directly by clicking here!
So - what are you waiting for? Go for it, best of luck!
xoxo
Thursday, January 28, 2010
♥ Pink Polish Lemming Wheel ♥
Good day, dearest reader.
Hope you are all doing fine!
In the next couple of weeks I'll attempt to work through some of my backlog... so much stuff I want to post! Just haven't had the time - I sometimes wish there was 30++ hours a day, instead of 24.
Anyway, this is one of my polish swatching wheels, or whatever you wish to call it :)
These are all pinks (or at least "pinkish" ;)), let's see if I can enable some of you into new polish purchases.. ;)
So - any lemmings?
Til next time - ♥
Hope you are all doing fine!
In the next couple of weeks I'll attempt to work through some of my backlog... so much stuff I want to post! Just haven't had the time - I sometimes wish there was 30++ hours a day, instead of 24.
Anyway, this is one of my polish swatching wheels, or whatever you wish to call it :)
These are all pinks (or at least "pinkish" ;)), let's see if I can enable some of you into new polish purchases.. ;)
Click to enlarge!
- Misa "Siren"
- Sally Hansen "Wildlife"
- Zoya "Vivi"
- Sinful Colors "Forget Now"
- China Glaze "Limbo Bimbo"
- Orly "Hawaiian Punch"
- Zoya "Brooke"
- Sinful Colors "Shining Heart"
- OPI "If The Fuchsia Fits..."
- Zoya "Anaka"
- Precision "Pardon My French"
- OPI "It's All Greek To Me"
- Depend #122
- Depend #87
- NYX Girls "Poppy"
- Sinful Colors "Pretty"
- Color Club "Green Is The New Pink"
- Mavala #328 "Rose"
So - any lemmings?
Til next time - ♥
Friday, January 22, 2010
OPI Hong Kong Collection, Spring 2010
OPI Hong Kong Collection, Spring 2010
Release: February 2010
Colors are:
- Bling Dynasty
- Red My Fortune Cookie
- Hot & Spicy
- Dim Sum Plum
- Jade is the New Black
- Suzi Says Feng Shui
- A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find
- Lucky Lucky Lavender
- Meet Me on the Star Ferry
- Panda-monium Pink
- Pearl of Wisdom
- Chop-sticking to My Story
Anything of interest ladies?
I personally like "Jade is the new black" and "Hot & Spicy", but other than these two, nothing in this collection really wows me.
Swatches can be found here and here.
Labels:
Collections,
Hong Kong,
Limited Editions,
Nailpolish,
OPI,
Spring 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
BB Couture Hands of Hope Collection for Haiti
Good day, lovelies!
I hope you are having a terrific morning/day/night, depending on where you are located ;)
However - as we all know by now, the people of Haiti are not experiencing very good times right now due to the intense earthquake last week. The news reports have been heartbreaking to look at - so much has been destroyed, and so many people have died or become homeless... it's simply terrible.
Now, the good news is that if you are a nail polish addict like me, you can now get your hands on a whole special collection of gorgeous BB Couture shades AND help the people of Haiti at the same time! Isn't that great?!
Here's the deal - Kim at Overall Beauty and BB Couture have joined forces and created a special set of 6 tropical inspired colors, of which 25% of all sales are going to the Salvation Army towards their efforts to get relief into the hands of those who need it most; namely the women and children of Haiti.
The "Hands of Hope Collection" by BB Couture includes:
~Tortuga Island - explore the exotic lush green island foliage
~Kyona Beach – gaze up at the cloudless baby blue sky while sunning on the beach
~Bassin’s Blue – experience subtle turquoise pools linked by spectacular waterfalls
~Labadie Beach – delight in the delicate pink hues of the setting sun
~Cape Haitian – mornings bring a mysterious pale violet haze over the mountains
~Paradise – savor the natural beauty of Haiti along the endless sandy beige beaches
So, I hope you will all head over to Overall Beauty and buy the set - nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something...
The whole set cost $54 and is available now!!
EDIT::: I was just visiting Mary's Blog (you gotta check it out if you haven't already - she has swatches of the collection), and apparently you can purchase these individually as well, and 25% of the sale of the singles is also going towards the goal of raising $5,000.00 from the proceeds of this special collection! Great!!
I think those shades are beautiful, they will fit perfectly into my "Spring/Summer 2010 Polish Wardrobe" :)
Do spread the word about this - tweet, re-tweet, blog, Facebook, etc, to get more people to help.
And, while visiting Overall Beauty, don't forget to sign up for their newsletter! Use the sign up box in the right hand column. Kim indicates that she has quite a few nice surprises up her sleeve, for those who are signed up on the mailing list. There will specials that only those on the list will ever know about, she states on the site. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
So - what do you all think?
Great idea combining nail polish addiction and charity? Going to buy it? Like the shade selection?
Don't like it?
Tell me your thoughts - would love to hear from you, dear readers!
I promise I'll be back *very* soon!
Hopefully I will soon have managed to get a little more structure of my day time and my schedule, so I can find the time to start posting more regularly again - I really miss it, and also really miss the contact and communication with all of you guys - fellow bloggers and readers.
Til next time; take care ♥
I hope you are having a terrific morning/day/night, depending on where you are located ;)
However - as we all know by now, the people of Haiti are not experiencing very good times right now due to the intense earthquake last week. The news reports have been heartbreaking to look at - so much has been destroyed, and so many people have died or become homeless... it's simply terrible.
Now, the good news is that if you are a nail polish addict like me, you can now get your hands on a whole special collection of gorgeous BB Couture shades AND help the people of Haiti at the same time! Isn't that great?!
Here's the deal - Kim at Overall Beauty and BB Couture have joined forces and created a special set of 6 tropical inspired colors, of which 25% of all sales are going to the Salvation Army towards their efforts to get relief into the hands of those who need it most; namely the women and children of Haiti.
The "Hands of Hope" Collection...
Click to enlarge!
The "Hands of Hope Collection" by BB Couture includes:
~Tortuga Island - explore the exotic lush green island foliage
~Kyona Beach – gaze up at the cloudless baby blue sky while sunning on the beach
~Bassin’s Blue – experience subtle turquoise pools linked by spectacular waterfalls
~Labadie Beach – delight in the delicate pink hues of the setting sun
~Cape Haitian – mornings bring a mysterious pale violet haze over the mountains
~Paradise – savor the natural beauty of Haiti along the endless sandy beige beaches
So, I hope you will all head over to Overall Beauty and buy the set - nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something...
The whole set cost $54 and is available now!!
EDIT::: I was just visiting Mary's Blog (you gotta check it out if you haven't already - she has swatches of the collection), and apparently you can purchase these individually as well, and 25% of the sale of the singles is also going towards the goal of raising $5,000.00 from the proceeds of this special collection! Great!!
I think those shades are beautiful, they will fit perfectly into my "Spring/Summer 2010 Polish Wardrobe" :)
Do spread the word about this - tweet, re-tweet, blog, Facebook, etc, to get more people to help.
And, while visiting Overall Beauty, don't forget to sign up for their newsletter! Use the sign up box in the right hand column. Kim indicates that she has quite a few nice surprises up her sleeve, for those who are signed up on the mailing list. There will specials that only those on the list will ever know about, she states on the site. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
So - what do you all think?
Great idea combining nail polish addiction and charity? Going to buy it? Like the shade selection?
Don't like it?
Tell me your thoughts - would love to hear from you, dear readers!
I promise I'll be back *very* soon!
Hopefully I will soon have managed to get a little more structure of my day time and my schedule, so I can find the time to start posting more regularly again - I really miss it, and also really miss the contact and communication with all of you guys - fellow bloggers and readers.
Til next time; take care ♥
Map of Haiti - click to enlarge!
Image Courtesy: www.globalsecurity.org
Labels:
BB Couture,
Charity,
Collections,
Haiti,
Limited Editions,
Misc,
Nailpolish,
Off Topic,
Overall Beauty
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)