Are you serious???

Starts with a secret...I am 26...hardly a confession I know, but here's the thing:

These days, a rather famous blogger turned 25 years old, and she felt the urge to spill this on her blog (which is perfectly fine by me- I will do the same in August), but also the shocking fact that she literally feels old now...

*I'm sorry, you feel what now?*

And that was my reaction ladies. Oh too shallow, don't you think??? I mean God, I know sooo many beautiful (inside-out) ladies in their 40's and 50's (most of my friends really), who look and feel absolutely fantastic at that age, who embrace the wisdom that comes with ageing, and who just don't sweat the small stuff like any princess in her mid twenties!

I can be bitchy sometimes (hell, who isn't?), but this blew me away... I tell you, I can't wait to turn 30, and then 40, and God help me, even 60, feeling not a day older, and hope to have my loved ones in good health as well, wandering around with a walking stick and poking the young, stupid girls 'by mistake'...

But that's just me!

What do you think?


Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

Rimmel / AWear Event

Yeah, I know, kinda' late on the bandwagon! Eh, what can you do?

I won a contest yesterday held by 'whatshewears.ie' (totally unrelated to my blog) and an invitation to Rimmel / AWear event (Masterclass really), with the lovely Ken Boylan hosting it. Now, the invite was for two, so I thought I'll take this chance and rock it...for I had the nerve to invite the lovely Karen from 'lovelygirliebits' to join me, I emailed her, I proposed....and she said 'Yes'...*Well, I'll be darned! ..She said 'yes'*

And so, I got the chance to meet the fabulous lady HERSELF and we had a great time chatting (and by 'we' I mean  myself especially :))!

Ken Boylan himself, who nipples aside...is a total swetheart :)

 Before / After Makeover

I also got the chance of meeting two of the Irish blogosphere's finest, Sinead and Dee, from Viva Adonis, lovely, lovely girls...and beautiful too, of course!

And here's us, all gathered for a photo (taken by a stunning model, wearing an equally stunning red Inglot lipstick)...



Aside from meeting the one and only Karen, I got home with a goodie bag (for which I have no photo of now - *weird*), and I also managed to fall in love, with the red Inglot lippie that is, what else??? And the cruel part is, I don't even know the name of the shade :(. *she says histerically*...

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipsticks

Well, the name says it all...these lipsticks are really show-offs! Ah-mazing!

Now, you should all now by now that matte and bright is my ultimate lipstick combo, and this collection is  all like that: extremely pigmented + matte = LOVE (hey, I do know some maths :)!)...The colour selection is 'bad-ass'!!!  I own three of these marvels and they look like this...Now Beware! I will be pouting my lips off in the following photos, so consider yourselves WARNED!

Ready y'all??? Here we go:

 

L-R: Be Bold, Shocking Pink & Shake-Up Pink

L-R: Be Bold, Shocking Pink & Shake-Up Pink

And here is yours truly wearing them...tired, but proud :)!

 Shake-Up Pink

 Shocking Pink ...(no kiddin')

 

Be Bold

Now, they mean serious business...no joke, very pigmented (did I mention that already? :)). Love them, I couldn't choose a shade that I like more between these, I love them equally. They don't feel dry on, but in time (lasting power is great of course) they can dry the lips out, so I guess you could extra moisturize.

I would recommend them to anyone that loves a good quality  matte lipstick, you really can't go wrong with these. The price is around 7Euros, but the quality and gorgeousness are priceless...THE END.

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Look of the Day - Avon Luxe Lace SuperShock Eyeliner Gel

Phew, that's a long title! I'm feeling better today, and all in all, I've gone super technological today, picture wise. I've asked the help of my sweet hubby to create a 'fancy' logo for my new 'fancy' blog, and also to create a collage of pics for the same. Thanks for that, baby!

I used my new Avon Luze Lace SuperShock Eyeline Gel today (9Euros) for a quite dramatic look, I might say. It's not like me to use so much eyeliner in one go, but since it's Saturday and I'm not in work on weekends, I figured why not???

I can tell you this much, it is one fabulous eyeliner, very pigmented, very soft and easy to work with, just glides on like a skater on ice. I've even used it on my waterline and it works like magic. Happy, happy!!! 

Because the tip of the eyeliner is rather thick compared to the one of an eyeliner brush, the application might be a bit  thick, but if you're comfortable with this, than I guess it's fine.

On my lips I've used 17 Lipstick in 'Pink Power', and a touch of CK gloss in 'Sensation'.

Here are some "natural" shots, where I "naturally" sweep the hair off my face, because we all do that when we take our photos, don't we? *Wink*


Here are my nails of the day, yep...you guessed it, it's Avon's Vivid Violet :)

Photo on the bottom left showing no flash in natural bulb light (is that the way to describe it?), and on the bottom right 'surprised' photo, the shade in natural daylight (with flash). 

A little disclaimer: My hubby has insisted for some while now to show me how to modernize my blog, but I've refused, and the reason behind this is because I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm modifying my pics, other than collaging and randomly stamping my photos with a logo... I would NEVER, and I mean NEVER EVER modify anything within the pictures, that means shading or erasing, nothing at all... it's a matter of principle. I truly hope you believe me :(, and  if you don't, than the collaging and logo-ing will stop :), no harm done! 

Now that this is out of the way...back to the eyeliner. It is FAB. Loving it. Just to let you know there is a sale catalogue on Campaign 06/2011 which I received with my products yesterday (I am not an Avon Reps - just mentioning) , and in there is the SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil at only 3Euros, in three fab shades...Yep, I am planning to  purchase them all. However, these are not Luxe Lace SuperShock, just SuperShock (well, shiver me timbers) is there any difference between them, do you know? Do share, pleeeeeease!

A quick 'hello' to my sis, who finally decided my blog is worth following - Welcome little lady!

Do you own any of the Avon eyeliners? What do you reckon, are they -yay- or -nay-?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Avon-Shoppin'

Hello fabulous gals, and emmm... boy *wink* ! I have some new followers to greet 'Hello to ya'll'!

Well, how did I become so famous? Actually I know how, some lovely bloggers have decided over night that I'm worth a mention, that's how! It makes me think, how come you've all decided this week ?? hmmm - must be the Universe working here :). Seriously, a huge thank you to you darlings (Nicoletta, Karen & Maquillageobscura - XO)!

Anywho, now that the intro is done, let's get blogging, shall we?

I've ordered some Avon stuff a few weeks ago, especially wanting / needing the Avon Luxe Lace Super Shock Eyeliner Gel (after seeing it on the one and only 'beaut.ie' ). So, I received it today..Yippee!

It looks very promising, I'm dying to try it (actually I'm dyin with a cold but ...), it's very soft and extremely pigmented. However, will it pass the longevity test? Well, I guess we shall see!

Another purchase was this lovely nail polish in 'Vivid Violet', such a fabulous colour.

And I bought some other bits too, but for the moment, let's just leave it to that! 

So, I'm really fighting with my cold (will win eventually), drinking loads of orange juice (not from concentrate); makeup wise I've been very 'blah' for past two days now, people who know me can actually tell I'm really sick from the lack of kilos of slap on my face :). Well, what can you do?

I hope you are all well and healthy, and hopefully I'll be well tomorrow for I'm looking forward to beautify myself again!!! Until then my sweeties, I - Ms. Sniffles, say 'Good Night' to you all!!!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Lacura Concealer Pen Review

While I won't review the Lacura skincare products just yet, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, stopping me from writing my take on the concealer pen I bought some while ago. As a quick reminder, please see photos of the product here .

I must confess that while typing this, my eyes fill with tears, not from excitement or anything, just due to a plain, old-fashioned cold/flu I'm proudly sporting at the moment :( . Not cool!!! *Sneeze* ...And so I'm continuing my review, for nothing can stop a girl from sharing :)

PACKAGING - is quite sleek, I guess we can all agree on that. Great  in my opinion, looks very expensive and you really only have to pump once to get the product out (although at first try- it's really great exercise for your thumb, because it takes a while for the product to shine through).

BRUSH APPLICATOR - I like it! Very convenient for touch-ups on the go and is very soft, precise, don't really know how hygienic the concept is, but I don't mind, it just means that I don't have to stick my fingers in anything, we all know how inconvenient that is when you have nicely painted claws!

CONSISTENCY - light, yet very pigmented. The shade I have is Cashmere, perfect for my skintone. It blends in soooo nicely, not at all drying, and extremely natural lookin' (on me at least). It doesn't stay on all day, but honestly I don't think any concealer does (if you know otherwise, do share with me :)). It doesn't budge either, and does brighten the eye area without making your fine lines look more obvious. Ohh, and it's great for blemishes too!!! I realize now whilst reviewing, that I've been using this every single day since I bought it. Well that says a lot, doesn't it?!

OVERALL EXPERIENCE - love! Yeah, sure it's not a magic wand, but  it's amazing enough for me, and not just for the 'entertaining' price of it, but also because it does its job fantastically! Will repurchase, and this my ladies, I put down in WRITING. 

You could try it too, will not hurt your wallet, will be a good friend in need, I really believe that you should give this a go ...but please, please, do not put the blame on me if otherwise... can't put a girl down for sharing her experience, can you :) ?

And hey, if you have it already, what do you think of it? Impressed much?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Very quick update and stuff...

Hello my darlings!!! Hope you are all fabulous :)! I wanted to do a quick update on Lacura skincare, a very short and misterious one - I'm dying to fully review the products bought, however I want to try them on properly (although I've used them religiously), so I can comment on the 'yay's' and 'nay's' open heartedly.

Let's just say there will be a trip to Aldi soon, 'grocery' shopping, but of course! What else? *Wink* 

I'm looking forward to next week, when the days are going to be longer, so I can take photos with my camera, an image can say a thousand words, can enhance or ruin an entire review. 

I have no other news except I'm loving the new 'blogger' lifestyle (as in spending hours in front of my computer and obsesively checking how many views I have), but other than that- things are sunny, but dull!!!

What's your update & stuff???

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

F.O.T.D. using Stila Smudge Pot in 'Cobalt'

Hi there!

Oh, happy day! I've reached 10 followers today...YAY! :)...I'm thrilled!!! Sure it might not be a lot for you lovely experienced bloggers, but darlings it's all about quality, not quantity... and you my ladies, bring the quality to my blog! So huuuuuge THANK YOU's to all of ya' brave ladies who tune in to read my daily ramblings (to Karen, Catanya, Jenn, Miss Educator, Nicoletta, Andreea, Anne Marie, Arlene, Chic Beauty Blog and Pink Fluff - XOXO).

Now, onto the make-up of the day, I sported the Cobalt look today, and here's how it looks on me:

            

The mascara used today was the Essence Dream Lashes, which is quite good at separating my lashes, and volumize, plus it's not a wet formula and doesn't create a pathetic monolash when applied. I like it very much!

The lip product used was the YSL Gloss Repulpant Shiny Lip Plumper, that looks something like this:

 

I am back in work tomorrow after a few days off, sadly :( , but if I want to keep my 'big spender' lifestyle (slight exageration), I need to work like everyone else, so yeah... I guess I have to return eventually!

But to end on a more positive and cheerful way, did I mention I now have 10 followers??? YAY!!!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Red or Dead!

Oh, hello girls! I went to TK Maxx today in search of a brush set, as seen on the lovely Karen's blog http://lovelygirliebits.blogspot.com/ , but didn't quite manage to find it...But no tears here for I'm sure if its meant to be, we're meet one day and together we'll  live happily ever after!!!

Another reason for me not being utterly upset about not finding what I was looking for, was this delicious handbag:

Ahhh, you should have seen me hopping around TK Maxx like an Easter Bunny with this practically attached to my arms, dying to get to the counter and pay the fabulous price of 34.99Euros for it, and then... hopping around some more up to our car, proudly prancing around with my large TK Maxx bag...ahh, the memories!

Obviously, after more hopping and prancing, and struting in front of my bedroom mirror, here's a cheesy photo for you, so you can see the excitement for yourself (and also the size of the bag compared to my 'over the moon' head :) )

Just a quick mention, if by any chance you just fell in love with my new handbag, there are two more colours available, one in grey with red details, and another one in a washed out grey/light blue- something like that kind of colour!

Hope you had a fabulous day everyone!!! I need to go now, for I want to stare at my lovely, perfect, new handbag! Oh, don't be jealous now! :)

Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

STILA Smudge Pots Review

Hello everyone! Hope you're having a fabulous Saturday! While all my posts start with the usual 'I thought I...' - I thought I'll just skip that today, ok?! Dammit, I did it again :(.


Stila Smudge Pots

I love Stila products, I just love love them! Now, these are not available on our little island, but thanks to TK Maxx, we can sometime fish for Stila sets, and if you're really lucky, you can find some good bits in there. However I got my three Stila smudge pots from BT2, right before they dissapeared from our beauty market. 

Here's how they look like:

 

Bronze

 Brown

 Cobalt

Apologies for the state of them, I've had them for some time now.

The consistency of the eyeliners  is creamy at first, but they can get quite dry in time, but working with them is easy nonetheless. The pigmentation is quite good, however for a bit of a 'wow' factor you do have to apply a few layers, which obviously is good for staying power as well. They will last a great deal of time on the eyes throughout the day, so no complaints there.

Bronze - absolutely gorgeous on the eyes, very subtle, extremely wearable. I use this a lot lately, when I want to give my Elizabeth Arden one in 'Black' a break. I absolutely love this particular one, it's very different, and in my opinion will work well and compliment all eye colours.

Brown - this is my oldest, it's a wee bit dry now, but if you dig deep into it, you still get the pay-off. Now I don't mind that they dry out, when I can't work with them anymore, I'll throw them out and buy new ones! *Bullshit!* I'm sure I'll find a solution to fix them! This one is a good alternative for black as well, it's matte and the brown colour is quite a deep one! I like it!!!

Cobalt - now this on the other hand, is the definition of -pretty-! I could look at it all day :)! To be in all honesty I only wore this one time, for a 'Cleopatra' Halloween look last year. It is still in its creamy age, very pigmented, lovely and scary in the same time...Blue makeup makes me nervous! I'm all for neutrals, but will have to experiment with this in the near future, it would be sad to let it sit in my makeup drawer, with no one to give it some loooovin'.  

I treasure them, and I am happy to have them in my collection. At this stage in my make-up history, I can't really say that I could not live without them, but I'll tell you this much: I am one hell of a proud owner of these babies!

What about you, do you own any Smudge Pots? What do you think?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Revlon 'Cherries in the Snow'

So, I'm listening to Lykee Li's 'Get Some', and start typing...My God, this song is so cool- yes, sadly that's the only way I can describe it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TTPGAy5H_E

Anyway, back to typing!

 I thought I'll share with you my make-up for the day and also the new addition to my bright lipsticks collection. Enter the mother of all brights: Revlon's Super Lustruous Lipstick in 'Cherries in the snow' - and yes I realize I'm kinda late in purchasing this, but hey, it's all mine now!* happy dance routine*

Ladies, it's so bright, you have to look at it with your sunglasses on!

Obviously if I wanted to avoid looking like a clown, I had to pair it with a more neutral eye makeup (we all know the rule here :)) - the bronze eyeliner used is a Stila Smudge Pot Gel Eye Liner in 'Bronze', which is fabulous by the way, but will get into detail about that another time.

Just so you see for yourself how gorgeous the eyeliner is, here's a photo with no mascara on:

Adding several coats of mascara:

All in all, I got this result: (of course combined with other 100 makeup products used, but not mentioned):

Now, onto the lipstick...In the tube itself, this looks like a lovely red colour, with blue and pink undertones, but on my lips it's like from an entirely different movie. It's clearly PINK! Oh, speaking of this, please excuse the clash of the pinks in the photo above (my lips and my p.j.'s top) it was unintentional, believe it or not!

So... it's pink, and not an easy one to work with, unfortunately! It's too bright, and too pigmented (here's something I never  thought I'll say!). The finish is somewhere between matte and satiny, more matte really, because it's so pigmented, and I find that I need to moisturize my lips like a mad woman before using it. 

Will I repurchase? Nope, so sorrrry, I thought this will be my HG lipstick, but not this time baby!  Will just have to wait and hope that somewhere, there's a perfect lipstick for me, with just the right amount of red, blue and pink in it!

Are you a proud owner of this lipstick? How is it treating you?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo