Battle of the Lip Stains

Oooh, the game is on, beach :D! And yes, I mean 'beach'- as in the sandy one!!! The reason behind it being the start of summer, and no, I don't mean the Irish summer, this will be a tough one to crack this year as it turns out! But everywhere else, where there's a normal hot summer weather already, the lip stains are being taken out of the drawer and placed neatly into the makeup bags :D. And so, I have a little experiment for you today (at 11.21 PM, the things I do for you lot!).

I propose 5 lip stains / tints, for the simple reason that I only have 5 of them in my 'not so humble' collection:

CONTENSTANTS:

1. Primark 'Tinted Love'
2. The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain in '01'
3. Stila 'Pomegranate Crush'
4. The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain in '02'
5. Bourjois Rouge Hi-Tech in Cyber Cassis 86

Same order as above

These are all water-based formulas, except Primark's Tinted Love, which is a gel based tint. I absolutely love these, they all perform in the same way: they give a long lasting 'just snogged & bitten' effect to thy lips, while being wildly drying in the process. But nothing wrong with that, not something that a good lip balm can't fix. I must admit, my most worn is the Body Shop's No. 2 there, which is the most interesting one of all too. It has this golden shimmery top coat to it that looks like a highlighter, but for the love of God, do not use it as one :D. You MOST probably won't, but just in case...After the golden coat wears off, what's left behind is the usual stain that all others leave, see proof below.

 BLENDED RESULTS:

And the longevity / pigmentation Winner is:

......Bourjois's Rouge High-Tech Liptint!!!!

 Top - Naked lips

Bottom - Bourjois Rouge Hi-Tech in 'Cyber-Cassis'

Fancy a mug shot of me wearing it??? Probably NOT, but I'll show you anyways :D :D :D

Congrats to Bourjois for snapping the 'MOST PIGMENTED AND LONG LASTING, FABULOUS LIP STAIN' award, hopefully many other contestants will join in the next competition, love me some nice fare contest!!!

Have a good night y'all!


Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

'Mango & Passion Fruit Cheesecake' Look of The Day

Mango & passion fruit cheesecake...yum, yum! After having a few (ahem! too many) slices, I wanted to try a look inspired by the gorgeous colours in it, and here's what I came up with:

Step 1:

Started with an eyeshadow primer (UDPP) and then I applied Revlon's Matte Lipstick in 'Pink about it' as a base. I looks red above, but it is not in real life, my camera has an evil mind of its own, and it's starting to p**s me off.

Step 2:



Because I don't own any orange/coral eyeshadows, I used two colours from the Lancaster Infinite Bronze Blush Variations above in 'Sunny' - the orange colour to the left (all over the lid) and the coral one to the right (contouring the crease, and bringing it down on the lower lash line). You can imagine how insanely pigmented this blush is, if it can be used as an eyeshadow.

Step 3:



I used a lighter shade of orange from an Essence Duo I had lying around, on the brow bone and above the crease, bringing it into the inner corner of the eye, underneath the eyebrow.  I then highlighted the brow bone close to the eyebrows, and the inner corner of the eye, with an irridescent white eyeshadow from the Isadora 'Rose Quartz' palette.

 Step 4:

I contoured the outer edges of the eye crease blending it inwards, and also accentuated the outer corner of the eye and the outer half of the lower lash line, and then blended some...actually, a ridiculous amount of blending is involved in the process :D.  

Step 5:



After the bleedin' blending part, I went over with the coral eyeshadow (blush :D) to the areas that needed more 'pop' of colour, on the centre of the eyelid and on the lower lash line, below the black eyeshadow. Applied Elizabeth Arden's eyeliner gel on the upper lash line and waterline, and the look was basically done. I then added mascara and falsies, and voila: 

Result:

(together with my yummy slice of cheesecake)



And that's that!!! Hope you've enjoyed reading & seeing this!!! By the way, this look is insanely pigmented and dramatic in real life, but no! my unfriendly camera has to tone it down...*it* prefers the more natural looks, I believe! Please excuse any gramatical errors I might have (deffo) made above, my English is absolutely terrible today and I'm also brain-dead from all the sleepiness (I'm *this* close to taking a late afternoon nap :D).

I would like to give a special 'welcome' to my brother's fiancee, who became my 100th follower the other day, and who made me a very happy blogger by doing this, so many thanks little lady, and welcome!!! Lots of love to you! :D

Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

Award, award and yet another award :D

Well you guessed it! I've been awarded yet again :D...I must get really annoying here, but it's my song so let me sing it! Amazing how well this feels, people actually care enough to nominate me,  means an awful lot coming from you lot :D!

So, I received again a double bill of the Liebster Award, from the following beauties:

a) Aphrosie - it's this chick here - she is an artist, a girl after my own heart, very sweet and down-to-earth, so if you're looking for great make-up reviews from a sweet Irish gal, this is the blog to check out!

b) Beauty and Reverie - this beauty here  - she is a gorgeous strawberry blonde with 'annoyingly' 

clear skin, the only word I can think of that describes her best is 'sweet'...don't hesitate to click on the link and have a peek at her blog, and follow if you wish, you won't regret it :D.

And the third award this week, The Butterfly Award:

...from Sunshine Rose - another gal that makes me smile, she's very smart and witty, sweet and has plenty of make-up reviews on her blog to keep you busy reading :D. She is all that the name says: a complete 'sunshine' :D

Rules:

Write a random fact about yourself. 
1. Pass the award on.
2. Notify the bloggers you nominate.

Random fact about myself: - I hate Juicy Couture, Paul's Boutique & Guess handbags!!! Everything about the 'bling' makes me wanna skip the handbag and grab a Tesco's plastic bags to store my belongings in instead. In my opinion they're far from classy, they're cheap and fake looking, only suitable for Playboy bunnies. I know that of course, there are models that except this rule, but per general, they're quite 'in your face' handbags.  And let's not discuss the price of these, let's just not!

Now, I would nominate the following blogs for the 'Butterfly Award' and because I will nominate quite a good few, I won't describe any of them because that would take me ages, but please, please check them out, be a nosey one and click the links below:

1) Karen (Everything Girlie)

2) 25FLONDON

3) Andreea (Your Beauty)

4) Ms. A (BeautyBoudoir)

5) Katey (Katey0787)

6) Emma (Fluff and Flipperies)

7) Nic (Strawberry Blonde)

8) Girls from EmeraldEyeliner

I would nominate all of the blogs I'm following at present, I don't follow them for nothing, but for now, that's the love I'm sharing this evening!

Lots and bunch of 'THANKS' to Sunshine Rose, Beauty and Reverie and Aphrosie, for thinking about me in these happy times! Means a lot to me really, honestly and truly :D!

P.S. - Apologies for the lazy week, kind of lost my mojo here, have you seen it anywhere? If you have, could you tell 'IT' that there's an uninspired gal who's waiting for it to come back to her? Cheers! 

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo 

   

Classic Make-up Look + Loud Outfit !?

I've seen a post on Stina's blog about a classic Red Carpet look, in which she looked absolutely stunning, so I thought I'll sport something similar today, for a boring shopping trip.

I do however believe that a red lipstick looks fantastic on blondes, as it comes out too strong on brunettes, but on the other hand, brights look not so good on blondes and amazing on brunettes, that's the way I see it anyway.

Simple look, no steps to follow, just popped some plain-old golden eyeshadow on the eyelid, the usual brightening eyeshadow on the inner corner of the eye and brown bone, a darker brown eyeshadow on the lower lash line and the usual eyeliner flick (with Rimmel Flash Eyeliner, which is the perfect tool for this look)... BANG and the look is done! :D.  

This is a beautiful  Elizabeth Arden red lipstick, with gold shimmer running through it creating the illusion of fuller & luscious lips.

FINAL RESULT:

 How to ruin a classic make-up look??? Well simple, pair it with a loud, not-so-classic outfit:



Step 1:

Step 2:

And the classic becomes loud!!!

Thanks for reading everyone! Tell me this (if you wish :D), do you believe that red lippies look better on brunettes or blondes??? Fell free to agree to disagree!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Sally Hansen 'Complete Salon Manicure' Swatches :)

WARNING: PIC HEAVY (NO JOKE :D)

I received a huge amount of nail polishes from the collection, 13 (a lucky number for me) to be more precise, oh girls, you can imagine the excitement, I felt like a child in a candy shop who was kindly invited to chose his favourites! And it's more fantastic to me as I never win anything, just the usual 2Euro back from the 2Euro scrathcard, hardly a win at all, just a kind refund :D!

So please do not be jealous!!! Or at least, try not to be! I'm a good girl, and great things come to those who...have nice PR ladies looking after them :D (Cheers Aoife & Claire)!  

Here are the shoes that I wore yesterday to the event, and the matching nail polish I had my nails painted with by the Sally Hansen gal (yep, we were treated to a fab mani session each) :

I am not sure which shade she used though, either 'Kook-a-Mango' or 'All Fired Up', I was brain-dead from all the excitement!!!

And incoming- the swatches for the nail polishes received, a lot of photos, so apologies in advance:

ROUND 1:

ROUND 2:

THREE FINGERED ROUND 3 *WINK*:

Phew, the end! I *so* love them all! I only swatched them and I am now with 'naked' nails, but I cannot wait to wear them. I noticed that they apply quite sheer, so you would require two coats of these, which is fabulous for me because I believe that the more liquidy these are, the better, they'll last longer and won't dry up in the bottle after a few good applications. And how amazing are the bottles???

Is it wrong that I cannot wait for these babies to be released in June, to get the 'Yellow Kitty', which I totally missed for some reason??? I think NOT!

Which one do you like? I might buy a couple for my next giveaway (will not give away my own, although I thought about doing this, but NO... I love them ALL too much)! So the top picks from you ladies, will go in my next giveaway! Lots of love to you!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Sally Hansen 'Complete Salon Manicure'

Hey there girlies (& boy :D)! Hope the Rapture hasn't started wherever you are :D, I have to say, it's terrifying how much marketing this 'event' is getting!

But back to pretty things, I was invited to the launch of the Sally Hansen 'Complete Salon Manicure' range by two ladies from a fabulous PR company, who can really show a girl a good time :). Of course I was gutted to be even invited in the first place and needless to say my excitement was beyond measure! When they asked me if I wanted to attend I was like 'Did the Queen just visited Ireland?' Hell yeah! I am *so* there!!!

The event was hosted by Dana Caruso herself, Sally Hansen Global Beauty Expert, who was extremely lovely and who kindly introduced us to the Complete Salon Manicure.

Now, we all know Sally (we're on the first name basis, you can read all about our relationship here)! The fabulous brand that has us all - me especially, hooked on their professional range of nail products, I love this brand, actually- I will not be without these products!!!

Introduction to Complete Salon Manicure:

Quote from Press Release (Yes people! I receive Press Releases in my Inbox, which is crazy-exciting for me :D):

"Now, Sally Hansen has leveraged its five decades of expertise to create Complete Salon Manicure, which, amazingly, combines a base and top-coat, strengthening and growth treatment and salon-inspired colour, all in one bottle.

The secret lies in a breakthrough innovation exclusive to Sally Hansen: Micro-Encapsulated Time-Release Technology, infusing nails with advanced wear, care & shine ingredients for up to 10 days. The formula utilises Coral calcium and sea mineral complex to aid nail growth and strength; pearl protein to enhance the smooth finish; and marine kelp to help continuously boost shine. The result is longer, stronger, nourished nails, which are beautifully enhanced with a rich and vibrant nail colour that is chip-resistant, noticeably smooth and brilliantly shiny for up to ten days."

My Reaction:

Now, doesn't this sound (read) absolutely divine to you? Cause' sure as hell it caught *my* attention, and the reason being the fact that I ALWAYS use a Sally Hansen base coat underneath any nail varnish, no matter what! And the thought of this incorporating everything, well that's just 'wack', and I don't say that very often!

This 'little' (meaning 36 fabulously en vogue shades) magic collection of nail polishes will be launching on Irish shores in June and will be available in selected pharmacies, department stores and grocery stores nationwide. 

Price of these gems is 8.95Euros, which is amazing for the quality you get and the size of the product itself, at 14.7 ml. 

I will do a review on these babies soon and expect some (x13) swatches in a jiffy (if the Rapture doesn't happen till' then that is)!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

  

The Body Shop 'Big and Curvy Waterproof Mascara' Review

Phew, what a mouthful :)... Now that the holiday season is here ('hello!'), I wanted to review a makeup item that's quite crucial for me during the summer months, and that's the waterproof mascara. I know a lot of you beauties out there don't use it, but I cannot live without it and the way it works is, every summer I purchase one waterproof mascara to have it in case of emergency (that includes the gym too :D). 

Now, if you're anything like me, then you'll 'dress-up' your eyes even when at the poolside, and let's face it: you cannot be a bronze goddess without eyelashes, can you?

I received in my goody bag from The Body Shop last month, at the launch of their 'Honey Bronze Collection', the above mentioned mascara, and here's what my experience with it has been to date.     

Big and Curvy Waterproof Mascara

Naked Eye -vs- One coat result

Two coats result

Plus the size of the mascara wand

Formula: The consistency of the product is far from watery (I hate watery mascaras), it's a lovely formula that doesn't clump your eyelashes and gives volume in a lovely natural way, without weighing down your eyelashes. It dries within seconds, but do give it some time between coats because it can get quite clumpy if you apply several strokes at once, so what I do is I only apply one stroke and after doing the other eye, I come back and re-coat to get the desired length and volume.

The Mascara Wand: - It feels quite stiff (fiber-twist brush),  perfectly sized to enhance the tiniest eyelashes, separates, elongates and doesn't clump them together.

Waterproof???? - Hell yeah!!! Waterproof indeed, even my trusted Johnson's Baby Oil struggles to remove it, so you can imagine that this one will not smudge, no Sir, it will stay put! So I would definitely recommend using a very good waterproof eye makeup remover for this, because it is designed to fight :).

Conclusion: - I like it quite a lot! I will wear it occasionally because of the difficulty in removing it, but I would recommend anyone who's into waterproof makeup and especially if you're 'short-term migrating' towards warmer territories, to try this little fella, it will not disappoint!

Price: 16.50 Euros and it's available in stores now :)

  



 Comparison between Max Factor's False Lash Effect and The Body Shop Big & Curvy

 - both waterproof formulas



 You can tell that the Max Factor Mascara is more clumpy,

 because it's a watery formula (bleh!) and that The Body Shop undoubtedly wins this round :)

What do you guys think? 'Yay' to waterproof, or quite 'nay'?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

A Mighty Beautiful Foundation :)

Constantly looking for a great foundation...my story, yours & ours. Funnily (tragically) enough, I've tried my fare share of foundations, from crappy to nice, from cheap-ies to expensives, from Essence to Nars...but I still haven't found....what I'm looking foooor! - U2!? well I told you it's *our* story!

However, in the past few months I kind of found two little gems that are far from my average 'blah' findings. First one, my trusted Rimmel 25Hr Foundation, which was my own discovery bought before it was en vogue, and my most recent one....let's just stop there for a minute, shall we? Aw well, we better continue, you'll skip to the photos anyway :D...it's the CATRICE INFINITE MATT FOUNDATION.

You might have noticed it's called 'Matt' and not 'matte', I like to think that this is really named after the short for 'Mathew' :), although I doubt it very much! You can read what Catrice has to say about this foundation, above. And here's what I say:

Consistency: Velvety, whipped cream consistency, goes on like a dream. It has a nice subtle scent, not over-powering, I quite like this in a foundation.

Finish: Hands down, the most beautiful & flawless finish I have ever achieved with foundations. An absolute dream, not matte nah-hah! but quite dewy, very velvety and smooth!!! I apply ALL my foundations with my fingers (that's the way I like it) and this is my ultimate favourite for that. It feels very natural, blends in well with your skin, doesn't feel sticky or heavy whatsoever.

Long lasting ability:  Very good, you must apply a setting powder on top if you want the foundation to last, especially if you have oily skin like I do. I would say it's not as 'powerful' as the Rimmel 25Hr one, but it's surely a long lasting formula.

Coverage: Medium to full, extremely buildable

.

Performance: Like a PRO. Does not cake at all, it just fades in a dignifying way throughout the day, doesn't make you run to the mirror to 'fix' your face all the time, stays put and when it's time to go, it just fades away.

It also comes with a pump, which is very helpful (MAC, Estee Lauder, etc. take note: the pump dispenser is free and included)...Stupid make-up companies that make us buy a freaking pump dispenser separately, you are ripping us off!!!Oh, and it comes in an opaque glass bottle, very pretty, expensive looking packaging.

I would deffo repurchase this, I absolutely love it. The shade selection is that of a drugstore foundation, quite poor, but hey for the price of it, you can buy two to customise your shade, so I cannot complain about this! Oh, did I mention the price??? Ta-ta-ra-ta-ta-ta.....6.99Euros!!!Oh yesss! I've noticed a PhotoFinish foundation from Catrice too, priced at the same 6.99, that I'll definitely purchase in the near future.

Disclaimer: Please note that the above product review is a 100% honest one, but based on my skin type, taste & standards :), the product was obviously bought by yours truly (at 6.99 hehe), in my never-ending search for the perfect foundation! 

Here's a photo of me wearing it:

Have you tried this? If you have or you will at some stage, do let me know what your thoughts are about it, I would love to know!!!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo