Six Years in Make-up

Not all of them were great, I admit it. I am amazed at how unskilled I was back then and how far I've become :D. 'Far' meaning 'Forget those looks, I will be a make-up artist soon (God help me!)' :D.

2005 - Ok, disregard the makeup, look how skinny I was at 21!!! 45 Kilos people, naturally skinny , I was! Damn I  looked good! Beauty wise, I sucked! Thin long eyebrows that were so unfit for my face, they actually make me look older than 21. Eyebrows are VERY important, as you all know. And the notion of blusher, bronzer, highlighter were unknown and alien at the time! My, the days we lived :D!

2006 - Ok, photo not about makeup obvioulsy, I just wanted to show you guys my hottie husband and me, on the same year we got married (at City Council, the wedding was to follow in 2008). Young, in love and tanned :)

Left - 2006 - Nude lips, no blusher, no colour whatsoever = makup disaster. Also a term unknown at the time: concealer! Just a thin layer of foundation, bit of eyeshadow and mascara, and apparently for me that meant photo-ready at the time :D...

Right- 2007- The year I came to Ireland...I should have known better about makeup by then! But nope, same mistakes. Even worse this time, enter very thin eyebrows (again), the palest foundation ever (a Maybelline yoke), discovering the red lipstick and a cheesy flower behind my ear...you can't get any better than this now can you? :P

2008 & 2009 - Things start to settle. Cue full face slap, with some dubious eyebrow shapes sported...yet again :(

And there we have it: 2010 & 2011 Eyebrow shape settled and improved (fuller by regrowth), made-up face to a full extent, priming, shading, countouring, highlighting...you name it, I have it on my face!

I am ready now to learn more, so come September, God only knows what I'll discover and learn, and slap it on my face :D...hopefully you and I- will still be here, so I can show you all about it! :D

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

"Acqua di Gioia" by Giorgio Armani

Translated as 'The water (liquid) of joy', it is the perfect summer night scent, fresh yet sweet, strong yet feminine.

The bottle is so pure and clear, it's like a materialized rain drop with such perfume that you cannot wait to 'dress' yourself in.

The fragrance was released in June 2010 and it was inspired by the sea and relaxing hot holidays at the beach. The TV ad for this perfume is just perfect! I was actually just watching that, while sniffing the perfume, and it has the perfect elements: a stunning model (Emily Di Donato), rain, the beach and 'wet' a tropical forest. An absolute fabulous visual for this perfume, in my humble opinion, it matches the product perfectly.

Top Notes: Amalfi Lemon & Mint

Middle Notes: Jasmin, Pink Pepper & Peony

Base Notes: French Labdanum, Virginia Cedar and Sugar

I can definitely feel the lemon & mint opening to this, quite grapefruity to my nose, despite it not having any grapefruit notes in. As it dries, it quickly transforms into a sweet syrupy scent (not in an 'in-your-face' kind of way, which I hate), but in a warm and delicate grace. It gets warmer and warmer, and you're left with a sugary jasmine (to what I can smell :)) scent, extremely feminine and delicate. LOVE <3 

Overall it's a very refreshing fruity-floral fragrance that I've been wearing like mad for the past few days, lashing it on every single day. My other twenty something perfumes must feel quite jealous at this stage :D.

If you feel like you must have a sniff or even purchase this, it's currently celebrating its first anniversary and is on offer: when you purchase any 50 ml or 100 ml either Acqua di Gioia or Acqua di Gio Homme, you will receive a complimentary soft cotton towel with the Giorgio Armani logo embroidered, that looks like this:

Promotion is available now at the Giorgio Armani stockists nationwide,

while stock lasts

You can keep the perfume and your man can take the soft towel, right? *winks*

Disclaimer: I received this in a goody bag recently, and I absolutely love it, so I had to write about it. My honest and sincere thoughts are encapsulated in this post, as usual :).

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo



30% Off The Body Shop

...This weekend only people! Get yourself down there and shop till you drop :D.

They're celebrating 30 fabulous years in Ireland this weekend, so if you have planned to buy anything, now's the time to do so!!! I did my part and informed you guys, now the ball is in your court (in case you want to come out and play)!

Happy Shoppin' everyone and "Happy Birthday" to The Body Shop!!!


Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

My version of MAC's Golden Gaze

"It's fabulous! Everyone has it already, it's even sold out everywhere I look, I want it...no-no-no...

 I NEED it!"

Don't mind that, this was just me talking to myself a few days ago, when everyone was raving about 'Golden Gaze'. My it's pretty, and my it's unusual, but do I really need it? My heart says 'yes' but my mind goes "Nah, you don't need another eyeshadow"!

But you see, while I was admiring it on other blogs (ahem,on Karen's), it suddenly hit me! "Hey, I can create this...maybe :)". And so I ventured into finding the right products to reproduce this fabulous eyeshadow. And here's what I came up with:

To me, it looks almost the same, especially if I add a bit more black to it :D. I must confess that I haven't seen this in reality or have a feel of it/swatch, but in my mind, it's the perfect dupe :D. And to be honest, I'll leave it to that, cause at the end of it all, who needs another eyeshadow? *my mind talking now*

Now, my heart is all curious and stuff, and needs to know: Is this a good dupe, or should I tell my reason to 'feck-off' and buy this? Let me know below, pretty please thank you very much!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer Review

I picked this up a few weeks ago in a pharmacy on South Great Georges Street, where they had several Bourjois items on a clearance sale for 3Euros each. So, as a responsible and caring girl that I am, I obviously bought a few items, just to offer them a good home if nothing else :D.

One of those items was, you guessed it, the Healthy Mix Concealer.

First Impressions - I have to say that only the mention of fruits have me all worked up and convinced. See this for example: "Radiance and Anti-fatigue"; "Apricot - radiance"; "Raspberry - micro-circulation activator"...so, as a sucker for all 'healthy' things,  if I'm not on a healthy diet, at least I can have my 'five a day' in a concealer (don't think that these are  actually in the usual 5 a day, but let's presume they are :)). It comes in a 10 ml plastic squeezy tube, with an applicator shaped like the ones intended for lip glosses, it's practical and I like it. I squeeze out a small product on the back of my hand and use it from there.

Consistency & Formula - It looks like a thick liquid foundation and spreads out beautifully. It is highly pigmented, so you only need the smallest amount to work with. Blends in really well and I use it under my eyes as well as on blemishes or pigmentation/problematic areas. It has a long lasting staying power, and it covers really well, without budging or caking throughout the day, it just stays put. The formula (shade: medium radiance) is not too pink or not too yellow toned, it's just perfect for my skintone.

Recommend?  I would not recommend this for dry skin , it tends to be a bit drying, but for oily skin, I think this is the perfect concealer. And yes, somehow it does brighten the eye area as well,  don't know how, but it does. I absolutely love this, it's currently my favourite concealer, it's among the best I've ever tried.

I also bought the highly raved about Barbara Daly concealer a few days ago, so I am currently trialling that, but something tells me it won't be just as good as this one :D!

Have you tried it? What do you think?

P.S.-Apologies for my crappy English today, words don't seem to come easily at the moment, must be the sleepiness! *yawns*

Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

Look of the Day - Winged Eyeshadow

Hello to you all, fabulous ladies & cool boy!!! How are you keeping?

Apologies for the MIA (Missing In Action) position I adopted lately, by no means I forgot about you lovelies, and hope you're all well, healthy and happy! I've been a busy bee lately, hence the lack of posts, so hopefully you missed me, and if not- you totally should :D.

The look I've experimented today was a winged one, but not with the help of an eyeliner, but instead I used eyeshadows to create it, dunno if I succeded, I'm always unhappy with the results because...well, I have eyes and I can see that it's not as it should be :(. But anywho, for the sake of yet another 'Look of the Day' post, here's my attempt:

 

Products used:

Top Left - Coppery eyeshadow from my Bed Head Eyeshadow Palette

Top Right - Make Up Forever Pure Pigment in No. 10

Bottom Left - Dark taupey/brown colour from Bed Head palette

Bottom Right - 17 Eyeshadow in 'Darkness'



Step 1 - Apply a coppery shimmery eyeshadow all over the lid

Step 2 - Use a red brick eyeshadow / pigment to draw a flick from the outer half of the eye, bringing it upwards & blend (blend better than I did, my look failed because of it :( )

Step 3 - Apply a dark brown eyeshadow on top of the red pigment and blend over it

Step 4 - Next take a black eyeshadow and deepen the look, again from the outer half of the eye outwards & blend

 

Step 5 - Apply mascara :)

Photo taken with flash, hence my shiny, unreal looking hair (don't be fooled :D)

Have you ever tried something similar? How did it turn out for you?





Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

I WON :D

I won the New York Color Make-up Supremo Competition!!! Oh, yes I did!!! And I'm in the 'U' Magazine to prove it!!! Click here to see my video entry, in case you missed it :D.

Now, keyboards cannot explain how thrilled I am, I'm over the moon with that, truly a dream come true, gifted to me...now isn't that insanely exciting???

I won an ITEC recognized make-up course worth a whopping 1,800Euros with Makeupfablicious plus a styling course worth 300Euros, from Flutterbyfashion !

I've been utterly happy for the past week, since I've found out, a million thanks to New York Color, Coty Ireland, Makeupfablicious, Flutterbyfashion, and last but certainly not least, to 'U' Magazine !


So there you have it, that's my big news. I'm ending this post today, with high hopes to be a future top notch make-up artist and stylist, and do excuse if I come across as a bragging cow, this is my moment, so let it be, let it beeeeee!!!!

Oh, and also many, many thanks to my fellow tweeters and bloggers, who kindly congratulated me the other day, you guys are all superstars!!!!



Yours, ArtDonatella (aka future Make-up Artist)


xoxo

My Perfume Collection

...Is not a small one!!! It's actually huge for one tiny person like me!

Now, before I even dared to collect make-up, I collected perfumes and my stash kept growing and growing until one day I just had to stop purchasing and actually start using what I had. The thing with perfumes is that they are *so* freaking expensive, and I don't go for cheapo celebrity ones, no no, I go for real expensive designer ones, which are not even half used at present, most of them are almost full!

I keep all my perfumes in drawers, away from the sun and in their original boxes- considering I still have the box :D! I keep them tucked away because it's good for their longevity, as I read on other websites and blogs, so I'm not one to take a chance, especially when it involves my perfumes!

So, my question is: have I turned to 'collecting' make-up now that I've stopped with perfumes, is this just another way of spending my money or what??? When the make-up will stop (eventually), will clothes be next??? Aw, well! What can one do? :D

But I love my perfumes, really really love them! I own 27 at the moment, but trust me when I say I gave loads away to other people throughout the years. So here we go:

From L to R:



Vera Wang - Princess

Benefit - B Spot

Lacoste - Touch of Pink

Lancome - Magnifique

Jennifer Lopez - Deseo - the only celebrity fragrance I own and love



Chanel:

Chanel - Coco Mademoiselle
Chanel - Chance Eau Tendre

Dior:



Miss Dior Cherie

Miss Dior Cherie L'Eau

J'Adore

Pure Poison

Midnight Poison

Dior Addict Shine

Dior Addict 2

Summery fragrances:

Agatha Ruiz de la Prada - Gotas de Color

Jil Sander - No.4

Issey Miyake - L'Eau D'Issey Reflets D'Une Goutte

Cacharel - Noa

Estee Lauder - Pleasures

Calvin Klein - CK One Summer



Winter:

Gucci - Gucci by Gucci
Dolce & Gabbana - The One
Vera Wang - Look
Guess - Seduction
Matthew Williamson - Incense

Miniatures:

Lancome - O de L'Orangerie

Marc Jacobs - Daisy

And that was all! I have enough to last me a 'lifetime' here, but I'm sure I'm gonna give some away and replace them with new ones, cause that's my thing, perfumes and make-up!

If you were to chose TWO perfumes in the world as your favourites, which ones would those be??? I think mine would have to be J'Adore Dior and Agatha Ruiz de la Prada 'Gotas de Color' :D.

Have a lovely night everyone!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo  





Lancome 'Visionnaire' - Introduction

I was delighted to be invited to the launch of Lancome’s new beauty weapon against wrinkles, pigmentation issues and enlarged pores, called ‘Visionnaire (LR 2412) Advanced Skin Corrector’. The event was hosted by Trevor Tye, Managing Director Lancome, together with Julie McManus, Lancome Scientific Director and Vivienne Parry, who kindly introduced us to the technology and science behind the LR2412 formulation.

“ A 12-year research program. 

 17 patents and outstanding efficacy.  

LR 2412 - a unique multi-tasking ‘beauty’ molecule from Lancôme research

Independently tested by Pr. Chris Griffiths and Rachel Watson PhD of Manchester University”

That’s how the introduction to this innovative skin corrective formula begins…and yes, feel free to imagine hearing some drum rolls on the background too, because this sounds absolutely divine to our mortal ears!

The name of the product itself ‘LR2412’ is the name of a new multi tasking beauty molecule also known as ‘jasmonic acid’ (derived from plants), but‘2412’ comes from the number of attempts to fold this molecule and get the formula right, meaning that this winning combination was the 2,412^th attempt! Yowsa, that’s a lot of attempts, all within twelve years of research and development, and 17 patents.

So, without getting into much scientific detail (that I would actually need to copy/paste really :D),  I would try to explain it in my own words.

The jasmonic acid needed to be folded into such grace as to penetrate the deepest layers of our skin, and this was the difficult bit to achieve, because most products tend to sit on top of our skin. This formula whilst exfoliating at the surface, will penetrate and work its magic through to our dermis, and has the same properties as the well known 'retinol', but better, because retinol is known to cause the skin to flake. Sounds like a dream for all of us out there looking to improve and correct our skin, right? Of course it does!

Lancome’s new Visionnaire LR2412 is designed for all skin types including sensitive, and will be available at Lancôme Counters at Brown Thomas Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Galway from 7^th August 2011 and from Lancôme Counters nationwide from September 1^st.

Now ladies, do your own research and don’t take their word for it…come August, just go and sample this, you know you want to :D!

Visionnaire (LR2412) Advanced Skin Corrector (30ml) RRP €70.00

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Look of the Day - Wet & Smokey

Funny how I put 'wet' in the title, it makes me giggle :)...Now don't go like myself and think of naughty things, naughty you! It's the make-up look of the day featuring a sexy, dark shhhmokey eye that happens to look wet, that is all! Hi-hi-hi...

Ok, back to serious business, I tried a dramatic look today, that I would never wear outdoors in daylight, maybe night time, but even so, it's my darkest look so far! Hope you enjoy it.

Products used:

L to R:

Top Row - NYC Sparkle Eye Dust in 'Champagne' ; Taupey Brown Eyeshadow from my Dior Cannage Palette

Middle Row - Bourjois Eyeshadow in 'Noir Emeraude'; Elizabeth Arden Eyeliner Gel

Botom Row  - Lancome 'Juicy Tube' Lip Gloss; Jemma Kidd 'Lip and Eye Gloss'

Step 1 - Apply NYC's Champagne on the inner corner of the eye and on the browbone
Step 2 - Apply the brown taupey colour all over the lid bringing it slightly over the crease and blend towards browbone
Step 3 - Contour the outer edge of the eye and into the crease, with Bourjois 'Noir Emeraude'

Step 4 - Apply the 'Noir Emeraude' which is a deep green-black colour on the lower lash line, leaving the inner corner of the eye untouched

Step 5 - Dot a small amount of the NYC sparkle dust in 'Champagne' on the centre of the upper eyelid, to bring luminousity to the eye look

Step 6 - Contour the upper lash line with Elizabeth Arden's Eyeliner Gel and draw a thick flick :D

Step 7 - Dab some Jemma Kidd lip and eye gloss on top of the eyeshadows on the eyelid and also on the inner corner of the eye



Apply mascara and you're done :D

(I used the L'Oreal Voluminous & the Rimmel Lash Accelerator)

Lancome Juicy Tube

- Apologies, but this is a sample a got from a good friend (hi lovie!), so I have no idea what the name of the shade is, but I love it!!!!

Fancy seeing some mug shots as well??? No??? Yes??? Make up your mind already, because here they come! :D



That's all folks!!!! 'See you' in my next post and I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Lots of love.


Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

Stila Bargains of the Week

Hello, it's me again! And don't you say you're getting tired of me, you ain't seen nothing yet! Second post, a bargain-licious one...and stila-licious altogether!

I went to TK Maxx today on my lunch break (there's a surprise) and by all means, when I'm not looking or planning to buy anything, I always end up finding little gems in there, like these Stila bits I bought today, for a mere 5.99 Euros each!!! As I ain't a girl to complain about these stuff, I accept whatever the Holy Divinity and the Universe have to offer me: 

Ta-daaaa!

Pretty-looking, eh? It's a highlighting powder that looks absolutely perfect for me, mainly because I prefer powder highlighters to liquids (except for my beloved No7)...BUT as pretty as this looks like, it doesn't even come close to the beauty that is my Lancaster Sunlight ! Will do a full review on it soon, but it does not impress me much at this stage :(!

On a different story, I was lusting to get a lipstick from Stila, the Shine Lip Color in 'Charlotte' for a good while now! Google-ing for swatches and photos all the bloody time, secretly wishing I owned it...until today, that day has come!

Oh-wow!

Yep, I found it, it was THE ONLY ONE in TK Maxx today, and boy, oh boy, am I lucky! I already have the Stila Lip Shine Color SPF 20 in 'Sonia 08' , which I also adore and all I wanted was this particular one! It's a sheer lipstick towards a lip balm, giving your lips just the right hint of colour and the just the right amount of moisture! Fabulous!

Now, if you're lucky enough to be shopping tomorrow, do stop by TK Maxx and have a look at their beauty section, maybe you'll be lucky enough to find some Stila bits too :D!  

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

The Body Shop 'Stop Sex Trafficking Campaign'!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, a multitude of exclamation marks, because people... this is important stuff!!!!

While us girls and women all over are living a happy, quiet, normal life and usually worry about what shoes to wear or how to get to the shops faster to replace the lipstick that just ran out on us...around us, in an unseen but not parallel world, there's a whole different story...Please take the time to read about The Body Shop's Campaign, and please, if you do ONE good deed today, let it be this one: click this link HERE and sign the petition, it's that simple but at the same time it's of high importance and of great significance! I signed this months ago, now please..just click and sign, we only have one week left to make a difference!

www.thebodyshop.com/stop



*STOP SEX TRAFFICKING!*

160,000 Irish Citizens Call for Action

Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2

Thursday 21st July 2011 (11.30am)

The Body Shop Ireland and campaign partners the Children’s Rights Alliance and ECPAT International will be handing over their Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People, campaign petition to the Irish Government. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald will be accepting the petition on behalf of the Government.

On Thursday the 21^st of July we are delivering the collective hope of 160,000 people on this Island. Trafficking exists within this country and must be acknowledged. The message to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister Fitzgerald and indeed every Deputy & Senator is clear… use the power entrusted to you to ensure every child is subject to the same care and protection under the HSE.

The Petition was launched in July 2010 and Calls for Action on the Following:

1. Identify Child Victims and Enforce laws to prosecute child traffickers.

2. Provide child victims with the support they need to escape their traffickers

and rebuild their lives.

3. Implement the Irish Government’s National Action Plan to Prevent and

Combat Trafficking in Human Beings 2009-2012.

4. Ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the

Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.

The Irish Petition forms part of a global three-year partnership between The Body Shop Ireland, the Children’s Rights Alliance and ECPAT International to combat child trafficking for sexual exploitation. Petitions have also been launched in 50 countries around the world and the current signature total stands at 6.8 million. The total will be submitted to the UN later this year in a united call for action.

Celebrity supporters across the world include: Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Yoko Ono, Joanna Lumley, Mark Ronson, Joely Richardson, Denise van Outen, Pixie Lott, Nicole Kidman, Matt Le Blanc and Martine McCutcheon.

 

THANK YOU :)

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Eyeko Liptastik Glossy Lip Pens

Last week while having a stroll around TK Maxx, I discovered they had a few Eyeko products on stock. Now, I've never tried this brand before, obviously heard of it, but I'm not an online shopping kind of gal, I need to see and have a feel (swatch) of the purchased items, so I never bothered to explore this brand. So, when I saw these bright lippie goodies, I knew they'll be mine, I quickly snapped them before anyone else did, and ran to the check-out, to pay for them of course :D!

Top- Loudmouth

Middle - Lip Lover

Bottom - Hot Lips

As you can probably tell, they're not glossy or shimmery or matte for that matter, instead they're very creamy, opaque lipsticks, they glide on beautifully and they're very pigmented!

I'm very impressed with these babies, and the shades are just yummy, my kind of shades! I'm not particularly mad on the bright red with orange undertones, it's not that flattering on me, but the other two are right up my street!

So there you have it, these products are beautiful altogether and they cost me the a grand 6.99 Euros...for the whole bunch, in TK Maxx! The real cost is 7 Euros each, on the official Eyeko website.

Do you own any Eyeko products? What would you recommend?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Weekend Highlights

I had a great time this weekend!!! Yesterday, we went to the Botanic Garden in Glasnevin, and we had the best time there, surrounded by all that beauty! I know it sounds cheesy, but c'mon, take a look at my photos, I'm fastly becoming my favourite photographer :D!

Gorgeous, right? 

Then today, we went shell-hunting on the beach, me and my husband, I love competing with him on whoever finds the most fabulous shell (of course I aways win ***...and he's not here to say otherwise) & this is what we found today:

On a different note, just to show Megan Fox that she's not the only one not having BOTOX, here's the proof:

Nice, eh? Botox-free delightful face :D

How did you guys spend your weekend? Oxegen Music Festival, or just some nice chilling out time somewhere else?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo