Emporio Armani Diamonds Black Carat

As it reads, new perfumes  from Emporio Armani to be launched nationwide in October 2011, a collection for him & her, exclusive to the UK and Ireland.

Oh, don't they look just amazing?

 

" Black Carat for Women: a floriental, fruity fragrance

Bulgarian rose wrapped in notes of freesia infused with vanilla bourbon and vanilla bean, a contrast of freshness and depth. 

Black Carat Homme: A spicy-woody fragrance

The freshness of the citrus-bergamot works with the Szechuan pepper to produce an energetic, vibrant effect.  Cocoa bean brings a sophisticated effect of mystery in this magnetic fragrance. A small concentration of intense vetiver adds woody notes of Gaiac Wood and cedar. "

Emporio Armani Black Carat for Her (50ml) RRP €61.50.

Emporio Armani Black Carat for Him (50ml) RRP €53.50.

I must say that the original 'Diamonds' by Emporio Armani is a fabulous perfume, but not on me unfortunately. It just doesn't work with my skin's chemistry, but on my sister in law it's a different movie, this is absolutely fantastic on her. Perfumes usually tend to be more sweeter on me than on her, so my advice would be never to purchase a perfume without trying it on first. Obviously I bought my share without properly testing them, (i.e. Miss Dior Cherie by Dior), just to end up not so much in love with them, which is very sad and we don't want that :(. So I'm very curious to see how the new Emporio Armani 'Diamonds Black Carat' 'performs' in this matter, very curious indeed :D! Did I  mention already how gorgeous the bottles are? 

Have you tried the original 'Diamonds'?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo 

First Day of Make-up School :D

With a twist, no panic attacks, no 'oh, me nerves!', nothing... just pure excitement. And let me tell you, you ain't seen excitement 'till you've seen me during class...

You guys all remember, we all had one! One annoying 'know-it-all' jackass that would just. not. stop. answering all the questions the teachers asked, one chap that just went on and on with their sh*t, one that would ask for more homework at the end of the class just because he/she could bloody do it!

Well, ladies, sadly, my class has ONE of those...and with even greater sadness I must tell you...it's actually ME! Yep, go back and read it again, that's right...me! *sob* *sob*

I know what you must be thinking, I'm that asshole of the wiser kind, that could NOT stop talking during first class! But you see, all this excitement is killing my personality, it surely does, the calm-normal-nice person dissapears and a bloody freak takes over..."Me, me, meeee, I know, I know, pick meeeeee".

Ok, not really but pretty close. I shall try to restrain myself the next time and pray to God someone was missing on the first class, and will have to try and convince everybody that I'm just this cool and calculated person, that's all in all, you know...cool :D!

So, my first makeup class started on Saturday at 10.00 and finished at 17.00, and I honestly didn't want to leave there! We learned the steps on how to do a proper ITEC cleansing routine, all the moves and all the rules involved, hopefully I will make a video about it in the future, to show you what I mean exactly, it's a bit hard to write it all down, better to show it.

I cannot wait to go back next week, God help me be a bit less excited and a bit more normal, like the others :D!

Just to explain a bit what I'm doing there, at the end of my makeup course (two modules), sometime around February 2012, I shall own (God help me :)) and ITEC recognized diploma Level 3 (equivalent to a FETAC Level 6) and a Certificate in Fashion and Photographic Make-up Qualification, and also possess a 15 looks portfolio with the one and only Lili Forberg. Nice eh? Very nice indeed!

That was all for now, I'll keep you guys updated if you are interested in reading all about it. Gotta run cause it's late and I just got back from my fab styling course with the gorgeous Nicole Spain, so I'm dying to get to bed...metaphorically :D!

Good night folks, sleep tight!!!!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

A Small Giveaway - WINNER :)

:) :) Many thanks for entering you guys, here's the lucky winner ;):

Congrats, EDEL, will email you in a bit :D! 

Enjoy!

xx

Yours, ArtDonatella,

xoxo

Yves Saint Laurent Fall Winter Collection 2011- Intro

Phew, second post for today, I'm rolling baby!!!

This is a luxurious post, for we are talking pure luxury this time. 'Midnight Garden' is the name of the new collection from Yves Saint Laurent that landed in stores on the 17th August, and something tells me this will not disappoint the brand's fans.

I'll just let Lloyd Simmons here, International Make-up Artist for Y.S.L. since June 2010, to do the intro for you guys, for he sure has his ways with words. Have a recommended read:

" I dreamed of a garden, a hot house garden, steaming under glass mottled with green.

Vibrant and tropical in the midst of winter, it was riotous with growth, great palms, twisted ancient vines and mysterious flowers giving off a heady rock of passion and poison.

There was a fantastical array of insects, glittering, slithering snakes wrapped in branches, their scales shimmering deep teal green and violet in the cold winter twilight.

Many birds, their plumage bright aqua, iridescent green and purple flew about, gorging on the flower laden vines, and the incandescent orange and purple pulp of bloody oranges oozing liquor in the trees and rotting heaps on the verdant floor.

At the pulsating heart of the winter garden was a precious magical flower that bloomed only at midnight, it is dark wine turned a cold blue black by the twinkling northern stars.”

This was the inspiration that gave birth to this collection, one that impresses with breathtaking visuals, you can almost close your eyes and let your imagination run wild and create further details in this already designed scenario...  Ahem, back to my keyboard...

Blush Radiance -  Half matte, half satin blushes, four squares of yummy-goodness that are designed to 'capture the light and transform it into colour'. These come in six fabulous shades. RRP: 40 Euro

Rouge Volupte Perle - Also in six shades, three 'day' shades and three 'night' ones, from innocent to intense and seductive. As opposed to the creamy opaque 'Rouge Volupte' (my favourite ever lipsticks), these are pearlized shimmery lippies, fully designed to shine with a 'mirror' formula.

RRP: 31 Euro

 

N° 107 – Impetuous Beige

N° 108 – Celestial Mauve

N° 109 – Brazen Plum

N° 110 – Incandescent Orange

N° 111 – Mysterious Red

N° 112 – Spellbinding Violet

Ombres 5 Lumieres - Five intense eyeshadows captured in one palette 'No.11-Midnight Green', a playful yet seductive combination of dark green, mauve, aubergine, violet and aqua green with matte and moire effects. RRP: 57 Euro

La Laque - Two mesmerising shades, '43 Wintergreen' and '44 Moonlight Blue', created in harmony with all the above mentioned luxuries, these nail lacquers are the perfect accessory for the 'new Eve' that Y.S.L. presents to us this autumn-winter. RRP: 24 Euro

And here's a sneak peek at the '43 -Wintergreen' La Laque which I got sent last week, and get ready to be 'awwwwww-ed' I tell you:

Stunning shade, pure luxury! This retails as mentioned above, at 24 Euro, which is quite *a* price for a nail polish, but if you feel like treating yourself to a fabulous 'I'm-a-good-girl-gift', then this might be the one for you.

The above is the result of a two-coats application, and a Sally Hansen top coat, which would give you a good five day wear, I know I got away with it for the entire week, without having to reapply it, which made me quite content.  

Ok now, who loves the visuals for this collection? Is it just me?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Liz Earle 'Cleanse & Polish' A big, fat RAVE

This month was all about skincare, more so than makeup. I am generally reluctant to write about skincare for the simple reason that I have not found anything to really suit me and aid in the healing and improving process...until now! I am confident enough to actually say (scream :D) that I've found my Holy Grail skincare product and the right routine for my skin type. This is a love letter, so if you're not a romantic person and hurl at the thought of reading cheesy 'I LOVE YOU' lines, better look away now and I'll catch up with you later ;).

First things first, you guys already read and heard so many things about this, it is all over the beauty blogs everywhere and everyone is raving about the 'Cleanse & Polish'. In all fairness, Liz Earle has some great PR minds behind the brand that do their promoting jobs very well, having sent this all over the blogosphere for review purposes. And here's the bummer: I don't always believe what I read especially when a product was not purchased by the blogger itself, therefore I was ready to hate it, and I mean it. Never have I been so unconvinced by some blogger's rave post and beauty wise- never have I been so wrong about a product before, but boy was I SILLY! And yes, I stand here 'stripped' (not literally!) and type 'silly' in caps lock for I was a Judas, but now *I can see* and I now believe!

This miracle product has changed my entire skincare routine and my skin's condition. I was introduced to this via an open customer (not blogger) event, a few months ago, where if you went in for a skincare consultation, you received a little goodie bag with a sample of this, one of their muslin cloths and a facial toner. That's how we met and that's how we fell in love :D. I purchased my full sized bottle a week ago or so.

Naturally active ingredients include:

- cocoa butter, Rosemary, chamomile, hops and eucalyptus

The set cost me 15 Euros and it comprises of two muslin cloths and the 100ml 'Cleanse & Polish' Hot Cloth Cleanser.

The consistency is thick and kind of sticky and tacky (think Sudocrem) and smells (to me) like a tooth paste, minty. It is designed to be applied dry over makeup and rubbed into the skin with your fingers, with circular motions. Once applied all over, it starts to dry relatively quickly and you're ready for the next step, the muslin cloth procedure. Run to the bathroom (I do my night-time routine in my bed cause I'm lazy :P) place the muslin cloth under the hot running water, squeeze excess off and wipe the son of a peach off! I do this for ages just to feel that I've cleaned and exfoliated my face very well, and then I wash my muslin cloth with an organic (something) soap, and hang it up somewhere to dry. From time to time I throw my cloths into the washing machine too for a good old wash, just to be on the safe side.

And that's it! Cannot explain in words how much I love this, after using it for over a month. My skin doesn't get irritated at all during the process, more so it feels clean and somehow my complexion looks brighter after this! And my skin NEVER looked better and healthier. I have an oily skin type, with my chin area being a pain in the bum, but not anymore. This is a fantastic product for me!!!

All that being said, I had no idea I can write posts this long, hope I haven't bored you to death, but some things have to be said...I LOVE 'CLEANSE&POLISH' by LIZ EARLE!!!

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me- for me, it is my honest opinion based on my personal experience, skin type and own taste and preferences. You might feel completely the opposite towards it!

Have YOU tried this? What do you think of it, 'buy it' or 'leave it' ?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

August Lookbook

How are you my lovelies? Hope you're keeping well, happy and healthy :D (I know, I always say that).

Also, a big 'hello & welcome' to all new followers and readers, I'm delighted to have you here!

I have five looks to show you today, looks that failed to become 'look of the day' posts, in the past two weeks, so I thought I'll choose the best photos out of the dodgy ones and create this post. I intend to repeat this type of posts, hopefully on a weekly basis, just to show you in one post the eye makeup especially, that I wear everyday...fingers crossed I will get around to do this! Here goes:

Top Row, L to R: - My 'safe' makeup look, the boring neutral brown eyeshadow & smokey look +

Inglot 'Olive' look

Bottom Row, L to R: - A colourful experiment that failed due to a dodgy eyelining process, in all fairness it looks good in this photo from this angle, but trrrust me when I say, the other photos are not great at all, still need to practice the bloody eyeliner application :(

+ another coloured look, using three shades: white, red and black

Today's look, Essence 'Party All Night' eyeshadow on the entire lid and lower lash line, mascara on the upper lashes only and Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner in 'Midnight Blue' on the waterline, simples!

And then two mug shots:

L: Inglot Lipstick in '408' & R: Bright pink Inglot Lipstick

And that's that! I started my styling course yesterday with Flutterby Fashion Styling and I absolutely can't wait to return there tomorrow. Plus, my make-up course starts this Saturday, which is mental, cannot believe it's actually happening :D. These two courses make me a very busy, but extremely happy camper!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Avon's 'Outspoken Intense' by Fergie

Perfumes...y'all know I love them, and something tells me you do too. Avon always had a great selection of perfumes, and I can still remember that back in my high-school years, everyone owned at least one perfume from Avon. I am actually wearing 'Little Black Dress' (my favourite from them-reminds me of high-school) as I type, and I still love it!

 

 

'Outspoken Intense' by Fergie is the second perfume designed by the artist, and as Avon states, the original 'Outspoken' which launched back in 2010, was the best selling fragrance launch in Avon's history.

'Outspoken Intense' will be launching in September 2011 and it was inspired by the "electrifying rush"  that Fergie gets while performing on stage,  a feeling she wanted to capture and bottle.

Top Notes: Plum, Pineapple, Lemon and Kimquat

Heart Notes: Passion Flower, Gardenia and Orange Flower Petals

Base Notes: Musk, White Amber and Blonde Cedar

Let's start with the bottle, which is absolutely gorgeous! Nothing crazy, over-the-top looking, but a simple, elegant silver bottle, just perfect.

Scent wise, I can definitely smell the plum and pineapple when first sprayed, a bit loud at the beginning, but starts to settle on the skin within seconds, and what's left is a sugary sweet scent, not too overpowering but wearable, if you know what I mean. A musky floral sweet scent then takes over, blending in quit e nicely with my skin's chemistry. It is a very feminine scent indeed and quite sexy, my husband really likes this perfume on me.

I on the other hand, am a bit undecided here, while it's a very pleasant scent, I do prefer more clean and fresh scents like Avon's 'Pur Blanca', which is much more my type. If you're more on the sweet side of perfumes and fruity-florals, by all means I recommend you to have a sniff or to sample this, you might turn out to be a big fan of it, and as I said, men seem like this scent.

The lasting power is very good, it gives you a few good hours of wear and after reading a few reviews online, people actually seem to like this version better than 'Outspoken'.

Price: 19.50 Euro for 50 ml.


Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review purposes. These are my honest thoughts as always, based on my 'amateur nose' and personal taste & preferences.


What's your favourite scent from Avon? I'm really, really curious to find out :D!



Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo
  

Roger & Gallet Creme Sublime Bois D'Orange

...Is just yummy!!!

I received this yesterday in the post (man I love the postman lately :)) and I went a bit 'Awwww!' when I saw it, I must admit. This pretty little yellow yoke of a hand cream, in an expensive looking packaging, is like a sunny little gift right before my birthday :D.

Creme Sublime Bois D'Orange is a hands and nails treatment with an SPF 15, which comes real handy for your delicate hands :). The formula includes Extra Virgin Argan Oil (for skin nourishment), Evening Primrose Oil (for restoring the skin's hydro-lipidic film) and D-Panthenol, which is recognized for its reparative and protective properties.

The consistency is of a thicker lotion, quite velvety and creamy and far from oily. It gets absorbed quickly into the skin, leaving behind delicately moisturized and soft hands, a winning combo!

And do not get me started on the scent! Oh my! I've been loving orange blossom in perfumes lately, having a great passion for Lancome's 'O De L'Orangerie', this is absolutely divine! And I will *so* be purchasing their body oil because I KNOW I will love it.

Head Note: Mandarin, Basil, Verbena

Heart Note: Orange Blossom, Neroli

Base Note: Amber, Rosewood, Atlas Cedar Wood

Such a delicate, subtle and feminine scent...I could bathe in it! And the scent of this hand cream lingers for hours, just perfect.

I particularly love Roger & Gallet because it's such a great brand and most of all affordable! It's the perfect gift for the loved ones, I actually bought a 'Rose' giftset for my sister-in-law for Christmas last year and she absolutely loved it!

Now, I'm not a great hand cream person, I just forget to use them all the bloody time, but damn it I'm gonna use this one if just for the scent, because I love it! And I also love the feel of it on my hands, I totally recommend this if you're into orange blossom, if you're not then you better stay away cause this is well scented I tell ya' :).

Crème Sublime Bois d’Orange Hands & Nails SPF15: RRP*€9.00

Available from selected pharmacies nationwide from September 2011

Stockist Number for Ireland: 1890 812 741

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Inglot Purchases

Daaaarlings! A sudden and unexpected thing happened today (if you call waiting for ages 'unexpected'): I finally got to visit an Inglot store today, in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin :). And it was amazing, oh yes it was! As my birthday is tomorrow (aha :D), this year we opted to do something more unconventional, which means everyone in the house gets not presents, but instead spending money, which is fiiiiine by me I tell you (psssst,, it was actually my idea, hehe!).

So, I got my 'presents' a.k.a. 'contributions' or 'donations', as you wish, today because that's how I wanted it to be like. Hippity-hopped 'till Liffey Valley (by car :P) with my lovely husband and here is what I decided upon. I went for bright and unusual colours which will come in very handy in my make-up kit and for my future photoshoots! Beware, 'pic-heavy' is a small child compared to this post.

 

I first opted for a ten square eyeshadow palette from the 'Freedom System', and I chose these beautiful shades:

 

Oooh, hello gorgeously pigmented eyeshadows, I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you lot!!! :D

 

Next up, a five round palette from the same 'Freedom System', and I chose three lipsticks and two more eyeshadows:



 

Apologies, but I have no idea the numbers I chose in this palette, I still have some difficulties in taking these out, but if you need the numbers, let me know in the comments, I shall be happy to oblige (as in bust my ass off to take them out for you :D). Now, the beautiful trick with this palette is that you can choose either lipsticks, concealers, brow powders and waxes or eyeshadows to populate it with, which is a great idea let's face it!



You happy lot might not remember this, but I fell in love with an Inglot lipstick at a Rimmel/A Wear event back in the days (March to be more precise), where two models were wearing a fabulous red matte Inglot lipstick, and they had no idea of the name of the shade, to my despair! Well, I found it, it's this one, and it's a killer with a tan, an absolute killer!!!

You know how people say that all great things in life are free??? Well, they're lying, and here's the printed proof:

Yep, 12Euros for the lippie, 55Euros for the 10 square palette and 28Euros for the 5 round palette! Not too bad, is it?  You do the math, an eyeshadow would come out to 5.50 Euros for the square ones, which is amazeballs!!!!



Now, did I play around with these already??? Hell to the yeah, I did!

Magnifique!!!

I'm one happy birthday girl, and ladies, please go and check these out, they're so worth it!


Yours, ArtDonatella


xoxo

 

A Small Giveaway :) CLOSED

For you Stila and lip gloss fans :).

I picked up these two Stila IT Gloss Lip Shimmers today from TK Maxx, with the purpose of giving them away to one lucky reader, just because...it's Monday! Who needs a reason nowadays to win stuff, right? It was just an impulse purchase, therefore it's a small reward for reading my blog.

So here's what you can win:

So, if you like what you see, all you have to do is be a follower to my blog (via Google Friend Connect) and to comment below to let me know that you're interested, no need to tweet or post or anything like that, one entry per person. This is opened internationally :). Oh, and please leave the name you're following the blog under (i.e.' artdonatela') and an email address, so I can contact you in case you win :D!

If you're under 18 please get your parents/guardians permission before entering as a postal address will be necessary if you're the winner.

The closing date for entry is Midnight , Saturday - August 27th 2011 - RANDOM.ORG will be used to decide winning number (comment number)

That is all my friends, good luck :D!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

The Battle of the Liquid Highlighters

In other words: 'Let's get ready to rrrrrrrrrrumble' or ramble, as you wish :D.

There comes a time in one's life when you need to start balancing and comparing highlighters...I know, serious business you say, but someone's got to do it. I propose six liquid highlighters and one gel, for your entertainment only, the battle starts here and right about.....now!!!

And here are all the contestants:

L to R: Calvin Klein Runway Radiance in 'Bronze Glow; No.7 Skin Illuminator in 'Peach'; Barbara Daly Illuminator in 'Soft Focus'; Penneys 'Tinted Love' Highlighter and Cheek Illuminator; Benefit 'High Beam' ; Stila 'All Over Shimmer Skin Liquid Luminizer'; Lancaster 'Sun Jewel-Skin Luminance Gel'

This is a gorrrrgeous highlighter! Comes in a 30 ml tube, shade-wise it's on the peachy side of things, blends in like a dream, even when applied on top of foundation or any other products, a winner product in its 'Peach Category'! Full review here .

Next up, the winner of the Best Highlighter in the Beaut.ie Beauty Awards, Benefit's High Beam. A very light-shaded liquid highlighter, from the 'Pink Category', easy to blend and well loved in the beauty industry. Me? I say 'no', me no likey! The reason I don't seem to get along with this is because it comes out almost white, it's too light in colour for my own liking, hence I find it difficult to simulate a natural highlight with this yoke. Not for me!

 

From the 'Bronze Category', this baby can show a girl a good time *winks*, if you're tanned and in the look out for a fab product to enhance those sun-kissed cheekbones, here's your hero! However, because it's from the 'Bronze Category', I must say it's not a product quite for me, for I'm not a fake-tan fan :(. The formula for this is a little thicker than your average liquid highlighter, which means it won't cake as other ones would, making it perfect for blending purposes :).



Next up, the cheap as chips Penneys 'Tinted Love'. This is on the pink side again, a wee more liquidy than Benefit's High Beam, but still a great product all-in-all. Beside the great price of circa 2 Euros in Penneys, it is versatile because it also has a cheek/lip stain at one end, which let's face it, sounds great. It is a good product and it does the job it's hired for, but it could cake if applied on top of foundation. 

Another product in the 'Pink Category', Barbara Daly's 'Soft Focus' is a beautiful product. Very liquidy and runny in consistency, but somehow, it works well when blended and applied on top of the foundation, without doing the 'cake routine' others seem to enjoy doing. Also, it has some purple-y bits running through it (crushed pearls), visible only in some lightings, it's a very interesting product because of it! I love it!

On the Bronze side, this Lancaster yoke (which I couldn't help but show you in detail) is actually a key/handbag chain...prrrrrety isn't it? But before we get swiped off our feet by the look of this jewel, let's not forget our purpose, shall we? This is a gel-based formula, shimmery, but unfortunately glittery too :(. I hate glitter! There, I said it! Glitter has no business on our faces and everyone should avoid it like plague! I guess I could use this on the decoletage or something...I dunno? Any suggestions?

And last, from the 'Peach Category', Stila's Liquid Luminiser. Nice highlighter, consistency wise it's the same as Benefit's High Beam, it's an ok-ish product, does the job very well...I'm on the 'whatever' side with this one, I guess I...like it??? Yeah, I guess I do. That is all.





Now because, let's face it, I'm the supreme justice figure here a.k.a. 'The Arbitrator', I rule based on my own taste and expectations, and I hereby declare not one, but two Winners:

No 7 Skin Illuminator in 'Peach'

Barbara Daly's 'Soft Focus'


Congrats to these two babies, that kicked some serious ass today (basically 5 asses :D), congrats for being good enough to be the highlighting winners in my makeup kit :D!

Barbara Daly 'Soft Focus' Illuminator

Which liquid/gel highlighter kicks ass in your make-up bag?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

 

Beaut.ie Beauty Awards

Yep, another great event I attended yesterday! But this was no ordinary event I tell you, cause it was hosted by the” Mothership” of all beauty blogs, our one and only Beaut.ie, and even more so, this was their first ‘Beauty Awards’ ever, which hopefully will continue many, many years to come :D.

 And more importantly, it was all about the ‘people’s choice’, for their readers (me included :D), got to vote the winners J and losers L from scratch, everyone nominated whoever they wanted, and from a gobsmacking figure of 38,000 individual product nominations in the first round, the winners emerged, as follows:

MAKEUP CATEGORY:

Best Foundation: Mac ‘Studio Fix Fluid’

Best Concealer: ‘Touche Eclat’ by YSL

Best Powder: Mac ‘Mineralize Skinfinish Natural’

Best Bronzer: Rimmel Sunshimmer Max Bronzer

Best Blusher: Benefit Coralista

Best Highlighter / Luminizer: Benefit ‘High Beam’

Best Lipstick: MAC (all finishes)

Best Lipgloss: MAC Lipgloss

Best Mascara: Lancome Hypnose

Best Eyeshadow: MAC Eyeshadow

Best Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7

Best Brow Product: Benefit Brow Zings

Best Brush Brand: MAC

Best Makeup Tool: Tweezerman Tweezers

Other categories included SKIN, HAIR and BODY, you can see a full rundown of the winners here

A lot of MAC winners in the makeup category, right? Seems like people still love all things MAC. Well done for them! 

As you can probably tell yourselves, I’m sure that all this involved a lot of effort and over-time hours on their behalf, but all worth it for the fabulous results, so a well deserved CONGRATS to Beaut.ie team for the achievement, and to West Coast Cooler (yum :D) and Presence PR, for the fabulous event that took place at the cool Dylan Hotel in Dublin, yesterday.

Now, time for pics:

My Makeup Look :)

No, you are not seeing things, I dyed my hair jet black (big, huuuge mistake :( )

Me and the lovely Cornflakegirl

YUM-YUM - my favourite drink eva'!

 Photos Borrowed from Beaut.ie Facebook Page (please check it out :D)

Mahoosive 'Congrats' to Beaut.ie for the success this has proved to be, and a bouquet of thanks for inviting yours truly here to celebrate it with you!!!!!!!!!



Yours, ArtDonatella,

xoxo

The Body Shop Shimmer Cube in 'Green Light'

I've wanted to try these shimmer cubes from The Body Shop in like forever, and I finally got the chance to try one out...They kindly offered me one to trial from the new collection, which landed in stores this month. The new collection has three palette combos: blues, violets and greens.

 

And  'Green Light', which is this baby here, and it's the one I chose:

Top, L to R: Pure Turquoise & Mint Green

Bottom, L to R: Silver Grey & Forest Green

L to R: Pure Turquoise; Mint Green; Silver Grey & Forest Green

They are absolutely gorgeous! Very pigmented and of course shimmery, and go on smoothly when applied, and they say it's because of the mixed Community Fair Trade marula oil within the formula, for a creamy-glide on application. And I agree, it is very easy to work with and no shimmery bits falling out, which can be very annoying, you must agree.

The palettes in my opinion are very well colour-coordinated, all you need for a full eye makeup look is this palette and the colours compliment one another like sisters and brothers. But let me show you what I mean:

Step 1: - Apply 'Mint Green' on the inner corner of the eye and on the brow bone
Step 2: - Apply 'Pure Turquoise' on the entire lid, leaving the outer edges blank
Step 3: - Bring 'Forest Green' on the outer corner of the eye and blend into the crease, in a 'V' shape, like above - blend, blend, blend :D
Step 4: - Wet an angled/eyeliner brush and then dip it into the 'Forest Green' to add intensity,  then contour the eyelid and draw a flick, as desired
            - Apply 'Silver Grey' on the lower lash line

Step 5: - Apply 'Pure Turquoise' on the lower lash line, and blend in with 'Silver Grey'

Step 6: - Apply a midnight blue/green eyeliner on the waterline (in this case Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner in 'Midnight Blue')

Step 7: - Apply mascara and you're done :D!

Pretty stuff, right? Loving this, note to self - don't wear pink the next time you're going for a bright makeup look, they just don't mix! And yes, I only wore a pink shirt in the house, but still...the F.O.T.D. pics came out c**p, hence I cannot post any of them :(, would be too disturbing for you guys!

Now, back to my beloved 'Shimmer Cube'...it retails at 24.50Euros, which is a little expensive, however, you do get a lot of product for the money. While a Stila pan eyeshadow weighs 2.5g, with this you get 3.5g for each cube, so it is a good deal indeed. Plus, once you chose your favourites, you can also mix them around because the cubes, as seen above, can be easily taken out of the palette and replaced with other ones (I don't believe they're sold separately though, only within a palette).

*In stores now

*Ophtalmologically Tested

*Dermatologically Tested

*Suitable for contact-lens wearers and more importantly

*NOT ANIMAL-TESTED!

Now, what do you think? Did any of these catch your eye?

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo