When blending just doesn't cut it...

Hello, hello :)! How are you keeping my darlings?

I am keeping well (in case you were wondering), I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas and that Santa brought you all the goodies you had on your lists. My husband was hospitalized for a few weeks, so that's what Santa brought me: my hubby back home, which is the best gift ever!!!

Moving on from the 'serious' stuff and onto more shallow side of things (Man, I missed worrying about shallow stuff!), today I thought I'll show you a little trick that you guys might already know, but still wanted to share with you, just in case. If you love your smoke eyes but sometimes feel that blending the hell out of your brush just doesn't cut it, or else you have a crappy blending brush (like in my case, ahem), here's a little simple trick to help you in those 'tough' times:

Step 1: Apply your medium-dark shade on the entire eyelid, and go above the crease

Step 2: Apply the darkest shade on the outer corner of the eye in your usual 'V' shape

Step 3: To achieve the perfectly blended look with no hassle, take a matte light colour eyeshadow (skin toned works the best) and apply on the edges of the medium shade- up to the browbone, leaving some space for the lightest shade, as usual (see below)

Step 4: Smudge an eyeliner on the upper lash line (the NYC Showtime Glitter Eyeliner in 'Black' is amazeballs), apply your lightest highlighting shade on the inner corner and under the brows, and then mascara.

And there you have it...the perfectly blended effect ;)

In case you missed me, cause it's been a while let's face it, here's a mug shot for your entertainment with the finished result:

And that's that! Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, so exciting! I already know what I'll be wearing, but by God what make-up am I going to do? Decisions, decisions....

I will announce the NYC goodie bags winners shortly, my sincere apologies for the delay to everyone that entered the competition, December hasn't been my best month I'm afraid :(...

I might do a quick post showing you my outfit & face of the day tomorrow, just for the craic :D!

Have a lovely night babes, Man, it's good to be back!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

A little update...

Hi lovelies, hope you are all keeping well.

Just a quick post to say apologies for not updating the blog in weeks, I'm just going through a difficult time right now, but hopefully it will all be well in no time  :)...

On a more cheerful note, Christmas is almost here and I truly hope that you are all having a wonderful time organizing, decorating & most of all shopping :D. I'll see you all soon! x

Lots of love,

ArtDonatella

xoxo

'Artsy' Santa's Giveaway No.1 CLOSED

Yayyy, it's December! Love this month, my favourite month of the year, love snow, love Christmas trees and boy do I love Christmas pressies! Hands up everyone who feels the same, I see ya, I see ya!

So here's the deal peeps: Throughout the month of December, I'll be giving away lots of goodie bags and treats to you lovely lot, just because 'tis the season to be jolly, la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laaaaaaaa'. I have a bunch of sponsored goods for you, which hopefully will bring some of you a little extra bag under the Christmas tree.

So let's start with this week's giveaway, which comes packed with NYC Cosmetics goodies.

To WIN one of x 5 GOODIE BAGS like the one above, from New York Color, all you have to do is:

a) Be a GFC or Networked Blogs Follower

b) Leave a comment below stating your  GFC/NBF follower name and a contact email address

c) Optional: You get x2 entries if you tweet about it also:

Be in chance to win an NYC Goodie Bag over at www.artdonatella.blogspot.com @artdonatella

* Competition Open Internationally
* 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- 10th December - Winners will be chosen by random.org

So there you have it, good luck everyone!

Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo

Spring Goodies from Lancome

In anticipation to Spring 2012, Lancome brings to the market on the 1st January 2012, a delicious colour collection created by Aaron De Mey, Make-Up Artistic Director for Lancome, who also happens to have the most gorgeous hair ever, just google him and you'll see what I mean :). Back on the subject, this collection was inspired by the beautiful rose garden at the founder of Lancome, Armand Petitjean's family home in Les Vallieres, on the outskirts of Paris.

'Roseraie Des Delices' with its pastel colours and soft milky shades immediately makes us think of delish macaroons and barley sugars, and comprises of:

La Roseraie Blush Palette - RRP: 45Euro 

With this was kind of 'love at first swatch', such a gorgeous peachy pink shade, very soft and well pigmented, with a glittery highlighter on the side, the perfect pick-me-up cosmetic 'tool'.

2. Les Yeux Doux - Eyeshadow Palette available in two colours: Vert Tandresse & Rose Romance - RRP: 45Euro

3. French Touch Absolu Lipstick - Shades: 314 Rose Candy, 316 Cotton Candy & 318 Sweet Marmelade - RRP: 30Euro

4. Color Fever Gloss - Shades: 386 Green Petal, 387 Tangerine Petal & 388 Rose Petal - RRP: 20Euro

Yes people, there is a green lipgloss in there, you ain't seeing things! 'Green Petal' Colour Fever Gloss is especially designed to give a frosted finish to the lips, can be used on its own but also on top of a lipstick, weird but kind of in an interesting way, isn't it?

February 2012 will also bring us a new foundation from Lancome, a long wearing one, the 'Teint Idole Ultra 24H', which comes in a huge range of 18 shades and priced at 35Euro, I literally can't wait to try this. Full review, swatches and further details to follow in the upcoming weeks.

Anything caught your eye yet, and are you intrigued by the green shaded lip gloss? I know I am!

Yours. ArtDonatella

xoxo

Skin Types

Hello everybody, hope you're keeping well, healthy and happy.

I haven't been feeling all that well this week, it was an awful one, but thank God it's over!

Most of you might not know this, but I started a collaboration with NYC Cosmetics (Coty) back in October, meaning I write an advertorial for them almost every month in 'U' Magazine, where I share some tips & tricks that I've mostly learnt in make-up school. Every month I get my un-edited version up on the NYC Cosmetics Ireland Facebook page in the 'Beauty Diary' section, so feel free to like and follow their page should you wish to have a cheeky read from time to time. I must however point out that 'U' Magazine has edited my first two pieces (October & November), so here's my original October piece, which hopefully you'll enjoy reading. :D

First lesson: Skin Analysis

 A beautiful make-up application begins with a beautiful skin! Whether it’s problematic or not, the correct diagnosis of your skin type is the absolute starting point.

Oily skin – Your skin appears dull, sallow and shiny (on the T-zone, cheeks and chin areas), usually with uneven texture and enlarged pores, thick and can present blackheads (comedones) and blemishes (papules and pustules). A thorough but gentle cleansing routine is required for unblocking clogged pores. Good news for you: your aging process is slower than in the case of dry skin.

Dry skin – Your skin appears thin with fine lines, with no visible pores and may look and feel tight, even flakey at times. Can also be dehydrated and sensitive. Aside a gentle cleansing routine, the moisture content in the skin must be kept under supervision with serums, rich moisturizers and hydrating masks to be used on a regular basis. Wrinkles appear faster in your case, so the early use of a cream with anti-ageing properties and protection from UV rays, are mandatory.

Normal skin – Jackpot! You are lucky enough to have a beautiful even-toned skin, which feels and looks healthy and supple, smooth and even-textured, you are one star that needs the ‘normal’ skincare routine, with no issues to focus on. Yaay!

Combination skin – Generally, you have an oily T-zone with normal or dry cheeks. If your cheeks don’t show characteristics of dry skin (see above), you have an oily/normal combination skin. You should use a cleanser designed for all skin types or combination skin on the entire face, while further concentrating on the problematic areas such as the usual oily T-zone.

Once this step is established, you are then ready to treat your skin and enhance your natural beauty through make-up. Obviously healthy skin is vital, so the minimum SPF15 in your daily routine is not to be neglected!

That was it, have a great night everyone!



Yours, ArtDonatella

xoxo