Madcap Monday!
I suppose if I actually understood astrology better, I could say something like Mercury is retrograde or that aurora borealis is extra gaseous or something more informed to explain the tardiness of my blog entry today. As I write this, the internet in my neck of the woods is down (the entire state apparently) and has been so for several hours. Where my ISP was answering the telephone early this morning and promising that the connections aught to be established in an hour or so (mind you, that was 5 hours ago!), they have now popped on a voicemail message stating that due to technical difficulties, they are unable to answer any calls. So, besides making over dramatic sighing noises, there isn’t much I can do. So I wait.
In the interim, I decided to pull out the DVD that was tagging along with a skincare range (which shall remain nameless) that I hadn’t been able to get around to due to the sheer volume of promising product I eagerly hope to review for you. So into my hobbled computer the DVD went. I cranked it up and sat back to watch. Huh? I looked over my shoulder once and then twice. What the? Excuse me? The DVD was utterly freaky. I felt like I was instantly transported to the future. You know the one: the future where we live under a glass dome out on a steel platform somewhere hovering over the left landfill of our neglected mother earth. You know, that year 2050 quasi Blade Runner sorta stuff. Weird. Images of waterfalls and clouds captured on time-lapsed film, women and men standing in rain forests (holographic of course), smiling at me with unwavering cultish gazes, new age music which I am convinced had underlaid tracks of subliminal messages urging me to take the green pill, go on take the green pill, you know you want to take the green pill… trying to creep into my psyche. Is this the way of my future? Our beautiful future? Argh! Surely someone’s having a laugh? Brb…
*races out of the office in search of a tree, some grass, perhaps a flower. Heck, even a pigeon will do!*
Just a thought…
“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
When I stumbled upon this quotation, I was instantly taken with its aptness. I can’t even recall the amount of times I have heard an individual speak with disdain about an aspect of their appearance. I have had similar thoughts about myself as well, on occasion. But what resounded the loudest with me, when I read Emerson’s words, was that what seems an odd colour, curvy, too big, a bit long, slightly misshapen, short, or freckly, just isn’t seen to be the asset or quality possessing worth that it truly is. I wonder how wonderful it would be if we shifted our thoughts about our qualities from what we would change to how truly gorgeous they already are?
Sometimes You’ve Just Got To Kick It Into Gear.
Yep, as you may have gathered, it’s just one of those days. No matter what you do, it’s just one of those days when your hair won’t sit right, and you cannot…to save your soul, do things like fill your brows evenly or blend your blush perfectly, or even conceal that blasted monthly hormonal horror which is sitting so high up on your chin you might just have to give it a name. Well, it happens to the best of us. Not much more to this post than that. My commiserations.
My best suggestion for you today is just kick it into gear, hold your head up high, and channel the abundance of inner beauty that is lying below the naughty hair, misbehaving skin, and mojo-less makeup, and rock it like you mean it! Why? Because you ARE beautiful!
Slow Baked Beauty.
For a little while now, the word has been out on the street about Flashtronic, MAC’s latest collection featuring Mineralized Eye Shadows and Skinfinishes due to hit the counters on August 6th, 2007. Flashtronic is a LE collection full of soft, illuminating, ambient colour found in Lipglasses, Mineralized Eyeshadows, and Mineralized Skinfinishes. Just to ensure that you have the right tools to apply the mineralized gorgeousness found in this collection, MAC is making available the large powder #134 brush and the large #227 fluff eyeshadow brush.
I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the Mineralized Eyeshadows and they are ridiculously gorgeous. The eyeshadows in this collection are quite special and unlike the ones previously released. They are much like baby Skinfinishes, with distinct colours swirled together in its intriguing veining. Lovestone, in particular, is indeed divine. This raspberry baked shadow with wine and copper veining is pretty personified. Not only does it work well as a stellar eyeshadow, but also as a demi-frosted ethereal blush. The image of Lovestone pictured below is true as it sits in the pan from my vantage point. Quarry is written up as a sky blue with olive, coral and beige veining and does look as such, but wore more reminiscent of shimmering fields of wheat. Not at all what I expected, but lovely all the same. Quarry makes a fabulous all over wash, brow highlight and cheek highlight as well.
As I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the 4 Lipglasses or 3 Mineralized Skinfinishes as of yet, I will just have to try and manage my excitement for now. but I tell ya, it ain’t easy!
If You’re Going To Walk The Walk…
You’ve got to talk the talk! (in the most good humoured way of course) I got the best email asking about the terms I used in yesterday’s post O’l Blue Eyes. When I replied to the email, I asked if I could share a bit of the email as the question asked may have also been on the minds of a few of you lovely lasses as well. Plus, it was too good not to share. Our gorgeous Beauty Marked! reader agreed:
“What on earth is the inner V and, well, outer V for that matter? Also, which crease do I apply the eyeshadow to? I seem to have a few creases as I suspect my eyes might be a bit older than yours.”
Well, beautiful one, the terms you asked about from yesterday’s post all refer to areas of makeup placement on the eye.
Crease = The fold just above your top eyelid that is visible when your eyes are open. Applying eyeshadow to this crease area can add definition to your eyes. Mind you, some Asian beauties may not have a visible crease on their eye lids, but only the continuation of the eyelid up to the brow area and won’t really have a need for added definition here, in any case. Remember that dark colours give the illusion that the area it’s used on is moving back or receding, therefore making everything lighter in colour more pronounced. Hence the use of light colours will have the opposite effect making that area more noticeable.
Outer V= The area of your outer upper eyelid that can be drawn like a figurative side lying V between your upper lashline and the outer edge of the crease area of your eye. The pointy bottom section of the V lies in the direction of your ears. The same rules of dark and light also apply here in regards to definition too. The Outer V is also a great place for a small pop of gorgy colour if you’re feeling a bit adventurous.
Inner V= This is the area of the eye where the top and bottom lashlines meet. This area also makes a figurative side lying V, where the base of the V is pointing towards the bridge of the nose. The Inner V is absolutely a divine place to drop a bit of highlighting colour. Often a shimmery opalescent , pale gold, or pearly colour used in the Inner V will give you a beautiful, much sought after, wide awake twinkle.
So there you go, a brief rundown of a few makeup terms used to describe the real estate of the eye. But honestly, terms like that inner eye bit, the…um…bendy/curvy/foldy section and that upper outer eye area work good enough for me too. Wink.
What are some of the makeup terms you use?
Ol’ Blue Eyes…
A bit sketchy I know. *Boom. Tish.* What? My eyes are old and it is a sketch. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. The other day, I sported an absurdly blue eye that won me tons of complements. I thought I’d share the gorgeous bits and bobs I used to create this crazy blue eye. I felt a million bucks and I’m pretty sure these blue eyes are why.
Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil 03 ME Blue to water and tight lines top and bottom.
Stila Smudge Pot in Cobalt Shimmer as base to top lid.
Stila Powder Eyeshadow in Azur to set Smudge Pot on top lid.
The Body Shop Eye Shimmer 07 in Indigo to crease, outer V and inner V.
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler to top lashes.
Diorshow Unlimited 090 mascara (black) to top and bottom lashes.
BECCA Brow Powder in Medium to eyebrows.
*sings* (badly)
I did it… myyyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyyy!
A Mod Tea Party!
I haven’t lost my mind for good this time, I promise. I have just found myself smitten with the most unlikely shade of nail polish from the latest OPI nail polish collection. Mod Hatter is absolutely lovely. Who would have thought a quaint shade of violet-y taupe would have captured my attention? I surely didn’t. (admittedly, my mind did at first fill with thoughts of beloved great auntie Agatha) Mod Hatter is one of the gorgy 6 new colours in OPI’s Garden Party SoftShades Collection. Any one of the scrumptious colours in this very elegant and modish collection is certain to be the perfect delicate accompaniment for an afternoon tea or any other romantic event. The coquettishly feminine, ultra flirty All Stars of this collection are:
Harts and Tarts- a beautiful blushing pink.
No Bees Please- a buzzy beige-pink.
Just Tea-sing!- a flirtatious shade of shimmering pink.
Funny Bunny- the cutest soft pink.
Mod Hatter- a trendy shade of violet-taupe.
I’ll Take The Cake!- an irresistible pale sugar rose.
Garden Party SoftShades by OPI are available from leading beauty salons from May 1st and from all David Jones from August 1st 2007.
