Oh happy friday!

Hello friends and happy Halloween!

I finally decided to look up the brand of my "cruise-kit" and give you a better insight of that. Yes, I know, not the most exciting thing you can wright about, but I feel pretty stupid to say "the eyeshadow brush from the cruise kit" and you guys have no idéa what i´m talking about.I don't know if I have told the very short story about my first meeting with the cruise kit. Me and my boyfriend went on a cruise and in the tax free shop I found this perfect brush case. And I had been looking for something precisely like it. It came with 14 brushes, synthetic and I wouldn't say it's super quality brushes but some of the eye brushes I use very frequently. I use the brush case every time I travel. Unfortunately some of my face brushes, like the Sigma ones, that have a thick handle don´t fit in the case. But since I don't do a full face makeup that often I manage with bringing a powder brush from Makeup store and the blush brush from the Sigma Paris palette. They have smaller or thinner handles. Anyway, I really like this brush kit. The brand is called Beauty needs. I don´t even know if its a brand because all I can find when I google Beauty needs is this brush kis so yes it might be a brand but they don´t seem to have anything else. But now you know the name of the kit and I´m gonna try to remember to say Beauty needs and not the cruise kit, but if I do you know what I meen.

So this post wasn't so scary and Halloween-like. But the weekly look, coming up tomorrow is (hopefully) going to be a bit more fun. So stay tuned.

Makeup basics part 6

So this step should come before the mascara-part, I know, but well well. No big deal. Actually there's not that much to say about applying the eyeliner. A steady hand is good, but just give it some time and practice and you´ll get there. I have been taught that you should start in the middle of the upper lash line and work the line outward and then inward and making the wing last. But, I have to admit that it´s not how I do...I always make the wing first and work my way inward to the middle and then go from the inner corner and work it to the middle. The steps are pretty simple. But yes it can be a bit tricky to get an even line if you're not used to it. If you´re not so steady on the hand, it´s easiest to use a liquid liner because you can use the the soft brush that floats smoother. A pen can be thicker and harder to get even, I think. After placing a fine line it´s just to make it look how ever you want. Big wings, thick line, a smaller wing on the outer corner of the lower lash line. There are no limits!

This is the type of eyeliner I use most. I would say almost every day. It´s a liquid liner, the IsaDora colorful eyeliner (this particular one in dark brown). It´s easy to apply and create a even nice line and wing. The pencil is soft and pointy, which makes easy to get the shape you want. 

This eyeliner makes a softer line. It's an eye pencil and over that I placed an eyeshadow in the same color (this time brown). When I use eye pencils I try to match it with a shadow in the same color, just to get that softness. This is the Laura Kay perfect eyewear in dark brown. And the eyeshadow is MAC in Espresso. For this I used a small brush, Makeup store 112. 

 

This is the same eye pencil as above, but in deep blue. And without an eyeshadow over it. I have to admit, I don´t know where you can get this pencil, that's why there's no like. I got them from a magazine a while back, sorry...

This is a gel eyeliner; Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting drama gel eyeliner in black chrome (oh my, long name!), not waterproof! When I bought this I got a eyeliner brush to that. But mostly I use Sigma E05, eyeliner brush. This type of liner i thicker and I think a bit harder to work with if you don´t have a good brush. I can´t say I use it that often. 

This eye pen, IsaDora Twist-up metallic eye pen, is a bit more fun than just a natural black or a discrete brown. It´s glitter and fun colors. Above: Paradise Green. Below: Golden Khaki.
This eye pencils is nice to use on it´s own. For example you can place a natural eyeshadow on the lid to even it out and then add a nice line on the upper lash line and on the lower water line. 

 

I hope you liked it and as I always say (I have to fine something else to say hihi) give it a try! Till next time, take care.

The weekly makeup

This week's look is all about playing with colors. And that´s what I love about eyeshadows. They come in so many different shades and some are matte and some have shimmer. What I always say is that you shouldn't be afraid to try fun strong colors. It might not be suitable for work but for a nice party you can wear just about anything, if you make it pretty and ad a good outfit. As you might know I really like to wear colors and to mix and match (sometimes it's a mismatch). This time I decided to combine a beautiful clear blue and a deep purple. To soften up the edges I added a light blue. I saw a similar look in a Vogue magazine a few years ago and I have loved it ever since. I have done this look on a friend who has a lighter skin tone than me, and it looked fabulous on her to.

Products used:
Color tattoo 24 hr Turquoise Forever: as a base on the whole eyelid. Blending with my finger. I also put some under the lower lash line
MAC eyeshadow in Electric Eel: Using a flat eyeshadow brush like the Sigma E55 and patting the color over the inner two thirds of the lid. Using the same brush to ad some of that blue under the lower lash line, taking it down a bit.
88 Palette, the darkest purple (the color at the bottom of the eighth row from the left): With a angled brush, Sigma E70, I formed the traditional v-shape on the outer part of the eyelid and blending it inward till it meets the blue color. Then using a smaller brush like Makeup store 112, the same color and placing it under the lower lash line but not as far down as the blue. The blue color is supposed to peek out under the purple
MAC eyeshadow in Moon's Reflection: This color is used around the darker colors to make it softer. For this I used a fluffy brush like Sigma E40 and going around the darker colors, as I just said hihi. Then taking the angled E70 again (clean of course) and putting some of the light blue in the tear duct area.
For a look like this it´s pretty to keep the lashes and the contour of the eye very dark.
IsaDora colorful eyeliner in Black: A nice line on the upper lash line (if you want you can go over with a black eyeshadow to make it more smoky).
Sephora retractable eyeliner in matte black: Line the upper and lower waterline.
Maybelline Rocket volume express (False lashes is perfect for this look if you feel like it).
Benefit speed brow

For the lips I didn't do anything special. Since I have so much going on around the eyes I want to keep the rest of the face pretty discreet, so maybe a soft pink lip gloss or just lip balm and some blush.
Don't be afraid to try it!

Makeup basics part 5

And i'm back again with some more tips. This time i'm gonna focus on the lashes, what to do with them, how to take care of the and some fun tips on how to make them stronger. As you might know now, I don´t use mascara on an everyday basis. Why? well, I don´t feel I need it everyday, and my lashes aren't that thick and long so I sometimes get the feeling that i´ll were them out more if I use mascara everyday. I have no idea if that´s true. But I have seen lashes on people that where mascara day after day, year after year, and I don´t want that. Ok, so now I sound super negative to mascara. Of course i´m not. But it´s the same here as with all the other stuff you use, use good stuff!
I'm gonna take you through three steps; putting on mascara, removing mascara and how to take care of your lashes.
The first step is to put on the mascara. Go over your lashes with a lash brush, just to even them out. If you use a lash curler, this is where you use it. Do it in three steps. Start at the bottom/root of the lashes and work your way out. And when you press the curler together don't press as hard as you can, you will risk breaking or pulling out lashes. So first at the bottom of the lashes then in the middle of the lashes and last at the tip of the lashes. This way you get a more even volume. After curling the lashes you can put on lash primer or lash lengthening-stuff, haha, I don´t even know what it´s called. But what I don´´t get with that stuff is that it often is white. Why? I mean you want darker lashes, most of the time...well, anyway, after that extra step you put on your mascara.
When you take the mascara brush out of the container, try to kind of screw it up, if that make sense? That way you get the mascara more even on the brush. Start at the root of the lashes and wiggle the brush outward to the tip. Don´t forget to do the lashes closest to the inner and outer corner of the eye. Do the lower lash line last. I very seldom place mascara there. But it´s up to you what you like. And now we're done with mascara.

As always you have to remove your makeup at the end of the day. Both mascara and eyeliner can be a bit tricky to get off, because they are placed in areas of the eye where you are more sensitive. And you don´t want to have to rub it off. If that´s the case then you probably don't have a good makeup remover. There are two kinds of makeup removers; "standard" and for waterproof makeup. I used to have one of both but that´s kind of a waste. So instead I got waterproof remover as liquid and the "standard" as wipes. The wipes are great to remove makeup from your whole face and they feel very soft. The most waterproof makeup is eye makeup. The liquid is used on cotton pads and is easy to work with around the eyes. The waterproof remover often needs to be shaken first so the different ingredients blend properly.

I have a few tips on how to take care of your lashes. But I can't do a 100% review, because I haven't tried them long enough to see a result. I might do that sometime...in the future. Now I just do it every now and then because it's fun. The first tip is to brush your lashes everyday (ok, that I do) before putting your makeup on and before going to bed. The second tip is to put some olive oil or vaseline on the lashes, you can use a finger for this. You can also put some oil/vaseline on an ear swab and put some at the roots of the lashes. This is supposed to give strength to the lashes and help them grow.
There are also special products that can be used to thicken the lashes. For example Lash & Brow Building Serum by Mary Kay. This I really want to try, haven't gotten around to it yet, lazy lucy here...

So yes, that's all the tips I have for now, if you have any good ones, please share them with me.
Till next time, take care...of your lashes...

The weekly makeup

Hello friends and happy late sunday!
Ok, so it's been a really hectic week! It feels like it has passed by without my knowledge...But now finally a free weekend, three days, woohoo! On friday we celebrated my mum´s birthday and as always the whole family was there. Good food and lovely people, that´s how I like it. Then i've been at my parents summer place. We're preparing for the closing for the winter. It´is so beautiful and peaceful out there, in all weathers and all seasons. And out there...no internet. So that´s why this post wasn't posted on friday.

And now i'm back with another makeup look. This one is a full face makeup and the main eye colors are both light and dark. The placement and combination of one lighter and one darker color is pretty basic but as I said in my last "basic-post", if you know the basics you can work from that and add/replace what you want. So that´s kind of what I did. I chose to make the dark color darker and the light color lighter just to make the contrast stronger. When doing this it's important to blend properly, otherwise the connection between the to colors can look like you have drawn a line vertically in the middle of the lid, if you know what I mean. And we don´t want that, do we? I hope you like this look...

 

Products used:
NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Iced Mocha: As a base on the outer half of the lid, a little less perhaps.
NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Milk: As a base on the inner half of the lid. Blending the two bases with a flat brush, Make Up Store 106. Working from the white to the brown.
Sigma Paris palette, Versailles: Using a flat soft brush from the Cruise kit and putting it over the white base on the lid.
Sigma Paris palette, Triomphe: Using an angled brush like the Sigma E70 and creating the v-shape in the outer corner of the lid and then working it up in the crease. Take some more of one of the two colors (doesn't really matter which one since you just use a little) and blend them a bit in the middle where they meet so the transition isn't so hard. Take whatever is left on the brush and soften the edges of the darker color around the eyes.
MAC eyeshadow in Shroom: Apply with a fluffy brush as highlight under the eyebrows. And the same color was used to light up the tear duct area.
Then using a eyelash brush and going thru the lashes, but no mascara for this look. If you want mascara, sure. But I didn´t feel like it this time.
Benefit Speedbrow

For the rest of the face:
Mary Kay CC-cream in Deep: Applyed with a foundation brush, Kicks 203.
Mary Kay translucent loose powder: Using the Sigma F30.
Sigma Paris palette blush in Pêche: Using the Sigma F40 for this.
MAC lipstick in Fanfare

I think I got it all in there. It´s a simple look but very pretty and nice for these gray fall days.

In two weeks Halloween is coming up and i´m planning on doing a fun party look for that special occasion so that´s going to be a lot of fun. Last year I dressed up as Emily the corpse bride and that look was pretty awesome! I might throw in a picture of that then. But before that I have a few other things to share with you guys, so stay tuned.

Makeup basics part 4

Ok, so I've been a bit of this weekend. Me and Danne went to Malmö to celebrate a friend who turned 40. A great weekend and a really great party, didn't leave much time for blogging. So it was a week without a makeup look. But I think you'll survive.
So it´s time for some more basics. This weeks basics is all about the eyes and how to make them pretty.
First and foremost you should know the parts of the eye that you talk about when doing a eye makeup. The eye can be divided in to six parts; starting with the tear duct area (1), eyelid (2), brow bone (3) crease (4), upper lash line (5) and lower lash line (6). Look at the picture below.

1. In the tear duct area you can place light eyeshadows to lighten upp the eye and make it look more awake.
2. The lid is the center of the look. The shade you put here is often lighter then the shade in the crease.
3. On the brow bone you can use light brown shadows to create a smooth transition. and on the upper part of the brow bone, under the eyebrow you place the highlighter.
4. The crease is for the darker shade. Creating a v-shape in the outer corner of the lid and working the color up in the crease.
5. On the upper lash line is where the eyeliner is placed. You can alsow work the darker shade from the v-shape and along the upper lash line.
6. The lower lash line is for eyeliner or an eyeshadow. This line should not be so thick.If it is you risk getting that "raccoon-look".

A quick tip to get a good and nice shape on your eyebrows. First notice that your eyebrows often have a natural shape. So when you pluck or tweeze the eyebrows try to keep your natural shape. This will make them look better and suit the rest of your face.
So where should the eyebrows begin and where should they end? A good guideline is to take a pen or anything stiff and straight and place it next to your nose. Hold it vertically and that is how far in the eyebrow should go. Then imagine that the lower lash line continues from the outer corner and diagonally upward, if the eyebrow would continue out, where would it meet the imaginary line? that´s where the eyebrow should end. Did you get it? hehe, maybe not the best description.

To create a simple eye makeup all you need to remember is three easy steps, three colors, three placements.
- Start with a natural color on the lid (2)
- Take a darker color and create the v-shape and work it up in the crease (4)
- Take the lightest shade and use as highlight on the brow bone (3) and in the tear duct area (1)
Done!
Using this easy makeup as a starting point you can create more fun looks by using fun colors and placing them on bigger areas. For example I have a look that I rally like, where I use a strong blue (like electric eel by MAC) on the inner three quarters of the lid and then a purple shade on the outer corner of the eye and down under the lower lash line. On the brow bone under the highlighter I use a light blue shade to frame the darker colors. A fun mix, but that´s just two colors. You can use three or four main colors. Only you decide the limits.
And what colors can I wear? Some people can carry any colors, but yes also here there are some guidelines. Look at the color circle below. Find your eye color and look which colors are at the opposite side of the circle. For example: Green eyes - pink, purple eyeshadows. Blue eyes - brown eyeshadows, and so on... This is a good start if you have no idea what to use. But as always my best tip i to try and get to know what works for you. 

So I didn't plan to go deeper than that. It´s just a basic step on how to make the eyes beautiful. And knowing this you can go how far you want. Take some time and play with the colors and get to know your eyes.

Makeup basics part 3

In this post i'm gonna take you through some of the steps in the first part of your makeup, your foundation. As I have said before you don't have to use foundation, you can also use CC-creams or BB-creams. I use a CC-cream, which I think is enough for me.
Foundation often comes as a liquid or a powder, mineral foundation. Maybelline has a mousse foundation but the most common is liquid and mineral powder. Which one is the best? well that is up to you. I have tried both and prefer the mineral one. It feels much lighter on your skin and makes it matte, which is a god thing. My CC-cream however is liquid but it's so light anyway so it works mighty fine.
Examples on different foundations:
TimeWise Luminous-Wear Liquid Foundation (liquid)
BareMinerals foundation (powder)
Dream matte mousse foundation (mousse)

The hardest part when getting a foundation is to find the right tone for your skin.This is where it often goes wrong. A lot of people get a darker tone which creates that line or hard transition under the jawbone. If you have the possibility to try the foundation on your face in the store or if you can get a sample, do so. I´m sure you have seen people try foundation on the hand. But if you hold your hand next to youre face you can see the diffrence. So ask for a sample and try it at home. The gole is to get the same tone as youre skin, not lighter , not darker. Put some of the foundation on to one half of the face and compare both sides. Are they the same then you have the right tone. However, obviously the side with foundation should look a bit smoother and more even.
Some people, mostly people with a bit lighter skin might have to use different foundation tones depending on the season. In the summer it might be necessary to get a darker tone and, I suggest, with spf. In the winter when the skin is more pale, a lighter tone might be good (and if you are really picky you can get a foundation with moisture, since the skin gets a bit dry in the cold weathers).

When this is done and you have your foundation the hardest part is done. If you feel like you're right in between two tones, try blending them together, ask for two samples.
Then you need a good base, a primer, under the foundation. I know what you might be thinking..."A base under the base?, oh my, what is she talking about?" But yes, it is a good step but definitely not a must do! I edmite, I don´t have a "base under my base". But it helps your foundation to last longer and sometimes even makes it easier to apply. And if you have very dry skin, a primer can keep your skin from drying out.
Examples on face primer:
Mary Kay Foundation Primer Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15
Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free Foundation Primer Pore Minimizing 

Now, the trickiest part to describe is how to apply the foundation. But i'll try.
Liquid foundation - Use a brush like Sigma F60 or a sponge (or if you prefer your fingers). Place some foundation on the backside of your hand and get some on the brush. Start in the center of the face and work with small, gentle strokes outwards. If you use a sponge you can pat the foundation over the face. Make sure you get it even. You don´t want any lines in your face but if you have a good tone you should not get those extreme color differences. And thats pretty much it.
If you use a powder mineral foundation you can use a brush like the Sigma F20 or F50. Get some foundation on the brush and work in circles. Start in the center and work your way out over the face.
The same brushes and movement is used when putting on the powder over the foundation. The powder should have the same tone as the foundation since it´is not supposed to add color, just fix the makeup and make the skin matt.I prefer a translucent powder.

The next three steps is not a must do but it completes the look. I'm talking about bronzer, highlighter and blush. Basically it's like this:
Bronzer is used to sculpt and define - A slight darker tone (then your skin tone) can bee used here, but just slight! The bronzer is places where the face is naturally "pulled back" if that makes sense. Like along the hairline, down the temples and in under the cheekbone.
Highlighter lights up and enhances - A lighter color is used to lift the areas that are naturally higher then the rest of the face. The forehead, under the eyebrows, under the eyes, the tear duct area, down the bridge of the nose, under the nose and on the chin. For both bronzer and highlighter you can use the same type of brush as for powder (Sigma F20).
Blush gives color and life to the cheeks - Place it on the cheeks with a brush like the Sigma E40.

I hope this post didn't confuse you more than it helped you. But I tried to keep it simple. If you want to see how to do it all you can easily fine videos on the internet.
This week´s look might be a little late since I have a lot of stuff awaiting this weekend. Until then take care!

The weekly makeup

Happy friday friends!

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. My birthday is coming up and the whole family and close friends are coming over. I love to spend time with my family. And we are a pretty big family so it´s always fun when we all get together.
This week I wanted to do a different look. The focus in this makeup is not the eyeshadow but the eyeliner. It´s close to the retro/ 50´s look I have when wearing my 50´s outfits. But then I have red lips and this time my lipstick was more pink and discrete. I used only one eyeshadow (well, two if you count the one I used over the eyeliner. But it's my eyebrow shadow so it hardly counts haha). I also did a full face makeup, which I don´t do that often. I tried a new powder that I got from a friend. The tone was to dark for her and when I saw it I thought it would be to light or orange for me but it was perfect, so that was fun! There's not so much more to say about this look. It´s pretty simple but yet so beautiful. Take a look below, but pardon my lazy hairstyle hihi... 

Products used:
Max Factor Smoky eye effect eyeshadow (stick) in Bronze Haze: As a base on the whole lid and smudging it out with my finger.
MAC eyeshadow in Shroom: Patting the eyeshadow on the whole lid with a flat brush, Sigma E60. And with the same brush and color working it up all the way to the eyebrow as a highlight. So technically I put the same eyeshadow all over.
IsaDora colorful eyeliner in Black: This is the the important part of the look. I made a thick line and winged it out a bit. Don't be afraid to make a thick line, that´s why it´s less of everything else. I might do a tutorial on how to apply eyeliner in a basic-post in the future, will see...
Maybelline Eyestudio in Smoky black:This color I used to fill out the eyeliner and make it softer and more intense. I used the Sigma E65 and just put it over the eyeliner.
Sephora retractable eyeliner (waterproof) in matte black: A dark eyeliner (not liquid!), some call it eye pencil, on the waterline, but be careful here, you don´t want to poke your eyes out.
Maybelline The rocket volume express: Focus on the outer corner of the lash line to create that winged lash effect.
Benefit Speed Brow

And on the rest of my face:
Mary Kay CC-cream in Deep: Using the Kicks 203.
Clinique Loose powder (don´t really know what tone it is because I got it from a friend who had ordered a translucent powder and it sure is not, so it's a mystery tone): Using the Sigma F30 for this.
Mary Kay blush in Coral Sunrise: With a Sigma F40 brush.
Make up store lipstick in Culture Sparkling.

I hope you liked this look. As I said before it´s very simple but still sexy and charming.

I wanted to throw in a quick review on MAC vs Kicks. So far I have ordered all my MAC products from Kicks.se but now I have tried maccosmetics.se as well and I decided to do a pros and cons list.
MAC +:
A bigger veriaty of products
You can se all the collections and limited editions
You need to buy less to get free shipping
MAC - :
It took a while before I got the products
The payment part was a bit complicated

Kicks +:
Fast shiping, like super fast sometimes!
They have a lot of different brands, all on the same website
Kicks - :
You need to buy for a higher price to get free shipping
You can´t get all the special collections

It was a short list but I think now that I have an account at MAC I´ll probably buy some of the MAC stuff there, at least when I want something special. Like this time. I bought a eyeshadow cuad from the A Novel Romance-collection and false lashes from The Simpsons-collection. Fun stuff!

An Amorous Adventure:

Sable                  Sex & the oyster
Brawn                     Black tied

 Have a good one all!