Latest lipstick love

As you probably know by now, I'm really obsessed with darker lip colors for fall and winter. During the summer, I tried to show some love to lighter, more 'nude' shades, but I think that, deep down in my heart, I'm a dark lip kinda girl. Let's face it, real nudes make me look as if I was going through a particularly violent stage of anemia.

So, after much deliberating, I succumbed and bought Inglot 'long' lipstick in shade no. 58. First, I just fell for the packaging, it's so simple yet classy (seems to be a rip-off from MAC's Mattenes?). However, the formula of these is also really nice, not too drying and quite longlasting, which is not something I'd expect from such a cheap product. It has no taste, a huge plus for me, but a bit of a funny smell, I can't really put my finger on it, though luckily it fades very fast.

The color is a deep, purpley pink and goes fantastic with blue items of clothing. I have a blue scarf and beret and it looks amazing against them. Because it's such an intense shade I do feel a bit self-conscious when wearing it, but have been getting a lot of compliments on my lipstick, so I think it's worth a bit of effort!

I highly recommend you check out this range of lipsticks, the color selection varies from nudes through reds to dark purples, and there's a variety of finishes available. Currently, I'm eyeing a darker berry shade with gold shimmers running through...

What's your recent make-up discovery? xxx

Róisín

Róisín Murphy is one of the most influencial artists on the modern pop/electro/disco stage, and I've been meaning to write a post about her style forever. I discovered her music some 2 years ago and instantly fell in love with her beautiful voice and funky beats. After watching her video clips, I really started appreciating her unique and courageous taste for fashion. Róisín is her own stylist and even though some of her outfits might not be exactly your cup of tea, I find that her approach to fashion can actually remind us that trends should be fun and... a bit crazy.

Plus, she's really stunning (and I want that hairstyle...)!

Photo and interview source: unofficial Roisin Murphy's blog

' [...] When I'm performing I like a certain amount of structure in my clothes – and in my haircut too. Changing on stage has become a big part of my performance now. I don't know if I'm hiding behind it, but I do get the strength to face the world if I'm wearing hard, blunt edges. Like I said before, I think it comes from my grandma. She'd ' wear masculine clothes, it gave her strength. Also, I do a lot of my own styling so it can be a bit scary as I'm the one making my own mistakes. There's a whole slipstream of the media now that deals with who looks right and who looks wrong now. I've got no right to complain, but it is a bit negative. I do get it wrong sometimes, of course, but the most irritating thing about that is when people say, "What was Róisí*Murphy's stylist thinking?"'

Check out my favorite Róisín's video on YT!

When alone at home...

... girls play with their make-up! It's a well-known truth and this is precisely what I did today. I didn't celebrate Halloween by dressing up, so I guess I'm compensating.

Anyway, the look was loosely themed around Cleopatra-style make-up with some heavy eyeliner, bronzed cheeks and coralish lips. I think it could be made into a more wearable version with a bit less dramatic liner, or spiced up even more with darker lip colour.

The key here is to keep the eyeliner not too flicked at the outer corner and to work it inwards to give more of a cat eye effect. I used shimmery golden eyeshadow all over the lid and added some white frosty shade under the browbone and in the inner corners, but this would also look nice with different lid colors.

Products used:

Eyes:

CS Eye Poxy primer

Annabelle Vanilla Chilla all over the lid

Inglot no 111 on the lid

NYX Jumbo Eye pencil in Cottage Cheese to highlight

CS black gel eyeliner on bent eyeliner brush

MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush mascara

NYX no 104 corner eyelashes

Cheeks:

CS G Bronzer/Blush

Inglot no 84 on the apples of the cheeks

Lips:

MAC Jest lipstick

Have a great evening, gals! xxx

Wedding make-up look

Loveaudrey asked me to share the details of my wedding make-up look. While it might not be suited to everyone's expectations and style, I decided to choose this vintage glamour look and was really happy with it myself.

I went for a makeover at a MAC store even though I wasn't entirely satisified with their customer service (see my rant post here). The MUA definitely took a lot of time (I've never seen someone take so much time to apply an eyeliner) and effort to create the look and it really showed. The only drawback was that it certainly wasn't waterproof and because my eyes got very watery during a photoshoot, the foundation and blusher on one of my cheeks were ruined and I had to conceal the damage myself.

If you're planning a makeover using MAC, I'd recommend that you take some extra care choosing the products. Depending on your skin type, the base and foundation can make a great difference in the wear of your make-up, e.g. while Prep and Prime made my oily skin mirror-like in less than 3 hours, their Matte base held really nicely. Also, don't be afraid to say 'NO' to some of your MUA's suggestions if you feel what they offer is not your style or doesn't match your expectations and needs. Most brides tend to go for a rather neutral look, but I chose something completely different despite the MUA's suggestions and I do think it looked great and complemented the dress and hairstyle really well.

Just for giggles, I thought I'd share some of the comments on the look that I heard from our guests. My mum, who went with me to the MAC store and waited while the make-up was applied, was stunned how big my lips looked with a red lippy on. My godmother claimed I looked like a movie star. Some others said I seemed older, which is not bad provided that without make-up I look maybe 18, and my husband always looked much older than me even though there's just a year and a haf difference between us.

For reference, the foundation used was MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW35 powdered with MSF Natural (no idea which shade though). On my eyes, I'm wearing Painterly Paint Pot, Brule all over the lid, Wedge in the crease, Vanilla for highlight, and Blacktrack Fluidline. The lipstick is in the shade Cockney.

Hope that was helpful to some of you. Have a great Friday night, my lovelies! xxx

Shorter and redder

My nails have gone... you got it, shorter and redder. After long, fair-colored summer talons, here come wintery saturated tones of red, deep pink and purple. I tend to think such shades look more elegant and modern on shorter nails, so I have filed mine down, also because of the state my nails had been in since the wedding. Especially the right index finger was unfortunate enough to get into a lot of trouble: breaking from the side as a result of rock climbing, peeling, full frontal break caused by me falling on the stairs. Firstly, I removed the varnish to help them grow, but that didn't really work out, so I coated them in nail polish so that it acts as a protective shield. What would your advice be, to paint or not to paint?

Enough rambling. I hereby introduce you to one of the best polishes I have recently tried, Astor's Longer and Stronger. The formula and the brush of this polish is amazing, giving you streak-free, deep-coloured, shiny nails with just one coat, plus it claims to contain calcium and keratin to strengthen your nails. This beautiful color here is 525 Rose Forever. It looks more raspberry pink in the bottle, but once on the nails, seems more like a wearable deep red with a hint of pink and cream finish.

So far it's been quite long-wearing too. I actually stole this bottle from my mum, but I felt authorised to since it was me who helped her to choose this shade ;) I love it!

What's on your nails right now?

Amélie

The weather here has recently been dull, drizzly and depressing, which makes me feel quite demotivated. To counteract the signs of autumnal crisis, I recommend this: "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulin". It was a huge success a couple of years ago, and I went to see it in an old, art-déco cinema with my brother. I've seen it a good couple of times since and it never fails to make me smile. If you like a beautiful collage of warm colors, surreal humor, romantic music, quirkiness, and, of course, Paris, you have to see this film.

To encourage you further, these are my favorite stills.

What is your favorite comfort movie?

Monday Ins & Outs

I haven't done one of those for ages!

Ins

1. Stud earrings. I went through a phase of wearing very chunky, dangling earrings, but recently I've been preferring the studs more, especially the silver and semi-precious stone ones.

2. Starting fitness classes this week. Back to shape!

3. Knitwear. We didn't have autumn weather at all this year in Poland, winter came almost immediately after summer. Warm, soft sweaters and cardis are a must.

4. Fall/Winter colors, especially reds, plums and... ultramarine.

5. Longer hair.

Outs

1. Shorter and shorter days. I leave home in the morning at night and come back home in the evening at night as well.

2. More and more coursework. Plus, I made a jerk out of myself today in the interpreting class. Why did I have to get the most difficult text to interpret?

3. Drinking too little water throughout the day.

What are your Ins and Outs for the beginning of this week?