Tuesday 28 February 2012

Lipstick Review ~ Blackest of Black (part 1)

I've been getting into the gothic look a lot recently so I started looking for a good quality black lipstick (not that £1 crap you get at halloween) and realised that there aren't that many obvious options. So I searched pretty much everywhere and here I'm going to try out the various brands of black lipstick I found on the high street and on the internet and compare them (which means that now I am stuck with 6 black lipsticks - the things I do for you guys!). I'm not a professional makeup artist (obviously), so I will apply each lipstick the same, straight from the bullet to my lips and blot once, without primer or sealant or anything fancy. Things I'll be looking for are: high pigmentation and lasting colour. I don't really care about presentation, if the lipstick is good, it doesn't matter what the outside looks like and I'm also not too miffed about staining (although I will mention it).


Barry M - Black
Price: £4.49 (can be found in Superdrug and Boots)
I wasn't too surprised that Barry M does a black lipstick since they generally pride themselves on having unusual colours but I've never tried any of their lip paints so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Thoughts: The application was smooth and even, the colour was pretty concentrate and I didn't notice any smell. I also found this didn't really dry my lips out at all. I didn't find any feathering, however I did find that there was a lot of migration further into my lip, meaning fading happened pretty quickly (just from talking) and it got on my teeth. There was a tiny bit of staining but it came off with makeup remover.

Pros:
  • pretty cheap
  • good initial pigmentation  
  • non-drying
Cons: 
  • migration 
  • fading happened fairly quickly


Portland Black Lipstick Co. - Black
Sample was provided. Obviously opinion is unbiased.

Price: £8.43 from their Etsy store (or £10.57 from their website, both prices included P&P in to the UK.)
This one came to me all the way from America. This US-based company had 'black lipstick' in the name so that was a pretty promising start. 
Thoughts: I cannot tell you how impressed I am with this lipstick. I got smooth, even coverage, no feathering and only a small amount of fading, even after eating and drinking. I also found that my lips didn't feel dried out. Less importantly (but still cool) it smelt lightly like peppermint which was nice and there was no staining of such afterwards.

Pros:
  • super pigmented 
  • long-lasting and durable
  • no feathering or migrating
  • didn't dry out lips
Cons: 
  • comes from America (so naturally a bit more expensive if you're ordering from the UK, if not this doesn't really apply)
  • applying straight from this shape bullet can be awkward 

Manic Panic - Raven
Sample was provided. Obviously opinion is unbiased. 
 
Price: £6.95 - cheapest found. (Some others, P&P included: Dream Gate, £8.94, Rowdydow, £8.80)
If you've heard of Manic Panic at all then it'll be in relation to their hair dye, but they also do loads of other stuff, including an alternative cosmetic line.
Thoughts: Initally I found that you needed to build the colour up a bit to get an opaque look but once it was layered enough the pigmentation was okay. I'd say as a general this lipstick is comparable to the Barry M one, especially in terms of fade, which it did pretty quickly, even though all I did whilst testing this was talk. However it didn't migrate (unlike Barry M) or feather, nor was it drying.

Pros:
  • not drying
  • didn't feather or migrate 
  • no obvious staining
Cons:
  • faded pretty quickly 
  • not exceptionally pigmented


So that's it for part 1. Next I'll be looking at Manic Panic's Lethal (from their vegan Creature of the Night range), Miss Sporty's Black and Stargazer's Black, a nice diverse mix! I'll also have a comparison swatch and tell you what my personal favourite is.
Part 2 can be found here.


Saturday 25 February 2012

Outfit of the Day ~ blue shoes, grey day.

{I had a dream
That made me move to New York City
Cause I wasn't about to
About to let this magic slip away
But he did anyway
He was kind of Illusive that way
Like clouds on a promising grey day.}
~ Vonda Shepard
I love this blazer so much! I know I've worn it once before in this outfit, but I felt it needed more love. We did this shoot in a place called Swanage (it's in Dorset) where the boyfriend's parents have a flat (it must be nice being so well off). The loaction was in a pretty hard to reach place, so imagine my joy in trying to get to it in 4 inch wedges. So much fun. But they're so gorgeous, I got them in an ASOS sale a while ago and haven't give them enough attention. They're actually pretty comfortable and in that photo, a bit wet.
Standing on this was the boyfriend's idea and I was pretty skeptical, so he walked me up and then left me on this tiny stretch of cement so he could take photos. Occasionally I got splashed by a particularly mean wave and made a massive fuss. It may not sound like, but it was actually pretty fun. Apart from people stopped to stare at us and I tried to act like I wasn't just being a massive pansy. I got a but self conscious since everyone else was dressed in sensible walking gear and then there was me, in heels. The things I do for a good outfit of the day!
As you can see, my hair is still fading, and due to an insane schedule that I've got at the moment I won't be able to dye it the beautiful turquoise I've chosen until the 1st of April. I don't even want to think how aweful it's going to look by then but at the moment I still quite like it, the boyfriend calls it the "psycadelic lion" which always makes me laugh.
Top: New Look
Velvet blazer: Found at a vintage fair
Necklace: Possibly Topshop, possibly Warehouse. Either way, old.
Cords: Fashion Union
Wedges: ASOS
Bowler hat: Random shop in Brighton 
As always all photos were taken by the boyfriend, check out his tumblr!

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Lipstick Rainbow ♥

I'm getting so excited by lipsticks at the moment, and can you blame me!? When there are so many amazing, unusual colours starting to appear, now you don't have to wear just reds and pinks, there's a whole new world of colour. Because of my fondess for colourful lipsticks I have many favourites. Here are some (and by some, I mean lots) of my favourites! Obviously I couldn't include them all, so in some instances I've only shown one lipstick from a company that does a whole range of amazing colours, so if you have the time check them out (especially some of those indie companies, they deserve love.)
If I haven't included a source link, then it's just the same as the product link.

Orange 
Nyx ~ Citrine, (source), Ka'Oir ~ Ooh La La, Mac ~ Morange (source), Lime Crime ~ My Beautiful Rocket.
My Beauty Addiction ~ Spiced Pumpkin, Morgana Cryptoria ~ Shrieking Orange, OCC ~ Banjee, (source), Sweetpea & Fay ~ Heavens To Betsy.

Yellow
Lime Crime ~ New Yolk City, Ka'Oir ~ Banana Milkshade, Sweetpea & Fay ~ Crazy Cab, OCC ~ Traffic, (source).

Green
 Illamasqua ~ Violate, (source), Barry M ~ Green, (source), Evil Shades ~ Mage, (source), Lime Crime ~ Mint To Be.
Ka'Oir ~ Jamaica, Sweetpea & Fay ~ Scuba Gear.

Blue
 Illamasqua ~ Gender, (source), Ka'Oir ~ Pool Party, Evil Shades ~ Miscreant, (source), Stargazer ~ 104 (source).
 OCC ~ RX (source), Evil Shades ~ Cyanide (source), Ka'Oir ~ #Kaoirdoll, Illamasqua ~ Disciple (source).
 Lime Crime ~ No She Didn't, Sweetpea & Fay ~ Yeti, Kaoir ~ Baby Bleu, Sweetpea & Fay ~ Nordic.

Purple
(for a more comprehensive list, go here)
 Sweetpea & Fay ~ Musidora, Illamasqua ~ Fury (source), Illamasqua ~ Kontrol (source), Mac ~ Goes And Goes (source).
 Ka'Oir ~ Rude Girl, Evil Shades ~ Dark Princess (source), Stargazer ~ 103 (source), Lime Crime ~ Airbourne Unicorn.
 Ka'Oir ~ Racquel, Lime Crime ~ D'Lilac, Stargazer ~ 115 (source).

White
OCC ~ Feathered, (source), Ka'Oir ~ Virgin, Sweetpea & Fay (almost white) ~ Heliotrope

Other websites to check out if you're looking for a something unusual (I didn't include them in the photos because there weren't good enough swatches...I'm so obsessed with visuals):

8th Wonder Mineral Cosmetics (not so much lipsticks but some amazing lip glosses)
Portland Black Lipstick Co. (they have a lot of really unusual colours, inlcuding some lovely darker shades)
Sobe Botanicals (lots of unusual and interesting shades)
My Beauty Addiction (they have a really gorgeous looking pigmented lip glosses) 
Eccentric Cosmetics (they have some really nice, bright shades)
Providence and Grace (there are some pretty shimmery colours here)
Manic Panic (they have what looks to be a really nice dark green)
If you have a favourite wesbite or particular lipstick, let me know in the comments below!

Sunday 19 February 2012

Nail of the Day ~ Aztec

This polish is something I've been meaning to mention for a while. It's from Accessorize's fairly recent nail varnish range. I don't think it looks as good on it's own since the base is this pretty sheer green so here I've layered it on a black polish which really enhances the effect. This always reminds me of petrol, it goes through so many colours; purple, pink, yellow and green. It's so pretty and whenever I wear it I can't stop staring at it. Different light sources bring out the different colours and we (being me and the boyfriend) did our best to capture the different shades.
It is so beautiful, if you don't have it and you want a really pretty duochrome varnish, get it. And for £4, it's not about to break the bank.
 As a general update I've got a lot of planned posts coming up, I'll be putting up the first part of my mass review of black lipsticks in the next few weeks. In fact a fair few of up coming posts will be about lipstick (I'm going through an obssession) but don't worry, I'll be doing an outfit post next weekend!

Friday 17 February 2012

Heart Prints ~ Not Just For Valentine's.

Hearts aren't just for Valentine's day, right?
I've been planning this for a while, I'm going to do a short "series" of collections with different prints/patterns. First off, hearts! I don't like big or irregular heart prints, but I find those that can almost be mistaken for little polka dots so cute! And obviously, I had to choose things that are at least reasonably afforable, right? Apart from Topshop...Topshop is not affordable.
The River Island headband is actually replacing another River Island hair accessory in the same material, but it was a head tie instead, it really nice (I was pretty tempted) but it had sold out before I could link it!

Left to right:

Jeans ~ River Island, £40
Skirt ~ Awear,
Tights ~ Motel Rocks, £8
Dress ~ Asos, £32
Headband ~ River Island, £3
Dress ~ New Look, £19.99
Blouse ~ Topshop, £48

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Collection 2000: Dazzle Me!

Today I have a simple post for you all. Before I really got into makeup, or at least "grown up" makeup I used to love going to the Collection 2000 section of Boots because it was the brightest part of the makeup section. Whenever my mum caught my gazing at the pretty, sparkly glitter she'd let me get three at a time (thank the lord for 3 for 2 on all cosmetics that seems to be a permanent fixture of Boots), so over the years I've built up quite a collection of them, I've even got 2 that are discontinued - that's hardcore. I do intend to do some looks with them but I thought it would make sense just to swatch them all, it might be of use to someone, somewhere.
So, I will be swatching: Magical, Heavenly, Fairy Dust, Illusion, Pixie and just for fun the two discontinued ones: Mystery and Bewitch.


Pixie
A very shimmery green with hints of gold
Thoughts: So pretty, very shimmery and nice pigmentation.


Heavenly
Also very shimmery, with one is a blue on the cusp of being turquoise
Thoughts: I love this, it makes me think of peacocks. Having looked at it again more closely I definitely need to wear it again soon!


Bewitch (discontinued)
A more standard indigo blue with hints of purple
Thoughts: slightly less pigmented.

Fairy Dust
A vibrant purple with a whisper of red
Thoughts: Used it in this outift.

Illusion
A less shimmery but very bright hot pink
Thoughts: This one is a bit of an odd one out. Very pigmented, but in exchange there is a lot less shimmer to this one, in fact I'd go so far as to say it's pretty matte, but it's staying power is awesome.

Magical
A shimmery/sparkly irridescent white with hints of gold and green
Thoughts: Not very pigmented at all, but very sparkly.

Mystery (discontinued)
A very inky black with hints of green
Thoughts: I think it's shame this one is discontinued because it's really gorgeous.

And here are the actual swatches:
 Taken using flash
Taken under softer lighting conditions

Overall verdict: Even though consistency was a bit lacking when it came to pigmentation there are some really pretty colours with lovely, subtle undertones. I think these are great for an afforable, colourful eye dust, and a cheaper alternative to Barry M's Dazzle dust (how come the names are basically the same?). I'd definitely recommend using with a primer.

Sunday 12 February 2012

Outfit of the Day ~ Turtleneck and tights.

Melancholy I was, but I did not fret.
On with the skirt I said,
And the turtleneck.

~ Mackenzie Rose Walsh

Tights: Tie Rack
Boots: old New Look

Yesterday (being Saturday) me and the boyfriend went to the sea front to take these photos and the sun was so golorious it almost didn't feel cold, which meant taking my cardigan off to take the photos wasn't actually painful. We also went to see Chronicle that day, which was really really good and was only slightly ruined by a bunch of really idiotic teenage girls and a very creepy guy sitting next to me. Before that we went to this amazing American style restaurant called Coast 2 Coast where we had very delicious food and jelly beans along with our receipt - how amazing is that! We also discovered that Marina Village is home to the most friendliest in England, it's crazy!

Tea dress: old ASOS
Necklace: old Avon
Turtle neck: Hand me down from my grandma

Eyes: Collection 2000 Dazzle Me! dust in 'Fairy Dust'
Lips: Benefit's La La Land with Colourtrend's Lucid on top

 I really liked how my hair looked that day, it was almost a gradient of purple to lilac to grey. I wish it always looked that way. On Friday I met up with a friend, Bekki and I dragged her around my favourite shops in the lanes (and maybe got a bit lost looking for a shop I'd completely forgotten the location of). We ended up talking for like an hour in this really sweet café that played vinyls and made good brownies.
On another amazing note (this week has been a good week) my amazing boyfriend has bought me Lime Crime's Chinchilla, which is this amazing grey-lilac lipstick that I've been staring at for like, half a year. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I guessed, bless him. I cannot wait for it to arrive and it will be in the very next outfit of the day!
Bekki took this and you can see a few more photos of that day here, they're mainly of me, testing out a lipstick for a future post!
As always all photos (apart from the café one) were taken by the endlessly amazing boyfriend, go look at his Tumblr!
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