a smidgen of vanity

Bonjourno chicas!
So the above pictures were some poopy photobooth snaps after I'd finished playing around with makeup before a night out with some people from work. I played it pretty safe- so if you were hoping to see puce eyeliner or brown lipstick, then i'm afraid I won't be pleasing. However, I vamped up the smokiness on the eyes, layering Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in On and On Taupe, on Nars Yamal and the deep purple-y shade amongst others from the Naked 2 Palette. Standard statement brow, and a new nude lip combination that  I have truly fallen in love with.
Having spent waaaay too much on finding that perfect nude lip product, I stumbled upon a combination that's got me all a-flutter. Cue Chanel rouge Coco shine in 71 Style, and Revlon superlustrous lip gloss in Bellini. Both sheer, nude and when put together, angels sing and fairies giggle whilst strewing peonies across raspberry fields. Kind of.
I'm a self-pronounced lip gloss ditherer. Meaning I'll buy one, dither over whether or not to use it, then leave it to gather dust at the back of my makeup drawer. I've actually had this Revlon beauty for almost a year, and worn it a grand total of twice. But since I found it's super-nudey powers (oo-er) it's hardly left my bag/lips. I do love a good re-discovery!

Lancôme Hypnôse Drama mascara

 

 

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how cute this mascara is?!
This is the Lancôme Hypnôse Drama mascara, but with the (shock horror!) limited edition Alber Elbaz printed tube. Hypnôse drama is my first Lancôme mascara, and I cannot get enough of it. I'm even tempted to buy another of the printed tubes, because, when this one eventually dries out, there's no way  I can just revert to the plain black tube. Silly that may sound, but pulling this kitschy printed beauty out of my makeup bag each morning brings a smile to my face- it's so cute!
The formula itself is, for my lashes, near flawless. It lengthens, separates and adds volume- hence where the name 'drama' comes from. This mascara, like the Bi-Facil remover (reviewed previously on LM), has a rosy scent. It disappears once on the lashes, so it's just a nice quirk to an already good mascara.
The issue I have with this is application- the only issue being that application requires practice or you get some of the formula in my eye. It's not an irritant, it just leaves a black thing in my eye that takes a little time to fish out.
The mascara lasts all day, until it gets taken off and is not water resistant. Light rain it can withstand, but this doesn't claim to be waterproof, so my post-shower raccoon eyes can be excused.
£20.50 is not too expensive for a highend mascara (drugstore mascara prices are on the up!), and if you're going to buy this- I'd totally recommend it. Especially in the packaging. I'm obsessed.

Smashbox HD Concealer

 

 

Smashbox is a brand that has been on my radar for a while, but I just never got around to buying anything! I was particularly intrigued by the High Definition products, and when I found myself running out of concealer (L'Oreal True Match concealer for those wondering), I saw it as some form of excuse to buy a new concealer  sign.
I bought the shade Fair / Light, which is one of the three shades available (Fair, Medium and Dark). Fair is slightly yellow toned, which counteracts the purple beneath my eyes to cover dark circles well, and, being lighter than my skin tone, brightens the eye area too. I find this needs to be blended quickly and pretty thoroughly otherwise it will settle into fine lines (easily rectifiable, but still a little annoying when you're in a hurry).
The packaging is pretty sleek and functional, but the applicator is something to get used to. It's a bit solid to rub directly under the eyes, so i find depositing some onto the back of my hand then putting it on and blending with my ring finger works best. Blemish-wise, it also covers well, but I rarely suffer with bad blemishes, so I tend to use my derma blend concealer instead if I have an bite or spot.
My only gripe with this product (besides the inconvenient applicator) is the teeny tiny amount! 8ml costs £17, which is rather dear.
If you were wondering what the bottom, slightly pixel-y picture is- it's my eyes after a day at work, wearing this concealer. Normally, my makeup shifts as I'm on my feet all the time, but my undereyes showed very little signs of concealer shifting. 10 out of 10 for staying power and quality, but I have a few niggles with the price / quantity ratio.

Nars Mysterious Red

 

 

Ok, this is the last Nars post until October at least, I promise. To conclude the reviews of my recent purchases from Nars, I have for you the Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil in Mysterious Red.
I've never mentioned it on LM before, but I love a good red lip. The old style, Hollywood-glamour seems so appealing and wearable but I've always been hindered by the difficulty to find that perfect red.
I have put away my red lippie radar for now, because ladies & gents, this is the one.
Fairly long wearing (leaving a pretty pinky red colour as it fades a little), matte but not drying and the kind of deep, vampy berry red that wouldn't look out of place of Ms Monroe herself, Mysterious Red is simply stunning.
I was close to leaving this behind, but at the till, the gent who was serving me mentioned it's limited edition status- and by now I think we all know what happens to me when those two little words are thrown into product-chatter.
£17.50 later and this beauty was mine and truth be told, I've been having too many working days, or lazy days, to have used this. I haven't had the opportunity to wear it out (though I had a play earlier, and I type this now with my lips a luscious scarlet colour), when the chance rears its lovely head, I'll be out there, all guns blazing, and perfectly red lips. Like Marilyn Monroe meets Lara Croft.

Nars Via de'Martelli eyeliner

   

Beginning this post with "I am not an eyeliner person" seems negative, but it's the truth. I, as a general rule don't veer towards eyeliner when applying my daily face.
Why, I hear you die-hard liner-lovers chanting? Well, I am a contact lense wearer, so the formulation has to be uber creamy and not destroy my contacts; I'm not actually very good at applying it evenly; I've never really loved the way it looks on me.
However, this colour was too perfect to miss out on because of a minor issue with the product itself. I joke, but I have been trying to get myself more into eyeliner, because it really defines my eyes and adds a kind of mysterious look to my makeup (rambling - - - over).
Via de'Martelli is the normal formulation of Nars eye pencils, very soft and blendable, but sticking put as soon as the creaminess whitters away. The colour is a rich, almost coffee brown, which is much less harsh than the typical black eye pencil- so I was convinced. It lasts most of the day on my waterline, but if you have extra-watery eyes then I'd eyeliner in general is not necessarily a good idea (unless you want to keep reapplying). The packaging is as you'd expect an eye pencil to be (in pencil form no less!) and a fun gimmick of the product is that the kohl twists up, and you sharpen it with the attached funnel-shaped thing. I haven't gotten round to trying it yet, but I'm sure it'll be fun. This colour is, unfortunately, limited edition as it was released with the Fall Collection and it costs an e y e w a t e r i n g (geddit?) £19.
Do you like eyeliner? Or are you like me- a big girl blouse when it comes to sticking pencils in my eyes?