FOTD - Fyrinnae

I've been trying to work my way through the shadows in my last Fyrinnae order and I've reached the more colourful options now. My workplace is is quite relaxed and rainbow eyes are fine, but I'm not always in the mood for bright shadow application first thing in the morning.

Today I applied Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place cream shadow in Blue Velvet to the outer third of my eyelid and blended it into the centre to fade. I then tapped a small amount of Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on top. Once it had gone tacky, I swept Arcane Magic shadow in Faerie Glamour across the lid and drew it under the lower lashline. I then blended Atomic Afterglow shadow into the crease and inner corner to soften the edges of the Faerie Glamour. I love Atomic Afterglow and have ordered the full size in my second Fyrinnae order. It's a lovely silvery taupey shade with a hint of cool green that seems to blend well with any shade or creates a shimmering neutral eye when used alone.

You can see in the pics that the Estee Lauder Blue Velvet helps intensify and draw out the blue in the Faerie Glamour, which is more violet in appearance towards the inner corner where there was no coloured base. Like all the Arcane Magics,  Faerie Glamour changes dependent upon which light it's seen in, with artificial light having the greatest impact.

The rest of the face was half a pump of Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, ELF Complexion Perfection powder, Urban Decay Sweetie blush and Fyrinnae Pink Guitar Lip Lustre. It took about ten minutes to do and thanks to the Pixie Epoxy - truly a wonder product - the eyes lasted well all day with no creasing or flaking.

Apparently, my second Fyrinnae order has shipped so I'm waiting with baited breath for some more Arcanes and Lip Lustres. The pricing on the site has been rejigged recently, but it means the sizes are slightly bigger, which is particularly good for the Arcanes (for an extra few cents, the smallest size is now 1/4tsp where it was previously 1/8tsp).

I really recommend Fyrinnae. They clearly post the waiting time for shipments on the home page, but I've never had to wait for the full period. The quality of the products I've tried so far is amazing and there are fun and funky shades alongside more muted naturals. I've never been a fan of loose shadows as I find them too messy but the Pixie Epoxy really helps combat that issue. Also, as a fan of Urban Fantasy I like owning products with names like 'Elven Dagger', 'Warrior-Mage' and 'Druid Werewolf', as if I'm touched by magic as well as make-up.

FOTD and review - Trish McEvoy Turquoise Python Petite Make-up Planner

For some reason, I've neglected Trish McEvoy for a few years. I went through a bit of a Trish phase in my late twenties when I managed to get my hands on a few of her excellent Little Black Card palettes and fell in love with the No.9 Blackberry and Vanilla Musk perfume. Then I moved on to my next beauty 'thing' and forgot about Trish for a bit.

Last week, I decided we'd been apart for long enough and came home with the Turquoise Python Petite Make-up Planner. The planner includes a removable mini make-up bag, a petite page, the new Crystal Deluxe Diamond eye shadow, new translucent finishing powder, new Instant Pick-me-up face colour trio, new Irresistible Petal lip gloss, a deluxe travel size of the Eye Base Essential in Bare, Azure Glaze eye shadow and Arabian Nights eye definer. It's a pretty good selection of products and there is plenty of room in the planner itself for adding more petite or mini pages - and thus more make-up - as time goes by.

The shades in the petite page are lovely for spring and summer. Although the Azure Glaze shadow looks quite bright in the palette, it applies as a subtle wash and can be built to increase intensity. It has a nice shimmer to it but is not glittery. The Crystal Deluxe Diamond eye shadow is sparkly, but in a very subtle way. I would definitely only use it on the eyes though, unless you like glitterball highlighters on the cheekbones. The Arabian Nights eye definer applies as a deep navy, just as it appears in the palette. The face colour trio is a good mix of seasonal shades which I think would work well on a variety of skin tones. The finishing powder suffers for being next to the Arabian Nights shadow. I tried to carefully pick some up with a MAC 109 but still managed to get a smear of navy shadow on the bridge of my nose. Nonetheless, I like the palette a lot.

The lipgloss is pretty, feels cushiony on the lips and has a slight mintiness to it, which I quite like. Beyond that, there's nothing much to say about it and I think it would be easy to dupe. The eye base however is an amazing product. I have quite oily lids and I almost always use UDPP or Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Though they are both good, I find shadows more difficult to blend on the former and the latter is a bit too runny for my liking. The Trish McEvoy eye base is quite thick and creamy, applies like UDPP, conceals any redness or veins and shadows apply very smoothly across it. It also holds them tight all day. I will definitely purchase a full size when the travel size is finished. Having checked the website I've found it comes in 6 different shades to match varying skintones. I think it's brilliant for a quick, clean eye with tidy brows and a sweep of mascara.

Anyway, on to the face of the day:

I did this on Saturday in about 5 mins, just to get a feel for the products. The face is just a smidge of concealer, mainly to cover redness, and translucent finishing powder. The lack of foundation is all thanks to my new skincare regime which I'll do a full update in in a couple of weeks.

I used the eye base from lashline to brow and then swept the Crystal Deluxe Diamond shadow over the same area. Using a MAC 217, I swept the Azure Glaze shadow into the crease and gently buffed and added more colour until I was happy with the intensity. I used a pencil brush and the Arabian Nights eye definer on my upper lashline and the outer third of my lower lashline. Cheeks were the bottom two colours of the pick-me-up colour trio (my pale blue skin shrank from the bronze) and then finished with a dusting of finishing powder and a slick of the lipgloss. Overall, a speedy basic face with a little kick of colour (click the pics for a closer look).

I'm looking forward to playing with the shades I have in the petite page, using the trio of colours on my eyes or doing a vampier evening look with the blue shades. Overall, I'd recommend this product if you fancy some fresh, polished new shades for spring and summer and you might want to build a Trish McEvoy collection that's portable and well packaged.

I got my Turquoise Python Planner from Harvey Nichols in Birmingham. If you want to take a closer look at some of the products, she has a US website which I believe ships to a number of countries.

FOTD - more Fyrinnae

Two more of my Fyrinnae shadow samples today. I really cannot get over how easy to work with the Pixie Epoxy makes these. It feels like I'm using one of those magic colouring books where a wet brush reveals the colours of a picture. A fluffy brush dipped in loose, glittery powder eyeshadow should lead to a big old mess, but the precision and ease of blending is phenomenal.

Anyway, here's today's face (click for a closer look):

On top of a base of UDPP and Pixie Epoxy, I applied Equality shadow on the lids - a very sparkly and iridescent platinum shade - and then used Avian Shapeshifter Arcane Magic in the crease, outer corner and blended slightly above the socket. This was one of the smoothest eyeshadows I have ever used in my life and it really did go on like a dream. It looks like a sort of terracotta shade in the pot but once applied and seen in different lights, it ranges from burnished copper to rosy brick and everything in between. I am still loving Fyrinnae very much.

Foundation and concealer were both Bourjois Healthy Mix, lightly dusted with ELF Complexion Perfection. MyFace blush in Holiday and lips were Dior Addict Lip Glow. Once again, the shadows lasted very well all day, thanks to the magic of Pixie Epoxy.

FOTD - Fyrinnae, MAC, RMK, Daniel Sandler

So, I've spent some time doing crazy experiments in my bathroom with the Pixie Epoxy and all my Fyrinnae samples and can officially confirm I love all of them. The shadows are amazing, the mixture of colours is great, the shimmer and sparkle are fantastic and the Pixie Epoxy is a wonder product. When using this product, you must work against type with the loose shadow. There is no delicate patting on of colour with a dense shader brush. You can swipe a flufffy brush coated with loose powder across your lid and it will stick and give an amazingly intense wash of colour. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, moving on to today's look:

Let's take a closer look at those eyelids and the gorgeous Fyrinnae shadows:

*sigh* I just love them.

Anyway, the technical deets. After priming my eye with UDPP in sin I applied a tiny amount of Pixie Epoxy from lashline to brow on both eyes. I also took a tinier amount and ran it along my lower lashline (avoid the waterline). After leaving it to dry a little and go tacky - about 20 seconds - I used a fluffy shader and stroked Fyrinnae Atomic Afterglow across my lid and below the lower lashline. It goes on incredibly smoothly and the epoxy really grabs hold of it and gives a smooth, almost foiled look. Atomic Afterglow is described as silvery taupe with silver and gold highlights, but I definitely get a soft green undertone.

I then used the same fluffy brush to apply Arcane Magic in Archmage in the crease and then blended both inwards and upwards. Again, it was a dream to work with. The Arcane Magics change colour dependent upon which light they are seen in. Archmage is a deep green with a lighter shimmer that changes from pale green to silver to pink in various lights. Someone at work commented on how lovely my eyeshadow was today and how it 'kept changing colour'. The Arcanes are really something. I took another photo with flash to try to show a shift in colour:

I highlighted the inner corner up to the middle of the socket line with MAC Vanilla pigment, then used MAC Vanilla shadow to highlight under the brow. The face was RMK Liquid Foundation, Daniel Sandler Watercolour in Truth on the cheeks and on the lips is MAC Naked Honey Skin Salve topped with Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Flavor of the Day. I will do a separate post on the Lip Lustres at some point.

This look lasted well all day and the shadows did not flake or crease. I am looking forward to more adventures with my sample shadows, Arcanes and Pixie Epoxy. I am also planning another order with Fyrinnae for some full size shadows as I am so impressed with these. Delivery took a lot less than the 16-20 working days initially outlined on the website and even if I'd had to wait a month, it would have been worth it. I also got two free sample shadows included in the order, which I thought was a nice touch.

I leave you with an 'eyes open' pic, in order that the Lip Lustre can have a bit of attention while the amazing shadows are hiding:

Anyone else a Fyrinnae fan? Any recommendations?

FOTD - Suqqu, Daniel Sandler, Julie Hewett, Bourjois

Even if I get up 5 minutes earlier than usual in the morning, I never seem to have time to click a few photos of my FOTD lately. I finally managed it on Friday for the first time in ages.  

I was rushing to get ready for work and was a little flustered, which hopefully explains my dishevelled mop. I decided to use my Suqqu EX-02 Sukashizumi palette on Friday, but wanted to try a slightly different look from the last one I featured using that palette.

I really like the shimmery taupe shade in the palette, so decided to make it more of a feature this time. As before, the shadows blended beautifully, even on top of a base of Urban Decay Primer Potion, which normally hampers smooth blending slightly for me. I was pleased with the finished look, which only took a few minutes. I love the pale lilac shade for highlighting, it's such a brightening colour.

The photo washes the colours out slightly, but it was a nice, office-friendly look. On the rest of the face I used Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and concealer, Daniel Sandler Watercolour in Truth as a blusher, Suqqu Noble Nuance face powder and lips were Julie Hewett Camelia balm in Rose. The Daniel Sandler Watercolour is a new acquisition and I really like it. The shade is a very pale peach which is recommended for helping to camouflage high colour in the cheeks. I will do a full review on it once I've used it a few more times.

I tried to capture the full look in natural light, but as you can see I managed to skew the shot slightly thanks to the slatted blinds in my lounge. Oh well, I suppose it adds a bit of atmosphere, or a great impression of cack-handedness, dependent upon your opinion.

Julie Hewett and FOTD

*picture heavy post*

I love stumbling across fantastic things - I'm fairly certain most people do. The thing is once I find something new that I love, whether it's books, music, make-up or even cleaning products, I want to buy whatever is available to me in that range or genre. So it is with Julie Hewett. I've ordered items from the brand's website three times and and there is not a single item I don't like. This of course means I want to try more and more.

FOTD - Suqqu, Bourjois, Julie Hewett

Just a quick post to show a face of the day from a couple of days ago. I've been on the back foot all week and keep forgetting to take photos in the morning so I rushed to get this after work, before the light went completely.

After falling completely in love with my first ever Suqqu purchases I decided to drop by the counter to look at the other two eye quads in the Spring range. I decided to get EX03 Koukon, a mixture of warm browns in matte and shimmer shades.

I used Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and concealer, set with E.L.F. Complexion Perfection powder. Blush was MyFace blusher in Holiday (my favourite blush) and lips were Julie Hewett Gem Noir lipstick, which is a lovely soft and sheer raspberry. I've just received some more Julie Hewett products so I'll aim to do a post on them soon.

Considering I took these pics at the end of the day when the whole lot had been on for 12 hours, I think the make-up lasted really well. I don't know what's going on with the simpering expression though. I tried to avoid my normal grumpy 'in repose' face, but I think this might be even worse. I can definitely see a touch of the Mr Bean about it.

FOTD - Suqqu

Today was going to be a make-up free day. I was feeling a bit off colour and did not have to leave the house, so I planned to spend the day reclining languidly on my sofa, gorging on Gilmore Girls DVDs. It seems my husband had a similar plan, though in his case it was recordings of Match of the Day and Football Focus he wanted to watch.

I retreated upstairs to watch DVDs in the bedroom. Within an hour the urge to play with my new make-up was too strong - it called to me from its new home by my dressing table. The light was good and I was itching to see if my Suqqu Noble Nuance face powder would look as good when I used it as it did when the MUA demonstrated it for me.

FOTD - RMK

After a couple of days of smearing cream shadow on with a finger as part of my pared down travel routine, I was ready to wield the blending brush again this morning, and fancied some colour.

When I was at the RMK counter last week, I bought one of the shadow quads from their Spring Modern range, which takes its inspiration from 20th Century contemporary art. I couldn't choose which of the palettes to buy, but the fact that two were sold out made it a little easier. I eventually came home with the Coral Green palette.

Blue flash

I don't wear much make-up at the weekends. Despite my love for it, I prefer my weekend routine to be quite different to that of the week. This means no alarms, no hair dryer, a decent breakfast and no faffing with foundation and blending.

Yesterday's crisp air and blue sky inspired me to wear my new H&M Breton stripe top and try the bright blue pearl paint in my Yaby palette. I defined my brows, washed a silvery grey across my lid and into the crease and then used an angled brush to draw a rough line of the bright blue shade along my lashline. Precision was jettisoned in favour of speed, but I was happy with the final look.


I dotted MAC Select Moisture Cover concealer where needed, dusted E.L.F Complexion Perfection powder over my face and finished with a hint of Bobbi Brown blusher in sandwash pink and a slick of Lipstick Queen 15 minutes of fame gloss (a random colour from 'The Nudes' Christmas gift set).

It took all of ten minutes to do, lasted well and withstood a visit to the supermarket, a trip round TK Maxx and a few afternoon drinks with my bezzie. Poi-fict!

Fr-eye-day

A hilarious play on words there, I think you'll agree...

It seemed even more difficult than usual to drag my bones from my bed this morning. Then despite a lovely shower using Villainess products (more about them coming up in another post), I still felt sluggish and could muster no enthusiasm for getting ready for work. I wasn't sure what to do regarding make-up and then I decided to use my new Yaby palette for inspiration.

Club inspiration - FOTD

Like a lot of people interested in make-up, I am a huge fan of Pixiwoo's make-up tutorials and get a real thrill each time one shows up in my subscriptions. These talented make-up artist sisters have shown me quick looks for every day, glitzy looks for a night out, recreated screen siren and celebrity looks and pushed the envelope with some edgier or more flamboyant faces. I can't recommend them enough.

After watching a video the other day on using MAC's Club eyeshadow, I decided to try it this morning as a quick way to get made up before work.

Optimus Primer and FOTD

After Thursday's woefully shiny face of the (end of the) day, I decided on Friday to A) remember to photograph it in the morning and B) remember to use a primer to see if it made any difference.

While I was at uni, I had a job at home during the holidays at a Harvester-style pub down the road. I did waitressing and bar work but my favourite was in the kitchen. To my mind chef's whites are one of the few ways you can practically wear pajamas to your place of work. It was a hot and steamy atmosphere, but unfortunately not because the rest of the kitchen staff looked like George Clooney. It was more to do with the massive steak griddle, the humungous pots of veg on the stoves and the halogen heat lamps at the pass. I really enjoyed it, but I spent most of the time looking like a sweaty tomato.

At least I had a good excuse. Nowadays when I come home from my catering-free work environment, I still seem to look like I've been slinging Surf 'n' Turfs all day and my make-up has slid off. The eyes are usually okay, thanks to Urban Decay's Primer Potion, but the cheeks, chin and forehead tell a different story.

Bright night

I had a night out with a friend a couple of weeks ago and I'd recently received an order I'd placed for some Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows. I wanted to try out some of the bright colours and see how well they showed up on my lids, as well as test blendability.

I've heard a lot about SMH and when I found I could buy them for just £3.25 each, I thought I'd give them a go. I'll do a fuller post on them at some point, but here's a pic of the look I did that night.

I know I look grumpy, but my face just seems to do that when I concentrate!

Shine on - FOTD

Ooops, I fully intended to take a photo of my make-up this morning, but time somehow got away from me. Unfortunately, this means a photo at the end of a long day, after nearly 12 hours of wear. Not the best first impression on my clean new blog, but I have to start somewhere.

Today, I went for a neutral look:

I've cropped the photo to remove some of the glare from my unpowdered forehead, but I'm afraid it's still in its full glory on my nose.