Want to look fresh & awake?

Most of you are probably familiar with the concept of wearing white eyeliner on the waterline of your lower lashline to help brighten and widen the eye. And if you didn't know this, well, then you've learned something new today! :p  Even though some people swear by this look, I have to admit that most of the time I tend line my waterline with darker eyeliners or leave it au naturel, because I find that the white liner look can looked a little harsh on me...

Then, recently I read in a fashion magazine about the latest nude eyeliner from Chanel's 2010 Fall line and was instantly intrigued. Their Chanel Intense Le Crayon Khol - Clair (#69) is a nude/flesh toned liner, with no hit of shimmer - which makes it ideal for opening up the eyes, enhancing a wide eye look without the stark feeling that a white liner can sometimes give.  Keen to try out this product; I went to the Chanel counter and got this limited edition eyeliner. 

I love how it brightens my eye in a soft way, blends, looks natural and makes my eyes look bigger without a noticeable white line.  I also adore that Chanel supplies a sharpener with their eyeliners.

Great product to use on those days where you look like you could have done with a few extra hours in bed ;) Plus it can also be used as a nude lipliner!

Only one small negative: I wish the pencil was a little softer, more kohl-like. It's quite hard and therefore you have to go over it a few times to get the proper effect. But overall I think this is a great buy for people that want to brighten their eyes and look FRESH and awake! 

Ps: I have also read a lot about Benefit's Eye Bright Liner...

What do YOU use to brighten your eyes, any recommendations? xoxo

Girls Day Out OOTD

Hey everyone,

Just thought I'd share another OOTD post! I wore this the other day on a girls day out with two dear friends. We spend the day in the city of Arnhem; catching up over pots of tea with home-baked apple & cinnamon cake (nom nom), shopping and a delicious dinner out! You can't beat lovely days like that :) 

♥ Grey knit sweater dress by De Bijenkorf (Dutch department-store)
♥ Black leggings by Witchery
♥ Black short leather boots by Cinderella

Got the sweater dress dress recently in a massive sale this department store has once a year. It was down from €70 to only €19! Couldn't resist a nice bargain. I love the shoulder detail and that it's super warm and comfy for winter! Hope you've all had a great weekend? xoxo

Colour Pop with Red Eyeshadow

Today's FOTD is inspired by a video I watched on YouTube the other day by one of my favourite makeup guru's: Tanya Burr. She's a professional makeup artist with a blog & YouTube channel.  She does lots of amazing tutorials and makeup looks.

In her video Tanya did a "Colour Pop" look on how to wear MAC Cranberry eyeshadow. I don't own that particular eyeshadow but I do own MAC Coppering and a few other red/burgundy shades which are pretty similar. Red/Burgandy/Pink shades can be quite tricky to pull off but I feel that when you wear a neutral lid with a colour pop of red on the lower lashline plus good black eyeliner, it becomes very pretty and wearable.  

I hope you enjoy my FOTD:

♥ Face:
Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer
Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 180
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC20
Rimmel London Natural Bronzer in Sunlight
MAC Springsheen blush

♥ Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Jest eyeshadow (all over lid)
MAC Wedge eyeshadow (crease)
mix of MAC Coppering e/s & MAC play on plums - dark shade (lower lashline)
MAC Fluidline in blacktrack (upper lash line)
MAC Smolder kohl eyeliner (waterline)
MaxFactor Calorie 2000 Mascara

♥ Lips:
Clinique's superbalm moisturising gloss in Currant

The popularity of red eyeshadow is definitely on the rise after it featured on many of the Autumn/Winter 2010 runways. Like these looks from the Cushnie et Ochs and Altuzarra A/W 2010 shows:

Some quick tips regarding red eyeshadow:

♥ Red eyeshadow tends to intensify any redness in your eyes so if your eyes are tired, save it for another time.

♥ Go heavy with eyeliner and mascara. This is a must to avoid a bruised/swollen look.

♥ Pick the right red. This is key in making the look work. Pale skin can pull off brighter reds while darker skin tones look best in deeper reds like burgundy and maroon.

♥ Pair it with another color. Throwing in a darker color like black, charcoal, brown and plum can make the look more wearable. Alternatively, adding a dash of shimmer in the inner corners also helps.

♥ The dye used to make red eyeshadows can potentially trigger off a bad reaction on certain people. Therefore please use with precaution, especially if you have sensitive skin

You can see the video that inspired me here. 

Tanya's Blog: http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk

Tanya's (pixi2woo) YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/pixi2woo

NOTD: Berry Ice Cream

Today's Nail of the Day is Barry M - #308 "Berry Ice Cream"

Not sure why they picked that name because it doesn't really seem like a 'berry' shade to me....

A lilac nail polish had been on my lust list for ages, so I finally picked up this little beauty up while in London. The polish was easy to apply (great brush & product consistency). Below is after applying 2-3 coats.

I think Barry M nail polishes are great quality, are a bargain at only £2.95 and they have a wide variety of colours available. You can buy them online here. Happy Friday darlings! xoxo