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beauty Archives - Page 16 of 16 - Gurlinterrupted

July 23, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Beauty

FINDATION

 

As I was browsing through www.nzgirl.co.nz the other day I came across a fantastic article aptly named FINDATION.  As soon as I read about a website that can match your current foundation to numerous brands, solely based on foundations that you already own and know are the right shade for your skin tone, I was hooked and had to find out more!

www.findation.com is GENIUS!!

I cannot count the number of times I have been frustrated by buying the wrong colour foundation.  Sure, in the tiny mirrors and bad lighting of a store, its easy to be fooled into thinking you have the right shade of foundation, but head my warning – you will never get the correct foundation match in unnatural lighting, ever!  There have been many occasions where I’ve tried foundation on my jaw line, nose, back of hand, wrist, cheek (need I go on – basically I looked ridiculous in several streaks of colour), thought I’d chosen the correct shade and then hit the natural light of day only to realise that it is in no way, shape or form, the right colour at all!

Then there’s the brands that you’d love to buy, but can only get online and thus have no idea what shade to even start to contemplate as your match as you can’t colour swatch foundation online now can you?!  StrawberryNet has an amazing array of foundation brands that you can’t normally get your hands on in NZ and at incredibly affordable prices, however, it’s not exactly saving money when you buy a foundation that is completely the wrong colour for you with.  Enter…….. www.findation.com.

It’s so simple and from my experience with Findation, pretty damn accurate!  You basically enter the site, it asks you to input 3 or 4 brands you have used or are using currently (even including BB Creams) that you are happy with.  It will then bring up all the varieties within that brand along with all the shades within that tier and you hit the ‘Find My Matches’ button.  In about 2 seconds you are presented with an amazing array of all the foundation brands and shades that match you skin tone without even leaving your computer (or entering a badly lit store)!

Head along and check it out.  I loved it and thought you might too

Ange x

 

 

 

 

July 17, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Beauty

Sigma – Make Me Classy

Make-up brushes are THE essential tool for makeup artists, but in my opinion, they’re an essential tool for ANYONE wanting to properly apply their makeup.  So I thought I would share my favourite brushes with you!!  It can be quite daunting knowing which brushes to choose and which brushes are worth spending your hard-earned cash on.   For me personally, I am a HUGE fan of the US brand – Sigma; and although I’m often heard stating “I have MAC pumping through my veins” (I stand by that statement by the way), I have to say that in all honesty Sigma really do have equally good brushes at a fraction of the price  (that being said, I will never part with the infamous MAC217).

When looking to buy my first set of ‘professional makeup brushes’ I found it was just too expensive for me to purchase all the brushes I wanted in the MAC range (at NZ$40-$50 per eye-shading brush, this can be a little unobtainable for most people).  So after weeks of trawling the net and ’email quizzing’ friends in the industry overseas, I decided to give Sigma brushes a go; and I havent looked back since.

SO, WHAT ARE MY FAV BRUSHES……… the Sigma ‘Make Me Classy’ Essential Kit. 12 brushes in total that come in a uber cool brush case that protects your brushes from being damaged when you are travelling (this particular set comes with case) and converts into 2 brush holders when you’re at home or have reached your destination.

Whilst I realise that NZ$136 may sound like a lot of money, trust me, for a set of professional brushes, it’s actually not too bad at all. (shipping from the US to NZ costs an additional $17).

The brushes included are:

E05 – Eye Liner: Create smooth and even lines. Use with gel or liquid liners.
E30 – Pencil: Soften and smoke out lines. Soften pencil liners along the top and bottom lash lines, add shadow to line the eyes, or use to highlight inner corner of eyes.
E40 – Tapered Blending: Soft blended crease. Using just the tips to apply color, sweep back and forth through the crease for a diffused and blended finish.
E55 – Eye Shading: Even application of color. Place color across the whole lid for an even and strong application of product.
E60 – Large Shader: Uniformly cover the whole lid with product. Apply cream shadow base or cream shadow for quick and even coverage.
E65 – Small Angle: Create precise lining. Moves fluidly and easily across the upper and lower lash lines. Use with gel, cream or powder liners.
E70 – Medium Angled Shading: Soft application of color. Use for brow highlighting or to blend the crease.
F30 – Large Powder: Even powder application. Uniform blending of powder products onto the face and body.
F40 – Large Angled Contour: Subtle cheek application. Use the angle to softly contour the cheekbone. Can also be used to apply blush.
F50 – Duo Fibre: Creates an airbrushed effect onto the skin. Can be used with powder, liquid or cream products.
F60 – Foundation: Smooth foundation application. Apply liquid or cream products such as foundation and primer.
F70 – Concealer: Conceal small areas. Conceal the hardest to reach areas such as around the nose and eyes.
You can also choose from a range of super cute colours, such as the Mrs Bunny kit (there’s even a Mr Bunny Kit), Make Me Crazy Kit, plus a load more colours.

 

So head along and check it out www.sigmabeauty.com – however, this link comes with a warning – you will be tempted by many eye shadow palettes and a heap of cool accessories!!
Ange xx
PS:  There’s also a code which you can use to get 10% off your purchase, just enter: AP2012 when going through the ‘checkout’ (valid till July 31).
July 11, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Beauty

Smoke Signals from Urban Decay

I’m SUPER excited to write this blog because, A) its makeup and, well, I’m obsessed; and B) I get to write the words (which of course makes it real, that’s the rules right?  Say it out loud/write it down, its real!).  I digress…….”Urban Decay have released a NEW PALETTE!!”  Not just any palette, no it’s not NAKED3 , because let’s be honest, NAKED2 was a little underwhelming and felt a bit like it was just 1 hue away from the original NAKED palette.

Urban Decay have released……….. SMOKED

Yes I have MAC Cosmetics pumping through my veins, however, I do adore Urban Decay just as much and in particular, my Urban Decay NAKED palette.  The trusty NAKED palette is the first thing I pack when travelling (heck it’s the ONLY palette I need to pack) and the first thing I reach for when I have little time to spend on my makeup but still want to create a simple smokey daytime eye in record time!  So when UD announce they are releasing a new palette (released in the US/UK this week), with new colours inc. jewel toned hues no less, I’m excited!!

So, what does the  Urban Decay SMOKED palette have to say for itself:

SMOKED

EYESHADOW PALETTE

This is the smoky eye done the UD way: a true range of shades (Neutral mattes! Shimmering jewel tones!) for a range of smokey looks.

We’re giving you everything you need to create the perfect smoky eye, Urban Decay style. Zipped inside this sleek, mirrored case are ten decadent shades (five are exclusive), including neutral mattes and shimmering jewel tones for a range of smoky looks. Sure, you can create a smoky eye with a range of gray and black shades. But what about a touch of purple, blue or bronze? The Smoked Palette lets you keep things simple… or get a little more creative. (TIP: If you need a basic daytime look, stick to the range of matte neutrals. Throw the palette in your bag, and add some smoke as you leave the office.)

Our secret smoky eye weapon? A blacker-than-black matte pencil. Included with the Smoked Palette is a full-size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion, AND a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

Also included is a beautifully illustrated, step-by-step guide to 12 smoky eye looks, written by Urban Decay founder Wende Zomnir. Both smoky-eye pros and shadow newbies will benefit from this detailed guide to looks from “iconic” to “smoldering” to “reality star”.

A “non Urban Decay Marketing speak” breakdown of each colour:

Kinky (a new soft ivory peach with a matte finish), Freestyle (a new light pantyhose nude with a matte finish), Mushroom (a repromoted warm gray with a shimmery finish – LOVE!!), Backdoor (I shall resist the urge to make a joke here……a new true dark brown with a matte finish), Blackout (a repromoted blackest black with a matte finish), Barlust (a new dark golden brown with a metallic finish), Rockstar (a repromoted deep aubergine with a shimmery finish), Evidence (a repromoted deep navy blue with a shimmery finish), Loaded (a repromoted deep emerald shimmer with a metallic base), Asphalt (a new deep gunmetal with silver micro glitter and a metallic base) and Perversion (a repromoted matte carbon black).

So , excited yet?  I am!!  Now to just get this bad boy in my hot lil hands.  Well its on its way as I type this blog (thank you Nat – you little PR Guru – and fabulous makeup buying friend – you).  I will be sure to blog swatches and give a full review the moment this palette arrives!

RRP around NZ$90 

 

July 6, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Beauty

Giving Your Nails a Little Ray of Sunshine……

I love French manicures, but at the moment what I’m loving even more is a French manicure with a pop of colour! To achieve the look I created on my nails, all you need is: a clear base coat, a good neutral/nude polish (I’ve used OPI’s ‘did you Ear about Van Gogh?’ which retails for $24.95), your nail tip colour of choice (I’ve used Santee’s ‘beach yellow’ which was $3 from the 1,2,3 dollar shop), a nice glossy top coat to seal the deal (I’ve used Designer Brand’s ‘top gloss’ which was $6.95) and last but not least – a steady hand (however if you don’t think your hand is quite steady enough you can always buy the french manicure nail strips from a pharmacy and use those until you get comfortable applying freehand).

Step 1: Apply base coat
Step 2: Apply Neutral colour of choice (x3 coats). Allow to fully dry!
Step 3: Apply your ‘tip colour’. Apply using a small amount of polish on end of brush and apply side to side along tip of nail. Allow to fully dry.
Step 4: Finish off with a glossy top coat.

And that’s it, a super simple way to give your nails a little ray of sunshine – much needed in the dreary winter weather of late!! Swap out colours, mix things up, add some glitter polish, but most importantly, just have fun with it!

June 18, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Fashion

ROCK’N THE NEON TREND……

A Few of My Key Neon Picks

Neon is SO on trend right now and I’m loving every minute of it!  There’s a myriad of items to choose from with all your favourite stores decked out in floor to ceiling NEON.  However, if you’re like me, you’re probably quite keen to avoid looking like a highlighter, yet still want to incorporate a pop of colour into your wardrobe with an injection of neon.  It’s all about balance, teaming your neon with a neutral is key!  It’s a fun, yet slightly more sophisticated way to stay on trend with pieces that will see you right through to spring and summer (brightening up your winter wardrobe = BONUS!).  These are my top and affordable key picks to brighten up your wardrobe.

This is probably my favourite purchase in the neon range!  This House of G (Glassons) jumper is the perfect balance of neon and neutral and is great for the weekend teamed with some faded boyfriend jeans or some denim skinnys.  RRP $39.00

Dotti Skater Dress.  This dress is a great pop of colour whilst being toned down with the lace overlay.  This style of dress is fail safe and looks flattering on pretty much anyone!  Cinched at the waist with a white or bright contrasting belt would also look fab.  RRP (roughly) $70

A quick and easy way to inject some neon into your outfit – Pink Panic nails.  RRP $6.00 from Glassons.

Cotton On Bright Orange Dress

This Cotton On dress was an absolute bargain, I bought it on the weekend while they had their big sale on and it was around $20.  This is a beautiful bright orange dress that is going to work in winter with a black top underneath, a snuggly warm long black knitted slouch cardie over the top and finished with some black ankle biker boots (and my boyfriends black Marc Jacobs tie used as a belt, ssshhhh).  In summer I will team it with a chunky bright blue statement necklace, some sandals and I’ll be good to go throughout both winter and summer.

Dotti Necklace

Speaking of blue statement necklaces, this beauty from Dotti is fantastic as I can team it with most of the neon pieces that I have featured in this blog and it is very much on trend right now.  RRP $19.95

Neon Short Sleeved Blouse

Whilst there is a reoccurring theme here with Dotti, you will completely understand when you enter their store – there is such a HUGE array of great neon pieces that really are incredibly affordable.  This top I am definitely going to wear with my leather shorts – this will be a great contrast of neon and black, feminine/floaty and structured.  Teamed with some gold accessories, outfit complete!

Adidas Neon Kicks

My beloved neon green and blue Adidas sneakers.  Admittedly I have had these sneakers for quite some time, but they are still in stores now.  These are great with skinnies or in summer with some denim cut-offs.  They retail for around $200 but are totally worth it.  I’ve worn mine a million times [cue mild exaggeration] but I really have worn them A LOT and they hardly look worn at all.  The purchase that keeps on giving.

Forever New Neon Sandals

I LOVE THESE! My brand spanking pair of Forever New Neon Sandals (they were literally just putting them on the shelf in store when I saw them – they are THAT new).  I am in love with these sandals and although I havent worn them yet (only bought them yesterday) I plan to live in these bad boys throughout summer.  They are so bright and vibrant and I cant wait to wear them with my orange dress from Cotton On, actually I cant wait to wear them with everything!  The long silver t- bar on them makes them really dressy and for just $59.99 they are a great affordable staple for your summer wardrobe.

MAC bright eye shadow colours

My key picks HAD to feature MAC (slightly obsessed).  Another great way to incorporate a vibrant pop of colour into an outfit is with make-up.  Using a wet eye-liner brush I would apply this as a liner on my eyelid just as you would a liquid eyeliner pen.  These colours are incredibly neon in real life and are just beautiful.  The colours are Fab & Flashy (orange) and Eye Popping (green).  They retail in-store for around $35 (or you can check out strawberry net to see if they have these colours, and if they do, you will be able to get them for about $25).

Would love to hear what your key picks are for a Neon/Eye-Poppin Brights wardrobe so leave me a comment or flick me an email. xo

June 10, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Beauty

NAIL ART and Colours I’m Crushing On Right Now………

 

 

Newspaper Print Nail Art


Step by Step guide on how to achieve this look

What you’ll need:  1 base coat, 1 clear top coat, 1 nail polish colour, newspaper (cut into 10 little pieces to fit on your nails – trust me you’ll want to prepare this now before you get started on anything else), white/clear spirit (I used Vodka) and a small dish.

  1. Paint your nails with a polish of your choice, I prefer a light or neutral tone but anything will work
  2. Let your nails dry completely. This is a must or you will be in all kinds of trouble when you move on to step 3
  3. Dip your nails into a small dish of alcohol.  If you don’t want to use alcohol, water should work too but the letters will not be as precise as with alcohol
  4. Take a strip of newspaper and press it onto your nail while it’s still damp.  You can use just the everyday small print or you could choose a large print like a ‘headline’, It all depends on the kind of look you’re going for, but I think smaller print looks better.
  5. Hold the newspaper strip taut with a steady hand. If you try to lift the paper and put it down again or move too much you will smudge it.
  6. Peel the newspaper strip off slowly and gently.  Hopefully this is a voila moment
  7. Apply a layer of clear top coat  and you are officially newsworthy!


Neon Nails
Neon is a trend I’m really loving – although I have to admit a splash of neon incorporated into an outfit is more my style, rather than an all out NEON ‘screams look at me’ outfit.  Why not incorporate it into an outfit with your nails – subtle – but still on trend!!

Jade is the New Black by OPI – wore on my nails all last week and lovin it!

Revlon Top Speed in Electric
This is a cute colour, but as I do with all ‘top speed’ colours, you need to finish with a clear top coat to get rid of the matte affect and bring the true colour out.  Revlon’s new Top Speed Nail Enamel dries quickly and at $10 (on sale at K Mart at the moment), it doesn’t break the bank! This is a really close dupe for Chanel Mimosa if you’re not willing to splurge


Sterling Silver
French Style Manicure in Matte Silver and Metallic Silver.  One of my fav nail looks and the perfect nail art to wrap up today’s nail looks.

June 10, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Beauty

Beauty/Make-up Related Products Im Loving Right Now……

URBAN DECAY NAKED PALETTE
I’ve actually gone back to using my Urban Decay Make-up Palette, so I’m calling this my ‘new obsession’ even though its something Ive been luv’n for years!  Rather than lugging around a million different eye-shadows, this bad boy does it all! (pity the NAKED 2 palette isn’t as good as the original).


MAC MAKEUP ARTISTRY STORAGE CASE
My new MAC Make-up Artistry Travel/Storage Case.  I am the luckiest girl ever as the boy got me my latest MAC obsession after watching me drool over this the last few times that we’ve visited the pro store in Britomart.


Bobbi Brown – Shimmer Brick in Brownie – DEVINE!  Must get the ROSE palette!

MAC Hey Sailor!
The pieces I recently got from the new MAC Hey Sailor! Range – luv luv luv!


Rapid Lash.
This serum works so well that I’ve had a number of people ask how I manage to have such long lashes or, dare I say it, if I have had lash extensions (UGH! Not a fan of how extensions look and they aren’t real ya know – those suckers just fall off after a few weeks).  I LURVE Rapid Lash!
Revlon
Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara – big fav at the moment

Sigma Beauty
Sigma Make-up brushes.  Although I do also use and love  MAC brushes, Sigma brushes really are just as good and in some cases, might even be just a bit better.  The one I ordered comes in an awesome leather travel case to ensure your brushes aren’t damaged and it opens into 2 brush holders.  Handy Dandy!!


Until the next ‘things Im lovin right now’ update…………………..

 

June 10, 2012
Gurlinterrupted
In Beauty

Hair Chalking

HAIR CHALKING
The How To……..
Ange why does it look like you’ve dipped the ends of your hair in a rainbow?  How did you get the hair dye out so easily?  How did you get it back again a couple of days later and manage to swap the colours out so quickly? Why are you referring to yourself in the third person (ok, that last question was me talking to myself). I digress……….

Colour streaked or tip-dyed hair is definitely a fun way to express your ‘colourful’ personality, however this is not always appropriate for work, especially when you are involved in the more ‘corporate’ type meetings as this look may not be viewed as appropriate in the workplace and that’s why hair chalking is such a great option – it’s not permanent! Here’s a step by tutorial on how to achieve the look seen in the above pic.

Now before I get started I would like to state that I absolutely do not claim to have invented hair chalking, in fact, it has been around for quite some time, but lately seems to have had somewhat of a resurgence.  This is simply a ‘share the love’ tutorial on how I created my rainbow dipped hair.

Items you will need:

  • Soft pastel chalk (this is fairly inexpensive and personally the best priced soft pastel chalk that I’ve come across is at Jeff’s Emporium)
  • An old shirt (one you don’t mind getting messy)
  • Rubber gloves
  • A spray bottle (also very inexpensive at Jeff’s emporium) filled with water
  • Straighteners or curling iron

Steps

  1. Make sure you are wearing an old shirt as it is inevitable it will end up with some chalk on it
  2. Take a small section of hair and spray with water (if you have blonde hair, you probably shouldn’t wet your hair as the water is there to increase the colour pay-out which is something needed for those with brunette hair).  This is the section that you will colour.  Say around 1 inch and this can be fully streaked or just wet the tip if you want the ‘dip-dyed’ look.  Have fun, be creative, this doesn’t have to be perfect.
  3. Colour/rub on the hair with the pastel you’ve chosen (those with blonde hair – you are lucky, you can pretty much go with any colour.  Brunettes – for best colour pay-out I would go with red, pink, green and blue). You want to twist the hair as you apply as this will release the colour pigment.
  4. Wait for the hair to dry (or if you’re impatient like me, have a hair dryer at the ready).
  5. Once the hair is dry, go over the coloured pieces with straighteners or a curling iron (This helps to lock in the colour).

Tips and Tricks

  • Do not use oil pastels. Oil pastels will be incredibly hard to remove.
  • Note that the colour can rub off on your clothes during the day (rain is not our friend) so it does pay to wear dark clothing or a top that is a similar colour to your chosen chalk.
  • When you want to remove the colour, brush your hair before shampooing. This will eradicate most of the chalk.
  • I like to use hair spray to further lock in the chalking (this helps it adhere which means less chance of getting any colour on your clothes)
  • Choose a deep nourishing or moisturizing shampoo as this will help to replenish the moisture than chalking tends to absorb.

This is all about having fun, don’t stress about making it perfect – just brighten your day by brightening your hair!