all about that glitter: lips, nails and eye make up for new years eve!

Like Meghan Trainor and her penchant for bass and booty, at Christmas and New Year I am all about that glitter. I've recently been trying to mix up my makeup and try and get away from the eyeliner-flicks that have become my uniform, and what better time than December and January, when the festivities make it acceptable to wear glitter all day, every day. Plus, introducing flashes of glitter into your everyday makeup can help January not seem so long, dark and cold.
Read on for my favourite picks of nails, eyes, lips and some face staples to suit you for any situation at New Year..

E Y E S

My favourite thing is a glittery eye - whether thats mixed into a smokey eyeshadow, smudged along the waterline, or a wash of glitter along the lid with a sweep of liner. I particularly love creamy bases, my go-to's are the Illamasqua liquid metals - I have them in Superior (the blue), Surge (the gunmetal silver), and Solstice (the gold). They're great swept all over the lid or used as a base. I'm also a giant fan of the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Mirifique (black) and Epatant (silver). These look like an eyeliner or a cream base in the pot, but dry to a powdery consistency on the eye, which I'm a big fan off, as they are quick and easy to smudge into a smoky eye. I particularly love to use the silver Epatant with Urban Decay Zodiac - an amazing glittery green eyeshadow - all over the lid, with MAC Carbon (what should be a staple in everyones makeup bag, a true matte black) smudged along the lash line.

I also recently picked up this wonderful, matte grey Bobbi Brown Shadow Stick in Shadow which I've been using with my own little quad. It consists of MAC Copperplate (a cool-toned matte grey), Beauty Marked (an amazing glittery purple-black), Smoke and Diamonds (a beautifully soft, rich and pigmented shimmery grey) and a Grand Entrance (soft, shimmery champagne silver-pink): altogether they create a really beautiful smokey eye, particularly when paired with my new favourite eyeliner, the Bourjois Liner Clubbing and lashings of my favourite waterproof mascara, 17's Va Va Voom in Black.

N A I L S

Nails are one of those things you can definitely go all out with, I always think. If you're not that comfortable chucking glitter all over your eyelids, or worry over a red-lip, stick to eyeliner and paint giant chunky gold holographic glitter all over your fingertips. That particular culprit in question is OPI When Monkey's Fly, it's got amazing bits of gold foil and holographic glitter in, and looks great when layered over any dark polish. I'm really into dark greens at the moment, like Barry M Racing Green, and Essie's Styleonomics will forever be a favourite, with it's dark and gothy green-black. I received the green and white glitter Urban Outfitters polish in Snow Globe from a friend for Christmas and it looks particularly awesome over the Barry M green. You can never go wrong with a silver or gold at this time of year, but I find silvers suit my skin-tone better, so I'm more likely to reach for Leighton Denny Diamond Diva, with either an amazing H&M holographic glitter polish called Jo Is In The House layered over, or Essie's Hors D'ouevers (a sort of shimmery silver gold champagne colour) on top. And even though Christmas is done and dusted by December 31st, a dark or glittery red is a classic in my book, and my two favourites are China Glaze Ruby Pumps and the vampy dark red that is Essie's Wicked.

L I P S

This is where the glitter theme sort of falls apart, because please don't wear glittery lipstick, I beg of you. As you can tell, I'm not being that adventurous with my lipstick this year, and thats because I'm shunning all the dark vampy lipsticks in favour of nudes and pinks, and it's weird for me but I'm going with it. I'm adding my favourite reds in here though, just because.
On the red spectrum, my all time, absolute holy-grail of dark red lipstick is NARS Fire Down Below (bottom of picture). I actually hunted for years for this, and it's the best true dark red I've found, not a berry or pink hue in sight, but has enough brown and blue in to make your teeth whiter, and not make you look like you're from the 80's. Honourable mentions go to Illamasuqa's Encounter, a good all-rounder red, but if you want a more sheer lipstick, you could try something like the YSL Volupte Sheer Candy in #7, which can be layered to that darker red, but goes on sheer.

However, I'm big into the pinky-nudes (I blame a Kardashian sister, though I'm not sure which one) and these are all my current go-to lipsticks from MAC. From the top down (to the left of the gold YSL colour) is MAC Blankety, a new favourite and is a bit paler than my lips, which  I love. In the middle is an oldie but a goodie in Plink!, and at the bottom, my true my lips but better lipstick, MAC Hug Me. I've been using them with the GOSH lip-liner Nougat Crisp to make it last as long as possible. I've just realised that maybe this is was being an adult is like, and not doing an neon pink lip on a daily basis...

F A C E

When you've got a lot going on on your nails, lips, eyes, etc, I think it's always best to tone down the contouring for a day. That doesn't mean not making the most of what you've got though. I love Yves Saint Laurent's Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation - I wear it in BR10 because it's got a great, buildable coverage and still remains dewy and fresh faced, so you can use it accordingly where needed. When paired with it's sister translucent powder, YSL's Souffle D'Eclat, and then a little bit of NARS Albatross highlighter swept over cheekbones, it gives the dewy illusion with good staying power. I've also been really enjoying eyeshadow of late - a change from my usual eyeliner - so a good shadow primer is needed, and I've been enjoying the Rimmel Exaggerate. It's not god's gift to beauty, and there are much better shadow primers out there, but for it's price-point (£4.99) and if you're in a pinch and need it, it's pretty good. Also make sure to prep your lips before even going NEAR that red lipstick - I was given this amazing blueberry EOS lip-balm by a friend and I've been carrying it with me ever since. The egg shape still feels a little weird to rub on your mouth, but I'm getting used to it!

What will you be opting for on New Year's Eve? I mean, despite liver-damaging amounts of alcohol..!

illusion delusion

I wanted to do a weekend wanderings post today, but I am afraid I am simply too exhausted and I work all day tomorrow, so there won't be one today! Apologies. I went for a little day trip and I'm just really sleepy now, so look out for a bumper edition next week! I really enjoy the weekend posts, and I think they will become more frequent as uni starts up again. I don't think I'll be able to keep up a steady rate of posts once third-year is upon me!

Anyway these pictures have been sitting on my desktop for a while, and I thought I would show you them as a little ~filler~ post when I'm too tired to take photos!  I bought this on a whim a little while ago, and it was genuinely a complete luxury purchase, and at the time I really needed that little treat. I kept picking this up and looking at it as I passed through John Lewis and it was so shiny and so beautiful.. I just had too! It's one of the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre cream eyeshadows, in the shade  Mirafique. I have some high-quality photos which I'll post next week or something, but I wore it out last night, with bright orange-red lipstick (so pretty), and I remembered that I hadn't posted about it. 

What are you up to this weekend? I'm currently watching the X Factor, even though I hate it, the remote control is allllll the way on the opposite side of the room. That is a good three metres and I'm exhausted! Haha. Hope you're all having a nice evening!

blast from the past - fotd

I used to be obsessed with really bright eyeshadow, to the extent where I have 4 MAC palettes full of insane, bright eyeshadows which I fear will never be used up.. So I have made it my mission to start wearing eyeshadow again! I do this every so often, because I get so lazy with makeup. Black liquid eyeliner and mascara is my go-to look, virtually every day it seems.
So, today I tried something different. I slicked on Illamasqua's Surge Liquid Metal all over my lid and covered in their Pure Pigment in Fervent. Fervent is an amazing reddish-coppery-blue with silver glitter that is unphotographable, but beautiful! Then a little bit of brown and black along the lashline and you're done. It took me the same time as applying my eyeliner, and people seem to think I've gone to a lot more effort. Now, I just have to work out what to do with that fluorescent green eyeshadows I own..

Eyes:
Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Surge
Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Fervent
Sleek Au Naturel Palette (the matte brown and the black)
Rimmel Liquid Eyeliner in Black
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara 

Face:
Collection 2000 Concealer in Fair
Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Warmed

And he shall be my T-Rex, and I shall name him..

So, my lovely little followers, this is what you call regular blogging! Quite intriguing, don't you think. Anyway, this is what I wore Christmas day (and boxing day, cheekyy). I got some lovely new bits and pieces for Christmas, so thought I might show you them.

I know I look a little bit silly, but I really like this photo! I thought I looked quite good for a change, haha. Anyway, HOW great is my lipstick? This isn't really an accurate description of the colour, so if you want a proper post on it, let me know! It's Corrupt by Illamasqua, and it's super bright pink. Not like fuschia-pink, more a paler hot pink. It's hard to describe but it's excellent!

Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Surge

I know my eyeshadow is a little bit smudgy but I'd worn this all day, whilst shopping during the sales! Haha. Here I am wearing my shiny shiny new Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Surge, which was also a lovely Christmas present from my Grandma. I wore it with an eyeshadow over the top and with a base but it did unfortunately crease. It's very liquidy, so I might have to leave the top off for a bit to let it dry out, haha.

Pure Cotton Cable Knit Jumper

This may be my new favourite jumper in existence. I picked it out, from Marks and Spencers, from the mens section, and I got it for Christmas. It's this beautiful, amazingly cozy beige cable jumper. They're not even that expensive. I know the pictures on the M&S website look very cheesy, but I like that I can pull this down long enough to wear it just over leggings, or stick a £3 H&M skirt on underneath... Lovely lovely stuff. And very useful for cold days at uni!

Also, I genuinely cannot recommend men's jumpers enough! A much much nicer fit than womens ones, which are always cropped and fitted and shit. Horrid! Haha.

(ALSO, doesn't my wall on the left of me look pretty awesome? I redid it with new photos and such not long ago!)

Galibardy T-Rex Necklace

And finally, my most excellent present of all, which I adore. My Galibardy Dinosaur necklace. It is amazing, and I've wanted it ever since I laid eye on it. I'm going to do a whole post about Galibardy but let me just say.. they have some AMAZING pieces. Everyone has commented on it, and it's just excellent. One of those quirky jewellery piecs that I just love. He definitely needs a name now. I'm thinking something like Trevor. Who knows, I will take any suggestions!

Not gonna lie, thought I look quite stylish that day. Haha, if only you could see me now, in my stretched out primark jumper and pj pants, with my hair all greasy and eating chocolate orange in bed at 5AM cause my sleeping pattern is fucked! hahah.

Anyway, I hope you don't think this is bragging or showing off or anything, just thought I'd show you where to find some wonderful things that I love already. (:

What did you guys get for Christmas?!

Clare Marie
xxx

(Under the jump is a list, of everything I used on my face, just in case you fancy such things!)

Getting a little bit Naked.

Oh god. I knew from the minute I laid eyes on this, it was for me. Literally, it was love at the first sight. I've been thinking about getting one of Urban Decay's Books of Shadows for a while now, but was debating over which one to get, and whether I could justify the price. And then this appeared and it could have come with hallelujah's, seriously.

Look at that stuff! I am glad I waited cause it suddenly puts all their old packaging to shame. It looks good and classy and well-made and practical - and it is. I always WANTED to like the Books of Shadows/Shadow Boxes with their drawers and the pop-up characters and the chainmail packaging and all that... but they never really looked sturdy or practical. And this is the opposite.

It looks black in the picture, but it's a deep brown velvet box with a magnetic closure lid, and a mirror that isn't obscured by any pop-up stuff. Basically, the packaging is gorgeous. You don't need me to tell you that, but I have spent a paragraph doing so.

Here it is in full. It comes with a mini primer potion and a double ended eyeliner, with colours Zero (jet black) and Whiskey (reddish brown). I do love their 24/7 eyeliners, but am frightful of their melting ability. I have my reservations about the primer potion, but that's for another post. Generally, if you like the little 'freebies' so to speak, you're getting a good deal for £27.

Now the price. This is where I need to discuss why I never bought one before. I always assume that you're getting ripped off with these things. Which is why this is my first!

If you think about it, a normal Urban Decay eyeshadow is £12-14, depending on where you buy it. You're getting 12 in this box, and I think they're about the same size as the ones you normally get in these kind of boxes/sets. I do get through eyeshadows at quite a rate, especially neutrals, but I think you'd have to be determined to use up all the shadow, to get through it.

Phew.

Now.

On to what you really want to see!

L-R: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half-Baked.

Naked and Buck are the only two matte's in the box, and they're gorgeous. I can see they'll make a great contoured eye, with lots of black eyeliner. Virgin is an odd, but lovely one. It looks like a pinkish white in the box, but when swatched, has an interesting blue/purple duochrome. I kind of love it. Sin reminds me of a MAC Starflash colour - possibly ego? - but with grey undertones. It's a pretty, unusual colour. Sidecar is similar, a brownish-pink with multicoloured glitter, I can see blueish glitter. Half-Baked is the one I already own, but I adore it so much! It's a shimmery true-bronze, in my eyes. Very gorgeous swept all over the lid on it's own with lots of mascara and eyeliner.

L-R: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal.

Smog is righhhht up my street. If you know what Go! from the MAC Starflash collection was like, it's very similar. A very pretty mid-tone brown that will suit my eyes very well. Darkhorse is a darker version of Smog with some silver-flecks through. I think it's my favourite one, but I'm not sure. I don't have a brown that dark that's not a matte. Here begins my love affair with Smog & Darkhorse, I think. It's too soon to tell. Toasted is strange. I don't understand the name, for one, but I like it. The correct name may be 'mauve'. Or I could say pinkish-purple with blue-brown undertones. We'll still with mauve. Hustle is very gorgeous. It's a deep purple-brown, that leans a little bit grey in some lights. Potential love affair with these two, too. Oh well. Creep and Gunmetal I didn't really expect to be so blue! I love them. Creep is an almost-too-dark blue with flecks of shimmer, and Gunmetal is a steel blue with similar shimmer. Swatched together they're gorgeous.

I will tell you what I have woefully just done, though. I just went to move it and jammed my fingernail into Half-Baked. These eyeshadows are so soft. So soft. I cannot tell you HOW SOFT THEY ARE. So be careful, kids. The fact they are so soft means they blend beautifully, but if you catch it with your nail, expect it to crumple undertouch. Just, you've been warned.
I would say they are coparable to MAC's Starflash formula. Beautiful at blending, especially the satin ones.

I think a great plus to this product is the fact you can have so many different combinations in one box, so here are some that I've found already, and love:
Sin > Toasted > Hustle
Naked > Buck
Half Baked > Smog > Darkhorse
Gunmetal > Creep
Sidecar > Darkhorse

Someone told me its the only neutral palette you'll ever need - but I know what I'm like, and there will ALWAYS be another neutral palette. Until then, this will satisfy all my cravings! I think this will be PERFECT for when I travel, now! No more lugging MAC palette's up and down the country. Wonderful stuff. Especially with the little eyeliner in there.

Price: 4/5
Packaging: 5/5
Product: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Would I buy this product again? No, unless i somehow used them all up! But I would highly recommend them to anyone!

I hope this review was useful! For those asking where to purchase, you can get it at all House of Fraser's currently, and on their website, and then in stores everywhere else soon, I think! I do hope these pictures were okay, I took them on my iPhone but had to edit in PaintShopPro so I couldn't get the colours completely accurate.