The Art of Darkness

Hiya! Just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive and kicking and I've finally got a new computer so I should be back on track with the posts shortly. In the mean time though I just thought I'd show you what arrived through the post the other day...























Aren't they beautiful! I had a bit of a play the other day and the products are amazing. The liquid metals are stunning and the pigments are so pretty. I'll have some Art of Darkness inspired looks to post soon xx

Yes! We have no Bananas...

But I do have some amazing news. I woke up this morning and really wanted bananas on toast but we didn't have any. Not to worry though, nothing can spoil my day as I've just found out that I won the Illamasqua/MizzWorthy competition!!!! I'm absolutely thrilled XD
I had so much fun creating the entries, and I really put my all into the looks, but as much as I dreamed it, I never truly thought that I would win. I'm stunned!!
I'd just come home from a nail workshop with the amazing and very talented Kirsty Meakin and was checking out my favourite sites, I clicked on to MizzWorthy and saw the title 'the winners' and my heart sank. I know it sounds stupid but there was always a little glimmer of hope up until that point. I started to scroll down the page and nearly fell off my chair when I saw a picture of my beautiful friend kate sporting my Flora & Fauna look!! I started screaming the house down. The Mister came running up the stairs all panicked to see what was going on and I could barely speak. Then I started to cry...silly girl. It really does mean that much to me though. I Love MizzWorthy and Alex Box is my idol, so the fact that they chose my look amazes me. And the fact that I get to go to Muse school of makeup in London is the best thing ever. I've never had any proffessional training and have always wanted to go on a makeup course but have never been able to so this is incredible. I would have been more than happy with that but to top it off I also get the Art of Darkness collection too :D I don't think it gets any better. I am going to share this with Kate though for being a fab model. She definitely deserves a treat after sitting there for hours letting me draw all over her.

For those of you that didn't catch the look the first time, here it is again...



You can check out the post on Mizzworthy's blog and on Illamasqua's blog too where you can also see The winning entry for the video section, Krysanthes very amazing 'Oriental Demon'.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that commented on here and elsewhere, I really appreciate it. And I just wanted to thanks again to the very lovely Jen at MizzWorthy for all the work she puts in to these competitions so people like me can have the chance to do something they've always dreamed of. And of course thanks to Kate for being a beautiful model.

Anyway, think I've gone on far too much. It's just so exciting though! I'll hopefully be back soon with some new looks. My computers broken at the moment hence the shortage of posts (I've hijacked the Misters work computer to post this) but I should have a new one sorted soon. Please bare with me xx

When the circus comes to town...

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd show you entry no 3 for the Illamasqua comp. This one is called Acrobat. I took my inspiration from one of the existing characters, Jester. I wanted to create a love interest for him so thought along the lines of cheeky, playful and fun loving. I also wanted the character to have a dark side too that played to jesters sense of tragedy. He has a big smile on his face, but there is sadness in his eyes...

Character description

This is Acrobat, Jesters partner in crime and the focus of his unrequited love. Cheeky and mischievous, she is playful and free of heart. Her tomboy spirit is effortlessly alluring, but sweet as she may look Acrobat likes to play with peoples emotions, leaving a trail of broken hearts in her wake.







I think this is my favourite one so far. I didn't do a face chart for it, I just decided to wing it and see where it went, which is probably why I was still up at 1am doing the look. Sorry Kate :) I definitely prefer doing pretty looks with colours and glitter and lashes Oh my!!

Here's a couple of close ups of the eyes...





I really wish I'd taken the brow out on the right, but like I said I was winging it and it was only a thought after I'd done the eye makeup. Never mind...

Anyway hope you like it. I should be back soon with some new mani's, got some new glitter acrylics to play with :)

Hope everyone's having a great week xx

The Heart of Darkness

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd show you my second entry for the Illamasqua competition. I wen't a bit darker with character number two. I stuck with my original inspiration of the environment but this time I was influenced by the undergrowth. I was thinking about all the insects and beetles that crawl around in the mulch and then it hit me! Why not do a character based on the actual imagery from the packaging...so my next character is called Scarab. I decided that because I was drawing from the packaging I would also stick quite closely to the colours from within the new range. So this time the collection has been my influence.

Character description

With her metal hard exterior and the blood of carrion fresh on her lips you may be forgiven for thinking the worst. Words from the Book of the Dead drip from her lips and whisper through the air. This is Scarab. Warrior of the Underworld, protector of the dead. Entrust to her your heart and she will see it comes to no harm. She will guide you through the darkness and awaken your soul. Scarab offers you the path to happiness and light. An offer you may want to take, as come dawn Scarab offers you the only safe passage out of the Enchanted Forest.....







I know I should have gone down the neck with the white, but I was running out of makeup remover and figured I'd tortured the lovely Kate enough this week. Whilst it would amuse me no end to send her home dressed like a beetle somehow I didn't think she would appreciate it...

I really like the colours, and the effect across the forehead turned out exactly as I'd hoped. When it came to the dusting underneath the eyes though I messed up and things didn't quite turn out how I wanted. Even though I knew better I touched the dusted shadows and ended up smearing them everywhere so I had to change the look to cover up the mess. I've added a quick pen drawing so you can see how it was meant to be.



I really annoy myself sometimes...there'll be a little voice inside my head going "don't touch that you'll ruin it!!" but try as hard as I might I can't stop my hand and before I know it I've messed it up :S

Ahhh well never mind...I'm entering it anyway so fingers crossed.

Hope everyones having a great week. I'll be back soon...hopefully with entry number 3!!

A walk on the wild side...

As promised here's my Illamasqua/Mizz Worthy competition entry, and you didn't even have to wait that long! For those of you that don't know Illamasqua is running a competition in conjunction with Mizz Worthy. To enter you have to create a character to attend a banquet in an enchanted forest with the other 13 charaters created for the launch of the Illamasqua Autumn range. The prize is amazing!! Not only do you win the entire Autumn range but you also win a spot on a two day course at The London Muse School of Makeup, and of course you stand a chance of having your work viewed by the amazing Alex box. I am so excited about this!

My character is called Flora and Fauna. As well as the other 13 characters I took inspiration from the environment where the banquet is to take place. I started to think about what sort of creatures could be roaming around an enchanted forest and what sort of life would grow there. I've always loved the idea of an enchanted wood and loved any books that referenced this kind of place when I was a kid so it wasn't hard to let my imagination run wild. Being mythical I could choose anything so didn't strictly stick with just the idea of a forest, I brought in a bit of jungle as well. I was originally going to do two separate makeup looks, one for each character as I had decided to do twins. But then I started to think about different personalities existing in the same body and decided to do half a face to represent each. I liked the idea of them battling inside one body and the darkness and mystery of never knowing quite which one you were talking to.

Character description...

Flora & Fauna

The twins embody all life in the enchanted forest. Two personalities co-exist in one body. Flora is gentle and sharing, radiating light and calm. But Fauna is wild and unpredictable. She is exotic and alluring, yet dark and possessive. Make sure you know which one you are dealing with or you might just end up being dinner!

Face on...



Flora...



Fauna...



one side...



then the other...



The look was created on my beautiful friend Kate who sat very patiently for 4 hours while I did this. I still can't believe some of the things she lets me do...Awwww :D I paid her handsomely with dinner and cups of tea (we had pancetta wrapped asparagus, fried eggs, oven baked vine tomatoes and sauted potatoes...it was delicious even if I do say so myself. Oooo and we had apple and blackberry pie for desert). Anyway back to the look.

My original sketch...



My face chart...



I had to tweak some of it from the original face chart as it didn't quite work, but it was so much fun. I made the reptile spikes out of Fimo for one eye brow and the snail for the other (at some point he became known as Simon...I have no idea why. I think it was delirium!) The patterns are all hand painted and some of them have stencilling over. Let me know what you think, or if you're entering yourself. I hope to have another character done soon.

Fingers crossed xx

I'm Back....

And with lots to talk about!! I just wanted to say a HUGE thankyou to Kayla at Beauty by Kayla Shevonne for nominating me for a blog award. This is my first ever blog award and I was absolutely thrilled when I came back off holiday to find out. I don't know much about these things but I believe...

The Rules Are:

• Thank the blogger who awarded it to you.

Again thankyou Kayla. I would be nominating this straight back to you if you hadn't already got one. I love your blog! Your mani's are a constant source of inspiration.

Done!

• Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words.

To: Have fun sharing my passion/creativity (OK so I couldn't do this in 5 words :D)

Done!

• Pass it on to blogs which you feel have real substance.

I'd like to pass this on to Michelle at Lacquerized, she is amazing! Michelle creates the most beautiful mani's and is actually the reason why I got into nails. I was so excited and impressed by the work Michelle creates that I actually decided to retrain as a nail tech and set up my business NOTD.

I would also like to pass this on to Nihrida. I love Nihrida's blog, not just because she creates beautiful nail and makeup looks, but because she is honest about life. She is very open about how she feels and some of the struggles she faces and I find this really helpful.

The next one is a little bit different as it's not really a beauty blog, but it's certainly one with substance. I'd like to pass this on to Toshia at A Cysters Journey. Toshia writes a blog about life and living with PCOS, but she also tackles other issues like Bipolar. I don't suffer from PCOS myself but one of my friend's does and it's effected her life quite dramatically and Toshia's blog has helped me understand this. I also like her blog because she's very honest and talks about things that a lot of us feel but are maybe too scared to admit.

The next blog I'd like to nominate is Nukleopatra. I love Jonna's individuality and sense of style. Someone who shares my love of animal print :D. Jonna has also been really encouraging to me since I started my blog so this is to say thankyou.

And last but by no means least I'd like to pass this on to Nina at Meowmisu Makeup. Nina creates the most beautiful makeup looks ever. Her colour choices are perfect and her blending is amazing. I know Nina's work from Makeup Geek and have recreated many of her gorgeous look's in the past.

and Done!

Told you I had lots to say. No pics in this post, but the next one will have my entry for the new Illamasqua/MizzWorthy competition.

See you soon xx

Off on my Jollies!!

If any of you guy's are going away have a great time. See y'all when I get back :D

A little bit bugged!!

Hiya!! Just wanted to do another quick nail post (this is NOTD after all :D) but while I'm on I also wanted to apologise too. I've had an issue with my Google account for some time now as it wont allow me to comment on my blog. It's not just mine I might add...it wont allow me to comment on anyones blog. It's driving me crazy!! Being new to all this stuff and being a bit of a Dolly Dimple when it comes to computers I don't really know what to do to sort this out. I will get to the bottom of this and I will one day be allowed to comment on my own blog, but in the meantime I just wanted to say Thankyou to anyone who has taken the time to leave a comment. I do really appreciate it. You know, I also can't wait to comment on other blogs. I follow loads and see so many amazing and inspirational things it would be nice to show my appreciation. For the time being though this will have to do.
So anyway here's my mani. Note the bug...I've taken inspiration from the situation. I used Nails Inc Kensington Caviar base coat on all the nails, with Nfu. Oh 122 for the leaf colour. I drew the leaf pattern on with Nfu. Oh 123 & 125 and then painted a layer of Nfu. Oh 56 over the top to give it a bit of sparkle and depth. For the Lady Bug I used Nails Inc Eaton Mews (one of my faves) with a black from my nail art kit. Hope you like it xx









Do any of you guys have a blog? Leave me a message and let me know. I wont be able to message you back but I can certainly take a look at your blogs :D

And they say a Leopard can't change it's spots...

Just a quick post today to show you a couple of recent mani's. Having a bit of a Bet Lynch moment I think as they are both leopard print. The first one is done with Barry M 289 (Gold) with Mac So rich, so pretty for the spots. Not sure what I think about this one...it's a bit over the top. Needless to say it didn't last long. The second one is a bit more subtle, not sure if it's possible to use the word subtle and leopard print in the same sentence but you know what I mean. It's made with Mac Military with So rich, so pretty for the spots again. This is definitely more me than the last one and I like the contrast between the finishes. Anyways, hope you like them :D















What look are you rockin at the minute?

NYX Swatches Round 2

Hey Guys!! Hope your well :D Back to the swatches today. I've got five glosses to share from my NYX haul a while back. As promised I'm trying to swatch them all but it will take some time so bare with me :D















Ok so lets start with the taste...if your not a fan of cherries then some of these may not be for you!! Personally I don't mind cherries so it really didn't bother me that some of the glosses taste like Chapstick. If you don't like them then no worries theres two other flavours. The Nyx Girl glosses taste like Starburst so no complaints there and the others taste like Huba Buba lol. Haven't had Huba Buba in years so I thought that was quite funny. Non of the flavours are particularly overpowering so unless you have a specific aversion to any of them this really isn't a problem. Anyways the taste doesn't actually last that long so just hold your breathe for a couple of seconds and its gone. Voila!! Problem solved!! For two quid it's not worth moaning about!!
Onto consistency. I actually thought this was really good!! Very smooth, creamy, not sticky or gritty. If anything a little thin but c'mon they're two quid!! They're really moisturising aswell!! Again I was pleasantly suprised, as I was with the lipsticks, about the length of wear. Nothing miraculous, but I have high end glosses I've paid over £20 for and these babies have outlasted them!! Something else I liked was the applicator. I found the Doe foot made it really easy to apply and distribute the gloss evenly. All in all I'm really pleased with the ones I've swatched and tested so far.
Hope this is helpful for y'all xx

Want It Wednesday

Mac Fabulous Felines (more products available in this range)

A Day in the Life of a Bird

Hey!! Hope everyones ok. I was intending this to be another swatch post today, but I haven't done a look for sooooooo long!! I've had this on my mind for ages and today I finally got to play :D It's based on a little bird I saw when I went to the zoo (a zillion years ago now lol) I knew I had to do a look as soon as I saw it cos I just loved the colours and the spots and it was a perfect excuse to play with feathers. It was also a chance to try out some more Girls Aloud lashes (I don't have a problem...honest!!) I got them ages ago when Robyn at Stay Beautiful posted a heads up on her blog that Asos were selling them for only £2.25. Bargain!! I decided to custom them a bit by adding feathers to make them fit in with the look. I think it worked quite well and might just try this again with some other lashes. Anyways hope y'all like the look :D

Here's a picture of the cheeky lil' fella. Its from the zoos website again cos I didn't take my camera and the ones on my phone were a bit naff!!



And here's my look :D











If anyone wants to know what products I used just let me know. Thanks for looking xx