Purple Daze: Amethyst, Aubergine, Lavender, Mauve, Violet...

 images via Elle Uk edited by me

Hello lovelies! How was your weekend? Did you relax, get stuff done or do absolutely nada? Amazingly enough, I managed to clear out 3GB's of applications & files of my laptop, it's not as snappy, but it runs a little better now. If you own a mac like myself (and still running Tiger) check out this brilliant post via LifeHacker & Maclife that got me through a major clear-out on the weekend! Oh and please remember to back-up your stuff before deleting.

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Call it whatever shade you like, but purple is gonna be huge again for Fall 12/13... and I do love a good jewel tone for the colder months. It's one of my favourite winter colours to mix pops of other hues with, like lemon sorbet or even turquoise - as seen on "Amethyst & Turquoise Love"... hmmmm. 

Admittedly, I'm also reminded of a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate and quite possibly the hazelnut in caramel sweet wrapper from a box of Quality Streets but I love how deeply seductive and even sinister this shade can be when worn with black leather... 

Make your own style statement and play with different textures or hues in the home or in fashion, but if purple is a little too much, start with make up & experiment with a plum shade lippy or eye make up.

Love this vibrant concoction of purples, greens image with a hint of coral in the inner corners of the eye via PatMcGrath.tumblr.com

To see how this look is done click here.

Is this not the sexiest dress ever? via pinterest, is it Elie Saab?

Love me some matte sparkly nails via here Also going gaga over Deborah Lippmans new glittery polish in Let's Go Crazy

An apartment on the Upper East Side by Drake Design Associates via here

 This looks scrumptious, recipe via here & image via here

 via here

via here

It's a new week guys, make it your best week ever! 

Gimme Candy: L'Oreal Miss Candy & Smokin' Eyes!

Hello my pretties, how's your week going?

 I don't know about you, but every now and again I have this furious burst of beauty & make up addiction, I'm not entirely sure if it had anything to do with my little L'Oreal Paris surprise this week (-great start to the week, yay!!!) or the fact that I just wanna ply my face with a bit of colour when the weather seems a little unpredictable and grey sometimes.

Anyways... I loved seeing all the candy, gum dropped colours coming through for spring/summer; from Dior to YSL & even Laduree's super yummy sorbet shaded make up collection.

MAC/NARS/Bobbi Brown, please forgive me but I officially have a new love - L'Oreals Miss Candy collection.  My pouts craving the super shimmery Glam shine lipgloss in Cola Fizz & Strawberry Licorice (available in 6 delicious shades) and my eyes will be coveting the Color Infallible eye shadows bright n' sparkly 'Innocent turquoise' (above) and 'Sassy marshmallow' hues (Eye shadows available in 4 colours), which will pop against my subtle tan. Looks like I'm all set to to dress my nails, eyes and lips now! 

For the best part of winter you could say that I'm pretty guilty of falling into the same make up routine, but once summer hits, I do love experimenting with eye make-up looks,  especially with colourful shades, similar to the L'Oreal look (first image above). Right now, I'm totally smitten with these gorgeous eye make up looks.

 Coco Rocha with emerald green & grey hues for Vogue Nippon, Aug 2008 by Arthur Elgort

Check out the brilliant How-To post on how to achieve this colour blocking make-up look via The Beauty Department here.

I adore this! I haven't actually tried purple, but I think I will do... one night. Love this step-by-step image by make up artist Zina Grekova whose eye make up looks are all over Pinterest.

 Have you mastered your smokey eye look yet, take peek at Zina's classic brown/black smokey eye look close up!

Having read some of the comments, I thought I'd add a little more to this post. I know that doing a smokey look on yourself can sometimes look like you've been punched in the face in both eyes if you're not used to seeing how this look looks on you - just remember to BLEND!!! I always keep cotton buds at hand to help remove any parts that I might have gone way OTT on (usually to lessen the amount of dark shadow near the brown bone area, in the corners or underneath the eye)

Everyone has a different eye shape - it's about experimenting and knowing what or how much smokiness works with your face shape. Always take a step back from the mirror and see how it looks.

It's good to try different things - sometimes I'll go for a more elongated cat eye shape and balance the make up on the cheek area with a bit of definition.

 Need a little help? What about this four-piece brush set by Sonia Kashuk? (Alternatively, you can find similar brushes at Sephora too) image via: Glamour Mag

So lovelies, will you be trying something new or different this summer? Know what colours work for you and take a risk I say! Colour is a real game-changer in the name of make-up!


p.s Thank you L'Oreal Paris GR! Mwah!