30 Jun 2010

Jane Volturi Makeup from Twilight Eclipse


 




So Twilight Eclipse is opening today (June 30th) in theaters, so to honor the occasion I thought I'd do a thematic makeup tutorial. I decided to emulate the Volturi vampire makeup, notably that of Jane. She is a sadistic vampire with special mental powers, who belongs to the Volturi clan. There's going to be a lot of Volturi storyline in Eclipse, so I thought this would be perfect!

Her look is actually quite simple, with very flat, ultra pale skin without any contouring, a rounded monochromatic smokey eye, and pale matte lips. I tried to copy the look as best as I could, all I had at my disposal were the preview clips from trailers I watched on Youtube. I can't wait to see the movie, but I think I'll wait a while until the hype dies down a bit to go to the cinema. I watched New Moon with my mom and she loved it, so maybe I'll wait til I'm in Vancouver to watch this one with her!

Enjoy the video below!





Face
Dinair Airbrush foundation (more info to come soon), Illamasqua Intrique blush (matte white, used as setting powder)

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion, MAC e/s in Copperplate, Carbon, Print, Ben Nye Toast e/s, MAC Feline kohl pencil, Essence Long Lasting pencil (black), Covergirl Lashblast mascara

Lips
MAC Studio Finish concealer, L'Oreal Sheer Nude lipstick Nr. 466, NYX Perfect lipstick





29 Jun 2010

A heartfelt message

I was deeply touched by this message I received by one of my subscribers, so much that I asked her permission to share it with you on my blog.


Hi Julia,

If you have a couple of minutes to spare, I thought it would be nice to thank you for what you have given me. It's kind of a long story, so I'll try to sum up quickly.

Two years ago I had just finished university, I was on the provincial cycling team and attending national champs, and was in a relationship with a lovely, warm-hearted man. Then, about a year ago, (probably from my multiple bike crashes) I had a very painful back injury that left me mostly in bed and unable to do anything. Now, 15 months later, im still in bed, still in a LOT of pain, and still unable to do anything. I had to quit my job because i couldnt physically do it; I was unable to attend nationals or even ride recreationally. :(

Anyway, with all this time spent in bed I tried to reconnect with my old hobby of painting portraits. I've always loved painting and hadn't done it since I started university. But being away from it for so long I was unable to reconnect. Then one day I stumbled on one of your videos and I was instantly hooked! I watched all of your videos. I love them. The next thing I knew I was on ebay ordering a bunch of makeup supplies and I'm now "painting" faces instead of portraits (well, my face only). You have no idea how much of a stress relief this has been for me. It's brought back a lot of joy into my life, and I owe a lot of that inspiration to you. So I wanted to say thank you. I really wish you will continue doing your videos or whatever inspires you because, whether you know it or not, you have had a positive impact in my life and probably others too.

I even made a video and sent it to my mom and sisters (who live overseas). They liked it and convinced me to make a youtube video. So on the days that I was feeling better, I made a couple of videos and uploaded them. I haven't had many views but that doesn't really matter :)

Anyway, I hope one day we can meet (i live in Canada) so that I can thank you in person. I wish you all the best in your life adventures.

Cheers :)

Dina

Thank you Dina for your wonderful message, it means so much to me. Some days I cannot believe how my make-up videos are able to reach so many people on so many different levels. You can check out Dina's new Youtube channel by clicking here and supporting this wonderful lady.

26 Jun 2010

When worlds "Collide"...


...then the impact will surely be lit up in neon pink fabulousness! This is Illamasqua Collide nailpolish. It's hard to capture how incredibly bright and glowing this color is, I'd describe it as a neon pink without any blue undertones. I wore this in my last video announcing the contest winner and a little personal ramble, and had a lot of comments on it. I'm not surprised, this nailpolish is hot, hot, HOT! Love it for summer. This is on the third day of wear and as you can see there is very little wear and tear. Love Illamasqua polishes!








I also took the time to wash some of my makeup brushes and they are currently lying (laying?) out to dry on my balcony table. I'm using the Brush Guards here in case you're wondering what that mesh stuff is, I absolutely swear by them for brush drying. Puts them back into perfect shape! I always get excited when my brushes are clean, makes me want to use them right away and film a makeup video.

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend and enjoying the sunshine! (If you have sunshine that is...)

14 Jun 2010

Kim Kardashian Bronze Makeup








This look was inspired by a picture I saw of Kim on her makeup-artist's website, Mario Dedivanovic, where he styled her for a red carpet event. He also provided step by step instructions of the look, so using those instructions, I decided to try ma hand at it. The result is a very wearable, bronze eye that I think is perfect for summer, not too overdone, and could even be amped up with some false lashes for an evening look.

Eyes

MAC Untitled Paint, MAC Bronze CCB, MAC shadows in Bronze, Malt, Vanilla, Solar White, MAC Feline kohl pencil, Max Factor Natural Glaze pencil, Lancome concealer, Maybelline The Colossal mascara

Face & Cheeks
Makeup Forever Mat Velvet+ foundation 15, Barry M Natural Dazzle bronzer, MAC Solar White e/s

Lips
Gosh Darling lipstick, MAC Prrr lipglass

Link to the video

12 Jun 2010

Icy Blue Green Nails



I've worn this nailpolish combo in two of my videos and always get loads of comments on it from people wanting to know what it is. I'm not surprised, this combo is one of my favorites! (By the way, I always list the nailpolish I wear in the info box below the video.)

This is two layers of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Jumpin' Jade and one coat of CND Effects in Ice Blue Shimmer #555 and one layer of Seche Vite topcoat. I love the CND Effects polish in this particular shade, it's almost colorless but gives a pearlescent turquoise blue icy shimmer when layered on top of any color. I've also done this combo using Barry M Racing Green polish as a base color and it worked really well too.

I have one other CND Effects polish with a gold flake in it, but I like this one so much better! If you're not sure where to buy the CND Effects polishes, check out their website to locate a retailer near you.

9 Jun 2010

Beautiful Summer pallor

You know what I really hate? That as soon as summer comes along, the big fashion "must" is to get instantly tan and bronzed...and if you have pale skin, better hit the tanning salon or start fake baking. I truly think this trend is strongly influenced by the many beauty companies that have created a multi-billion dollar industry selling tanning products, self-tanners, bronzers, and the like. Ads in magazines showing perfectly bronzed beauties, supposedly lying on a yacht all day in the French Riviera sipping champagne and celebrating parties later to be seen on Girls Gone Wild, make us paler girls and boys feel rather alienesque. Fair skin is on the "out" lists and women are advised to hop to it and do something about that horrible, sickly, white skin.


Enter the many beauty companies selling us fake tanners, makeup collections featuring lots of bronzers, and all-inclusive packages to tanning salons where we throw our skin's health to the wind and say hello to skin pigmentation spots, premature aging, wrinkles, or even cancer, all to be that enviable tanned beauty in a beautiful summer bikini.



Now some may call me a hypocrite as I once bought a package at a tanning salon myself when I lived in Montreal and the winter bleakness was getting to me. I can't deny that I got some sort of satisfaction being tan and feeling summery as I lay in the bed, roasting my skin. I have, however, learned from my mistakes, and after that one forray into tanning, I soon realized that having a tan wasn't worth the damage to my skin.

On the endless quest to be tan, I decided to broaden my horizons into self-tanners, and tried everything from low end to high end. The results varied, some better and some worse, but in the end I always ended up looking more orange or yellow than my natural tan color, because my base color was so white. I have seen some self-tanners look ok on those who already have darker or olive complexions, but on really white skin, I never had a good result. And then there's the smell too! No matter how much perfume there was in those things, they always had a horrible, faint undertone that just was disgusting.

And let's not forget the horrible oompa loompa syndrome!


Far from attractive.

A few years ago I decided enough was enough and just threw away all my self-tanners and decided natural was miles better than anything smelly out of a bottle could provide. I slather on the SPF now when I go to the pool, knowing that I'll still look years younger than my tanorexic counterparts when they hit 40. So what if my legs aren't baked bronze when I wear shorts? This is the skin I was born with - it's fair, sensitive to UV light, and doesn't tan easily nor hold a tan well. And you know what? That's ok. I'm content with using just a smidgen of bronzer on my cheeks when I feel like, making sure not to overdo it, and I'll get a tan naturally by spending time outdoors in the summer doing activities. I'm not going to ruin my skin by baking in the full sun for hours just so that I look "healthy". I'm not going to waste my money anymore on expensive self-tanners or tanning salons because other people expect it, or tell me I "need to get a tan." And yes, I have been told this frequently by ignorant gits! So go pale this summer; you'll be in good company! ;)

Bridget Regan, actress from Legend of the Seeker


Liv Tyler


Anne Hathaway

Dita Von Teese


Dakota Fanning

3 Jun 2010

Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds nails






These nails were inspired by one of my favorite nail blogs, The Daily Nail, and show an Alfred Hitchcock design from his famous 1963 movie "The Birds". You know that creepy scene where the kids are running out of the schoolyard and the black crows attack? Yeah, these nails kind of remind me of that scene.



And since some people may not be familiar with Hitchcock's films this is the profile image which is often seen during the credits.


I hope you enjoy it and try out this nail design. All you need is white and black polish, some brushes, and some time on your hands...literally!

Video Link