Well gosh darn it, if I'm not the last person in Beauty Blog-o-land to write about the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks!!
I originally heard about these on Youtube and Twitter from some American girls I follow, because living in Ye Olde Europe means we're always way behind when it comes to new drugstore product releases. I heard a lot of people raving about these, so after oggling over pretty pictures on the Internet, I bit the bullet and ordered four of them on ebay no less. Imagine, even with jacked up ebay pricing, plus worldwide shipping, these were still cheaper than buying them locally in Switzerland! :-O
(I added one more lipstick bullet to my collection when they finally arrived here.)
Left to Right: Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose, On Fire Red
The packaging: bright orange see-through lipstick bullets
Left to Right: Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose, On Fire Red
Let me tell you, they are soooo lovely! If you are into bright colors as much as I am, then these lipsticks are a great drugstore purchase. The colors are very well pigmented, they feel very comfortable to wear with a creamy but not too creamy finish, and last for a good amount of time on my lips before I have to reapply. Sure, they don't last as long as my Rouge d'Armani, but they are definitely better quality than some other drugstore lipsticks I own.
The color I reach for the most is Shocking Coral, and I recently picked up Vivid Rose, which I think will be another contender in my lipstick rotation. I've read a few of these colors are dupes of certain MAC lipsticks (Candy Yum Yum I think?) but I can't compare because I don't own those shades. The only one I'm not crazy about is On Fire Red - I just think I own some nicer reds in my collection already, but it's not a terrible color or anything. I just don't reach for it as much as the other colors.
So, two thumbs up for these lipsticks from me! A definite drugstore bargain purchase that packs a punch. :)
Do you own any of the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks? If so, which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
As most of you who use Google Reader regularly probably already know, their service is ending tomorrow! Google Reader is shutting down from the 1st of July and as from that date, you will lose the list of blogs you follow. I personally use Bloglovin’, as most of you, but for those of you who don’t, you can easily transfer the list of all the blogs you already follow so you don’t miss out. Here is how import all your Google Reader feeds into Bloglovin, and make sure to follow MissChievous.tv on there!
A long while ago I made a Brigitte Bardot video, and I've always wanted to revisit it because Bardot's iconic look is one of my favorites! She exudes a sexy, feminine confidence without it being too contrived. It probably helps that she was an absolute stunner in her youth! She was one of the few European film actresses of her time to garner worldwide fame, not only for her acting but also due to her ravishing beauty.
What made her makeup look so flattering is that she wore mostly warm-toned neutral colors, and played up her natural features very perfectly. Darkly lined eyes, full lashes, and a sensuous, pouty mouth were her trademarks. This look continues to be an inspiration for many celebrities today - when you think about Adele or Lana Del Rey, they definitely channel some of Bardot's earlier style.
Eyes
MAC Malt, Ben Nye Cork, Ben Nye Toast, L'Oreal Smolding eye kohl in Brown, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Red Cherry lashes Nr. 101, Smashbox Eye Brightening mascara
Lips
Inglot Full Metal Lip Pencil Nr. 859, Rimmel Tiramisu lipliner, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude
I hope you try out this look! Let me know how you like it below in the comments, thanks!
So about two weeks ago I attended the Miss Switzerland beauty pageant, as I was invited as a VIP guest by one of the key sponsors of the event. Woohoo, how fun!!
My partner and I drove to the Zurich Hallenstadion where the event was taking place, which is basically a giant stadium that is mostly used for large concerts, events, sports games, and such. At first there was a cocktail reception where I had planned to spend my time oggling Switzerland's not-so-world-famous celebrities (it's a small country, ok?), but instead I was running back and forth for a Press pass which was supposed to be laid out for me at the welcome desk but wasn't. It's so much fun running around in heels, hah! Anyway, I decided to forget about the Press pass (which I realised later on I didn't need anyway) so that I could enjoy the elegant VIP dinner before the actual event began, to which a select group of people had been invited. It was mainly important sponsors, Swiss celebrities, and major media types.
I sat at a table with the people from Procter & Gamble, which is one of the main sponsors behind the Miss Switzerland pageant, and a few other Swiss fashion bloggers whom I had just met. We were served a gorgeous and elegant 3-course dinner, with copious amounts of wine and champagne. *hiccup* I kid, I kid, I don't get drunk on the job! One glass of wine was enough for me. Nonetheless, the food was very tasty and beautifully presented.
Yes, this is the standard Blogger camera repertoire: iPhone (for Instagram and tweeting), a small point & shoot camera for vlogging, and a large DSLR for actual good quality pictures. (Plus a pair of cute flats in your purse when wearing your heels becomes torture.) Always be prepared!! If you're wondering, my dress is by French Connection UK, the accessories by H&M and Hallhuber, shoes by Even&Odd.
After the dinner, we were prepped by the evening's hosts on TV etiquette, since the entire pageant was broadcast live. That meant only being able to get up and move around, or go to the bathroom, on commercial breaks, and generally clapping like a lunatic whenever prompted. My hands hurt by the end of the evening! The stadium began to fill up with people, so those people who had purchased tickets to the show, and also the supporters of the pageant candidates.
Finally, the show began. Ooooh, pretty lights!
Now I'm sorry but I have very few pictures from the actual show, because I don't have a telephoto lens so the pictures weren't going to be very spectacular anyway from that far back, but I do have a good shot of all the girls right after the swimsuit round. This was the opening number, and it was quite high-energy, dancey, sexy, with costumes and accessories strongly reminiscent of a Victoria's Secret show.
These were the top candidates that had made it to the final pageant, many had already been eliminated previously in a casting show that was also shown on TV - which of course I watched every episode of! *Pinocchio nose* So the candidates were all totally new to me, but I - and the audience - had a clear favorite.
The rest of the show consisted of several rounds where the girls had to show different runway walks in a variety of outfits and dresses, and each round more were eliminated. At the end, there was an interview portion where the top three girls were asked some personal questions so that the audience might know their personalities a bit better. The show was interspersed with backstage interviews and musical performances, one even by Lindsey Stirling! Yeaaahhhh Youtube power! She played a violin piece during the evening dress portion of the pageant.
I admit by the end of the show I was getting a bit of a glazed look, and my hands were numb from clapping. It was just quite a long pageant, and I honestly felt like it dragged on a bit. Nonetheless, I was very happy for the winner when she was finally crowned. Our new Miss Switzerland 2013 is Dominique Rinderknecht! She was the clear audience favorite, including mine, because she's just such a fresh and modern face in a sea of beauty pageant girls. They were all very beautiful, of course, but she is just unique. Finally a girl with short hair, and a very modern haircut at that, wins such a pageant!
After the event, the stage was stormed by all the media and press photographers, vying for top spots to get a good picture and the first interview with Miss Switzerland. I waited patiently because a few select bloggers had been invited to have a private backstage meet & greet and picture period with the winners, which was very cool. I also met Sara Nuru backstage, who is a German celebrity and was co-judging the pageant.
Then we had our picture taken with Miss Switzerland, Dominique Rinderknecht, and Miss Oral B Best Friend (who was selected by the pageant contestants themselves as the most friendly girl) Snezana Stajodinovi. And yes, I somehow managed to out-tall all the contestants! How is that even possible??
Pictured above with Anja from SchuSchu doing our best pageant impression! The photographer insisted we try on the pageant sashes. Haha :)
After the photo session, I thanked my host for inviting me to the event, then went to party with my fellow bloggers. We danced the night away and observed some very drunk men dressed in stiff evening business suits making a spectacle of themselves, pretending to unbutton their trousers, at which point I knew it was time to go home. I still had a long drive home ahead of me from Zurich.
I had a wonderful evening and was able to garner a lot of new experiences! Thank you so much to Procter & Gamble for everything, it was a night I won't forget.
This look just screams summer to me! The bright colors of lemons and limes are what inspired the eye makeup, as I'm a huge fan of yellow in general, and lime green is the perfect partner to it. Sometimes it can be difficult to make yellow eyeshadow look flattering, but I think this just works . Combine the eyes with a peach coloured lipstick and you're ready to hit the next summer party in style!
Face
L'Oreal Visible Lift foundation, Body Shop Honey Bronze bronzer Nr. 1, Afterglow Cosmetics blush in Tickle
Eyes
Manhattan Magic Up cream eyeshadow in Glow Star, Manhattan Light it Up and Rock the Grass e/s, MAC Chrome Yellow e/s, Manhattan Queen's Green e/s, Ben Nye Toast e/s, KIKO 411 pencil, Manhattan Eyemazing Precise Eyeliner Pen, Smashbox Eye Brightening Photo Op mascara, Elite Lashes Nr. 19
Lips
Catrice Princess Peach lipstick
Where would you wear this look? Let me know in the comments!
You may know I moved into a brand new Penthouse last month, and I'm so excited to finally have a proper Studio and makeup room for myself! It has solved many of the bad lighting issues I had in my old apartment, and there's plenty of room to store all my inventory, and to set up professional lighting.
Here's an overview of what things look like so far. I plan to add some more wall decor in the coming months, but one white wall is always essential to leave blank for photography purposes - a perfect, neutral background for make-up close-ups, outfits, etc.
I will do another detailed post soon-ish on my lighting and camera equipment, because that's a whole other story!
Above is the vanity where I film all my makeup tutorials. This is the discontinued IKEA Malm vanity in the large size. IKEA now carries a smaller version of this table (also called Malm) in their range which is more suitable for smaller collections or smaller rooms. The hanging curtains are from IKEA and are actually 3 partitions, which slide on my built-in curtain rods. They were a bit tricky to align, because when they are slid together they make one contiguous picture of purple orchids.
Then I also have the IKEA Alex drawer unit which is absolutely perfect for makeup storage. I have two at the moment, one which has faded in color over time (which I didn't even realize until I stood the two units next to each other. I store some of my chunky jewellery on there, magazines, and some decoration.
This is the collectible Ermine from the MAC Fafi collection. Isn't she adorable?
Here's a peek into some of the drawers of my Alex...
I needed more storage so I invested in the IKEA Expedit unit, and added some drawers which can be bought separately. I've left the bottom row empty for now and decorated with some shoes, but I can always add more drawers in the future there too! You can also see my area rug peaking out there, which is also from IKEA.
I have some fake flowers in a beautifully handmade porcelain vase, which I inherited from my grandmother...
And some real flowers - these pink orchids!
And these decorative reeds add something interesting to an empty corner. I also added some candles and a pretty lantern for a personal touch.
So, that's what I've got so far in my studio. I'm absolutely loving filming here, the lighting is so much better with both the natural daylight from the huge windows, which has a view onto the Swiss Alps no less, and the studio lamps on rainy days. I've already got some ideas for the one wall on the left, where I plan to make a DIY jewelry organizer to hang up in a large frame, but I need some time do invest in all those DIY projects first. Right now my next issue is the patio, where I want to get a beautiful garden going - though the horrible weather has not been on my side!
What does your makeup area look like? Do you get ready in the bathroom, or do you have a dedicated space?
I haven't done a gothic and alternative makeup look in a while, and I wanted to come up with something dramatic that would fit the bill, but still keep it looking feminine and glamorous. I thought this version of a gothic look is not only pretty darn wearable, it's also quite fashion forward! I would definitely rock this on a night out, maybe to a trendy club or to a rock concert.
The blue colours give it that alternative, less-than-mainstream look, but the soft touches on the eye keep things in focus and don't make you look like you just rose from the dead. ;)
