Edgy and Bold New Year's Eve Makeup

This sculpted and fashion-forward makeup look is very dramatic but perfect for New Year's Eve parties, or dancing the night away at a dark club. This look is both dark but very defined; the inner part of the eyelid has a metallic, shimmering finish that adds a nice highlight.

Eyes

MAC Paint in Untitled, Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero, Maybelline white kohl pencil, MAC eyeshadows in Carbon, Copperplate, Ben Nye Toast, Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Surge, Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Ore, MAC Spiked brow pencil, Maybelline Natural Glaze kohl pencil, MAC Nr. 42 lashes

Face
Nars Sheer Glow foundation in Mont Blanc, Lancome Maquillecomplet concealer in Ivory, Barry M Natural Dazzle bronzer, Alverde powder

Lips
P2 Rodeo Drive lipstick

Nails
Barry M Cyan Blue

Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies

These cookies are soooo good! I've made them twice now in December and each time they came out perfectly. They are fairly easy to make and are a perfect combination of chocolate and mint.

Ingredients

(Makes about 24 - 30 cookies)

• 3/4 cup butter (170g)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (220g) (read my note below)
  
• 2 tablespoons water (30ml)
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips/baking chocolate (335g)
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (310g)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda (6g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (3g)
• 3 (4.5 ounce) packages chocolate covered thin mints such as After Eights (378g)

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, be careful not to overbake. When cookies come out of the oven, Press one mint wafer into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer

Note: The only changes that I made from the above recipe is that I reduced the sugar in half because I found it way too sweet, and added a few teaspoons of brandy to the batter.

Gold Sparkle Holiday Look

I love this look for the holidays, gold and red are my favorite Christmas colors. I often wrap my presents with gold gift wrap paper and red ribbons, it's a timeless classic that will never go out of style for this time of year. I wanted to incorporate those colors in this look, so I focused on gold glitter and ruby red lips.

Face
Revlon Colorstay foundation in Ivory, MAC MSF in Shimpagne, Ben Nye Latte blush

Eyes
MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot, MAC Soft Brown e/s, Ben Nye Aztec Gold e/s, Ben Nye Iced Gold e/s, Essence glitter liner in Gold, Cinema Secrets Hollywood Glitz in Oscar, L'Oreal Super Liner in Carbon Gloss, Max Factor Natural Glaze kohl pencil, Red Cherry Lashes Nr. 47,

Lips
MAC Red Enriched lipliner, Illamasqua Maneater lipstick, MAC Red Romp Lipglass (LE)


Nailpolish
China Glaze - Cowgirl Up

Models Own Haul

At the end of August I hauled some Model's Own polishes when the company was having a 50% off sale. Model's Own is a British nail polish brand that I'd read a lot about online and had seen lots of pictures of their colourful shades. So when the 50% sale came and went, I decided to take advantage. Here are some swatches of my haul, along with some other polishes.

Left to Right: Eyeko Rain polish, Eyeko Saucy polish, (blank)
The next one are from Models Own: Magenta Pearl, Pink Punch, Raspberry Crush, Disco Mix, Feeling Blue, Purple Gray, Green Tea, Barry M Spring Green

Same color wheel snapped outdoors in the shade. My favorites are Purple Gray, Disco Mix and Magenta Pearl.

The Models Own polishes cost £5 full price, but sometimes the website has sales or special deals. I think these are a bargain if you can buy them directly in UK shops, but not really worth it if you have to pay full price and the overpriced international shipping fee (£9.95 flat rate worldwide shipping outside the UK and a minimum order of £20) I'm sorry, but for that price I'd rather buy from Barry M, who also ship worldwide with more affordable rates and who also have great, inexpensive nail polish in lots of colors. My haul was worth it because the polishes were 50% off, but I wouldn't pay full price for them. They are just drugstore quality and nowadays, many drugstore brands make colorful polishes. At the end of the day, while I like the colours, my curiosity has been satisfied and I probably won't be ordering any more. The polishes do apply very nicely, and almost all (except for Pink Punch and Disco Mix) were opaque in two coats.

Where to buy:
http://www.modelsownit.com/
http://www.asos.com/ (very limited range)

Eyeko:
http://www.eyeko.com/eyeko-products-nails-c-21_27.html

Ke$ha We R Who We R Music Video inspired look

 

So recently a viewer requested that I recreate the look Ke$ha is sporting in her latest music video "We R Who We R" and at first I thought - ugh. I really don't like Ke$ha's auto-tune Nokia-ringtone-vibe music, but I decided to watch her music video anyway to see which look my viewer meant.

I have to say, the first look she has in the video is probably one of the most hideous looks I've seen in a music video to date. I mean - really???

Smearing black eyeshadow all over and gluing studs above your eyebrows does not an edgy pop singer make. Ohhhh Ke$ha. But the second look I thought was kinda cool!

Well, I changed it up a bit because the look is still a bit too messy and blotchy for my taste, but you can definitely see where I got my inspiration from. You could also tone down the look by just doing the eye makeup as I have done, pairing it with some simple lips in a nude or natural tone, and there's your New Year's Eve party look!

Face + Cheeks
Revlon Colostay foundation (Ivory), Lancome Blush Subtil in Highlighting Rose, La Femme Flamingo Pink blush

Eyes
Sephora 02 Keep Blue kohl eyeliner, MAC Prussian e/s, Ben Nye Cosmic Blue e/s, Sugarpill Bulletproof e/s, Ben Nye Toast e/s, MAC Feline kohl pencil, P2 Blue Mascara, blue & white cosmetic glitter (generic from ebay), Essence blue glitter liner

Lips
Sephora 02 Keep Blue kohl eyeliner, Illamasqua Disciple lipstick, blue & white cosmetic glitter 

Nails
Illamasqua Scorn, Illamasqua Nail Quills (click here to read about the competition I am doing in partnership with Illamasqua to win a sit of the quills)

Illamasqua Nail Quills competition

Illamasqua and MissChievous.tv are teaming up to give away one pair of their hot new nail quills. If you haven't seen these already, check out this picture of me wearing them, with Illamasqua Scorn nailpolish on my other fingers.

These are handmade, limited edition glue on nail talons with a a silver foil tip, designed by Mike Pocock. They also come packaged and presented in a beautiful jewelry box, which is great for storage in between use.

Head over to Illamasqua's website and enter to win in the competition, so that you too might have the chance to try these out! The contest is open worldwide.

http://www.illamasqua.com/missc/

Now my thoughts on these:

My first impression was great, they look really hot on the nails, reminiscent of the vampire Armand in Interview with the Vampire. Illamasqua Scorn semi-matte nail varnish is the perfect shade to wear with these at it looks exactly like the black part of the nail quills. (You could also wear them with other colors of course, but the nail quills will remain black.)

There are a few things I wanted to mention though. Judging from the pictures on the website, I assumed that the tip was made of solid metal, like a real quill, attached to the false nail. Unfortunately, this was not the case; the silver part of the quills is just a silver foil that has been cut to size and wrapped around the tip. This worries me because I wonder how long such material will actually keep its shape before wear and tear, or before it somehow comes undone.

The other issue I had with these is that according to the Illamasqua instructional video on how to apply and remove them, it was recommended to dribble some acetone-free remover down the side of the nail quill, wedging it with a wood stick. I did this just as in the video, only to realize afterwards while cleaning them from the inside that the remover actually stained and removed some of the color from the top of the quills! Now the silver foil of my quills has some small but noticeable chemical stains on it, and the black varnish has dent marks, and has even been removed completely on some edges. Luckily, Scorn is a perfect match, so I will try to repaint the black to make them look nice again. But that was a big surprise that the recommended method of removal actually caused damage to the quills. I don't know if they just used nail varnish to paint the false nail, maybe they should have used some sort of lacquer or paint that is completely resistant to remover? I guess I will have to be more careful next time.

But overall, these are a really unique and fun nail accessory that are sure to be a hit with a lot of people, especially those that follow various sub-culture trends. At £35 GBP they are a pricey bit of fun, but then again, anything handmade with a limited amount of production is bound to have its price.

Germany Haul and a Giveaway!

I was recently in Germany (twice in November on business trips) and I did some shopping there. I bought some clothes, accessories, and beauty products of course! In this video I'll share my haul with you, and give some details on German drugstore brands - sadly not available in Switzerland.

I also picked up some great lipsticks by P2. It's a German brand and I have to say I've absolutely fallen in love with their lip products. Great quality at an unbeatable price. So I decided to pick up 3 more for a giveaway so that one lucky person might try them out as well. Here they are:

L to R: Kö (a bright berry tone), Regent Street (lovely medium peach), Rodeo Drive (nude)

How to enter to win these lipsticks

Go to my Facebook, "Like" my page (click the thumbs up beside my name at the top) and read my Wall update to see how to enter for the giveaway. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Facebook. This giveaway is open worldwide.

http://www.facebook.com/mizzchievouz

Good luck!

Holiday Giftwrap Nail art tutorial

 

Aren't these nails just so festive and perfect for the holidays? I got so many compliments from people when I wore these nails, asking me what nail salon I go to. Nail salon?? Pshaw! Get out some brushes and let the creative juices flow.

Products used:

China Glaze Emerald Sparkle and Ruby Pumps nailpolish
Essence Tip Painter in White
rhinestones (craft store)
Seche Vite topcoat

Gilded Cranberry Holiday Look

I just love the holidays! November and December have so many great events coming up, be it for Christmas, Thanksgiving, St. Nicholaus Day or other traditions you may celebrate. This golden cranberry colored look would be perfect for any of these settings when you want to look extra festive but also glamorous and pretty. Hope you like it!

Face
Nars Sheer Glow foundation in Mont Blanc

Eyes
MAC Paint Pot Rubenesque, MAC Gold Mode pigment, MAC Cranberry, MAC Handwritten, MAC Fairylight pigment, Maybelline Express white pencil liner, MAC Solar White, Illamasqua Precision Ink in Alchemy, Lancome Artliner in black, Red Cherry lashes Nr. 47, Duo adhesive, Max Factor False Lash effect mascara

Cheeks
MAC Cream Color Base in Hush, MAC Shimpagne MSF, MAC Stereo Rose MSF

Lips
MAC Hue lipstick, MAC Wonderstruck Lustreglass

Nails
A nail tutorial is coming up soon so stay tuned!

Link to the video

Lilash Black Friday Sale

If anyone is interested in purchasing the Lilash lash serum that I swear by, here's a coupon code for Black Friday / Cyber Monday!

Details: Buy One at $99 or Buy Two for $189 Plus Free Shipping WORLDWIDE!
Code: 99THANKS
Valid: 11.26 - 11.29

(Regular price is $139.97) Use the code at checkout for your deduction.

Click here to purchase

You can see my impressions of the product in this previous post (click here to read). I've also done a video on this product before on my Youtube channel, which can be viewed here. I recommend you check it out before purchasing so you'll know a bit more about it.

Myths & Legends Contest Update

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the Myths and Legends Contest. I'm currently still in the process of judging. I know you're all excited to see the winners but please understand I have 665 entries to watch, that's a lot of material to go through for one person and I am trying the best I can to dedicate time for this task. Since you all put in so much effort, I want to be sure I do all your looks justice and really take adequate time to judge all the entries.

I have watched all the videos at this point and have narrowed it down to some finalists, but I still need to reduce further and re-watch some videos as well. So please be patient! The results will be up as soon as possible.

Easy Everyday Glam Look with Urban Decay Naked Palette

I've had a lot of requests to do a look using the Urban Decay Naked Palette, as this seems to be a really popular purchase at the moment. I don't often do neutral makeup tutorials, but I think you can get a lot of use out of this palette if you're into brown and neutral colors. Here's a really easy look using this palette that would be very suitable for daytime wear. I also do a quick review of the palette at the end of the video with my general thoughts of this palette.

Face:
Lancome Teint Idole foundation mixed with MAC White airbrush foundation, MAC MSF in Stereo Rose

Eyes:
Urban Decay Naked Palette, Lancome Artliner, Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara, MAC Brows in Lingering

Lips:
MAC Brave lipstick

Nails:
OPI - We'll Always Have Paris

Link to the video tutorial on Youtube

Gewinne Kiehl's Produkte! Win Kiehl's Products!

In meinem neuen Video berichte ich über meine Erfahrungen mit meiner neuen Hautpflege Routine von Kiehl's. Wie vorangekündigt auf Twitter und Facebook gibt's auch ein Gewinnspiel an dem ihr teilnehmen, und mit etwas Glück ein Produkte-Set von Kiehl's ergattern könnt! Es werden insgesamt 25 Produkte-Sets verlost, davon gewinnt eine ganz glückliche Person das Produkte Set und eine Reise für 2 Personen zu der exklusiven Kiehl's Ladeneröffnung in München am 24. November, 2010!

Der Hauptgewinn

Du und Begleitung wirst am Abend an der Eröffnungs-Party dabei sein, über den Roten Teppich schreiten, viele Deutsche Promis kennen lernen, und danach mit der Limousine an die Afterparty in einen angesagten Hotspot in München (HEART) chauffiert werden. Übernachten werdet ihr in einem Design Hotel! Ein richtig glamouröses VIP Erlebnis!

25 Produkte-Sets zur Verlosung:

Dermatologist Solutions Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate

Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Ultra-Facial Cleanser

Ultra-Facial Toner

Creamy Eye Treatment mit Avocado

Mascara

LipGloss

Und so geht’s

1. Gehe zu http://www.facebook.com/kiehlsdeutschland
2. Klick auf „Gefällt mir“ um Fan zu werden von Kiehl's Deutschland
3. Auf dem Tab „Gewinnspiel“ das Formular ausfüllen und absenden
4. Die Gewinner werden von Kiehl's ausgelost und dann direkt per e-mail benachrichtigt

(Minderjährige Gewinner des Hauptpreises müssen von einem Elternteil begleitet werden.)

Ich wünsche euch viel Glück! Im Video könnt ihr noch meine Rezensionen und Eindrücke zu den Kiehl's Produkten ansehen.

In my new video I share with you my new skincare routine using products by Kiehl's. As previously mentioned on Twitter and Facebook, there is an amazing contest coupled with the video. The contest includes a giveaway for 25 giftbags containing Kiehl's skincare products. One grand prize winner will receive one of these giftbags, plus a trip for you and a friend to attend the exclusive new Kiehl's store opening in Munich, Germany on November 24, 2010.

The Grand Prize Winner

You and a friend will attend the new store opening and have the chance to walk over a red carpet alongside many famous German celebrities. Afterwards you will be picked up by limousine to attend an afterparty at a chic Munich hotspot called HEART, and round out the evening by an overnight stay at a trendy design hotel. You will get the real VIP experience!

The 25 product giftbags contain:

Dermatologist Solutions Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate

Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Ultra-Facial Cleanser

Ultra-Facial Toner

Creamy Eye Treatment mit Avocado

Mascara

LipGloss

How to enter:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com/kiehlsdeutschland
2. Click on „Like" to become a Fan of Kiehls Germany
3. Click on the tab „Gewinnspiel", click on the red button in the template called "Jetzt Mitmachen", then fill out the form with your details. You must select either Herr (Mr.) or Frau (Mrs.) from the drop down box before your name.
4. Make sure to click the box with a checkmark to accept the privacy policy, then click on the button "Jetzt Mitmachen" again to send off your form.
5. The winners will be selected randomly by Kiehl's and contacted directly by e-mail

(If a minor wins the main prize, s/he will have to be accompanied by an adult.)

The contest is open worldwide! You do not have to live in Germany to enter. Good luck with the contest!

In the video you can see my review and overall thoughts on the products and how they have worked for my skin.

New Skincare Arsenal from Kiehl's

Over the past few weeks I've totally changed up my skincare routine and included some products from Kiehl's. I had been noticing my skin was undergoing some problems, I noticed severe flaky dry patches and irritation to perfumes, and I also had some break-outs around my chin.

I've been testing these products out for about 3 weeks now and I can honestly say I've seen a huge difference in how my skin looks and feels. I've always wanted to try out Kiehl's products since I'd heard so much about them and how celebrities such as Brad Pitt (among others) raved about these in magazines. Celebrity recommendations don't usually influence my judgment on whether or not to try a product, but I like the philosophy of the brand, which has been in existence since 1851. What started out as a small family apothecary business in New York has grown to be a modern enterprise, combining tried-and-true formulations containing natural ingredients, with new innovations and research in skincare. I also like that their products are animal cruelty free, and that many of their products don't contain strong perfumes, and all are paraben and mineral oil free. As someone with sensitive skin, this is something really important to me.

Especially the Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado has become one of my favorite products. It looks avocado green in the pot from the natural avocado oil contained (it is free of color additives) and is perfect if you're looking for a very rich, emollient and moisturizing eye cream. As I have dry skin, this is perfect for me and I even wear this during the day, but some might prefer to use this for nighttime only. It doesn't irritate my eyes, and I can definitely see why many rave about this.

Upcoming Giveaway for Kiehl's Products!

Tomorrow I'm going to upload a video showing you some of my other skincare products from Kiehl's, plus there's going to be a huge product giveaway for Kiehl's products. This is a high-end skincare line that is definitely worth the splurge, but even better if you can win some products for free to try out. Also part of the contest will be a trip for two to Munich to an exclusive Kiehl's event!

To enter in the contest, you will have to "Like" the official fanpage for Kiehl's Germany, who is sponsoring all the prizes. Detailed information will follow in the upcoming video on my Youtube channel, the contest will be open worldwide and English information will be provided.

Like the Kiehl's Germany Facebook page to be eligible to enter tomorrow and stay tuned for my video where I'll demo many of the products and tell you my experiences with the brand.

http://www.facebook.com/kiehlsdeutschland

(click "Like" beside their name)

Until then, hope you have a great Tuesday. :)

Halloween Bloopers

Just thought I'd show you some of my bloopers and outtakes from this year's Halloween videos. Just because the final result looks good, doesn't always mean the road getting there was a smooth ride. Hope you enjoy watching this, it's pretty funny!

By the way, a lot of people have been uploading their Halloween makeup recreations and costume pictures to my Facebook page! Please feel free to do the same if you'd like to share.

If you missed any of these looks and would like to watch the full video, check out my Halloween Playlist where you can find links to all the videos shown here and more from previous years.

Twitter Giveaway

I'm giving away the final random prize for my Myths and Legends contest through Twitter! Here's what you can win with a little luck.

Contained in this prize pack are four pigments from Facefront Cosmetics in the shades Corporal Green, Voom Voom Volt, Glam Star, and Acrylic Apple Torte. Also included is one nailpolish from Models Own in Green Tea. All products are brand new and never used. Retail value of the combined products is $50 USD (35 Euros).

Update:

This contest is now closed! The winner was @dinogak! Feel free to follow me on Twitter for future giveaways. Thanks for entering and retweeting.

Spider Queen Look for Halloween

Here's a creative design I came up with surrounding spiders, perfect for a Halloween look! I'll call this my Spider Queen Black Widow look. I had this in mind for weeks and even ordered the spiderweb false lashes especially for it in advance, but they ended up being the biggest disappointment - just way too fragile and not dramatic enough for my taste. Nonetheless I love how this turned out! I hope you do too :)

Face
Revlon Colorstay foundation in Ivory, MAC Studio Fix powder, black plastic spiders from a craft store

Cheeks
Ben Nye Greystone e/s, Ben Nye Cosmic Violet e/s, Illamasqua Intrique blush

Eyes
Generic gel eyeliner in black and navy blue (from eBay), Ben Nye black cake eyeliner (for spiderwebs), Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Alluvium, MAC Carbon e/s, Red Cherry Spiderweb lashes, Duo lash glue, MAC Reflects Transparent Teal glitter

Lips
Ben Nye black pencil eyeliner, Illamasqua Lipstick in Disciple, Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Alluvium

Nailpolish
Models Own Magenta Pearl

Link to the video tutorial on Youtube

Black Widow Spider Nails for Halloween

Another nail design I came up with for Halloween, this time featuring a black widow spider and cobweb design. I thought this would be very fitting for the occasion.

Nailpolish I used:

Illamasqua DWS (grey)
Essence Tip Painter (white)
Essence Fashion Victim (silver shimmer)
Rimmel 60 Seconds (black)
Eyeko Saucy Polish (red)

Link to the video tutorial

Facebook Giveaway! Win a 42-piece makeup palette

As part of my ongoing Myths & Legends 200,000+ Subscriber contest, I'm doing a few giveaways through my social networking sites. Last time it was here on Blogger, the next giveaway is happening on Facebook!

I'm giving away a 42-piece double stacked makeup palette (one tray has eyeshadows, the other blushes) to one lucky winner who I will draw randomly using random.org in a few days time.

How to enter:

1. You must "Like" my official Facebook page (hit the Like button beside my name to become a follower.)
2. Head to the Discussions tab up top and enter on the official thread I have created there. You will find detailed instructions in the thread.
3. ONE entry per person only. The contest is open worldwide. I will draw a winner randomly in a few days time and announce it through Facebook.

Click here to visit my Facebook and enter

All contests will end October 31, 2010 and the prizes will be sent out then. For more information about my contest and what else I'm giving away in prizes and how you can participate, check out the complete rules here.

Good luck!

Craquelure Manicure

This is one of those weird manicures that looks much better from afar, if that makes sense. On a recent trip to Germany I picked up the P2 Crackling Topcoat in Black Explosion because I'd seen the effect on other blogs and thought it was kind of cool.

How it works:

You first apply your base color of choice, here I'm sporting Models Own Pink Punch (a highlighter neon pink). Then you apply the black topcoat; you have to work very quickly and use a good amount of product if you have long nails like mine because this stuff starts cracking and drying up almost instantaneously. It must be some kind of chemical reaction that reacts with air because when you paint it on it just looks like black polish, but once it start drying it begins to crack and pull together, leaving a very edgy texture. When you zoom in really close like in the picture, it looks a bit odd, but when you just see your nails as you normally would, it does look really cool! The only thing is that it leaves the top of the nail feeling a bit bumpy, so I followed it with a coat of Seche Vite to smooth it out.

I can't wait to try this out with various base colors. I wish they made this crackling polish in lots of different colors too. P2 one has the black and a grey one as well. The black actually dries down to a matte finish without clear topcoat.

What do you think - love it or hate it? I think I'll try this with white next!