Magnifibres False Lashes

I hate false lashes. Despite multiple attempts, I never really got used to those annoying fiddly strips and waiting for the glue to get to that desired level of tackiness. So any product that promises to mimic false lashes without the hassle is worth giving a try.

This is where Magnifibres comes in. It is a brush on product with false lash fibres in it. Products such as this one have been available on the market for a while now, so I decided it was finally time to see what the fuss is about. Magnifibres is about £20, so one of the cheaper options on the market. It is worth looking up some reviews to see which product you feel is the best for you. You can get black coloured fibres, natural fibres and all sorts. What appealed about Magnifibres to me is that you can use it with any mascara and the instructions are very straight-forward. The only thing I would say (which isn't mentioned on the packaging but is recommended on the Magnifibres website) is that for the best results, it is best to use a new mascara, as mascaras tend to dry out once they have been open a while. The site also mentions looking down when you apply the fibres, so they don't get inside your eye.

And so, on to the product! I would just like to warn you all that the photos didn't come out very well in this post. It proved very difficult to get close up shots of my lashes, even with the special function on my camera! But I definitely feel the end results were a lot more obvious in person than they appear in the photos.

So this is my naked eye.

And this is my lashes coated in just mascara (apologies for the different angle). Now it is time to brush the lash fibres on whilst my mascara is still wet.

And here is the end result. It doesn't look a great deal different from my mascara only photo, but it did look a bit more dramatic in person. The product says you can lengthen your lashes by up to 5mm. I can't say that I noticed a massive amount of difference with the length, but my natural lashes are quite long anyway. There was definitely some extra length there though and I really noticed a difference in the volume of my lashes. My lashes looked thicker and fuller.You have to be a bit careful, as the lashes can end up clumping together, so it might be worth having a lash brush handy to separate them. 

So does this product mimic the effects of false lashes? To some extent it did. My eyes were definitely more defined and my lashes looked a lot bolder. Length-wise, maybe false lashes would be better. But I do feel that it did look like I was wearing more subtle false lashes. I don't like really big, obvious false lashes anyway so Magnifibres may be my ideal product. You can also go back and repeat the fibre application for a more dramatic effect.

So now I have discussed the end results, I suppose I should make some comments on how the product felt. The fibres did feel a little strange going on! It felt as though I was coating my lashes with fluff. Magnifibres felt a lot lighter than false lash strips and glue does. It did tickle a little bit too but I made sure to be very careful applying the fibres. However, I would not recommend this product to anybody who has sensitive eyes, as you may find the odd fibre might stray away from your lashes if you are not careful. I ended up leaving my fibres on for about 4 hours and the effect did last well during that time and I am confident it would have lasted a lot longer. When I went to remove the lashes, I used make up remover like I usually would with my normal eye make up. I have to admit, I did have to scrub a bit more than usual! But my make up did eventually come off. When I woke up the following morning I only had one or two very tiny fibres left on my face, which I think was a good result.

So if you are a pro with false lashes, maybe this product isn't worth ditching your strips for. But if you are falsies-phobic like I am then it could be a good option. This product would not be suitable for very sensitive eyes, but I personally found Magnifibres to be fairly comfortable to wear. I think with a bit more practice I could see me using this product more frequently. Maybe next time I will try an extra layer of fibres for extra depth and definition to see how that turns out. Would I recommend this product? Possibly. I think the results will vary from person to person. I quite enjoyed giving this product a go.

VIVID VI.VRANT Eye Lashes

I decided to re-read the Gothic Lolita Bible I brought at the TPC anniversary event the other day (volume 45). Seeing as I had a bit more time, I was reading a bit more thoroughly and I couldn't help but notice these lashes by VIVID VI.VRANT. 

At first I thought this was just random stuff being stuck on as decoration...

But I looked at the bottom of the page and it turns out the roses were indeed part of the lashes. It really took me by surprise. These are so decorative and indulgent. I realise deep down that these lashes are a bit too OTT and costumey for me to actually wear them. To be honest, I think the stock photos look better than when you see them being worn. Is it bad that a part of me still thinks they look really cool? 

After some digging, I found a website which had more of their lash designs. And they keep getting more and more impractical! How would you even go about wearing these ones? Even the simpler ones don't look that comfortable to wear.

I think my favourite lashes are these playing card inspired ones. I would love to see a harlequin themed outfit using these.

It wont come as much of a surprise that these lashes are expensive, but for those of you who are curious I found quite a few of their designs here- http://tetragrammaton.shop-pro.jp/?mode=cate&cbid=1113422&csid=0

I would never buy these lashes and I don't think they are the sort of lashes you would wear to a regular lolita meet. But I am still fascinated by them. I wish I could find some more pictures of these lashes being worn. The lashes are very indulgent. I wonder though, how simple it would be to recreate them using charms, beads and a bit of lash glue? I can't imagine that I would get a professional looking finish, but maybe somebody else out there could do a better job than I could!

I am not sure what I make of these lashes. Perhaps they verge too close to costume territory, but I could see somebody doing a photoshoot with these. For me, they are far too indulgent to wear normally. Ignoring the price for a moment, would anybody out there wear these?

Items of Desire- Pout Paints by Sleek

With all the different skin tones out there, sometimes it can be hard to find a lip shade that really suits you. And some days you want a look suitable for the day, and something a bit more bold for the evening. Or maybe you just want to try something completely new.

So I think Sleek's Pout Paints are ideal. Sleek is a make-up brand which is available in Superdrug, but I am sure there are other products on the market which do a similar task.

The idea is that you can mix pout paints together to make your very own unique lip colour. It is an interesting idea. Luckily, the Sleek ones are not too expensive (around £4.99) and you only need a very tiny amount because the colour is quite intense. If you got just a couple of paints, you could come up with lots of different shades. Peek-a-bloo (the blue shade) adds depth and warmth and blue tones are also useful if your teeth are not a pearly white shade and want to make them appear brighter. Use Cloud9 (the white shade) to lighten the colour.

Pout paints are great if you want your own personalised shade and it is definitely something I have considered. Being able to play with make-up is brilliant and I can see myself spending an afternoon having a bit of fun with these!

Garnier BB Cream Review

I have got to be honest- I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to make-up and I never really write reviews for beauty products. But BB Cream is something I have been curious about for a long time so I thought I should at least try.

As you can see, I was too tight to actually go and buy the product! This is the sample I got in the post after filling out a form on the Garnier BB website. You get 3 generous sachets and a coupon to get some money off your next BB buy (provided you like it, of course).

I went for light because I am incredibly pale skinned. This BB cream only comes in 2 shades, which I find disappointing. As I was predicting, this product was too dark for my skin so I would need to mix in a little moisturiser to make a shade closer to my natural colouring. However, some Asian BB creams appear very grey when you first put them on your skin so I suppose the colour for this one was better than I was expecting. Somehow, I have managed to lose the picture of what the actual product looks like but when I put some on my fingers, it felt just like a liquid foundation. I was a little concerned because it also felt a bit greasy and my skin can get very oily.

This first picture is part of my face before I applied BB cream or anything else. Sorry for not showing my full face but I was having a bad skin day and I was too self-conscious to show the rest of my face! As you can see I have some dark patches and blemishes. I also get very red in the face around my nose and cheeks and some of my pores are visible.

This is how my skin looked after applying the Garnier BB Cream and absolutely nothing else. Just as I predicted, the cream felt very greasy on my skin. A lot of BB creams are meant to give a dewy complexion but my skin just appeared more shiny than usual. I had to apply more powder than usual afterwards and my make-up felt as though it would slide off my face at any moment. I would probably use primer first if I were to use this BB cream again. My pores did not feel as clogged as usual. My blemishes were still visible but not as noticeable as they were in the previous picture. Despite this, my skin tone did appear more even.

This is how I looked after adding foundation, concealer and powder (yes, I wear a lot of make-up). I could not use the BB cream in place of foundation because you could still see some flaws. However, I found that I could apply a lot less foundation than I usually do. I still needed a similar amount of concealer just to make sure my blemishes were well and truly covered. My make-up stayed in place for a few hours, after which I just had to top up my powder because my skin became shiny again.

At £10 a tube, I think I would spend a little bit more to import an Asian BB Cream or I would try a different one on the Western market. The Garnier BB Cream does do some of the tasks it promises but I don't think the difference is majorly noticable. I probably would not buy this particular BB cream unless I was on a very limited budget.

I have not been converted to BB creams yet. My next task will be to try another BB cream when I get the chance. I am looking in to getting one by Missha next. I am thinking of getting this one in shade 13, Milky Beige- http://www.thebbcreamshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=153&zenid=v5kjihl6faac14lkt5pcp2f0s3

Hopefully I will get to try it in the near future.

A Western Take On the BB Cream?

BB creams. They have always been a mystery to me. BB creams are huge in Asia, some dubbing it some sort of "miracle product" that has so many different uses. In the past I have considered buying an Asian BB cream. A lot of people appear to like Skin79 Triple Function and I came close to purchasing this one from YesStyle- http://www.yesstyle.com/en/skin79-super-plus-beblesh-balm-triple-function-hot-pink-spf-25-pa/info.html/pid.1021163069

There is one thing that has always held me back. I dislike how a lot of Asian BB creams claim to whiten the skin. Considering how pale my skin is, I don't want my skin getting any whiter! I know that there are exceptions out there and I would love to hear about them!

Just recently, it appears that BB creams have spread to the West. I figured that these products were unlikely to have skin whiteners in them because there is less demand for this over here.

So I decided to try the Garnier BB cream. It comes in 2 colours and I chose the lighter colour. It costs about £10 in most UK stores. However, I held out buying the cream and sure enough, Garnier's website started offering free samples (yes, I know how cheap I sound, but I like to try before I buy!).

If you are in the UK or Ireland and would like a free sample too, you can get it here- http://www.garnier.co.uk/_en/_gb/BB-cream/index.aspx and if you live in a different country, do look for your own country's Garnier website because they may be offering samples too. In your sample pack you get 3 sachets of BB Cream and a voucher for money off your next BB purchase.

I have not tried the BB cream yet but I did open one of the sachets very quickly just to see what it looked like. I placed a little bit on my finger and it felt greasy and despite being called light, the product looked quite dark. I am a bit dubious about putting it on my face.

Once I have tried the product, I will see how good it really is. I will let you all know how I get on with it. I am desperate to do a comparison with an Asian BB cream, so if anybody can recommend one without whitening, please share!

A LUSH Ode to the Macaron

Yes, today I am posting about macaron related stuff again! My obsession has gotten so bad that this blog will now have a macaron tag!

Lush has always been one of my favourite shops. They sell bath products, but these are not your typical bath products. They come up with fun and exciting fragrances which make bath time very fun!

So I was very delighted to see that Lush have decided to make 3 products dedicated to macarons. Lush were inspired by Laduree, who are famous for their lovely macarons (and next month when I go to London, I will finally get to try some of their macarons for myself). So Lush came up with 3 new bubble bars called... Bubbleroons! I don't have the heart to tell Lush that they have one 'O' too many and it should technically be Bubbleron...

First up is the green bubbleroon. As you can see, these products are not quite a macaron shape but it does have the 2 shells. I imagine it would be very hard to sculpt bubble bars in to a flatter and rounder shape. This one apparently smells like grass.

This one, called the Rose Jam bubbleroon, is the one I am most excited about trying. I have recently become obsessed with rose scented stuff (I even made up some rose flavoured jelly on Tuesday, which tasted amazing). This bubbleroon has a rose scent mixed with the scent of jam. It sounds like my fantasy scent!

Finally, this is the Yuzu and Cocoa one. Yuzu is a Japanese mandarin. I imagine this one has a very lovely fruity fragrance to it.

I am very excited to try these new products. They might even make a nice gift for somebody!

In other news, Metamorphose is having a sock sale for this weekend only. I was tempted, but I can't risk getting a ridiculous customs fee for a few pairs of socks! I hate the UK customs so much! I noticed the Fairy Tale rose socks were discounted and so were a couple of other recent designs. If you would like to get some cheap socks, do go and have a look. http://www.metamorphose.gr.jp/onlineshop_eng/socks.php?ssid= Remember, this sale is just for this weekend so if you are reading this post after Sunday I am sorry to say you missed out!

A whiter shade of pale

From time to time I see lolitas moaning about the colour of their skin. It saddens me that there are girls out there who feel their skin colour is somehow "less lolita". Apparently porcelain skin is the most "ideal" shade for lolitas, probably because you see it used a lot with dolls. In my opinion there are positive and negative points to every skin tone, and I am speaking as somebody who has this so-called ideal skin tone.

I really didn't want to have to use this picture (please ignore the snow drenched hair and I really hate how big my generous nose looks here) but I think it shows off how pale I am. Sometimes it looks even paler than this. I am a typical English girl. In fact, I am probably lighter than a lot of English girls seeing as everybody appears to be obsessed with fake tan now. I am fully aware that being pale has its downsides.

For starters, pale girls sometimes look a bit washed out if they wear pure white. I usually try to wear off-white instead which is more flattering. I remember when I was trying on wedding dresses and I kept finding beautiful dresses but in white. When I tried them on they just didn't feel right. It wasn't until I tried on this heavily detailed dress in ivory that I found the dress that I felt was made for my special day. It showed off my glowing pale skin but it didn't make me look like a ghost. Another example is taking photos in the snow. All the light bounces off the snow which only seems to enhance a paler skin tone. I always think that black lolitas look beautiful in white. Ages ago, I wanted to give shiro (all-white) lolita a go. Maybe I should give all-black a go instead.

Another colour to be careful with is pink. Pale skin tends to be more sensitive and so you can appear a bit rosy in the cheeks. Sometimes pink, especially brighter shades, can make you look very red in the face as if you are constantly blushing.

My usual way to combat my pale skin is by using make-up. I am usually fine with major make-up brands as long as I wear the very palest shade of foundation. If the palest shade is too dark, you could always try to mix the foundation with a bit of moisturiser. Keep experimenting until you think you have found your ideal shade. If you are unsure of what shade suits you, a lot of department stores offer free make-overs. They offer great tips and sometimes you get some free samples at the end.

Here in the UK we have a make-up collection called Dainty Doll-

http://www.asos.com/Beauty/A-To-Z-Of-Brands/Dainty-Doll/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=4788

It is by Jelly Pong Pong but for some reason their site no longer has this collection. The collection was designed by Nicola Roberts who is in Girls Aloud.

She has ginger hair and very pale skin. It is always interesting to see what Nicola is wearing in the magazines because it gives a bit of insight in to what works and what doesn't. I love it when she wears deep emerald green shades the most. Nicola designed this collection because she felt that there was a gap in the make-up market and she wanted shades she could wear easily. Nicola admits that she used to hide her pale skin. If you look at the early Girls Aloud years, Nicola is wearing a lot of fake tan. But now she has learned to embrace her pale skin. Good for her!

In the photo above, you may notice I am wearing a very tiny hint of blusher. Currently, my favourite shade is Dolly Pink by Bourjois. This is the shade I am wearing in the photo. It has a slight hint of shimmer and the shade is very a very girly pastel colour. I adore it! I think pastels look great with pale skin. Pale skin can get away with a lot of different colours. The main item to avoid would probably be red eye shadow which will only make you look tired. To be honest, it doesn't look much better on darker skin tones either!

Contrary to popular belief, pale skinned beauties can wear red lipstick. You just need to keep trying samples until you find your ideal shade. Lipsticks with a blue base look good (they also make your teeth look whiter) but a strong pillar box red can also look striking as well. And if you have a lipstick that you feel is too dark, you could try mixing it with some petroleum jelly or Vaseline to make a pretty lip gloss.

Well, hopefully pale skinned girls who identify with my problem will find something useful in this entry. The most important message I can send out is that this whole "perfect lolita skin tone" is a myth. I have seen some stunning Asian and black lolitas. Instead of hiding your skin away, find a way to embrace it. Pale skin is not a lolita requirement!