In and Out number 12

It has indeed been a while since my last post and I was thinking: 'surely there must be new things I am currently loving and loathing?'. Sure enough, there indeed are.

IN

Tumblr - holy moly I have been spending hourrsss on tumblr's in the last week, stealing inspirational pictures. I find the process of looking at them really therapeutic and inspiring. I now have desktop littered with images - I clearly am not getting the concept behind Tumblr :) - but when I see a picture I like I instantly have to have it on my computer.

Blonde cravings - this leads me to my next 'In'. I think I am going to transition my hair into a lighter colour: purely for the hell of it. I have noticed my hair has started to lighten naturally so I am not touching it until Xmas time and then I will take a tentative plunge. When I say blonde I don't really mean blonde - I mean caramel tones but we'll see. I am really excited about it and if I don't like it then being a brunette rocks too!

Short, natural nails - they really are versatile and it seems that any colour in the rainbow looks good on them. I am about to apply some obnoxious cheapy I picked up in Forever 21. It's yellow. Mustard yellow to be exact but bright enough to lift rather than drain my skintone. I am not lying - it looks good :)

Barry M Natural Dazzle and NYX Expresso - literally all I have been using on my cheeks in the last week or so. I love the tones of these products. I don't use them both at the same time but reach for the nearest compact in the morning. Sculpted cheeks are in.

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Intense - I remember getting the original Flowerbomb when it came out - the intense is even better. It lasts literally all day - which I love - and the fragrance is intoxicating. Still sickly floral but with a oriental musk twist. The Eau de Parfum bottle I picked up is laughably small but I love it anyways.

OUT

Feeling unstylish - although Tumblr is firing up my internal creativity it is not being outwardly expressed through my clothes. I just feel very blah. Maybe it's easier to be stylish in winter time when the collections are the most interesting - boots, coats: amazing pieces. On the positive side it is nice to be wear peep toe shoes and short sleeves every day :)

Not enough time in the day - I haven't been as diligent with my YT comments and the comments posted on here. I try and respond to as many as I can but I feel like I have fewer hours in the day to do this. The actual difference is that I have been going to bed at a normal time - no bad thing - so excuse me for a while and I am sure I will transition back to my late nights shortly :)

Link me up to your ins and outs if you have done a recent post :)

Lush - I finally get it.

Lush is not everyone's cup of tea but before I left the UK I became used to to trying out some weird and wonderful bath bomb/bath melt/shower emotibomb every day. I looked forward to it. Like a 4 year old might say: "it makes bathtime fun" :)

So I really missed it as I didn't bring any Lush here...

Thank God then for the one retail outlet in Dubai - Deira City Centre mall.

I dragged boyfriend across town to go to Lush on our day off. Yes I did.

The shop is small but well-stocked and I went straight for the gift boxes.

I like these for trying out various products - you get exposed to items you might not otherwise pick up. I got the Happy Box - I think because I liked the smiley wrapping paper but I also liked the sound of the contents:



Goodie bag time

Because I spent over a certain amount I was allowed to pick one random bag from a basket - a lucky dip if you will.



The contents were pretty darn good:

* Amandopondo bubble bar
* Dream time temple balm; and
* Chocs Away soap

Can I just say that I never understood the oohs and aaahs over Lush soap.

For me it didn't lather and just didn't see the point.

Well now I get it. I wet the soap, rub it against my shower sponge and....low and behold - we have bubbles! Plus it smells gorgeous.

So on my next trip I will dip my toe into the world of soap...whilst I won't be doing any 'soap haul' videos of my own in the near future I now get why other people are so enthusiastic about it :)

Neutral to the max

It's a beige kind of day - clearly.



I went for all the earthy toned products I could find today and brought them together to form some kind of Neutral to the Max FOTD.

The original plan was to keep face makeup super light. Some a smidgen of Giorgio Armani Luminous on the skin (applied with fingers), and my new NYX Expresso on the cheeks and lids in an ode to minimalism.





(Excuse the odd dot of mascara on the lid - we can't all be perfect! :)

Anyway, I think I love the Expresso.

I have tried the old "bronzer on the lids" trick before and it always just came off as dirty and didn't quite fit in terms of tone. The NYX product is perfect. It's a warm toned mauvey-brown.

Other makeup items being sported today include:

* Stila Topaz kajal on the waterline
* Shu Uemura painting liner in black along the upper lashline
* Maybelline Full 'n Soft mascara
* YSL Rouge Volupte in number 2 with a little Barry M gloss in Toffee on top.

And that's it. Not exactly bare faced but clean and easy-peasy. This is how I like makeup :)

Yay for NYX

Oh I do love a bargain.

Today I popped into the Oasis Center. It is a pretty soul-less mall with the usual crew of shops but it also offers a place called Lifestyle - a nice little makeup section complete with high-end and drugstore. Think Lisa Watier, Rouge Bunny Rouge mixed in with Revlon and Maybelline. What they also have is a small NYX area.

Big yay!

I am a huge fan of NYX. I like the price tag and I like the products. The Goddess of the Night glosses and the powder blushes are some of my favourites.

So I picked up a few bits and pieces and did a mini-celebration at actually being able to buy it in a shop and not online :)

Nail polish in Vitamin and Luxie



Luxie is another one of my favourite 'durgy' colours - a mystic mix of purple, grey and dirt.

I have about 5 in this colour family. I somehow justify them though. It reminds me of the Accessories Editor in The Devil Wears Prada who said about belts..."they are all so different".

:)

Powder blush in Expresso

I wanted this as a warm contour. It has quite a nice mauve-y undertone - think Barry M's pressed bronzer - and is really soft and silky. Me like!



Cream blush in Glow

I am most excited about this. It's not too oily but still remains super creamy and pigmented. I think it adds a nice flush too, similar to MAC's Ladyblush. According to urban makeup myth, Ladyblush is meant to give you a post-you-know-what flush. Not sure about that but its definitely pretty :)



And...

Pose!



Last but not least...

Goddess of the Night gloss in Smokey Look

I have wanted this for a while after a few YouTube commenters promised that I would love it. And I do. It's a neutral pink. etc etc. etc but it has a really light coral shine.





And that's that!

Now I am off to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi to go and watch JayKay. I am not even a big fan of JayKay but free tickets to an outdoor concert on a warm evening sounded like a nice idea :)

The Feline Test

I have to say I have been proven wrong.

I thought that MAC's Feline Power Kohl was going to be an absolute disaster. I pictured raccoon-like smearing within seconds and two black eyes.

Although the softness of it does give it definite raccoon-potential, when set with a shadow it gives an intense eyeline that stays put.

And like everyone told me, the setting with a shadow is the key. It's a bit of an effort when compared to using a good old gel eyeliner but there is something about the look of a kohl pencil that I like. I think it gives a romantic softness that you just can't always achieve from a stark gel eyeliner...

See now I am getting carried away :)

Anyway, I have been wearing my Feline with MAC's Print shadow. There was no particular reason to plump for Print but I like the way the two products look together.



You get the intensity of Feline - a black black - with a light charcoal finish, courtesy of Print.

Here is an eye after 10 hours of wear - the shadow is a bit sweaty (MAC's Cocomotion pigment) and the mascara a bit flakey, but the eyeliner is fading elegantly :)



I am not sure that this kohl beats all the others I have ever tried. I still have a place in my heart for Guerlain's loose kohl, Shahnaz Hussain's liner, MAC Tecknakohl's and Revlon's Colorstay liners - but nevertheless, I am definitely glad I went for it. It is an intense black and is incredibly soft and easy to work with.

Now all I need to do is see how Stila's Kajal in Onyx performs in comparison...

MAC Dazzleglass Creme

I moved this weekend and now live within walking distance of the mall with my favourite MAC ever.

On the way there I get to see all the quintessential Dubai sites...tall tower blocks...



and the odd abandoned car



The Dazzleglass Creme's have only just been launched in the UAE but earlier in the week my MAC counter let me choose which ones I wanted and put them aside. As soon as they got the email saying that they could go ahead and sell them, I got the phone call.

I am loving the customer service here!

Anyway I selected two:



* Perfectly Unordinary (pink)
* Creme Allure (raspberry)

Perfectly Unordinary was the safe choice - a yellow pink that looks non-offensive and easy-to-wear.



Creme Allure was the wildcard. I think I chose this because it's the lipgloss version of Revlon's Cherries in the Snow and we all know that is my favourite 'non-nude' lipstick of all time.



Sadly I think this gloss needs to be paired with lipstick. I kind of like a gloss that is opaque enough to be worn on it's own but if I don Creme Allure solo, after a while it settles.

Apart from this mishap, I like these glosses. Shimmery but not sticky. I was a bit wary of these because of their supposed relation to the Cremeglasses. Those babies made me feel sick. I am very pleased to report that these do not :)

Did you get any of these when they were launched in your country agesss ago? :)

Sharing the love 2

It's been a while since I did a share the love post and it's long overdue. There are so many people that I watch on YouTube - I am still completely addicted after all these months. Here are a few of my new favourites in no particular order!

Juicytuesday

http://www.youtube.com/juicytuesday

She talks a million miles a minute, she hauls, she is Canadian, she does hair and makeup and you will find her addicting to watch. Welcome to the world of JuicyTuesday :)

QueenBeeuty

http://www.youtube.com/user/QueenBeeuty#p/u

This is the channel of Kalel Cullen - yes, Cullen is her real last name! She joined YouTube in March of this year but already has a massive following that will no doubt explode over the new few months.

Dazzledust25

http://www.youtube.com/user/dazzledust25

Many of you will probably already follow Amy but I do love watching her videos. There is something genuine about her. In fact I think that is true of everyone I like to watch - I like to see real people talk about their experiences - watching glorified infomercials isn't my thing. Anyway, Amy is fab so subscribe :)

msfililocalola

http://www.youtube.com/user/msfililocalola

Okay, I had to check about 5 times whether I had typed out the username correctly :) I first found Ashlee's videos when she did a review of NARS Sheer Glow and have stayed ever since :)

I need to make these Share the love posts a regular thing - there are so so many people I love to watch and so many people doing videos these days. It's a great thing and YouTube continues to beat TV in the entertainment stakes.

The phases we go through

Dubai is a hot country. Right now the weather is considered to be pleasant and mild. It's 35 degrees celsius and if you were a tanorexic you would be in heaven.

The problem is that I am going through something of a phase. I think this is spurred on from the fact that I have seen numerous examples of leathered and sunburnt skin around here recently.

In the UK I wanted to have the skintone of a Khardashian. Here, I am wanting to preserve my skin as much as possible. It's a classic case of always wanting what seems slightly unobtainable.

I think this change of heart may have been spurred on by both the sighting of the lobster red tourists in combination of the posting of this picture, on Mario Dedivanovic's blog.

How gorgeous is this look?



I love the hair, the makeup and the skintone.

No leather skin on her!

It is the singer Jaydn Maria and you can read all about her look, and others on Mario's amazing blog.

What celebrities or looks inspire you? Do you have an inspirational picture that you care to share?

Hair Product Mystery

As well as Frederik Fekkai-ing it up, chomping on those pre-natals and trying to be healthy, I am currently using one other hair product - but I am keeping the name and brand of this a mystery.

I bought it the other day - in Boots - and I am hoping for miracles.

You have to use it consistently for at least 2 months and so, in the interests of science, this is my "Before" picture.



The rumours surrounding this product are major hair growth in a matter of months.

My motivation for this picture is therefore to ensure that you all believe my new long locks are real and not clip-in, come December :)

Well, here's hoping! :)

Smug alert!

Mmm I thought whilst scoping out the local beach, what shall I blog about today???



Ponder, ponder :)

Well to be honest my latest series of "discoveries", if you can call them that are that:

a) I love using a Bobbi Brown concealer in place of foundation; and
b) I heart Lorac's Serenity eyeshadow all over the lid.

First, let's address the concealer

Using a dab of concealer and a whole lot of bronzer has always been a look I love the idea of however, when push comes to shove I often resort to slapping on the foundation. Call it a security blanket or an esteem boost, bu.

The weather here obviously means a slighter brighter skintone and, thankfully, slightly better skin. Initially my skin went mad when I first got here and now its completely calm and clear.

As a result my face routine for the last 3 days has been:

1) Take Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer in Natural
2) Dab under the eyes, around the nose and on any chin redness
3) Take 190 brush (this is the Sigma version) and blend in
4) Take the powder at the bottom of the Creamy Concealer kit and gently tap on with a fluffy brush to set concealer
5) Whizz round the face with NARS Casino bronzer...add blush...and then onto eyes.



Pose-a-rama!



I really like this look though. I think it makes my face breathe and looks good during the day. In fact this is maybe how I will use my foundations going forward - a sparing application to limited areas of the face.

One day my skin will be perfect and I won't even need the concealer - wouldn't that be nice?

Lorac Serenity

I have had this shadow for a while, after a Sephora shopping spree this year, and I love it.





There are numerous eyeshadows out there that come close to Serenity but somehow, don't quite hit the spot:

* Stila's Kitten is too frosty and shimmery to be worn all over the lid
* MAC's Grand Entrance is too much of a light silver/white shimmer
* MAC's All that Glitter's isn't shimmery enough

You see what I am doing here? Yes people, this is called Justification! :)

In any case, Serenity is a gorgeous peachy-gold-shimmer affair that comes off smooth and flattering. I love wearing it all over the lid for lazy day makeup and with a little of that Shu eyeshadow or MAC's Antiqued along the lower lashline, is a lovely look.



Hello fake smile! Also I hated the lipstick I used here - a Shu Uemura number that I am trying to love but just can't.

A closer look at the eye



Have you tried either of these two products? What do you pair Lorac's Serenity with if you have it in your collection?

Hope you are all having a great weekend!