Tag Archives: FOTD

Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation

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“I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick the round.”- Muhammed Ali

Double Wear FoundationEstee Lauder Gift BagES gift bag

ES lipstick swatch day

In natural light from L-R Pure color envy lipsticks in “intense nude” and “insolent plum”, lip pencil in “rose”

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With flash

You know when something is hyped up SO much that it deters you from even wanting to try the product? That’s how I felt about Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I’m a foundation hoarder and there just didn’t seem to be any good reason to splash out on yet another foundation. That all changed when I saw a bottle on clearance for a mere $11 at my local CCO (Cosmetics Company Outlet). $11?! That was a no-brainer and I snapped it up unsure of whether it was even the right color for me. This was at the tail-end of last Summer and I’ve barely reached for my other foundations since.

This foundation stays put. It’s by far the most long-wearing foundation I own and when I took it on my trip to blisteringly hot and humid Ghana and drizzly England in October, it performed fantastically in both climates. I’ve never had a foundation even come close to outlasting the African sun and this did a truly admirable job.

I would describe it as a medium- full coverage foundation and a little bit goes a long way. It is pretty easy to control how much coverage you want so that’s always a plus. It sets pretty quickly so I advise that you don’t dally when it comes to blending it out. It offers a very matte finish so if you suffer from chronically dry skin, I would not necessarily recommend this foundation. It comes in a decent shade range and although I think my shade (7W1 Deep Spice) is a touch red for me, it definitely does the job.

There are a couple of cons though, the main one being that this foundation doesn’t come with a pump. It’s a never-ending source of annoyance to pour out the foundation each time because a lot of foundation gets wasted and it’s just messier in general. Additionally, the bottle is made out of glass so this may cause some concern for the butterfingers amongst you.

I  decided to purchase this new bottle from Macy’s as they were doing a fantastic gift with purchase that I just couldn’t pass up. A $35 purchase of any Estée Lauder item came with a cute bag filled with a ton of (expensive) goodies. There was a choice between an eyeshadow palette and mascara, or two full-sized lipsticks and a lip liner and I chose the lipstick option. The bag also came with deluxe-sized samples of a serum, eye cream, and moisturizer. The lipsticks are lovely and creamy and wore well on me for about 5 hours and did I mention they’re full-sized? This offer is currently still available so if you’ve had your eye on this foundation, this is a fantastic chance to get some great extras with it. The foundation retails for $39.50 and that is slightly lower than most of the higher-end foundations out there so I have no quibbles with the price. I wholeheartedly recommend this foundation so grab a sample and try it out for yourself if possible.

And now here’s a picture of me wearing Double Wear with the rest of my makeup on in natural light. Unfortunately, I don’t remember absolutely everything else on my face because I’ve developed a sieve-like memory and this was taken about a month ago. However, I have listed the things I do remember:

Estee Lauder doublewear on dark skin 7W1 Deep Spice

Eyes:

Viseart theory palette 02 in “minx”

Kat Von D tattoo liner in “trooper”

Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil in “05”

Lips:

Stila Stay All Day liquid lipstick in “chianti”

Face:

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place makeup in “7W1 Deep Spice”

Kat Von D Lock-It concealer crème in “Deep 31”

Nana Adomah

Face Of The Day: Shades Of Orange

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“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being” – Hafiz of Shiraz
NARS persia fotd dark skin woc nw45 NARS persia on dark skin nw45 fotd swatch NARS Taj mahal Persia on dark skin woc nw45

I often used NARS Persia eyeshadow as a transition shade but I’ve never made it the focus of an eye look before. This Memorial Day weekend is blessing us with glorious weather and I decided to do a quick orange eye just because. I even wore lashes! This was a super simple look and it wore perfectly for the whole afternoon. Click below for a list of products used. Continue reading →

“L.U.V Conquers All”: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick Review

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“True love is usually the most inconvenient kind”- Kiera Cass

Kat Von D LUV

Kat Von D LUV on dark skinKat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “L.U.V” is my third purchase in this line and it’s far and away my favourite. “L.U.V” is a purple/ pink that goes on wet like a lipgloss but dries to a matte finish that does not budge. I’d been putting off getting this shade for a while as I needed another purple/ pink lip product like a hole in the head but I’m so glad I finally caved.

I can put “L.U.V” on in the morning and (if I avoid greasy foods) forget up touching up for the majority of the day. Yes, it can feel a touch drying as most liquid lipsticks are wont to do but it is most definitely bearable. Making sure your lips are exfoliated and lightly moisturised before application will also go a long way towards combatting dryness. It feels pretty lightweight on the lips and it doesn’t collect in the corners of my mouth either. It can also be worn without a lipliner if desired but I am wearing it with OCC’s “Hoochie” liner in the pictures above.

“L.U.V” is a great colour for this time of year and I heartily recommend it to all my lipstick lovers out there. Check out this and the other colours in the range for $20 at Sephora.

Are you in love with “L.U.V”? Let me know in the comments!

Nana Adomah

Purple Is Not Just A Noun: MAC “Gunner” lipstick review

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IMG_1533It seems like MAC have a new collection out every week and I don’t tend to get caught up in the hype but I knew that “Gunner” would be mine as soon as I saw the pre-release. I love purple lipsticks and I don’t have a shade like this so I bought it with no guilt!

“Gunner” is part of the Nasty Gal collection and it is one of a trio of lipsticks called “Stunner” (a true red), “Runner” (a plummy burgundy), and “Gunner” (a matte, deep purple). “Gunner” is so purple that it can lean blue in certain lights. It reminds me a little of OCC’s “technopagan” lip tar and it’s nothing like MAC’s popular “smoked purple” as I’d initially feared.

Image 12-9-14 at 5.46 PM

Top: swatch with flash, Bottom: swatch in natural daylight

 

“Gunner” is matte but not a retro-matte so it won’t dry out your lips like Ruby Woo et. al. However, a matte lipstick is a matte lipstick so make sure your lips are in tip top condition before rocking this as it is very unforgiving.

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“Gunner” on myself paired with Urban Decay’s “Smoked” palette

I predicted that “Gunner” would be popular and it seems to be out of stock already on the MAC website but continue to check as they may replenish stock. The Nasty Gal collection is in selected MAC stores and online here.

Would you rock a purple lip? Let me know in the comments!

 “All the other colors are just colors, but purple seems to have a soul. Purple is not just a noun and an adjective but also a verb – when you look at it, it’s looking back at you.” Uniek Swain

Nana Adomah

Dress Your Face: Anastasia Tamanna Palette Review

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Products used listed at end of post

Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna palette

I went back and forth about whether or not to get this palette as I need another palette like a hole in the head. Of course it quickly sold out in store and I was hit with an acute case of FOMO (fear of missing out). Like the sheep I am, I snatched it up without a second thought when I saw it back in stock online.

Don’t be fooled by the blue. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna Dress Your Face palette is essentially a neutral palette. This is the 3rd palette released this year in collaboration with Instagram/ YouTube personalities and this is by far my favourite. This collaboration with Tamanna Roashan (a.k.a “Dress Your Face”) is perfect in that it will look good on almost anybody and a lot of thought has clearly gone into the colour selection.

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IMG_1380There are mattes, shimmers, semi-mattes, a gold, a brown, a black- basically everything you need for a successful palette.

Anastasia Tamanna palette swatch dark skin top row

L-R: fresh, blush, venezia, gilded, custom

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L-R: sangria, bengal, chocolate, china rose, noir

I’m not going to go through all the colours but my favourites are “noir”– a fantastic true black matte eyeshadow that reminds me of Urban Decay’s “blackout”, “gilded”– a beautiful dark gold shimmer, “china rose”– an orangey, pinky, goldish shimmer, and the reason I bought the palette: “sangria”– a cranberry shimmer that looks great on the lid, crease and lower lash line.

Quick note: I found both “chocolate” and “venezia” to be a little dryer than the other shadows.

The Tamanna palette also comes with a serviceable double-ended brush and 5 surprisingly useful “Get The Look” cards.

Products Used:

Eyes:

Brows: Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow #40

Main Lid- “gilded” and “china rose”

Outer V- “chocolate” and “sangria”

Crease- “sangria”, “chocolate” and Make Up For Ever eyeshadow #162

Highlight- “fresh” and NARS “Madrague”

Lower lash line- “sangria”

Eyeliner- NARS “subra” dual intensity eyeshadow

Mascara- Yves Saint Laurent Babydoll

Face:

Foundation- Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme in “sienna”

Concealer- NARS radiant creamy concealer in “amande”

Contour- Sleek contour palette in “dark”

Blush- Sleek “coral”

Lips:

Sephora ultra shine lip gloss #22 “Shimmery Deep Rose”

The palette is sold out in quite a few places but you can still find it at Macy’s and Nordstrom online for the great price of $29.

Nana Adomah

FOTD: Truffling

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IMG_1141  It’s been a while since I posted a face of the day (FOTD) and there’s no time like the present!

I recently got this Mary Kay mineral eye shadow in “Truffle” and I was determined to use it today. It’s a really nice autumnal/ wintery shade and even though it’s 30C/ 86F in my little corner of Georgia I’m still going to beg like I’m back in England and enjoying a real Autumn. Truffle is shimmery burgundy with micro flecks of gold and it applies really nicely with very little fall-out.

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Daytime swatch with flash

This look was super simple and I literally did it at my desk. I paired the simple burgundy eyes with no top liner and lots and lots of the YSL “Babydoll” mascara. I skipped the liquid foundation and instead used my favourite NARS concealer in “Amande” with my all-time favourite powder (MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in “Deep”) on the rest of my face.

I’m determined to conquer my fear of nude lipsticks this year so I finished off the look with the Laura Mercier Stickgloss in “Brown Sugar”

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Product Rundown

Brows- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz “dark brown”

Highlight- Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette “white chocolate”

Crease- Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette “triple fudge”

Lid- Mary Kay mineral eye shadow “truffle”

Transition- Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette “milk chocolate”

Liner (waterline)- Urban Decay All Nighter Eyeliner “perversion”

Mascara- Yves Saint Laurent Babydoll mascara “black”

Concealer (under eyes)- NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer “amande”

Powder- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural “deep”

Blush- Sleek “sunrise”

Lipstick- Laura Mercier Stickgloss “brown sugar”

Liner- Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip “6C”

Happy Autumn!

Nana Adomah

 

The Only Shame Is To Have None

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Urban decay shame lipstick

I’ve had this Urban Decay lipstick for months so I have no idea why I’m only just now writing about it. This was probably my most worn lipstick all Winter and I see no reason why I shouldn’t rock it well into Summer (makeup trends be damned). “Shame” is a lovely deep burgundy colour thats’ part of Urban Decay’s new(ish) Revolution line. There are 23 colours available in the range

Shame glides on beautifully and has a really nice satin finish that isn’t quite a lustre nor is it a matte. It’s highly pigmented and you get really intense colour with just one swipe. The inclusion of jojoba oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, and avocado oil keep lips nicely moisturised and you don’t get that horrible dry feeling that some lipsticks leave.

The best thing about this lipstick though is that you can get more than 5 hours of wear without having to touch up! There’s nothing that irks me more than having to constantly touch up my makeup and this is a huge plus in its favour.

Urban Decay Shame dark skin FOTD

Wearing “Shame” with MAC’s “Vino” lipliner

The packaging is a sleek metallic pewter with Urban Decay’s signature purple on the inside of the tube. The lipstick is formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates and retails for $22 at Urban Decay or Sephora. This has absolutely been one of my favourite purchases and I cannot recommend Shame enough. 

Nana Adomah 

It’s Electric!- Urban Decay Electric Palette Review

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Urban Decay Electric Palette

FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real condition, I’m convinced. I snatched up this beauty about 3 weeks ago when I saw it on the shelves at Sephora and I’ve worn it almost everyday since. Yes the Naked palettes are nice and they have been stupendously successful for Urban Decay but I’m so glad that they’ve gone back to their roots with their new Electric palette. My very first quality eyeshadow palette was the original Deluxe Palette from Urban Decay about 7 years ago and I haven’t looked back since! Urban Decay were originally known for their crazy brights and bold pigments and they are back in full force with the Electric palette.

Urban Decay Electric Palette

Look at all of those glorious colours! I’m very impressed with this palette and the pigmentation is excellent. We are presented with 10 shades in the palette and they are:

revolt– a glittery silver, gonzo– a matte blue with a hint of turquoise, slowburn– an orange red matte with floating micro shimmer, savage– a hot pink matte, fringe– a metallic teal, chaos– a matte cobalt blue with floating micro shimmer (one of the standouts of the Vice palette), jilted– a slightly shimmery fuchsia with a blue shift, urban– a metallic medium purple, freak– a metallic neon green, and thrash– a chartreuse matte with floating micro shimmer (an exact dupe for NARS ‘rated R’).

Slowburn, savage, jilted and urban stain the skin slightly and they required more effort to remove. Urban Decay included a little note about these colours in the box which indicates that they are not intended for the immediate eye area. As usual, people have kicked up a fuss about nothing and I’ve used all these colours with no ill effect so just use your own judgment is what I say. Here is the company’s official statement regarding this issue:

“We created the Electric Pressed Pigment Palette with artistry in mind. Using pressed pigments was the only way for us to create heavily saturated brights with the intense pigment load we craved. Traditional eyeshadow formulas just wouldn’t cut it. To achieve shades like these, we started with our existing Eyeshadow formula and modified it to create a new Pressed Pigment formula.

Everywhere but the U.S., the Electric Palette is an eyeshadow palette. Because of a technicality, in the U.S. it’s considered a multi-use artistry palette. To get the most out of this palette, experiment and see what works for you. You can use the Electric Palette all over (and that’s where the creativity comes in!).

A few shades contain a colorant that has not yet been approved for the use around the immediate eye area. However, this restriction only applies in the U.S.; in every other country where Urban Decay is sold, these shades are approved for use around the eyes.

Bottom line? We didn’t want to limit the Electric Palette to eyeshadow. It’s an artistry palette with unlimited possibilities! How you use these shades is up to you. (And no matter where you use them, you’ll get insane color payout.)“

So there you go.

Urban Decay electric palette dark skin swatch

The colours swatch easily on my skin, even the mattes which can tend to disappear on darker skin tones. I think the fact that most of the mattes have a slight floating micro-shimmer contribute to their creaminess. The micro particles don’t really show up on the skin but they do contribute to a happier blending experience. I own the original Vice palette and the chaos in this palette is better in my opinion. I have no idea if they reformulated the colour but I feel as though it’s slightly more pigmented here. Chaos is a beautiful colour but I do wish that they’d only had chaos OR gonzo. The palette has quite a few blueish shades and I think that gonzo is one blue too many. I wish they’d replaced it with a bright yellow and it would have been just about perfect. I was initially unsure about the purpose of revolt as well but I’ve seen a few people do some interesting things with the shade.

The palette also comes with a very decent double-ended brush and the smaller end works really well as a liner brush. Both ends have quite stiff bristles which is great for the nature of the eyeshadows as they lay down colour better.

The packaging is also a winner in my book as it’s non bulky and the case opens up to a large mirror. The hinge ensures that the mirror stays where you want it to and the magnetic closure is very secure.

Now on to how the colours look on my face!

Urban Decay Electric palette FOTD dark skin

“Urban” all over the lid, smoked out with a matte black shadow and “fringe” on my lower lash line. I also added Urban Decay’s moondust eyeshadow in “glitter rock” on the centre of my lid for some added sparkle. Lips: “Vento” lipstick (Bite Beauty) Foundation: Cover FX cream foundation in N100 Powder: Mineralize Skin Finish in “dark” and “dark deep” (MAC) Brows: Aqua Brow #30 (Make Up For Ever) Eye liner: “blacquer” liner (Marc Jacobs) Mascara: Diorshow New Look mascara in black (Dior)

Urban Decay FOTD ELECTRIC dark skin swatch

Are you as in love with the Electric palette as I am? If you’re undecided, the palette is a permanent addition so you have plenty of time to make up your mind. The palette retails for $49 and can be found at Sephora, Ulta, and on the Urban Decay website. Let me know your thoughts!

Nana Adomah