Friday 12 April 2013

King Tutankhamun and the 20s Egyptian Revival


The discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 had a huge impact all over the world. The tomb was almost intact and the findings were so rich and beautiful that the newspapers were full of news on the subject.  Even now when we think of Egypt one of the first images that comes up is the golden mask of Tutankhamun. Add to that the 'curse of the Pharaos' and the audience was captivated! 
Such an event influenced the fashions of the day as one would expect. With that in mind I was examining the pictures of the artefacts from the tomb to find patterns on them that one can find in 20s clothes, jewellery and    decorative items. Ancient Egyptian style without the hieroglyphics if you like. Can you spot them on the items? 

The base colour is the most royal of golds, A-England - Holy Grail (the original formulation) and the blue on the middle finger is LeChat CM - Navy. The rest were done with acrylic colours and all topped with Seche Vite which unfortunately cause some major shrinkage at the tips. 
Shade (unusually sunny for England)
Shade (overcast)

Monday 8 April 2013

Retropolish: Seventeen Super Shine #471

I thought I'd create a special tag for my older polishes that may or may not be discontinued. I'll kick off this journey through my collection with a Greek polish by the company Seventeen (nothing to do with the UK 17 brand). These polishes unfortunately don't have names, only numbers, but they have an near infinite variety of colours. No 471 is a bit tricky to describe as depending on the light it looks from purplish to steel. It doesn't shift like a duochrome, the change in colour is much more solid with this one as you can see in the pictures. So pretty!
natural light (shade)
incandescent light

Saturday 6 April 2013

My Inner Monologue, Stargazer - 234, Sparitual - Body & BM201

Inner monologue
Thought no1: I really feel like doing something pink. How odd...
Thought no2: Why haven't I used my Stargazer Chromes as a base colour yet?
Thought no3: I really like this design, but the lines always come out too thick. Maybe if I tried stamping with a matte polish?

And here's the results! I did the swap in colours on the middle finger to show you how thick the lines on the design come out with a normal polish. I didn't use top coat over the matte stamping and the whole thing lasted flawlessly for the better part of the week. I think this is one of my favourite manis so far. I was looking at my nails so much when I had it on!
Stargazer - 234
Sparitual - Body
BM201 plate

Thursday 4 April 2013

Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss: A Merry Bunny Return!

Dear readers,
I am so glad to be back from my long hiatus. I'm not going to blab about it , suffice to say life is a bit smoother now and I can resume posting regularly. Thank you to those of you who remained here and to those who sent me messages enquiring about my health. You are all such lovely people and I have been so excited all day today with the thought of writing and being part of the community again. I  have so many products, beauty secrets and ideas to share with you! Here it goes then... 

I thought I'd make a fun start with these little guys cause they crack me up every time I look at their faces. It's not often that you find cosmetics in the shape of anthropomorphic bunnies, therefore, it was almost obligatory to take the above picture with them looking like a gang of bandits. It's not the only reason I love the Tony Moly Petite Bunny Glosses though. They are actually really nice!
The ones I have at the minute are #3 Juicy Apple, #4 Juicy Cherry, #6 Juicy Orange, #7 Neon Orange and #8 Neon Yellow

According to thecompany's description they:
  • soften dead skin cells with strawberry essence. It is actually mentioned as 'saving you from the embarrassment of lines on the lips' (I am assuming they mean dry lips), there's nothing quite like shaming you into buying a product, right?
  • moisturise, smooth and soften your lips as they contain berry and grape essence,
  • give you shiny lips with a smooth colour ,
  • are rich in proteins that form a barrier to prevent moisture from escaping.
  • give a strong colour to your lips that doesn't fade easily.

This is how they arrive, with the little sticker where you can see their number;
they are full to the brim;
and this is what 2 grammes of this product look like.
And here's my thoughts on these little cuties:
  • They are wonderful little balms and they do soften the lips.
  • As with all balmy products they do tend to disappear after a few hours so you will need to re-apply during the day. Their cute shape makes reapplication a more fun experience.
  • They all have a slight fruity smell and taste, but not all have the same. None of them are too strong though.
  • The colours are not too strong, they are perfect for day wear or when you want something almost natural.My lips are quite pigmented so I am very happy with them.
  •  #3,#4 and #6 have a balmier texture, while #7 and #8 are glossier.
  • #8 is one of those colour changing lip balms that are all the rage in Korea. In the tube it looks yellow, but when it's on, it turns to a lovely soft peach. It's also the glossiest of the lot.
  • #4 is the least pigmented. You need to apply it a few times to show
  • #6 is the most pigmented and least glossy one. 
I've also swatched them for you. On the left I've swiped them once and on the right I've swiped them enough for the colour to become apparent. 
Shade (sunny)
Direct sunlight
And here is a picture of all of them. I got all of them on ebay and I am contemplating getting #5 and #9 just so I can have a couple of happy looking ones!

All in all, I think I am going to enjoy using them all spring and summer long!
XxX
Elysse
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