MY LEBANESE NIGHTS #OOTN AND ARABIC INSPIRED MAKE UP

My Arabic inspired make up

Hello beautiful ladies, here I am going to share with you my outfit of the night and Arabic inspired make up for my stay in Beirut, Lebanon.

BASE:

• L'Oreal Lumi Magique (True Match Lumi) foundation in DW3 Gold Linen, applied with my Real Techniques stippling brush
• Mac Pro Longwear concealer in NC30
• Clinique Line Smoothing concealer in 02 Light
• Dior Skinflash in 001

EYES - Warning: on my eyes I'm wearing more than most of us wear in the average semester, but Lebanese women are SO stunning, it takes a lot of work to keep up with them!! ^_^

• Mac Extra Dimension Bronzer in Delphic, from their recent Alluring Aquatic collection, in my crease and under the lower lashline
• La Rose de Versailles eyeliner from Creer Beaute, from Japan, the most thin and precise eyeliner I have, to elongate both my inner and outer corner
• Kiko Skinny Fit Kajal in 06 (black) only on the outer third of my waterline
• Kiko False Lashes Concentrate Building Base mascara
• Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black mascara on top lashes for more volume and length
• L'Oreal Lash Architect 4D mascara on bottom lashes for more definition
• fake eyelashes from Tokyo - sorry I can't remember the name of the brand - and Spring Heart black lash glue, also from Tokyo. I bought both products at popular Matsumoto KiYoshi convenience store

EYEBROWS:

• Mac Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set in Emphatically Blonde, from their new line of brow products for the summer

CHEEKS:

• Mac Extra Dimension Bronzer in Delphic
• Mac Rio Mineralize Skinfinish* for blush
• Mac Pro Sculpting Cream in Coffee Walnut, very delicately applied with a Mac 217 brush, to bring the cheekbone contouring past Kardashian level more into Maleficent territory

LIPS:

• Flormar Waterproof Lipliner no. 201
• Mac Myth lipstick, one of their most iconic shades, which I finally got after seeing how beautiful it looks on super sweet and mega talented Sanna (@lookamillion) in her most divine make up looks

My Arabic inspired make up

My Lebanese Nights OOTN

 In my OOTN I am wearing:

• bustier top from Galliano
• skirt from Zara
• silver cuff bracelet and silver and golden rings from H&M

I completed my outfit with simple black strappy heels and a black clutch bag.

My makeup was the same as the morning after, as shown in the top photo and product photo, but for the look to be more intense for the night I was also wearing

• Mac Indianwood paintpot, a metallic orangy bronze, as a base
• the darker shade of Kiko Color Sphere eyeshadow in 203, a grape purple shade, in my crease and outer corner
• Nars Albatross highlighter on the top of my cheekbones and down my nose
• OPI Lincoln Park After Dark nail polish, a blackened purple

I hope you enjoyed my post :-)

If you want to see what else I got from the Mac sell out Alluring Aquatic collection, please go to Mac Alluring Aquatic collection ^_^

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me on my blog <3

Lots of love
MJ

*Rio MSF was sent to me by Mac PR

THE DRUGSTORE DIVA TAG

Hahahaha girls I just came up with this, I'm actually laughing as I'm typing!!!

The other day I did The Princess Tag about my favourite high-end / luxury products here The Princess Tag, and now I really want to do its drugstore / high-street version!

Ok all kinds of tags about drugstore products have been going around for ever, but instead of searching for past tags I just thought I'd create my own, The Drugstore Diva!!! Should I trade-mark it??? hahaha :-D

And hey, no princess ain't got nothin on The Drugstore Diva hahahaha!!!! :-D

So yeah, same categories, let's get back into it!!

FOUNDATION

My one and only L'Oreal Lumi Magique - True Match Lumi in the US. I use it in the shade W3/D3 Gold Linen, both a little darker and more yellow-toned than my natural skin, which gives me exactly the final result I'm going for.

I fake tan my face all the time anyway - except for when I am sick in bed with flu for a week or something! -, and Gold Linen perfectly matches my fake tanned skin.

And it's not a drugstore product, but I my holy grail self tanner is Dior Bronze Auto-Bronzant in Natural Glow.

First one ever tried years ago, loved it, never wished to look for alternatives.

CONCEALER

I really like the Garnier BB Cream Eye Roll On. And please note that for my undereye area I am so picky that this is the ONLY drugstore concealer I have.

POWDER

Like I already said in the Princess Tag, I never powder my face.

I really don't need it because I have dry skin, and I don't like how it looks on me anyway.

BRONZER

Summer Eclipse Bronzing and Shimmery Powder in shade Moonlight / Light Bronzer. I just really love this shade.
And I don't know about the other shades because I haven't tried them, but this one is sure not shimmery at all. Matter of fact, I also use it for contouring, and it gives my skin the most beautiful satin finish.
I was wearing it in this look Mac All Fired Up lipstick

BLUSH

Kiko blushes in the baked formula, because I love my cheeks to have a satin finish.
My all-time favourite is beautiful Celebrity Rose, a mauvy pink with golden veins *_*
It is unfortunately a limited edition from an old collection :'-(

HIGHLIGHTER

L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow in 002 Hourglass Beige (called 888 Iced Latte in the US), a beautiful true champagne shade.

Yes it is an eyeshadow, but I use it as the travel version of Mac Soft and Gentle :-)

Like all L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows it comes is a small sturdy pot, so it's perfect to fit into your make up bag, and dare I say, pretty much unbreakable.

In this look In The Sky With Glitter - Victoria's Secret inspired I am wearing it both as highlighter and eyeshadow :-)

EYESHADOW

Kiko Colour Sphere eyeshadows, a beautiful line of eyeshadows in the baked formula.
Shade 26 - shimmering grey infused with multicolour microglitter - was my first purchase ever from Kiko many years ago, and is still to this day my all-time favourite eyeshadow <3

Kiko Color Sphere Eyeshadow 26

Their baked eyeshadow quads, which they release / repromote from time to time, are my second top favourite eyeshadows.
My favourite quad is Unexpected Rosy Taupe eyeshadow palette.
This is like my guardian angel, it is with me in my handbag AT ALL TIMES. Even when I'm not wearing any make up at all, or when I am wearing totally different shades, I will take this quad with me as mirror.
It is currently in store in the Bad Girl collection and it's called Color Fever eyeshadow palette 100.

I used this quad for New Year's Eve in one of my favourite looks and most special to me My New Year's Eve make up

Really, I couldn't love Kiko eyeshadows more.

EYELINER
Essence I Love Rock Gloss eye pencil. It is a very intense black, very pigmented, almost too creamy, it smudges very easily, and easily bleeds from the waterline - and it is ridiculously inexpensive.

Now for me, all of this gives me EXACTLY the look I'm going for, because I love the kind of smudgy smokey eyes like Kate Moss or Brigitte Bardot.
But for the same exact reasons, this might not be the right product for everyone.

MASCARA

All L'Oreal mascaras. My very first mascara was their Voluminous X4 :-) <3
Then over the years I must have tried all of them. You name it, I have it / have had it.

Ok, all except one, and as irrational as it sounds it must have been because I don't like the celebrity who was the first "face" of that mascara.
So when L'Oreal ads offered me the opportunity to achieve even only the look of her lashes I was like "Hmm, no thanks" hahahaha!!!! ^_^

And a special mention goes to Multi Action mascara from Essence.
It was given to me as a gift with a purchase, and I really had no expectations when even the actual retail price is around 3 euros, so I left it in the back of my drawer for a while.
Then one day I tried it and :-OOOOO Really black, volumizing, it separates your lashes, the brush has the perfect size to fit both your upper and lower lashes, honestly just WOW!!
An amazingly performing ridiculously inexpensive product, I don't know how Essence did it!!!

LIPSTICK

I really really had to think a lot about this one. I mean, looking for your favourite lipstick in a drugstore is worse than looking for a needle in a haystack!!
But in the end I made my decision, and I choose 2 lipsticks.
This choice is based both on the product AND on the surprise factor of the brand, because they're two small little known brands, where you wouldn't really expect to find an all-time favourite product.

So the first is a lipstick called Belle, from the Mirror Shine line of brand 17 or SEVENTEEN, available in Boots, UK.
It is a gorgeous intense dusty pink, but the intensity of the colour is toned down by the sheer and glossy formula. Result: your lips but juicier and poutier.
So GORGEOUS, such a great find! :-D

The other one is lipstick R05 from Flormar, from their Revolution Lipstick line.
This is an intense deep pink, very pigmented, very opaque, with an almost matte finish.
I would describe it like - Brigitte Bardot and Lana Del Rey wear more apricot tones, but if they wore pink, they would wear this pink.

LIP LINER
I don't use lip pencils that often, unless there's a specific look I am going for, or unless I am wearing a very opaque matte lipstick and the lip contour has to be flawless.
My favourite lip pencils are by Catrice, shades 030 Lost In The Rose Wood (intense but very natural dusty pink) and 010 Choc'aholic (pale beige).
See in this look what I mean when I put a lipliner on hahaha Mac Reflects Antique Gold - New Year's Eve

LIPGLOSS

L'Oreal Glam Shine line. I love their formula that feels thick and soft.  

BROW PRODUCT

Like I said in the Princess Tag, I'm not a big fan of brows. I would say I only fill them in and reshape them a little when I'm creating a dramatic-borderlining-theatrical look like in Neon Glam make up look, hahaha if you know what I mean!
And in that look I used my favourite eyebrow product I was going to mention: Collection (formerly Collection 2000) Eyebrow Definer in shade 3 Blonde, very cold and ashy, even with a touch of olive.

NAIL POLISH

Essie. They're creamy, super shiny and crazy longlasting.
Their pastels are divine, they make you happy just by looking at them!!

My favourite shades are Lady Like (mauvy pink, you can see it here Nude nail polishes), Liquorice (black), Marshmallow (sheer white), Madison Ave Hue (fuchsia with shimmer), Smokin' Hot (grey-ish brown), and I am broken hearted I missed out on Bond With Whomever (pinky lilac) :'-((((

And OPI. Top quality too, and they have an incredible selection of reds.
My favourite shades are Lincoln Park After Dark (blackened plum, you can see it here Plum nail polishes) and Big Hair Big Nails (a sorbet watermelon red)

So ladies, this was my Drugstore Diva tag! :-D
And now I am going to tag my lovely girls

BeautyAddict29

Annika

Anoushka

Emily

Rachel (YouTube video Not Two Normal - Drugstore Diva Tag)

Marta (Nowoczesna Dama - The Drugstore Diva Tag)

Lottie Mayy (Lottie Mayy Loves - The Drugstore Diva Tag!)

to do my tag too, so please go check out their blogs to see their answers and have a look at their other posts!!

Everybody else who's reading this is invited to join in!
So please if you do this tag leave me the link to your blog post or video in a comment, and I'll be sure to come see you ^_^

Take care xx

Love

MJ

FALL-WINTER 2011/2012: PLUM NAIL POLISHES

OPI Lincoln Park After dark, 2 coats, natural light

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, a tribute to the city of Chicago, is one of the most popular and best selling shades of the brand. It is one of Kim Kardashian’s favourites – and let me add, a friend of mine’s favourite too!

When I first got it, I honestly had never heard about it before. I just handpicked it from millions of other bottles on the shelf, for the days that I would want to feel like a witch in disguise!

It is a blackened plum so dark that, from a distance, even the most eagle-eyed observer might mistake it for black. But isn’t distance known for altering the appearance of things anyway? So why would we be concerned about how distance specifically alters the perception of Lincoln Park After Dark??

And I am not sure this is what the OPI colour creators had in mind when they conceived this shade, but such a deep abyss purple just can’t stop reminding me of Ursula from The Little Mermaid!

Essie Carry On, 2 coats, natural light

Essie Carry On, another colour from their new Brand New Bag collection, is a deep burgundy on the black side too.

Compared to Lincoln Park After Dark is warmer and with a more red tone to it.

I couldn’t think of a more perfect shade for fall!

(8 OCTOBER) ETA: I thought it would be interesting to show how great Carry On lasted on my nails!
I am taking it off today just because I want to wear a different colour, but see, after 5 days of regular everyday activities it doesn't look much different than when I had just applied it!
Yes the shine has faded a little and, upon a very close look, the very edge of the nails has worn off a little, but overall I would call this intact.
Thank you Essie, beautiful shade and amazing performance!!

Essie Carry On after 5 days

If you would like to see my review of some nude nail polishes, please go to Nude nail polishes :-)

Thank you for taking the time to read!

Love

MJ

FALL-WINTER 2011/2012: NUDE NAIL POLISHES

OPI Samoan Sand, 3 coats, natural light

OPI Samoan Sand turns on instant chic in you.

It is a milky beige that does evoke the uncontaminated sand of a tropical beach. It is very sheer, so it needs 3 to 4 coats to appear on the nails like it is in the bottle. But it dries so incredibly fast that it’s really no bigger effort than applying the usual 2 coats.

It is not a new release, but it was all over the place at the New York Fashion Week last week. Lisa Eldridge lists it as an alternative to recreate the look in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jLTuizFjl8

OPI Sweet Heart, 2 coats, natural light

OPI Sweet Heart is the softest milky pink.

It makes your nails look effortlessly manicured and is a classic all year round every year. It is not totally opaque so you might want to add a 3rd coat if that’s the finish you’re going for. On me, it does show some streakiness issues on one nail that is more uneven itself.

This shade is often mentioned by Elle and Blair Fowler on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/AllThatGlitters21 and http://www.youtube.com/user/juicystar07) as one of their favourites.

Essie Lady Like, 2 coats, natural light

Essie Lady Like, 2 coats, with flash

Essie Lady Like, from their new Brand New Bag collection, is already one of my all-time favourites!

It is a very sophisticated dark dusty pink with a touch of lilac and taupe. To me it falls into the nude category, while being an intense colour at the same time.

In the natural light, it looks like a bright dusty pink, a lot brighter and pinker than it shows in the picture. Indoors with the flash, it appears to tend more towards the taupe.

I was also impressed by how shiny it is, it naturally looks as if you had applied a shine top coat on it.

Definitely a unique must have shade, and I would love to hear if somebody knows of similar colours from other brands!

If you would like to see my review of some plum nail polishes please go to Plum nail polishes :-)

Thank you for taking the time to read!

Love
MJ