Wednesday 31 July 2013

FOTD # 16 | Too hot to wear make up

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The Body Shop Pearl Radiance Primer/ Rimmel Stay Matte Powder/ Maybelline Eyebrow Pencil/ Urban Decay Primer Potion/ MAC Fluidline/ Sleek Ultra Mattes Brights Palette/ No7 Intense Volume Mascara/ Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
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The weather has cooled a bit now, but recently in England it has been BOILING. If I'm out all day in the sun I've been adapting my make up so it's more sun-friendly; i.e a lot less of it as it feels horrible to have 10 pounds of the stuff on your face when it's hot. I wore this 'face' for a day trip to London and asides from having to powder ma face once or twice this make up held really well, especially the eyeshadow considering the heat (Urban Decay's Primer Potion is the shiz.). 

I'm still a bit unsure about the Pearl Radiance Primer from Lily Cole's collection for the Body Shop but it feels non-sticky and gives the same shimmery-effect as Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation which is pretty, so good so far. If your foundation has SPF in it definitely keep on if it's sunny, such a bonus! Sadly mine (Clinique Stay Matte) doesn't have any SPF in it so I forewent foundation and just used my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which I find gives me enough coverage when my skin is in okay condition.

I'm aware the blog has been massively beauty focused recently, outfit posts soon! xx

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Monday 29 July 2013

Nailed It | Motel Rocks inspired daisy print mani

Daisy print seems to be a really popular trend right now, especially white daisies on a black background. I was inspired by Motel's new releases in the print for this simple mani. I've done a post on this mani before HERE with a different colour background.


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This is one of the easiest nail art looks you can do and still looks really cute! Here is a mini tutorial on how to daisy up yo nails.

You will need:

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Clear top coat, black polish, white and yellow nail art pens (or use white and yellow polishes with a dotting tool like the end of a kirby grip)

1) Apply clear base coat (black polish especially will turn your natural nails yellow without a base)
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2) Apply black polish
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3) Use nail art pen to create yellow dots
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4) Frame the yellow dots with white dots to create the daisy petals. Simples!
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xx

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Monday 22 July 2013

L'Oreal Superliner Blackbuster Extra Black | Review

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I bought this the other day as a) I am a sucker for new make up releases and b) I haven't actually tried a felt tip style liner yet, as I figured they wouldn't have the same colour payoff as a liquid or gel liner.

The superliner blackbuster promises perfect black, bold, lines; and retails for £6.99 at Boots.

Does it deliver these promises? Nope.

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The packaging does look nice with the black and gold, and when you swatch it you do get some of the pigmentation that is promised but only when you swipe the Superliner on its side. 

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I copied the look they did on Doutzen Kroes in the advertising campaign, on the left eye I used the L'Oreal Superliner, and the right eye I used a Stila Smudge Stick to show the difference in colour payoff.

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LEFT: Superliner RIGHT: Stila Smudge Stick

As you can see clearly the colour intensity of the Superliner was clearly photoshopped (looks more like MS Paint to get it THAT black in my opinion). The tip of the Superliner is fine so you can create flicks, but it dries out quickly especially trying to create the look they advertised.

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The Superliner immediately started to rub off and this was the blackest colour I could get out of it, despite promising 100% black, bold, blackbuster in extra black. It was also difficult to make thinner lines because the nip is so big and the only way to get good colour out of the Superliner is to press it on it's side which results in thick blotchy lines.

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I used a Stila Smudge Stick to make the same look and got much better results. Was pretty stuck with what to do with my Superliner I wasted £7 on but discovered it makes a pretty good felt tip to doodle with:

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Verdict: Would not recommend!

It makes me sad they haven't introduced more advertising regulations like they have with mascaras, clearly Doutzen's eye makeup is computer generated and had very little to with the Superliner Blackbuster. Have you discovered any felt-tip style eyeliners that actually work? Let me know in the comments! xx
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Tuesday 16 July 2013

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder | Review

This was a recent purchase after my 17 powder compact shattered for the 3rd and last time. Since then I've discovered that if you pack eyeshadow/powder compacts with cotton wool while travelling it stops them from shattering - clever! However every time I've shattered the powder inside a compact is because I've dropped it while applying my make up, so clumsy.

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Anyhoo onto the review! The powder comes without a puff/application pad or whatevever you call it, which I think is a good thing. I prefer to use a brush to apply powder as those pads that come with powder give you less control and are probably pretty unhygienic and more likely to smear you make up imo.

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Before - After

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I always find it pretty confusing choosing a powder colour as obvs powder colour isn't as noticeable as foundation but I think I did okay getting 'Peach Glow'. I'm quite impressed with this product actually, Rimmel can be quite hit and miss (terrible liquid eyeliners for example) but this powder kept me mattified on a boiling hot day - with an oily skin type. Would recommend! xx
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Sunday 14 July 2013

Liquid State

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Top - Missguided - Shorts - River Island - Floral Crown - Primark - Creepers - Ebay

This is definitely a very typical 'festival-y' type outfit, quite sad I didn't have this crop top before I went to Parklife actually! The crop top is from my first Missguided purchase and I LOVE it, I think the lace is described as 'eyelash lace' which is pretty accurate. The drop down lace at the front covers your tummy up a bit more than a normal crop if you're feeling self conscious - and the pure lace detail at the back is gorge (and nude coloured bras don't show through it much either).

It has been so gorgeous the last few days - almost too sunny, we can never get it right weather wise here in engerland. Perfect weather for outfit post taking but then the camera struggles cos it's TOO bright, I give up. Actually looked into getting a DSLR the last few days but they're so ridiculously pricey! xx
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Friday 12 July 2013

How I dye my hair blue/turquoise/teal

This is my current method for doing my hair. Normally I'd get my friend Rojan to bleach my roots and dye my hair at the same time as she is amaze at it but I won't see her til I got back to uni in September, so I have to have a whack at it myself for the time being.

I hadn't dyed my hair for over a month and half and it had gone a very pale sea foam green colour, I don't mind it at all but I'm going to a party dressed as Sailor Neptune in a few weeks so need my teal-y colour back ^^

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You will need:

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Dye/mixing bowl/application brush/sectioning clips/sectioning comb/shower cap

At the moment I mix one bottle of Stargazer 'Turquoise' and one bottle of Stargazer 'Coral Blue' to achieve the colour I want. But I've also used La Riche Directions in 'Atlantic Blue' and 'Apple Green' and once, Manic Panic Atomic Turquoise.

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Also consider an extra mirror to see the back of your head if you're dyeing your hair yourself, cling film to wrap your hair and conditioner to bulk up the dye if you don't have enough to cover your head.

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Squeeze the dyes into the mixing bowl

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Mix them up

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Section the hair for dyeing - I use a mixture of applying the dye to the roots with a brush, combing it through the hair and just rubbing it in with my hands. USE GLOVES! I then wrapped my hair in cling film and covered it with a shower cap. You can blast your head with a hair dryer with all the coverings on to speed up the dye and help the colour attach to the hair.

Leave the dye on as long as possible. Most unnatural hair brands use vegetable based dyes with no ammonia or whatever so aren't bad for your hair. Leaving it on as long as possible means you get a brighter colour.
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I'm quite pleased with my attempt as usually when I do it myself I discover patches of uneven colour but I combed the dye through this time which I think really helped. xx
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Wednesday 10 July 2013

Fan the flames with a little lie

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Top - Vintage - Shorts - Missguided - Choker - Ebay - Shoes - New Look - Earrings - Ebay - Bag - Primark

Another fairly experimental look when I took something ridiculous like 6 outfit posts in one day. Stockpiling, yo. The top was my Mum's when she was my age, from 1980s Monsoon believe it or not. I love wearing something that's been passed down a generation, shows that trends/fashion are cyclical! xx
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Monday 8 July 2013

Pixie Lott has hairy armpits?! Oh noes

So I arrived back from Italy to find THIS lovely article from the Daily Mail. Apparently Pixie Lott went to the premiere of the Dark Knight Rises and didn't shave her armpits for the occasion and the DM is now up in arms. Of course if this had been a man on the red carpet sporting a little stubble it wouldn't have been a problem, but A WOMAN WITH ARMPIT HAIR? Clearly calls for a whole article on the topic.

I would like to quote some bits of the article:

'she appeared to have forgotten one very important part of her grooming routine'

'Pixie drew attention to her faux pas by putting her hand on her waist'

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'perhaps pixie was taking some styling tips from Julia Roberts'

And my favourite...'HER UNSHAVEN ARMPITS WERE CLEAR TO SEE!!!'

Okay the quote wasn't in capitals and bereft of exclamation marks but that's how I like to imagine the voice of the DM writer who wrote the article. While researching this post I also found out about the Metro's take on Pixie's scandalous pits HERE. This one is actually more problematic in that the author (who is female by the way) describes her stubble as being 'oodles of armpit hair' and more worryingly 'really not acceptable'. She charmingly ends the article with:

'It just goes to show you can have all of the money in the world but you can’t buy class.'

I have stubble too now I'm really not acceptable and I have no class  :(

Bloody charming. Clearly you don't need two brain cells to rub together to be a Metro writer, just a strong subconsciously integrated belief in society's gender roles for your own sex. I think it's fair enough if people don't find body hair (on either gender) attractive, it is your own personal taste and may or may not be influence by society and your upbringing. 

But when body hair (usually on women) is labelled as disgusting, gross,wrong,unacceptable - you have a serious problem. Labelling something entirely natural as such is harmful for self esteem (I wonder if the Metro and DM writers thought how Pixie would feel when she read the articles?), and it's simply sexism - it's okay for men to have hairy armpits, but disgusting for a woman to. 

What I hope will come from this positively is that if the pictures of Pixie are seen out of a negative context they may begin to normalise unshaven armpits on women, which in turn might start to stamp out this sexist attitude to body hair which both men and women seem to have. xx


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Saturday 6 July 2013

Jeffrey Campbell shoes #3 ★ Lita Crown with silver spikes

These were an impulse buy as my friend was about to buy a pair, and then the sales assistant told her they'd actually been reduced to £55; which is ridiculous for litas especially in the 'crown' design, so I had to buy a pair too ofc.

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 I got them in Harvey Nichols and checking out the website they seem to sell JC shoes for cheaper than anywhere else, maybe because they convert the price to pounds more fairly from dollars? Quite a few Lita designs for around the £50 mark and flats around £60, click HERE.


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I'm unsure whether to sell these on eBay or not considering as a student I shouldn't really be buying them...so tempting to keep though! I got these in a size 6, normally I am a 7 but I reckon Litas run slightly bigger. Also if you are a Jeffrey Campbell fan check out Asami's blog entirely dedicated to JC HERE. She also has a really impressive collection of around 400 pairs of Jeffreys I believe. xx

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Thursday 4 July 2013

I sat by the ocean and drank a potion to erase you

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China print/Toile de Jouy dress - 18 & East - Sandals - Missguided - Daisy - Primark

I'm going to a wedding while I'm in Italy and this is what I'm going to wear. This 18 & East dress was doing the rounds of bloggers' wishlists a while back and I bought it cos I am a sucker to anything people recommend/suggest on blogs. The dress is gorgeous (although it reminds me of my parents bedroom wallpaper as they have green Toile de Jouy on le walls) and uber girly, with scalloped petticoat poking out underneath. The only problem is it has a low back and crossed straps so I have to wear a strapless bra with it but it's still gorge. Felt like chucking the massive daisy in my hair because why not. Nearly said yolo there, thankfully managed to restrain myself. xx
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Tuesday 2 July 2013

Sequins and Beads is now....Liquorice Pearls! - Blog Rename

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Hey guys! So the other night I got bored and decided to rename the blog, think of it as an early bloggiversary  change. Finally I am the owner of a .com domain (goodbye forever .net) which I think looks a lot better. It was a massive kerfuffle sorting out a blog renaming, once you think about everything linked to your blog (twitter,lookbook,bloglovin',tumblr,email...) it ends up meaning you have to change quite a bit.

An important thing to note is my email address is now: LIQUORICEPEARLS@GMAIL.COM
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I'm happy with the new name Liquorice Pearls, it was my tumblr url too so now all my online presences match. Plus the word combination is unique enough that it means search results will take people straight here ^^ 

Having a blog name like Sequins and Beads (born out of a year 10 ICT project to design an online fashion shop website) meant I got lumped in with wholesale bead sellers and frequently received emails from Texan moms looking for specific bead types. Luckily liquorice pearls seem to be a type of ye olde confectionery so I should be alright now :) xx
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