Jessica…Dragit? Drag makeup experiment

Netflix added RuPaul’s Drag Race a week or so ago, so naturally I’ve been doing nothing else except watching that! I am absolutely fascinated with drag makeup, and even though I’m, you know, an actual girl, I kind of love doing it. It’s certainly a challenge to do and there’s a *ton* of stuff you can learn from doing it, so I kind of see it as a worthwhile waste of a couple hours!

I apologise for the nasty picture quality , but it’s dark and dingy here constantly, and I have a new camera I don’t know how to use yet. Score!

I went more old school, comedy drag than sexy drag which was fun to do!However, let’s just say there are a lot of things I’d try differently next time! I like how the false brows worked out, but I really need to suck it up and try to cover my own brows properly instead of finding creative ways to draw over them as this didn’t work out so well.  I like how the cheeks worked out (low contour inspired by Divine yo) but I can’t for the life of me work out that frigging nose thing all the queens do at the moment. Boo!

 

Next time I try this I’m not going to be scared like I have been, and I'm really going to pile that face on and let it bake! I just physically can't bring myself to apply that much makeup...yet!

I used a whole bunch of crap for this, but if you’re gagging on my eleganza and need to know what I’m wearing please just say and I'll let you know.

Quickie Review: Kryolan Mini Liprouge Palette in L2

I couldn’t wait to play with this so you’ve got a swatched picture – sorry! I bought this from another makeup artist for a bargain price after she’d swatched it and never used it. I was really excited to get it in the mail as I’d seen it before but hadn’t a chance to play with it, plus this had five green and blue lip colours in and I love those sorts of shades!

Kryolan have lots of mini palettes for lipsticks, concealers etc., the idea being that you can test things out easily, compare the colours and then you can buy the ones you need. A lot of artists will use them in their kit as they’re so light and compact, but this version comes with a clear lid which I’ve found to break pretty easily. (Some other versions of the lip palettes do have a sturdier lid.)



I swatched all the colours above with a cotton bud – I couldn’t deal with swatching them all on my lips! Most colours are on the thin side but all are pigmented – only the white wasn’t as pigmented as I would like it to be. LP647, the shade in the left hand bottom corner of the palette, is actually a beautiful duo-chrome rose gold sort of colour.

L.Lilac alone and with L. Glitter Gold on the top. I love this purple!

LC122 alone and with L. Multi Color on the top. The glitters are very stiff and don’t apply well over a creamier shade. It looks horrible, but I left it in so you can compare  to the swatch above where a glitter has applied much more nicely over a thinner base.



L BG. The metallic shades, while pigmented, are very thin. Again, this swatch could be built up but I wanted to demonstrate the thin-ness of some of the metallic shades. I’d wear this shade over an eyeliner or lipliner base, or mix it with other colours to add a different sheen to them.
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Overall, this palette is a great addition to a makeup artists kit, or for a makeup enthusiastic. However you use makeup, it’s pretty unlikely you’ll need so many crazy colours, and this is a really good cost-effective way of having a bunch all in one place. The majority of shades are thin but buildable – I would recommend a base with the metallic shades - while the glitter shades will work best over a thinner base or a lipliner as opposed to a creamier base as you can see from the pink swatch above. The thinness of lipsticks can be a plus or a minus point depending on how you look at it. They’re more comfortable to wear and easier to get a crisp edge with when they’re thin but you may have to use a little more product. I love the addition of white and black which makes this great to mixing.

They have a waxy-makeup scent like a lot of professional brands but it’s not noticeable after a minute or so.

Kryolan can be hard to find – try your local professional makeup store first if you have one, or if you don’t, most large cities will have one. In London Screenface and Charles Fox are stockists and I know larger, more well equipped fancy dress stores will often stock these sorts of brands. http://www.dauphines.co.uk/ is an amazing UK based website for professional and SFX makeup as is http://www.backstageshop.co.uk/ where you can pick this palette up for £13.90

Where to go makeup shopping in London

One of my favourite things to do in London is, naturally, makeup shopping. I do this shopping walk over and over again and love it, and it covers most things you could ever want from a makeup shopping trip. Makeup can be had in any department store, shopping centre or area of London, but I stick to this little route a lot and it covers everything. I've also listed some other stores elsewhere in London that are worth a visit.

I'm super lucky to have met some wonderful bloggers from around the country and abroad and I always enjoy shopping with them. This weekend I met up with the lovely Sam from Kiss My Sparkle and our friend Jade and off we went!

Face charts at Illamasqua, prettiness at Benefit and pigments and glitter at Makeup Store.

Starting your stroll just off Carnaby Street, the Illamasqua store is an absolute must-stop for makeup lovers. The store is absolutely beautiful, and it's normally quieter than the stand at Selfridges so the MUAs there can give you their full attention. Jade and I spent a good time drooling over their beautiful face charts, the studio at the back of the store where they hold classes, the quirky Gothic furniture and of course, all the beautiful polishes and makeup, while Sam was matched for SkinBase by a lovely, friendly MUA.

Snippets of prettiness from the Benefit parlour.

Heading back onto Carnaby Street, the brand-new Benefit store is so girly and worth a stop by! Sam and I picked up some of the Creaseless Cream Shadows and I was actually pretty impressed by their new blush, Rockateur. Downstairs they have a full-on beauty salon for waxing, nails, spray tanning and blow-drys, complete with a champagne bar! It's definitely somewhere I'd take my sister or one of my besties for a pamper day and I can see it becoming a popular hen-do spot with it's cute decor and central location.

Continuing down Carnaby Street you'll see the Swedish brand Makeup Store on your left. I absolutely love the Makeup Store - the glitters and pigments are amazing, and they have a gorgeous home spa section as well. If you buy something, you get a discount on thier own magazine which I always pick up. It's absolutely stunning and as good as many editorial makeup books I've paid ten times the money for!

 

Treats at Choccywoccydoodah! Not makeup, but whatever.

Coming out of Makeup Store, head straight across down Fouberts Place to MAC Pro on the corner. As well as carrying all the usual MAC products, they carry lots of other fun things for professional use, like acrylic body paints and the Chromacakes. MAC Pro is conveniently right next door to Choccywoccydoodah! I stopped in here with the girls for the first time and ordered a white hot chocolate and a dipping pot with lots of little bite-sized version of their treats and left in a full-on sugar coma. This is a really nice, quirky place with lovely kitsch decor and fun music to stop off at and rest your feet, and the staff were absolutely lovely and made us feel very welcome.

 

Back off to Carnaby Street and off to Liberty! This is one of my favourite shops in London as it's so beautiful and easy to get lost in for a couple of hours. Head through the chocolate shop and you'll come out into the perfume department - I love it here as there are so many posh and unusual scents in a posh-Great-Grandma’s-house setting. There's lots of nooks and crannies to explore in the beauty department. - the Hourglass counter is worth a browse and if you head up a couple of floors, the bath and body section is always decked out beautifully. If you’re into candles, this is where you wanna be.

 

A long line of pretty at the YSl counter in Selfridges

Leaving Liberty and heading back onto Regent Street and then Oxford Street, turn left and keep going until you reach Selfridges! You will pass a (newly refurbished but Art Deco-less) Debenhams  and a John Lewis, but Selfridges beauty hall kicks their butt. I freaking love Selfridges beauty hall. Hooooooooo mama! As well as favourites like MAC, NARS and Bobbi Brown, I love going to the Shu Uemura and Armani counters, and I always stop off to drool at the crazy expensive Tom Ford products! I noticed the new Charlotte Tilbury stand was super popular too!I took some advice from the lovely guys at Kiehl’s about some male skin care while the girls drooled over the Suquu range. Heading to the back of the beauty section you'll find all the polishes and less high-end brands like OCC and Bourjouis, as well as quirky brands like Paul and Joe.

If you're a real hard-core shopper, you can go to Carnaby Street via Regent Street, and stop off at Penhaligons, an absolutely beautiful per fumier, and LUSH for all your favourites. Then go through all the shops above, but instead of continuing down Oxford Street from Liberty, nip into Topshop to check out their own range of makeup and the huge Barry M stand. Before heading into Selfridges, there's a large Boots on Oxford Street - skip all the counters as you'll see these in Selfridges, but it's a good chance to pick up UK brands you can't get elsewhere, and a Body Shop or two as well. Similarly, take a right as you leave Selfridges and there's a huge Superdrug for even more UK high street goodies like Sleek and MUA!

That's usually quite enough for one day, but there are a few other gems dotted about London as well. If you're in Westfield White City, the OPI store and Models Own Bottleshop are great for polishes. KIKO (also at Westfield Stratford) is fast becoming one of my favourite makeup stores and have they amazing products for great prices, as well as great sales. The only Inglot store in the UK is in Westfield White City as well and I could go on and on about how much I love this brand! If you're in either Westfield, the large Boots have a great range of French pharmacie skin-care brands, too. If you’re shopping at the White City Westfield, PAM is a short walk away and has an amazing range of professional and colour brands such as Makeup Forever and Illamasqua, as well SFX goodies galore and amazing brushes from brands like bDellium Tools and London Brush Co.

Central London-wise, if you're in Covent Garden a stop at Charles Fox on Tavistock Street is an absolute must – lots of amazing special effects goodies (buckets of vomit, anyone? Fake beards?) and wonderful colour products from Kryolan, Ben Nye, Illamasqua et al to play with. There's also a SpaceNK a short walk away in Seven Dials along with a MAC, Bare Minerals, Benefit and Shu Uemura.

My modest haul for the day! Thank you, Boots BOGOF!

If you have any London-based shopping questions, please just let me know and I'll do my best to answer! Where do you like to shop for makeup?

Tropical Fish Collaboration with Liza: Clownfish Lips!

Liza and I have been saying we’ll do a tropical fish collaboration together for ages and we’ve finally done it! I’m crap with fish and the only two that sprang to mind were clownfish and blue tangs (hey, I’m a Disney fan!). I’d done a Dory look a long time ago, so Liza took the blue tang and I took the clownfish!

Kyrolan Supracolor in white, MAC Gesso. Sugarpill Flamepoint, Buttercupcake, Mochi, Velocity and Lumi. Kryolan glitter in Pearlweiss. Collection2000 24/7 Extreme Liner. Make Up Store High Tech Lighter in Stardust.

I’m on a bit of a lip art kick at the moment as I find it really difficult. Keeping your mouth open for a long period of time is kind of difficult and potentially gross as well. Anyway, that aside, despite a fair few imperfections, I really like my clownfish lips! I think they’re cute and fun.

And a little step-by-step just for fun!

Thanks for reading guys – be sure to check out Liza’s look and Twitter too!

I’MPerfection: Illamasqua Inspired Dotted Liner

 

As per usual, I’ve found myself enchanted by the latest Illamasqua campaign,  and like everyone who has seen it, the spotted liner look really caught my attention and seemed really easy to do! I had to give it a try…

Eyes: Inner corner, MAC Da Bling. Liner colour, MAC Creme De Violet. Lid colour, highlight shade from MUA Pro Brow Palette. Brow Highligh, MAC Gesso. Liner, Collection200024/7 Extreme Liner. Spots on liner, Kryolan Aqua Colors.
Cheeks: Illamasqua Lover, Illamasqua Melt (lipstick, as a cheek highlight)
Lips: Illamasqua Test, Illamasqua Torture
Dark Lips: See this week’s Lip Maths!

I love, love, love how this came out! It looks like fluttery feathers. Ideally I would have used falsies, but I’ve only got ones with really thick lashbands at the moment. I didn’t want to take up too much room on the lid and for this to look like an eyeshadow and not an eyeliner look so I left it without. I don’t have many Illamasqua eye products, so I thought I’d better do Illamasqua cheeks and lips seeing as I pinched their idea! I used Illamasqua Melt lipstick as a cheek highlight and I really liked the glow it gave!I didn’t want to take this look off!

Are you excited for new Illamasqua goodies? I’m eyeing the fantastic looking blush brush!

Half-arsed Halloween: Pink Skull

Because why the fuck not, that’s why!




Sleek Good Girl Palette, Kryolan Aquacolours (applied with elf Mist and Set on a fine liner brush) in 070 (white) 082 (red) and R21 (pink)

I really should have done a face chart for this one before I sat down, but I couldn’t be arsed. I do need to do it properly (cover my brows, etc etc) as this was only a really quick look, it’s not finished and I wasn’t even going to blog about it, but I’m also lacking on any posts whatsoever, so… this is what you get from me today! I’d also like to say I never blog in my PJ’s normally but we all know that’s a massive bloody lie).  I’m tempted to do a pink skeleton look for my Halloween costume now, but I’ve got a much creepier idea in my head….

“Wanna know how I got these scars?”

Scars – Kryolan Collodion, Kryolan  Supracolor (greasepaint), Ben Nye Fresh Scab
Non-zombie eye: Sleek Storm palette
Lips: Accessorize gloss, LA Girl lip pencil in “Natural.”

Just a quick look today! I  wanted to have a play with collodion today (It’s normally called rigid collodion but the Kryolan one isn’t? No idea) which is really awesome stuff. It freaking stinks but it’s really easy to use – you paint it on your skin and as it dries it contacts, puckering your skin just like a real scar! It’s pretty cool but I’m having trouble with getting the seam where the product stops to not show. I also started to put blood under my eye and then gave up, so that’s why that look shitty, but I thought I’d slap it up anyway.

UV Shoot

I thought I'd show you guys a few photos I've got back from a UV shoot I went on last weekend. It was quite a small shoot and I didn't do the most astonishing or well executed makeup in the world, but it was really fun. Be warned - there are some boobs in this post, but they're well covered. Sorry, pervs.

Corinna by Al Veryard

Corinna byNigelH Photography.

Wanderlust by William Adams Photography.

 Me and a very messy table by Dark Horse Photos. Here be nudes, should you click on it.

A lovely shot of how messy I manage to make an enormous work station! It's very boring hanging around waiting for models/set up/people to make you tea and I felt very underdressed with no UV makeup on, so I switched my eyebrows while I was waiting ;)

The UV makeup I used was a combination of Kryolan Aqua Colors, Sleek Acid (not all of them are UV, just the neon green, yellow, orange and pink) Fardel paints and Evil Shades:

Forgive my dry lips, but that's Evil Shade's Fateful*. Cool huh? Their 'Backtalk' blush glows too.

That's all for now, shiny seekers!

*D'oh, it's actually Fearless, but apparently the glitter in Fateful is also UV reactive :)

Red Brows, Black Lips

Got bored, innit.











Eyes:
Lid:Mac Gesso
Crease:Maybelline Monowear in Sand
Liner/steaks: Kryolan Aquacolours
Brows: Fyrinnae Bite Me


Cheeks:
Sleek blush in Scandalous

Lips:
Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean.


I think I should have gone a little *more* OTT with this one! The lashes are cheap ones that you get in a multi-pack from China cut up - thanks China!

I think I should do red brows more often, no?

LOTDs, a.k.a, Use Your Damn Stash

This morning, Skid Row WAS on my iPod, and this afternoon, Skid Row was NOT on my iPod. I demand my Skid Row back, man.

Anyway... makeup! Been determined to use colour properly this week, and while I failed at the start of the week, I managed to do some decent looks AND use my sliiiightly neglected Sleek Circus palette a few times!




Eyes:
Lid: Dark brown from Sleek Storm palette
Crease: Brown-green duochrome (MAC Club Dupe) from Wet & Wild Night Elf palette
Under Browbone: Orange from Sleek Circus palette
Lower lashline: MUA Intense Colour Eyeliner in Malted Chocolate, W&W Club dupe
Highlight: MAC Gesso
Liner: Collection2000 Fast Strokes in Black
Mascara: Collection2000 Skyscraper

Cheeks:
Models Own blusher in Warm Glow
NYX Mosaic Highlight

Lips:
Gosh Velvet Touch lipstick in Darling
Barry M Lipgloss Wand in Toffee

I was really pleased with this look! I think I should have added a darker brown in the outer V, but overall I was really happy. And the girl at Charles Fox (aka Mrs Magoriums Makeup Emporium - it's a huge trade makeup store in Covent Garden) complimented me which was nice!




Eyes:
Lid: MAC Gesso
Blue in crease/lower lashline: from Sleek Circus palette
Green in crease: from Sleek Circus palette
Dark blue on upper lashline: from Sleek Circus palette
Liner: Collection2000 Fast Strokes in Black
Mascara: Collection2000 Skyscraper (throughout post)


Cheeks:
Models Own blush in Warm Glow

Lips:
Barry M Lipgloss Wand in Sorbet

This wasn't as bright as I'd envisioned, but it was really light and springy and I felt like I was wearing 'fun' makeup!






Eyes:
Lid: Hi Fi Morbid Faith
Crease: Purple from Wet N Wild I'm Feelin' Retro trio (Stars & Rockets kinda colour!)
Under browbone: Evil Shades Sylph
Lower Lashline: MUA Intense Colour Liner in Lovely Lilac
Liner: Dark blue from Sleek Circus, Kryolan AquaColor in... er, purple.

Cheeks:
MUA Blusher shade 4

Lips:
Evil Shades Wicked Gloss in Suffocation

With most of the looks I do on myself, I tend to bring the colour right up past my crease. I have a lot of crease and I like to see the colours I wear, but this day I decided not to bring the purple up too high. I'm not sure whether I should bother putting a darker colour in my crease when I want to wear my shadow like this.






Eyes:
Lid: Vanilla shade from e.l.f Hazy Hazel quad
Crease: Purple from e.l.h Hazy Hazel quad
Outer V/Lower lashline: Fyrinnae Feline Familiars
Liner: Dark Brown Kryolan AquaColor
Highlight: MAC Gesso

Cheeks:
MUA Blusher Shade 2

Lips:
Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Romantique (just a teeny bit!)

Feline Familiars has sat in my stash for a couple of month. I know, right? So bad. Anyway, I thoroughly regret that because it is goooorgeous. I saw Phyrra wear it, immediately had to have it and then it somehow got pushed aside. Silly me - it's a fantastic colour if your eyes are on the blue side!


Well, that's me behaving myself and trying to mix it up and use a wider variety of my stash! Any colour combinations for upcoming looks is greatly appreciated!

Robyn xxx