EOTD's: Kat Von D Blacks & Greys...

As much as I complain about the cold weather (I'm truly a Summer gal at heart) I do love playing around with greys and charcoals during the chilly season, and Kat Von D does the BEST shadows for smokey eye looks. In the pics below, I've used both the Chrysalis & Monarch palettes - the pigmentation is astounding and the powders are so easy to blend, even I don't have trouble getting rid of the join ha ha...

So this is Summerfly (gold) and Deadhead from the Monarch palette - can't believe she's discontinued this fabulous collection of Autumn shades! For the waterline, I used Eye Of Horus Serpentine Sultry Goddess Pencil - this is such an interesting deep olivey green, and perfect for when I don't want the starkness of black. I also used their Alchemy Gold Liquid Metals eye liner on the lower lashline...

Face was Mirenesse Velvet Maxi Lift foundation, Maybelline Master Highlighting Blush in Pink Rose, and lips were Rubi Shoes Ruby Red...

I am so in love with this mix of gold and grey - so very different, and I normally wouldn't put anything with grey except silver, but thankfully someone else figured out the combo was a winner, and now I'm in search of other grey/gold pieces...

For look number two, I switched to the Chrysalis palette, and chose Graphic Nature (shimmery charcoal) and Lunar Lights (silvery white). My base was essence White Kajal on the inner half, and Max Factor Charcoal Grey Kohl Pencil on the outside, as well as the waterline...

Even I'm amazed at my seemingly seamless blending, but I swear it's just SO EASY with these shadows...

Foundation was Maybelline Super Stay 24 hour, cheeks were Laura Geller Blush "N" Brighten in Berry, and lips were Chi Chi Viva La Diva Lady Bump...

And here's the jewellery - I'm crazy about black, white and silver together, it's so simple and yet so elegant...

For look #3, I cheated a bit because I was trying to match the leopardy top in the pic below. The fabric is a mix of black, grey and a sort of lichen green, so I used Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil in Emerald Tabular as a base underneath Chrysalis Black Milk (dove grey) and Lunar Lights...

And because the end result was a bit dreary, I added the same Emerald Tabular on my waterline...

Same Maybelline Super Stay foundation, cheeks were Savvy Cheek & Lip Colour in Cozy Coral with a dusting of pan #3 from the BYS Endless Summer Trio, and lips were Maybelline ColorDrama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Fab Orange, which is more like Fab Red...

Was looking for something to go with the pendant, and scored the bangle and earrings from Target for half price ♥ Not a perfect match, but it'll do...

What's your go-to palette for a smokey eye?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Kat Von D Black Milk & Lunar Lights...

I love surprises, and nothing gives me greater pleasure than writing off something as bleah, only to fall in love with it later on. And that's what's happened with silvers & greys. I've hardly even worn these hues throughout my life - always considered them to be somewhat dull and dreary, and my beauty book always told me that silver was only meant for highlighting. But since lightening my hair, I've been having a play and re-testing all my combos, and these "colourless" shades are now appearing on my bench almost every week...

They're actually quite flattering, and like the colours of the rainbows, I'm discovering there are many variations, and these two from the Kat Von D Chrysalis palette are becoming firm favourites. For this look I stroked on essence White Kajal close to the lashline, and then patted down Lunar Lights, which is almost white, but it turns out quite silvery when it hits my skin. For the rest of the lid, I used Max Factor Kohl Pencil in the shade Charcoal Grey as the base, and then blended Black Milk (matte) over the top. Of course I had to add SOME colour somewhere, so Eye of Horus Emerald Tabula Goddess Pencil was what I chose for the waterline...

Foundation was DB Longwear 24 Hour, cheeks were Lacura Cream Blush in Soft Coral, and the I added a light dusting of Maybelline Master High-Light Blush in Pink Rose. It's the first time I've used this blush, and I'm crazy about both the colour and the slightly shimmery finish. I used Crop Natural Mineral Pressed Bronzer in Solaire for a hint of contouring, and my lips were David Jones Moisture Cream Lipstick in Terracotta...

And here's the jewellery I put together to complete the outfit...

I reckon terracotta and grey are a beaut team for Autumn, and I've no doubt you'll be seeing these two together a lot more often up here, in one form or another.,,

What's your feeling about silvers and greys - do you think they're boring?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Grey & Raspberry...

Gaaaaaahhhh - four days without posting something? This day job just has to go! Sadly the absolute delight of a long weekend is always tarnished by the return to the office, and trying to cram five days work into four. Here's the somewhat subdued eye look that got me through Tuesday, but I livened up the whole thing with raspberry lips and matching trousers.. .

Base was MNY Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt, overlaid with asap pure mineral colour eye shadow in shade eight, and the pinky shade on the outer half is raspberry from the L.A.Colors Wildflowers palette...

Added a touch of MUA matte #20 in the crease, the waterline is bhcosmetics waterproof crayon in Frost, and cheeks courtesy of the first shade in the BYS On The Bright Side palette ...

Lips were Revlon Sugar Plum with a topping of Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine #41...

Hope your short week was a good one ♥

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Apricot and Grey...

I just love it when I have a plan for an EOTD, and then chance (or a major stuff up) turns it into something that I hadn't necessarily planned, but it works out ok in the end ha ha! Well this is precisely what happened the other morning. Apricot and grey is not a combo I would have thought would work (that's if I'd thought of it at all!) but hey, I think it's quite unique, and has a special quality about it...

So I started with Maybelline Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy - it has a matte finish, is quite thick and dry, and I don't find it as creamy or easy to apply as the bronze, white, silver or gold. But the base it provides for any shadow in the orange sector of the spectrum is brilliant - it really enhances the colour by adding dimension and depth that would normally take major layering to achieve...

Over this I patted down the apricot pigment from the MNY Bronze Hyperdiamonds palette, and took it underneath as well - it's the little triangle on the right in the below pics. A gorgeous shimmery tone that packs a shimmery punch. Then I deepened the outer corners with the bronzey shade on the left. As you can see these two particular pans are exceptionally well loved :-)

No flash...................................................................flash

Then for some reason or other (probably half asleep lol) I forgot to clean up my waterline with a cotton bud, and there was quite a bit of leftover black liner that had transferred from the top lid after tightlining. This is unheard of for me as I'm normally scrupulous with my cleanup before proceeding to the next step. Anyway without even thinking, I applied my essence white kajal over the top, and ended up with...grey. I was going to wipe it all off and start again, but the more I looked at it, the better I liked the contrast with the apricot...

I actually don't have a grey crayon for my waterline, or anywhere for that matter - it's not something I'd ever thought about purchasing as I'd dismissed the shade as way to dull. But I'm LOVING this combo of pastel orange and grey! 

Have you ever done a make up goof that turned out to be a bonus?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: ASAP Grey...

Recently I had the good fortune of winning an ASAP Pure Mineral Make-up set from a beautyheaven comp, and included in the kit was a very pretty dove grey Mineral Eye Colour. Initially I was a wee bit disappointed by it's performance on bare skin (very sheer), but was determined to make it work, and here it is in all it's glory! I used a thin layer of MNY Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt as a base, and that's all it needed to show just how silvery soft and gorgeous it is :-

Such a delicate grey with a teeny bit of sparkle, lasted all day as well. I have so few greys in my collection, but who cares when I have this little number, number 8 actually!

To create this look I used the following items:

bhcosmetics black liquid liner

MNY Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt all over the top lid

White from the SAVVY Smoky Palette along the top lashline

ASAP Pure Mineral Eye Colour #8 over the rest & underneath

Black from the bhcosmetics Take Me To Brazil palette in the crease

MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner on the lower lashline

bhcosmetics Waterproof Eyeliner in Huntress on the waterline

MUA matte beige on the hood

MNY The Falsies waterproof mascara

I've always thought of grey eye shadow as a bit dreary, and certainly not anything I could get excited about, but this one shadow has singlehandedly changed my opinion - it's strikes me as being both mysterious and elegant, and I still can't get over the fact that I can load up my brush, pat it onto the base, and there is NO fallout.

How do you feel about grey eye shadow? Is it a hue you wear often, rarely, or not at all?

Take care of you,

kats xxx