Sorry!

I just wanted to say sorry as I won't be posting from now till the seventh of January! Hope you have a great Christmas and a happy new year!

Confessions and Truths

Hi guys!
You may have noticed, but most of you don't know anything about me other than my name. Which kinda sucks. So this post will tell you more about me. Yay!

What age are you?
I won't tell you my exact age but I am around my young teens. I am kinda scared of telling you this as I think it will affect the way you think of me as you probably think now that I don't really now anything about make-up, when I actually know quite a bit for my age and I can't wait to show you what i've been raving and learning about in the years to come about make-up.

Why do you love make-up?
Because it makes me feel more confident about my face and it really interests me.

What are your ambitions in life? What do you want to be when you're older?
Either a catwalk make-up artist (my creative side) or something to do with space and minerals (my scientific, academic side). I am so messed up!

What are your favourite subjects?
Science and art!

What are your hobbies?
Dancing and....make-up! Duh!

Who are your favourite make-up gurus?
Zoella, FleurdeForce, Sprinkle of Glitter, Stilababe09, Tanya Burr, Beauty Crush, Amarixe, MissGlamorazzi, Michelle Phan and Essiebutton, Lisa Eldridge, Vivianna Does Make-up and Ugly face of beauty. Those are just a few youtubers I watch!

What is your favourite make-up brand?
Topshop and Kiko!

When is my birthday?
4th of December.

What is your favourite clothing brand?
Topshop, Zara and H and M. Primark ain't that bad either!

Boots or Superdrug?
Boots, more variety. Even though Superdrug has better prices.

What's on your wishlist right now?
Mac Lipstick in Lady Danger!

What is my favourite colour?
Green and orange.

What is my favourite animal?
Otters!

What is my favourite chocolate bar?
Yorkie and Snickers and Mars and Bounty!

What is my favourite sweet?
Maoams.

What is my favourite magazine?
Company.

What book are you reading at the moment?
Uglies by Scott Westerfield?

What genre of movies do you love/hate?
I love comedies but hate rom coms.

Here is a picture of me so that you have an idea of what I look like! Duck face!

Duck face is the way! 

That's it for now! I hope that has helped you know a little bit more about me and if you have any other questions you can always ask me through twitter or in the comment section!
Chiara xx

NOTD: Unintentional Baroque Nails

Hi guys!
I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging that much these days but that is because I have been really busy with school, birthdays and friends. (Which I am sure you all understand) and I am sorry that I have been blogging about stuff that isn't that interesting but I can guarantee that in these next days and after Christmas the quality of blogging will be much better. (especially since I will be doing a confession post where you will get to know more about me! ;)

sorry for the rubbish picture and cuticles, just concentrate the colour (if you can see it properly)

Moving on to the actual blogging, I was doing my nails with my friends and I decided to go for a dark green colour which I thought was kinda festive, right? But then I looked at my Andrea Fulerton Gold nail polish from the 'dancing queen' trio layering nail polishes they do, and I knew that was going on my nails from the second I glanced at it. It is so festive and beautiful and I thought it would add a touch of a glamourous Christmas feeling to my nails. But then I realised my nails looked a bit baroque styled, and I really liked it!

that's kinda the pattern, yet again crap quality

So there you have it, my unintentional baroque styled nails.
Are you rocking festive nails?
Chiara xx

Beauty Water? Review: Caudalie Eau De Beaute Beauty Elixir

Hi guys!
I am sorry I have been a bit late on my blog posts but that was because I was In paris for my birthday and I didn't really have that much time to write but I will be doing a Birthday/Paris haul soon and as I couldn't wait, I am going to talk about the first thing I got in Paris which was the Caudalie Eau de Baute beauty elixir.

sorry for crap picture, as said in earlier posts the lighting is terrible and so I added a Christmas bow to cheer you guys up! :)

Now, you may be asking, what is a beauty elixir. I don't really know. I think you can use them for different reasons according to what you find most comfortable. I like to use this as a make-up setter, more on that later. Some people use them as toner, some just to refreshen the face.

So the description says that a beautifying water that evens out the skin and brightens. It does all of that. The only problem is that when I put it on without makeup it brightened my skin but also brought out my imperfections and I thought my blemishes were a bit redder, which I don't want. I thought that this was, though, great at keeping the make-up put. I have seen a great difference in the days I have worn this and when I come back from school, my make-up is so flawless, I don't need to touch up. This makes my makeup last forever and it also gives that dewy finish to the skin that I love as the foundation absorbs the moisture.

I also wanted to note that it smells amazing as it is full of essential oils like grape, orange blossom, rose, balm mint and rosemary (? I really can't smell the rosemary though). When I put this on I feel refreshed and clean and brightened.

Overall, go get it!
Do you use this kind of stuff?
If you do let me know in the description box or on Twitter @Aphrodi23905920
Chiara xx

Christmas Candles: Cinnamon and Cloves

Hello guys!

So lately I have been getting into the Christmas and have already put up all of my decorations- including trees! So when I got given this candle for my birthday on tuesday I couldn't help being super duper excited. 

This candle smells very strongly of cinnamon and cloves (slightly too strong for my nose) and I love keeping this candle on and not actually light it as it fills the room with the scent even when not lighted. 

The candle has three wicks which don't really make that horrible black gas (not that I have noticed anyway since I have only used this once) and overall it fills my rooms of Christmas scents and it is by SLATKIN and Co (it came from a friend in america in Bath and Body Works which I have never been to and would love to go sometime!)

What candles are you sniffing these days?

Have you put your decorations up yet?

Chiara xx

NOTD: It's Snowing!

Hi guys!
Now, it isn't actually snowing in London (which is a bit sad...) so instead I painted it on my nails, my way. (Which is way easier).

As it is only the 1st, I didn't want to go for full on Christmas nails. YET. I want to start simple and end up with a different Christmas design on each nail. I used one of the new Barry M Gelly Nail Effects. There isn't really any effect except for the fact it is very glossy by itself. I then sprinkled my nails with some very fine silver glitters that look like a rainbow on my nails. My inspiration was snow in the sky, so this is my easy way if doing it. This is the first time I have tried this polish from Barry M so I am still not quite sure how long it lasts but after two days it chips so it isn't the best quality nail polish ever. This look is also great for all you ladies (or men, who knows?) that like to wear brights instead of darks. This bright blue with a lavender undertone is perfect for you! Oh yeah! 

What nails are you rocking?

Are they Christmass-y?

Chiara xx

Make-up Review: Mac Marilyn Monroe Blush in The Perfect Cheek

Hi guys!
Mac came out with this new Marilyn Monroe collection and it is so gorgeous. I think Marilyn is just mazing and her story is so sad so when this collection came out, I just had to get something. So after examining the collection I settled for the powder blush in The Perfect Cheek, which is truly perfect.

Starting with the casing, it features a picture of Marilyn Monroe on it, which is really cute, from one of her shows and it is so simple and great to take around and throw in your purse. When you think of Marilyn Monroe, you think of showgirls, seduction and Chanel No. 5, but this collection takes a more neutral take on Marilyn by including many nudes, whites and simple colours that look great on everyone. They kept the glosses, blushes and nails quite neutral, but they had to obviously include the red lip and the signature Marilyn eyeliner. We can definitely say that this look is a success, and that it is truly amazing, in fact nearly everything on the website is sold out.

The product I picked up is the blush, and it is BEAUTIFUL! The colour is hard to describe, but I am going to say it is a dusky peach colour, it is a pink colour with a bit of a yellow undertone to it, and it is matte so there is no way that you will look like a disco ball. The name fits the blush perfectly as it gives just the right flush of colour you need to look healthy and not like a pale vampire. It goes on so smoothly and feels like satin on the skin. I personally prefer these type of powder blushes as they make people look so pretty and natural. Overall all the collections from Mac that have just come out are very neutral and gorgeous and definitely worth getting.

What do you think of this collection?
Are you in love as much as I am?
Chiara xx
P.S you can finally follow this blog on Bloglovin, just click the blue button that says follow this blog with Bloglovin, easy!

Make-up look obsession: Neutral Cat Eye

Hi guys,
be prepared, as as soon it becomes December the 1st, the Christmas blog post are going to start, and never end till January the 6th so as I didn't want to overload you guys with too much Christmas spirit in November, this blog post will try not to include too many festive words and will be about the eye I am rocking these days: the neutral cat eye.

This look is quite new as I don't usually go for a cat eye and i don't usually go for browns and neutrals on my eyes as I love to experiment with bright colours on my eyes rather than my lips. Recently I have been surfing Youtube and reading blogs and I suddenly realised how many people wore neutral looks which instantly made me want to wear it. Most of the time I just line the water line but I find that the cat eye makes my huge eyes more elongated and normal size and gives that gorgeous daring look that you don't achieve easily with these colours. I love the contrast of my bright blue eye with the brown and I think it actually suits me, when I would never initially go for  brown colours. I tend to pair this with my Burberry lip Glow in Vintage Gold as it picks up the gold flecks in my eyes or a dark lip gloss, as dark lipstick may be too harsh as there is already a lot of brown going on. 

I lined my water line with a chestnut colour eyeliner, used a simple cream off-white base for my eye, defined my crease with a mink colour, used a gradient pattern on my top lash line by starting at the inner corner with a chestnut, moving on to a brown and ending with a dark wood colour. On the lower lash line I applied a gold bronze colour and brought some of the dark wood colour just at the corner of my eye. 

Overall, I will experiment a bit more with neutrals!

Do you wear neutrals a lot?

Do you like to try different looks once in a while?

Chiara xx

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Make-up review: Burberry Lip Glow in Vintage Gold

 Hello guys!
I am suddenly getting into the Christmas mood and lately I love this lipgloss which is also the perfect gift for Christmas. It is Burberry Lip Glow in Vintage Gold. The name appeals to me so much! I really like Burberry products, so it WILL be a recurring brand!

The colour is very sheer as it is a lip glow, so it doesn't actually come out gold on the lips. Not that crazy! I can't even start explaining how festive and beautiful this colour is. It is a gold with copper and rust undertones to it, so it is a darker gold and has fine gold shimmer running through it which makes your lips look more glossy than sparkly, so it is a really wearable glitter. As it is so sheer, it just complements the natural peach-y pink of your lips and makes them look glowing and much more attractive.  

Another good thing about this gloss is that the wand is AMAZING! Most of the time I really dislike the wands you get in lip glosses as they are either too big or a weird shape, not mentioning any names..... *cough L'Oreal cough* But this one is just perfect! The gloss glides on my lips so easily with one stroke and the wand is the a really good average size brush that fits all lips. When wands are too big, I get gloss all over the sides of my mouth which is very unattractive.

The finish is also really good and is a very natural, go-to gloss that I feel suits everyone and makes the lips ever so slightly darker and bring out the natural pink of my lips. This also goes really well with lipstick underneath. I recommend a bright pink or a peach shade. You could also dab this in the centre of a red lip and make it really festive and Christmassy.  It isn't extremely sticky and feels good on the lips.

The packaging  is so, so so gorgeous with the signature check lid and BURBERRY imprinted on the side of the bottle. Who couldn't not stop staring at this cute little bottle as they apply this rusty nude onto their lips. Gorgeous.

Overall, 9 out of 10 for packaging, 9 out of ten for finish and 9 out of ten for colour. As this are sheer I didn't write about the pigmentation. They also taste and smell of nothing, in case you wanted to know and so far it has not irritated my lips. It is limited edition and priced at £19 pounds, which is pricey but completely worth it. Normal unlimited glosses are £18.50 and are also very pretty.

Have you tried Burberry lip glow?

What do you think of these festive colours that I am sporting?

Chiara xx

P.S This shade is number 18

Hand product review: L' Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Hi!

Now, as you may see this is a bit of a different blog post as it is not make-up. :( In fact it is a hand cream and I have been wanting to review this for a while but I thought now that the weather is so horrible and cold this would be better for many people with dry skin around this time and it is also a good idea for a gift for Christmas.

This cream is amazing for this weather as it is very thick and very moisturizing which I feel does much better than my usual Nivea Soft cream which is slightly lighter and doesn't really give me the satisfaction this cream does. Now, when I say thick I mean thick. This must be the thickest cream that I own (I don't own that many creams) and surprisingly doesn't leave that much of a residue. Sometimes I hate when I put on a cream but it takes me forever to rub in and absorb into the skin, especially when I am just about to do something, like picking up a glass of water. Before you know it, it's on the floor and has smashed and there are pieces of glass everywhere. :( However this cream absorbs into the skin nicely. Once you have put this cream on, your hands do feel very soft for a long time. I tend to put it on just before I go to bed and the next day my hands are still really soft after lunch, which is great. 

The smell is quite strong and as you can imagine it smells of shea butter. I don't really like the scent as much as I like the cream but I can definitely put up with it on my hands. It isn't that disgusting! If you like the smell of shea then this is the hand cream for you as the smell is very strong as it does have 20% shea butter in it.

Overall, I really like this product as it does the job for my hands and it is priced at £8 pounds for the travel one (30 ml, which I have) or around £18 pounds for the full size which is 150ml. As I said before, this does make the perfect gift for anyone!
What do you use on your hands in this weather?
What are you giving your relatives this Christmas?
Chiara xx

Make-up review: Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Pearl Grey

Hello!
A lot of you guys seemed to have liked reading my Chanel blog post in confront to others, so I have gone for another luxury brand, Burberry! Burberry has done a make-up line and I have tried a few of their products and so far I really like them, so today I have thought of doing a more winter-y colour eyeshadow as it will be of much more use than a bright turquoise eyeshadow as I can imagine that right now we are all heading for our darker colours.

                                       

I am going to start by saying that the packaging for Burberry is just so glamorous and luxurious, like the brand itself and it has a metal casing that closes with a magnet meaning that it will stay closed and it has the signature check on the casing. When I look at this eye shadow it makes me feel glamorous! The packaging comes with a brush and a full sized mirror.

 The actual eyeshadow is really plain grey which has a bit of shimmer when applied to the eye which describes the reason of it being called PEARL Grey. This colour is very pigmented for being a sheer eye shadow and doesn't need a lot of powder to get the grey shown in the packaging as I sometimes find when you buy an eye shadow, it isn't very pigmented and looks very different to what you think you are putting on your eyes, which is terrible if you have paid a lot of money for that eyeshadow This eye shadow is completely different to those kinds and it shows up on your eyes really well. Bonus point: the actual eyeshadow has the check imprinted on it, which is adorable! This colour is perfect for these dark days and can be used for simple smokey eyes to extravagant night out. The eyeshadow glides on the eyes so smoothly and lasts so much (I had it on when I went out to an exhibition and when I came back home it was still there, which was around 3-4 hours of walking, meaning this lasts a LONG time). Overall I love the finish of this shadow!

These eyeshadows are priced at £22.50 which is QUITE expensive but it is worth it. The actual range of Burberry eyeshadow is gorgeous and are very wearable, neutral colours that are on-trend and suitable for everyone and this eyeshadow is just a really wearable winter colour that matches the weather as right now the days are a bit grey. :( Overall for Colour 9.5, Packaging 10 and Pigmentation 8!
Have you ever tried Burberry make-up?
What make-up are you wearing in these days?
Chiara xx

Make-up review: Sleek i-Divine Shangri-La Collection Respect Palette

Me again!
So, these days I have been blabbing on and on all about sunset shades because I love them so much, so here is an apology. BUT..... this product that I am going to review couldn't wait. One because it is limited and two, because it is flipping amazing! And it is Sleek i-Divine Shangri-La Collection Respect Palette. I wasn't entirely sure on the name as there is so much stuff written on the box so that is what I am going to call it for now.

For starters, I am kind of angry because I actually had to buy this in a different country. I have always wanted to try Sleek products as they are apparently really good but I have never seen a Sleek counter or  'shop' anywhere in London. I bought this palette in Sephora in Italy, which I was really happy to have found it but now I need to wait until I go back to Italy so I can get another Sleek product, which sucks! If anyone knows where they sell Sleek please let me now in the comment box, or twitter as I have been looking in Superdrugs and Boots and I simply can't find it.

Moving on to the actual product, as I said earlier, I love it! The colours are very pigmented and the palette contains a variety of both matte and slight shimmery colours. I have decided that I will review each colour so here it goes:

• Gladys White- I love to use this in the inner corner of my eye as it is a really good colour for highlighting and brightening the eye
• James Brown- This dark brown is really pretty. In the box it looks slightly shimmery but it comes out more matt on the eye, meaning that it loses some shimmer. I prefer matt eyeshadow, but it might not appeal to some if you'd rather shimmer. 
• Shalamar- This matt colour is really hard to explain, so I'm going to go ahead and say that it is a peach apricot skin colour that has slight pink and brown undertones to it. This colour is really natural and I like to sweep it all over the eyelid.
• Count Basi Beige- This creamy beige colour is again very natural and matt.
• Aretha Orange- This is where the sunset fun starts. This bright, ever so slightly shimmery orange is very pigmented, and a little goes along way to get the really bright colour. 
• Otis Red- Yet again, another very pigmented bright colour, but this time red. With these bright colours I like starting from the inner corners of my eye, and make it darker as I go along the lash line so it starts white and ends black.
• Roberta Black- This is one of the most intense blacks I have ever used. Gorgeous.
• Vandellas- This intense purple is probably my favourite colour in this palette and it is probably the most pigmented one alongside the black colour.
• Cameo Cream- This off-white is probably useless in this palette as it technically has the same finish as the white, but yet again this matte is natural and simple.
• Motown Mink- This mink joins the natural club as it is a really soft mink with hints of grey.
• O'Jays- This is my second favourite as it is so pretty. It is the most shimmery copper colour in the palette with orange undertone and gold flecks, which do come up in the eye and aren't lost. I love to use this in the centre of my eye to brighten it when I am using dark colours to add a pop of bright shimmer.
• New Jack Pink- This super bright pink is also quite pigmented and adds brightness to these glum days. I actually sometimes use it as a blush on days when I feel crazy. :)

The palette comes with a two sided brush that you usually get in palettes and a full sized mirror, and by that I mean the whole inside part of the palette which is not eyeshadow is mirror, which is really comfortable for touching up or putting on make-up. The only problem is that as the actual casing is matt black plastic and gets dirty with your fingertips quite easily. Overall though it is an amazing palette which fits into right now's on-trend colours, so hurry and grab one now before they are discontinued! 

Colours 8, Pigmentation 9.5 and overall.. 9 out of 10! 

What do you think of Sleek?

Do you know where to get it in London?

Chiara xx

Make-up review: Chanel Le Vernis in Frenzy

Hello!
As you can see from the title, Chanel is coming to blog, and not just any Chanel, nail polish Chanel(and as it is so luxurious, instead of writing nail polish I wrote it in french!). I can imagine your faces as I am about to talk about one of the most on-trend nail polishes/colours this season which is none other than the gorgeous Frenzy (559).

Let's start by explaining the colour, and bare with me as it is really hard to explain.  Most of you will see it as a nude, some as a light brown-ish cashmere, some of you as a nude-y rose-y dusk or a grey-ish light taupe. I see it as a mixture of all four, making it such an elegant, feminine nail polish worth the money. 

This nail polish is suitable for most ages, but knowing that girls now-adays are more into brights, this polish might suit the young adults/adults group. But, may I warn you, this colour is one of the most famous this A/W so you better have a similar one to stay fashionable. If your persistent about brights, oxblood is also on-trend, a dark bright red wine (if you get what I mean!).

The finish is so shiny and glossy and surprisingly the nail polish lasts for a week without chipping (with a top coat), so the saying is right, you get what you pay for. Talking about prices, these polishes are around £18 which personally I don't think is that bad for Chanel if we are being honest. Another pleasant surprise I found was that it dried really quickly! It doesn't say anything about drying time on the bottle but when I put on my nail so I could take a picture for you guys, I waited a minute and by the time I started typing, which was a minute after applying, that nail was completely dry! 1 point to Chanel!

(it is really dark these days :( so the colour didn't really come up in camera)

The bottle is probably one of the most gorgeous bottles in the nail polish industry, even though the cap you get on top of the polish is really confusing. Even the box you get it in is to die for! The only down side of this nail polish is that it needs around 2-3 coats to get an opaque colour if not it is in between a sheer and opaque colour.

Overall, 10 for the colour, 10 for the bottle and 9 for the finish. Chanel, you've done well. I'm very impressed. I am really curious if there is a price difference in France as I am going there soon! Let me know! You can tell me at @Aphrodi23905920 on Twitter or leave a comment below! If you like how I write, follow this blog! :)
What do you think of these seasons colours?
Is Frenzy on your Christmas list now?
Chiara xx

Make up trend- Sunset shades!

Hello!

So, new makeup trend.... Sunset shades! Sunset shades are very popular this A/W 2012/2013 and I wanted to mention a bit more and a few products that you can use to perfect the look.

How do I know about sunset shades?

Well.... I am a geek, and in ELLE I read all about sunset lips and eyes and the catwalks that feature this look.

What brands rocked this look in the catwalks?

The main brands are Giorgio Armani, Narciso Rodriguez and Prada, even though many other brands like Dennis Basso and Zac Posen have been sporting these shades.

(Giorgio Armani)

What products do I recommend?

I really recommend the new Limited edition Sleek palettes in the Shangri-La collection. I have the respect one which has colours from black to plum to bright punk-y pink to oranges to red and to coppers which are the colours of this season, even though they may sound bright to you. Max Factor Flipstick in Gipsy Red is also the perfect red coral to add to your look.

How do I wear it?

By simply creating a winged liner look using your sunset-y eyeshadow you are already making a statement, and bright orange lips, like Topshop's lipstick in Infrared, add instant trend to your look. By pairing a nude lipstick, your look is muted down and more wearable. Girls...DARE! Bright colours may scare some of you or may make you think that your eye looks irritated. Sunset shades may be the ones for you! Ombre nails can also make your A/W look more... in-style! 

So.... what do you think of this questionnaire type post?

Do you love sunset shades as much as I do?

Chiara xx

NOTD: Halloween french

Hello guys!

So...I don't know you but I am getting more excited about Halloween by the day and so I thought of doing a french manicure, but with orange and black, which I find is a really cool alternative to the boring old french (no offence). This look is so easy to do and there are many ways you can try this at home if you do not have a black striper. Mine broke so I was a bit stuck on how to make this work as the first time I tried this I failed miserably! I then thought, why not use a paintbrush. That's right. I took a really old small paintbrush that was thin enough to perform a neat small straight line on the nails. A tip: rotate the nails whilst doing the black line as it will give you a neater line instead of trying to move the paintbrush along. Once I was done with the brush, I dipped it in nail polish remover and now I only am going to use it for nails!  So this is the overall look:

I really like it and think it is a more classic spin on Halloween nail art as nowadays all I tend to see are spiders and zombies on nails, which not only I am not very good at doing, but find that after a while are really unoriginal.

How are you going to paint your nails this Halloween?

Is it even related to this occasion?

Hope you enjoyed this post and subscribe if you haven't already.

Also follow this blog on twitter at @Aphrodi23905920. I only started the other day so it's a bit.... boring for now! I will also post whenever I do a new blog post so that you can keep yourself informed on twitter!

Chiara xx

NOTD (Nail Of The Day): Autumn Nails

Hi guys! 

Recently, I have been going all autumnal this month and have started changing my make-up and clothes to really nice fall colours. The other day I decided to paint my nails and naturally I went for these kind of colours:

I personally think that this manicure contains all the autumn colours possible. As the base I have three different berry colours and on top I have a glitter topcoat containing green-ish and yellow-ish tones that remind me of leaves falling. All the nail polishes used are from KIKO!
What do you think of these autumnal colours?
Are you going crazy as well?
Hope you like this nail look, and please subscribe if you haven't yet! :)
Chiara xx

Make-up- How to do: Bicolour Lip!

Hello there!
So, I thought instead of doing another review, I thought of maybe writing about some ideas for different make-up looks that you can maybe try out or use this Halloween! Who knows! So as I felt like doing a lip look I went and tried out Bicolour Lips, which is when you have two different colour on your lips. This look is really easy to do and I recommend it for these cold seasons as it is a bold look that uses really nice dark colours.

So...this is it!

So as you can see, I went for a dark red look as it fits in nicely into autumn and Halloween as it looks like blood stained lips. To do this look all you really need is:

1 dark plum  lip liner

1 red lip liner

1 dark plum lipstick

1 red lipstick

First of all draw you lips using the liners. Do that by filling the top part of your top lip and the bottom part of your bottom lip with the plum liner. Then  fill in the rest of you lips with the red liner. By doing so your lipstick will last longer and it gives you a good guideline to where to apply the lipstick. Then using the dark lipstick first, just apply over the plum liner. Then, as you probably guessed, you apply the red lipstick to the red area. Then press the lips together to blend the two colours together to give a bit of a gradient and your done! You can alternate this looks to many levels by just changing the colours or invert them by having the light colour meet the dark colour in the centre of the lips. If you like to dress up, why not alternate this look by having gold outer lips and red in the centre, or use a coloured eyeliner to make a bold statement that you could use if you are going to a costume party!

Hope you enjoy this lip look as much as I do and please subscribe to Aphrodite and make me smile! What colour combinations can you think of, and will you try any of them? 

Chiara xx

Make-up review: KIKO Super Colour Mascara + Swatches

Hello everybody!!
Coloured mascara. Already those words may frighten some of you as to the fact of having bright blue eyelashes. But I have found my favourite coloured mascara and today I am writing about them to you. And they are (drumroll please).... KIKO's Super colour mascara!

(from top to bottom:02, 05, 03)

Now, may I start by saying that they certainly do not lie when they say these are SUPER COLOUR mascara. These are one of my favourite mascaras as the colour shows up so vividly which adds a youthful yet smart look to your eye make-up and can instantly make a boring black smokey so much more playful.

I own the mascara in shades 02, 03 and 05, which are blue, green and plum,  and I can definitely say that I wear them much more than my usual black mascara as I feel they complete the look and add a more artistic spin on my usual plain black/brown eyeliner. 

These mascaras are very pigmented and surprisingly add a lot of volume to the lashes. I used to not buy coloured mascara as I was never satisfied with the finished look as it didn't make my lashes longer or add any volume, and most of the time they were not very pigmented leaving me with an empty pocket and crap mascara, so when I saw KIKO coming out with these mascaras, I was curious as KIKO is one of my favourite brand but I managed to resist spending more money. I was very excited when a cousin of mine (my cousins spoil me :D) got me the blue one, and since then I can't stop wearing it. They make my lashes so big and curled and opened my eyes after applying it a few times. I was so pleased and I think that you get really good quality for what you pay (Which is £5.90 (a bit over my money spending rule but worth it!)).

Okay, as I said in the introduction, coloured mascara may scare you as they scared me when I first thought of having brightly coloured mascara, but there are ways that you can tone the colour down. It is a technique that I saw in a Rimmel advert called colour popping, when you apply a colour on top of another which changes the colour underneath. Lately, I have decided to try it with my mascaras, I would apply black mascara and then layer on top a bright coloured one, which makes the finished look a more wearable and dark version of the naturally bright lashes. Personally I prefer having really dramatic lashes but if you too are more normal than me, try that option instead. 

Unfortunately, this mascara is no Rimmel Scandal eyes, and the wand is much smaller meaning that it doesn't coat all lashes in one go, like my gorgeous Scandal Eye. This means that if you want all lashes green or blue or whatever colour you want you have to go for 2-3 coats to get every single lash.

(It doesn't really show up in camera, but on my right eye I am wearing 02(blue) and on my left 03(green))

Overall, I really enjoy this mascara and can't wait to try it with new make-up looks! Sometimes I even tend to just wear it on it's own and let the lashes do the talking! If you enjoy my blog posts, please follow my blog as it makes my day, just click on subscribe to Aphrodite! Thanks:)
Hope you enjoyed this post!

Make-up review: Stila eyeshadow in pigalle

Hey guys!
In this autumnal season I have been recently enjoying this old eyeshadow I own which is Stila eyeshadow in the gorgeous shade pigalle. (not sure how to say that!)

(They are priced at £12 each)

As you can see the shade of this eyeshadow is a dark plummy burgundy which I find is perfect for fall as I have figured out that khakis, burgundies, reds and plums shades are key to this season and this eyeshadow falls right into that category. For a start I can say that the packaging is very cute. I do not know why, but I find their new metal casing are very useful and unfortunately I own an old version of this eyeshadow, which is in a cardboard box which, as you can imagine, gets very dirty and tattered in very short amount of time. BUT.... they have changed that now, so if you want it, it is much more comfortable to have and it is small so easy to travel with.

The shadow itself is quite good. That's all I can really say. It is not amazing in the way that I love it and want to buy every other shade in this brand as it is so gorgeous but it also isn't disgusting. The ONLY problem I have with it is that I find that it isn't very pigmented, so if you do want extremely pigmented eyes, these eyeshadows are more for the blending, not for pigment. It has really pretty gold fine glitters in the shadow which I think makes your natural eye colour stand out more. It also catches the light. You could use this to make a gorgeous smouldering smokey eye with plum and burgundy shades and apply it to the crease giving the eye definition, or you could apply it at the lash line as an alternative smokey liner, or even by itself for extra drama! I think that if you wear this kind of shade, though, you should pair it with a nude lip as you want this colour to be the star of the show. I reccomend the new Topshop lipstick in Fawn (£9) by their new collection, the dark side of nude, which is really pretty.

Overall I can say that I like this eyeshadow, I like the overall finish, I love it for a very fall/autumn smokey eye but it isn't unfortunately very pigmented, which could cause a problem to some people.

Have you tried Stila before?
What do you think of this eyeshadow/ shade?
Hope you enjoyed this post! :)

Make-up review: Barry M lip paint!

Hey everybody,
you may have noticed, but I have a slight obsession over make-up. Barry M make-up. So whenever I am in Boots or Superdrug or whatever, and there is an offer, I always buy something and over the months I have bought and tried their lip paints, and I can say I am very satisfied.

(From left to right:53,100,154 and 153)

I own 4 Barry M lip paints (not including the one I bought last week from their new collection) and always seem to be wearing them. I own them in the various colours: 100(which is a very light baby pink), 53(a coral peach coloured lipstick with a pearled effect), 153( a bright fuchsia) and 154( a gorgeous peachy pale nude). For a start these lipsticks last for ever. Most lipsticks I tend to wear that are not Barry M after I have had one glass of water, are gone and stuck to my glass. UGH.... But these ones literally stick to the lips (clue in the name) as they should, and last a few hours before touching up which is great if you are out for a few hours with friends or something.

53, perfect for a toned down bright look

100, childish, innocent, pure, feminine look

154, great for any occasion, formal event or casual going out

153(It got smashed :( boohoo), perfect for bright, teen look

The colour comes onto the lips quite nicely, but I find with the lighter colours I need to pass on the lips a few times to get the perfect colours, whereas the brighter ones are so bright on the lips, I need to be careful about how I put them on. I'm not really keen on looking like a smudgy duck. They are quite dry, surprisingly, when on the lips, (noting they are so creamy whilst being applied), and not very moisturising but you can just fix that with a lip balm really. They are very pigmented, very pretty and the packaging is quite small making them very comfortable for when you are on the go. They look amazing with lip gloss on top and can be used for any occasion, dressed up or down!

Hope you enjoyed this post :)

Make-up review: Gilly hicks lipgloss

Hey everybody,

today, as it says in the title, I will be doing a review on Gilly Hicks's lipgloss. When I first bought this lipgloss I thought, no way I am buying a lipgloss that is seven pounds. I have this policy that I dont spend less than 2 pounds and more than five pounds, so I thought seven pounds is a bit pricey. Luckily, my cousin bought it for me. :)

I have the lipgloss in raw sugar, which is a really light nude pink that comes out transparent on the lips with silver glitters that are really pretty. The first thing I want to point out is the smell and taste...... This lipgloss smells A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. A clue is in the name. It literally smells of candy floss and taste like sugar. I honestly want to eat this lipgloss, and all the other colours in the range also smell and taste amazing (I think the green one is really nice- crunchy apple-mmmmh). These lipglosses are also very -for a lack of a better word- glossy. They look really shiny on the lips and really catch the light, especially with the glitters in the gloss. They are quite sticky, which I personally prefer in a lipgloss, and it stays on for ages. It looks very natural by itself and even prettier on top of lipstick. This lipgloss goes with everything really.

Overall I reallly enjoy this lipstick and find the packaging really pretty. It is available in:

• Mint leaf
• Raw sugar <3
• Grenadine
• Lemon drop
• Strawberry
• Passion fruit
• Peach crisp
• Tropical tart
• Crunchy apple
• Sweet mojito
• Citrus cream
• Wild Blueberry

I don't know why I really like the names of these glosses.

Hope you enjoy this post:)

Makeup review: natural collection eyehsadow and Barry M and Topshop mini-haul

Hey everybody,
today I will be doing a review about natural collection's duo eyeshadow in Mocha/Latte.

Okay, I know what most of you are thinking. Natural collection isn't top in the make-up market, but I was very surprised (in a good way) with this eyeshadow.This eyeshadow is made up of two colours, a milky off-white colour and a brown chocolate colour. They are both amazing. They are reaaly pigmented in colours and are soft to the touch, so will be applied with ease. They are also perfect for a natural smokey eye, or just if you do not want to make so much for an effort in your make-up. They blend very well and the packaging is very small, allowing you to be able to carry it in your purse, and being pressed, it will not spill all over you things. Even better, it's natural and very cheap, the price being around one or two pounds! They are also 3 for 2 in boots right now and there are four different types of these duo eyeshadow.

 

I also wanted to mention of the Barry M  and Topshop make-up mini-haul I had this week-end. I bought one of the new Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip paint in 160. This cost £4.49.

I know it looks very dark, but it comes out like deep rich plummy purple that really suits my fair skin. I will do a more profound reviw on this in a few weeks. I also bought Barry M bold watreproof eyeliner in silver(£3.99) and their new gelly nail polish in blueberry (£3.99) (I will also do a review on this). Already having the eyeliner in bronze I can say that they are super soft and just glide on the eye, even though they tend to come off if you touch your eye or rub it after you just applied it.

 

 

 I also bought Topshop lipstick in Infrared (£8) and their blush in neon rose(£6). Infrared is a bright dark orange whereas neon rose is a gentle soft pink that brings a nice flush of colour to your cheeks.

 

Hope you enjoyed this post:)

Chiara

 

Fashion favourites: Baroque!

Hey everybody, 
so as you can see written in the title today I will be doing a post of one of the many styles that have been going on this A/W, Baroque! 

I guess you could say that I thought that Dolce Gabbana and Salvatore Ferragamo started the baroque craze. This A/W is all about golden embroidery, bold jewellery, regal styling, ornaments, crafts and so much more. The colours are very royal: red, gold and black conquers this look! 

(Dolce Gabbana Winter 2012)

Another thing that is common in baroque fashion is flower-y prints. It makes the whole outfit seem like a painting that came right out the sixteenth century! Lace is a must in baroque, so if you are thinking of pulling this look off, search for some lace-y item to make your look more regal. Furs are another must, complete the look with a fake fur coat (save the animals!) and you are done and ready to go.

(salvatore ferragamo winter 2012)

Salvatore Ferragamo took a more womanly spin on the baroque fashion with less ornaments but more prints. It uses gorgeous colours like greys, burgundy's and cream to make a statement in this fashion style. 

Get the style now for cheaper!

Topshop Chinoiserie jacquard Cigarette style trousers-£45

Topshop Tall Bonded lace peplum top-£28

Topshop heart stretch bracelet-£8.50

Zara baroque printed T-shirt-£17.99

River Island red tapestry satchel-£35

River Island  grey baroque MTV tank top-£22

Urban Outfitters baroque placement leggings-£28

New look black long sleeve floral tunic dress-£27.99

Accessorize Baroque half and half tights-£8

Hope you enjoyed today's post:)