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:)

Make-up review: Volume flash Scandal Eyes By Rimmel

Hello everybody, 
me again! Today I am going to do a review of Rimmel's volume flash scandal eyes mascara!

Let's say.... no lash can escape! This Rimmel mascara wand is MASSIVE! They claim that the brush is 50% bigger than all their other mascaras and that it is their biggest brush yet. 

This mascara is amazing. It coats every single lash, including the tiny ones, it lengthens the lashes and I find that not only this mascara gives you volume but it curls your lashes up too so it opens your eyes even more . This mascara contains nearly every property that a good mascara needs. 

You can achieve an amazing look with only one coat of mascara, as the brush is so big it will coat every lash in one go. The size of this brush may in fact intimidate some people as  many people's first instinct is that they are going to poke their eye with a mascara wand, which has happened to me with other mascaras and hurt! But no, when I first put this mascara wand on I didn't have any incidents and I was very pleased with my finished look.

The bottle for this mascara is as well huge! The packaging is, as you can see in the photo, bright neon orange, so there is no chance of losing this mascara in your purse. It also has the cute Rimmel crown imprinted on the top.  It is the brightest mascara I own!

The only defect this mascara has is that if you do want to go for VERY big lashes, this mascara can become clumpy at the top of the lashes, which I personally find that happens with most mascara when you put more than one coat. A way to prevent clumpy eyelashes is to brush any excess 'liquid' before applying to the eye or to pass a cotton bud with eye make-up remover over the clumps on the lashes, which should thin them out. 

My eyes without Scandal Eyes ( sorry for crappy quality!)

My eyes with Scandal Eyes  :D ( it's a different camera from the one I used in previous photo!)

Hope you enjoyed this post! :)

MY FIRST POST!

Hello everybody,
my name is Chiara and my blog is all about nails, makeup, fashion and all that jazz. I guess I can be described as a bit...... obsessed! I was thinking as this is my first post and I should make it a good one, I will write about my obsession over nail polish and my favourite brand of nail polish, which is.... Kiko!

Kiko has a wide selection of nail lacquers, and there are many hues of all colours. The nail polish itself is really easy to apply, and there are no streaks that you can sometimes get with nail polishes like Essie. They would last for about 3 days without chipping, but if you apply multiple layers it can last you for more than a week. If you are like me and change your nail polish all the time, then it shouldn't really be a problem.

I absolutely adore the finish that this nail polish gives. The colour is really strong and doesn't really need more than one coat to show well and the overall finish is really glossy and shiny and lasts you for ever!(I do admit that I do use a top coat though!)

There are 150 different colours, including ten french manicure nail lacquers and nine with a pearl or glitter effect. Unfortunately, shade 355 to 394 are limited meaning that I will have to go and buy these ones before they run out! They are summery colour like yellow and greens.

Right now the colour that I am favouring is 391 Grass green, which is a really bright matte glossy green that is really gorgeous and reminds of spring in this terrible weather.
                                 (The lacquers cost £3.90 by the way, but on sales they can go down to £1.50!)

Doesn't it remind you of spring?

P.S Just so you know, those hands aren't mine! :) 

Have a nice week and I hope you enjoyed this post! :)