Bailaoragaditana's Aventuras

So, you want to know how to get completely immovable, unsmudgeable waterlines? I'll let you in on a little secret: Liquidlast.

Seriously, ladies, MAC Liquidlast liner is like glue. Once it's on and dry, it will not go *anywhere* until you want it to. (A simple swatch lasted three days on my hand once, showers and swimming and everything... do not doubt the magic of the liner!)

Upper waterline, lower waterline - you name it, Liquidlast sticks to it! Not a single flake or smudge to be found, more than 12 hours after application. And after I'd been out in the rain and wind (it was SO windy in Oxford today - I was almost blown away in Rad Square at lunchtime!) with watery eyes and other dangers to makeup.

I paired the intense eyes (lids were more neutral - Stila Wheat, Starlight, with Golightly in the crease and lower lashline; several coats of Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara) with pinky-nude lips: BE Buxom Big & Healthy lip stick in Amsterdam, topped with Buxom gloss in Zena.

The rest of the face was the usual; I really tried to make the liner the centerpiece of the look.

I did have to spend about five minutes with a bunch of q-tips and some oil-based eye makeup remover to get the liner off (it's like the superglue of eyeliner, for real!), but it was totally worth it to not have to worry about smudging or raccoon eyes.

I've acquired a few makeup goodies in the past few weeks (only a few, unfortunately), which I'll share with you all soon, and I'm thinking of something a bit brighter/more dramatic for tomorrow... In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Hello, all! I kind of neglected my posting goals last weekend... but I did do a look and take pictures. I was just too crazy busy with work :-( to post anything. There were fireworks, though, which was very exciting - although, hilariously, two of my guy friends had a rant about "girls who wear too much makeup" (by which they mean "any makeup," apparently... ) on the way to the park. Thanks, guys! Good thing I value your opinions so much, right?

My makeup for the day/evening was fairly neutral, with just a bit of eyeliner to liven things up.

Base: Bobbi Brown Vitamin-Enriched Face Base; Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream; MAC Oil Control lotion

Face: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain; MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15; MAC Blot Powder (Pressed) in Light

Brows: Bobbi Brown matte shadow in Mahogany

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; Bobbi Brown shadows in Naked (lid), Nude shimmer (browbone), and Buff shimmer(crease), from the Nude Lip & Eye palette (possibly from a year or two ago?)

Liner: Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink

Lashes: BE BuxomLash mascara in black

Cheeks: MAC powder blush in The Perfect Cheek

Lips: Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Bare (from the Nude palette); Hollister lipgloss in Nude (have I mentioned my love for this stuff? yes, I think I have!)

It was bloody cold, but the fireworks were pretty good, and then they lit this statue thing on fire (I'm not really clear on the tradition behind this, but it's an English thing apparently...), and also had a massive stack of wooden palettes that they lit for the bonfire - at which point it became very toasty indeed, and I thought my face was going to melt right off!

But no, I'd apparently done a better job than that. My makeup wasn't looking half bad, some 16 hours after application, and after... a LONG walk up, general fireworks merriment, takeaway, and OMG Bailey's hot chocolate (the best thing EVER, seriously, I highly recommend it!). My friends and I may have become a bit silly, especially when faced with a camera, but clearly MAC and BB were working overtime, above and beyond the call of duty!

That was my Saturday night... and I unfortunately spent most of this week completely barefaced. Crazy, really. But I'm feeling a bit more back-in-the-game now, so hopefully I'll be able to put together some new and exciting (well... for this town, anyway) looks soon. In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Just a quick look this morning before I get down to essay-writing and other fun things; this particular color combo (and application style) was inspired by my best friend in the whole wide world - her favorite color is green, she loves champagne eyeshadows like no other, and I don't think she'd know how to live life without black eyeliner and tons of mascara!

Base: Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream; Bobbi Brown Vitamin-Enriched Face Base; MAC Oil Control Lotion (t-zone only)

Face: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain (under eyes); MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15; MUFE Hi-Def powder

Brows: Bobbi Brown matte shadow in Mahogany

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; Stila Precious Pearl palette - white and green shadows

Liner: Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink, applied to upper lashline and upper waterline with the Sephora professionnel angled liner brush

Lashes: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara (black), several coats

Cheeks: BE blush in Lovely

Lips: Hollister lipgloss in Nude (I think it's called Rose Shimmer on the UK website, however... which is really confusing)

The final look is, rather surprisingly, quite wearable (I think!). Also, I'm quite pleased that I managed to snap this one in the 5 seconds of bright sunshine that entered my room :-p

And, of course, with glasses:

Not that I'm out to prove that gasses don't have to mean boring eye makeup or anything... ;-)

I haven't used Studio Fix Fluid in ages, and I was reminded of how good it can be for heavier coverage - especially when my skin is a bit drier from the cold and powders make it look flaky. Also, I am majorly, majorly LOVING the Hollister gloss. It's become my holy grail nude gloss, and if I even hear rumors of it being discontinued, I might cry. And then buy 500 back-ups. That's how much I love it.

Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed; I'm off to get some non-makeup-related work done! :-p

Hello all, and happy Halloween! I'm saddled with tons of work this weekend, so I'm unfortunately not doing anything costume-y tonight, but I thought I'd post the look I wore yesterday (for lectures and a graduate seminar, not quite as exciting as party I'm afraid...) because I quite liked how the lips turned out - dark pinky-brown, with a few hints of red... perfect for fall, just the right amount of boldness to cause a stir, and "normal" enough to wear out of the house!

Base: Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream; Garnier PureActive 24-Hour Moisturizer

Face: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil (all over as base and finishing powder); BE foundation in Fair (as foundation and concealer)

Brows: Bobbi Brown matte shadow in Mahogany

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; Stila shadows in Wheat (all over lid), Golightly (in crease), and Starlight (browbone)

Liner: Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink

Lashes: BE BuxomLash (black); a small amount of Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! (also black) on tips

Cheeks: BE blush in Poppy

Lips: BE Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Brooklyn, topped with liberal amounts of MAC lipglass in Soft & Slow

I'd better stop procrastinating and get back to work. Hope you all have a great Halloween, and thanks for reading!

I took my inspiration for this look from the shades included in Too Faced's New Romantic: Unicorn palette from a couple of years ago - it's very soft, very girlish, shimmery pinks and plums with a bit of brown, and very wearable.

Base: Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream; Garnier Pure Active 24-Hour Moisturizer

Face: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil (all over, as base and finishing powder); BE foundation in Fair (as foundation and concealer); Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain (under eyes)

Brows: Bobbi Brown matte shadow in Mahogany

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; champagne shadow from the TF palette on inner third of lid and browbone/blending; the green/brown shade in the middle of the lid; the plum shade on the outer third of lid and in the crease

Liner: Bobbi Brown gel liner in Ivy Shimmer Ink on upper lashline

Lashes: BE Buxom Lash mascara (black), several coats

Cheeks: BE blush in Poppy; shimmery light pink highlighter from the palette on cheekbones

Lips: Benefit Full-Coverage lipstick in No Competition (applied sparingly with a brush); purple shimmer gloss from the Too Faced palette; topped with BE Buxom Lips in Dolly and blended together with a brush

"What's this?" you're asking. "Two looks in one day? Isn't that taking procrastination to an extreme?"

Well, yes, but it's been a while since I've used someone else as a canvas for my artistry... but my friend - we'll call her Kate, though that's not her name - texted me and asked if I'd do her makeup for an event this evening. Since the other option was writing an essay, I quickly agreed.

The Occasion: a black-tie drinks event

The Outfit: a brown lace dress (gorgeous!), teal-green pumps, and a green-and-gold scarf

The Objective: evening makeup with definition and class, but nothing too dark or dramatic (aka the challenges of working with pale red-heads when you're a pale brunette!)

For the eyes, I used MAC shadows in Honesty (outer half of lid), Naked Lunch (inner half of lid), and Femme-Fi (browbone & blending), and Bobbi Brown metallic shadow in Bash (crease, and upper lashline), and finished off with a coat of BuxomLash mascara.

A swipe of MAC blush in The Perfect Cheek across her enviable cheekbones was followed up with a dusting of BE Mineral Veil over the whole face, and on her lips I used a lip brush to apply MAC lipstick in Lovin' It and Global Goddess Moroccan Mystique lip veil in Casbah.

And would you believe she's not wearing *any* foundation or concealer? I'm having a hard time concealing my jealousy!

Better lighting in this picture, I think - even with the fire-alarm and my notice board in the background...

And lastly, a quick snap of artist and victim before "Kate" headed off to her soirée!

It's a bit blurry, but it still doesn't disguise the fact that I have, arguably, the ugliest draperies in the world. And there's nothing I can do about it.

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed this little experiment, and thanks for reading!

Hello, all! I know I've been away for a while - something about flying to the other side of the Atlantic and being set tons of work? I'm pretty well settled back into university life now, so I thought I'd take a bit of time to put together a proper look - since it's a luxury I don't usually have time for! It's pretty conservative for me, and I think fairly wearable for most; I was inspired by the lovely green-and-gold tree outside my window as well as by the Ivy League collection from Bobbi Brown. (Don't mind the hair - freshly showered! Also, it made a *really* weird shadow on my face in the first pic. Ugh.) So, without further ado:

Base: Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream; Garnier Pure Active 24-Hour Moisturizer

Face: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil (all over, as base and finishing powder); BE foundation in Fair (as foundation and concealer); Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain (under eyes)

Brows: Bobbi Brown matte shadow in Mahogany

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; Stila shadow in Wheat all over lid, Bobbi Brown metallic shadow in Bash in the crease, Stila shadow in Starlight on browbone and for blending

Liner: Bobbi Brown gel liner in Forest Shimmer Ink on upper lashline (outer 3/4 only); MAC Kohl Pencil in Rosemary & Thyme on lower lashline

Lashes: BE Buxom Lash mascara (black)

Cheeks: BE blush in Poppy

Lips: Bobbi Brown shimmer lipgloss in Rose Gold

I think it turned out quite well, and it's not something that's going to get me odd looks here (I pulled a Dita face earlier in the week, and the bold red lips got some really strange stares :-( ) And the glasses just pull it together and give it that finishing "Ivy League" touch. (I'm growing quite fond of my glasses, can you tell?) I've missed my fellow beauty junkies, though! I'm going to make more of an effort to get to Sugar and post and comment on things... it's much more fun than my work sometimes! (And speaking of glasses, MissChevious did a beautiful tutorial for glasses-wearers the other day!)

Oh - and - I just want to give a little shout-out to Sophia (aka retail_therapy), who sent me some AWESOME and inspiring makeup p*rn (Sephora Beauty Junkie guides from Singapore) which have been very nice procrastination tools - when I get tired of essays and translations and just want to look at pretty makeups :-p And she sent me a cute little gold eyeshadow which I will have to post pictures of and use in a look... soon, soon! So: thank you Sophia, for being amazing! :-D

Right, that's everything, I think, and now I must venture out into the English rain (typical), and get some work done. Thrilling, right? Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you lovelies soon!

In the past few weeks, I've become obsessed with this sweaterdress from Victoria's Secret. I have tons of their clothing, but I'm normally not at all impressed with their seasonal lookbooks - the stuff tends to be expensive, impractical, or just plain ugly (I'm not big on "trends" most of the time, can you tell?). But this fall's lookbook is a whole other story... the stuff is *beautiful* and this dress is the most beautiful of all! It's made of Italian Merino wool (I'm a fan of Merino, because I'm a lifelong fiber snob and it's one of the few wools that doesn't make me itch) and it has boning and ruching at the waist to give a nicely structured hourglass shape - very vintage, or very Mad Men, as you prefer.

It comes in sizes XS-XL, and is available in Sugar Cookie (the beige shade) and black. I find VS sizing to be pretty generous (an XL will fit sizes 16-18-20 with no problem), especially in the chest area (which I need/appreciate!). I bought the black dress, obviously, because the beige will just maximize my boobs in an unflattering way :-( It's backordered until the end of November, but when I get it I will definitely post a few pics (and probably ramble about how fabulous it is) and make a look to go with it. I'm already thinking of the possibilities! :-p

In real life and actually-happening things, I've been packing, packing, packing in preparation to go back to England - I'm leaving Saturday night and landing in the seventh circle of Hell, also known as Heathrow Terminal 5, on Sunday. I have *way* too much stuff - books, clothes, bedding, makeup, toiletries,  and a few pairs of shoes - so I'm quickly growing to appreciate British Airways' relatively reasonable excess baggage rates. This is my excuse, really, for not posting very much in the past week. I probably won't be able to do any more looks until I get to Oxford, because I've packed 75% of the makeup I'm taking (I've got a TEN POUND makeup bag, and that's just the stuff in my carry-on!) and am working on the remaining 25%! But I'll definitely try to get a look or two in next week, to make up for being such a sluggardly beauty blogger! In the meantime, thanks for reading, have a great weekend, and stay fabulous!

Soooo... you know how I may have mentioned a while back that I've got another super-formal college ball coming up next spring? And how I've been looking for a gown and/or pattern for one? I have found it! The pattern is from Vogue Patterns, and it features a corset bodice (with your choice of straight-across or sweetheart necklines) and two different skirt options. I'm going with the fitted fishtail skirt - it seems like it'll be easier to move about in.

(You can see more details of the pattern here.)

So far, I've got fabric for the bodice: it's a lovely green-and-gold silk brocade, which will be lined with canvas (which will have the boning inserted into it) and then with a softer fabric to go next to the skin. The back lacings are going to be gold silk cord, and fortunately for me (and my ability to dress myself), they're only decorative, so I can fasten the corset up the front with hook-and-eye fasteners without having to re-enact the lacing scene from Pirates of the Caribbean.

I haven't yet decided on the skirt color, but I'm thinking it should be golden rather than green. What do you think?

I seem to be on an eye-related winnings roll! I just got this message in my inbox a few minutes ago:

Last time, it was lash stuff from Tarte, now it's brow and lash stuff from Anastasia! I'm not sure I'm going to keep the Brow Enhancing Serum, as my brows are neither overplucked nor undernourished, so I might be offering it up for a swap and/or giveaway when I receive my prize package :-D

Anyway, back to work. Enough procrastinating for now - I *do* have some look pictures in my iPhoto library, just waiting to be turned into a post, hopefully soon. Thanks for reading!