What's In My Handbag

Want a peek to see what's inside?

I'm not really a "bag" person per se, but for some reason or another I do seem to have accumulated quite a few down through the years so I'm forever chopping and changing bags (yeah, I've done the whole going out thing only to realise I've left my wallet in my "other" bag before too, eeek!) but here's a lil snapshot of what I've been carrying around with me lately.

Inside:

Nook Simple Touch Glowlight - this goes everywhere with me! I love being able to catch up on a good book whilst on the go. For anyone that's interested I'm currently reading Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey.

What should be in the photo but isn't: Samsung Galaxy S3 - again, this goes everywhere with me and it's not in the photo because it was taking the photos at the time :)

BRTC Jasmine Water BB Cream - good for dry skin and paler skintypes - handy for on the go as application is a cinch and it gives a nice dewy, medium coverage finish.

Boots No. 7 Dry Skin Rescue - comes in useful when you've got an annoying dry or flaky patch, this usually sorts it out in a jiffy.

Illamasqua Powder Foundation in 230 - I recently picked this up in one of their sales. It's a foundation for darker skin tones but I bought it with the intention of using it as a powder contour shade for my pale NC15 skin and it's absolutely perfect for the job!

ARTDECO Bronzing Glow Blusher in "Sundance" from their Tribal Sunset Collection - REVIEW

Gorgeous complementing shades of pinks, corals and bronzes - 

perfect for those with a porcelain complexion to give a radiant, sun 

kissed  glow. Buttery soft and richly pigmented - I love this!

Catrice Lipstick in Color Bomb from their Revoltaire Collection

This is one of my most favourite lipsticks EVER! A gorgeous coral matte shade. 

MAC Lipstick in Rebel

A lovely wine shade for evenings and just an all round really wearable and flattering plum shade for all skintones

Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder

Catrice Liquid Liner from the Spectaculart Collection

Super fine point on this makes cat eye flicks an effortless task

GOSH Velvet Touch Lip Primer
Perfect primer to use as a base before any lip products - it really does make your lips feel velvety smooth! It's also great to use on it's own to condition your lips throughout the day.

Collection Cosmetics Killer Curves Mascara - REVIEW

A decent mascara that does what it's supposed to without costing the Earth, what's not to like?

And finally a few brushes. I normally just bring the bare basics when it comes to brushes so here's three of my every day staples:

Sedona Lace FB 07 from their Vortex Set

E.L.F Mineral Powder Brush

The small size of this brush makes it ideal as a contour brush

Benefit Hard Angle Liner

I use this for filling in my brows, with gel liners and if I'm really stuck, as a lip brush when on the go - and it works a treat for all three tasks!

And that's it!

Thanks for looking, as always,

Best of the High Street Foundations for Paler Skins - Revlon, Maybelline & Rimmel

I have fairly typical Irish skin and I'm definitely on the whiter shade of pale end of the colour spectrum, so foundation shopping can be a bit of a chore to say the least. Higher end brands like MAC and Illamasqua have a great selection of shades on offer all the way from ivory to ebony, but for the times you don't want to splash the cash and just want to pick up a low-mid priced new base from your local pharmacy the choice can, unfortunately be a lot more limited, with shades often leaning towards Oompa Loompa territory.

So after a quick raid in Boots I've snapped up some samples of the lightest shades of some of the most popular drugstore foundations currently found on stands. I know personally when choosing a new foundation, I find online swatches a godsend when trying to narrow down options and hopefully make up my mind before I hit the shops. Onwards with the swatching!

ARTDECO and Dita Von Teese team up for new collection!

ARTDECO


German cosmetics company Artdeco has teamed up with Dita Von Teese to present the Burlesque performer’s first makeup collection, ‘Dita Von Teese Classics’. 


DITA VON TEESE CLASSICS 

The ‘Dita Von Teese Classics’ collection aims to help women recreate the beauty icon’s signature Old Hollywood look – porcelain skin, sensual red lips and arched black eyeliner. The products are notable for their retro cameo design, which is an homage to vintage jewellery.

Her first collection with the company includes the tools to replicate her classic look: blacker-than-black eyeliners for the perfect cat eye, and ruby red lipsticks, but also includes neutral eye shadows in both matte and pearl, and a subtle set of blush shades. The makeup line will include a powder compact, four blushes, a gel eyeliner and brush and pencil eyeliner, as well as 12 individual eye shadows, mascara, false lashes (with and without rhinestones), six lipstick shades, two lip liners, a lip lacquer and four nail polish colors. Packaging is black with vintage boudoir-style detailing and a sketch of the line’s inspiration, along with her name.  At least two more releases are planned, one with fall-winter trend colors, and one with special luxury packaging.

For a porcelain complexion the range offers the Compact Powder ‘Face Fatal’ No. 1, a micro fine compact powder that creates a transparent, gently matt finish. Oil-absorbing ingredients eliminate shiny skin, while light-reflecting pigments create a smooth finish. The finely powdered texture blends in with the skin with the help of the accompanying puff or brush. 

The four limited Blushers come in Von Teese’s favourite spring colours, including a subtle rose ‘Starlet’ No. 31, apricot shades such as ‘Ingenue’ No. 09, as well as various strong shades of rose such as ‘Ivresse’ No. 20 and ‘Paramour’ No. 22. 

The retractable Eye Styler in deep black ‘Minuit’ No. 51 traces the inner and outer contours of the eye simply and precisely. This liner has an innovative, ergonomic design: the rubberized grip and the narrow shape of the pencil make it easy to apply the intensively coloured texture. The limited-edition contour pencil with built-in sharpener is ideal for sensitive eyes. 

Von Teese’s signature black eyelid line is easy to recreate with the ‘Dita’ Gel Eyeliner ‘Nocturnelle’ No. 1, a gel-based waterproof black eyeliner. It is said to accentuate the eyes with just one application, with carbon black pigments creating deep black colour results. This limited-edition eyeliner has a long-lasting and quick-drying formula and is free of mineral oil, paraffin and parabens. 

The Art Couture Eyeliner Brush is made of particularly fine hair, and is used for precise application of the Gel Eyeliner. A natural look is achieved when the eyeliner is applied with the tip of the brush. Placing the brush flat against the skin creates a broader line. 

Von Teese’s smoky eyes can be created with Eye Shadows Matt in ‘Veuve Noir’ No. 503., combined with ‘Von Fleece’ No. 512. A more subtle look can be achieved with shades of brown, ‘Brunesque’ No. 520, ‘Sepia’ No. 530, ‘Mink’ No. 524, and light ‘Petticoat’ No. 554. 

The limited Glamour Eye Shadows with tiny pearl pigments add further highlights. ‘Night Porter’ No. 300 and ‘Opulence’ No. 369 accentuate the eyes, while ‘Wisp’ No. 370, ‘Spotlight’ No. 371, ‘Gilded Lily’ No. 374, and ‘Plush’ No. 375 add just a touch of colour. 

The eyeshadows can be stored in the magnetic Beauty Box Square in ‘Dita’s Design’. 

The Art Couture Lash Volumizer ‘Raven’ No. 01 in jet black is a perfume-free mascara combining volume, extension, and separation of the lashes in one. Natural wax, extracted from rice bran, nourishes the lashes and makes this limited-edition mascara suitable for sensitive eyes. 

The Artificial Lashes made of real hand-tufted hair make eyelashes look even thicker and longer. The ‘diva’ look is achieved with No. 39, which includes black rhinestones. They are easy to attach, and can be reused with the transparent eyelash adhesive. 

More sneak peeks to follow shortly Beauties!


Belle xXx

Lime Crime Rainbow of Prettiness

I wanted to share some photos and swatches with you all of my small but pretty Lime Crime lipstick collection!

The colours are extremely pigmented as you can see, in addition to being very creamy. I love the unique colour range, and it goes without saying that the packaging is just whimsical and adorable!

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words, so on with the photos! :)

Lime Crime

Click here to get some LIME CRIME goodies! :)

Catrice Million Styles LE Nail Swatches Part 2

Catrice ¿Holo Qué Tal?! is not a holographic topcoat. Surprise. It is a pink/purple shimmer topcoat which reminds me of the CND topcoats a lot. Very nice I think, and very wearable!

Catrice Have an Ice Day is a holographic glitter topcoat. It has been done before, I know I have a bottle of something very similar if not the same somewhere here… Well, let me say it, it is pretty. I love topcoats like this, because you can use them for almost everything. Have you tried Space Nails with a holographic glitter topcoat yet? Works wonders!

And last in this post my absolute favourite of the whole bunch. Catrice Godfather of Pearl is a duochrome blue/aqua topciat with a lot of golden specs in it. I think this is the shit.Love it – that’s why you get two pics.

So, overload of topcoats? Which one(s) did you get/like the best? :)

Let me know what you think guys and dolls! 

Belle x

Who is Belle Morte Beauty?

Hi Guys & Dolls!

Well to give you a brief introduction as to the world of Belle Morte beauty, let me preface by saying that I am a fully qualified, professional Makeup Artist living in Ireland. I specialise in all types of makeup from Bridal to Burlesque, Special FX to Gore and Zombie looks, pretty, natural everyday wearable looks, to more creative and artistic avant garde looks.

I am also a Beauty Journalist and regularly do freelance pieces for local newspaper and glossy magazine publications. This is where I test out and review the latest beauty offerings on the market and bring my readers lots of easy to do looks at home, complete with tutorials.

I hope to share my love of makeup, cosmetics, brushes and all things beauty related with everyone on my blog.

So watch this space to see lots of looks, tutorials, product reviews, swatches, competitions and LOTS more! :)

Thanks everyone!

Newly launched Facebook Page

Hi Guys & Dolls!

Belle Morte Beauty has just launched their brand new and exciting Facebook page!

If you'd like to be kept in the loop with all the latest trends, beauty looks, product reviews, competitions and LOTS more, then please like our page! :)

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