a still from a L’Oréal mascara advert featuring Penelope Cruz

This is my interpretation of her make-up. I do not think I look like Penelope Cruz, this is merely inspired by her and her make-up. My face looks lighter than my body in this picture but this is due to the flash! And my hair looks different because I put bobby pins in my fringe to pull it back

In close-up.

Products I used for this look:

• Manhattan eyeliner pencil on upper and lower waterlines, smudged using Sigma SS209
• Black eyeshadow from the Zoeva 88 warm palette, applied and smudged with Sigma SS209
• Peach eyeshadow from the Zoeva 88 warm palette, applied to the crease with Sigma SS219 and blended with the SS239
• Applied false eyelashes from Gypsy Lashes in 94
• The Falsies Volum’ Express Mascara by Maybelinne
• Dark brown eyeshadow from the Zoeva 88 matte palette to fill in my brows with Sigma SS266 (one of my favourite brushes)

on my face I used Face & Body foundation by MAC, Hema Wet&Dry Blush and Gosh lipstick in Darling.

The lashes I used here weren’t featured in my huge lash post, I thought they would be too wispy and dramatic but they proved perfect for this look! I really love them now.

Image courtesy of Madame Madeline. Lashes provided by Madame Madeline.

A while ago I discovered gossmakeupartist on Youtube, an amazing professional make-up artist who makes really great tutorials. I saw his male make-up tutorial a while ago and was really inspired by it, his skills really blew me away. I made my boyfriend watch the video too and he jokingly said that I should try it on him once. I’m one of those people who takes everything seriously (at least I know I do!) so I did it on him today. I have to add, this is the first time EVER I did make-up on a man. I think I did okay for a first time and with the available tools I had.

This is the “before”-image. Though I have to add, technically it’s the after image cause I forgot to take a before picture this is after we took off all the make-up, he also shaved by the way.

This is the “after”-image. I think it gives him a more defined and masculine look, it also evened out his skintone to blend better with his neck. It may look slightly dramatic in this picture (I think so at least) but it looked very natural in real life. I told my mum I had done make-up on my boyfriend before she saw it, when he came in she kept staring at him before she finally said “If you hadn’t told me I wouldn’t have noticed it.”

He enjoyed having the make-up applied a lot, but I’m sure us girls will understand cause being pampered is great. We had a lot of fun doing this, it doesn’t look 100% perfect but as I said it was my first go. I followed most of the steps gossmakeupartist did besides curling his lashes and covering them with eyeliner (instead of mascara) because he thinks lash curlers look really scary. Boys are such wimps sometimes!

And by the way, this is not something we’re going to do regularly, it was just for fun!

Huge post about lashes! I promised it to you a while ago and finally it’s here. Took me blood, sweat and tears but I finally finished it. These are a few of my lashes, mostly the more natural looking ones, but I added one of the more dramatic ones as well. My apologies, not all of the pictures are 100% sharp but you will get the idea.

These are my natural lashes without mascara. They’re quite short unfortunately so false lashes are a great alternative for me.

These are my lashes with my favourite mascara, the falsies volum’ express by Maybelinne. Makes a huge difference doesn’t it? I always curl my lashes with a lash curler which is a very important step. First you curl your lashes, grab them and squeeze several times, then apply your mascara.

Andrea Modlash in 53, I received these from AII Beauty. I really like them, they look very natural and suit my eyes. Excuse my sloppy application, the inside corner of the lash band isn’t close enough to my lashes (happens to me a lot) but it’s fixed by applying eyeliner most of the time. The pictures really tend to magnify everything unfortunately. Also, in none of the pictures I’m wearing eyeshadow because this way you can see the lashes better!

Andrea Accents 301 from AII Beauty. These are great lashes too and again not close enough to my lash line (sorry!) which shows up very clearly in close-up but not so much with a full make-up look on.. They just give a little added accent to the corner of your eyes, a little flutter of lashes as it were. I like wearing them a lot and they’re a lot easier to apply than a full strip of lashes and they look great.

These and the next Revlon lashes I received from Madame Madeline. They’re very lightweight you can hardly feel them there. They look very natural and there are 2 pairs in one pack which is great. Thumbs up for these, I really like them.

Revlon short natural. These are criss-cross lashes which I didn’t see until I received them, “that’s not going to look very natural” was my first thought but they do look nice! However the lash strip itself is a very hard band, you can really feel these sitting on your eyes which isn’t comfortable. Look great but I have trouble wearing them unfortunately.

Andrea Modlash 82 received from AII Beauty. I’m so happy with these pictures, especially the top one. These are quite dense and definitely for evening or a night out. I find wearing really dramatic lashes harder as I have hooded eyelids but these are very wearable especially teamed up with a dramatic eye make-up. I’m definitely a fan of these!

These are the only individual lashes out of my entire list. Andrea Permalash flair combo black. I think they need specific glue for individual lashes though I applied them with my regular DUO lash adhesive which worked great as well. I applied seven knots of lashes, four of the shortest and 3 of the medium sized lashes. I still have to really practice with these because I don’t think I applied them that good. They look natural but I prefer strip lashes like the 53s for application. I didn’t cover them with mascara which you definitely should, it will attach your own lashes to the false ones and it will just make it look a lot better but I didn’t want to ruin these just for picture purpose.

Hope you enjoyed my entry on lashes, all besides the 82′s are available at Madame Madeline. If you order with them don’t forget to use my coupon code for a free gift and 8% off, FALSIES.

I was sent these products by Madame Madeline and AII Beauty. I am not in any way affiliated with these companies nor am I being paid by them. All opinions stated are honest and my own. All lash images courtesy of Madame Madeline unless they have my watermark.

This was requested by Laurein, a brown smokey eye look. I decided to make it a really simple look, using just one eyeshadow, something for everyday that won’t take more than a few minutes.

STEP #1

First prime your eyes. Then apply your favourite brown to your eyelids, just right above the crease. I used the sigma 252 brush for packing in lots of eyeshadow. It’s fine if it doesn’t look perfect yet, we still have to blend it out so this step is just applying it evenly all over your lid!

STEP #2

Blend, blend, blend! I used the sigma 224, a fluffy brush is ideal for this.

STEP #3

What I always like to do is use an eyeliner brush and apply some of the eyeshadow just under my bottom lashes from the outer corner to about 3/4 of your lashline. Apply mascara and eyeliner to finish off your look!

STEP #4 (optional)

Add false lashes! I used the Revlon defining lashes, applied them with DUO lash adhesive. (I know I was going to do an entry about false lashes, I might do that later on I’m not sure. Also, you can buy DUO lash adhesive at MAC Counters, just be careful with the one in Antwerp. First time I went there a really nice girl helped me, the others times I had appalling service, very rude staff!)

Hope you liked the look! I used a more warm copper coloured brown to compliment my brown eyes, you can also use a darker colder brown.

I have a Sigma review and comparison for you today. I’ll be reviewing the complete brush kit and comparing it with the travel kit.

The complete kit has 12 brushes and costs $69 without the brush roll and $89 with the brush roll. I reviewed 8 of the 12 brushes already as they are in the travel kit, you can read my review on them here. They are pretty much the same except for the size. The handles are obviously bigger but some of the brushes themselves are slightly bigger as well.

A comparison, the SS150 face brush. Top is from the Nice in Pink travel set, bottom from the Complete kit. As you can see the handles are much bigger but the brush is slightly bigger as well. I find that they both work a treat, but the full sized brush feels so luxurious to hold, it’s heavy and great to work with, I prefer the big one better.

These are the four brushes from the complete kit you don’t get in the travel kit reviewed one by one:

ss252 – Large Shader Brush

This is a huge flat brush and it’s used for packing in lots of colour on your lid. As the tip of the brush is very fine it’s also for precise application. I really like this brush but I wish it was slightly smaller, it’s too big for my small lids to use as an eye brush. I think for me personally it would be more suited to us as a concealer brush which this brush is great for as well.

ss257 – Medium Angled Shading Brush

As you can see this is an angled brush. It’s used for applying highlighter under the eyebrows and for precise application in the crease. I used it for the latter and it works really great. It’s also very soft. I’m not sure I would use this very often, that’s my only concern.

ss209 – Eyeliner Brush

This is an eyeliner brush, for applying liquid eyeliner. When I  first saw this I thought this was a lipliner, I tried using it as a lipliner and that works great as well. You could definitely use it for both I reckon.

ss266 – Small Angle Brush

You can use this brush for eyeliner as well but I prefer using it for filling out my eyebrows, I have an eyebrow pencil from Zoeva but it’s way too hard and not precise enough. This is absolutely perfect! I love it!

Conclusion: I would definitely go for the Complete Kit, it’s worth the extra money. If it’s a bit out of your price range I would still go for the complete kit but without the brush roll, it’s fun to have but you don’t necessarily need it, it’s quite big and I don’t think I’d take it with me when travelling. The complete kit is really high-end, it’s the same quality as the travel kit but it does feel even more luxurious and professional cause of the large handles. If you treat your brushes well they will last for years and years so I think these are a great investment if you want superb quality for a decent price.

website: http://www.sigmamakeup.com

I was sent these products by Sigma Make-Up to review. I am not in any way affiliated with this company nor am I being paid by them. All opinions stated are honest and my own.

A few days ago I received the The Travel Brush Kit from the famous Sigma. I know most (or some) of you don’t really follow the make-up vloggers on Youtube, but I can say that right about everyone that means something on youtube has spoken about these brushes. They have been compared to MAC brushes endlessly (which are much more expensive) and some say they are better than MAC, others say they aren’t. I believe it is unfair to compare them as they are from a different price range, let’s just say that being compared to MAC is a compliment, they are without a doubt of a professional quality, but for a price most of us can afford and are willing to spend on make-up.

I can honestly say that the right brushes are key to creating a stunning make-up look, I have given some make-up advice to several of my friends face-to-face over the past few months, it always started off by saying “get proper brushes!” It is so important I can’t stress enough. However, you don’t have to spend an average of €15 per brush if you want decent quality, I don’t think all of us are willing to spend that much, I for one am not, even though I am really into make-up.

Sigma offers several brush kits, ranging from €31 for an Eye (seven brushes) or Face kit (five brushes) to €120 for the Premium set (fifteen brushes + brush roll).

I will be reviewing the Travel Set in Pink (also available in black) which costs €39 or $49. The kit comes with seven brushes and a complimentary foundation brush which makes it eight in total. It is a travel kit and comes with a great brush roll to keep your brushes in, with a zipper for some smaller items (I keep the complimentary brush in there, perfect!), the brushes are smaller in size, I was a bit scared this would bug me but it doesn’t at all, they fit very nicely into your hands and applying make-up with them is very comfortable despite of the size. I did read on several reviews that they smell a bit at first, some described it as “a rancid stench”, which is totally exaggerated, they did have a mildly unpleasant smell but I washed them before using and after that the smell was fine.

The Face Brushes:

SS150 – Powder Brush
This brush is sooooo incredibly soft! I thought my Zoeva brushes were the softest in the world but these are even softer! Feels wonderful to apply powder with on the face.

SS187 – Duo Fibre Brush
I was most looking forward to trying this one, it’s a stippler brush. It can be used for several things, for regular powders like blushes, highlighters, bronzers and pressed, loose or mineral powders. But you can also use it for liquid foundation, it’s perfect for creating an “airbrushed” finish.

SS168 – Angled Brush
This is an angled brush you can use for contouring or blush. I like my zoeva angled brush better I have to say. It’s really soft but for me it’s not springy enough. A nice brush but not my favourite.

SS190 – Foundation Brush
This is the complimentary foundation brush, it is AMAZING I really love it. The quality of this one is superb and it makes applying foundation a dream, I had a Zoeva foundation one already which I thought was good but this one is miles better.

SS194 – Concealer Brush
This is the same story as with the foundation brush, it’s the same quality, great for applying concealer.

The Eye Brushes:

SS239 – Eye Shading Brush
This is a really great brush, great for applying eyeshadow but I love really using it for blending as well as applying.

SS224 – Tapered Blending Brush
This is a blending brush, it’s nice cause it’s really big but I wish it had been slightly more springy, I feel like I’m just stroking and sweeping over my crease and eyelid instead of really blending it in. Other than that it’s really soft and I think I will likely use it most for applying highlighter under my eyebrow. I honestly have spoken too soon, I tried this brush several times and it is an absolute dream to blend eyeshadow with. It’s become my favourite!

SS219 – Pencil Brush
This is a great little brush, to me it’s absolutely perfect for applying dark colours in the crease, sometimes I do a look and it just needs a tiny bit more black in the crease and in the outer corner, this is great for finishing off your look, dotting the I!

All in all a great brush set, you really get your money’s worth, it’s just €4,80 per brush if you count the complimentary one, which is a great price. These brushes are a great alternative for the pricey ones, if you are just getting into make-up or if you want to invest in some nice brushes that don’t cost a fortune… Meet Sigma!

website: http://www.sigmamakeup.com

I was sent these products by Sigma Make-Up to review. I am not in any way affiliated with this company nor am I being paid by them. All opinions stated are honest and my own.

You can find part two of this entry here: www.emilydenisephotography.com/blog/?p=700

As some of you read on my twitter, I’ve been waiting for a package for almost a week now. They tried to deliver it on Wednesday but no one was home so they put a note through our letterbox, saying that I could pick up my package but not until Monday cause we had a long weekend in Belgium. It really pissed me off! I was dying to get this package and I had to wait for so much longer but finally today I was able to go and get it, yay!

They were false lashes from Madame Madeline, a great webshop that sells false lashes, lots of amazing brands you can’t get in shops around here. I was able to try out a few, Revlon, Andrea and Gypsy Lashes.

They are very reasonable in price, some are way cheaper than the really horrible ones you can get in Kruidvat, but these are so much better in quality! From left to right and top to bottom: Revlon Defining $5.15, Revlon Short Natural $3.99, Gypsy Lashes 94 Black $2.05, Andrea Permalash Combo Black $3.49.

I was a bit silly and forgot to ask them for DUO Eyelash Adhesive, none of these lashes come with glue and most of the time glue that comes with lashes you purchase isn’t the best in the world. If you buy with Madame Madeline be sure to add in some DUO Eyelash Adhesive to your order, it’s the best glue out there! As I didn’t I’m going to pick it up at a MAC store on Wednesday, they sell the DUO Lash Adhesive as well.

I quickly tried on the Revlon Defining lashes, they looked really amazing. Though seeing as I haven’t got proper glue yet I’ll post some pictures with me wearing the lashes later on. In the meantime, definitely take a look at their website, they have lots of natural looking lashes like the ones I got but they also have very fancy ones for special occasions!

They were also very kind to add in some business cards, if you order with the code: falsies you will get 8% off! And a free gift if you order for more than $20. (I’m wearing Light As Air by China Glaze on my nails, so pretty!)

Website: www.madamemadeline.com

I was sent these products by Madame Madeline to review. I am not in any way affiliated with this company nor am I being paid by them. All opinions stated are honest and my own.

This is an everyday look, ideal for work. Very understated though enhances your natural features.

Products used:
1) Face
♥ Zoeva Concealer Palette
♥ Mac Face & Body Foundation
♥ Hema Compact Pressed Powder
♥ Hema Blush Wet & Dry in 02
♥ Hema Terra Bronzing Powder in 01

2) Eyes
♥ Mac Gesso e/s
♥ Zoeva warm shimmer palette, shimmery brown e/s
♥ Manhattan eyeliner pencil
♥ Eyelash curler by Hema
♥ Maybelline the falsies mascara
♥ Brown e/s to fill in lashes

I’m so in love with this look! It’s mint green, my favourite colour and it’s got sparkles, what more does a girl want!

What I used to achieve this look:

♥ MAC Gesso eyeshadow
♥ MAC Aqua eyeshadow
♥ Zoeva 88 matte palette
♥ Metallic Eyemousse by Hema
♥ Manhattan black eyeliner
♥ Maybelline The falsies mascara
♥ Manhattan X-ACT eyeliner pencil

“Tonight I’m not taking no calls cause I’ll be dancing!”
It’s been out for a few weeks now, the new Lady Gaga video, Telephone. I’ve been madly in love with it ever since I first saw it, it’s a piece of art. Lady Gaga is my one weakness, I just love her catchy songs and her over the top wardrobe. It’s a breath of fresh air to finally see something else than skimpy booty-shaking bimbos on the telly. I hated her on her first Friday Night with Jonathan Ross appearance, she is a bit full of herself but I just can’t help dancing to her tunes.

One of the things that immediately caught my eye in the telephone video (besides the obvious) was Beyoncé’s make-up in the petrol station scene. It looks absolutely stunning!

This morning I felt like recreating it myself. One of the reasons it looks so stunning is because of Beyoncé’s chocolate brown skin, sadly I don’t have a dark skin like hers otherwise I’d have looked even better!

I added a few false lashes to dramatize the look even more, (I found them in a discount basket at Kruidvat) though they’re a bit too dramatic for a day look, I’d really love some more natural looking lashes though haven’t got the budget to spend, if anyone knows some great inexpensive lashes let me know!

I used a liquid liner pencil by Manhattan and the yellow eyeshadow in my 88 palette. A fun tip to make your colours more vibrant, try to wet your brushes first! It helps a little bit. You can also use mixing medium, I believe MAC has this but you can also make some yourself, I’d love to try it but you need cosmetic glycerine, I’ve no idea where to find some, should look around in Holland at a chemist’s maybe. I’ll let you know if I find any and if it works.