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Friday 28 May 2010

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice



Hey Dolls :)

I'm off to see SATC2 tonight before I leave to get my munch on (wagama here we come!) I quickly wanted to show you my new jacket...



Beetlejuice I hear you say...yes but I love it. It's from H&M and cost about £20 I think...

Here's a quick FOTD, it's actually a wee bit different for me...


Oooohh no eyeliner or eyeshadow - I think it's a first on my blog ha!

FACE
MAC Studio Fix Fluid
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural
NARS Laguna
Illamasqua Bronzing Duo
MAC Peachy Keen

EYES
Maybelline Lash Stilleto
...Um that's it!

LIPS
MAC Sugarrimmed Dazzleglass

I didn't even fill in my brows - maybe I'm becoming lazy?

If you're off to see SATC this weekend have fun!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

I am 12...

Hey Dolls :)

This came in the post today...

Don't think I really need to say anything else...

TEAM JACOB!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Thursday 27 May 2010

Orange-y FOTD

Hey Dolls :)

This has been on my 'To Blog' list for a while - and finally found the courage to unveil my orange lips! As I mentioned in my last Illamasqua post buying an orange lipstick is something I uuuuhmed and aaaahed over for ages untill eventually a MA at the counter let me try Perilous on - it was love at first look...




FACE

MAC Studio Fix Fluid
MAC MSF Natural
NARS Laguna
Illamasqua Bronzing Duo
Illamasqua Excite Blush

EYES

UDPP
MAC Blanc Type E/S
MAC Smoulder

LIPS

Illamasqua Perilous Lipstick

What do you think? Is the orange lip a trend to be left on the catwalk or is it wearable day to day? I personally love it but understand why it may not be everyones cup of tea...it's a little intimidating at first!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Tuesday 25 May 2010

Some Recent Loves

Hey Dolls :)

This is just a little bit of a mish mash of things that I have recently discovered...

I recently bought M.A.C's Parfait Amour and have been using it lots and lots. As a purple shadow lover I'm not quite sure how this has escaped my attention before...



Parfait Amour is a duo chrome colour so although it is a purple shadow it has pink reflects in it - teamed with Pink Opal forms the ultimate purple/pink tag team! Thanks to Miss Bicky for showing me the error of my ways by not owning Parfait Amour :D

My friend Kirsty and I went into Lush last week for a little wander and I picked up bathos bubble bar...again why have I never owned this before, it smells like parma violets...


I love bathos so much I went back and bought another two - it matches my eyeshadow ha!

Also I had a rather successful trip to Primark where I found these earrings and this be-utiful bag for six pounds!!!


I adore clutch bags and about a year ago I had been eyeing up a bag in River Island that was pretty much identical to this but never ever bought it - I'm so glad I've got this bad boy now! And I always love a bit of gold tack in my life ha!

Here's some pictures of my day at home on Sunday - it was such a fun, beautiful day!

Sunny Drive
Mama Carr

Daisy Chainss

My sister and I used to believe fairies lived in this tree - it was such a good hiding place when our mum was looking for us ha ha!

Old Man Charlie - he's a miniature Schnauzer and can't see through his eyebrows pah ha!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Monday 24 May 2010

Review: B.liv by Cellnique

Hey Dolls :)

I recently received some skincare items to test out from a Malaysian brand called b.liv. I had never heard of the brand before and consequently I was quite excited to try some of their products. I received three products specifically designed for blemish prone skin - No Spots Bye Dots Blemish Cleansing Gel, Spots Got Shot Blemish Treatment Serum and Kick Spots Out Blemish Treating Mask. I have been testing the products for a month and here are my thoughts...

No Spots Bye Dots Cleansing Gel



I have been using this cleanser twice daily for the last month and I've really enjoyed using it. It's a clear gel that's quite fluid which means it does not feel too heavy on the skin. It smells lovely - quite fresh and light and I would say that one pump suffices for the whole face. It leaves the skin feeling refreshed and clean - the cleanser contains salicylic acid which in the past has had a tightening and drying effect of my skin but I'm glad to say no spots bye dots was not drying at all!

I suffer quite badly from hormonal breakouts on my chin which I don't expect a cleanser to prevent however I will say that towards week two the rest of my face (for some reason I get a lot of spots around my hairline) was a lot clearer...I'm happy!

You can purchase this cleanser here which brings me onto the one down side - the price. On the b.liv website it lists the cleanser as $32 which works out roughly to be £22/23. However, it is a good quality product that lasts a long time.

Spots Got Shot

This is a serum applied to blemishes when needed in order to aid the removal and healing of spots gently in order to avoid acne scarring. Similarly to No Spots Bye Dots, Spots Got Shot is much gentler than other spot treatments I have tried, it caused no irritation or drying to my skin and has a slight almost medicinal scent. As mentioned, my problem area is my chin - the easiest way for me to demonstrate the serum in action is to show a before and after shot



The second photo was taken two days after using Spots Got Shot - I think that's pretty impressive! After four days the area was clear so I'm really happy with the way the serum works. I can't stress enough about how gentle the formula is and being honest I was a little dubious over whether it was going to make much difference or not, I'm glad I was proved wrong! You can read more from the b.liv website here

Kick Spots Out


This mask claims to clarify blemish prone skin, prevent blemishes and control oil. I have never used a mask like this before as it's a film-like piece that actually drapes over your face...

On the plus side it smells nice - kind of like cucumber and it does feel really refreshing on the skin. However, there was far too much serum on the mask - so much so that it dripped off my face and also into my eye which stung a little. You also have to keep the mask on for up to half an hour - for me that's just a tad too long to keep a mask on, particularly when it's wet and cold. If there was less serum on the mask and it was effective after 10-15 minutes I think it would be much more enjoyable and relaxing to use. You can find out more about this mask here

Overall, I'm impressed with B.Liv's products, I feel my skin generally feels a lot clearer and any break outs are healed quickly. As I keep on stressing the main positives of the products are how gentle they are - I've had so many bad experiences of spot treatments that are akin to paint stripper so this was a nice surprise! The one downside is the price of the range - however, the company do have a good shipping policy which is free all over the world however always remember to factor in the duties and VAT.

All three products are not tested on animals and what appealed to me about Cellinique is that they are a green brand - with my package I received a recycle bag - if you do order anything from the website you can opt to not receive a packaging box and you too will receive a free b.liv recycle bag (read more about Cellnique's green policy here)

Finally, when reading other reviews on b.liv's products I was intrigued by their Off With Those Heads - the before and after pictures look amazing. B.liv are giving you the chance to try a sample of Off With Their Heads - all you have to do is send an email with your full name and shipping address to fbfreesample@blivskin.com and put carrsky-carrsky.blogspot.com in the subject box. Also if you have a blog you should pop your blog URL in the email too for the chance to review more products. The offer ends a week from today and expect the samples to take between 4-6 weeks to get to you.

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Sunday 23 May 2010

A Pink Nouveau Kinda Day!


Hey Dolls :)

Today I'm going on a wee trip to go see my mum and dad - I don't think I've seen them since the end of March! We're going to go to Largs and get a Nardinis, sit at the front and play air hockey - So excited!!

Today I pulled out MAC Pink Nouveau as I felt like wearing a really bright, vibrant lip for the sun...

Ahhh how pretty is it!! I remember being a bit scared of it the first time I wore it - I'm still getting used to bright lipstick - however I really really love it!

All this sun has got me so excited as I can break out my sunnies! I LOVE wayfarers, I have my eye on an electric blue pair but for the moment I'll make do with black...





Have a brilliant, sunny day m'loves!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Friday 21 May 2010

Hair and Face OTD

Hey Dolls :)

I'm sure I've spoken about this before but I hate wearing my hair up as I have serious ear issues - my mum and dad used to call me wingnut, way to give your child a complex! Yesterday I bought a gorgeous elasticated headband from Primark and thought the nicest way to wear it would be with an updo - of course covering ear ha!


I don't hate it! I think Nick nearly fainted when he saw me with my hair up today haha! Here's what I'm wearing on my face...

Face
MAC Studio Fix Fluid
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
Illamasqua Bronzing Duo

Eyes
MAC Saddle e/s
MAC Cork e/s
MAC Teddy Pencil
Covergirl LashBlast

Lips

MAC Angel
MAC Florabundance

I forgot to fill in my brows - silly! Hope you all have a good weekend m'loves!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Thursday 20 May 2010

The Circle of Shame

Hey Dolls :)

The other day I got a bit of a shock when someone told me their first impression when we met was that I was vain and shallow solely based on the fact that I had nice make up and hair and carried a pocket mirror in my bag...Arrrrgh genuinely you can't win! You either deserve heats circle of shame if I don't wear make up or get labelled as vain when I do take care of my appearance.

Now...lets be completely honest here what would I rather look like....?

THIS


Or THIS


That first photo is me completely natural - no extensions, make up, fake tan, straighteners nothing. Yep I have spots, frizzy hair and pasty skin - and I'm fine with that. However I don't think there is anything wrong with making an effort or taking pride in your appearance ( not that I'm saying the second photo is perfect just an improvement ha!)

Blaaaaah I wish we would stop being so judgemental of one another and accept everyone (and ourselves) flaws and all!


Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Hello Summer!

Hey Dolls :)

My summer has officially began - I had my last exam on Tuesday so it's goodbye to my Norton Anthology

Ha yep I threw it away....

And Hello trashy summer reading


To celebrate on Tuesday my beautiful friends indulged in some terrible karaoke (Celine Dion) and some crazy disco dancing at the buff club - perfect way to celebrate the beginning of summer!





Ours is a simple kinda love haha!

Hooray for Summer!
Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Friday 14 May 2010

Blog Sale

Hey Dolls :)

1. Pay Pal + UK Only
2. Postage £1.50 + 50p for any additional items
3. Leave a comment with your email address and I'll invoice you!
4. I've sanitised everything with make up alcohol wipes :)
5. Everything is unboxed


MAC Ripe Peach Blush Ombre used x4 - £15 - SOLD


MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo Devil May Care used x3 - £7
Illamasqua Eyeshadow in Vanian 80% left - £6
Illamasqua Cream Blush in Laid (dent where I stabbed it with my brush oops) 80% left - £8 SOLD
MAC short handled 252 brush - £5


Eyeko 3in1 Cream, used once - £2 - SOLD
CHI Silk Infusion 80% left - £3.50

NARS Orgasm Blush, 80% left - £9 SOLD
MAC Pinch O'Peach Blush, 80% left - £9 - SOLD

Sephora by O.P.I Casting Call - £6
China Glaze Innocence -£3
Illamasqua DWS - £6

Thursday 13 May 2010

I missed you all!


Hey Dolls :)

I'm back after a weeks blogging holiday I suppose you could call it. To be honest I hithered and swithered about whether I was going to start magicsinthemakeup up again. However after a long pep talk from Mamma Carr and some lovely messages and emails from you beautiful ladies I realised it would be a bit daft to stop blogging because of one mean person...

So yeeeeah - I have got lots and lots to blog about. I'm still in the middle of exams - when I'm stressed I shop...

I have got lots of things to talk about and show you all and I'm going to spend the rest of the day catching up on all your posts I've missed - ya'll have been busy bees!

Also, I could never give up blogging, I don't have any other excuse to indulge in some serious posing...


I've missed your face!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

P.S I'm also back on twitter which you can find here and we can have a good ol' chat!

Friday 7 May 2010

Illamasqua and Gin



Hello Everyone :)

Today was my first finals exam and I royally messed it up. I sat down skimmed through the questions, finding the perfect one for the topic I was most worried about. I re-read the question just as I began to write my conclusion I realised I had misread the question so my essay was ALL wrong - I had written about 20th century literature rather than 21st...BIG FAT FAIL coming my way...

So to cheer myself up I consumed the biggest gin of my life, ate lots of bierhalle pizza and went to Illamasqua...

This makes me happy! Everytime I'm at the Illamasqua counter I always pick up Perilous and swither over whether to get it or not, this is why...

Yep it's orange and completely out of my comfort zone. This lipstick is called perilous and is scarily bright! However, I love orange on other people and was pretty much convinced by the lovely Illamasqua lady that it should my summery look. To be honest it didn't take much convincing. I think it looks beautiful with heavy Kohl rimmed eyes yum!

To go with my new orange lips, I needed pretty orangey/peachy cheeks obviously...

This is called excite and is unlike any blush I've seen. It is ridiculously pigmented - you only need the teeniest tiniest amount to get such a pretty colour!


I had been eyeing up the two bronzers from Body Electrics but couldn't decide so instead settled for the duo which contains them both...

Ahhh yet again you've cheered me right up Illamasqua!

Lots of Love
Nicola
xoxo

Thursday 6 May 2010

An Experiment!

Hello Everyone :)

If you're a regular stalker/reader of my blog you should know by now my love for Illamasquas cream blushes. I was reading Emma's blog yesterday where she too was expressing some love - at the end of the post she talked about how she often used her cream blush on her lips - why oh why did I not think of that??

I got thinking and thought why stop there? I was thinking of buying a couple of MAC cream colour bases (particularly a pink) and so had a play about to see if I could use a cream blush instead....




Ha not the most flattering of photos and I cut the top of my head off but it shows the blush on my eyes well!

On my eyes I used Illamasqua Cream Blush in Promise as a base, Barry M Dazzle Dust Neon Pink, Urban Decay Ecstasy, MAC Shimmer Time pigment, MAC Blanc Type eye shadow, MAC Fluidline in BlackTrack.

I also used the blush lightly on my cheeks and on my lips! I still can't believe that I haven't ever thought of doing this - how silly! I think it looks quite pretty - have you got anymore multipurpose products?

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

P.S. Have a mid-sneeze pictureAlign Centre