Makeup To Breakup: The Inspiration

  Well, this is awkward! All that build-up in my last post and I haven't updated in weeks. I'm determined to get serious and post more often, so now you can follow my blog with Bloglovin!

Basically between now and then, I became exceedingly poor and changed the name of the blog from the ever so tacky sounding "Ohsofrivolous". I only tend to do big purchases I think are worth it, and I wanted my blog to reflect that. Also compared to other bloggers out there, I'm a novice only in it for the learning curve and the chance to blabber about things I love. Pure and simple.

So, I decided to name my little space on the internet after a punk song, so it sounds a bit more like me. "Make up to Break up" is a song by Siouxsie and the Banshees around the punk era (circa 1977) that encapsulates my old mentality towards slap and hiding my features away. Around 2010 I looked backwards into their back catalogue and it was easy to relate to lyrics like:

"Shadow conjures cheekbones
 Hides a nasal disgrace 
A disfigured atrocity
J-j-jutting out of place"

As someone with a round face, chubby cheeks and a wide nose, I welcomed Siouxsie's artistic approach towards makeup, especially contouring as it offered me a poor substitute for her perfect angular cheekbones. To help sculpt my massive cheeks I use MAC blush in Raizin, Benefit Hoola Bronzer or the Sleek contour kit in Medium depending on how dramatic I want to go.


Growing up, I wasn't that interested in cosmetics (mainly because it was near impossible to be matched up to drugstore foundations, but that's another blog post) so I looked tomboyish and awkward next to the 'girls with eyes like swimming pools'. When I reached my twenties, my confidence dipped even more to the point where I had a cake face daily.



Siouxsie Sioux in '76

 

But despite the self-loathing in her lyrics, people like Siouxsie bring hope as all that disappears when she's on stage. Known for being brash, blunt and fearless, her onstage persona here as a relatively unknown act from Bromley never fails to inspire me. Her work in the Banshees reflects this - at their first gig they played an alternative version of The Lord' Prayer after not organising a setlist.

Before the Banshees, Siouxsie was part of the Bromley Contingent, the entourage of The Sex Pistols in '76 and was part of THAT Bill Grundy interview. In the 80's, along with the music her make up really came into her own as she developed the iconic dramatic looks she became well known for. The gothic image and the darkness of the music only added to her allure and to this day she remains a punk icon. Whenever things get a bit rough or I have a crisis of confidence, I think to myself "What would Siouxsie do?"




Now I don't really wear graphic eyeliner that often, but I have learned to embrace my features more as a consequence of having 80's musicians as my heroes. I've always liked the artistic aspect of beauty and fashion, so 2013 is my year to get creative. Other examples of 80's icons include Debbie Harry for her impeccable fashion skills, Kate Bush as my eyebrow inspiration (I still give mine a tidy, but I do love a strong brow) and Robert Smith circa 1981 is my biggest star crush of all time. Just saying.

In Sickness and In Health

I have been a bit all over the place this month, mostly because I've been ill throughout most of November and it's hard to talk confidently about beauty when you look like shit. So these are the wonder products that have helped to make me look human on the rare occasions when I'd leave the house. The packaging is dented and slightly grubby in these photos, but on the bright side at least you know that they are well loved.

Weleda Skin Food - £7

Okay, the one pictured is the 30ml and the one I've linked to is twice the size, but I have no doubt you'd find a use for this during the winter months. This is like a thick salve as it helps to sooth any dry areas and cracked shin, such as elbows and knees. This may be a bit gross, but I tend to get really noticeable black marks on my nose where I've been wiping away, to the extent that someone asked me if i had intentionally burned it! This has come to the rescue as my skin just drinks it up. It doesn't have the oily residue left by other moisturisers, as Weleda is a natural brand and I will be looking to buy more from them in the future. Using this near the beginning of the month has reduced any discolouration around my nose and helps to deal with any skin irritations brought up from the cold.

L'Occitane Dry Skin Shea Butter Hand Cream - £8

This was a fairly new acquisition as I've never really used hand cream regularly, but as the weather got colder I picked this up as there was so much buzz around it - and frankly it was getting a bit embarrassing pulling out my mini REN Rose Otto Lotion whilst on the Tube. This has a luxurious feel to is as the thrick formula is instantly hydrating, leaving your hands moisturised for a few hours. Definitely one for the times when you need a quick pick-me-up as the smell is divine.

Bath and Bodyworks Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Linen

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if you can get this scent anymore, as Bath and Bodyworks are located in the US and Canada. I can only link here where they sell a few seasonal Favourites, including Warm Vanilla Sugar which I also own and love. Back to Linen, this is such a clean, homey scent and is good when you're rushing around on public transport or maybe after blowing your nose. The gel also contains Tahitian Palm Milk so it's not as drying as other alcohol based hand gels are. So if you're within reach of a Bath and Bodyworks store, give this a sniff as it's a clean favourite (sorry) from me.

 

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm - £10

Yup, everyone raves about this, but for good reason. At first, I was skeptical and only got the £5 stick version, which needs warming up and breaking into before it can be on par with the tub version. I lost the chapstick, and I couln't go one week without cracking and getting the 15ml tub. The formula is extra nourishing and smells of milk and honey. Horrible cracked lips, begone! I was at the stage of the cold where Carmex is as useful as water, but the Nuxe lipbalm is longlasting and also helps to get rid of any dead skin. It may not be best under lipstick, but the heavy luxe packaging and thick hydrating texture more than makes up for it.

Benefit Sun Beam - £18.50

On sick days, your skin tends to look a bit dull and lifeless and this highlighter tends to be the solution when I don't want to look like I tried too hard. Yes, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Topaz is still my favourite, maybe I'll do a side by side comparison someday. The thing is, the shade Topaz is too dark and bronzey for winter and Sun Beam offers a good compromise. I tend to use it on the tops of cheeks and over my dark circles, so the light reflective particles can give my face a subtle lift whilst hiding the lack of sleep and pale skin.

So those are my necessities for many sick days this month! Just so you know, I have changed my URL from ohsofrivolous.blogspot.com to makeuptobreakupblog.blogspot.com, just because there's no point having your own personal space on the web if it doesn't represent who you are. I hope to show more of my personality on here and I'm genuinely excited about the next post! Take care xxx

Forgotten Favourites Part 2

Hello again! Time for the second installment of the hidden gems I unearthed this summer. All items are very versatile and can be suited to many skintones. To be fair, most of these items would be worn during A/W season as vampy lips and contoured cheeks are what I turn to the most in the colder months.



Natural Collection Blush in Rosy Glow - £1.99

My first foray into Natural Collection, this blush is perfect to add a dusky glow to your cheeks. For me I tend to find glitterbombs and dolly pink blushes quite jarring, so the brown tones of Rosy Glow are very complementary to the skin. Natural Collection Blushes are quite pigmented, matte, and easily blend down into a natural wearable finish. Dallas for Benefit is similar but with extra shimmer, so if you're looking for a high street dupe of Dallas, then try this.




Benefit Hoola Bronzer- £10 as seen above with the Tan About Town Kit or £23.50 full size

This was the only thing salvaged from the Tan About Town Kit which also had Bad Gal Lash Mascara and Some Kinda Gorgeous Foundation Faker inside. The cool tones are great for sculpting and framing the face without looking harsh. After relying on Sleek's Contour Kit, this was a godsend as  I have yet to make a sizeable dent in it despite its dinky size! The shade may look lighter than my face powder in the pan, but it translates as much darker on the skin, and serves as a fantastic contour powder across many skintones.

MAC Rebel Lipstick - £14

  Rebel was the first MAC lipstick I ever bought! Vampy yet girlie, this raspberry pink shade is the perfect shade for autumn. For those with lighter skintones, it can be the more wearable of the dark lipsticks as it is less in your face. It is a satin finish, so it is non-drying and wears quite well on the lips.

Dior Rouge Hypnotic Lipstick in Hypnotic Red - £25

Let's be frank, this is quite pricey for what it is. I was pretty much obsessed with the Dior Addict scent that coincidentally is carried in these lipsticks. It is a luscious deep berry shade with high shine. Patted on the lips it comes off as almost brown, but slightly layered you can achieve the perfect wine lip. If you don't particularly care for Dior, you can get a similar effect using Revlon's Black Cherry.

L-R: MAC Rebel, Dior Rouge Hypnotic Red and Revlon Black Cherry

 As you can see, the shade is quite similar between thr Dior and the Revlon, only Black Cherry is less sheer and offers a more opaque satin finish. The swatch for the Dior would have been neater if I hadn't broken the bullet in the process. Cue me running around to remember how to fix it with a candle lighter. Despite my heavy-handed ineptitude, the moral of the story remains the same - don't forget to go through your collection every once in a while, as you may find some hidden gems.