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.

Forgotten Favourites Part 1

Firstly, apologies for not uploading any posts for a while. My skin and hot weather do not get on, so I haven't been wearing much make-up over the month of August. But during a much needed clearout, I rediscovered a few old gems from my stash. Some have really helped during the summer to keep the oil at bay whilst wearing a full face of slap, whereas some are more suited to the transition into Winter for those forward thinking lasses out there. Enjoy!

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC50



Not to be confused with the Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, this powder gives a matte look to the skin over foundation, or worn alone on a good skin day. Ironically, the MAC store in Canada that I visited made this exact mistake when I wanted the Powder Plus on holiday and I got this instead. Let's just call it a lucky accident.



Inside compact (and a glimpse of my camera in the mirror!)

 

The shade NC50 is perfect if you are yellow-toned like me but want to look less orange. I find that NC45 foundations tend to show up incredibly orange on my skin, and as I'm somewhere in the middle between the shades Dark and Deep Dark in MAC's MSF Natural powders, this is a great way to avoid the 'tangoed' look. The powder is very fine and is specially formulated to deal with oily skin as it leaves a very matte finish. The only downside is that it tends to cling to dry areas when used on its own, but on top of a tinted moisturiser it looks incredibly natural and gives a medium coverage. I can't find this on MAC's website, but if they have discontinued this I may have to start using it very sparingly...

Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer- £6.99

I bought this initially when I wasn't sure if primers actually made a real difference to my skin. This was the first one I bought and since then, I have tried out some pricier ones that managed to let my make-up slip faster than usual ( Benefit's The Porefessional, anyone?) Until I dug it up 3 weeks ago, I had genuinely forgotten how soft and moisturising it feels when I apply it. It has the same silicone finish as the Porefessional, but with a creamier consistency and witch hazel to soothe any irritations or spots that may be lurking. I found in the hot weather that it lengthened the wear times of dewy foundations and no touch ups were needed. For oilier skinned girls, this is a must-have in your collection.

Sleek Original Palette - £7.99

Keeping with the "drugstore" theme, this palette contains everything needed for anyone wanting to get adventurous with colour. Mixing neutrals with the colours on the bottom row act as a great combination for daytime to make your eyes pop - supersubtle pink eyeshadow is meant to be a beauty trend this season. For night-time, the top colours are very appropriate for creating an intense smoky eye. There can be some fallout as all the eyeshadows are glittery, but despite this I do see myself using this religiously now I know where it is! The copper and olive tones are my favourite shades.

MUA Eyeliner in Intense Black and Eyeshadow in 01 Black- £1 each 

What I'm going to say next doesn't just apply to these two items from MUA but the majority of the range: The pigmentation and staying power of their products are phenomenal, especially considering the low pice point. I do often tear up when I'm lining my waterline or my tightline, but the Intense Eyeliner still doesn't budge. They also do a range of lipliners and lipsticks for £1 which I also must look ninto as I've heard such great things. I use the two together to create a really intense smoky eye and they blend exceptionally well.

In case there was any doubt, here's a swatch.

Recently I used these two items combined with MAC's duochrome Club eyeshadow (brown/green) patted over it, followed by Embark (matte dark brown) to soften any outside edges. Including the infamous Carbon, this has to be the best matte black I've ever tried. FACT.

Along with a slew of planned posts, I have a part 2 coming up which involves more cheek and lip products, but this just goes to show how many great products eventually get unused and forgotten about. Are you guilty of this? Have you used any of these items when shopping your stash?

 

 Candice xx