Lady In Red

I just wanted to wish you all a happy new year and I hope that you're all having fun wherever you are. I had the most low-key Christmas ever and I basically spent the entire day enjoying my 'Alias' marathon on Netflix. I also went to see 'Les Miserables' in the evening and I thought it was fantastic. It was unashamedly sentimental but it had some great performances and I'll definitely be seeing it again soon (after 'Django Unchained').

I'll leave you with an OOTD and FOTD from this past Sunday when I was actually in the Christmas spirit. I wore this great cropped jacket from Forever21 (!) and I loved it so much that I wore it again on new year's eve with my Christie Brown necklace.

Wearing my beloved NARS "Dragon Girl" lip crayon with MAC's "Ruby Woo" on top
Sleek's "Coral" blush on my cheeks
Urban Decay's "Sin" and "Zero" eyeshadows on my lids

Ha! Please excuse my ghetto pose in the following pic but at least you can see my shoes....

Jacket: Forever 21
Top: Forever 21
Jeans: Burlington Coat Factory
Shoes: JustFab.com
Bag: vintage Stuart Weitzman

Here's another one with new hair and a different look exactly a week later for new year's eve:

Face
Mat Velvet+ matifying foundation in #75 Coffee (Make Up For Ever)
LA Girl HD concealer in "Fawn"
Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in "Dark" (under eyes) and "Dark Deep" (whole face) (MAC)
"Taos" blush (NARS)Lips
"Bare it all" lipstick (Wet 'n' Wild)
"Doug" lipgloss (Urban Decay)
Eyes
Loose pigment in "silver pearl" (NYX
Eye crayon in "black bean" (NYX)
"Zephyr", "Crystal" and "Skimp" eyeshadows (Urban Decay)
"Vanity Palette" (Wet 'n' Wild)
False lashes (Miss Adoro)

Jacket: Forever21
Top: Talbots
Necklace: Christie Brown

Hope you all had a wonderful festive period and here's to great things in 2013!

Love and life,

Nana Adomah

xx

Mini Urban Decay Haul



Urban Decay were having a sale a couple of weeks ago and I snapped up a few items (from the dregs) just before it ended.

I bought two of their eyeshadows in "YDK" and "Dashiki", a lipstick in "Confession" and a lip gloss in "Stung".

Urban Decay eyeshadows are my all-time favourite and since I already own 4 of their palettes, I definitely do not need any more. However, these were on sale for just $6 each and since they're usually around $18 I couldn't pass them up.

L-R: YDK and Dashiki 

"YDK" is a gorgeous light brown with frost/ medium shimmer, while "Dashiki" is a true frosted blue. Both of these colours are like butter and apply like an absolute dream. Urban Decay eyeshadows are typically incredibly soft, with excellent pigmentation and these two are no different. "YDK" suffers from a little bit of fall-out but nothing compared to the glitter bombs that Urban Decay can sometimes produce.

"YDK" on my lids with a touch of "Dashiki" in the crease. 

I also picked up a lipstick in "Confession" and a lip gloss in "Stung" which were $3 and $4 respectively (original prices- $22 and $12). 

They are both very dark, which is all the rage for Autumn/ Winter, but quite sheer and buildable. They are also both non-sticky and feel very nice and moisturising on the lips. My only gripe is that "Stung" could be more pigmented and I am not a fan of the overly honeyed smell.

One layer of "Confession" on my lips with no lip liner

Urban Decay have always had quite quirky packaging and I absolutely love the packaging of the lipstick. It's all very reminiscent of the legend of King Arthur pulling the sword out of the stone and it's reassuringly weighty in the hand.

Overall, I was very pleased with my purchases (particularly the eyeshadows) and they were an absolute steal at under $20. There are still a few sale items available on the Urban Decay website so definitely give it a look.However, unless you're a huge fan of glitter, I suggest bypassing any eyeshadows that have "sparkle" in their description. These eyeshadows tend not to be UD's best....

Until next time,

Nana Adomah

FOTD: Orange Lava

Sleek Makeup's Pout Paint in "Lava"

Orange lips are all the rage this summer but I've been avoiding trying them out because I don't have a wish to look like Ronald McDonald. However, having seen plenty of dark-skinned ladies rocking this look lately, I thought "what the heck?" I rummaged in my makeup case and found Sleek's Pout Paint in "Lava". These Pout Paints are supposedly similar to the ones by OCC and it went on smoothly with the tiniest amount needed.

The finish wasn't as matte as I'd have liked but it's extremely long-lasting and there's very little fading even after eating and drinking. However, make sure your lips are properly exfoliated before using this as it WILL highlight every bit of dry skin, flakiness on your lips.

Pout Paint with flash (indoors)

Face

Foundation: Studio Fix Fluid in NW45 (MAC)

Concealer: Studio Finish concealer in NW45 (MAC), Select Cover-Up in NW40 (MAC)

Powder: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in "Deep Dark" (MAC) 

Blush: "Taj Mahal" (NARS) 

Eyes

Mascara: Supercurl curling mascara (Urban Decay)

Lips

Pout Paint in "Lava" (Sleek)
Lipliner pencil in "Forever Red" (LA Colors)

I paired the Pout Paint with NARS' "Taj Mahal" blush and lashings of mascara. I can't even remember the last time I went out without eyeliner but I think it worked. This look took all of 10 minutes (I shocked myself) and it's a nice, no-fuss Summer look.

In natural light

Sleek Pout Paints are extremely affordable and I think I picked mine up in a deal in Superdrug last year for £5. They can be purchased here.

Have you tried Sleek Pout Paints before? Let me know.



Nana Adomah 

My Top 20 Cosmetic Products of the Year So Far

I originally intended to write this post highlighting my favourite cosmetics products way back in January but alas, I wasn't able to get my act together. I managed to whittle down my favourite/ most used products of the year so far and I thought I'd share:

Sleek blush in "Coral" (L), NARS blush in "Taos" (R)

I'm slowly building up a ridiculous blush collection (I only have two cheeks after all) but these two blushes were the ones I reached for the most. Sleek's "coral" blush gives me a really nice and natural flush and it's easily build-able. NARS' "Taos" was a favourite last year as well and I adore the gentle shimmer on top of the dusky rose colour. Sleek blushes are a steal at around £4.50, whilst NARS blushes are a lot more at £20.50.

MAC Select SPF 15 in NW45 (L), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish
Natural in "Dark Deep" (R)

This has been my go to foundation combo all year. I actually bought the Select foundation by mistake when I meant to buy the Studio Fix Fluid, however, I much prefer this one now. It's not too heavy, yet gives a good medium/ full coverage.

The MSF in "Dark Deep" has been my holy grail powder for around 3 years now and I don't see that changing anytime soon. It gives me the perfect "glowy" look and it can be used by itself with a bit of concealer if I want a really light coverage. I cannot recommend this enough.

Rimmel nail polish in "beige" (L), Barry M Nail Paint in
"Berry Ice Cream"

These are the polishes I've used the most this year. Barry M's "Berry Ice Cream" is the perfect summer shade in my opinion. It's fun and girly without being too vomit-inducing. The Rimmel polish, on the other hand, belongs on the other end of the spectrum. I've never been a fan of nude polishes but this makes my hands look so elegant and it particularly looks great when my nails are long. I'm a bit iffy about overly bright colours on my nails when I've grown them long because they run the risk of looking Cruella de Vil-ish. I highly recommend both colours.

Rimmel Day 2 Night mascara, E.L.F eyelid primer, Bobbi
Brown longwear gel eyeliner in "black ink"

So many accolades have been given to this mascara and I have to add mine to the list. This gives me crazy volume without clumpiness and I can't ask for much more in a mascara.
The E.L.F primer was a pleasant surprise because I chucked it into my online basket just so I could qualify for free shipping and it actually rivals my Urban Decay Primer Potion. It's very light and blends easily before I apply my eyeshadow. I'd even say it's better than the Two-Faced primer and the best part is that it's only one pound!
I bought the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner as part of a deal they were having on the plane and I've used it religiously since. It's perfect on the waterline as well as the upper lid and once it's on, it truly does not budge. Yes, it's pricey but it's worth every penny.

From L-R: MAC , E.L.F blush brush, E.L.F powder brush,
 Costco concealer/ foundation brush,
E.L.F concealer brush

I use these brushes everyday and they range from the very cheap (E.L.F) to the very expensive (MAC). The E.L.F brushes perform excellently, particularly when you factor in the ridiculously low price of £3 each. I bought my MAC kabuki brush on an impulse about 4 years ago (hey, when I'm depressed I buy makeup) and I remember asking myself if I was crazy as I forked over £30 for it. It's so soft and picks up powder so well. It has also endured numerous washes whilst losing only a minimal amount of hairs. Definitely worth the splurge.

MAC "Rebel" lipstick, The Body Shop.... lip gloss,
Smith's Rosebud Salve, Urban Decay Pocket Rocket
lip gloss in "Doug"

What can I say about MAC's "Rebel" lipstick that hasn't been said already? It's a wonderful deep pink that can be built up and looks especially great on darker skin tones. My pot of Smith's Rosebud Salve is still going strong after more than a year and I use this stuff every single day. It leaves my lips soft without being sticky.

These two lip glosses look good either on their own or on top of lipstick. They are not sticky (my biggest no-no when it comes to lip gloss) yet they have really good staying power.

I forgot to take smaller pics of the GOSH face primer and MUA eyeshadow above but both are excellent products. The MUA eyeshadow is a matte brown that only costs one pound and the pigmentation is superior to my MAC "embark" eyeshadow. I use this eyeshadow to contour my cheeks, as a crease colour and to fill in my eyebrows.

It was actually really hard to whittle this list down to just 20 (product junkie alert!) but these products have been good to me this year.

What are your top cosmetic products?



Love, life and lip gloss


Nana Adomah 

Leopard and Coral

Here's just a quick FOTD and OOTD of what I wore to church last week. I've lived in this shirt all summer as it's so easy to wear and goes with almost everything I own. I'm in desperate need of some new clothes since all of the clothes I have here are mainly autumn/ winter clothes from when I was in Atlanta in November.

I went for  pretty casual look and I accessorised with this great leather satchel I got in Ghana for the ridiculous price of 15GHC (about £5/ $8!) and these Pocahontas style sandals I picked up in Primark last year when my feet were hurting from wearing heels all day.

Shirt: New Look

Skirt: Forever 21

Top: Primark

Satchel: from a vendor in Osu (Ghana)

Sandals: Primark

Anklets: Ghana

Earrings: Primark

It was a staggering 41C/ 106F on this day and I actually thought I was going to have a heat stroke. Shockingly, my makeup actually survived the heat. I guess living in Ghana was good training ^_^ I primed my face with Milk of Magnesia and this stuff has made such a huge difference to the staying power of my makeup in the heat.

Face

Foundation: PhotoReady foundation in Cappuccino (Revlon)

Concealer: Studio Finish concealer in NW45 (MAC), Select Cover-Up in NW40 (MAC)

Powder: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in "Deep Dark" (MAC) & HD Powder (Make Up Forever)

Blusher: "Sunrise" (Sleek) 

Eyes

Lid: "honey" eyeshadow (Urban Decay) and "Singapore sling" in the Curacao palette (Sleek)

Crease and transition: "Vanity" palette (Wet 'n' Wild)

Highlight and inner tear duct: "ricepaper" eyeshadow (MAC)
Eyeliner (lid): Random black liquid liner from Superdrug

Eyeliner (waterline): Waterproof velvet touch eyeliner in "black ink" (GOSH)

Mascara: Supercurl curling mascara (Urban Decay)
False lashes: Ardell

Lips

Luscious liquid lipstick in "raspberry" (E.L.F)

I decided to wear falsies and I think I'm getting better at the whole application process. I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan of falsies because I don't want to get used to them on my face and then feel as if I "need" them but they are fun to wear once in a while.

How are you all enjoying your summers?


Love, life and sunny days 


Nana Adomah 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance review

After finally accepting that my Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) was done and dusted, I decided to try the much-lauded Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer instead.

 As much as I love my UDPP, it's annoying that it dries out so quickly before you've even used up half the tube. The Too Faced primer comes in an easy to dispense tube and I don't see this drying out anytime soon.

The product itself is nice and creamy and goes on a little easier than the UDPP in my opinion. I also feel that a little goes a long way and it blends in with my skin tone more easily than the UDPP.

The first time I used this, I was in love. It glided on so beautifully and I loved the packaging. However, by 7:00 p.m. I had drastically changed my mind. My eyeshadow had CREASED! *Shock and horror* I seriously can't remember the last time I had creased eyeshadow (maybe in the last millennium) and I was so disappointed. Granted, it was major creasing but that's like saying it wasn't a major death. Creasing is creasing.

I have super-oily eyelids so I'm always aware of creasing eyeshadows. I made sure I let the product dry before applying my eyeshadow and yet it still creased. However, despite this creasing disaster I'd still recommend this to those of you without oily skin. This is the first Too Faced product I've ever tried but I won't let this disappointment put me off their other products. (I've swatched their eyeshadows before and they're lovely.)

I'm still going to try and finish the tube but since Urban Decay have re-jigged the design of their UDPP, I'm going back to them with open arms.

I'd give this product an 8/10


Love, life and lipgloss

Domzy
x

A week of pictures

I took a few OOTD and FOTD pictures this week but they never quite made it up so I'm lumping them all here. The weather has been utterly sublime and it's made me want to do nothing at all. I've been hanging out with friends and just generally loafing around.

What have you guys been up to in the fine weather? Let me know!

My friend Madeline and I decided to wander around Camden for the afternoon and we had fun just enjoying the usual Camden sights. We both picked up these silly Harry Potter-esque clear glasses so I could pretend to be a cool hipster and blend in with the Camden crowd! We also had some delicious (and cheap) Thai food at this little pub. We've been there a few times but it'd been a while so we decided to treat ourselves. After all, you can't go wrong with Thai.

My best hipster look

Jeans: ASOS
Top: George by Asda
Blazer: Talbots
Turban: Primark Scarf
Leather satchel: Oasis
Black Wedges: New Look

I was in the mood for bright eyes on this day and I wanted to pair it with a neutral lip. I'm convinced that "nude" lipsticks look terrible on me even though I like that look so I decided to make it work for me. I used "Touch" by MAC with Urban Decay's "Pocket Rocket" in "Kirk" over it. I kind of like it but I'm still firmly on the fence. Oh well, at least I tried something new. My eyes were done using the Urban Decay "UD Loves NYC" palette.

Finally, this is what I wore to church last week  and I actually bared my arms (shock, horror)! I detest my arms with a passion so they're usually under wraps, even the summer. I wore a simple tunic top I picked up in the New Look sale with my ASOS jeggings. I also wore my gorgeous, gorgeous wedges for the first time and I'm still in love. I'll be doing a detailed shoe post soon as I've picked up quite a few new ones (naughty naughty) so I'll talk about them there.

Top: New Look
Jeggings: ASOS
Wedges: ALDO
Bag: Ted Baker
Necklace: Monsoon Accesorize

Love, life and more sunshine!
Domzy
x

Summer days, make me feel fine....

My, my, my, haven't we been blessed with some stonkingly good weather in the UK these past few days? I won't hold my breath that it'll last but it's been nice to see everybody enjoying it in the meantime. I don't know what it is about sunshine that makes everything in London look great but I'm sure not complaining.

I went to church on Sunday and I was going to wear heels but switched them out for some espadrilles at the last moment. I'm glad I did because I ended up doing a lot of walking and there's not much worse than aching feet.

Outfit

Navy blazer- Talbots

White Shirt- Primark

Jeans- a random shop in Atlanta. It may have been Ross or Marshalls!

Nautical espadrilles- New Look

Bag- (very) vintage Burberry

Belt- Talbots

Bangles- Accessorize

Necklace- possibly Dorothy Perkins

 Face

Foundation: Studio Fix Fluid in NW45 (MAC)

Concealer: Studio Finish concealer in NW45 (MAC), Select Cover-Up in NW40 (MAC)

Blusher: "Crazed" (NARS)

Powder: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in "Deep Dark" (MAC)

Eyes

Long-wear gel eyeliner in "Black Ink" (Bobbi Brown)

Waterline- 24/7 Glide-on eye pencil in "Ransom" (Urban Decay)

Lower lash line- 24/7 Glide-on eye pencil in "Stash" (Urban Decay)

Mascara: Studio Lash Instant Volume (Miss Sporty)

Lips

Lip Liner in "Chestnut" (MAC)

Lipstick in "Lickable" (MAC)

Lipgloss- Pocket Rocket in "Doug" (Urban Decay)

You may have noticed that I've changed my hair. I got some extensions put in on Thursday and I'll be telling you all about them in an upcoming post.

Finally, thank you to all my new followers. I appreciate every single one of you! How have you been enjoying the sunshine?

Love, life, and Spring-time fun

Domzy 
x

Trials in depotting

I've always been scared to depot my makeup products as it looked like something that was better left to the professionals. However, I decided to bite the bullet last week and purchased an empty MAC palette from the MAC Pro shop in Carnaby Street.

I have a few MAC eyeshadows I've had for years and I noticed that I tended to use the same 2 all the time. I thought having a palette would enable me to see all my products at once and it would encourage me to actually use the other colours. I searched online for depotting methods and the hair straightener method seemed the most idiot-proof. I think I did a good job even though I managed to take a chunk out of "antiqued" (gasp!).

I got a bit excited after depotting the MAC eyeshadows and started looking for other things to depot. I noticed that I had random Urban Decay eyeshadow that I'd never used and a Sephora eyeshadow I received for free and they looked to be the same size as the MAC ones. I depotted them as well and they fit into the palette perfectly. Most of the tutorials I found online showed people sticking the labels of the eyeshadow on the bottom of the pan before putting them in the palette but I didn't see the point of that. How would I know what the eyeshadows were called? Therefore, I stuck my labels on the inner lid of the pan so I could see exactly what I was using.

The downside to depotting is that you lose the cool limited edition packaging that MAC sometimes has. I had an eyeshadow from the "Style Warriors" collection and I decided to put my concealer in this case instead of getting rid of it.

I also stuck the label on the bottom so I'd know what it was.

For me the best, best, best bit about depotting is that I can return the empty cases to MAC as part of their "Back to MAC" program for a free lipstick! For those of you that are unaware, you can take any 6 empty MAC containers to their shop/ counter in exchange for a free lipstick. I had some other foundation and concealer empties knocking about so I got two free lipsticks in "Lickable" and "Touch" (swatches coming up shortly).

Have you ever tried your hands at depotting?

Love, life and experimentation

Domzy 
x

Friday's Face

I popped out to see a friend and decided to try out "Antiqued". I worried that it'd be really dark but I think it really brightens up my eyes. I even had a couple of random people stop me on the street to ask what eyeshadow I was wearing (!). I could have blended my eyebrow highlighter in a bit more but I kinda love it. I added a couple of clip-in hair extensions and curled my hair with my Babyliss Curling Wand. 

Last week, I got a sudden urge to find out what I would look like with a nose ring on. I've had my nose pierced for approximately 6 years now but I've never worn anything but a tiny stud in it. I've had a few funny looks from friends but I think I'm kind of digging it. I was bored and felt like a change, so why not? What do you think of it?

I'm on the fence about MAC's Face and Body foundation. I think it's way too sheer/ light for me and it's almost a step-up from a tinted moisturiser. It'll be great for the summer or for people who want very light coverage. I had to really pile on my Mineralize powder to feel like my skin looked even. Maybe I'll give it another go when my scars/ hyper pigmentation fade a little.

Face

Primer: Velvet touch foundation primer (GOSH)

Foundation: Face and Body in N9 (MAC)

Concealer: Studio Finish concealer in NW45 (MAC), Select Cover-Up in NW40 (MAC)

Blusher: "Taj Mahal" (NARS)

Powder: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in "Deep Dark" (MAC)

Eyes

Primer: Primer Potion (Urban Decay)

Lid and lower lash line: "antiqued" (MAC)

Crease:

Inner eye: "jezebel" (Stila)

Highlight: "ricepaper" (MAC)

Eyeliner: Long-wear gel eyeliner in "Black ink" (Bobbi Brown)

Waterline: Waterproof velvet touch eyeliner in "black ink" (GOSH)

Mascara: Studio Lash Instant Volume (Miss Sporty)

Lips

Base: Smith's Rosebud Salve

"Rebel" lipstick used as a stain (MAC)

Lipgloss: Hi-shine lip treatment in "Juicy Peach" (The Body Shop)

Love, life and daring
Domzy
x

CHILLaxing

I was dragged to a networking event last night on Kensington High Street with my wonderful friends and I surprisingly had a good time. I managed to persuade one of them to take a picture of me so I could fulfil my promise to the blog so here  goes:

I can't say that I was loving what I was wearing but I just slapped an outfit together and braved the disgusting cold. It was seriously COLD, the type of cold that chills you straight to the bone. I couldn't get a great close-up of my face because my camera decided it hates me but, hey, I tried.

Outfit

Slouch grey harem trousers: ASOS (Curve)

Blouse: Primark

Ankle boots: Primark

Coat: H&M

Snood: ASOS

Bag: Random leather bag from a man on the street

Earrings: H&M

Rings: assorted Dorothy Perkins, H&M, Evans

Eyes

Primer: Primer Potion (Urban Decay)

Lids: Liquid liner in "Smog" smeared all over lids (Urban Decay)

Inner eye: "Shag" eyeshadow (Urban Decay)

Lower lash line: 24/7 Glide-on pencil in "Stash" (Urban Decay)

Eyeliner: Felt tip liner (NYX)

Waterline: Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink (Bobbi Brown)

Mascara: Studio Lash Instant Volume (Miss Sporty)

Lips

Base: Smith's Rosebud Salve

Lipgloss: Hi-Shine lip treatment in "Juicy Peach" (The Body Shop)

Face

Foundation: Studio Fix Fluid in NW45 (MAC)

Concealer: Studio Finish concealer in NW45 (MAC), Select Cover-Up in NW40 (MAC)

Blusher: "Taj Mahal" (NARS)

Powder: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in "Deep Dark" (MAC)

Love, life and warm nights
Domzy x