Dyeing my Hair with L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss

It's that time again, my ends were getting quite 'brassy' which isn't a look I care for so off to the supermarket I go for a new hair colour :)  This time around it's 'L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss' in 'Dark Chocolate' .... love the name :)

My hair is naturally mid-dark brown so going darker for me is just what I do.  I don't like the 'orangey browns' that much or the 'purple browns' so I tried to keep the colour pretty natural looking .... don't want to go upsetting the school at this late stage of the game now do I?

The instructions were simple to follow and pretty well explained, I like the way the box has a hole cut out for holding the bottle.  I don't like the metal squeezy bottle that the formula came in, I always feel like these can break open at any time when squeezing the last drops out!

Same procedure as with most home dyes, mix formula and activator together, shake well before opening and then open before exploding :) put some vaseline around your hairline to help prevent staining, place an old towel around your shoulders and be sure to put your gloves on .... then apply to sections of hair on top first (especially if you have regrowth) and work your way around leaving the ends 'til last.  Leave on for approx 20 mins (I left mine on for 25 cos I was watching a show and forgot to look at the time  oooooops!) all was good - then rinse off thoroughly with warm water until it runs clear, apply conditioner, leave for a couple of mins and then rinse out.   TA DA ..... freshly dyed hair! :) Oh, and the smell wasn't too bad either.

I'm happy with this colour, it doesn't make my face look too pale or grey and it doesn't have too much 'red' in the sun making it look 'too fake' at school.

This photo was taken three days after dyeing my hair.  Thumbs up for L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss' :)

Shoe Shopping ...

Hahaha I went shopping for shoes the other day for my Formal which is in November and of course you know how it is, when you want the shoes, they are never to be found :/ Last year I saw so many bejewelled sandals around with heels but I didn't need them and now this year I can't find any .... so what do you do?

You buy luggage instead ....  yep, I couldn't find shoes so I ended up with my new luggage :) these will see me good for IMATS and my Schoolies at the end of the year YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!  I settled on the 'Lucca' Fluer de lis 24" suitcase, just loving the subtle pattern and the way it expands out to fit in all the stuff I'm gonna buy on my trips hahahaha .... and the 'Lanza' WM III Cabin Bag which is big enough to hold my makeup, brushes and my camera safely :) :) I got both these bags at 'Strand Bags' along with a courtesy card and $15 off! YAY again :)

  

Well at least my shopping trip wasn't a complete waste, hopefully next time I'll find my shoes!!! fingers crossed :)

IMATS Sydney 2011

I’m so excited, I’ve got my tickets booked, I get to go on a plane for the very first time, I get to see Sydney and I get to go to my very first IMATS :)

Yep, I’m talking about the Sydney IMATS 2011, it’s brought to us by ‘Makeup Artist Magazine’ and will be held on the 24^th and 25^th September at the Sydney Convention Centre at Darling Harbour. If you don’t know what IMATS stands for it means the ‘International Makeup Artist Trade Show’ and it is the perfect opportunity for professional and up-and-coming make-up artists to learn about the latest products and techniques on the market, stock their kits and meet other like minded people.  It’s not only for people in the trade though because anyone who has a love of makeup can attend this wonderful two day event and buy products that are hard to find in Australia hopefully at a reduced price. 

This is the third Sydney IMATS to take place and each year it’s bigger and better than the year before. We are pretty privileged because IMATS is only on in America, England, Australia and Canada so if we want to keep it here in Australia we need to spread the word so more people know about it and attend so that each year it will be better than the last.

There will be some great Speakers such as Napoleon Perdis, Rae Morris, Donna Mee and Pursebuz from YouTube just to name a few and there will be some great demonstrations taking place along with the Student Competition, this year’s themes are ‘tribal’ and ‘mythological’. There’s also a makeup museum where you can see some great ‘special effects’ sculptures and designs from film and television and if you’re looking at studying makeup artistry in the future there’s plenty of Academies showcasing their courses.

Just some of the exhibitors that will be there are Crown Brushes, Napoleon Perdis, Naked Cosmetics, Inglot, BodyFX, Mehron, Ben Nye and Makeup Forever just to name a few and MAC will have a stand there as well.

So I’m going to be there all day on Saturday and maybe catch a show or two on the Sunday, the doors open at 8.30am Saturday and 10.00am Sunday, so if anyone else is going and you see me there don’t be shy, come up and say hello cos I’d love to meet you and I know quite a few other Youtube Girls will be there (just look up IMATS Sydney 2011 on Youtube to see some other videos), so hopefully I’ll get to meet some of them. I’ll be making another video after IMATS letting you know what it was like and I’d love to include some other people in there. 

So yeah if you see me there, come up and say hello, I’ll be the one with the camera :)

BB Cream, Paw Paw Balm, Mascara and Multivitamins .....

Skin79 BB Cream

I've been trying out a couple of new things lately, the first is a BBCream which means 'blemish balm', I've heard these being talked about a bit so I thought I'd like to give it a try, the one I got is called 'Super Plus Triple Function' by Skin79 in the bright pink packaging.  At first when I tried it I thought it was the wrong colour for me (it was slightly grey) but after a while it actually seems to take on the colour of your own skin and then once you apply your blush and set it everything is fine.  I've been using it for the past couple of weeks and am really liking it.  The coverage isn't too thick which is nice for school and it feels really light on and I also like the fact that it has an SPF included :) My skin is a combination type and this is working well for me.

I love the packaging and I know this shouldn't really be a factor but let's face it, if something looks good you are more likely to buy it and I like pretty things! :) The pump didn't work once because I think you need to shake it a bit and also it was a very cold day so that could have been a factor.

Nature's Care Paw Paw Balm

The next thing I've been trying out is a difference paw paw ointment, not because there's anything wrong with the Lucas Paw Paw ointment I love so much but just because it's good to compare different products.

This one is the 'Nature's Care' all natural Paw Paw Balm.  It says it relieves dry skin, moisturises, soothes and protects and comes in a 30g tube.  I find the consistency of this is thinner and the Lucas brand and there is a scent to it which I'm not quite sure whether I like or not :/  It seems oiler too and doesn't seem to stay on as long.  I'm not overly fond of the lid because it seems to make it bulkier.  The price is good, I bought mine for $3.75 from Woolworths and it is easy enough to get a hold of in Australia and online.

Maybelline 'The Falsies' Mascara

My sister received a new mascara for her birthday last month so I thought I would sneak it and try it out :D  It's 'The Falsies' Volume Express (waterproof) by Maybelline and WOW!!!! I love the way it works, apart from the fact that it's not animal cruelty free, it really does do what it says it does :) Love it!

Multivitamins

With all I've been doing lately I've decided to try out a new Multivitamin, this one is by Blackmores and is the 'Teen Multi + Brain Nutrients', hahahaha I really hope the 'brain' part works well with my QCS coming up  ;) ;).  It says it helps with mind and body development, mood and behaviour and helps support healthy skin .... if this is all true, my life should be great! :D  

My life was getting really hectic so I had to take a step back, prioritise  and sort a few things out with work to allow myself time to study properly and still have a little bit of a life so I've taken the next couple of months off work to concentrate on these things but my job is still there waiting for me after schoollies :D so it's all good.

Mardi Gras/Carnival Inspired Makeup Tutorial (Collab) and Costume

I teamed together with Miss Pixie Lulu to do a 'Mardi Gra/Carnival' Inspired look which was so much fun to do :)  I chose the path of 'Harlequin/Pantamime' for mine, lots of black and white with a touch of red/fushia to break it all up, I really love the finished result of both versions, the way they are completely contrasting shows how you can mix things up and get a real individual look.

See Lucy's version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib50yWxuPt8&feature=channel_video_title

Working with black and white is not the easiest thing to do, it can get very messy so you need to be patient and allow a lot of time to get it right.  It's a perfect look for fancy dress/masquerade parties or any Mardi Gra and Carnival you might want to get involved in.

To complete the look I made my outfit up of items I already had, the only thing I purchased were the stockings, mask base and a few ribbons. Refer to previous blog post for DIY on mask and headpiece.

Outfit:

Papermache mask - art supply store $3.00 (DIY tut on previous blog post)
Headpiece (DIY tut on previous blog post)
striped singlet - tightrope (years ago)
puffy skirt, shrug, fingerless gloves (kittycat costume I already had) tail removed
patterned stockings - cosmetics plus $8.00
belt - Brisbane (already had)
black pumps - Brisbane (already had)
bracelet - diva (already had)
ring - diva (already had)
necklace - gift from friend 5 years ago
and a couple of balloons left over from my brother's birthday hahaha :)

** When you're planning a 'costume' for a fancy dress event try to use what you already have so that there is minimal outlay because these are not things that you will be wearing all the time so it's best not to spend too much money on them.  Go through your clothes and you might be surprised at what you come up with using a little imagination :) and if you don't have what you need, visit your local op-shop/thrift store for something, this way you will be pretty much guaranteed that no one else will be wearing the same as you! :)

DIY - Carnival/Mardi Gras Harlequin Half Mask

I started off with a full paper mache face mask which I drew my desired shape onto.  I then carefully cut out the shape.

Once I cut the shape out I gently filed the edges of the mask with a nail file to get rid of any jagged edges.  Remember to file around the eyes as well as these can be a bit rough sometimes.

Next I took a piece of soft cardboard and used it to draw lines on the mask.  The reason I used cardboard was because it can bend easily around the curves of the mask.

Once you're happy with the design, you're ready to paint.

Simple black and white (or whatever colour you want) craft paints will do the job together with a simple paint brush.  I used a straight edge brush so that it would be easier to get into the corners.

Just fill in the pattern, I painted the black onto the white mask and then blended white with a little black to add some dimension to the white, not filling it in completely, just a little.  Around the edges I dragged a touch of black up onto the mask to give an aged effect, I also did this around the eye hole. Lastley I painted black on the very edge of the mask (outside and eyehole) to define the edges.

For the Headpiece:

I used a large flower clip that I already had, some ribbons and beading.  

With a hot glue gun (or your fav glue of choice) arrange the ribbons in an appealing way, I looped the large organza ribbon in a bow effect and then loosly looped the smaller ribbons and beads to hang down.  I also added a few skinny feathers for interest.

Once you have finished, glue a stick to your mask, pin your head piece in your hair and off you go!!! :)

You can find my makeup tutorial for this look HERE

Modiva Professional Curling Iron Giveaway - Two Days Left!

There are just two days left for the Giveaway which closes on 6th August, 2011 (Aussie time).  Will you be one of the lucky winners of this wonderful 25mm Clipless Curling Iron by Modiva Professional?  Well you have to be in it to win it so be sure to have your entries in.

YouTube Channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/lilcammo93

Good Luck!!!