It's Late and I'm Fooling around with...Duo Chromes

Seems the new Vanity set-up I got today has inspired a lot of playing around with my make-up.  I watched a video on youtube that spoke of duo chromes and inspired me.  The swatches below are all placed over black eyeliner.  When you place a duo chrome shadow over a dark base (or black eyeliner) the "duo" color will show up.  Think "iridescent".

Some of my favorite duo chromes are:

MAC

Stars 'N' Rockets (iridescent pink and purple)

Gorgeous Gold (literally is a gorgeous gold with a teal/green duo chrome)

Vex (grey with pink duo chrome)

Smoke and Diamonds (Grey with green duo chrome--like a Japanese beetle I think)

Motif (Cream/yellowish with  pink duo chrome)

Beauty From the Earth (BFTE)

Whisper (White with light blue Duo Chrome)

Mermaid (Yellow with Green Duo Chrome) 

*Mermaid is very similar to MAC's Gorgeous Gold*

Kryolan

Pink Sunset (Pink with purpley duo chrome) 

*Pink Sunset is very similar to MAC's Stars 'N' Rockets*

Have fun with Duo chromes and experiment!

My Hairz

So, originally this blog post appeared in September 2008 under my old blog, but I am moving it here :)  My hair is a bit different now (of course). I'll post some newer pics soon and also talk/rav about some of my new hair styling products and tools. Yay! ♥

September 2008:

I took scissors to my hair and this is the result:

I had to have someone even out the bangs at Vain Salon, but she considered it a bang trim, so I only had to tip her :)

Those of you that know me well know I LOVE to change my hair all the time and get bored quickly. The pink in my hair is from Special Effects and is called "Atomic Pink". AWESOME brand of hair color. They make all of the best funky hair dyes I have ever tried, but beware...THEY DO NOT WASH OUT!

That's great for me, but if you are antsy about coloring your hair try Manic Panic instead. The stuff lasts like half a shower. Special Effects must either be cut out or dyed black over it.

Last, I am posting a picture of what my hair would look like if I had naturally straight hair:

Isn't that amazing?! Love it. Too bad when my hair is that length it is a White girl fro' meets Shirley Temple on Acid.

New Vanity!

I found a KILLER deal on Craigslist today.  I have been looking for a Vanity forever, but they are either not my style or out of my price range by a few hundred dollars :/ Patience is a virtue though, as today I found the PERFECT one.  It even has dainty ornate roses on top of the mirror which match much of the other items in my room.  Even the stool appears to have a feminine dainty rose fabric atop. I am in love! Oh, and the price? $20!!!!!!!

Here is a close-up of the rose detailing on the mirror: (notice my bedding reflected):

Here is a close up of the stool and the fabric. So Pretty! 

    

I also added my trusty Conair lighted/magnifying make-up mirror so I can get ready easily in the morning. Might be a bit cluttered/mirror overkill, but this is sooooo much better than what I had before! I consistently left the house with foundation tell-tale lines on my jaw due to poor lighting/poor mirror set-up. Yay for Craigslist!

PS~ Sorry I am not yet used to adding pictures to blogs using the image tool on blogger, as I have only used photobucket/imageshack in the past. This blog post's format is really messy, so I apologize! I promise prettier/cleaner ones in the future ♥

Christmas Eyes!

What's more Christmassy (and cheezy...and cliche) than red, gold and green eyes for Christmas?

I used Beauty from the Earth Shadows in Candy Apple, Honey and Raspberry and Urban Decay's 24/7 Liner in Covet. I am so corny haha.  Even my nails are Red and silver ;)

New Wall Mural :)

I am in the process of decorating my room, and ran across this ADORABLE wall decal mural from DabbleDown on Etsy:

It was the LAST ONE, so I am so glad I picked it up.  There has been a vacant space of wall above my bed for a few months now as I searched for the perfect "space filler".  My walls are the same shade of yellow as the ones displayed in this pic too! AND my duvet cover has swirls and birds on it. So excited to see how this transforms my room!  

I need to post before and after pics of my basement room! It's unbelievable! My room was once a drab, dark grey place, but with the help of my wonderful and artistic boyfriend, it has undergone a metamorphosis into the beautiful lively space it is today....and getting better all the time!

until next sign,

Mandrean

xoxo

PS~ Here is the link to DabbleDown's Etsy Store:

Click Here to Visit DabbleDown's Etsy Store!

Purple and Green!

One of my favorite tutorial ladies on YouTube (xsparkage) did this AMAZING look for Green (or brown) eyes using purples and greens. Got totally inspired and I Love it!  

I used the following products to create my look (almost all the same products used in the tutorial video below).  While it looks like I may have used a lot of products, I really could have used just two eyeshadows and mascara....plus this took me like literally 5 minutes. Try it out for yourself!:

Eyes:

Cream shadow base by VS Beauty Rush in Glampagne

Beauty from the Earth shadows:

Karma (wet) 

Raspberry

Green Apple

MAC:

Pfloof! as highlighter and on inner eye to brighten look and eyes :)

Eyeliners:

Urban Decay 24/7 liners in Zero (top lash line and water line) Covet (lower lash line, under the Green Apple from BFTE) and Yeyo on inner corner of eye 

Mascara:

The Colossal Volum' Express by Maybelline

Foundation/Face:

Studio Fix Fluid by MAC in NW25

MAC Mineralize  Satinfinish Natural in Medium

Blush:

Sweet William cream blush by MAC with a tad of Pfloof! MAC eyeshadow on top for extra sheen ;)

Have fun with this easy pretty look!

xoxo,

Mandrean

Brunette Ambition...or Ambizione Brunetta

I decided to create a blog specifically dedicated to my love for make-up, hair, fashion and all things feminine.  I hope to post reviews, tips/tricks (and eventually tutorials???) as well as products/styles I love throughout.  Yay!