Back to School - Cute School Supplies!

School is important - but there is no reason that "important" has to mean "boring"! I love cute school supplies, and I don't really buy anything for school unless I really like it. Just remember to look at your bright and preppy stuff when you're down about some tough math, and you'll be singing in the rain once again! Talking about preppy! This pencase is so cute! It has every bright colour I can imagine!

I use up pencils really fast (I write... a lot!), so buying cute pencils would be expensive since I would have to buy so many, lol. When I saw this amazingly cute troll pencil topper, I immediately thought that I wanted one! That way, my pencils would stay as cute as I am, all day long... :)

Staying organized is a big part of staying on top of things in school. But while staying organized, stay cute! This irresistable organizer is for 2011 to 2012.

Obviously, a back pack is a necessity for school. This polka dot one seems like a pretty good bet to me... Of course, if you carry very heavy books around (I feel your pain...) you might want thicker and bigger straps than this one has, and maybe you would also need a bigger one (I know I do!). But other than that, this back pack is right up my alley.

We are all pretty and perfect, but still, we all make occasional mistakes... very occasional... like once in a blue moon... And for those very occasional, once in a blue moon-mistakes, you will need an eraser. Pick a cute one! I love those Hello Kitty ones! Not going to promise that they erase perfectly (sadly, cute erasers are sometimes crap...), but they will look so cute in your preppy pencil case!

That completes it. I decided to only include items from http://www.amazon.com/, so that if you like anything, you can go there and find it. I do not profit in any way from the sales.

So do you like this kind of cute stuff? What is your "school supplies"-style? Tell me in the comments below!

Yours,

Miss Diorista

P.S. An eye shadow look coming up, stay tuned!

Back to School - Fresh Makeup for Younger Girls

Hi there!

So finally I am getting back to completing my series of "back to school" posts - I've done one so far, on makeup for high school, go check it out :)
This post is a simple but very pretty makeup look for younger girls, that is, maybe thirteen to fifteen, or so. Of course, it can be worn by anyone, for example, I often wear something similar to this. Sorry for the lack of pics in this post, but since I'm not including any eye shadow in this look, there wasn't really a lot to photograph.

But let's get started! You have four, easy steps, and this can be done in under five or six minutes, so go ahead!

1. When you are young, your skin usually glows with freshness, so be careful not to overload your face with something heavy, like foundation. You could use a tinted moisturizer, if you think you need it, but a sweep of mattifying powder will most likely do the trick. I'm using Benefit's Hello Flawless in "Gee I'm swell, SHELL" (pick your correct shade, and don't be afraid to ask for help in the shop. Getting your correct shade is key!). This will also help keep any oilyness in check, since that is often a concern when you are this age.

2. Pick a nice blush that you like, many girls like pink shades, but personally, I am really into peach blushes. Here I'm using Springsheen by MAC, which also gives you a bit of a healthy glow. This is a beautiful peach shade, with golden shimmer. The shimmer is subtle and the colour is buildable, but be careful not to put too much on, or you'll end up looking like a clown!

3. If you want to wear mascara, pick one that is easy to apply and doesn't clump up on your lashes. I really like Maybelline's Colossal Volume in Glam Black. It separates my lashes beautifully, gives me a nice black colour and a bit of healthy shine to my eyelashes. Also, the brush is easy and quick to use, which can come in handy if you're just getting into makeup, or if you're in a hurry on your way to school.
If you have a fair complexion, consider using a brown mascara. It could look more natural on you.

4. Finally, use a lipgloss. You can pick a colour that matches your blush, if you like. Today I'm using GOSH's 0058. It is beautiful rosy shade, with a bit of shimmer (check out my swatch in my June Favourites post).

This completes your look! You are now even more gorgeous than you were when you woke up, and you didn't even think that was possible, did you? :)

Remember that less is more. You don't want to create some kind of a face which is not yours. You want to be able to see your own beauty through your makeup. Also, it is very very important to use a good makeup remover before you go to sleep. If you have acne problems, use something to treat that (see a dermatologist for advice). Not removing your makeup can result in tired-looking skin and more breakouts, and not removing your mascara can make them prone to breaking... ugh, not nice! Taking good care of your skin now will pay off later :)

Yours,
Miss Diorista

Back to School: Fresh Makeup for High School

I got the idea yesterday to start a short series of "Back to School" posts. This first one is about makeup for a girl in high school (can of course also be worn by older girls/women, as well as to work), but you can be expecting a post on cute school supplies, fun lunch ideas and recipes, and maybe I'll do a tutorial on natural and school appropriate makeup for girls junior high (I didn't wear any makeup to school when I was that age, but I guess the times are changing!).
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This is the first tutorial I post here, and since I'm still kind of getting used to this whole thing, then I don't really feel comfortable about uploading a full-face picture of myself on the internet just yet. Please understand :) I don't rule out sharing that kind of pictures later, but for now I'm not quite up for it. You do get to see my eyes, though ;) I also tried taking pics of my lips (pics of lips... lol ;), but my camera always kind of blurred them out, so you couldn't really see anything.

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But on to the makeup!

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Products used:

Make Up Store, Cover All Mix, the lighter shade

YSL, Radiant Touch, in shade 2

Benefit, Erase Paste, 01 (fair)

Dior, Pressed Powder, Transparent Light

Dior, Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Sculpting Powder, 020 Beige Praline

Benefit, Hoola Bronzer

L'Oréal, Blush Minerals, 20 Soft Mauve

MAC, Paint Pot, Rubenesque

MAC, Eye Shadow, Satin Taupe

Clinique, Cream Shaper for Eyes, 103 Egyptian

Sisley, Kohl Eyeliner, Snow

Eyelash curler (mine is from Fabiani)

L'Oréal, Voluminous, Carbon Black

Guerlain, Liplift (it is a lip colour base)

The Body Shop, Lip Line Fixer (a clear lipliner)

Maybelline, Color Sensational Lipstick, 148 Summer Pink

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Your 6 easy steps:

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1. Start with a clean (and moisturized, if you wish) face.

2. Conceal and Brighten.

Brighten up your inner and outer corners with the Radiant Touch. Blend well. Then softly accentuate the shape of your lips with the same product. Blend away from your lips (so that you don't wash out your lips). Conceal your under-eye area with the Erase Paste (blend very well by tapping lightly with your finger). I like to cover the redness on my chin and nose with a redness fighting concealer (like the Cover All Mix), and I do so by lightly warming the product on my finger, then blending well. You can skip this if you don't need it.

Now set your concealer (that means your under-eye area, your nose, your chin and any other areas which you covered with a concealer) with a powder. I'm using a pressed powder by Dior. I also use this to control the shine on the top of my forehead.

3. Foundation

You can use a sheer foundation, or a tinted moisturizer, but for this look I'm using a powder foundation by Dior. It is a compact and has three shades (a foundation, a sculpter, and a highlighter). They can be used seperately or together. It comes with a brush, but I bought a small sponge for it to get a bit more coverage, since this foundation is very sheer (and therefore ideal for school). I apply my foundation, then a bit of the sculpter on my cheeks (I'll also be using a blush). Finally, I use the highlighter on the bridge of my nose. (If using a regular foundation, you can skip the sculpter and highlighter).

4. Contouring and blushing

Using an angled brush (like the MAC 168, I'm using one by Fabiani), pick up a bit of the Hoola. Tap of the excess, then lightly contour your jawline, holding your brush really far back for feathery strokes. Pick up more bronzer, then contour the sides of your face (take care to blend the product very well outwards, into the roots of your hair, for a natural look). Now pick up a bit more bronzer again, and contour the top of your forehead. Use the rest on your brush to lightly bronze your chin or nose. Finally, contour your cheekbones (my fave, lol!) by picking up a bit more bronzer on your brush, then sucking in your cheeks and applying the product with the brush in the hollows of your cheeks, using circular and feathery strokes. With all bronzing and contouring work, you always want to be careful to pick up a tiny amount of bronzer each time, and using light strokes. You can always add more bronzer, but it is difficult to take it off. Be careful!

Now it is time for your blush! The blush minerals by L'Oréal come with a small brush, but I find it useless, so I just use a regular blush brush. Just use what you have. Since this blush comes in loose powder form, I simply put a bit of it on the back of my hand, then dip my brush in the powder, tap of the excess, and then apply it to the apples of my cheeks, blending outwards. This blush has a bit of gorgeous shimmer, which really makes your makeup looks so fresh and pretty.

5. Eye Makeup
A lot of girls don't wear eye shadow to school (they think it is too much drama, or they don't have time), and if you're one of them, then just skip this step (or just put on mascara). However, if you have three minutes, then you can do this very simple and neutral look. It really accentuates the fact that you have eyes, lol!

Apply the paint pot on your lids (I use my finger for it...). You can use one layer, but I like two, just so that everything stays the whole day, and also because I really like the beautiful colour of Rubensque. Then, with a regular eye shadow brush (mine is from The Body Shop, and it does a decent job), apply Satin Taupe all over your lid. You can make it a bit darker on the outer corners if you wish. Now pick up your eye liner (you should check out Clinique's Cream Shaper for Eyes in Egyptian, it is an amazing colour!), and draw a fine line on your upper lashline, but only go half way (or a bit less than half). That means your inner eye is liner-free, which gives a natural look. Line your lower lash line about 1/3. Try to keep the line thickest at the outer corners (you can even flick it out a bit, if you want to). That will give you the illusion of bigger eyes. Now pick up your white eye liner, and line just the inner eye corner. Blend well (but be careful, your eyes are a sensitive area!) so that is looks more natural. This really makes you look more awake, and I need that in the mornings! Finally, curl your eyelashes (if you wish) and then apply your mascara.I don't know why the lighting looks so different in the two pictures, but as you can see, this look is very neutral when your eyes are open.

6. Lips

I don't like having to reapply my lipstick a thousand times throughout my day. I'm too busy for that! So for me, it is an absolute necessity to use a lip colour base, and a lip liner. I really like using a clear lip liner, since it goes with every lipstick I have! Using a base and a liner for your lips, really makes your lipstick last a whole lot longer. After that, apply your lipstick. I love the shade Summer Pink (148) by Maybelline, it is such a bright and fun take on pink! If you want you can top it off with a lipgloss, but I'm skipping the gloss today.
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Wow, that was long! Medals for those of you who actually read it all, lol! Once you get the hang of it, this only takes about 15 to 20 minutes. I really hope that you get some use out of this. Don't forget to comment, and if you want further information or reviews on any of the products used, then please let me know in the comments!

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My best regards,

Miss Diorista