*Game of Thrones* My Thoughts & Views so far......

I'd like to think when I started this blog, it was going to be a collection of random blogs about things I enjoy doing, hobbies, interests, rants, vents, loves, losses, you get the picture.

So yeah, recently well maybe about 6 months ago I started watching a programme which most of you will have heard of or are familiar with or are affiliated with someone who has watched or heard of it - anyhow I started watching Game of Thrones. Mostly because Boromir from Lord of the Rings was in it aka Sean Bean (love him!!) and it was of a similar old age sort of theme as LOTR.

By Lord, the amount of nudity though, shocked me! I watched because some of the characters were interesting whereas some had forgettable faces and even more forgettable names.

Lady Stark - bad ass, such a good role model, the Snow character, pathetic sod, downtrodden, bless his 'honour' bound socks and Tyrian Lannister - how cool is he?? To quote a friend when told him I thought he was pretty cool, replied with exacerbation 'aw man, you don't have the same level of appreciation as normal people' so let me make it clear, this dude is very cool, very clever and conniving, a character to follow...as small as he is. Also how much of a little s*** is Joeffrey please???!! Grrhh

I'm getting carried away, I have only seen one season LOL - hardcore fans are us, aka commitment phobe, more like. I have literally just seen the dragons being born, hatched, whatever you wanna call it and what erked me was the fact that the blond girl had to be naked for that too?? Jeez!

So maybe, if I don't get trolled too much for writing this, I'll revisit this particular blog and write about my further thoughts and general musings on this show....I believe season 5 is out in April....Lord I have loads to catch up on...

Now I can't get the theme tune out of my head...darn.

Watch this space!!!

*NARS* Narsissist Palette - Review

Hello all

Happy new year to you and a warm welcome to today's blog!!!!!

I have absolutely adored Nars Cosmetics since I first discovered its philosophy and obviously the quality of the makeup is just out of this world.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on this palette early 2014 when it was released limited edition.

It retailed at £50.00 and I thought as a regular user of Nars eyeshadows that this was a bargain buy!!! Tonnes of colours all in one palette. I believe this is the first time Nars released such a large selection of colours in one palette, So you can imagine my excitement!!!

The palette itself consists of 15 shades of colour, a mixture of mattes and shimmers and is ideal to create any eye look, from day to night!

As you can see this palette has seen a lot of use. It has an amazing range of highlights, warm browns and darker shades to create the ideal smoky eye look! 

Another amazing thing about this palette is that the shades are not exclusive to this palette, they are available as either singles or duos, but there is one colour exclusive to the palette -

Top row, from right to left - All about Eve, Madrague #2, Fez, Bali & Coconut Grove

Middle row, from right to left - Madrague #1, Nepal, Ashes to Ashes, Brousse #2 & Mekong

Bottom row, from right to left - Belissima #1, Lhasa, Bad Behaviour, Dogon & Pandora #2

Dogon is the exclusive colour, all the rest are readily available.

I love this palette and have rarely used any other palette since, it's a great all rounder and if in some miraculous way you can still get your hands on this, or you have it closeted away for a special occasion - USE IT!!!! Don't be a closet makeup hoarder!!!!

As I say to my friends - YOLO!!!! And makeup has a shelf life!!!

Have you used this, what do you think?

Sam

X

*MAC* Makeup Review – Gingerly Blush

Hey pals

I don’t have a great collection of blushers as I do lipsticks, as it’s so easy to get it wrong and the wrong blusher colour on your cheek is unforgivable and tragic – so I have a couple which I love and wear on more or less a daily basis.

One such blush is Macs Gingerly blush, it’s a orangey brown nude shade, and comes priced at an economic £18.00 – this stuff lasts ages. I have yet to hit pan and I have had it ages…the pigment is true to colour and compliments my NC42 skin tone greatly.

So glad I found it! I came across it whilst purchasing a nude lipstick at Mac – Freckletone, if you’re interested in knowing – apparently its Kim K’s signature colour – but who cares?

I sometimes use it to contour when I have a lazy day and can’t be bothered to reach for my Tom Ford contour kit. It lasts all day and it doesn’t feel like you have an obvious blusher on which is always great!

Applied using a powder brush (see my review on my favourite brush to powder with here - http://animassays.blogspot.com/2014/12/chanel-make-up-brush-love.html ) it is just effortless to apply and doesn't come with a cheapo blusher brush as you find with some other brands…

After using this though, I will try and be more adventurous and purchase other blushers from Mac and see how I go…

Have you tried this?? If not give it a whirl – you won’t regret it x

*Chanel* Make Up Brush Love

I know I say this a lot, but my affinity with all things makeup did not start too long ago – the obsession has overcome me quite recently. Anyhoo I was the type who never used makeup brushes for any purpose. I was a ‘apply-foundation-with-the-hand’ kinda gal and loved it this way. Until I became a bit conscious of hygiene and my lack of any brushes at all! So I invested and I invested good.

I still remember the look of longing on the sales assistants face as I bought the Real Techniques Face and Eye Brush collections last year – bless her!

Anyway this post is all about one brush, one single beautiful brush! The Chanel No 1 Powder Brush. This brush is the dream *sighs*.

It applies any powder formula evenly and without leaving any streaks *rolls eyes* or any residue or even (as some Mac brushes have a penchant of doing) shedding.

Priced at a whopping £44.00 you can buy the entire Real Techniques range for that much and more! But once in a while you feel like a splurge…I have often used this to apply my Chanel Universal Bronzer which as you all know is a cream formula and therefore this is a great all-rounder.

It has a domed shape so great for bronzing, contouring and blushing hehe… and I know a few people will die of disgust, but you don’t even need to clean it often…I simply don’t have the time to go around cleaning my brushes 24/7 but thankfully this doesn't require that much care…*thank god*

It also comes in a velvet sleeve embossed with the Chanel logo to keep it from getting dirty which is great! Much better than the Tom Ford range of brushes which come in a box and nothing else and you basically have to re-mortgage your house to buy…tut tut Tom Ford.

I just felt like raving about these brushes as no one online ever does!

Animas xx

*Review* Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Espresso

Hi guys

Believe it or not, up until a year ago I never touched my brows, they were just a pair of furry stamps on my forehead awaiting rescue. Then I suddenly decided to throw caution to the wind and have them threaded.

OMG that was the worst pain ever. Maybe because it was the first time and the hairs were long. Who knows.

Anyway I was a little paranoid as to what product to use to fill them in as my eyebrows are quite fine and I couldn't

afford buying some random branded makeup which would result in shedding! I have read some horror stories *shudders*.

A visit to a Tom Ford counter a few months ago lead me to buy the Brow Sculptor in Espresso (£34.00) and much like the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil (£26.00) it is amazing. The Hourglass one is slightly cheaper but for me they do the same job however the Tom Ford is more readily accessible to me.

The Tom Ford Brow Sculptor comes in a range of colours and the pen is really quirky, it comes with some extra features including a brow brush (always handy!) and a sharpener. The pencil inside is not a pencil so to speak more like the lead found in a pencil and easily sharpenable (if that’s even a word).

The product stays in place after use and all day, so I find no need to buy a brow gel to further lock it in place, another product I’m a little skeptical to use…however you never know, may be open to it in the future…I know a few people use eye shadows, however my skills with an arched makeup brush are abysmal – therefore I steer clear, because this sculptor is shaped in a sort of arch, I feel it gives me more control than a brush.

Since purchasing this I have repurchased and probably will do again, however I have my eye on the Anastasia Brow Whiz, but since that’s only available online I’m a little vary about ordering and then finding I've bought the wrong colour….always annoys me! Who has time to faff around with returns? K

Let me know your thoughts guys and what products you use to get the perfect brow…

See you soon

Animas x

Asian Weddings...

Hello morning of wedding reception. As I sit here attempting to get ready for this shindig I sometimes wonder, why am I even bothering to go? I feel like such a wallflower at these things...

Seriously these days you have to paint yourself with makeup to fit in...what happened to lightening up? Going for the subtle, natural look...give us working women a much needed break instead of making us feel even more inadequate or otherwise lacking in the skill to achieve the plastered look.

Why do these women take it too far??? The furthest I'll take it is two pumps of my foundation which gives me a full coverage look...but that won't do, you need excess eye makeup, blusher and lipstick....Francois Nars eat your heart out mate! There are no rules! Ha! There are in this circle.

Then there's the outfit, oh lord, having to iron anything on a weekend when all you want to do is lounge in your pyjamas (unironed) and watch trashy TV you can't! as it's so and sos wedding, we must attend. Therefore outfit must be pristine I.e ironed and accessories must match...

What a drone fest, people spend way too much time critiquing the food at a wedding and the brides outfit to care what the guests are wearing...

So my message to any of you girls out there is, be yourself! We are giving our time to these people, time that can be valuably spent elsewhere so they can bloody well appreciate us being there at all...

High five 🙌

Animas x

a photo of me at one such occasion...