Crimson Lips and Neutral Eyes

I have been taking my makeup inspiration from some unusual places lately. I'm forever on a quest to find something to watch on Netflix to justify the subscription (easier said than done) and my recent guilty pleasure has been re-watching my Agatha Christie favourites. For me, Miss Marple wins in the battle of the Christie sleuths but the maquillage in Poirot makes up for the lack of suspense.

This particular eye look was inspired by Henrietta Savernake's makeup in The Hollow, played by Megan Dodds. You can see a good still of her eye makeup here. The character wore a lovely pale pearlised eyeshadow on the brow bone with a little on the lid too. It was subtle but very pretty and immediately made me think of the Guerlain Rue de Rivoli palette. I used the iridescent cream/pink on the centre of the lid and the brow bone and a mix of greys and fawn colours in the crease. I lined (very wonkily) using the Hourglass Script liner. In retrospect, I wish I had opted for a gel liner for a more matte finish.

I chose to go for a more statement lip than Henrietta wore, primarily because I had a new lipstick to play with but also because the colour and finish felt quite 'Poirot' appropriate. I bought this lipstick in a recent Avon order and it's in the shade Matte Crimson. As soon as I swatched it, I worried that I'd picked out a MAC Rebel dupe. I've swatched them side by side and was relieved to see that they're not identical but probably a little close considering how often I opt for such a deep, opaque colour. I'm pleased to report the formula isn't a lip-husking disaster either.

Avon Matte Crimson on the left, MAC Rebel on the right

Do you ever take inspiration from looks you've seen on TV or films? Or do you have a favourite era makeup wise?

Project Swatch: Illamasqua Lipstick in Wanton

Unfortunately, I've held onto the majority of these pictures for so long that the lipstick pictured doesn't appear to be available anymore. Illamasqua Wanton is a very old purchase (almost as old as this blog, I think) and is about as far from my usual lipstick choice as you can probably get. It's a medium lilac pink, the pigmentation is very good but as it is the old style Illamasqua formula, it has quite a dry feel. The stiff texture is what leads to the marks on the bullet, as I find the lipsticks shifts from side to side as you apply rather than simply gliding on.

The pros of the lipstick texture are that it lasts well but I find I must apply over a lip balm or top with lipgloss, otherwise it feels uncomfortable. Today, I'm wearing it over Rose Lanolips. I decided to pull it out today after seeing Emily Jayne tweet about wearing a power lipstick. Wanton is probably more quirky than it is a power colour but I'm hoping it will still draw the focus away from the dark rings around my eyes!

Are you chasing away the January blues with your lipstick today?

20% off at Escentual and a glimpse at the Guerlain Liu Palette

I've been struggling to find a moment to post in the last couple of days. Although I've finished preparing for Christmas, I currently have three small children in the house who are all VERY excited about tomorrow, the smallest of whom seems to have decided that sleeping is for wimps. I had intended to write about the Guerlain Liu Eye and Lip Calligraphy, including a FOTD, but I shall have to make do with sharing some pictures of the palette and swatches for now.

Instead, I thought I would take a moment to point out the current sale at Escentual.com. They have at least 20% off everything (no code required) including the Guerlain Liu palette, which is currently on sale for £43.20 instead of £54. I thought this might be useful information for anyone expecting to receive a bit of spending money for Christmas, it will certainly make your pounds go a little further. I'm hoping to have a quiet browse myself once the children stop bouncing off the walls. Merry Christmas!

Disclosure: The palette was my Christmas wish generously granted by Escentual (you can see my wishlist here). It literally beats the socks off the M&S underwear that I'm likely to find under the tree tomorrow...

Update on Operation Use it Up

Despite every intention of updating you once a month on my 'Use it Up' progress, it has been three months since my original post which you can find here. Although I haven't posted updates, I have been sticking to it pretty diligently but my progress has been slow, particularly with respect to the lip products.

As yet, I still haven't used up a single lipstick or lipgloss from the original eight. The lipglosses and the Lip Chic in Zinnia have hardly budged because I keep forgetting to use them. Although the Guerlain lipstick was close to hitting the plastic when I first started this project, I haven't had the heart to finish it off. I never realised I could be so precious about a lipstick. I think the fact that it has been discontinued has a lot to do with it.

I have pretty much concentrated on using the four lipsticks pictured centre: RBR Irreverence, RBR Murmurings, Hourglass Fresco and Chanel Bonheur. They are some of my most favourite lipsticks anyway, so this hasn't been too hard and both Bonheur and Murmurings have the most obvious use. Despite being good to begin with, I've obviously become forgetful about reapplying during the day again, as I really ought to have seen a bigger dent in these lipsticks over the three months. At the rate I'm using things up compared to the size of my stash, I'm going to have to start eating lipsticks in order to get through them!

I seem to have fared a little better with the non-lipstick items. I've used up the Max Factor Second Skin, RBR Sketches on Water and Hourglass Primer. I've also finished both Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter pots and the Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre.

I keep forgetting to use the PK Elasticizer. I'm sure this is because you have to apply it pre-shower and as I wash my hair in the mornings, this is simply impractical. The Bourjois Healthy Mix has become harder to tackle too as it's just too dark for my skin in the winter months. I have taken to using it on the outer edges of my face to try and put it to use. I have toyed with the idea of purchasing a bottle of white foundation like Face Atelier Zero Minus or Mac Face & Body White. It seems extreme to do this just to finish off this one foundation but I suspect it might come in handy for the inevitable any future foundation purchasing errors.

Both the Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator and RBR Atlas Swallowtail have been in constant use over the three months. The tube of Atlas Swallowtail must be nearly empty and I am hopeful I can add this to my empties very soon. The Face Firming Activator will probably take another couple of months to finish as you only require a small amount per application and I can see there is still quite a lot left. I have no idea how long it would take me to finish off a full size bottle of this, the one I have here is only a travel sized bottle.

I thought it might be a good idea to add a few more foundations to the pile I want to use up. The BECCA Luminous Skin, NARS Pure Radiant tinted moisturiser and LMdB Peau Vierge are all part used and I would really like to finish these before I buy another foundation. However, I did mention the other day that I am feeling the urge to buy a new base product, so sticking to this will require some heavy duty willpower.

I have to admit that Operation Use it Up has had quite an interesting impact on my cosmetics purchasing. I have bought a handful of items since August but I have only allowed myself things that have been on very long term wishlists, like the Hourglass Illume compact for example. I've forced myself to ignore passing fancies, especially lipsticks. As we're approaching the end of the year, there's a part of me that would love to commit to a full on ban for next year or maybe something similar to Driveller Kate's project of sticking to only twelve new items over the year. I suspect I will still be dithering about this on New Year's Eve but I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

Clinique Chubby Sticks Intense in Mightiest Maraschino and Heftiest Hibiscus

Clinique are releasing a new intense lip colour formula in their popular Chubby Sticks format. There are eight new colours, including lots of seasonally appropriate rich berries and reds. I have already shared a lip swatch of Heftiest Hibiscus (04) which you can see here. I also have the colour Mightiest Maraschino (03), which I have to admit is my personal favourite of the two.

The Chubby Sticks Intense formula provide richly pigmented, opaque colour with a glossy finish. They still feel as comfortable and moisturising to wear as the other sheer Chubby Sticks that I have tried. Wear time is pretty good and the balm feeling lasts a long time on my lips. The colour does transfer easily and I label quite a few mugs as 'mine' whilst wearing Mightiest Maraschino!

Heftiest Hibiscus is a vibrant orange red which I suppose some would describe as coral but I think it would need a hint of pink to be a true coral. On my lips it's quite bright and summery. Mightiest Maraschino is a beautiful cherry red and I can get away with minimal makeup when I wear this as it's such a face brightening shade. I haven't had opportunity to do any comparison swatches but do let me know if you would find it useful. I have a feeling that I have some other lip colours which are similar to Mightiest Maraschino.

Heftiest Hibiscus

Mightiest Maraschino

The Chubby Stick Intense Lip Colours will be available from selected Clinique counters from mid November and will cost £16 each. You can find links to swatches of the other shades below.

Curviest Caramel - Really Ree
Chunkiest Chili - Lipglossiping and Dutchess Roz
Plushest Punch - London MakeUp Girl and Dutchess Roz
Roomiest Rose - Beauty Geek UK and The Sunday Girl
Broadest Berry - Really Ree
Grandest Grape - British Beauty Blogger

Disclosure: PR Samples

What's with the name?

One question I'm asked on a fairly regular basis is where did the name Modesty Brown come from? The time has finally come to answer this question properly, so here goes (it's not nearly as exciting as you might think)..

THIS

+

THIS

= Modesty Brown

Well, I was hardly going to call myself Modesty Taupe, was I?! I can tell you're disappointed.

When I first started my blog, I didn't spend anywhere near enough thinking about the name and how I'd feel about it two and a half years later. I don't know how many people refer to the contents on their makeup bag to create a pseudonym but it's not to be recommended. However, the name has stuck and I'm too lazy to start again from scratch with a more catchy (or appropriate) title.

MAC Modesty cremesheen was the lipstick that introduced me to wearing lipstick everyday and the very first lipstick I completely finished. I really did love it. However, I never got around to repurchasing it. When I realised I had enough empties for a couple of Back to MAC lipsticks, Modesty was at the top of my list. Strangely, it's not really the colour I remembered, as I was certain it had more of a mauve hue. Seeing it again, I'd describe it as a beige pink with very fine flecks of gold.

Texture wise, this can't hold a candle to the luxurious feel of a Rouge Bunny Rouge or Edward Bess lipstick. It's interesting to see how my exposure to new brands over the course of blogging have influenced my taste in makeup. Having said all that, I'm very pleased we've been reunited.

Modesty is on the left (the other swatch is MAC Rebel)

Is there an items of makeup that you always think of fondly?

Operation Use It Up (or Make a Dent)!

I've threatened this for long enough that I feel now is the time to make a proper commitment to using up some of my stash. I've reduced the amount of makeup in my collection by giving things away to friends and family, as well as having a couple of blog sales. With the exception of my nail polishes, I feel reasonably satisfied with my efforts so far, but I still think I can go further. I want to start finishing off some of the products that are already part way there. This is not, I repeat NOT a Project 10 pan simply because the minute I write that I'm going to stop buying things, I'm going to WANT things!! Instead, I'm going to show you the products I want to make a dent in and periodically report back on my progress.

Two of the areas that I feel need most attention are my lipsticks and foundations. Although I tend to take no notice of use by dates, I admit that 'wet' products certainly don't have the same shelf life as powders. I am hoping that if I restrict myself to this selection of lip products and bases for a month, that I will make a dent in a good portion them.  

I'm not sure how realistic it is to expect myself not to stray with lipsticks and use other colours in that time? Hopefully eight lip products will be enough to keep me entertained for a month. The fact that they're all well used reflects the fact they are favourite colours or formulas, which should make the task a little easier. I am also determined to make myself reapply throughout the day. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I apply lipstick in the morning and quite often forget to touch up once it wears off. I do hope I won't be shunned for this shocking admission!

I'm less flighty with foundations, so a choice of three for a month should be fine. I think the Rouge Bunny Rouge tinted moisturiser is really close to being empty and both the Bourjois and Max Factor foundations have around 40% left each. I keep thinking I'm close to finishing the Hourglass primer sample but it's deceptive when you only use a small amount each time. I'm really not sure how much product remains in the Rouge Bunny Rouge Atlas Swallowtail tube. I've been using it quite a lot as an eyeshadow base recently so I'm hopeful that I'm making a dent in it, even if I can't see.

I have lots of items in my bathroom which also need to be used up, including a couple of half empty pots of Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter and the Philip Kinglsey Elastisizer. Although I do have more skincare items that I need to use up, I can't commit to doing that at the moment as I am testing some new products.

I will take photographs of all of these items again in a months time and report back on my progress. I'm really hopefully I will have some empties to show for it in the near future. If you're doing something similar at the moment or you feel inspired to do so, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. Moral support is always welcome!!

Butter LONDON Lippy in Snog and Teddy Girl

Butter LONDON Lippys are described as long-wearing, highly pigmented lip glosses. I would personally describe them as a liquid lipstick/lipgloss hybrid. They apply in that dense, pigmented way that you experience with a liquid lipstick but have the tacky feel and shine of a gloss. The sticky feeling is quite intense but admittedly, I'm not really a lipgloss wearer. The advantage of the stickiness is that it does give the colour 'cling' so it lives up to the long-wearing claims. As long as you're not eating, the colour will stay put for several hours.

Top - Teddy Girl, Bottom - Snog

I was sent Snog and Teddy Girl to try. Snog is a vibrant hot pink and makes an amazing statement lip. Teddy Girl is an opaque pale pink. My favourite of the two is definitely Snog, Teddy Girl is too pale and milky for me carry off confidently and because of the formula, it isn't possible to sheer it out to make it more wearable for my colouring. I hope you will forgive the lack of lip swatch for Teddy Girl.

Snog

The Lippy lipglosses have a doe-foot applicator and you need a steady hand to get a sharp line. If you're a bit unsteady, it might help to line your lips first to have a line to follow. A liner would also prevent the colour bleeding.

The Butter LONDON Lippy lipglosses cost £14 each and there are a total of 12 shades available on the Butter London website which match their popular nail varnishes. Butter LONDON is also available from Harvey Nichols, Zuneta and Cocktail Cosmetics.

PR Samples

Shiseido Perfect Rouge in Venetian Rouge

Shiseido Perfect Rouge in Venetian Rose (RS711) is a recent purchase. I've been keen to try the Shiseido lipstick formula for some time but was unsure about which colour to go for. Although the reds looked enticing, I was after an everyday colour. There aren't a lot of online swatches available, but based on KarlaSugar's swatches of the line, I decided my choice was between Venetian Rose and Titian. Although I picked Venetian Rose, I think on reflection, that Titian might have been the better choice.

Venetian Rose is a dusky rose which pulls mauve on my lips. For a full face picture, please see my recent face of the day post. I was looking for an easy to wear, 'my lips but better' kind of colour but this is too cool and, dare I say it, purple for me to slap on without thinking about it. In my head, Venetian Rose is similar to MAC Modesty but I must get around to buying a new Modesty lipstick in order to check how accurate my memory is.

Although the colour isn't exactly what I was after, the texture of the lipstick is excellent. It has just the right amount of slip and feels comfortable and moisturising on the lips. The lipstick is richly pigmented, wear time is reasonable and the moisturising feeling lasts well. Texture wise, I feel it's similar to the Rouge Bunny Rouge Colour Burst lipsticks and the original Edward Bess formula (minus the fig scent). It also has the lovely lip hugging shape to the bullet that I like about the Rouge Bunny Rouge lipsticks.

I would really like to get another of the Perfect Rouge lipsticks but I will hang on until I can visit a counter to swatch the colours in person. I bought Venetian Rose from Feel Unique where the Perfect Rouge lipsticks cost £21.50.

My Blues, Greens and Reds

The weather is so miserable outside that I felt inspired to do another colour grouping post. As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm not great at experimenting with colours but I wondered what a hunt for blues, greens and reds would uncover. I suspect that I'm repeatedly drawn to a single shade from a colour family rather than collecting a range from across the spectrum. So, no pretty rainbow of colours here.

Greens

Eyeshadows: MAC Club, Rouge Bunny Rouge Olive Violeteare, Green eyeshadow from Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope, Green from the Chantecaille Sea Turtles palette, Lancôme Erika F, NARS Dogon and Rajasthan.
Eye Pencils: Annabelle Smoothliner in Jade, No.7 Metallic Eyes in Green, Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier in Bangalore and MAC Kohl Power Pencil in Mystery
Nail Polish: Barry M Racing Green, YSL in Wintergreen, Le Metier de Beaute Dionysus and Athena, L'Oreal Innocent Green, Nails Inc freebie in an unnamed Teal colour

Blues

Eyeshadows: YSL Pure Chromatics in shade #3, Sephora eyeshadow in Preppy Look (#41) and  L'Oreal Infallible Colour in Innocent Turquoise.
Eye Pencils: MAC Pearlglide liner in Petrol Blue and Annabelle Smoothie Crayon in Blubomb
Nail Polish: Joe nail varnish in Persian Blue, YSL Moonlight Blue, Lancôme Vernis in Love in Bleu de Flore (573B), China Glaze in Tempest, Orly Star of Bombay, Butter London Victoriana, L'Oreal French Riviera.

Reds

Nail Polish: Butter London Knees Up, Orly Glam, Lancôme Vernis in Love in Miss Coquelicot (154M) and Lancôme Rouge Saint Honoré (22)
Lip Liners: MAC Cherry and Le Metier de Beaute Rose
Lip Products: Tom Ford lipstick in Smoke Red, Ilia Crimson & Clover, Max Factor Colour Elixir lipstick in Ruby Tuesday, Lancôme lipsticks in Rouge Faubourg and Rouge in Love (159B), Revlon Colourburst in Raspberry, Kevyn Aucoin Liquid Lipstick in Aquarouge, Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Fume and Ellis Faas in L303
Cheek Colour: W3LL People Universalist Stick #5

I thought I'd add this final picture, so you can see exactly why all the images are so dark. I know we really need the rain but, seriously, enough already!! Hopefully I will get opportunity to take some of these again when the sun finally reappears.

Disclosure: The items shown here are a mixture of things that I have purchased myself, been gifted to me and PR samples. If you want to check the origin of any particular item, do feel free to ask.