Weightloss victory!

Not a post about Kate Beckinsale.. She is just SO freaking beautiful and a big inspiration for me. I know I can't look like that, but I can try, right? ;)

I've been on my low carb diet (aka Atkins) for three weeks now and I've lost 11 Ibs!!
It's happened so fast that I'm still baffled looking at myself in the mirror! It's a big change!
My boyfriend finds it so fascinating that he keeps lifting me up all the time (practicing for the threshold ;)) saying I'm so much lighter! Music to my ears! ♥

Last night I pulled out all my "old" skinny clothes.. Clothes that I wore way before I got pregnant and when I first started dating my boyfriend. I fit them all!! I modeled every outfit for him because I was so proud and excited.. Did he care? Nah... Men! :P He's happy for me though, just not as excited as I am.

What a difference it makes to actually feel good in your own skin! What a difference on my mood! I don't know how many times I haven't wanted to go anywhere because I felt bad about myself. Turning anti-social is not a good thing in a relationship (unless he's like that himself though). We've had our fare share of fights about me not wanting to be social and go out..
Not anymore!

I'm 8 Ibs away from being at the weight I was in my motivation picture (my first post about my Quest to weightloss). I'm so excited to get there I can hardly stand it!!

Well, that was my rant for the evening! lol

Hopefully in my next update I can happily report I'm there!! :)

FOTD - Goldy brown meets pearl

Using colors I've never paired before, this is Mac Shroom e/s and Mac Mulch
with some All that Glitters on top. I used Shroom as a wash all over the eyes and tear duct. Then I placed Mulch in the outer v, and blended it in the crease. I also used Mulch to line my lower lash line. Then with All That Glitters I went over the Mulch to get a more goldy look.

To line the eyes I used Bobbi Brown gel liner both on the waterline, tightline and along the upper lashline. I did a more dramatic line than I usually do just to create a more defined eye.

FOTD - Mac Bark

Yet again, I will blow you away with my amazing photography skills! Haha!
Sorry guys, I'm not good at this, but at least you can see the eyeshadow/makeup!

Today I've used Bark to create a pretty dark eye look. I think it's wearable for daytime if you wear a very sheer gloss to it and a pinky-peachy blush to counteract the dramatic eye.

Face:
Chanel Vitalumiere
Dior powder compact (and old one I found yesterday cleaning! lol)
Clinique cream blush

Mac cream base color in Pearl
Arteco concealer corrector in light yellow for under the eyes
Shisheido concealer pen # 2 for under the eyes.

(I forgot to do my eyebrows :p)

Eyes:
Arteco eyeshadow primer
Mac Brulé e/s all over the eye
Mac Quarry e/s in outer v, blended into the crease and slightly above. Along the lashline and over and under the eye as an "eye liner".
Mac Bark e/s applied same as Quarry, but not above the crease.
Mac Grand Entrance in inner corner and tear duct
Mac Smolder eyeliner on the waterline and tighline. Also over the upper lashline.
Bark e/s is used to smudge the eyeliner to make the line softer

For a more dramatic and defined eye, I would use Mac Carbon in the outer v.

Lips:
Mac Dazzleglass in Goldyrocks.

My other p5p cheat...

In a previous blog post I confessed having cheated on my Project 5 Pan with a couple of items. The last one I finally got in the mail today! *happy dance*
I have been lusting for this Mac eyeshadow called Bark for months ever since Kandee the makeup artist (on You Tube) started talking about it. And she mentions it quite a bit.

This has been soooo difficult to get a hold of, because it is a limited edition eyeshadow. So when I finally found it on Ebay I had to get it!

I love getting a new color that is unique and nothing like any of the other Mac e/s. And this is one. I love it! Unique colors like this has a tendency to come back in a later collection, so here's hoping ;)

It's a cool brown greyish matte2 color. All the matte2 colors have crazy color payoff and will last for ever (which is great concidering what I paid for it :P )
The color applies darker on the skin than what it appears in the pan, as you might see on the pictures.
This is such a perfect color for a smokey eye or just to define the crease. I can't wait to try it out with other colors!

I'll do a FOTD with this asap!

Lilash update!

It's one months into my Lilash project and I can really tell a difference! When I apply mascara in the morning I get totally excited, but at the same time it's a little freaky... they are spidery long now and I've never had that... so I kind of feel like these eyes are not mine... scary.
And the growth has just begun after a month, I hear!

(<---- wow, I should have a career in posing with products! haha)

My experience with Lilash so far:

- I was warned that my eyes would be totally blood shot the first couple of weeks. And they were. But, then it went away and after three weeks I started seeing a change.

- The lashes don't grow out all at the same time, so you will have some lashes longer than others. Right now I have a lash that I call my "Freak Lash". It's one eyelash that is HUGE! lol So either I have to cut it to the other's length or just pull it out.

- Like all the other girls have experienced too, the lashes starts to curl up the longer they get! I still use a lash curler, but I don't have to spend so much time squeezing the curler to make them point up anymore!

Verdict so far:
If you have short lashes like mine, I totally recommend this! It's fun and freaky to watch your eyes change so fast!


Before and after pictures - 1 month:
Now, I didn't take these pictures for the purpose of doing before - and after pictures, so it might not show that well. But you can tell a little on my after-picture how my lashes are more curly and go over my crease.

I only apply Lilash to my upper lashes, so never mind the lower ones ;)

Before:

After:

FOTD - Club Banana

This is actually more a EOTD (Eye of the Day) more than Face of the Day, but oh well..

Today I used an eyeshadow color that is really starting to grow on me: Mac Club. This is a deep green - brown color and it's really pretty.
Club is a duo chrome so that means it reflects more colors than one depending what angle, light and base you use and see it from.

There are a couple of tricks on how to use Club eyeshadow that I read on Makeup Alley:

1. Use a colored base underneath.
That's how the duo chrome colors of this e/s really comes out. I used NYX jumbo pencil in Iced Mocha.
If you want the brown to come out - use a brown base: paint pot, paint, eyeliner, cream eyeshadow etc. Same goes with green; use a green base to bring that color out of the eyeshadow.

2. Apply Club all over the lid and in the crease, but only apply the cream color on the lid. (- not in the crease).
That way this color will show up as two different colors on your eye. The colored base will make the lid vibrant green/brown, and the crease color will be a lighter version and a perfect blending color.
Hopefully you can see that effect on the picture underneath. It's so pretty!

For the tearduct I used Gosh eyeliner in Bananas. A very soft eyeliner in light yellow with a shimmer to it.
And as always, I use a black eyeliner on the water line and tight line.

FOTD - LanaIndiana

If you watch makeup videos on You Tube, you probably have heard of LanaIndiana.
If not, you should definitely go check her out!
She is this amazingly beautiful lady that also works as a flight attendant. She starts all her videos with "Welcome back to my bathroom!" because she does all her videos there. What might surprise you is that she is crazy and so HILARIOUS!! I absolutely adore this woman!

Anyway, her favorite color combinations for an everyday look is using Mac Phloof! and Mac Scene, so that's what I did today.

The looks is really classy and perfect for the office and a dressy night out.



Face:
Gosh foundation primer
Shisheido foundation stick
Mac msf medium deep
Clinique cream blush in Pink Rose
Mac cream color base in Pearl on the cheek bones

Eyes:
Arteco eyeshadow primer
Mac Brulé all over the eye
Mac Pfloof! on the lid and up to the crease, including tear duct
Mac Scene in the crease
Mac smolder eyeliner on the water line and tight line
Estee Lauder mascara primer
YSL faux cils mascara

Lips:
Nars lipliner
Mac High Team lipstick



Can you tell my eyelashes are longer? ;)

MAC Love That Look and Makeup Art collection

How am I supposed to do a p5p project when MAC is launching some of the best collections I've seen in a loooong time? And so many eyeshadows!!

I will still continue to try to use up my 5 chosen products, but I h a v e to have these eyeshadows!

First off, Love That Look collection is launching in Norway tomorrow. The MAC artist said that the eyeshadows would probably go really fast, so I made an order right away to have them sent to me in the mail. I'm so glad they are able to do that!! ♥

I ordered eight of them:
Glamour Check
Style Snob
Strike a Pose
Smoke & Diamonds
Fashion Grupie
One-off
Grand Entrance.

I'm most excited about Smoke & Diamonds and Style Snob! Can't wait to get them!!
Grand Entrance has been released earlier so I've had that one for a while. But it's one of my all time favorite e/s, so I'm getting a back-up!

And then there's the Makeup Art Collection coming out on September 15th in Norway, with even more eyeshadows and quads! *drool*
The picture is of the three quads from the collection and I think I'm getting all of them. Without a doubt the green and purple! - And these are the singles I'm getting:


Violent Trance











Off the page











Crest the Wave











Haunting











I'll be in Oslo for the launch of this collection so the Mac artists can expect me to camp out at the pro store for hours that friday ;) lol

New product must-have!

I just discovered this product by recommendation from a girl on You Tube. It's the Toni & Guy Iron-It Heat Defence spray, and I'm obsessed with it! I want to wash my hair every day just to be able to use this. The smell is amazing and will make you sniff both the bottle and your hair over and over... ahhhh!

I guess it's supposed to be a dupe for the Chi spray, which I can't really say anything about, because I've never tried anything from Chi (I don't even know if we have Chi in Norway?). - But it's a best seller and this is half the price!

You can use this spray on either wet hair or dry hair. The spray doesn't make your hair feel sticky, oily or anything - only newly washed hair with a GREAT smell!
Oh, and did I mention it has a great smell? ;)

In Norway you can get this at Vita (What's with me and Vita all of a sudden?)

FOTD - smoky gray with purple

As always I opt for neutral looks that doesn't scream for attention, and this is yet another one :)
This is a gray smoky eye with purple in the crease. The purple color is very subtle and looks so well with grays.
(Picture is taken from All Cosmetics Wholesale.com)


Face:
Gosh facial primer
Shisheido foundation stick
Chanel loose powder Libre (color Doré, # 40)
Mac cream color base in Pearl on cheekbone
Arteco concealer corrector in light yellow for under eye circles
Mac studio finish concealer in NW30
Clinique cream blush in English Rose




Eyes:
Arteco eyeshadow base
Mac Brulé e/s all over the eye
Mac Silver Ring e/s on inner half of the eyelid
Mac Scene e/s on outer v
Mac Blackberry e/s in the crease and underneath the lower lash line
Mac Electra e/s in inner corner of the eye
Mac eyeliner Eye Kohl in Smolder on the water line, both upper and lower waterline.
Estee Lauder mascara primer
YSL Faux Cils mascara, black


Lips:
Some powder to "nude" my lip color and then Clinique lipgloss (the one I'm using up for p5p) on top to make nude glossy lips.

P5p cheating and a primer haul/review.....

So, I was trying to figure out how I can write about these two products without admitting that I purchased them after I started my project 5 pan.....
I figure it's better to come clean and tell you I have been cheating a little. :(

I convinced myself that primers aren't makeup, but facial products (since I allow myself to buy facial/nail- and hair products) :p Haha, I know, I'm such a lost case. Obviously it's purpose is for makeup, so it definitely falls into the makeup category.

My third, and last cheat, I'll tell you about when I get it in the mail box ;)

So, moving on!

The facial primer is from Gosh and is called Velvet Touch Foundation Primer. It also says:

• - The perfect base for all makeup
• - Anti-wrinke effect
• - Without perservatives and perfume

Gosh is a drugstore product that can be purchased in Europe, the US and Canada I believe. Here in Norway, they sell this brand at Vita.
The primer is a dupe for Smashbox Photo finish primer, in my opinion. The texture and feeling is just the same and this delivers the exact same result, but is a lot cheaper.

All primers with silicone (most facial primers), gives the anti-wrinkle effect because the silicon fills in small lines and wrinkles making it appear smaller.

I haven't been a fan of that silky feeling these primers give, but it's growing on me! Especially when I see my foundation is perfect all day long, without loosing color, coverage and moving.


The eye primer is from Artdeco and called Eye shadow Base. Arteco is a German makeup line that's been around since I was little. I'm not sure if this is sold outside of Europe though...?

The primer comes in a really cute jar and has a citrus kind of smell. The texture is creamy, bordering on sticky. It gives a slight pearly finish and this will glue your eyeshadow to your eyes all day.
And like a good eye shadow primer, it also brings out the color of the eye shadow.



It's a little difficult to see the swatch on this picture, but it's that glowy part ;)


Verdict:
Two primers I can totally recommend!

A little vacation haul

My stuff from Ebay arrived while I was away for the week, so I had three little packages waiting for me in the mail when I got home. Yey!

Mac blush in Ladyblush
Mac e/s in Surreal (in the pot)
Mac e/s in Steamy (bottom left)
Mac e/s in Flourishing (bottom right)




Swatches from left: Surreal, Steamy and Flourishing









This is my first Mac cream blush.
I ♥ love it!! The color is a dusty rose color (click on the picture for a better view. The picture is very true to the color). A blush version of the Mac Viva Glam V lipstick, minus the shimmer.


I love MAC cream blush for 3 reasons:

1. You get a dewy look - which is always a youthful look. We like!

2. You can apply this over your powder! It will still blend perfectly, stay put for a longer time and give you dewy cheeks.

3. You can use a cream blush as a base for a powder blush and you'll have a smudge proof blush for the entire day! (A must for brides!).

Quest to weight loss - part IIl

Here's a little update on my quest to weight loss!

So, I'm off the Alli pill. It worked well for the first 6-7 Ibs, then it stopped! The scale hasn't moved since and I haven't really bothered to do anything about it. I've been on vacation for a week and blah blah.. you know, all the "good" excuses I have ;)

Anyway, I'm back on the wagon - except a different wagon. This time I'm going back to the one thing I know will work - and fast, and that is low carb. It can be hard, especially the first week, but then it's basically smooth sailing and being in ketosis forces your body to burn fat. The negative thing is that you are adviced not to work out while you're on this diet, but then again, you aren't supposed to be on such a strict low carb diet for too long anyway.

I'm going for three weeks, starting tomorrow! - And then I'll see how things are then..

Go me!!