Newest Minimalism Contributions

Solid black, white, beige, red... these might just seem like plain colors, right? But with all of the catchy patterns and daring designs surrounding us in this fast-paced industry, one category is surely slowing down a bit- Sportswear.

Minimalism really came with a bang during the 60's and 70's but is slowly creeping its way into 2011. From "the little black dress" to a V-neck button down, it doesn't have to take an eccentric color to catch anyone's eye. Delicate yet delightful, these simple sportswear pieces can fit into any wardrobe.

Take it from the designers themselves. In their Spring/Summer 2011 pieces, minimalism was very dominant. Take a look!



VERSACE

Internationally known Versace was extremely colorful for their S/S looks. One main color per dress was prominant within the whole Versace collection. From the accessories to the fabrics, they kept their vintage style with a hint of modernism.

With a romantic and soft look, elegance took over the Chloe S/S 2011 collection. Neutral and matte shades simplify the looks, along with simple shoes and cute bags.

 

So if you've heard "If it's comfortable, it's not fashion," think again! Go ahead and skip the belt with your favorite straight-silhouetted jacket, because these days, less is more!

Eyeliner 101

There are different types of eyeliner in the market today, that should be considered when shopping for eyeliner.

Gel Eyeliner

This is one of the newest eyeliner in the market and has became very popular. Gel eyeliner is thick in texture and is applied with a thin eyeliner brush. Today, you can find gel eyeliner in many shades for many different looks. However, you must be patient when working with gel eyeliner because it glides on very quick and smooth, so you must have control of the brush.  With gel eyeliner you will get a opaque color with the same intensity as liquid eyeliner. It is also long lasting without having to set it with eyeshadow. Plus you don't have to wait for it to dry. 

Gel eyeliner is also the best for the winged eyeliner look.

Gel eyeliner is my favorite, once I started using it I haven't touched a liquid eyeliner. But it did get some time to get use to.  I love MAC Fluidline ($15) in the shade Blacktrack. It is very smooth and really dark. But if you want a cheaper alternative, Wet N Wild has a gel eyeliner for like $3 bucks, which is also great. (I will do a review on a later post)

Liquid Eyeliner

Liquid eyeliner is best when you want to create a very defined look. However, again it will take some practice to get the hang of it. Liquid eyeliner goes on very smoothly and it is very easy to correct errors with a damp Q-tip. You must have a steady hand and a very light touch so that you don't smash the brush onto your lids and create inky blots. You have to be careful not to have too much on the brush or too little. Also, when doing the eyeliner try your best to get it almost all done in a steady stroke instead of stopping because this will be a challenge to get it straight if you are not used to it. Trust me once you get the hang of it you will have no problems with it again. 

Pencil Eyeliner

Pencil eyeliner has been around since the Egyptian times. They come in every color you can imagine. There are pencils that need to be sharpened with a cosmetics pencils and some that are twist-able at the base. You can get pencil eyeliner pretty cheap and from many different brands. Working with eyeliner can be easier because you have more control. Also because we are all use to working with a pen and pencil so this is the most familiar to us. However, when trying to achieve a defined look, they can be annoying. Also getting the color to look really dark requires to keep sliding the pencil over and over. Pencils also smudge more easily. 

Until next time, 

The Wicked

Another Passion in my life: ParanormalPopCulture.com!

                      
I have the pleasure to announce that the talented entertainment writer, Aaron Sagers, has granted me as an addition to his great site, ParanormalPopCulture.com as a writing intern! I am thrilled for this opportunity to expand my knowledge of paranormal research and excessively use my skills as a writer. Two of my passions combined into one... what's better than that?

ParanormalPopCulture.com is a site that does just what the title says... informs readers on the pop culture of the paranormal world. We keep up with movies, tv shows, books, blogs, and everything imaginable that deals with ghosts, vampires, mythical creatures, zombies, etc.

Follow Aaron, Amy, David, and I as we dig into the paranormal world. We have tons of interesting articles on the way, so stay tuned!

So Many Black and Blues...

I know, I know, it's getting close to Valentine's day but it's not close enough to force me into a themed manicure! I'm much happier sticking to my lovely dark blues. As you all know I recently discovered the cute Wet n' Wilds and one of the colors I picked up was Nocturnal (another gothy color).

At the store it looked like a dark purpley color, kind of like OPI's Siberian Nights, but when I took it home I tested it and found that it was blue! Quite a shock for me, but I wasn't too upset. In the first picture I have on only 1 coat. A pretty thick coat, but still it's pretty impressive how opaqe is came out. And with a quick coat of Seche Vite, it dried really fast. But it was a little streaky for me so I added another coat, and that's what you see in the second picture. It's very dark.


It did look very similar to a Brucci polish I already had that's called Black and Blue. Andddddd I also took advantage of the e.l.f. Valentine's day sale and got a three pack of polishes for only $1.50! In the set (jewel tone trio) came another dark blue that also looked similar. So I thought I would compare the 3, unfortunately its much too dark to take a picture so I'll get back to that another day.

I also wanted to mention the Deborah Lippmann sale on gilt.com. I check it out yesterday and it has pairs of polishes for sale. Most are average but a few a really nice. Its $20 for 2 which sounds awesome until you add $10 for shipping. Then it turns into regular price. So I didn't get anything, but there's still time to check it out, the sale ends tonight at midnight!

Until next time,
The Wicked

Looking For The Perfect Brush?- Brushes 101

Brushes are a huge part of making the makeup look great. Without good or the right brushes it becomes very challenging to achieve a good looking makeup application. Using the wrong brushes will make it hard to blend the makeup, and will leave you with harsh looking lines.

Please keep in mind I used MAC brushes only as an example to give you an idea of the shape of the brush. This way you will be able to know what to look for. 

Face Brushes

Foundation Brush-  for applying liquid foundation. These brushes can be tricky because many times they streak. 

Example:

MAC Brush #190

$32.00

Stippling Brush-  has many uses. You can use a brush like this to apply foundation, creams, and powder products. A stippling brush makes is easier to apply liquid foundation because it will not streak. However, the bristles need to be stiff. 

Example:

MAC Brush #130

$40.00

MAC Brush # 187

$42.00 (this is a larger brush)

Small Contour Brush-  for applying powder products, perfect for conturing. This brush should be soft to smoothly blend color into the face. This brush isn't necessarily  needed unless you want to contour your cheekbones. 

Example:

MAC Brush #109

$32.00

Angled Blush Brush-  for applying blush or contour on the cheeks. An angled brush makes it easier to blend and apply. This brush also needs to be soft. 

Example:

MAC Brush #168

$32.00

Concealer Brush-  used to apply and blend all concealers. Using a concealer brush will give you more coverage. Great for covering spots, pimples, or any other imperfections.

Example:

MAC Brush #195

$22.50

Eye Brushes

Flat Stiff Brush-  used to apply eyeshadow or pigments to the eyelid. The brush should be dense and soft in order to shade and blend the eyeshadow. It can be used to build intense color in the eyelid.

Example:

MAC Brush #239

$24.50

Stiff Dome Brush-  for shading or blending eyeshadow or creamy products. Perfect for creating a smoky eye and for applying color on the crease. You will love a brush like this, it makes it so much easier to blend!!!

Example:

MAC Brush #190

$32.00

Soft Dome Brush-  Similar to the stiff dome brush but allows for a more controlled eye shadow application. Creates a softer blended look. Great to blend the shadow under the brow and applying a softer amount of color in the crease.

Example:

MAC Brush #190

$29.00

Until next time,
The Wicked

New Scene to the Fashion Industry: SocialAttire.com

Calling all designers!
Are you an aspiring fashion designer? Here's your chance to show off your masterpieces!


SocialAttire.com has contacted me to inform my readers about their new interactive fashion site. It's a website where aspiring designers post dress samples/prototypes to the site to be seen by the public. From this, the end-consumers vote on the dresses in bi-weekly competitions. The winner of the competitions has their dress mass produced and sold on the website! Not only that, but the winning designer receives a commission based on the sales of their dress and priceless publicity.

The initial step in the submission process is to send in photographs of the dress on a model. While a prototype is necessary, a pattern of the dress is encouraged but not required. Any questions? Contact Allison Dwyer at ajdwyer@emory.edu!


This is a great opportunity to show off your work and talent, so make sure you check out SocialAttire.com after their March 1st launch!

Wet n' Wild Goes Goth!

This one is called Morbid. the name is definitely morbid but the color is really cool.

This color has a black base with really nice emerald green shimmer. In the bottle it can look kind of teal or blue, but it's green. I thought it looked like OPI Unripened, so I was pretty keen on trying it out. I have 2 coats on here, but one thick coat would be just fine. It covers really well and with a coat of Seche Vite it dries pretty fast too. 

From left to right:

Morbid

Unripened

Morbid

The Unripened came out freaking awesome in these pictures, even better than the pictures I took of it when I reviewed it. I wish it came in a bigger bottle. The Morbid came out strange though. With the flash it started to look more like a frosty purple green duochrome, which it's definitely not. So compare the Unripened here to the Morbid in the first picture. The Morbid has more shimmer, while the Unripened has glitter that changes color. Both are really nice though.

I wanted to also ad a note about the glitter I reviewed last time. It was super hard to take off, so I strongly advise everyone to get a quality nail polish remover. I cheaped out last time I was buying mine and it's just terrible. It literally takes off a layer at a time, I can stamp my nails and it will just take off the stamp part. So, really really really you need a good remover.

Also, Sephora does have a bunch of nail polishes (and other stuff) on sale online and in store. I wasn't particularly drawn to any colors enough to spend $5 on them. And a reminder! http://www.gilt.com is having a Deborah Lippmann sale tomorrow Tuesday 2/8! I will be checking it out and letting you guys know if the prices are any good. Again, it's a private sale site so you'd have to sign up to be able to access it.

Until next time,

The Wicked