Madam Noire now on Facebook

Hello makeup-lovers and fellow spooks! :) 

I have an announcement to make; I have created a portfolio at Facebook where looks I post here as well as looks that I don't blog about will be posted. This will also be a place where you can find my professional makeup-artist portfolio. Whenever I do a collaboration with a model and a pro photographer the pictures will be posted here (as soon as I figure out how to create a specific album, that is... :P ).

http://www.facebook.com/MakeupartistMadamNoire

Feel free to like it, it would definitely make me a happy little bat! :)

Blending in

I had another job interview today, so I went for a "blending in look" that will sure not offend any possible employer. Not all employers appreciate crazy colors, straight very slanted eyebrows or a heavy black cat-eye. Even though it may seem very unfair not to be able to look "you", it might be a good idea to try blending in sometimes.

Very simple look that is nice I guess, but a little boring. I know there are a lot of people out there, however, who likes these kinds of looks, so I decided to post it anyway. :)

You could as well do this look using grey instead of brown. I chose brown because it makes my eye color pop.

Face

*Skin base foundation 02 (Illamasqua)

*Tone Correcting Concealer (e.l.f.)

*Isadora Loose Powder

*Wonderblush Cleopatra (Make Up Store)

Eyebrows

*Corrupt (Makeup Geek) 

Eyes

*Gel liner Rave (Makeup Geek)

*Homecoming (Makeup Geek)

*Latte (Makeup Geek)

*Mocha (Makeup Geek)

*Corrupt (Makeup Geek)

*Medium Pencil S.O.P.H.I.E. (Illamasqua)

*Lashes: Ardell #108

Lips

*Non-colored lipbalm

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Next time, I'll hope I'll be back with a more creative look. I have problems with taking photos right now because it's so dark here in Northern Europe this time of the year, and I have far too few lamps at home.

Anyways, thank you for reading and hope you will have a lovely day! :)

Strong and Healthy Nails

When the weather gets colder my nails always start to chip, split and get generally dry and brittle. Ugh! It's so annoying, and I'm sure many of you know exactly what I mean.
Luckily, there are a lot of products and tricks you can learn to nurse your nails back to health. :)

1. Clean your nails and cuticles
To get nails of good quality it might be a good idea to invest in a peeling that can be used to take away dead skin cells from the nail and cuticle area. Doing this, nail bed will get more oxygen (when it's not choked by dead skin...) and the new nail that grows out will be healthier.
At the moment, I'm using the Nail- and Cuticle Cleaner from Depend.

Depend Nail- and Cuticle Cleaner

2. Nail oil
If you have dry nails that easily split or nails that are soft and weak then a nail oil is definitely worth trying! The one I'm using right now is the Myrrh oil by Depend Cosmetics. It is a great product with almond oil and vitamin E that really works miracles on my nails, when used regularly. Put a drop on your nail and massage it into the nail and the cuticle. A plus with this oil is also that it smells very good of orange.

Depend Myrrh Oil

3. Invest in a glass nail file!

Honestly, there is a huge difference in glass nail files and the more common, cheaper cardboard nail files! The glass nail file has a great deal smaller grit and is therefore much more gentle to your nails. Cardboard nail files always make my nails split. 

And if you happen to get a split, file it down right away! Otherwise you risk cracking your nails even more. 

Ciaté glass nail file

4. Use a strengthening base coat
I have actually not tried this myself yet, but it does make sense, doesn't it? ;) The one I've heard a lot of good things about is the Foundation II by Nail Tek (which as far as I know is a cruelty-free company). I bought it on Ebay and hope it will land in my mailbox at the end of this week.

 $5 on Ebay

5. Rubber gloves are you best friends!
If you thought that washing the dishes with rubber gloves on your hands was something that only old ladies do it's time to think again! ;) Exposure to water and detergent will surely dry out your nails so protect your hands will cleaning the dishes.

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What is your best tips for getting stronger nails? 

Thank you for reading and big thanks to all of you who send me nice comments! :)

Golden Glow

I wanted to do a "wearable" look today that most people could pull off (at least as a party look if you think it's too harsh for everyday). The reason for this is mainly that I needed a picture to use when applying for a job and I needed it to be "neutral" and not too eccentric. I still wanted to feel like me though so a little darkness must be allowed. :P

Hope you like the look! :)

As a base I applied the gel liner Rave by Makeup Geek. It is the perfect "mushroom" base; shimmery metallic taupe that works great for brownish grey smokey eyes like this. :) It is very pretty on it's own but to enhance the shimmer a bit I applied the eyeshadow Moondust (also by Makeup Geek) on the lid.

Okay, don't freak out now, the piercings will be back! ;) As I said, I had to take a photo for job application purposes and since many working places have a no-piercing policy I figured it would be better if I took them out for this photo. 

Glossy, raspberry red lips finishes off this look. To achieve this lip look, first fill in your lips with a bright red lip-pencil, then apply the liquid lipstick Cherry tart by e.l.f. on top of it. Smells good and looks fantastic! :)

Face

*Skin base foundation 02 (Illamasqua)

*Tone Correcting Concealer (e.l.f.)

*Isadora Loose Powder

*Wonderblush Cleopatra (Make Up Store)

Eyebrows

*Corrupt (Makeup Geek) 

Eyes

*Gel liner Rave (Makeup Geek)

*Moondust (Makeup Geek)

*Shimma shimma (Makeup Geek)

*Bleached blonde (Makeup Geek)

*Creme brulé (Makeup Geek)

*Bada bing (Makeup Geek)

*Corrupt (Makeup Geek)

*Medium Pencil S.O.P.H.I.E. (Illamasqua)

*Lashes: H&M Long black

Lips

*Perfect lipliner Prime red (Isadora)

*Luscious Liquid Lipstick Cherry tart (e.l.f.)

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Christmas is drawing closer every day and I am just about to start doing looks suitable for dark December nights. I've got a few ideas already. :)
I am also planning an outfit post some time this week!

Thank you for reading and hope you've had a lovely weekend!