Monday 27 January 2014

LC #4 - Salacious by Illamasqua

 
Starting out week four, I was in want of a matte lip. Illamasqua's Salacious was an easy choice. Illamasqua has one of the best matte lipstick formulas I've ever tried and this colour is gorgeous. It may not be the most unique red in my collection but it is probably one of the most classic ones. Salacious is a deep blue based red, guaranteed to make your teeth look white as well as add a touch of class to almost any look. It's pretty tough to go wrong with a matte red lip but this one in particular will be a pleasure to wear all week. I should also admit I was getting a little tired of Viva Glam Cyndi towards the end there. Definitely glad for the change. 
-Lesley
xxx


Sunday 19 January 2014

LC #3 - MAC's Viva Glam Cyndi



Week three and I needed to move back to a red lip. I settled on Cyndi from MAC's Viva Glam line. This was limited edition and can unfortunately no longer be found but it's essentially a red for those who are a little shy of a proper red lipstick. I got this when I was one of those people and it really helped me get use to the colour on me in a 'safe' way. It's a neutral mid toned red and it's actually pretty sheer. It's not a lipstick I've given a lot of love to in the past year or so, so I thought now would be the perfect time to rekindle the spark. At least I hope that's how it turns out. At this point it could go either way...I may end up really enjoying wearing this all week or on the other hand I could get frustrated with the lack of punch this lipstick holds and long for something a little more impactful. We'll see.

- Lesley
xx

Friday 17 January 2014

In response to the changing attitudes of Booktube



Booktube is my favourite little corner of the internet. Let that be known. I’ve been making videos as part of this community for two years now. I was nowhere near one of the first to do this and there have been hundreds more since me. Booktube is an ever growing, ever evolving beast. I, personally, have no idea where it will end up. The main, most populated fragment of booktube is taken up by creators, readers and followers of Young Adult fiction. 

This is not where I fit in. 

I read and then subsequently make my videos about Adult fiction, whether it be classics, genre or literary varieties. I also read a healthy slice of Children’s (or middle grade) fiction as well as some non-fiction. These are the kind of books I wish to fill my life with. I am not the only booktuber who dedicates the majority of their time to Adult Fiction. There are many of us and our numbers grow all the time. I get so excited every time I find a new booktuber who reads predominantly Adult Fiction. It’s only natural that I would want to watch people discuss books who have somewhat similar tastes to my own. 

At the moment, Booktube is a relatively safe creative space. The majority of our community (both the content creators and the viewers) are sweet, friendly, intelligent people who have the good sense to only give constructive criticism where criticism is needed. Very rarely are people out right cruel or insensitive. Mostly if someone doesn’t like something, the worst they’ll do is give a video a thumbs down and not continue to watch, which is obviously a perfectly valid and measured response. 

Other communities on Youtube are not as lucky. I often see cruel, hateful and ignorant comments running rampant on both Beauty and Vlog channels. People saying the kind of things that shock and sadden me. I’m often surprised someone could feel so viciously about someone they know very little about in the first place, let alone feel the need to maliciously voice those opinions to the virtual equivalent of that person’s face. 

As the numbers of the Booktube community grow, so do our chances of attracting the cruel and ignorant into our ranks. This can’t be helped but as long as the majority of us continue to be supportive, positive, kind people we will continue to thrive as we share our love of books and reading with each other and the internet as a whole. Don’t get discouraged, Booktube. We’re only young yet, but we are strong. Be kind to each other.

- Lesley. x

Sunday 12 January 2014

LC #2 - Wild Orchid from Revlon


 Week one of my Lipstick Challenge went beautifully. I loved getting some use out of my beautiful Chanel lipstick in Cambon but I was definitely excited to pick out my next weekly shade this morning. I ended up choosing a little worn Revlon shade of mine called Wild Orchid. This beautiful fuchsia lipstick is stunning in the tube and on my lips but I rarely pick it out of my collection due to the blue/purple sheen that runs through it. I'm always a little hesitant, thinking it will end up looking way too over the top but as you can tell from this picture the sheen is pretty subdued on the lips. I've heard tell that this shade is also a dupe for Mac's Show Orchid lipstick but I don't own that one to compare. This lipstick is certainly less of an everyday shade for me so it will be interesting to see how I last a week without being able to default to my old standby, the red lip.
A few of you have shown interest in joining in on this challenge and I think that's wonderful! If you too have trouble using more then one or two select lipsticks in your collection please feel free to join in this effort to utilise our lipsticks, whether you want to document the experience or not. :D

-Lesley
xx

Saturday 11 January 2014

It has it all.


A lot of you know that I'm a huge fan of classic Hollywood. I of course have my favourite actors, directors and studios from that era two of which being Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant. Lucky for me the pair made several films together. Arguably the best and certainly the best known is North by Northwest. I originally saw this near perfect piece of cinema a couple of years ago and have watched it several times since, including last week. Cary Grant, while not exactly at his youngest in this film is still superb. He is handsome, charming and playful. All the things you expect from Grant in general but he is also cunning, wise and wary. He pulls off the role of Roger Thornhill (a advertising executive mistaken for the fictional CIA agent, George Kaplan) perfectly. He plays the part of the wrongfully accused in such a refreshingly atypical way, that it's near impossible not to mesmerised. The mystery, the romance, the action and the humor are doled out in thrilling doses to create potentially the most memorable film I have ever had the joy of watching. If you have yet to experience this wonderful moment in time for yourself then I strongly urge you to take the plunge. I guarantee whatever your expectations are, they shall be surpassed.

-Lesley
xx 

Sunday 5 January 2014

LC #1 - Chanel's Rouge Coco in Cambon


To kick start my lipstick I thought I'd go with one of my favourites. I'm a big red lipstick lover. I can wear red everyday and never get sick of it. It's classic, it's chic and no matter how I'm feeling it always manages to brighten up my face and make me look just that little bit more lively. The majority of my reds; however, are darker, deeper and all together more sultry. I personally love shades like that for their versatility. They look great used at full strength but can be sheered out if you're not feeling quite as bold that day. Cambon is not one of those shades. It's paler and brighter than most of my reds and it definitely has a hint of pink to it. I especially love this shade for the Summer time (of which I am currently and quite unfortunately stuck within).

I'm also a fan of the Rouge Coco formula. While not my favourite type of lipstick from Chanel, they are comfortable and hydrating to wear. They also have a slight sheen which can be nice but more often than not I'll blot that away with a tissue in favor of a slightly longer wear time. 

In all I don't think it will be much of an effort to stick to this beautiful little tube of confidence for the next week. In fact, it may even be hard to say goodbye.

-Lesley
xxx

Thursday 2 January 2014

2014 Lipstick Challenge


I am a massive lipstick junkie. This is not a surprise to most people. The problem is I don't wear the majority of my lipsticks on a daily basis. Usually I just wear the same 2 or 3 colours and they're not even my favourites! I just don't know what is wrong with me. So this year I decided to challenge myself to choose a different lipstick every week and only wear that lipstick. I don't wear makeup everyday but on the days I do wear makeup I'll have to make use of whatever lipstick I chose on the previous Sunday. I'm not much of a fan of paler lipsticks, although I do own a couple, so on the weeks that a paler lipstick has been chosen I'm going to be mixing things up with different coloured lipliners. Starting this Sunday you'll see my first lipstick post and I'll keep you guys updated with my weekly lipstick choices complete with on lip swatches. YAY! I'm excited to get to play around with my lipsticks more and make sure they all get some use this year because what's the point of having them if they don't get to enjoy the sunlight every once in a while?

-Lesley. xx

December Reads

Happy New Year!





Well it's the 2nd of January and while very little has happened so far I'm determined to enjoy 2014. Started the new year by celebrating with a bunch of good people, food and wine and just got back from seeing The Hobbit. Even if I don't think these movies are as good as The Lord of the Rings trilogy it's always lovely visiting middle earth and am glad to have The Hobbit as the first cinema trip of the year.

It's unbearably hot today (damn you Australian summer!) so I think it's time for a glass of something cold and a few chapters of Jane Eyre, which I'm reading for the first time. Is anyone even remotely surprised that I'm already in love with it?

I thought not.

Hope you're all having a lovely New year thus far and that it will continue on in a wonderful fashion.

- Lesley

xxx