'natural-looking no make-up' make-up

Of course, to get this, I should probably start with flawless dewy skin. But ALAS my skin is pretty dry at the best of times, and Winter has made it even worse.

Ugh. Spending time in air-conditioned rooms and being like, outside, in the cold windy atmosphere is severely messing with my face. And while I can nail a smoky eye or a sleek winged liquid-lined eye, a perfectly natural-looking non-obviously made up face is proving more difficult. This is my current obsession, so I must make it so. Here are the things I need to do it:

- A GOOD moisturiser. QV is just not cutting it anymore. It's good for sensitive skin I guess but I need something more hardcore. I need industrial-strength moisturiser. I want my skin to be as soft and smooth as a baby's butt and it is currently closer to the bottom of the glass of my 4th jaeger-bomb on Saturday night i.e. totally bone dry. I've heard good things about this...

...but if you have any other suggestions that you think might help PLEASE tell me. I'm practically begging on bended knees here.

- A new concealer! My Touche Eclat has run out (already! my makeup never runs out! this is so weird for me) and I'm wondering whether I should replace this pricey item or just get a proper concealer that will actually eradicate dark circles and blemishes as opposed to this one which, yes, does a very good job but only on top of layers of foundation. I've heard good things about the Bobbi Brown one but am open to suggestions. Especially cheaper suggestions. REMEMBER: I have extremely dry skin (have I mentioned that?) so I need a dry skin friendly concealer.

Otherwise I  may as well get this again, it's easier than making a whole new decision about something.

- Taupey, shimmery eyeshadow for bright-eyed-noobviousmakeup eyes, as demonstrated by the lovely Zoe Foster in this video:

I've sort of attempted to do this today with my limited concealer resources, so if you see me, tell me I look pretty. I actually tried a bit. I know.

Anyway. I'll probably just trot on over to Estee Lauder for another divine eye shadow. Not sure about a cream one though. I distrust cream shadows, what with all their ability to crease and whatnot. This powder one looks like a good bet:

- Highlighters! I loooove highlighters! Have you heard me bang on about highlighters/illuminators like every bloody day? Because I do. To anyone who will listen. I am a great big fan of Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks but they are a bit too flash and night-timey for the look I am seeing to recreate. I want to look naturally flushed and glowy so I want this baby:

While everything in this case is teeny-tiny I'm kind of ok with that for the time being. I appreciate the opportunity to try a whole bunch of things and see what works for me. See, I bought the normal size bottle of Benefit's 'Moon Beam' once upon a time and HEY that did not work for me. Way too subtle. So instead of a highlighter I now mix it in with my daytime foundation to fake the glow. That works a bit better.

- Brown eyeshadow palette. Can you believe I do not own one?! I can't! I mean, der, I have millions of brown eyeshadows but they are all old, or stolen from my mum from way back in the day when I used to stay home and play with makeup as an introverted 12-year-old (hah! how times change...). Also, all the browns I have are mostly individual cases and that is a pain in the arse. I want an easy-to-use, all-in-one kit dammit! Like this:

Sit DOWN Lady Gaga

I know, WHAT? I have professed in the past my deep, unbridled love for Lady Gaga. I own this. I also own that I used to hate her and then decided she was brilliant. Now that that's out of the way, can I yell at her? (Also, if this blog is too wordy for you, skip to the end there is a video)

While the love is still there and I spent a good 12 minutes dancing/moving erratically to 'Judas' and 'Edge of Glory' today, I think Lady Gaga needs to sit the fuck down and take a good look at herself. She has gone way wayyyy too far and is taking herself way wayyyy too seriously. Like, relax.

Here are some of my favourite recent nuggets of brilliance which so clearly demonstrate the up-the-assness Gaga has been demonstrating lately that make me want gouge my eyeballs out with pointy fingernails:

Re: The brilliance of 'Judas'
"I just have to say (Starts crying)....I feel like honestly that God sent me those lyrics and that melody. When you feel a message to give to the world and people are shooting arrows through it...there's no way for something that pure to be wrong" - http://www.dlisted.com/2011/04/20/h-i-m-wrote-lady-gagas-judas

On her originality:
"Let me tell you something. If you fucking rip my hairbow and my wig off my fucking head, my shoes, my bra, every single thing on my body, and you throw me on a piano with a microphone, I will fucking make you cry...I'm not going to start churning out what you expect. If you're looking for me to be something that isn't there, STOP LOOKING. I am not that. I am not created. If you want me to be a manufactured act, you can fuck off." UGH SHUT THE FUCK UP - http://www.dlisted.com/2011/04/19/lady-gaga-unmanufactured-original

On her own general amazingness, and how coming out of an egg or wearing a meat dress is, like, really important art:
"Glam culture is ultimately rooted in obsession, and those of us who are truly devoted and loyal to lifestyle of glamour are masters of its history. Or, to put it more elegantly, we are librarians. I myself can look at almost any hemline, silhouette, bead work, or heel architecture and tell you very precisely who designed it first, what French painter they stole it from, how many designers reinvented it after them, and what cultural and musical movement parented the birth, death, and resurrection of that particular trend. So dear critics and bullies: get your library cards out, because I'm about to do a reading."

"As someone who references and annotates her work vigilantly, I am putting all of you on notice. I've done my homework, have you? Where are your library cards? Did they expire?"

"There is no chicken or egg. It's molecular. Cells give birth to cells. To put it more bluntly, the Hussein Chalayan vessel I wore at the Grammys wasn't inspired by a chicken. It was stolen from an egg. But the transformation, the context, and the approach taken to reinterpret the meaning of birth and rebirth in terms of fame on a fucking red carpet — this is what creates the modernity of the statement. The past undergoes mitosis, becoming the originality of the future." - http://www.dlisted.com/2011/05/12/lady-gaga-better-you-every-way

On how she is just the greatest, ever, in general:
"Speaking purely from a musical standpoint, I think I am a great performer. I am a talented entertainer. I consider myself to have one of the greatest voices in the industry. I consider myself to be one of the greatest songwriters. I wouldn't say that I am one of the greatest dancers, but I am really quite good at what I do. I think it’s OK to be confident in yourself." - http://www.dlisted.com/node/40767

I just can't with this ho. I am, seriously, about to quit this bitch. How much more of her BS can I take? Remember when Gaga was just fun? When she just wore slutty outfits and it was funny and cute and she didn't take herself so seriously? I miss that Gaga. This one's a pain in the ass.

Much like I imagine this was:

What I'm trying to say is, Gaga, I still like you. I do. And I will always dance along to your songs. I will learn the words and I will defend you and your phantom penis to your haters. But I prefer this:

To this:

Ya dig?

P.S. I think Bieber sums all of this up best in about 12 seconds. EVEN THOUGH THE WHOLE VIDEO IS TOTALLY AWESOME, skip to 4:30 if you're not totally enamoured with him as I am and can't sit through an entire vid. It's adorably worth it, I promise you.

inspiration/distraction/anything just end the boring stagnancy

I know, this blog has gotten a little blah lately. I am still alive. But I have lost my Brazilian boyfriend and my life has lost its sheen. And while you would think that working a measly 3 hours a day (I know) would free me up to blog more, and, like, be productive in any way, it seems that I need something to more fully occupy my time so that I can feel the need to procrastinate and do ANYthing.

Mental, I know.

I will write more stuff. And you will read it and tell me I'm brilliant, OK? Ok. I'm sorry if I've been a little distant lately. I still love you. You're pretty.