Illamasqua Ice Queen Makeup Tutorial

While we have Snow Queens on the brain thanks to Disney, Christmas, winter, etc. I thought I would share this video after debating over it for a month or so.

I'm not much of a makeup person and could never wear this myself due to allergy issues--I am extremely sensitive to makeup. Illamasqua is a UK brand that is quite avant garde in its styling and naming. I like some of their nail polishes, I admit, which is how I occasionally get their emails. This one caught my eye so here it is! In the US, you can find some Illamasqua products at Sephora.

Anyway, if you have a costume party for New Year's, this might inspire you.

Fairy Tale Gifts 9: Maria

One more for today! Here is Maria's entry in in the December Giveaway: Favorite Fairy Tale Things with more fun things...

From Maria:

Ahh! I'm really excited for this giveaway because both "Cinder" and "Snow in Summer" sound like such great books...

Well getting into recommendations I really enjoyed a book called "Sea Change" by Aimee Friedman, sort of a mermaid type of book with modern qualities.

Also the series by Aprilynne Pike which are "Wings", "Spells", and "Illusions" that have an interesting take in faeries and includes an interesting love triangle. I definitely recommend these books to everyone and especially you (if you haven't yet read them).

So yeah, lately I've been in the mood for fairytale stories that I've even become obsessed; I'm asking my parents to buy me Taylor Swift's perfume "Wonderstruck" just because the perfume bottle and commercials remind me of a fairy tale (love) story. I don't even care how the perfume even smells, ha. I'm even thinking about buying copies of the book "Wings" and give them out to my friends while wearing a fairy costume. Too much? Haha.



Well thanks for offering this great giveaway, and by the way I'm Maria and you can check out some of my reviews and ratings at "goodreads."

Heidi's note: I've debated sharing the Taylor Swift commercial for its fairy tale qualities and now I have!

Mermaids and Nail Polish

I figured while I was posting about the SpaRitual Wilde Nail Polish collection today, I might as well share some Mermaid inspired nail polish to go along with this month's mermaid devotion thanks to the release of Mermaid and Other Water Spirit Tales From Around the World.

OPI Pirates of the Caribbean - Mermaid's Tears Nail Lacquer, 0.5 oz

OPI "Silver Shatter" and "Mermaid's Tears" From Pirate of the Caribbean

Mermaid Dreams by Misa (Not on Amazon)

Mermaid by Piggy Polish

Nail Polish for Children Mermaid Blue Nail Polish 8 ML

SEPHORA by OPI Nail Colour Mermaid To Order 

(also see SEPHORA by OPI Nail Colour Ocean Love Potion)

UNT Nail Lacquer - Little Mermaid (PR070)

The Sephora OPI Mermaid to Order was part of a now mostly discontinued collection from 2009 titled "Mermaid in the Shade." My favorite name and shade besides "Mermaid to Order" was "Just a Fairy-tail." Here are some images from it:

SpaRitual Wilde 2011 Fall Collection

Time for a makeup post! I've covered a few fairy tale themed nail polish collections in the past--such as the BB Couture Fairy Tale Nail Polish (my favorite of these collections) and Orly Once Upon a Time Collection and China Glaze Glass Slipper Nail Polish Collection and The Mythicals. But this new collection for Fall 2011 took me a little by surprise, for it was inspired by:

Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a popular book with many fairy tale and folklore enthusiasts. I have to admit this one surprised me because I didn't expect a book to inspire a collection. And then I love the colors, too, so I am very tempted by a few of these.

Here's the press release:

Inspired by nature and the wild woman archetype featured in Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ Women Who Run with the Wolves, SpaRitual celebrates a new perspective on beauty with the release of Wilde, the brand’s newest Fall 2011 nail lacquer collection.

The Wilde woman embodies her authentic self while moving with the natural rhythms of life. These jeweled lacquer colors represent her warmth and strength and have a mystical depth of color in each layer. Wilde shades include Spirit Child, a fiery red shimmer, Running with Wolves, a rich copper patina, Rhythm of Life, a glistening emerald, Instinct, a majestic, shimmering purple, Howl, a deep, golden black, and Sacred Ground, a sparkling grey.

“The Wilde collection encourages women to tap into their truest selves, and express themselves through feminine, sensual colors,” says SpaRitual founder & CCO, Shel Pink.

SpaRitual is committed to providing organic, natural-care products that nourish the mind, spirit and body connection which are also environmentally kind. The Wilde lacquers are free of harmful DBP, Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Formaldehyde Resin and the fully recyclable SpaRitual bottle is crafted in Italy from reusable glass and other natural elements. The applicator features a comfortable rubber grip for precise application. SpaRitual also uses eco-friendly packaging and printing processes, including water-soluble soy inks and FSC certified papers.

Although they have a September release date, they are available from some online vendors. My favorite is Rhythm of Life since I mostly wear greens and blues.

Howl

Instinct

Rhythm of Life

Running With Wolves

Sacred Ground

Spirit Child