Armani Manta Ray - Liquid Silk Eyeliner

I promised this a while back so apologies for the delay. I planned to take more decorative pictures but never got around to it, so here they are, carelessly swatched on the back of my hand in an unnaturally large close-up.



Available in two shades, these liners come in the same packaging as the High Precision Retouch Concealer and are the type where you dip the brush into the liquid. I usually find this type really messy to use, but because the liner is thicker than usual and really pigmented, I don't have too much of a problem with these once I got some practice and realised I could wipe off a lot of the excess product inside the neck of the bottle.



These colours are GORGEOUS. #1 is a metallic deep blue and goes exactly as it looks in the picture - it doesn't end up looking close to black. #2 is a medium grey with no shimmer, but a really glossy, almost plastic finish. This is a really modern shade and unlike any other liners I own, but dark enough to give proper contrast as a liner.

These are available now from Armani counters priced at €25.50 and of all the new products Armani has put out lately, definitely my favourite.

RMK Autumn Mystique A/W 09

RMK has been a favourite makeup brand of mine for quite a while now, so I was very sad to see the counter close at House of Fraser in Dundrum last year. However (it must have been fate), as I wistfully read about the latest colour collection on their website recently, an email popped into my inbox informing me that UK-based hair and beauty retailers lookfantastic are now stocking the brand. Caught up in the moment of excitement, I immediately ordered a few products from the new Autumn Mystique collection (at present lookfantastic are stocking only a limited amount of products from the brand - I'm not sure if this will be expanded).

Here's what I got (you can click on the pictures to see larger versions):

Mystique Cheeks in 01 Pink Beige and Mystique Eyes in 02 Brown Beige:



Mystique Cheeks includes 5 shades, of which three are blush shades with good pigment and two are shimmery highlight shades. Blend all colours together to apply, or select individual shades (for which you'll need a precise brush, as this palette is fairly small). I generally wear this by blending all shades and adding some of the highlight shades separately as required. The shimmer, as is usually the case with RMK, is very fine and gives a lovely glowy effect. I like this a lot.

Mystique Eyes also includes 5 shades. The darkest shade at the top is a matte deep brown and the other 4 shades are all more sheer with shimmer. There is a useful mix of warmer and cooler shades in the shimmer finishes, which all combine well with the dark shade either as a base shade or to line.

Ingenious Gel Eyeliner in 02 Deep Blue and Ingenious Pencil Eyeliner in 02 Deep Grey:



I love, love, love the Gel Eyeliner. It is smooth, very pigmented and a gorgeous shade of very deep blue with a shimmery finish. The pot it comes in is plastic, making it easier to travel with than gel liners (such as Bobbi Brown's) which are packaged in glass jars. I also love that it comes with a very useful double-ended retractable applicator with a brush on one end and a sponge tip blender on the other. Perfect for application on the go.

I don't love the Pencil Eyeliner quite as much. Although the packaging is nice (this is an automatic pencil), with a sharpener at one end, the pencil itself is hard and doesn't blend easily on the eyelid. The shade is lovely when I test it on the back of my hand, but because I can't press as heavily when applying it to the eyelid, I don't get the same colour payoff. On the plus side, it does seem to last well.

I want this (pt. 1)

If the rather damp August didn't set me off early, then the very chilly mornings this week have definitely started me thinking of Autumn/Winter dressing. Just how cute would this French Connection Kitty Coat be with some dark skinnies and riding boots? I know this gorgeous cherry red shade would definitely cheer me up on an otherwise dark and dreary morning.