Tag: summer

Review: Medusa’s Makeup Sun Kissed Bronzer

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Summer is upon us and we all like to look more sun-kissed during these months. Unless you’re like me, who’s pasty white and usually end up having to hide under beach umbrellas or parasols. However, for the rest of you, bronzers are a godsend and truly help achieve that sun-kissed look many strive to achieve.

What It Is: Bronzer

Distinguishing Factors: Vegan

Verdict: I’ll be honest, despite having worked as a makeup artist, and used bronzers on my clients, I never quite mastered that technique on myself. I don’t know if my skintone has a lot to do with it (I could give any pasty-faced vampire a run for their money), but any bronzers that I have attempted to use in the past always end up giving me the same result; muddy skin. This is also why I don’t contour my cheeks. And that is why I end up using many bronzers and contour palettes as eyeshadows or crease colours for my eye looks.

Once I opened this bronzer, I fell in love with the colour because it did give the impression of being sunkissed. Not only that, it looked light enough for someone with a zombie complexion like myself. And honestly, even if it didn’t work as a bronzer, it’d still make for a pretty eyeshadow shade.

First of all, the blendability of this is soft and leaves a nice sun-kissed glow. Unfortunately for me, it doesn’t quite translate well on my cheeks (again, looking too orangey) but it looks very pretty on my lids. But I’m sure that other people might find this bronzer to be just as good as the iconic Hula Bronzer.

Price: $13

Where To Buy It: Medusa’s Makeup Site

White and Pink Strikeout Cosmetics Beauty Logo

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Get a Beach Body Stat By Cutting Empty Calories!

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What-is-an-empty-calorie

It’s that time of year again when everyone is trying to drop pounds as quickly as they put them on back during the luscious Christmas holidays (ya know we were all guilty of packing away cakes, cookies, and chocolates and downing it all down with gallons of eggnog).

But have no fear! Here’s a quick and easy way to shed some pounds without going too overboard or fasting (never cool).

What causes most of us to gain weight is empty calories. Meaning, these are calories that hold no nutritional value to us, so eating them not only doesn’t apply to making us healthier or giving us energy for the day, but rather are very detrimental to our health. These calories are usually low in proteins and dietary fats, but high in carbs (simple sugars). But we’re all human, so cutting out ALL empty calories is unrealistic and would also be kind of sad (seriously who wants to bid farewell to sweets forever? Not this gal!).

So here’s a nifty chart for you to take advantage:

The USDA MyPlate Limits empty calories to the following:

Women/Ages 19-30: 260 calories

Women/Ages 31-50: 160 calories

Women/Over 50: 120 calories

What constitutes as empty calories?

The following foods contain empty calories:

Cake, cookies, pastries, sodas, cheese, pizza, sports drinks, ice cream, hot dogs, bacon, jam, chips, French fries, syrup, and donuts

empty calorie

Try to fill up on fruits and vegetables instead, where you’ll end up feeling more full for a longer time with less calorie consumption, and limit your empty calorie intake to half a serving or one serving a day, and you’re bound to see some results in your waistline!

Let me know some of your tips and tricks for shedding pounds in the comments below!

By: Azzurra Nox

Remembering Dolores and the Summer of 1999

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dolores o riordan-4

While the majority of the world became a Cranberries fan with the iconic song Zombie, I didn’t become a fan till 1999, when their fourth album Bury the Hatchet was released, preceded by their single, Promises. Something about that angry revenge anthem spoke to me (I was an angsty, angry teen) and I also loved the music video cause the wicked witch of the west resembled Fairuza Balk a little. Someone else who was equally a fan of that album was my cousin Melody.

I remember how she and I would listen to the album and daydream about living in London or Los Angeles. That we felt that maybe, in cities like that, our mutual weirdness would be better understood or at least not scoffed or poked fun at, as opposed to where we lived.

My cousin was a bigger fan than I was, to the point that she said, “I wish my name could be Dolores at least it would be better suited for me than Melody. Do-lo-res…just saying it sounds darkly poetic.”

We’d sing along to Animal Instinct whilst applying makeup and drinking conspicuous amounts of coffee and Bailey’s Irish Cream. Clouds of smoke would circle above our heads as we shared lipsticks and secrets, all the while Dolores O’Riordan’s voice at times aggressive, other times ethereal playing in the background. We’d stroll the cobblestone streets of our small Sicilian town, humming Just My Imagination, and dreaming big dreams. This was before selfies were a thing, so I don’t have photos documenting those moments of us together, but they’ve remained engrained in my mind, milk fresh as though they’ve only happened several months ago, and not years ago. How we’d lie both in bed, our long hair meshing together, her’s bleached blonde, mine strawberry blonde, and how it created the perfect sunset hue, and the notes from the songs would transport us elsewhere, somewhere we were convinced that we’d be better versions of ourselves.

On Christmas Eve of 2013, Melody committed suicide—and although I hadn’t seen her in years since 1999 (I had moved to America and she had moved to Turin), I couldn’t stop thinking of the last summer days we spent together. Of how everything seemed possible—when we were young and fearless. And we didn’t know it then, but maybe, we already were the better versions of ourselves but we were just too blind to see it.

Now, with the recent and unexpected death of Dolores O’Riordan, I can’t help but think about how Bury the Hatchet had been the soundtrack of my last days spent with Melody. And how often, these last five years, I’ve found myself listening to the familiar songs as a way to feel closer to my cousin, as a way to be transported back to those careless summer days.

And now, I’m merely left with the songs and the memories of a summer that’s gone and with it its dreams.

By: Azzurra Nox

My Bad Romance: The New Yorker

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Thw Wonder Wheel, Coney Island, NYC 2002

It was a hot, Coney Island summer and we were headed towards the Wonder Wheel. Hands entwined as always, as I pulled off pieces of candy floss. The sugar melted in our mouths, sharing sticky kisses. We laughed feeling lucky for that moment. We had fallen in love in April, and although it was merely July (three months later) we felt like we had been together forever. We were inseparable. No one else mattered to us but each other. We lived on kisses and sugary sweets. We had no regard for day or night, we were always awake, always up to something.

“You know there’s an old gypsy tale that if you ride the Wonder Wheel with someone else, you’ll be together forever,” he said to me, his dark hair blowing into his eyes.

“Are you sure you wanna be stuck with me forever?” I joked.

But I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He was the one person I loved to talk to at any hour of the day, and even when we’d spend the day watching Asian horror movies and eating takeout I’d never get bored.

Like two enthusiastic kids, we got on the Wonder Wheel, feeling like we were on top of the world. Everyone below us was so tiny, and he kissed me at the top of the Ferris Wheel. I could’ve lived in the moment forever. I wanted to live in that moment forever. I wished the night would melt into my veins, and that I could swallow the stars.

“I love you,” he murmured. A phrase he’d tell me so often during the day, and no matter how many times he said it still managed to make me melt. I’d wake up with his uttering his love, and drifted to sleep with him declaring it one more time. I could feel his love embrace my whole being. My heart was full. It had never felt so full before.

And then one day catastrophe happened.

Because fate is unkind to lovers. Fate tore us apart, and ever since my heart has never felt full again. Like those people who can still feel their limbs after amputation, I too, feel this phantom love. Other times I’m just aching for the part of me that isn’t there because he had become so essential to my being.

I often think about that moment at the Wonder Wheel. A part of me hopes that the superstition is true. That fate can be bent and he’ll find his way back to me. Or that time can be rewound and I can find myself back on the top of the Ferris Wheel, our lips sticky with sugar, sharing kisses, sharing breaths, sharing dreams.

By: Azzurra Nox

Violent Violet Make-up Look!

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Nowadays, it’s far more common that I’ll be sporting a neutral smokey look when it comes to eye-makeup. But when I was just a teenager, I LOVED bold purple shadows. I think one of the reasons why I stopped doing my eyes that way wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the purple shadows anymore, but rather because in the coming years it has been difficult to find shades of violet that I actually like and suit me.

But recently I’ve found a violet shadow that I adore, and decided to start sporting the same makeup look I had when I was sixteen to see if I’d still love it today. Well, I probably wouldn’t wear it everyday now, but I do think it’s a pretty option every now and then.

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Products*:

Notoriously Morbid Eyeshadow – Siren Song

Wet N’ Wild Eyeshadow – Creme Brullee

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Anaheim

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Romp

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Blonde

L’Oreal Mascara Primer

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black

NYX Eyebrow Marker in Medium

Jeffree Star Liquid Lip Velour in Rose Matter

Urban Decay Glow Blush in Score

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in Black

Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Blanc

violet

Step One:

I distributed Notoriously Morbid’s loose shadow in Siren Song all over my lid. I really packed on the colour. Be sure to use an eyeshadow primer as that truly makes the colour POP. Usually I use Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, but I decided to get Wet n’ Wild eyeshadow primer a go and it works just as well at a fraction of the price!

Step Two:

To not overwhelm the purple, it’s best to use a neutral transition colour on the crease. I opted for Urban Decay’s Anaheim shade. I dusted it with a light hand using a blending brush. I then placed Wet N’ Wild’s Creme Brullee shade all over my brow bone and lightly dusted Urban Decay’s Blonde shade on my brow bone to highlight it.

Step Three:

I then used Urban Decay’s Romp shade (a deep purple) as my liner for upper and lower lashes. It’s an eyeshadow, but I often like to use shadows as liner when I’m trying to keep the look light and not product heavy. I then used Lancome’s Le Crayon Khol in Blanc on the inside of my lower lash line.

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Step Four:

After curling my lashes with an eyelash curler, I used L’Oreal’s Primer to coat my lashes. I allowed ten seconds to dry before applying three coats of L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black and one coat of Smashbox’s Full Exposure Mascara to my lower lashes. For my brows I used NYX’s Eyebrow Marker in Medium. This is hands-down the best and most lightweight eyebrow I’ve ever used! So kudos to NYX for making such a kick-ass product that is long-lasting and smudge free!

Step Five:

To complete the look I dusted Urban Decay’s Glow blush in Score and added Jeffree Star’s Liquid Velour Lipstick in Rose Matter to my lips.

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Now slip into something edgy and go out to show off your look! Let me know what your fave purple shadows are in the comments below!

*All products used for this look were purchased by the writer.

By: Azzurra Nox