making faces :: fuchsia perfect

"all-natural" fuchsia

those who know me [and now, those who read this blog] know that i have a real thing for the dramatic shade known as either fuchsia or magenta. there are different definitions [and sub-definitions] of both, but for the purposes of the everyman, fuchsia is that point where intense pink and purple meet, shake hands and decide to be way cooler than everyone else. [sometimes literally- brown dwarf stars, the coolest stars in terms of temperature, emit an eerie fuchsia light.]

my proposed family tartan

the origin of the name fuchsia, as with many shade names, comes from a family of plant. these plants bear flowers of the eponymous colour, which is about as unnatural-looking a thing as you're likely to see in anyone's garden. not surprisingly, there are few people who, when asked to name colours they associate with the natural world, will go with fuchsia. [in fact, when asked to name colours that remind them of anything, most people are not going to go with "fuchsia" as a first choice.]

fuchsia and magenta are generally more associated with the modern world, perhaps because magenta is one of the building blocks of both print and screen colours. if you've ever heard of cmyk values in colour reproduction, guess what that "m" stands for? magenta. [i think that there are a lot of teachers in design school who are happy that the powers that be went with "magenta" rather than "fuchsia" in this case.]

rare, wild-caught polyester fuchsia fur

there are lots of ways to wear fuchsia, both in terms of clothing [i have a plethora of options] and cosmetically. there are shades for the eyes [mac has both "fuchsia" and "bright fuchsia" pigments, while indie company sugarpill has a shade called "dollipop" that, while i haven't tried it personally, looks like it could stop traffic], for the cheeks [aside from the fact that loose pigments can be used on the face, virtually every company has an intense fuchsia blush, my favourite being the mac "pro" colour azalea]. and of course, fuchsia colours abound for the lips, from every possible corner, in every 

finding fuchsia

micro-shade between pink and purple [other than those shades who are sent to camp mauve]. and i can't even begin to count the number of options there are for fuchsia shades to put on your fingers and toes... however, since it's the season to look at bright, eye-catching [or even eye-gouging] shades for the lips, let's start with a look at those...

four fabulous fuchsias ::

l to r :: nars funny face, mac show orchid, mac rebel, guerlain shalimar

shalimar

guerlain :: shalimar

part of the newly launched "rouge automatique" collection, this is a cool, light shade that is an easy choice for day or night. the light texture and relative sheerness mean that it's a shade that can go pretty much anywhere.

rebel

mac :: rebel

this is an almost vampy magenta- very deep and equally purple and pink. the finish is close to matte for that extra oomph. not a shade for the shy, but definitely a different take on a dark, dramatic lip.

show orchid

mac :: show orchid

this is definitely on the pink side of fuchsia and on the outspoken side as well, but there's a reason why this shade has such a loyal following with mac. it really is a stunning colour. although it's referred to as a "hot pink", it's ironically a very cool shade that doesn't pull red at all.

funny face

nars :: funny face

this is another opaque, more full-coverage shade, a perfect purple/ pink blend with a hint of red shimmer [hint is the key word- it's almost matte]. personally, i think this is a much nicer shade than their more attention-grabbing "schiap", which is a hot pink, but that's just my taste.

i'll also point to an excellent limited edition fuchsia shade that mac had out last year as part of their "liberty of london" designer collaboration- "petals and peacocks". this one leans very cool and, while it's a bright shade, is a little less likely to cause retina damage than show orchid.

here are a couple of fuchsia-themed looks for day or night [i'll let you choose which works best where, depending on your schedule] ::

"shalimar"

this is a very quick, ultra-simple combination for day time. it has a little bit of impact, but it's quite understated, really. if you want to be even quicker and simpler about it, you could skip the eye liner, but on me, i think that would look faded.

face ::

lush colour supplement "jackie oates"

diorskin nude concealer 001

eyes ::

benefit creaseless cream e/s "skinny jeans"

laura mercier e/s "african violet"

mac fluidline eye liner "blacktrack"

mac eye liner "i get no kick"

dior diorshow mascara

cheeks ::

mac blush ombre "azalea blossom"

lips ::

guerlain rouge automatique "shalimar"

nails ::

opi "miami beet"

"show orchid"

you might notice that i'm cheating a little bit here, or at least recycling. yes, this is the same photo set that i used when i featured show orchid as part of my "30 days of lips". i find this kind of look works very well for either day or night [if memory serves, this ended up serving for both], because it's bright and punchy, but also simple and bold enough to look "unfussy" by daylight.

face ::

nars sheer glow foundation "mont blanc"

mac prolongwear concealer "nw20"

eyes ::

nars soft shadow pencil "celebrate"

mac e/s "sweet & punchy"

mac e/s "humid"

mac e/s "dazzlelight"

mac greasepaint stick "greengrease"

ysl faux cils mascara

cheeks ::

mac magically cool liquid powder "truth & light"

mac blush "azalea"

lips ::

mac l/s "show orchid"

"bright fuchsia"

the lipstick in this look is limited, but i think you could easily substitute show orchid, funny face or rebel. on the other hand, you still see some of these kicking around on ebay and it is a beautiful shade. i really wanted to do something a little dramatic for nighttime using some loose pigments. although there's a little skill that needs to be employed using pigments, they're unparalleled for getting intense colours [particularly if used wet and/ or with a base]. i'm a complete klutz and if i can learn, anyone can.

face ::

nars sheer glow foundation "mont blanc"

diorskin nude hydrating concealer "001"

eyes ::

mac pigment "bright fuchsia"

mac pigment "pink opal"

mac pigment "later"

mac e/s "stars & rockets"

urban decay e/s "asphyxia"

mac eye liner "smolder"

mac fluidline eye liner "blacktrack"

dior diorshow mascara

cheeks ::

mac blush "azalea"

lips ::

mac l/s "petals & peacocks"

nails :: 

deborah lipmann "bad romance"

join me in a fuchsia fandango?

listed!

who says bad things come in threes? i always like things based on threes, down to the fact that during the many years that i was a student, i used to draw little doodles of triangles in the margins of my notebooks. so here are a few random "top threes" that i have in my head at the moment...

awesome animals [other than cats]

1. owls :: that's a huge category of animals, actually, since owls of various sorts are native to every continent except antarctica, but i really don't have a particular favourite. snowy owls, perhaps, but they're all pretty majestic, mysterious and enigmatic. i think that one of the things that really appeals to me about these creatures is that they share so many qualities attributed to cats- the impression of wisdom, the independence, the unnerving skill as a predator and at the same time a sort of droll character that makes them as funny as they are alluring.

2. green tree pythons :: ok, that's a ridiculously specific answer, given the last one and the fact is that i think most boids are beautiful, but there is something about this one type in particular [even more so than its close cousin the emerald tree boa] that i find hypnotic. i've long since decided that owning a snake is out of the question for me, because i personally couldn't bring myself to feed it, but if i could, this would be the one i'd get. i've met and held one a couple of times [babies, since these are not "cuddly" even by snake standards], but that's unfortunately as close as i'll likely get. to me, these gorgeous creatures are what i picture when i hear ancient myths involving serpents.

3. pigs :: they're clean. they're cute. they're smarter than most people you know.

MORE THINGS IN THREES...




favourite summer dishes

1. ceviche :: fish "cooked" in citrus juices. this is one dish that appeals to me as a cook and as someone who sometimes wishes she'd pursued her interest in and aptitude for chemistry rather than doing the predictable "liberal arts" thing. when i first heard of it, i had to stop myself from just sitting there and watching the dish to try to observe what was happening. as fascinating as the process is [well, it's a standard reaction when any meat is exposed to acid, but you don't hear about it a lot], the result is about a hundred times more interesting [provided it's done well; bad ceviche is like chewing on rubber].

ceviche!

2. corn and avocado salad with tomatoes and olives :: i got this one out of the first cookbook i ever owned. [125 best meatless main dishes; my mother got it for me when i moved out of home and it's still probably my very favourite cookbook] what i wrote there basically sums it up, except that it has a tangy citrus and olive oil dressing and it gets really, really messy because the dressing starts to break down the avocados pretty quickly. let's you indulge your inner sloppy four year old and be healthy at one time.

3. lemon sorbet :: ok, not really a "dish", but when it's hot enough, i'll eat it as a meal.

things i'm working on at the moment

1. my notes for "a definable moment in time" :: yes, i'm still writing it, but first i have to get my head in order. i do not need another beatriz coca fluttering around my pages and so i've determined to get back on track keeping a very detailed plan of action as to how everything fits together.

who wants to help me clean it up?

2. finding a suitable venue for a first screening of conversion. the ideal venue would be the empress theatre in n.d.g., since it's smack in the middle of the area where we did most of our outside shoots and it's an incredible genuine egyptian-inspired art deco masterpiece. only problem is that it's been abandoned for twenty years. oh, and there was a wee bit of "trial by fire", so it may not be entirely structurally sound.

3. trying out a lot of different creams/ moisturisers to try to find one that keeps my face hydrated without making it feel gross in the summer heat. luckily not something that requires my undivided attention for long periods of time and luckily, nothing so far has given me an allergic reaction.

last colours i've had on my nails

fyi- i'm fairly proud of the fact that i can do my nails now, because believe me, i was hopeless for a long time. i'm still not going to be opening my own salon any time soon, but it's a step. i'm still getting the hang of toes, which i understand is necessary, since one of the photos i did for "everyday fluevogs" last year got slagged off by fans on face book on the basis of my nekkid toenails. 

1. essie "fair game" :: just put it on tonight. it's like a somewhat lighter, bluer version of chanel's "black pearl", so if you missed or passed on that one, this would be a good alternative. [fyi- it looks somewhat darker in the photo than in real life, but it's fairly close.]

essie "fair game" in action

2. chanel "mimosa" :: lovely buttery yellow shade. because it's chanel's limited edition summer colour, you can expect that every other company on the planet will have a version of it in the near future.

3. opi "stranger tides" :: i kind of hate movie or celebrity tie-ins for anything, because of the implied endorsement buying those products gives the movie or celebrity, but this is a really nice, whisper-soft grey-green that i just fell in love with before i noticed that it was part of a "pirates of the caribbean" themed collection. [realises in horror that she is currently wearing a colour from an opi "shrek" themed collection on her toes...]