101 Spring Survival Kit in Black

Hello! I promised a look this week but it was impossible to photograph one. I've been fairly busy with school, so I decided to do a post on spring black fashion. For someone who only wears black, sometimes I find it quite tricky to survive the warmth felt in my city during the spring and summer months.
Here's what I have in mind for this spring!

Truth is I usually don't use prints, at least not in fall and winter. But for les printemps it's quite appropriate and flattering because it's much lighter and doesn't wear you out too much.

I thought a simple floral print dress would go well with minimal makeup, just a flush of pink on the cheeks and on the lips, and flats.

Flats are, in my opinion, perfect for spring because they're fresh and delicate.´

Again, the floral print brings a bit of life to this black and white look. How beautiful are those pointed flats tho!!

As always, a very simple and interesting way to give a touch of colour to the look is to wear a bright lipstick or lip tint that stands out from the rest of the look.

I've been looking for the perfect orange coral lip, let me know if you have any suggestions!

This one is a bit more colourful and definitely not something I would go for because it's shorts. Although I find them very beautiful, I can't get shorts to work for me. But it's still a nice option, still in the same theme: wear a print to bring life to the look.

A basic look perfect for a walk with your "person". The basic black dress makes for a beautiful statement piece to which you can add fun accessories and shoes to bring out the best of your look.

Also, no spring look would be complete without an amazing spring scent. My favourite ESCADA perfume is definitely this Born In Paradise one that came out last year, I was blessed to be given one in my two year relationship anniversary when it lauched.

This is a look I would use for a party or a night out. I would probably tone it down a bit on the shoes but it's something I would only do for a special occasion. That purse is stunning! I was out hunting for purses today to go with my prom dress and all I could think of would be a beautiful beaded little clutch that would make my look much more polished, this is something I would definitely use.

Also, despite all the Lime Crime drama that's been going on, I still love their Zodiac Glitters, this one is breathtaking! 

And that's it for this post! I have so much to do this week so I can't promise anything for the next post but I hope it's what I have in mind! Look out for it!

Love,

Anna

Album Review: Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Nightwish

Hi! For my first (official-ish) post, I decided to review the most recent album by Nightwish, Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
(Disclaimer: I am not a professional critic/reviewer, this is just my opinion and my personal review of the album.)

After Tarja Turunen's departure from Nightwish, I kind of "lost touch" with the band. I still listened to them, but only the old music, because the new singer's voice just wasn't my cup of tea, and I also felt like their original sound wasn't there anymore. But when I found out Floor Jansen was joining the band as an official member, I knew I'd have to listen to their future albums with her (and also sort of knew I would love it).

Regarding the album cover (seen above), it could be much better. The connection to the concept of the whole album is quite clear, but it just looks like someone threw a bunch of animals together along with the band logo and album title and that's it. The design should have been much more careful and the position of everything should have been more looked over.

Shudder Before The Beautiful is a powerful song and a perfect beginning for the album (if you cut out Richard Dawkins' spoken part). It takes us back to the older stuff, specifically Once, and the strong beginning with the full on orchestra along with the drums gives you an excellent example of what Nightwish truly are, after all. Floor starts softly but, in the chorus, the Dutch singer shows us what she's made of. The guitar/drum/orchestra combo is a perfect conduct to the epic verses sang by the choir. This is probably my favorite song of the entire album, it really makes me shiver, just like the past albums did.

The second song also starts with really strong guitars/drums/orchestra, a bit reminiscent of Romanticide, but in an original and new sound. Weak Fantasy is a perfect song, combining once again metal elements with classic instruments, along with not only Jansen's harsher and rawer vocals, but also her softest and sweetest. She really is out of this world.

When Élan (the first single) was released, there was an overwhelming mix of feelings. And most of them weren't nice. I wasn't used to listening to pipes in Nightwish songs, so that was my first big problem. Even though I like the folksy sound, it didn't fit the band's music. Then, the song wasn't as heavy as I expected it to be. It still had that feel from the two last albums (or, at least, the songs I'd heard from them). However, I've come to terms with the song and I'm now quite fond of it. It's a relaxing, feel-good song that makes you want to live your life however you want to, with no boundaries holding you back.

Yours Is An Empty Hope has the strongest Disney vibe. You can't fight me on this, it really does. The lyrics set a very creepy and morbid scene, but still it is a really good song. Floor's vocals are incredible in this track and it pleases me so much (really, very much) that she was given the freedom to do some grunts and really harsh vocals. She does everything so good, clean vocals, operatic vocals, grunts, harsh vocals. Just slay me, Floor Jansen.

The only ballad in the album, Our Decades In The Sun, has the most beautiful lyrics. Not my favorite Nightwish lyrics, but probably the most down-to-earth lyrics Tuomas has ever written, in the way that everyone's able to relate to them. In terms of sound, I'm not that much of a fan. Jansen's voice is flawless, as usual, but this ballad just doesn't get to me as older ones do. It is a beautiful song, but for some reason doesn't catch my attention.

Gaelic in a Nightwish song. I never saw that one coming. Ok, that was a bit rude I guess, I'm sorry. My Walden is one of the weakest songs in the album, overall. It's just one of those songs you will forever skip and you just keep it in your iTunes library because, well, you love the band and Tuomas told you to listen to the album as it is. However, the last minute of the song is almost worth the rest. Floor's final words are mesmerizing.

The title song, Endless Forms Most Beautiful, is an energetic track, with a speedy(-ish) guitar/drum duo combined with softened orchestral arrangements in the background. One more song to make you jump up and down, get out of the couch and start doing something with your life.

Edema Ruh is another song I find quite weak. I can't find the metal in it. But once again, the last two minutes of the song, where you can listen to a really good guitar solo, followed by some pipes and some man choir-ish vocals and the chorus, in which Floor, yet again, saves the song with her amazing voice.

 And then the Disney feeling comes back. Alpenglow brings back the good feeling, calling on everyone to sing along and make sure to realise that "We were here!" and we conquered a lot.

The Eyes of Sharbat Gula is the only instrumental song in the album and has a very Oriental feel to it. The enchanting choir and the beautiful orchestral instruments all combined make you dream and wish and hope for something better to come.

And finally, a masterpiece to end the album just perfectly. Of course it had to be big, but this time Tuomas just got so carried away that he ended up with a 23-minute final track. I don't even know how to talk about this song, or what to say. It's probably the best song Nightwish have done in over a decade. It is one of my favorites from the album and it feels so Nightwish that you actually feel every hair in your body rising up. The Greatest Show On Earth has everything to go right: a flawless piano intro, followed by a powerful mix of string instruments, and then one of the highlights: Floor sings the most beautiful, softened yet imperative operatic vocals. A spoken intro by Dawkins before the (actual) song begins, and then it starts. Please let me know if you don't get shivers (and tears, if you are like me). There's pipes and drums and it's actually magic. And a choir, reminiscent of everything done before but in a different, innovative way. Jansen's talent comes in strong in the chorus, reminding us yet again that she can really do anything with her vocal chords. Tribal rhythms and animal grunting noises outstripped, the two vocalists kick in with some more alternate verses before the "grand finale": the duo sings possibly the best lyrics Holopainen has written in a long time: Man, he took his time in the sun / Had a dream to understand / A single grain of sand / He gave birth to poetry / But one day’ll cease to be / Greet the last light of the library. One last time, Hietala and Jansen invite us to remind ourselves that "We were here!", before the epic ending to an epic song, in which we are the heroes who are being sung.

Credits to Ville Akseli Juurikkala

Endless Forms Most Beautiful definitely fulfilled my expectations. Floor Jansen clearly eased herself into the band, she was the exact person for the job and I'm glad she was, in her own magical way, able to bring back the soul that had been missing from Nightwish's music for a long time now. One of the most disappointing aspects of the album overall is the waste of Floor's vocal range. Even though she does pretty much everything she's able to do singing-wise in the album, I would've loved to hear some more operatic vocals (maybe because I still listen to too much old Nightwish), as well as some more harsh vocals and grunts. I'll be waiting for that to happen in the next albums. Nightwish, you can count me (back) in as a fan!


Have a lovely day,
Rita

FOTD: Ruby Woo on Heroine

Hi! Today I'm here with a face of the day kind of post. I recently posted two photos on my Instagram with similar makeup and different lips. I thought I'd make this post about the makeup I used to create the looks on those photos!

Let's get started!

Face:

Catrice Camouflage Cream Concealer in 020 Light Beige

Benefit Hello Flawless Powder Foundation in "I love me" Ivory

W7 In the Mood Eye Colour Palette Eyeshadow in Wink (contour)

Eyes: 

Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Primer

W7 In the Mood Eye Colour Palette Eyeshadows in Oops, Wink and Cargo

W7 In the City Eye Colour Palette Eyeshadow in Andrea

H&M Gel Eyeliner

Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Mascara

H&M Extreme False Lashes

Brows:

Essence Eyebrow Designer in 02 Brown

Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara

Lips:

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 04

Face: 

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in O1 and O2

Catrice Nude Illusion Loose Powder

Eyes:

Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Primer

Sleek Makeup Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette Eyeshadows in Nougat, Cappucino, Toast and Taupe

H&M Dip Eyeliner

Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Mascara

Brows:

Essence Eyebrow Designer in 02 Brown

Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara

Lips: 

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Color Liquid Lipstick in 510 Red Passion

These two very simple looks are quite similar, but I'd say that the top one is a night appropriate version of the bottom one. I wore both out during the day but the top one is definitely more dramatic than the bottom one given the fact that I used more greys and dark colours and on the top one I used shades that are super close to my skin tone only to shape the eye the slightest bit.
I also want to mention that the top look is completely matte on the eyes and has a touch of colour on the lips with a deep purple shade and in the bottom look I used a shimmering eyeshadow through the lid and a classic red lip.

Also, as you can see from the photos, I got my bangs cut and decided to go V. So paired with the bangs, these two makeups change your overall look completely. With the purple lip it's a bit more goth'ish and with the red lip is a tad more on the pinup side.

That's it for this post. I'll be back on the next one!
Have a lovely weekend.

Love,
Anna

Anna's Birthday Haul

Hello! Long time no see! I'm back from London and I have loads of new stuff to show you! Since my birthday was a week or so ago, going to London was my parents' present and I got a lot of new things there. You wouldn't believe the diversity of literally everything they have around there! Most of the things in this haul post were gifts from me to me really but I also included the makeup/beauty related things that I was given by my friends. I am by no mean bragging, only trying to show you new products and things.

With no further due, let's get started! 

MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth

Sleek Matte Me Liquid Lipstick in Rioja Red

Essence Eyeshadow in 73 Mint Candy

Essence Eyeshadow in 75 Purple Clouds

Escada Turquoise Summer Limited Edition Perfume
lovely present from my godfather and aunt who were so sweet to have me in their house back in London

W7 Paintbox

W7 Neon Nights Eyeshadow Palette

W7 In The City Eyeshadow Palette

W7 In The Mood Eyeshadow Palette

Rimmel London Kate Moss Collection Lipstick in 04
(very close match to MAC's Cyber, comparison photo at the end of the post)

Royal Eyeshadow Brushes

Sleek i-Divine Ultra Mattes V1 Eyeshadow Palette

Sleek i-Divine Ultra Mattes V2 Eyeshadow Palette

Benefit How to Look The Best At Everything Complection Kit in Light

Includes travel sizes of: The Porefessional, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation in "I'm pure 4 sure" Ivory, Boi-ing concealer in O1 and O2, Hello Flawless Powder in "I love me" Ivory

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection 301 Flat Contour Brush

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection 202 Angled Liner Brush

perfect to fill in the brows ever so slightly to achieve a natural look

Lush Fluffy Egg Bath Bomb
a delicious candy floss scent 

Lush Space Girl Bath Bomb
had to get the galaxy one obviously

Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette
an unexpected gift from my girlfriend

Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick in 522
another gift from my girlfriend that is also a close match to MAC's Cyber
(comparison photo at the end of the post) 

MAC Cyber Lipstick
something I've been wanting forever that I got as a birthday present from my bestfriend

Here's the comparison photo of the three lipsticks
Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in 04 on the left, MAC Cyber Lipstick in the middle, Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick in 522 on the right

As you can see the three lipsticks are very similar but quite different still. MAC's Cyber is the one that has less shine to it and Kiko's is the glossiest and, therefore, the sheerest. Color wise they all look very similar but in terms of undertones, Rimmel's 04 and MAC's Cyber are both plum shades and Kiko's 522 is a true dark berry purple, more on the blue side. This said, I'll just add that Rimmel's 04 has a pink undertone, MAC's Cyber has a redish brown undertone and Kiko's 522 has a true blue undertone. I noticed this when I cleaned the swatches off of my hand and the stain left behind showed these undertones I referred.

I only included makeup/beauty things I got in this post but I also received a lovely pearl necklace from Tânia, Arch Enemy tickets from my school friends and some other things that are not at all related to the blog.

The photos were taken in different days and in different parts of the day and that's why the lighting changes throughout the photos.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. I thought of doing a review of some products but this post would just get too long if I decided to do so, so I may do that in further posts and also swatch some of the palettes I got. If you'd like to see any of these reviewed let me know.

Also, how about this new Flower on the blog? Looking forward to check her posts!

That's it for this post, I'll be back on the next one hopefully with a look created with all these lovely new things I got!

Love,

Anna

Meet The New Flower

After Tânia's departure, Anna decided that she needed someone new to run the blog with her, and thankfully it didn't take long for her to find someone who could bring some diversity to the blog but still keep it interesting.

 

The name is RITA Lourenço, hello. I am a Libra (born on the 8th of October, 1998), but I'm honestly none of what Libras are supposed to be like, which means I must be doing something wrong. I study Social and Human Sciences. History and Literature are my ultimate favourite subjects and I guess you must've already assumed that I am passionate about the past and everything related to it. I have an unconditional love for Romanticism and Realism (a bit ironic, I know) and have some trouble in relating to Modernists, Surrealists and some other recent movements.
Music is another one of my passions. Although I don't play any instrument or sing, I do live for music and don't think I would be able to live my life without it. Even though I listen to a ton of different genres, I can definitely say that my favourite one is Symphonic (Power/Gothic) Metal.
I believe I am an extremely ironical person, and I either go hard or go home, to be honest. I wish I went hard more often.
Unlike Anna, I have no makeup skills other than the basic eyeliner/brows/lipstick deal. My only talent is to ramble (I think you can tell) and that's what I mostly plan on doing in this blog. I don't think I follow one specific style, but I am inspired by the gothic style and heavy metal fashion. Maybe I'll post some outfits from time to time, along with album reviews, book reviews and possibly some challenges. I look forward to starting and I truly hope my posts will appeal to everyone. If you ever have any suggestion, I'm open to read whatever you have to say.

HAVE A LOVELY DAY, 
Rita