Neglected Blog + Golden Globes Fashion Favorites

So I've been slacking on blogging. I know, I know, but like I said a while back I wanted to focus on kick starting my new YouTube Channel - which I am pleased to say, I feel like I have accomplished.  
I'm at 470+ subscribers as of today (19th Jan), and I'm just blown away by the positive response I receive about ContemporaryChic. So all in all, Thank-You.


With the long introduction over with, I thought I would give my two cents on 5 Golden Globes Outfits - well, the ones I practically drooled over at least.

My fifth favorite outfit of the night was defiantly Natalie Portman's. She's a stunning mother-in-the-making & she looked perfect for the event. The baby pink dress suited her perfectly, there was a un-expected red rosette - which really brought the entire look together, the dress flattered her baby bump while looking suitably glamourous, I can't say enough good things about this outfit. Fantastic look from Natalie.

Angelina Jolie sported a covered up, be-dazzled emerald green dress this year at the golden globes. She went for the correct style of dress, which added curves to her body. The hair & makeup was very understated & easy - I loved this though, it defiantly made the dress the focal point. A vintage approach from Angelia here & she wears it well.

Anne's full length dress was a combination of many fashion trends including: metallics, sequin type texture, strong shoulders, cut out back etc. It was one of those dresses you either loved or hated. Personally, I loved it. She completely rocked it & stood out from the crowd. Kudos to you Anne! 

Kyra's outfit was a full on stunner. Simple, but gorgeous. A bright orange dress is not something you see all the time, but the draping, shape & ruffles were just so darling on her. I could see this as more of a fancy-dinner type dress on a tropical island more than the golden globes, but either way I still love the fact she brought a new dimension of gorgeous to the red carpet. 

I think I died when I seen this dress. Well, that may be a slight bit of exaggeration, but thats beside the point. this. dress. is. AMAZING! I love the fact olivia went for a deep, warm, chocolate brown colored dress over black. Not to mention how princess-like the sparkles fade out from top to bottom. The shape was extremely youthful on her, and overall the simplicity of the look let her dress take the spotlight. I loved that her hair was very natural & her makeup wasn't overpowering. This lady owned the red carpet this year.

Something I noticed this year at Golden Globes, there wasn't much skin showing or bold makeup at all, long dresses & keeping it natural was a huge trend. I think this is such a great example to set, especially for the younger generation that look up to these talented stars. It shows that you don't have to show skin to look sexy or attractive. Nor do you have to sport dramatic, heavy makeup either. 

Be yourself, let your natural beauty shine through, and most of all...

Stay Chic,

x

Product Review: Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow - Sunbaked Neutrals

As some of the fellow New Zealand Beauty Guru's may know, Postie+ have a discounted makeup & beauty section in their stores. Well around a month ago, I can across a good product, and I wanted to let you know about it. Since I can't record right now, I thought I'd blog about it.

By now, you will know that I'm into natural eye makeup, so with a name like "sun baked neutrals" I knew this was a product that instantly would work with my schedule (work wear & evening's out). 

As you can see from the color selection, there are some gorgeous brown & warm shades which works perfectly with my blue eyes. But it's so versatile most eye colors can get away with these neutral shades.

Most of the shades are rather pigmented for being a drugstore product. As you can see in the picture the top left shade (no individual names) hardly gives off any color at all. On my eyelid it looks like a translucent subtle shimmer which is a slight disappointment, since it does look like a lovely highlight in the packaging. On the positive side, the bottom left shade is intensely pigmented from a slight swatch. My favorite color overall, is the second shade in on the second row. It's the perfect golden chocolate brown shade, with just the right amount of shimmer. I love to use this to create a easy brown smokey look - applied all over the lid with smokey black liner and lashings of mascara! I have also gave the green shades a test run, and I like them as yet again another neutral look.

So many looks can be created with these shadows, I find myself reaching for this palette every morning. To be honest, the colors are very "dupe-able" but what I love most about this palette is that all colors are in the same packaging, so it leaves extra room in my makeup bag for one or two extra lip glosses. (:

Do you have a holy grail makeup palette you take with you? Or maybe some must have eye shadows that you lug around with you all day? What are your takes on makeup palettes?

Hope you're well,


x

How NOT to Whiten Your Teeth:

Approximately 4 weeks ago I was browsing around my local pharmacy during a lunch break, and came across a 7-Day Teeth Whitening Kit. I was lured in by the "before & after" picture and being the impulse buyer I am, I added it to my basket. Now, considering my teeth are far from "yellow" a kit was rather unnecessary but yes I proceeded to purchase.

I'm not going to lie, I couldn't WAIT to get home that night to give it a go. I've always wanted perfectly white gleaming teeth (who doesn't?) and now seemed the right time to make it happen. Well, other things cropped up that evening, and it ended up sitting on my desk for a good 3 weeks. Until Last Thursday.

The instructions are very simple, and I followed them religiously: Brush teeth, squeeze whitening gel into pre-formed trays, apply accelerator to the surface of the desired teeth to be whitened, place trays in mouth for 5-10 minutes, rinse and brush teeth. But I must say, there were NO warnings to keep the accelerator away from the skin. Yes, this is where it all went wrong. During the process of applying the accelerator to the back teeth it must of touched the sides of my mouth. At the time I felt no discomfort, until the morning.

I woke up with my lips feeling dry, which is really not anything abnormal for this time of year, a slick of lip conditioner and my day carried on like usual. The sides of my mouth progressively became more and more dry through the day, leaving it difficult to smile or stretch my mouth without some sort of lubrication to ease the tension. That night I applied a dollop of Nivea soft to either sides before climbing into bed.

I got a shock the next morning. My eyes grew bigger as I took a closer look in the mirror. It's hard to describe, but a crusty yellow mass had attached itself to the sides of my mouth. A whole bunch of disgusting-ness that I do NOT want to describe in too much detail (in favor of both of us). An immediate trip to the pharmacy in search of a quick remedy was needed. I had plans that day including a spray tan and a dinner date so this NEEDED to go. I was handed peroxide + ketoconazole and back home I headed. Huge amounts were applied in hope of quick results. No, this did not work. At all. No improvement whatsoever.

Food deprived and miserable, I canceled all my plans for the gorgeous Saturday it was and opted for a seat on the couch with a bunch or DVDs in order to keep me content.

Saturday went and gone, Sunday-the same. Both days doing nothing at all apart from feeling miserable and sorry for myself. And here I am sharing my story with you on Monday afternoon, after a trip to the doctor. I would usually be at work, completing my daily tasks like usual but a sick day was necessary to take care of this once and for all. I was prescribed yet another ointment to get rid of it, so here's hoping this will work and I shall be back to normal within a few days (fingers crossed).

I'm sick of being an emotionless, drooling, unattractive mess! Apologies for being so frank, but take my advice, be CAREFUL when using new products. No matter what it is. I for sure learnt the hard way, and I'm sharing my story in hopes of making you aware of possible situations like these. Also, bottom line is, it's my own fault. Although I thought I took enough time and consideration with application, I clearly did not.

On a final note, I am not bashing the product or company in anyway, because I did actually notice a slight difference in my teeth color from the first application. I would love to say that I can continue on using this product, but after the discomfort and annoyance I've suffered over the past few days, I can't see myself reaching for the kit anytime soon. I'll be sticking to normal whitening toothpaste from now on and that's about as far as I'll branch out for a GOOD....year or so.

I hope this blog post and my new tutorial will keep you mildly contented until I am somewhat decent for the camera again! Until then, I shall blog here about anything beauty related. If you have any Ideas, PLEASE comment and let me know (I'm new to blogging, so any input is welcomed).

For now, I shall love you and leave you,


Hope you're all keeping well,


x

Welcome to ContemporaryChic!

Check out my introduction video to ContemporaryChic on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRH4u5nVJg0

An actual blog post will be up soon! (:

x