Grace Notes @ Snarkattack

Who would’ve thought anyone would want to look like a pirate two years ago. Oh my how the times change.[

The following is provided with much thanks to demoiselleangel on LiveJournal.

So a few days ago, I emailed M.A.C. Cosmetics to ask them how to achieve the Captain Jack Sparrow eye-liner look. I also suggested they package whatever products it was in a tie-in to the film. This was the reply I received; I like to think I brightened the day of at least one M.A.C. employee.

[...]

My Email:

“Hi there; I have a bit of an unusual question for you. I noticed at the end of the film “Pirates of the Caribbean” that M.A.C. was listed as the makeup brand used. I was wondering what product/products were used on Johnny Depp to create Jack Sparrow’s smudged eye-liner type look? I’ve tried using a regular ol’ black eye-liner pencil with poor results. Is it a creme shadow and liquid liner? A wet-dry liner? Personally, I think it’d be fab publicity to package whatever product it is with a tie-in to “Pirates.” Lots of folks would be interested, believe me. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to listen to this rather unusual question. Cheers!”

M.A.C.’s Reply:

Thank you for taking the time to email us at M•A•C Cosmetics Online.

Johnny Depp’s smudged, smoky eye effect was a great, authentic pirates look indeed. We appreciate your recommendations and will forward your comments to our Corporate Management office.

We also appreciate the opportunity to explain, that while professional makeup artists and stylists frequently use M•A•C products, they are not always commissioned directly by M•A•C Cosmetics Inc. to provide makeup application services on celebrities or models. Therefore, we are not always informed by the makeup artists as to what was used on a celebrity, such as Johnny Depp, at any given time or for any one particular movie, photo shoot or personal appearance.

I’ve seen the movie and press photos for Pirates of the Caribbean and am happy to provide you with details on how to create a similar look with our products.

1. Begin by applying Wedge matte eyeshadow (a warm taupe-beige) from lash line to brow bone using brush #252.
2. Pat Blacktrack fluidline over your lid using brush #242, then blend for an undone, imperfect look.
3. With brush #219, trace a thick line of Blacktrack along your lower lashes for a dramatic frame to the eye.
4. Add Black Tied velvet eyeshadow (a midnight black with silver-white sparkle) along the inner half of your lash lines on the upper and lower lashlines with brush #219 for a touch of shimmered, almost wet looking texture.
5. Add 2 coats of All Black Fibre Rich Lash to your lashes and your Johnny Depp pirate inspired look is complete.

There goes my theory – in the first film, I could’ve sworn it was Shu Uemura’s ME silver 945 e/s smudged on his lids. Oh well.

There’s nothing like a weekend of complete and utter slobbery to cheer a girl up. I haven’t been this regular-person happy to be spending time alone since…I don’t even remember.

I’ve only been waiting 6 years! Anyway…

Managed to try out a few products this week, not as many as I’d like, of course.

Lush ‘Fever’ massage bar – oh my! This has a heavenly scent that you want to get all over your bedsheets! No, you don’t at all need to have someone to massage you. Just rub it on your body as it’s pretty much solid oils that melt with your body heat, and think of it as a moisturiser. It’s extremely floral and a tad powdery and it’s still lingering on my bedsheets! It’s scented with rose, jasmine and sandalwood. Very nice.

Pop Beauty Bee stung lip stain in ‘Velvet Sting’ – not another lip plumper! I’ve got pretty full lips, so any such product is going to make me look like I’ve been smacked in the mouth. But I loved the colour, medium-dark rose-pink or wine, really flattering colour for autumn. Unlike another lip plumping gloss I’ve tried, this one doesn’t sting or tingle like almighty… Not to mention, it works, makes your lips fuller without pain or surgery. But the brand is a tad expensive here. I do want the shade ‘Ruby Stain’ – a warm tomato-type red with slight gold shimmer.

Little Shop of Beauty Hula girl body souffle in Powder Puff – a light, silky body moisturiser that contains virgin coco de creme so I prefer this for summer, but it took a while to reach me. The scent, as the name suggests is like baby powder, but a bit more perfumish. I love this brand – there is next to no preservatives in their products so you’ve got to use them up quickly, and your order is custom-made when received. A tad expensive, but well worth it, especially if you have sensitive skin!

Pretty small list, I should have jotted down other things I used as I can’t recall them all now. Whoops. There’s the week coming though!

Sorry, an obscure and clumsy reference to one of my favourite Apollinaire poems.

A dear friend from overseas sent me a sample of a fragrance I was very unlikely going to be able to try, and I had sampled it on Saturday, promising to list its notes.

It’s Fresh’s Pink Jasmine eau de parfum, which claims to be ‘…strikingly beautiful and completely romantic’. I rather agree with the latter. It took the entire day for this lovely, slightly fresh floral to really develop – kind of like watching a flower open or bloom, you know?

Here are the notes:

The top notes of a fragrance are the ones you smell instantly upon spraying the fragrance onto your skin. I instantly got the orange rind, it was nice, not too citrusy and slightly bitter. When it did develop, it’s hard to tell if it was the lilac I could smell, or the peony and possibly magnolia. Lilac and peony can be very…typically ‘perfumey’ (think obnoxious English traditional ‘grandma’ scents). I think it was actually just the lilac and peach I got. Magnolia, peony and jasmine can get ‘faecal’ or but I do taste some of that woodiness and creamy floral (magnolia and peony). What the hell do you reckon ‘precious woods’ smell like?! A bit fanciful? I think so.

Have yet to try the cream, that will bring out the florals, I suspect. I do hope my Fragrant Elf pal is reading this and is as excited as I am!

I also had some fun with makeup, might later on put in a swatch of what was used.

all MAC I think…
Non-Conformist fluidline as eyeliner on upper and lower lashlines
Sunday Best e/s as base
Iris Print on outer corner, blended towards middle of lid, and finishing there (so that base e/s shows on inner corner of eye, or was supposed to, at least)
Flirt and Tease sheer shimmertone blush (this was really nice)
Dervish lipliner
Glamoursun lipglass, my new love! It has this slight neon green pearlescence – very slight, nothing scary, promise! Love!!!

My MtG cards arrived today, but I haven’t opened all the packets, and miraculously in about 10 minutes, I’ve tried a new eyeshadow combination I’ve never worn…but as the title implies, a disaster of sorts occurs.

Soooo…for most of the afternoon, I wore:

Magnetique lipglass, this deliciously bright, vibrant, slightly pearlescent fuschia-magenta lipgloss. I’ve been wrestling with HTML code and it doesn’t want to show the images, and I am not amused.

Then for the eyes…

Deep Shadow paint – a rich dark chocolate brown, totally opaque with a hint of shimmer. Really rich. The eyeshadow base.

Twinks eyeshadow, a shimmery red-brown/plum shade all over the lid

Plum Dressing – you’ll recall that from my first such post…don’t you? You even know what it looks like. Applied at inner corner out towards middle of lid.

Woodwinked eyeshadow applied in what is called the ‘crease’, that top bit of your eye socket, helps contour. Much more golden than appears in the image.

Hey, I kept my promise, got to try out different things everyday makeup-wise. It’s actually very fun, even if I didn’t put it on perfectly. The lip colour is so glam, shame I can’t put an image of it up (especially when the image on the site I tried to link to was mine!

Ok, I managed to upload an image of myself wearing Magnetique lipglass!

Trying new purples, a quickie ‘do’. I’ll keep it short, or try.
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The last few days have been horrendous, ugh. Hence, my apologies dear O for not yet replying to your e-mail, I promise I shall!

But today, things were starting to feel slightly normal, and I don’t really have the mental energy to do anything, so I’ve decided everyday for the rest of the week, to muck around with my makeup, and if that means wearing inappropriate shades, so be it. It’s not permanent, I can always take it off. And seeing as my MtG Ravnica cards have yet to arrive, why not.
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Over the last two days, I tested some lovely new stuff in an attempt to be a brunette bombshell. I kind of look like a 70s brunette pin-up, especially because the things I tried out are all shimmery and make me look oh-so-brown. At last! Better than consumptive pallid yellow.
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