The Best of the 86th Annual Oscar's: Hair, Makeup & Dressed

Oscar Season 2014 has come and gone - and what a season it was! Filled with amazing movies and even more amazing performances, this years Oscars celebrations were not to be missed!

Hosted by the ever so funny and ever so lovely Ellen Degeneres, this years Oscar's was the best yet! She had me laughing out loud quite often and I can't help but love her and the connection she has with all of these celebrities. She made this year truly memorable, of course only aside to all the gowns, looks and beauty that we all really watch the Oscar's for! Let's get to my favourites of the night!

There were so many amazing looks on Sunday to chose from, made it very hard to break down my favourites. Please don't be offended if I don't pick your favourite, this is only what I think in my opinion is the best of the Oscar's. Don't forget to let me know which were your favourite looks of the night in the comments box below!

Best Hair:

Margot Robbie - I was pleasantly surprised at the dramatic colour change that she showed up with but I absolutely love it! Don't get me wrong - I love her as a blond, but this dark colour brings out the vamp in her and I like it!!

Lupita Nyong'o - How adorable is she in her cute little hairband?! Right?! I love this look not only for the adorable and girly headband, but because it contrasts against the bad ass shaved sides of her head. There's a balance of beauty and bad ass that I absolutely love. It was perfect!

Olivia Wilde - I've just got to say that she is doing pregnancy right! She looks amazing pregnant or non-pregnant! Her hair for the festivities was polished and conservative enough for the Oscar's, but bohemian and cute enough that it was still her style. Just right for the occasion!

















Best Makeup:

Emma Watson - I love seeing her evolve every time I see her at an awards show, I am loving the stylish babe she's becoming! Her look was soft, Old Hollywood glamour - but still young and fresh. I love the strong brow, soft eye and tomato red lip. Beautiful!

Margot Robbie - I do have to say that I think the reason I loved her makeup on Sunday is because it was part of the new vampy package that she came in - and I'm in love!! I love that the dark brow to match her new hair colour is also making her blue eyes pop. The clean eye brings all the focus to that purpley, vampy lip. Just Stunning!

Olivia Wilde - I am always loving her makeup at every occasion and celebration, and I especially loved that she went with something a little edgy-er to show everyone that pregnancy doesn't mean 'boring'! Crisp, dark cat-eye eyeliner paired with a matte light pink lip and perfect skin - absolutely FLAWLESS!












Best Dressed:

Lupita Nyong'o - She wore a beautiful pastel blue flowing gown by Prada, and she looks like heaven. This dress is the right mix of sexy and cute and makes her skin look like butter! Butter! Perfect colour for spring and the plunging neckline lets us know what it's all about! Amazing!

Charlize Theron - There's no way I could possibly be talking about the Oscar's best dressed and not include Charlize. She killed it in this dress! The sheer panels, amazing neckline of this Dior Haute Couture Black gown, takes the LBD to the next level and beyond!

Kate Blanchett - I have always admired her style and she did not disappoint Sunday with this Armani Prive nude/blush gown with sequins and Swarovski crystals. Nude and blush are such huge colours this spring and this dress definitely set the trend last night. She looked so beautiful!

Best Overall:

I know this is the big one and I could not not give it to: Lupita Nyong'o!! She looked like an angel in that dress, her hair made her look playful and fun and the whole ensemble was nothing but stunning from top to bottom! Well deserved, she looked amazing, I loved it!

Best Male:

I had to give this one to Bradley Cooper! He always looks so good whenever he sets out in a suit. It was really hard to chose among so many well put together men! It was really hard to decide between Bradley and Leo, Leo is my main chew, but Bradley definitely deserves the recognition of being one sexy human being!

Best Baby Bump:

I know, this isn't usually a category when I do these posts, but I just love Olivia Wilde and her whole look - that I think it wouldn't be right to not give her any recognition! I love her laid back, effortless look with this black and white Valentino, with pockets and beautiful back details. How amazing does she look!? Perfect hair, makeup and so adorable with her new family! I absolutely love her and Jason Sudeikis, they are going to make one beautiful and hilarious baby!

Well there you have my pick for my best dressed, hair and makeup (with some extra favouites!) for the 86th annual Oscar's! What did you think of the night celebratations? Did you love Ellen as a host? Do you think the awards given out were deserved? What were your favourite looks of the night? I would love to hear about it all in the comments box below!!

For more Best Dressed posts for future award ceremonies, be sure to subscribe to my blog by entering you email in the box at the top right corner of this page. You can also follow my blog along with all your other favourites on Bloglovin' - just click on the icon at the top of this page or search my blog on the app and follow! I would love to see all your Oscar recreated looks, tag me on Instagram with #MakeupMasochist and don't forget to follow (@fernonje)!

Until the next award ceremony!

xoxo
Ashley

MAC Punk Couture Collection 2013 - Haul, Swatches & Looks

Hello beauties,

I know, it might seem a little crazy to be purchasing and blogging about two MAC collections back to back, but I had to be fair. I couldn't just but and write about one and not the other! It only seems logical. I know, I am enabling my addiction by making excuses for myself. But yay excuses and yay makeup! Might as well enjoy it while I can ;).

























MAC also released this collection on December 26th along with their 'Magnetic Nudes' Collection (to see my Haul and looks from that collection, click here) and their limited edition 'Huggable' lipsticks. Whew! What a busy week! Although I have been on this Nude makeup phase lately, I was sooooooooo excited for this black matte lipstick! BLACK.MATTE.LIPSTICK. Let that soak in there for a second... Now you see?! How amazing does that sound!? Omgoodness! This is such a fun collection that invites everyone to play with bright colours and their dark sides! Imagine the fun and the possibilties to be had with this collection! I get excited about it all over again!

Let's talk about what I got from this collection:

'Studded Kiss' Matte Lipstick - This lipstick is described as 'Dark Oxblood Red with a Retro Matte finish'. I would describe it as a medium deep burgendy red with warm brown undertones and a matte finish. It's almost exact dupe for their 'Diva' lipstick, and since I don't have 'Diva' I picked this one up. Because it's a Matte lipstick, it had opaque colour coverage and lasted on me for 7 hours with staining and almost no feathering. Love this dark vampy lipstick!! (*Colour swatch credit to lesleyrocksface )

'Punk Couture' Matte Lipstick - This lipstick colour is described as a 'Deep Blackened Grape with a Retro Matte finish'. Although they are all described as a 'Retro Matte Finish' it only says 'Matte' on the boxes and it doesn't feel as dry as the 'Retro Matte' finsih does. That being said, I feel this colour is a creamy medium- dark cool toned purple with a matte finish. Love this cool toned purple, MAC doesn't have a colour similar to this one in their permanent line, so I had to pick it up. This colour lasted 6 and half hours with staining and some patchy-ness in the last 20 minutes. It's so fun and such a different colour than anything I've seen lately!

'Hautecore' Matte Lipstick - This is the one to talk about! This lipstick colour is described as 'A True Matte Black with a Matte finish'. It is a true, deep, cool toned black, with mostly opaque colour coverage and just a smidgen of shine. It might be a good idea to use MAC 'Blacktrack' Fluidline as a base under this lipstick to have full colour coverage. I cannot tell you how BADA$$ I feel whenever I wear this lipstick! It so edgy and perfect for a Punk inspired collection!

Here are some more photos and swatches of the Lipsticks:

From Left to Right: 'Hautecore', 'Punk Couture' & 'Studded Kiss'

Left to Right: 'Punk Couture', 'Hautecore' & 'Studded Kiss'

'Magenta Madness' Pigment - Neon pigments are so much fun! This colour is described as 'A Neon Magenta Pink'. Pigments, like this one are so finely milled and deposit a lot of colour. Not to be used on the eye unless mixed with a certified medium, and is best if not applied with a damp brush or onto a damp surface. I love the brightness of this pigment! I can see it being a lot of fun mixed in with certain glosses and lip products, so many possibilities with these babies!

'Neo Orange' Pigment - This colour is described as 'A Neon Orange', it is true to description but i would add that it does have a slight red/pink tint. So bright! I've seen this used as a blush and it was lovely! Again, so many possibilities with pigments do so many different functions dependant on the mixing medium. So much fun!

'True Chartreuse' Pigment - This colour is described as 'A bright Chartreuse', a true green with some yellow tones and a bright finish. This is the least bright out of the three pigments of this collection, but can still appear brighter when mixed with the right medium. This was a fun one to play with! I liked to apply with or on top of a white base to bring out the true green and brightness of this colour!

Pigments Left to Right: 'True Chartreuse', 'Magenta Madness' & 'Neo Orange'

Here are some swatch comparisons for MAC's 'Punk Couture' lipstick:

Left to Right: MAC 'Punk Couture', MAC 'Heroine', MAC 'Heavenly Hybrid' & MAC 'RiRi Boy'

Well there you have it, lots of funky and punky creations to be made with this collection! For my two looks, I wanted to showcase the fun to be had with both the pigments and the lipsticks (and of course no punk look would be complete without some out-there liner!).

For my first look I wanted to find a way to use the pigments in a way that wouldnt necessarily be conventional or ordinary. I decided to use the 'True Chartreuse' pigment under my brow with some fierce liner. Heres how I did it: For my face I prepped and primed my face with Urban Decay's 'B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray' and Benefit Cosmetic's 'The Porefessional'. Once my primers and my face was set I applied MAC Minerlize Moisture Foundation with a damp Beauty Blender to the outer perimeter of my face and then applied MAC Pro Longwear Foundation all over - but mostly concentrating on my T-zone and cheeks. I let that sit before applying MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder all over with a fluffy face brush and then used MAC 'Nude On Board' Bronzing Powder with an Angle brush for my contour. I filled my brows with MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in 'Quite Natural' and corrected with MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. For my out-there liner, I used Jesse's Girl Liquid Eyeliner Pen (To see my review on this eyeliner, click here). So the focus of my look - the brow highlight! What I did was I applied MAC Chromographic Pencil in 'Pure White' first, all along my brow. Then with some MAC Fix+ Spray, I mixed that with some of the 'True Chartreuse' pigment and applied that along the white line with an eyeliner brush (MAC 109SE). The white base really brought out the brightness of the pigment. No lashes, just some Clinique 'High Impact' Mascara, and more MAC Prolongwear Concealer for my under eye circles. I used some of my MAC' Hibiscus Kiss' Bronzer/Blush Duo compact for my blush and MAC 'Adored' Mineralize Skinfinsh as my highlighter from their 'Tropical Taboo' Collection (To see my Haul from this collection, click here). To finish off the look, I wanted to do a Nude lip to keep all the focus on the eyes and liner. So I used MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in 'Etcetera' and filled in my lips with MAC 'VIVA Glam II' Lipstick (My favourite VIVA Glam!!).

For my second look I wanted all the focus on the lips this time and I knew that using 'Hautecore' would get all the attention without having to ask for it. I prepped my face with my Urban Decay B6 Prep Spray and used MAC 'Skin Base' Primer. I also used some of MAC CC Primers 'Adjust' (to correct the blue under my eyes and shadows around my face) and 'Neutralize' (to correct the red around my mouth and nose). Once that was set, I applied my liquid foundations just the same as I did on my first look and set it with the MAC Mineralize Skinfinsh Natural. MAC 'Nude on Board' Bronzing Powder for my Contour. Brows filled and corrected/highlighted the same as in look 1. For the Ombre liner, I used MAC Chromographic Pencil in 'Pure White' and lined my inner lid all the way to about 3/4 of my lid. Next I took my Cargo 'Black" eyeliner pencil and blended that in to make grey. I made sure to darken the gray closer to my outer lid and not blend as much closer to my inner lid to give it that gradient look. For the darkest part of the liner, my wing, I used my Jesse's Girl Liquid Eyeliner Pen. Some more Pro Longwear Concealer under my eyes and some Clinique 'High Impact' Mascara on my top and bottom lashes. MAC 'Ripe For Love' Blush from their 'Temperature Rising' Collection (To see my haul from this collection, click here) and MAC 'Adored' Mineralize Skinfinsh as my highlighter. For my dark lip, I used my Cargo 'Black' Eyeliner Pencil to line my lips and then filled them with MAC 'Hautecore' Matte Lipstick. This is one of my favourite looks to date. Super fun liner that you can do with any colour, and a black lip is so daring! LOVE it!!

What do you think folks? Do you love look 1 or 2 better? Don't forget to let me know what you loved about this collection and what pieces you got in the comments box below! Do you love the black lipstick as much as I do? Or is it too much? What ways do you use the pigments? I want to know everything, and you can show me your 'Punk Couture' looks by tagging me on Instagram with #makeupmasochist!

For more MAC collection Hauls, swatches and looks, be sure to subscribe to my blog by entering your email into the box at the top of this page. You can also follow my blog on Bloglovin' (MakeupMasochist) and on Instagram (@fernonje). Thanks for the support dolls!

Black is so badass...

xoxo
Ashley

Nails of the Week - First Manicure of 2014!

Happy Friday-eve Lovies!

What better way to get through the 'mid-week blues' than a fun, fresh manicure? This is long overdue, my digits needed the TLC. I love having a fresh manicure to start the year, sounds so girly but I can't help it! I am the biggest girly girl, and proud of it!

Now my little nailistas - I decided to change the shape of my nails as well. Figured that there wouldn't be a better time to change things up a bit than in the New Year! I decided I wanted to try a more natural, oval nail shape. You have to let me know what you think of this new nail shape in the comments box below - let me know if its a keeper or if I should go back to my more squared nail shape.

I wanted to do a nice wintery-white manicure. I am inspired by the colour white and the snow and all the beautiful colours that reflects off of freshly fallen snow and snowflakes. That's my inspiration for this weeks manicure. I feel like this would be how the 'Ice Queen' would have her nails done. She too was inspiration for this nailart, but in a more likeable and cozy version, hehe!





Let's get started:

First I always make sure to scrub and wash my hands and nailbeds after grooming them and before applying my nail polish. I manicured my cuticles and filed my nails to the desired shape, then washed and exfoliated my hands. Once my hands were dried, I applied Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline) on the skin around the nail bed to keep polish where it's supposed to be and makes cleaning easy later.

The colours I am using today are: Nail's Inc Pearly White Laquer (not sure of the shade colour or name, I got this as a gift in a 'Nail's Inc.' set.), Julep "Joelle" Nail Polish (glitter coat) and some nail jewel decals that I got at my local Beauty Supply. Of course if you want to recreate this nailart, you can use any combination of colours or colour substitutions.

I apply my first coat of the Pearl White colour:

Then a second coat...

And a third...

In between and after each coat, I let the polish throughly dry. Once my base colour was completely dry, I then applied 1 coat of the glitter coat. I let all the polish dry for about a good ten minutes to make sure everything was set and perfect before applying the jewel decals.

I didn't particularly put the jewels in any type of pattern, I just chose 2 nails on each hand and put 1 jewel on each. I used 'Nail's Inc' Nail glue to glue on the jewels and placed them carefully with a tweezer on the nail bed.

Once the jewel decals were securely on, I applied a final layer of top coat to seal everything in and give it a good shine.

And Voila!

I love, love, LOVE this manicure!! Quite a way to start off this year of beauty ahead! I couldn't be happier with how it turned out, it was exactly what I wanted it to be! What do you think of this manicure? Is it 'Winter Wonderland' enough for you!? Hey we have 6 more weeks of winter - if you can't beat em, join em! Make sure you let me know what you think of this manicure and what you would do (or not do) differently for your Wintery Manicure!

For more nail art ideas and inpiration, please subscribe to my blog by entering your email into the box at the top right corner of this page. I would love to see your manicures for 2014, tag me on Instagram with #Makeupmasochist and don't forget to follow (@fernonje). You can also follow my blog on Bloglovin', click on the icon on the top right of my blog or search my blog on the app or website and follow!

To a beauty filled year ahead!

xoxo
Ashley