Might and Magic, Final FrontCover and thankyou's

Hi guys. Sorry this post is a day late but I just figured out how to install and play Might and Magic VII on my computer and I am soooooooooooooooo happy and excited as I haven't played it for years!!!!!!!!!! It's quite an old game so it hardly EVER works on new computers (didn't work on an XP properly or Vista at all) so I'm over the moon that it does on Windows 7 with only minor sound problems as I get such a nostalgic feeling from it because my brother and I used to play it with our dad all the time when we were little!

I know it probably looks really old and rubbish to you but it was such an amazing game and don't you just love it when you can play something or go somewhere that you did when you were little!

And now for my final FrontCover tutorial. Chalk Violet (Dark Purple) and Ginger spice(Copper).

I first used the purple all over my lid up to the crease with a sponge applicator. Mine is Boots own and it's actually really rather nice. Good even application and a soft, padded sponge complete with refills. Using a sponge brush actually puts more eyeshsadow on the eye which I didn't realise until now!

I then blended a little with my Celia Birtwell Eyeshadow brush and then applied a thick line of ginger spice above and on top of the crease with my No7 Precision Eyeliner brush finally blended that out and across.

A medium line of Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Eyeliner like as usual and lastly No7 Extreme Length mascara.

And done! I feel it's all been a successful experiment and most of the combinations I've used I will use again.

The next make-up tutorial will be in a few days I'm not sure what I will do next yet. Maybe a Karen Gillan look? What do you think?

Now for another thankyou, this time to Angela Downton for sending me her devine sconces that are adorable and will definitley be going in my castle, so thankyooooooooou!

Comment Replies

Victoria - Thankyou. I'm sure the castle is going to be great fun! And I'm glad in a way that I didn't get the job at M&S. I don't think I would have enjoyed it working for people like them. Thanks for the comments on the dress. I really wasn't sure about it at first! :)

Kat - Thankyou Kat! And I love the name Auntie Kat too. I am sooo going to use that for you from now on. Hehe!

x x x x x

Front Cover #3 - Blue, plus Tomb Raider info and Thankyou's to a few miniature bloggers

I seem to be very colour coordinated today. Denim shirt, denim jeans and denim eyeshadow too! Which means I'm on trend according to this months Elle magazine as denim is back in.

For this very blue look I used the Bayou colour from my FrontCover kit and blended it all over my lid and up towards the brow. It goes on very lightly at first so you could go with a very sheer blue look, but I decided to build it up more with 3 more coats. The only thing is, it still doesn't last all day like most of the other colours do. I then used my Maybelline Eye Studio 24hr gel eyeliner and this time managed to do a fairly thin line which I'm quite proud of to be honest. I took it to the end of my eyes instead of flicking it out as this gives the eyes a slightly more rounded look.

I then used my 17 Ultimate Volume mascara which actually worked rather well considering it's a few years old. I suppose it's okay because it's hardly been used but it does seem like the type of mascara that wouldn't dry out too. It is good but quite a bit of mascara comes out onto the brush so you need to seperate it with a comb or with a seperating mascara between coats (I used a little No7 Extreme Length). I was surprised that it lengthened and curled my lashes quite well but it does clump lashes together, hence the need to seperate them after.

And there! A fairly quick eye look that is on trend. Style it how you like!

I also have to say a few thankyou's.

It's been a while since I got these as gifts but kept forgetting to get the details from mum to say thankyou. So thankyou to Nicki Cooper and Kat the Hat Lady for sending me these fabulous array of fabric samples. They came in very handy for my last project and will be great for future sketchbooks too!

Thankyou to Tallulah Belle Originals for making me a floozie for my birthday. I absolutely loved it!! So gorgeous and adorable with beautiful coloured petals!

I also want to thank Dark Squirrel Victoria for making this fantastic Knights cupboard and holding it for my mum and I. I will definitely be using it in my castle as it's absolutley perfect!!

I also want to say thankyou to Caroline and Alennka for their comments, support, help and advice.

Caroline, I'm sure your brother had nothing to do with my M&S failure, it's just the people who made up the system and the staff at the store I applied to who I'm annoyed with :)

Thankyou for giving me your email and if I have any questions or troubles I will be in contact. x

Alennka, having another person who is doing the Cumberland Castle to contact is a great help so thankyou as I'm sure I'll come across some problems at some point with it. I'll also check out your Flickr too! x

Info on the new Lara Croft Tomb Raider game that is yet to be released (this year I think, however there is no official release date yet)

I won't tell you too much as I don't want to spoil anything major, so if you want to know more then go to http://www.fragland.net/news/Tons-of-details-on-new-Tomb-Raider-arrive/25844/ as they've got loads of info on it.

Recently I have been looking on the net to try and get some info on this game but it's difficult to find much as it's just called 'Tomb Raider' and so in searches every Tomb Raider game comes up! Annoying, but from what I have found, it looks like this game is gonna be gooooood, with a whole new and younger Lara that is much more human this time around. She will have much more realistic expressions and movements too as they have been using motion capture in the creation of the game. I think I'm going to miss the majorly cool acrobatic movements that Lara could always do as they were helpful in the game and looked awesome. I know she's not real but I'm always so envious of her and the awesome stunts she does in the game!

It's also great to hear that the puzzles will be more difficult this time around with more realistic elements to them as I love those logical parts of the game.

The graphics are supposed to be much better so that the transition between cinematics and gameplay will be almost seamless so can't wait for that either!

The last thing I'll say is that she will evolve from an inexperienced girl into an adventuring woman throughout the game and this will be apparent from her equipment (when for example her dual pistols get added).

Sounds like a fab, updated and re-booted game (not that it needed re-booting to me as I loved them as they were and would have been happy to have another adventure in the current new series - Legend, Anniversary, Underworld). I will definitely be getting this game as soon as it comes out; as long as I have the money of course!

Bye bye my peeps and I will see you tomorrow for my final FrontCover tutorial!

P.S. I've added a new reactions feauture thing at the bottom of each post so please feel free to use it as it would make me very happy to know what people think of my posts!

Miniature and interview news plus fashion and 'The Tourist' film review

Bonjourno my peepsicles!

Apologise for the delay but was very tired yesterday and a bit fed up as I "Failed" my interview. No idea why but Marks and Spencer's hiring system is seriously crazy and hardly gives anyone a chance. It's just a constant test and personally I thought I did rather well and was very helpful in their customer roleplay exercise thing. Then a little while after they had left to look at their notes, someone else comes in and says, "Did they tell you the outcome? No? You've Failed." I mean how RUDE! So now I have a newfound hatred for M&S! Obnoxious Buggers.

Rant over! Now for my miniature news. I have decided to do the whole Merlin castle instead of just Gauis' chambers after my mum found a great castle for sale on the internet. I am so excited to be doing the whole castle now and am going to try to do it as close to the TV show as possible!

The dollhouse I bought is the Dollhouse Emporium Cumberland Castle complete with the east wing:

Not sure what rooms to do where yet, all I know is that I would like to do Merlin's, Gaius', Morgana's and Arthur's rooms and maybe the council chamber too? The only problem is that the rooms look quite small whereas the ones in the show are big, so I'll either have to minimise the decor or use two rooms for one. I will most likely do this with Gaius' and have his room in the bottom two and then Merlin's next to it in the bottom room of the east wing.

Anyway, can't wait to get started on that! Will probably use brick compound and stencils for the exterior walls and maybe on the inside too as it should make it all look more realistic and 3D but not sure yet.

I also have a few stills of a couple of the rooms so if any of you have any ideas or helpful hints for me that would be much appreciated thankyou.



Morgana's

 

M



Arthur's



A



A



A

I'll probably only be taking a few things from these screenshots as the BBC feel the need to change all of their chambers each series and probably every few episodes too, so I'll have to try and find the smallest layout of them all and work with that in mind. I will then look at all the different bedrooms each of them have and then take out the most interesting things from them. For instance, I love the tapestry's and curtain's from Arthur's 2nd Series bedroom and also the mirror and the dressing screen from Morgana's 1st Series bedroom, so will use them combined with decor from another few bedrooms.

And now for all you fashion freaks out there, here are a few pictures of what I wore to my interview. Unfortunately, the one of me in the dress looks strange as it's slightly at an angle, and I know, I know the tights are a little manky but I really don't have many to choose from! I've also just realised that the shoes I wore make my feet look really small! Yes I'm only a 51/2, but that is about average.

 

Thought I'd also show a few of my favourite heels too! 

From left to right: Topshop 'Addison' wedges, M&S shearling knee high boots, Office 'take a tumble' suede platforms, matalan ankle boots



Finally, we watched the newly released DVD 'The Tourist' yesterday so I thought I'd do a review on that:

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to watch this or not at first, but I thought I'd give it a go as I remember the trailer being quite good. After watching it I was so glad that I did. It is a great film that constantly keeps you guessing which I love. The acting was brilliant and the script had both drama and comedy with some great twists and turns throughout. It was also great to see Angelina Jolie adopt her English accent once again and her as the main lady, Elise greatly reminded me of her role as Lara Croft Tomb Raider as the secretive, mysterious woman who's almost always in control and loving every second of the danger that comes her way. The only strange aspect of this character is that she seems very proffesional from the beginning of the film but as it goes on they keep changing her so that she's not....... and then she is again......

Another actor I thought made an impressive performance, was Paul Bettany as the paranoid police officer who is obssessed with catching Alexander Piers. He's a very shady character who you're constantly trying to figure out throughout the movie but he's likeable too.

This film all in all was a great film but I think there was a little too much going on to be honest, as there are so many different groups of people trying to capture both Elise, Frank and also Piers, so a little confusing at times. It all has a great outcome though in the end but can be guessed moderatly easily if you think about it. (Both my mum and stepdad had figured it out early on in the film.)

I think my favourite part of the film was Elise's costumes. All beautifully elegant, sophisticated and classy with some recognisable classic silhouettes. A high point for fashion in film with the make-up also being amazing with dark sultry eyes and classic red lips with gloss.



Right image: Looks like someone's been shopping at Salvatore Ferragamo!

 

The scenery is also very luxurious with lots of gorgeous views of venice and it's waterways.

The main reason why I know I like this film is because I wasn't distracted. Normally if I'm not too interested in a film I'll be on my phone or laptop while watching it, but with this I didn't think once about doing that as it was very engaging. It is also the type of film I could watch again.

Overall Rating: 4/5

 So that's it for today. My next make-up tutorial will be on Monday for those of you who want to know.

As for tomorrow I have some people to thank and some news on the new and upcoming Tomb Raider game.

Beauty - FrontCover eyeshadow experiments #2 Plus, No7 Product Reviews

nb. Eyeshadow looks fainter in some photos

Helloooooooo my chums!! And how are we all?

So, today was Magic Banana and Citoronella Crush day. I must say, it didn't go amazingly well but one of the best ways to learn is by trial and error!

I think the colours just looked very strange on my skin and the yellow as I predicted was hard to blend as it didn't apply well and was also very faint on my skin whereas in the palette it's really strong. Maybe I should invest in a primer or a paint pot to prime the eyelids first for a better and more impacting colour. On the subject of the green, it rather overpowers the yellow as it blends very well but pretty much masks the base.

Maybe it wasn't the right choice but after looking at them in the box, I thought they would pair up lovely together. On my skin however, it's a different story.

As for how I did it, I applied the eyeshadow pretty much the same as yesterday but winged it out slightly at the outer corner this time.

To create a less harsh look I used my No7 Precision Eyeliner Brush to apply Ginger Spice (copper) on my upper and lower lash line as eyeliner and flicking out softly following the bottom of the wing. This brush is brilliant for appling both eyeliner and eyeshadow as you can be very precise with it.

I then used my No7 Extreme length mascara on the top and bottom lashes to make them long and defined.

I seem to be using a few No7 products today which I don't normally do as I've never really liked their products much because they don't always do what they promise and are rather expensive. I've tried their loose powder, stay perfect mascara, lash extensions mascara ,stay perfect eyeshadow, light reflecting concealer, colour calming primer, sheer temptation lipstick, stay perfect eye mousse, a few of their eyeliners and a nude lipliner, so as you can see, I've tried and tested quite a few things of theirs (Some of which I got free in the No7 gifts that you get when you spend a certain amount of money)

My reviews on them:

1. Loose powder - Mattifies and gives a lovely even glow to skin. I have 'translucent' and 'fair.' The packaging makes it difficult to get the powder out without making a mess though.

2. Stay Perfect mascara - Doesn't do that much to lashes just gives a natural finish I found but the brush has compacted soft bristles so it isn't scratchy like False lash Effect by Max Factor.

3. Lash Extensions mascara - Didn't like this very much as again it didn't do that much for my eyelashes.

4. Stay Perfect eyeshadow - These are beautiful eyeshadows which you can wear lightly or build up for a dramatic look. They apply evenly and feel lovely. I have '42 Antique Rose,' '10 Wheatsheaf' and '40 Khaki.' The ones I own all have metallic finishes so if you prefer matt eyeshadows, they probably aren't for you.

5. Instant Radiance concealer - I have shade II. This concealer is okay if you just want to brighten your eyes, but I find that I need something more substantial as my undereyes are quite dark. I only occasionally use this now, around my nose and on the cupids bow of my lip. I used to use this seperately to my blemish concealer but now I use Bourjois Healthy Mix Liquid Correcting Concealer as I can use this for all of my concealing. (Nose, undereye, blemishes, pigmentation etc) I'm currently thinking of getting the new Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer kit as it looks more suited for me. Does anyone know whether it's worth getting?

6. Colour Calming primer - This doesn't work very well as a primer for foundation but it's fairly good at reducing redness. I have 'Green.'

7. Sheer Temptation Lipstick - This is beautiful as it just gives a subtle glossy tint of colour. Feels lovely on the lips too. I have '10 Excite.'

8. Stay Perfect Eye mousse - This is perfect if you hate applying powder or just need to put some eyeshadow on quickly. You only need a small amount and you can apply it with your fingers which is fast and easy, however, it's quite metallic. I have 'Fudge.'

9. Amazing Eyes eyeliner - Lovely and soft. Comes with smudger. Doesn't last well all day though. I have 'Blue Grey.'

10. Metallic Eyes eyeliner - Beautifully creamy but the tip isn't very thin, so more for the person who likes thicker lines of eyeliner. The colours are gorgeous though. I have '05 Purple.'

11. Perfect Lips Pencil - A soft retractable pencil which I have just found out has a sharpener at the end! Lovely for natural definition and can also be used to fill the entire lip. I have '20 Nude.'

That's about it for today. Just to let you know there will be no make-up tutorial tomorrow as I have a job interview so I won't have time. Instead, I will show you my new Sandra Darren dress that arrived in the post yesterday and I will also have some new ideas to share about my miniature work.

Thankyou for reading and please feel free to ask questions and comment.

TTFN. Ta ta for now!

BEAUTY - FrontCover Very Hot Very Cool Palette review

So today, as promised I've used a few colours from my FrontCover Very Hot Very Cool Palette. The only place I can find it now is www.frontcovercosmetics.com/very-hot-very-cool.asp for £15 if you want to get it for yourself.

It has some beautiful colours in it which can all be mixed together one way or another (I'm gonna find ya, I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha! Sorry. Just a bit of Blondie there!) So, for instance there is a light purple (Stonewash) and a deeper shade of purple (Chalk violet) which can go together as a contouring combo, using the light for the base and then the dark for shading round the outer edge. However, you could infact blend a purple with say a blue (Bayou) or the copper (Ginger Spice (I've just got that that's probably a reference to a Spice Girl!)) so you can be extremely experimental with it which I looooove!! So many options! They're also great as they can be used lightly for day time or heavily for night time.

The only issue I have with this is the brushes it comes with, as they are not suitable for applying eyeshadow at all. They are itchy and don't blend anything and personally I think they're a tad pathetic and useless. If you are considering getting a FrontCover eyeshadow kit then I strongly suggest you purchase an eyeshadow brush elsewhere or use another you already have. I have heard that the MAC 217 blending brush is exquisite but a tad on the pricey side at £15. However, it is a great product to invest in if you have the money to spare. If not, then find yourself a soft, full, fluffy brush that isn't flat. I've been using the Celia Birtwell eyeshadow brush which is on sale at Boots for £4.11. It should still be in the sale as I only got it last week. It's good but not brilliant. Sufficient I would say and very pretty.

Mac 217



 

Celia Birtwell Eyeshadow Brush

So, today I used the green colours from my palette for a fresh, light spring look. Firstly I applied 'Baltic Sea' all over my lid with my Avon eyeshadow brush with smudger which I don't really like as it's very synthetic and doesn't apply evenly very well. The only reason I use it is because I like to use my Celia brush for just blending, otherwise I'd constantly be cleaning it after each application which would take forever!

After I've applied that I blend with my Celia to even it out and then blend 'Mermaid' into my socket line and above that, blending in a circular motion out towards the brow. You can blend out only a little if you want (which means you can only really see the eyeshadow when you look down or close your eyes) or right up to the brow if you like, like I do.

I applied this fairly lightly but if you want, you can apply more for a different look.

Then to put a modern twist on it I added a fairly thick line of my Maybelline Studio Finish 24Hrs Gel Liner. You don't have to go quite as thick as I did, I just don't have a very steady hand. Also the hairs on the brush that comes with it go a bit higgly piggly and the stray ones can mess up and smudge my look. (Top tip: If you have the right tools, you can make things look 10x better!) But the liner itself is fantastic. Lasts all day!

I then finally applied lashings of Max Factors False Lash Effect Fusion Volume and Length mascara on both my top and bottom lashes. It's getting a little dry now so it looks a little clumpy in the photos.

And VOILA! My first tutorial if you will of the FrontCover Very Hot Very Cool Eyeshadow Palette. Please let me know what you think!
Tomorrow I will be trying out the Magic Banana (Yellow) and Citronella Crush (Grassy Green) together so look forward to that. The yellow looks like it could be difficult to blend as it's very compacted and not as powdery as the others but I'll give it a go!

TOP TIP of the day:

My beauty go-to shop is Boots. It's not always as cheap as say Superdrug, but their loyalty card reward system is Fantastic with a capital F! You get 4 points for every £1 you spend and it's not long before you rack up enough points to treat yourself to something for free using those points. It's especially great if you buy a lot of beauty products as you will get loads of point to spend. They've even introduced their new Treat Street where you can even receive points from places like Ebay, Dorothy Perkins, HMV, iTunes, Lakeland, Evans, New Look, Monsoon, Play.com, PC World...I could go on!

Over about a year or two I've received over 2000 points from Boots. I used some to get Strepsils once (oops!) and now I have 2000points/£20 to spend!!! For FREE. I'm thinking of splashing out on a premium Clinique foundation. Ooooooh!! Powsh or whart darrling!

See you tomorrow for another episode of...

What Emily does with her FrontCover paleeeeeeeetttteeee........

As Joey from Friends said on Days Of Our Lives: "I'm BACK baby, YEAAAH!!"

WWEEEEEEEEOOW as Toby Turner from You Tube would say whilst riding heelys! (Although I'm not on heelys as I'm writing this, I'm actually listening to the utterly luscious voice of Matt Smith reading a Doctor Who story to me!! Hehe!)

Yes that's right I'm back and probably sounding a bit crazy and random at the moment! Well that's what watching too many Tobuscus videos does to you!
Lately I've noticed that I've completely neglected my blog (just literally found that I've been gone for almost a year! Oh dear! Hey that rhymes!) so I'm going to reboot it entirely!! Cue excitement everyone (I hope!)

So firstly, I'm going to combine my miniature news with fashion, beauty and my daily life, and secondly, I'm going to have regular features on here. For instance, I'm trying out a Front Cover Eyeshadow Palette at the moment which I got for christmas and have finally got the courage to use, so I might post daily about that. I'm also thinking of doing outfit of the day or week or month or something along those lines. I will of course post about new things I've got too; clothes, DVD's, games, books, beauty products etc. Hopefully, I will get started on my miniatures soon as well and if not, I'll be helping mum with hers!

So this blog is now going to be fun-filled (Sorry, I sounded like a childrens day out or something saying that)

Goodbye for now my lovely followers and thankyou for reading.

Bless your face, if you sneezed during this blog, bless you, peace off!!! (© Toby Turner :) :) :)