NOTD's..

 

Barry M - 'Rasberry'

I LOVE this shade (albeit looking its best when my hands are a little more tanned) & can say without a doubt it's my favourite shade of red I own (& I have a LOT of nail colours). I'm impressed with Barry M's nail polish quality - it only chips slightly after a couple of days and the consistency is perfect when applying it. One of my favourite nail varnishes - & I only bought it 'cause it was two for £5 in Boots!

This shade is by Nails Inc - it's my best friend's (she works for Nails Inc) & I can't remember the shade name..! (Sorry) She applied 1 coat for me here, which looks good but I'd advise 2 coats to anyone as I later noticed you could still see my nails through it slightly. Great neutral shade - picked this one to wear as I had an interview the next day so couldn't wear anything too bold ;-)
Apart from the price, the only other downside I find with Nails Inc is their polishes seem to chip VERY easily...& I end up picking away at my nails as the colour flakes 'n peels off in abig chunks haha! 
Looks nice for a couple of days max unfortunately :-(

Eric White

Stumbled upon this guy's paintings and I love how confused/taken aback they make me feel

 

Image source: ewhite.com

"Mr.White’s work tries to interpret realities and dimensions that are far beyond our perceptions. His paintings unconsciously express a metaphysical angle that Mr. White personally is very interested in. Mr. White’s work constantly mirrors different focuses and exposures of photographs, which produces complicated environments and impeccable craftsmanship."

The Shock Factor?

I've always been fascinated by - and I can't really find the right word for them - 'grim' paintings, that intrigue, shock and question the viewer.

My favourites stem from the likes of Egon Schiele, -

Arnulf Rainer, -

Francis Bacon (a few of his works are currently on view at the Tate)-

and the Chapman Brothers -

When I visited the Tate Modern on Saturday I came across 'Prunier' by Max Beckman.

"The painting depicts the famous Parisian restaurant Prunier. Beckmann had frequented the restaurant in the early 1930s, but at the time of this work he was living in exile in German-occupied Amsterdam. Wartime conditions were spartan. This may account for Beckmann calling the picture ’Gobblers’ in his diary, and for the brutality with which his figures devour luxurious seafood. Beckmann suffered from heart trouble shortly after beginning the painting so that the contrast between his daily, wartime realities and the sensual pleasure conjured up in the painting may suggest a meditation on mortality."

I personally am a fan of the way the picture looks so morbid just from the use of dark colours and thick brush strokes - it appears quite a sinister scene upon first viewing. Almost zombie-like with the colours of their flesh...I didn't assume they were just eating seafood at first, haha.

Tracey Emin

RIMMEL 60 Seconds Nail Polish - 'Sky High'

The month of change...

It's been a while since I posted anything - been mega busy and so much has changed over the last couple of months... 

The weekend just gone has been spent in London to see my boyfriend. My eldest sister is currently living in Camden so I travelled down on the train with her to Paddington the Friday evening where I'm sure we bored anyone around us with shallow girly nattering haha.

Saturday my boyfriend & I popped down to Oxford St, where I ventured into House of Fraser to get the obligatory Urban Decay 'Naked' eye-shadow palette.

 

I am more than pleased with this purchase...you can see which of the colours I've already dug into here haha. The palette also comes with a brown & black eyeliner (with really good intensity) and an eye-shadow primer. It is definitely worth the £27 as you really wouldn't need to carry around any other colours for a nude look or for building up to a smokey-eye.

Sunday was spent in Camden and by the end of the day we were completely knackered. I wish I'd taken my Canon with me as this weekend would have made for so many good pictures to remember it by. Loads of the punks there reminded me of a biro drawing I did a few years ago for an art proj -

All in all this weekend has been the best in a long while. :-)