Just a Ghoul: Top 10 geeky makeup

This post is dedicated to the memories of both Alan Rickman and David Bowie. Two of my favourite British icons of the last century, bless you and your families. R.I.P

I always maintained that if two of my loves were to collide, then the result would usually be better than the lone element. Case in point: a feminist nordic noir, sex and chocolate etc. Well, I love makeup. And I love cult entertainment. The twain have met, the money's in the bank and thus my collection of unique products begins! I have bought several bits and pieces from Geek chic, Shiro cosmetics and aromaleigh cosmetics over the years however, I simply cannot go through them all without breaking them all down into category posts. I've called this post my top ten, but in truth this is just some of my favourites. I have too many cool and unique eyeshadows to discount them entirely so I'll go into more detail on those at a later date. Here's an introduction to my acquisition. Enjoy!

10) Blusher: Geek chic Nerdgasm - (see post) A geeky take on the popular NARS shade 'Orgasm.' I've used it maybe twice in the last three years; it's got quite a nice flushed pigment to it.

9) Tinted Lip Balm: Shiro Cosmetics - It's called Love - A sheer candy red with glossy finish. It provides some moisture but not really enough so that I don't have to wear my treatment underneath. I just love the 'No-face' packaging; Spirited Away being my all time fave Studio ghibli film, and one of my favourite films in general for that matter.

8) Contouring Powder: Shiro Cosmetics - "Cheekbones" - Oh.My.God. Contouring shades inspired by Benedict Cumberbatch's perfectly chiseled visage? Yes, yes I think so. There are seven shades in total; all given a Sherlock themed name which is understandable I suppose, but since they're inspired by the actor and not a particular character, I don't see why they wouldn't have thrown in a few 'Smaug' or 'Imitation Game' quotes to boot. Don't get me wrong, I'm as 'Sher-locked' as they come, but it probably would have made more sense if they named the collection after the character instead of our beloved Benny Batch himself. I chose the shade: 'Do your research' as I think it would compliment some of my more dramatic looks, particularly with dark eye makeup. Purple/grey shades in general, eyeshadow, lipstick, are very much a favourite of mine, and I felt that this tone of smokey lavender would create a perfect shadow. I have put it to use on three separate occasions, and the material itself is very easy to work with and blends out extremely well. Definitely looking at adding the rest of these fresh and interesting shades to my hoard.

7) Lip Gloss: Shiro Cosmetics - 'Cages through the ages' - Nic Cage posing for a calendar with shiny bright red cars - This gloss is worth getting just for the title, nevermind what you think about good old Nicholas. I love him, by the way. My favourite actors in no particular order = Al Pacino, Bob DeNiro, Nic Cage, Benny Batch, Angelina Jolie, Alan Rickman, Jeremy Irons, Steve Buschemi, Jessica Lange, and Gary Oldman. Just for the record ;) 'Cages through the ages' is an ingenius collection created ultimately in homage to this national treasure (see what I did there?) the artwork of which depicts Cage in various hilarious albeit bizarre scenarios, such as we see here: sporting bustier, stockings and stilettos apparently posing for a calendar. The shiny bright red car, I'm led to believe, is represented by the colour of the gloss? I think... London bus red with a high glossy finish. Pigment is decent but it may need to be layered over a lippie of the same vain for max impact. I have ordered more of these, because the packaging is unique and incredible. Whole lot of quirk, I appreciate that in context. Furthermore, I urge the girls to go watch Face/off, Kick Ass, Con Air, Ghostrider and Knowing. But know that he is mine. ALL mine.

6) Buffalo Bill's Skin Conditioning: Geek Chic Cosmetics - Awesome Sauce - We've all seen Silence of the Lambs. We've all drank the chianti. We've all got our men to do... the dance. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Personally I can't stand Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal, not after Brian Cox's 'Lecktor' in what would be my favourite Harris film adaptation 'Manhunter', no way. I do have a soft spot for Jodie Foster though, our feminist hero. Don't get me started on the obvious story problem in Lambs but I'm willing to concede that it's a cult classic and I'm a big fanatic of all things crime. The packaging was very witty and amusing, the scent of the lotion is very shea and cocoa like (mmmmm) and it absorbs easily. I tried it out on my elbows and knees (my problem areas) and even though I wasn't expecting a whole lot of results, it actually improved softness quite dramatically! Overall indictment:

PUTS IT IN THE F*&%ING BASKET!

5) Eyeshadow: Geek Chic Cosmetics - Witchcraft and Wizardry 'Always' - I was originally going to order the 'You know Who' shade from this collection, but in light of the recent passing of my hero Alan Rickman I decided to go with 'Always' instead. The base pigment is a very haunting teal blue with added shimmer. I feel that it captures the famous pensieve scene from Deathly Hallows pt.2 perfectly. Farewell to the voice of God, Professor Snape, and the best darn Sheriff of Nottingham there ever was. R.I.P.

4) Perfume: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Labyrinth Collection - 'Jareth' -

BPAL is the number one connoisseur of perfume oil blends, in my personal opinion. I love everything about this brand, the amazing scents, the packaging, the ethos, the unique collections. It is my goal to try out all of what they've got to offer, which may seem a little ambitious, but that's a hobby for you. I adore Jim Henson's The Labyrinth, it's one of my absolute treasured childhood memories being so conflicted about really wanting the main character to get her baby brother back, but also really, really wanting to kiss and marry the Goblin King, because he was just so darndid cool! How I wanted Jareth to be my slave... anyway. The scent is... beautiful, just beautiful. It's hard to find a designer perfume with such a plethora of diverse aromas. You can definitely discern the oudh and white musk after a couple hours of wear. The two free samples that came with were 'Zombie' and 'Versailles' neither of which I've tested as of yet. R.I.P Starman, I love you and hope you've found peace.

3) Mascara: Covergirl - Star Wars - The super sizer - Top three spots have been reserved for my little jedi trifecta from Covergirl's limited edition Star Wars the force awakens range. Right, I am BERSERK about ALL THINGS STAR WARS. I got so emotional when I saw the first trailer I thought I would have a full on break down at work. The original trilogy are my favourite, yes favourite films, not just Sci-fi, not just films from my childhood, they are my top three films of all time and will remain, forever. **SPOILER ALERT** When Han died, a little part of me died. That's how heavily emotionally invested I am in the story. When people make reference to 'those insane Star Wars nutters that take it way too seriously like it's some sort of cult or something' - yep, that would be me. I don't care, f**k off, people are in to what they're in to. Deal with it. Sorry, I do get a bit defensive when it comes to Wars. As a wise man once said: 'There's only one Return, and it ain't of the King, it's of the Jedi.' Launched a couple of months ahead of the long awaited premiere; I was having a bit of a temper tantrum over the fact that Covergirl didn't ship to the UK, until an old friend now residing in Louisiana, helped me get a hold of these. The range is divided into the light said and the dark side of the force, all mascaras on the light side are waterproof (blue lightsaber, clever :) The mascara itself is alas, nothing special; pretty much what's expected of American drugstore brand quality, not bad but not amazing either. I bought it for the packaging and nothing more. There is a quote from Yoda printed on the back :) - 'Luminous beings are we.'

2) Nail Polish: Covergirl - Star Wars - Outlast - Speed of Light - The colour is a few shades darker than my favourite nude polish Ciate cookies and cream. I was originally after 'Nemesis' (a deep plum) because it was reminiscent of the relationship between dark and light, jedi and sith, empire and rebel alliance etc. It proved too difficult to get a hold of though, so I had to settle for 'Speed of light' instead. I needed a new taupe anyway, after getting rid of a whole bunch that went gluey on me, so gained a little there.

1) Lipstick: Covergirl - Star Wars - Gold - Sticking with the light side theme, I went for the principle lipstick used in the 'Droid' look. Don't know why they didn't get creative while naming these like they did with the mascaras and polish; I'd have named this particular colour C3-Lippie-O, for obvious reasons. A single coat delivers quite a nice sheer apricot shimmer, but could easily be layered over a light brown base for a more pigmented result. Texture is quite nice and creamy, which is nice if you have dry lips but requires hourly (at least) touch ups if you're thinking of going on a night out. Again, this lipstick was bought for the packaging rather than the product itself. Going to do my best to keep a hold of it for as long as I can! <3