Out Of My Comfort Zone

You might have noticed by now that I really like neutrals for everyday wear, so much so that I typically don't incorporate a lot of "color" in my makeup looks. You might also notice that this look is so not a neutral, everyday look. It borders on Nightclub, and teeters dangerously on Hooker. It also took approximately 6,783 different products to create. 

I have no idea what prompted this look, but I do know that I feel like Vogue/Gia Carangi circa 1980 right now!

If you want a fun look for going out, or even if you just want something different and eye-catching, then give the following look a shot!

Step 1: Start with the eyes.

*Tip: Before you do the rest of  your makeup, get the eyes out of the way. When you're working with darker eyeshadow colors, you're probably going to see some fallout under the eye. Give a quick dusting of a loose powder so that any fallout lands on the powder and is easily wiped away after application to the lid.*

Using a flat stiff bristle brush, pat your base color onto the lid (I used the deepest shade from L'Oreal's Lavender Smokes quad). Don't worry about precise lines because you're going to be blending the ever loving heck out of this look!

Step 2: Blend!

Using a pencil brush, blend the edges of the shadow into the eye's crease and up and out towards the ends of your brows.

Step 3: Blend a transition color into the crease (I used MAC Shale).

Do not bring the transition color up to the brow; keep it in the crease. Once you've blended your transition color fully, go over it with a lighter color (I used MAC Naked Lunch) and highlight the outer end of your brows with a shimmery nude shadow (I used MAC Shroom).

Step 4: Line the upper and lower lashes.

I used Urban Decay Gunmetal on the upper lash line and applied it with a flat brush.

Using a pencil brush, I used a heavy hand with Urban Decay's Half-Baked shadow on the lower lash line and inner corner of the eye. The contrast is interesting and gives the eye a wide-awake look!

Step 5: Fill in your brows.

My brows are sparse, thanks to years of plucking and trimming. I fill them in with Urban Decay's Buck shadow, which is a warm ashy brown and nearly the same shade as my brows.

Step 6: Apply your under eye concealer and set with powder.

Be sure to wipe away any of the previously mentioned fallout from your shadow application. Apply your concealer to get rid of any dark circles and to give your eyes balance (you don't want your eye area to be too dark!). Set it with a powder. The powder will help against "wear and tear" fallout.

Don't forget to apply mascara.

Step 7: Apply blush to the cheekbones. 

In the winter, I like to use deeper colored blushes, just to give my face some warmth when it's pale. I used Wet N'Wild iconic blush in Heather Silk, a rich mulberry-hued blush.

Step 8: Lipstick up!

I matched my lipgloss to my blush, which I normally don't recommend. However, with such a bold eye, I thought it was better to keep my look well within the same color family as far as everything else was concerned. 

I have no clue what this lipgloss is called, or what the brand is. It was a stocking stuffer and a complete no name brand from China (I can feel the cancer growing as I type this....).

Step 9: Vamp it up!

(Yes, I'm aware my hair is a ridiculous mess. I'm lazy and today is my "break from the brush" day.)

Do you play it safe, or do you go out of your comfort zone with makeup? How far are you willing to push your own envelope?

Wearable Wednesday With the Naked Palette!

Ever since I got the Naked Palette, I've been gravitating towards the same shadow combo everyday. It's soft and simple, and very neutral. It's the perfect everyday eye look for me!

(Natural lighting and with flash)

Face: 

Maybelline 24 HR Super Stay concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder, E.L.F. Studio Blusher/Bronzing duo, Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose

Eyes:

Urban Decay Naked Palette (Side Car, Smog, Naked, Virgin)

Revlon ColorStay eyeliner in Black

L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in Carbon Black

Brows:

Filled in Urban Decay Buck

Lips:

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

So far I'm head over heels loving the Naked Palette! It works for every possible occasion, from everyday makeup to glamorous evening looks. My brother-in-law is getting married this summer and as a bridesmaid (and the official wedding party makeup artist), I'm going crazy thinking of all the color combos I'm going to test out on the bride and my fellow bridesmaids using this baby :) There's really no look you can't achieve with this palette!

Today's hair:

Just a simple semi-up do, and so simple and quick to do! You just pull the front pieces of your hair back alongside your scalp, give them a quick twist in the middle, and secure the twist with some bobby pins. It takes all of 30 seconds to accomplish this look.

I feel very Duchess of Cambridge with this do.

Image Source

What's does your everyday makeup consist of? Do you have the Naked Palette, and if so, which shadows do you use the most?

FOTD Using L'Oreal Lavender Smokes & Urban Decay Naked Palette

What I used: E.L.F. Studio Blusher/Bronze duo, Revlon Sterling Rose e/s quad, Urban Decay Naked Palette, L'Oreal Lavender Smokes quad, Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder, Revlon Color Stay e/l in Black, Maybelline Define-a-Line e/l in Rich Raisin (used as e/s base), L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in Carbon Black, Mary Kay Mineral Blush in Shy, L'Oreal Colour Riche l/s in Gilded Pink

Phew!

I used my Maybelline Define-a-Line eyeliner as a base for my eyeshadow. It's creamy and smudges well and lasts long enough without creasing. Next I used the mauve shadow from the L'Oreal quad all over the lid, and used a fluffy brush to blend Urban Decay Buck into the crease. For the brows I used the beige shade from the Revlon quad. I went back to the L'Oreal quad and used the deep purple shadow as as a liner and in the outer v of my eye. I used a small angled liner brush to pop a little of the shimmery white shadow from the L'Oreal quad in the tear duct, just for some subtle shimmer and definition. Finally, I used the mauve and gold shades from the L'Oreal quad and smudged them underneath my lower lashes. I used a really fine line of black liner to emphasis my upper lashes before finishing off the look with mascara.

The finished look is gorgeous! Rich, warm purples and browns. I really love how this color combination flatters my green eyes.

I really love the L'Oreal quad, so much so that I've hit pan on the gold and mauve colors. It's a really versatile palette that you can get so many looks from, especially when you branch out and use other palettes in conjunction with it.

Do you have a favorite shadow palette? What shadows have you hit pan on recently?

Bold Liner, Bright Lips: Holiday Makeup!

A holiday party look in January? Better late than never, I say! :)

Few things scream "holiday parties" like red lips and dramatic liner. Well, ok, maybe glitter speaks to that topic, too, but I'm not one for straight up glitter on my face (at least, not anymore, anyways).

I used E.L.F. Studio Cream liner and essentially covered my entire lid with a thick black line, angling it up and winging it out to change the shape of my eye. My eyes are a bit on the small side, so I find that by drawing a thicker line along the outer corner of my eye, I draw more emphasis to my eyes, making them look larger. I used my Essence of Beauty dual-ended eyeshadow brush to smudge MAC's Shroom under my lower lashes and in the inner corner of my eye. Two coats of L'Oreal Telescopic mascara finished the look.

For my lips, I just slicked on a quick bit of Revlon's Cherries in the Snow. Bright and cheery and perfect for the holidays! For my cheeks I used Wet n'Wild Iconic blush in Heather Silk, a bright magenta shade that I buffed out with my Bare Minerals Full Coverage brush, leaving just a hint of "I just came in from the cold" pink. I used my fingertips to blend just a touch of Shroom on top of the blush, for a highlighting effect.

What was your favorite makeup look this holiday season?

An Overdue Collection of Some FOTDs

In trying to make up for lost time, I've got a bunch of FOTDs I've been meaning to post over the last month. With apologies again for the massive amount of slacking, here are some Face of The Days for your perusal!

                              

Eyes: MAC Woodwinked, Clinique Pink Chocolates Quad (The browns), L'Oreal Voluminous mascara in Carbon Black

Cheeks: Mary Kay Mineral blush in Sparkling Cider. E.L.F. Studio Blush/Bronzer duo

Lips: Victoria's Secret lipgloss in Mischief

Eyes: MAC Haux & Satin Taupe, L'Oreal Lavender Smokes Quad, Elizabeth Arden Velvet Plumtones Quad, Maybelline Define-a-Line Eyeliner in Rich Raisin, L'Oreal Voluminous mascara in Carbon black

Cheeks: Milani Lumious blush, Bare Escentuals in Warmth

Lips: Mary Kay lipgloss in Berry Sparkle, Rimmel lipgloss in Rose Cocoon

Eyes: Elizabeth Arden Velvet Plumtones Quad, MAC Scene & Shale, L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black

Cheeks: Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose

Lips: Rimmel lipgloss in Rose Cocoon

Eyes: MAC Shroom, Revlon Sterling Rose Quad, Revlon CS eyeliner in Black, L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in Carbon Black

Cheeks: E.L.F. Studio Blusher/Bronzer Duo, E.L.F. All Over Color Stick in Lilac

Lips: N.Y.C. lipgloss in Sungold Pink

Today's EOTD: Stila Sunset, L'Oreal Lavender Smokes Quad, L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in Carbon Black. Look how this shadow combo turned my green eyes blue! Amazing!

I admit I am a full-fledged lover of L'Oreal Telescopic mascara at this point. The above pictures show my lashes with two coats of Telescopic. My lashes look super long, defined, and full. I mean it when I say this just may be the only mascara I'll buy for a good long time.

A close up of the Estee Lauder lipgloss I reviewed in my last post (Honey #03). It looks a bit like a soft peony pink color in this picture, but in actuality it's a soft honey gold. The formula is super thick and should be a bit warm when applied to the lips, otherwise the color is milky and streaky. Once it warms up though it spread beautifully and is pretty true to the color in the tube.

I'm dying to pick this palette up at Bobbi Brown sometime in the near future. The colors are very much in my comfy zone, and it's pretty cheap for Bobbi Brown, too, which I admit is a bit appealing when you consider one eye shadow pan is close to $25! I've been dying to pick Rockstar up, too, so the price point and the gorgeous shadow selections makes it extremely appealing!

FOTD With MAC Club Eyeshadow

I love, love, love this eyeshadow. Maybe a bit obsessively, if I'm being honest. I had so much fun doing my makeup this morning because every time I swept the shadow brush across my lid, the color of the shadow changed so much. A quick swipe got me a lovely rust color, but a few more applications gave me a gorgeous emerald green near the lashes, and a warm bronze glow as the shadow was blended up and out.

I lined my eyes with Stila Ebony eyeshadow and used a liner brush to sweep the black shadow up. It blended into Club and gave the appearance of more defined lashes. I finished the look off with a quick tight lining using Revlon CS eyeliner in Black and two coats of L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara.

How emo is the following shot, lol? What is this, MySpace 2004? Whatevs. It shows the look in natural light (even if I do look like a moody, attention-starved teenager).

Can you see the red, green, and brown pigments in this shadow? This color is holy Grail material, people. I think I may have finally found my one true eyeshadow love.

Ok, so maybe this look is a little bold for a Saturday afternoon, but hell if I don't feel just the tiniest bit like Victoria Beckham right now (just, you know, minus the whole mismatched face and neck bit...).

Image Source

Do you have a favorite eyeshadow? 

An Homage to the 1940s

Today the husband and I are going to see "Captain America". I will admit to a few (somewhat self-contained) dorky tendencies, and a love for comic books and comic book movies is one of them.

I'm also really excited because the movie is set in the 1940s, one of my favorite eras when it comes to makeup and hair. I think women of the 1940s were just so much more glamourous then women today. Something about red lips, big lashes and creamy pale skin is just so beautiful.

Captain America looks like it'll bring the vintage beauty eye candy:

Image Source

I grew up spoon fed on movies from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and no one was ever more glamourous to me than Betty Grable, pinup for the WWII crowd. Like all good American G.I.s, my Grampa adored her, and thanks to classics like "How To Marry a Millionaire", now I have a soft spot for her as well.

Image Source

To help me get into the mood for a time period movie, I decided to do a 40s inspired look based on the photo above; soft, natural looking eyeshadow with some serious liner and lashes, and a bright, bold lip. 

The things that I love most about a 1940s face is that the foundation was used in ways to brighten up the face. Typically (from what my Nana has told me), foundation was applied only to the areas of the face that are normally sunken (e.g., the eyes, around the nose and mouth, and under the chin). This was to combat shadows and make the face look bright in pictures. Blush was only applied to the sides of the face as a contour, and in the 40s, a true lady never left the house without a face full of powder (lol!).

But this is 2011, and I'm no Dita Von Teese; I need functional, easily wearable makeup; no pancake powder, please. 

I didn't want to overdo the look, so I intentionally kept the shadows neutral, using MAC's Shroom, Patina, and Satin Taupe to just wake the eye up and give it a brighter appearance. I then lined my eyes with a heavy cream liner (E.L.F. Studio Cream Liner in Black), flicking the ends into a soft wing. I used a wet liner brush to apply MAC Shroom to my waterline, just to help open the eye and make it look bigger (white eyeliner was a must in the 40s). 

I applied two coats of black mascara to the upper lashes. Most actresses and models avoided emphasizing their lower lashes because they would cast shadows on film and in pictures. I felt the look needed some balance and I just quickly flicked the ends of my lower lashes with the wand, keeping it light.

I also wanted to keep the red lip from looking too retro. As gorgeous as red lips are, they aren't very practical for day to day wear. Instead I used Revlon's Cherries in the Snow over a dark purple brown lipstick, just to darken the fuchsia undertones of CITS. This color combo prevents the look from being too dated (it also keeps the look feeling young).

I also applied CITS as a blush. This gave me a gentle flush of color without looking overdone.

I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille!

I'm lucky that my hair curls and waves pretty well on its own. I barely had to touch it to achieve a looser, more modern take on the classic Veronica Lake side part and waves.

Is there a beauty time period that you love? What looks inspire you?

P.S.-FOTD bonus!

Last night for a dinner date with the hubs I wore a soft, navy and gold smokey eye with a sheer pink lip. My new Stila palette was a very wise investment, I think. I'm obsessed with it!

Happy weekend!

The Kardashian Effect: Kim Kardashian-Inspired Purple Smokey Eye

Kim Kardashian and "Beauty Blogging" are two words that have become totally synonymous over the past year. It seems like any blogger worth her (or his!) salt has posted a tutorial on how to recreate Kim's signature smokey eyed-nude lipped look, which is understandable because Ms. Kardashian always looks flawless with nary a lash out of place.

Today I decided to try my own hand at recreating Kim's makeup. Normally Kim stick to neutrals when doing her makeup, but I really wanted to do something with a little but of color. A quick Google search for "Kim Kardashian Makeup" turned up this soft, purple smokey eye with a nudish pink lip. I think this is a gorgeous look for an evening out! If you're one of the daring individuals who isn't afraid to rock a dramatic eye during the day, then this might be a look for you!

Image Source

Face:

1. Kim seems to prefer a heavy, full coverage when it comes to a foundation. Using my Essence of Beauty concealer brush, I applied Revlon's ColorStay Foundation in Ivory all over my face and around my jawline. Over that I used Maybelline's 24HR Super Stay concealer where necessary and especially under the eyes, because there is a very light area beneath Kim's eyes to add depth. Set with a pressed powder to help the makeup last.

2. Kim is usually very tanned (I hope it's a spray tan, for her sake!). This look is less bronzer heavy and more blush friendly, though. Her cheeks are a soft brownish-rose, so I mixed a few blushers to achieve this look: Mary Kay Mineral Blush in Sparkling Cider and PF Happy Booster Blush in Rose. I also contoured with Sparkling Cider to define the perimeter of my face and add definition.

3. Brush a white or champagne colored highlighter down the bridge of the nose, along the hairline, and in the center of the apples of your cheeks.

Eyes:

(Note: Kim's brows are usually very dark and thick. I'm currently on the hunt for a matte shadow to match my reddish ash-colored brows so for this look I'm going to leave my brows alone. If you have a brow shadow that matches your brows you can obviously use that to darken and define your eye makeup. If anyone has a shadow suggestion, please let me know!).

1. This look is a mix of purples, a color that goes really well with brown and green eyes. I used MAC Crystal, which is a soft but bright icy lilac shadow. I used my Essence of Beauty Wide Smokey Brush to apply this all over the lid, bringing it right up just under my brow bone. Pack the color into the corner of the eye using a pencil brush.

Next, using the pencil brush again, use a darker purple and apply the color to the eyelid crease. I used the grey-purple from Elizabeth Arden's Velvet Plumtones quad. You want to create a very subtle crease. The darker shadow will add depth to the eye.

Kim brings the purple around the eye to below the bottom lashes, but she appears to have used a darker shade of eggplant purple. Using the same Elizabeth Arden quad, I lined my lower lashes with an inky brown purple shadow with a liner brush. Finally, in the corner of the eye there's a thin line of gold shadow. I used the same liner brush to gently run a shimmery gold shadow into the purple liner.

Next up, line the eyes with a thick black gel eyeliner. The line should be very thin in the inner corner and gradually thicken as it's drawn out, ending in a flicked wing. Once you've lined the eyes, apply a coat or two of volumizing mascara. You can also use false lashes if that's your thing. I don't happen to have any at the moment so I have to make do with my Voluminous Carbon Black mascara. To finish the eyes, be sure to tightline your waterlines (top and bottom) with a black liner.

(Please ignore the brows and blob of mascara on the lid. Whoops!).

Lips:

Kim's lips are a warm nudey pink, so you should use a sheer pink or nude lipstick. Look for a color that matches your natural lip color. I used L'Oreal's Gilded Pink. Top with a clear or baby pink lipgloss like Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lipgloss in Piece of Cake.

Channeling my inner Kim!

For more Kim Kradashian inspired looks, check out the following videos:

Pixiwoo's Kim Kardashian/Mila Kunis Inspired Makeup Look:

http://youtu.be/v0qcCHzLzeM

Howdini Kim K. Tutorial:

http://youtu.be/8c3WlpBo4HI

What do you think of the Kim Kardashian makeup phenomenon? Too much, or super sexy?