Day 41 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Neon! After finishing my week-long series of inspirational looks from The Colorist October 2011 issue, I needed a new idea. In considering what to do for today’s look, I started reviewing the recent resort fashion collections. As with the collections we saw throughout 2011, a common theme amongst them were pops of bright (often neon) colors. To me, this is a perfect way to cheer up on a drab Fall day. I’ve always been a fan of a pop of color, and lately I’ve been exploring using unexpected lines in makeup. So I decided to combine both today, taking inspiration from a Spring 2011 look above. Starting with today’s look, I’m going to explore some various ways to play with these bright colors. Remember: if you have any specific bright colors or color combinations you want me to try out, or any shapes you want to see, send me a message via reply post, my Submit page above or E-mail Me! I welcome the challenge!
What you will need:
Instructions:
Today’s inspirational look above is rooted in a very bare-skinned look as the base for the bright eye makeup. My skin has a tendency to look sickly if I go with too bare a look. I know my limitations. So I varied this a bit to meet my skin’s needs. I opted to go with the same base I’ve been using the last few days, as I feel that its really helped to present an even, warm complexion. I began with a tinted primer, applied concealer to my under eye circles, and dusted on a light coat of a warm powder to set. I then applied eyeshadow primer to my eyelids, and while that set I moved on to contouring my cheekbones. I opted to go back to using both parts of my favorite bronzer/highlighter palette, applying the darker shades of the palette to the hollows of the cheekbones and the lighter tones to the tops of the cheekbones. I applied both very lightly, to add just a subtle contour. To add a touch of color and warmth to my cheeks, I lightly applied a warm beige blush to the apples of the cheeks.
Moving to the eyes, I lined the top inner rims only with black inner rim liner and lined the bottom inner rims with inner rim brightener to really open the eyes up. I then applied applied a light, neutral shadow to the entire eye area to set a light, eye-opening base for the bright shadows. For those bright shadows, you can opt for eyeliners if you have them, but I used what I had in stock, bright shades from my limited edition bright Givenchy Le Prismissime 9-Colors Eyeshadow palette. I began by first applying the light purple shade in the palette to the under eye area. Using an angled brush, I began at the inner corner of the and worked my way outward. When I reached the center of the eye (where the lash line naturally begins to turn upward), I drew my line straight outward, ending just past my natural brow. I applied additional layers of the purple color on top of the line I created until I was satisfied. I then moved to the bright orange shade. Once again using an angled eyeshadow brush, I began at the inner corner of the eye, arcing upward to just below the brow, and created a line mimicking my brow arch as it moved outward. When I reach the end of the brow, I created a sharp, straight line outward, running parallel to my purple line. I layered the orange shadow as well until I reached the intensity I was looking for. I then finished the eyes with a quick swipe of two coats of lengthening mascara to the top lashes and one to the bottom.
I finished the look with a simple orange lip gloss to add a little punch of color and shine to the lips.
The look was overall very simple, but very fun. Today’s weather was dark, dreary, cold, and rainy. The bright colors provided a bit of a pick-me-up. Try it out for yourself! Of course, if you do, don’t forget to share! Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via reply post, my Submit page above or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 42 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.
Day 38 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Precious Gems, Part 2! Today’s look is once again a continuation of the Precious Gems pictorial in the October 2011 issue of The Colorist. The pictorial focuses on jewel (or gem, whatever your preference) tones, and today’s look focused on emerald tones. I’m a big fan of this look, and I believe the color combination is one that will work for almost every skin tone and hair color out there. Try it out for yourself! If you do, don’t forget to share wish me via my Submit page above or E-mail Me!
What you will need:
Instructions:
For my base today, I began with my favorite tinted moisturizer, applied concealer to my under eye circles, and dusted a warm powder over it all to set. I wanted to give my skin an overall warm glow, so I blended all of the shades in the Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaGlo palette and lightly dusted it over my entire face and neck. I then contoured my cheekbones, first applying a warm bronzer just under the tops of the cheekbones, and then applying a highlighter to the tops of the cheekbones. As with most of the looks that I’ve been mimicking from The Colorist, this look does not entail the use of blush.
Moving to the eyes, I applied an eyeshadow primer, and while that was drying, I lined the inner rims of my eyes with black inner rim liner. I began my eyeshadow by first applying a shimmery neutral eyeshadow along the brow bone. I applied an emerald green eyeshadow to the eyelids, and then, using a small, angled eyeshadow brush, I lined around my entire eye area with the emerald green eyeshadow. Next, I applied the olive green eyeshadow to the crease of the eye and slightly above. I then applied the olive green eyeshadow in an almost circular fashion around the outer corner of the eye and underneath, creating a line just below the line I had drawn with the emerald green eyeshadow. I dabbed a yellow-gold eyeshadow to the inner corner of the eye, blending it with my fingertip outward into the green shadows. I then lined the outer lash line with a dark green eyeliner, and finished the eye look with two coats of lengthening mascara to the top lashes and one to the bottom.
The lips in this look are a nude understatement to really let the eyes tell the story. I applied my favorite nude lipstick from Sephora, but then I dabbed a touch of pink lip gloss to the very center of the lip.
That, my friends, is my precious gems emerald look for the day. I highly recommend that you each try this one out! As I noted above, the colors utilized in this look are flattering for almost everyone. You don’t necessarily have to apply the makeup as heavily as I have (or you can go for more!), it’s completely up to you! Just be sure to let me know how you do!
Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via my Submit page above or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 39 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.
Day 36 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Fresh-Faced, Part V! Today wraps up my five-part inspiration series of fresh-faced looks from the October 2011 issue of The Colorist. If you’ve missed this week’s fresh-faced looks, be sure to check them out: Fresh-Faced Part 1, Fresh-Faced Part 2, Fresh-Faced Part 3, and Fresh-Faced Part 4!
What you will need:
Instructions:
For today’s base, I decided to follow with the steps I used for Fresh-Faced Part 4, as I think it worked rather well. I mixed my two favorite Sephora primers, and applied the mixture over my entire face, evening out my complexion and providing a touch of color and glow! I then applied my concealer to my undereye circles (you can tell from the photos above that my insomnia is weighing heavily on my eyes!), and added the brightening makeup I’ve been using this week to my entire face. I then set the look with a clear loose setting powder. I proceeded with my standard contouring tips, utilizing the Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaGlo palette. After adding the darker shades to the hollows of the cheekbones and along the jaw line for added definition, I applied the the lighter shades on the tops of the cheekbones. I started at the temples, moving my way downward to the apples of the cheeks. I then added the lighter shades to the apples of the cheeks in lieu of blush. My goal was to achieve the luminescence that the model has in this photo.
Moving to my eyes, I lined the inner rims with black inner rim liner. I applied a shimmery neutral eyeshadow from the inner corner of the eye, upward and outward to the area between the crease and the brow. I then applied a shimmery silvery-gold eyeshadow to the eyelid. Using an angled eyeshadow brush, I lined the bottom lash line with the same silvery-gold eyeshadow in place of eyeliner. I then began working on the outline of the main shape of the eye look. Using a soft, smudgeable black eyeliner, I began creating my line towards the inner part of my eye, where the eye crease naturally begins to level off after curving upward. From this point, I created an outward arc, moving above the crease of the eye, yet following the general shape of the natural crease. However, instead of moving downward with the crease at the outer part of the eye, I continued outwards until I reached where my natural brown ended, at which point I flipped the black eyeliner upward. I then softly drew a line with the black eyeliner from the outer corner of the eye, arcing it upward to meet the top line at the point where my brow ended.
Next, I applied silver eyeshadow to the crease of the eye, beginning at the inner corner and working my way outward. I then went back and filled in with the silver eyeshadow any area left blank between my black eyeliner line and my eye. I then worked dark grey eyeshadow into the outer corner of the shape I had created with the black eyeliner, allowing it to gradually become lighter as it moved inward towards the eye. I then went back with my silvery-gold eyeshadow and extended the line I had created underneath the eye outward to meet the edge of the line of my design. The eye look was all about blending and gradation, and I used my fingertips and smudge brushes to adjust into I obtained the look I wanted. I then finished the eyes with two coats of black mascara to the top lashes and one to the bottom.
I completed the entire look with a pretty peachy-pink lipstick topped with a gold lip gloss for a bit of shine.
Although I didn’t get the exact look as shown in the photo, I was pretty happy with the results. The varying shapes from this week gave me some ideas of different looks I can try out in the future.
Remember that I still need a lot of ideas! We are past the first month mark, but there’s still a long way to go! Share your photos and experiences, and show me some of your makeup skills! Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via my Submit page above or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 37 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.
Day 35 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Follower Friday featuring Fresh-Faced, Part IV! It’s time again for Follower Friday! Today’s question comes from Amber L. in Pennsylvania :
“What is a good mascara for volume and length all in one?”
Great question, Amber! This is actually a common one that I am often asked. Today I will answer Amber’s question, and, in keeping this week’s inspiration from the October 2011 issue of The Colorist, it will be fresh-faced! If you’ve missed this week’s fresh-faced looks, be sure to check them out: Fresh-Faced Part 1, and Fresh-Faced Part 2, and Fresh-Faced Part 3 !
What you will need:
Instructions:
For today’s base, I decided to switch it up a bit and try something different to achieve the glowing skin I’ve been working towards. I mixed my two favorite Sephora primers, and applied the mixture over my entire face. It helped even out my complexion, give a bit a color, and add some glow! I then applied myconcealer to my undereye circles (got some sleep last night, so they are improving!), and added the brightening makeup I’ve been using this week to my entire face. I then set the look with a clear loose setting powder. I decided to go with the clear setting powder instead of my standard colored mineral powder to see if it would allow the glow to shine through more. It did dampen some of the glow, but it definitely let more shine through! Now, when you look at the photo above, which was my guide for today’s look, you can see the cheeks are done in much the same way that I did yesterday for Fresh-Faced Part 3 . As such, I followed the same steps to achieve a glowing look on the cheeks with a bit of contouring.
Then I got down to business with the main focus of the look: the eyes. To begin the eyes, I first applied eyeshadow primer, and once that set, I dusted a neutral eyeshadow from the inner corner of the eyes, upward and outward to cover the area from the crease to the brow bone. Although in the inspiration photo you can’t see exactly what color is on the eyelids, to me it looked like something with a golden tone. So I decided to use a shimmery gold eyeshadow, applying it to the eyelids only.
Next, I worked on creating the black line that is the odd focal point of the eye look. Using a black eyeliner, I began to line starting in the crease at the very center of the eye, drawing a straight line outward past the outer corner of the eye. When I reached the point where my eyebrow ended, I arced the line up sharply, creating a sweeping effect. I will be honest: I had to do the line a couple of times until I was happy with it. This is where Q-tips and makeup remover come in handy! I don’t always get it right the very first time, so if you don’t either, don’t worry about it!
Moving on, I began applying the dark grey eyeshadow using an angled eyeshadow brush. Beginning at the outer end of the black line I had created, I pressed the brush down, angled diagonally back toward the eye, creating my outer edge line for the shadow. From where that line ended, I drew a straight line with the eyeshadow brush back to the outer corner of the eye, and then filled in the area with the dark grey eyeshadow. I finished with the dark grey eyeshadow by applying it to the crease of the eye as well. I lined the inner rims with black inner rim liner, and lined the bottom lash line with copper-colored eyeliner, leaving the top lash line unlined.
Now for our Follower Friday question from Amber. As you can tell by now, I am a big fan of makeup products that do double-duty. When it comes to mascara, I’ve had trouble finding one single product that does everything I want it to. Quite honestly, the best mascara I have found to do both volumizing and lengthening is Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Mascara. It volumizes and lengthens beautifully. It’s not everything I want, but it’s close! Now, as I’m sure you’ve all experienced, most mascaras target one specific need (i.e. volumizing or lengthening, but not both). One tip that I have used many times when I was unable to attain the look I was going for with one product was to layer. Yes, I mean using more than one mascara! I would first apply my favorite volumizing mascara, and then I would top it with my favorite lengthening mascara. It really does work. Another helpful option is what I started today’s eyelash look with: lash primer. Not only does a good lash primer add length or volume and prep your lashes for mascara, it also can have moisturizing benefits to care for your lashes. Try some different products, and figure out what works best for you. Mascara is a very personal choice: the efficiency of the product depends on the user’s lashes. Don’t be afraid to experiment (or layer), and, Amber, let me know what works for you! As for me, I started off with one coat of lash primer to the top and bottom lashes, and followed this by applying two coats of mascara to the top lashes and one to the bottom.
I finished the look by applying a warm tawny lipstick and topping it with gold lip gloss. There you have it!
Do you have a favorite mascara? Have you tried out any interesting eye looks? Have any you want me to try? Share your photos and experiences, and show me some of your makeup skills! Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via my Submit page above or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 36 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.
Day 33 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Fresh-Faced, Part II. As with yesterday’s Fresh-Faced look, I continued to have inspiration from the October 2011 issue of The Colorist. In the issue, there is a whole section of fresh-faced looks. Although the focus for the magazine is on the hair, the looks drew me in. So I thought I would try out the other looks this weeks as well. Today’s look seems mostly normal, with a hint of oddity. It is actually something I have seen coming across the runways over the last couple seasons: eye liner and makeup done in unexpected ways. So thought I’d give it a whirl.
Additionally, it’s time for our Wednesday Product Review! For me, this review is going to be twofold. First, I will review the Cover FX Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer and Anti-Acne Treatment that I have been trying out over the last week. Second, in keeping with our fresh-faced glowing skin trend, I’m decided to try out a new product for brightening the skin. I’ve actually had some followers submit different products that they recommended to get that glowing skin tone. This is one of them. It’s Borghese Splendore Brightening Makeup. Here we go!
What you will need:
Instructions:
Today I wanted to try out a skin brightening makeup. So to begin my base, I mixed my primer with Borghese Splendore Brightening Makeup, and applied as usual. The directions on the Borghese Splendore Brightening Makeup note that this is one of the ways that the product can be applied, as well as applying over your foundation or daily skin care, or even mixing in with your moisturizer. The product did instantly give my skin a nice glow, and it wasn’t too oily. This is something that I worry about with liquid brightening makeup, as I’ve had bad experiences in the past. I worry about the product itself being oily and causing breakouts or skin irritation, and I also worry that it will make my skin appear oily upon application. The product went on easily, did not cause any breakouts or irritation, and it didn’t make my skin look oily. So for this Wednesday Product Review, Borghese Splendore Brightening Makeup gets an “A!”
With regard to the Cover FX Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer and Anti-Acne Treatment, over the week that I have been using it, I have been breakout free. Additionally, the primer went on smoothly and did not irritate or dry out my skin. Upon application daily, the product did tingle for a bit and most definitely could not be used around the eye area! It is not the best primer I’ve used, but it does come with some benefits. As such, this Wednesday Product Review of Cover FX Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer and Anti-Acne Treatment gets a “B.”
Moving on to my makeup application for the day, I definitely was in need of undereye concealer today! Truth be told, I am an insomniac, and I will experience some severe bouts of same. This is one of those times, and, as such, my undereye circles are darker than normal. I turned to my trusty Benefit Erase Paste to help out, but when the circles are this bad, they won’t completely disappear. I don’t know of any product that can tackle them when they get this bad! Do you? If so, please share! As for now, my concealer gave me a start. I followed up with a very light dusting of loose mineral powder. I wanted to set my base, but I didn’t want to cover up the glow I had been given from Borghese Splendore Brightening Makeup. However, even with a light dusting, I did instantly notice that the glow was muted. As such, I decided to simply apply more of the brightening makeup to any areas that needed extra highlighting.
Next, I contoured my cheeks with my favorite Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaGlo, using the darker shades in the hollows of the cheekbones and the lighter shades on the tops of the cheekbones. I used the photo above from The Colorist for my frame of reference, and quickly noted that the main part of the look was the heavily flushed effect on the cheeks. Since there was not a profile photo of this look, I couldn’t be certain how the blush was extended and the cheeks contoured (or not). I took the approach of what my face looks like freshly flushed after exercise or other activities (including standing out in the 30° weather that is currently present where I live). So I wanted my blush to really stand out. Although the eyes do have an interesting aspect to them, the blush plays a prominent role in the overall look. I chose a pink blush that is almost exactly my natural blushing color. I have mentioned this before, but I wanted to reiterate this: when choosing a natural blush, you will not always find a perfect match in one product. It may take you a while to find the perfect tone, or you may need to mix and match to obtain the perfect shade! It’s okay to mix! It is rare to find makeup that is perfectly tailor made for every skin tone, so be patient and try new things! Since the flush in this look is so strong, I applied my pink blush heavier than I typically would, shooting for the hue I have after stepping in from the cold in the middle of winter. When I blush, I don’t just blush on the apples of my cheeks. As such, I blended my pink blush upwards over the bronzer in the hollows of my cheeks, blending with my fingertips. I then gently tapped additional brightening makeup with my fingertips to the tops of the cheekbones to give it that little extra pop.
Then I moved on to the eyes, applying a shimmery neutral pink shadow to the entire eye area, from the inner corner outward and upward to the brow bone. I wanted to set a warm glow to the entire eye area, providing a pretty shimmery base to further accent that fresh-faced, glowing effect that I’m seeking. I then lined the inner rims of my black inner rim liner, and followed by lining the entire outer lash line with black eyeliner, gently smudging the lines to add some softness. To me, the most interesting part of the eye look is the odd line in the eye area. I selected a soft-smudge grey eyeliner, and started lining just above the inner corner of the eye, arcing up and out towards the outer corner of the eye. The odd part? The line created is above the crease, which is not typically how we apply makeup! It appears almost like a stray line we decided to keep. You can, of course, make the line higher, lower, or sharper (I smudge the line a bit to give some softness). Play with it and see what you like. The point is to have fun with an interesting design. I finished off my design with two coats of mascara to the top lashes and one to the bottom lashes.
Finally, for a warm, natural lip, I applied a light pink lipstick, and then topped it with a gold lip gloss to the center of the lips only for a plumping effect.
Have you tried out any interesting lines or shapes? Have any you want me to try? Share your photos and experiences, and show me some of your makeup skills! Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via my Submit page above or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 34 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.
Day 32 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Fresh-Faced. First and foremost, I survived my first month of The Great Makeup Challenge! I want to send out a big thank you to everyone out there who’s been following along, sharing, and offering suggestions and words of encouragement!
Starting off my second month of The Challenge, and after going through a week of heavy Halloween makeup (good and bad!!), I decided I want to do something a little more light and airy: a fresh-faced look. After all, a week of heavy makeup can be very taxing on your skin. I was inspired by a spread in the October 2011 issue of The Colorist magazine, which featured photos of various fresh-faced looks (although the magazine is all about the hair!). The photo above just screamed fresh, healthy, and glowing to me. So that’s what I decided to do.
What you will need:
Instructions:
As always, I started with primer, followed by my standardconcealer to cover up my undereye circles. I honestly didn’t sleep well last night, and there my circles were especially dark as a result, presenting a bit of a challenge! I then set my base with loose mineral powder. In an effort to keep some semblance of summer around, I’ve been trying to keep my skin warm as we approach winter. I’ve been using a self-tanning moisturizer daily, and as such, I didn’t need to use a heavy foundation or even a tinted moisturizer today. Now, on the other end of the spectrum, if you happen to have the beautiful porcelain skin of the girl in the photo above, good for you! With such a skin tone, this look can be especially flattering.
Once I set my base, I moved onto contouring. I was aiming to obtain that nice flush that you can see in the model’s cheeks above. I opted to use my favoritebronzer/highlighter palette, first blending all of the colors and lightly dusting over my entire face for a warm, glowing effect. I then began contouring my cheekbones by applying the darker shades of the palette to the hollows of the cheekbones, and the lighter tones to the tops of the cheekbones. Once I was happy with the shape of the cheekbones, I moved on to my blush. When reviewing the photo, the blush is a pretty rosey color, and is focused on the apples of the cheeks, moving upward into the hollows of the cheeks. This leaves thehighlighter on the top of the cheekbones to capture and reflect the light. Following suit, I applied a rose blush to the apples of the cheeks, and worked it slightly upwards over the bronzer in the hollows of my cheeks, blending with my finger tips.
Now, the photo does leave a little to the imagination regarding what exactly was done with the eyeshadow. From what I can glean, there appears to be a soft grey shade in there. So I decided to go that route, and to also keep up the warm tones with a rosey-grey shade as well. I first applied a neutral shimmery shadow from the inner corner of the eye, working outward and upward along the brown bone. I applied the warm grey eyeshadow to the eyelid only, and then worked the grey eyeshadow to into the crease only. I then lined the inner rims of my eyes with black inner rim liner, and lined the bottom lash line with a copper-colored eyeliner.
I then thickly lined the top lash line with black eyeliner. As you can see in the photos above, this line continues outward past the inner corner of the eye toward where the brow ends. There’s a simple trick to getting this line. When your eyelid is closed, start lining in the inner corner of the eye, moving outward. As you reach the outer edge of the eye, keep lining straight out. When you close your eye, the line will appear to be almost perfectly straight out. However, when you open your eye, it appears to have some shape ti it. Let your own line be your guide, and it will make it a lot easier on you! To finish the eyes, I swiped on two coats of black lengthening mascara to the top lashes. I left the bottoms bare.
Finally, for my lips I wanted to add a touch of color and shine, but still keep the natural look I was going for. I tried out Covergirl Natureluxe Gloss Balm in Coral, and it added a nice shine a touch of color with the added benefit of moisturizing my lips.
Show me some of your fresh-faced looks! Share your photos and experiences, and show me some of your makeup skills! Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via my Submit page above or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 33 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Day 23 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Halloween Angel! Over the last week, almost everyone I’ve spoken with has mentioned that they will be attending a Halloween party. Additionally, most of them have asked if I’m going to be doing any Halloween makeup on my blog. Initially, I wasn’t going to, but then I started thinking. It seems that everyone debates and plans carefully for their perfect Halloween costume, but how good is the costume without makeup? Without coordinating makeup, the costume can look disjointed or incomplete. So, starting today through Halloween (October 31st), I will do different Halloween makeup ideas based on some of the most popular costumes. With this challenge, however, I definitely need some help from you, my followers! If you have a costume that you’ll be wearing and want me to create a coordinating makeup look, write to me via reply post, ask via my Submit page above or Email Me!
For my first day of my Halloween challenge, I decided to start with an angelic look. The angel costume is a traditional favorite, whether its the super sexy or demure version. Regardless of the style of angel, most angelic costumes involve two main elements: (1) the color white; and (2) something shimmery or glittery. Using these two elements as my guidelines, I created my version of an angelic makeup look.
What you will need:
Instructions:
First and foremost, no matter what makeup you will be wearing this year for Halloween, one of the most important things you need to do is getting your skin ready. With such heavy applications of makeup that coincide with Halloween costumes, the last thing you need is to have it flake, peel, crack, etc. To prevent this, I first recommend exfoliating your skin and lips a day or two prior to your event. Second, the day of your event, I recommend opting for slightly heavier moisturizer to help prevent your skin flaking or drying out from the makeup. Third, and I think most importantly, I recommend applying a really good face primer! For today, I followed all of these recommendations. For my primer, I opted to use Sephora Perfecting Ultra-Smoothing Primer, a clear primer that glides on and smooths out your entire skins surface. I’ve used it many times in the past, and I know that it helps makeup to go on smoothly, prevents creasing and flaking, and it helps the makeup to stay put all day! I applied the primer to my entire face and neck. I applied it to the neck because a lot of costume makeup does need to extend to the neck area so that it doesn’t look like you’re floating head.
Now, when I think of what an angelic face should look like, I think of skin that is pale and glowing. Accordingly, I knew that my base for today would be very important. To start, I recommend that you apply a foundation that is one to two shades lighter than your natural skin tone, unless you already have pale skin. For me, I didn’t have any light foundations on hand, so I improvised. I actually used a light concealer that I owned and didn’t use anymore (due to the fact that I discovered the amazing power of Benefit Erase Paste). I applied the concealer over my entire face and neck, including an application over my eyebrows and lips. The entire goal was to create a ‘white-out,’ nullifying any color on my face and neck so that it was all one tone. Since the concealer was a lighter shade, it helped to immediately lighten my entire skin tone, covering the pale element of the angelic look.
For the glowing element of the look, I began by applying Sephora’s highlighting Base Sublimatrice Primer to the entire face and neck area. I topped this with a dusting of the lighter shades in the Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink palette. Essentially, I applied this as if it was my powder, adding to the overall glow and also setting the base. For my cheeks, I dabbed on a healthy dose of cream highlighter to the apples of the cheeks and along the cheekbones. I then added an extremely light dusting of a shimmery peach blush to just the apples of the cheeks. After all, I’m sure even angels blush.
When considering how I would design the makeup for an angelic look, I decided that the eyes should be the focal point of the look. My vision was to create a ‘mask’ using white shadow. Essentially, the goal was to apply eyeshadow in a shape à la the Zorro mask. I began by lining the inner rims of my eyes with a white eyeliner. I then applied the white eyeliner to my eyebrows as if it was a brown liner. My eyebrows are dark, so I had to apply the white eyeliner heavily. The shade of your eyebrows will dictate how much or how little white eyeliner you actually have to apply to them. The goal is to get them as white as possible. I then finished up using the white eyeliner by applying it to my lips as if it were also a lip liner.
Next came the important part: the eyeshadow. Using a shimmery white color, I swiped the eyeshadow across the entire eye area, from the inner corners across the lid and to and over the brow. I then swept the eyeshadow under the eye, from the inner corner all the way out to the temple, forming one side of my ‘mask.’ Next, I applied the eyeshadow across the bridge of the nose to the other eye, and repeated the look on the opposite side to complete the ‘mask.’ I kept applying the eyeshadow until I reached the shape and color saturation that I was looking for. Once I was satisfied, I applied a clear loose glitter eyeshadow over the entire ‘mask’ area. Additionally, I dusted a light amount of the glitter eyeshadow over the rest of my face, down my neck, and on the top of my chest. Don’t be afraid to use the glitter! After all, this is Halloween is just about the only day of the year that you are given a free pass to go makeup crazy without people thinking you’ve actually gone crazy! To complete the eye look, I decided to add two coats of mascara to the top lashes only. I found that this allowed my eyes to stand out a bit. Of course, you can opt not to apply mascara, or even to apply a white mascara. The choice is yours!
To finish my angelic look, I applied a light coat of shimmery gold lip gloss to white lined lips. On a note, I used Philosophy Lip Shine in Vanilla Birthday Cake, which not only gave the soft glow I was looking for, but it also really did taste like birthday cake!
Overall, I was quite happy with the end results of my angelic look. Throw on a set of angel wings, and you’re set!
Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I’m going to go in the opposite direction of today and take on some devilish make up. In the interim, if you have a costume or Halloween theme idea that you want me to try out this week, write to me via reply post, ask via my Submit page above or Email Me! I welcome the challenge!
Don’t forget to share your Halloween makeup photos and tips, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try out via reply post, my Submit page above. or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 24 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, your local drug store, or through Amazon.com.
Taming Wild Eyes
Note: An apology to all for my delay in posting, but, as luck would have it, I became really sick just as Day 2 of the Challenge began, and Day 3 found me feeling even worse. As I noted in Day 1’s post, you can always tell when I’m sick in my eyes, and these photos make that very evident! Sick or not, The Great Makeup Challenge continues!
Day 3 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Today’s challenge is to tame the wild eyes I sported for Livestrong Day. Not everyone is comfortable sporting so much eye makeup, let alone in all yellow! So for today I’ll incorporate a bit of yellow in a more user-friendly look.
What you will need:
Instructions:
Sickness continued today, once again dictating that I stick to my quick Five Minute Wake Up Makeup base, contouring, and blush tips. For today’s blush, I opted for a soft shimmery peach to wake up my sickly complexion.
Next, to tame yesterday’s eyes, I applied a very sheer application of NYX’s Mellow Yellow eyeshadow form the inner corner of the eye up and along the brow line to the outer corner of the eye. The great thing about this yellow eyeshadow is that it’s buildable, so you can apply it as sheer or opaque as you would like to give some contrast. I applied the Strawberry side of Clinique’s Color Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Strawberry/Fudge along the eyelid and into the crease. This soft shimmery pink blends beautiful with the sheer yellow, giving a nice shine to help wake-up eyes. I lined the top lash line only with Wet n Wild’s Coloricon eyeliner in Dark Brown to give my eyes some definition, and a coat of Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes! finished up the look of the eyes.
For my lips, I swiped on a quick coat of Clinique’s Color Surge Impossibly Glossy lip gloss in Cherry Apple. This gloss leaves a pop of shiny color that finishes off this skin-brightening look.
This is a look that each and every one of you can try. Play around with the intensity of the eyeshadows, finding the level of color that works best for you. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone!
Share your versions of this look, questions you may have, or any ideas you want me to try out on via my Submit page above, or Email Me!
See you tomorrow for Day 4 of The Great Makeup Challenge!
Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, and your local drug store.
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