Tutorial: Subtle Grey and Red Look with Purple Liner

I was talking to some of my friends in one of my reddit groups recently and they mentioned that they would like to see more tutorials. So I’m planning on doing tutorials for my favorite looks from my reviews. No time like the present to start, so I picked my favorite look from my Brilliant Deductions review to get started!

Make Up:

• Grey Eyeshadow (Aromaleigh Frailty of Genius)
• Burgundy Eyeshadow (Aromaleigh Damaged & Delusional)
• Dark Plum Eyeshadow (Aromaleigh Glittering Career)
• Foiling Medium (Darling Girl Superstar Serum)
• Eyeshadow Primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion)
• Mascara (Make Up Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara)
• Rosy Blush (Baroque Mucha Ado About Nothing)
• Burgundy Lipstick (Tilt/Shift Gravity)
• Foundation/Concealer/Powder or whatever your usual face routine is (MAC Face and Body in N1, Benefit Boi-ing in 1, Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light)

Brushes and Tools:

• Eyeshadow shading brush (Sigma E55)
• Fluffy angled eyeshadow brush (Sigma E70)
• Fluffy blending brush (Sigma E40)
• Eyeliner brush (mini Sigma E05)
• 1 or 2 Blush brushes (Nars travel blush brush, Eco Tools blush brush)
• Lip brush (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics)
• Whatever you usually use to apply your foundation, concealer and powder (Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, MAC 159)
• A flat non-porous mixing surface (a piece of mirror)
• An eyelash curler if you use one (NYC eyelash curler)

For this look you’ll need a grey eyeshadow, a burgundy or dark red eyeshadow and a dark plum eyeshadow. I used Aromaleigh shadows for this, but you could definitely substitute, you just want them to be similarly warm or cool toned (so if you use a cool-toned grey, it would probably work best to use a cool red and purple to go with it). If you have Shiro’s Scarlet Witch COTM, I think it would be perfect for this look. I used Darling Girl’s Superstar Serum as a foiling medium to turn the purple eyeshadow into liner, but you could use contact lens solution, eye drops or just plain water if you don’t have something similar. You could even use purple pencil liner instead of making your own, if you have it! For the lip color, anything dark red should work. I think Kae Q’s Mulberry would be a great alternative. And choose a blush that works for your skintone. Blush is just a minor player in this look, so it shouldn’t be too noticeable.

I started with clean, moisturized skin. I put a tiny dot of eyeshadow primer on my finger and smoothed it over my eyelid, and repeated on the other side.

Next I patted my grey eyeshadow all over my mobile lid with a basic shading brush. It doesn’t matter if the top edge is messy, because we’ll blend that away later, but do try to get an even coat of color on the lid.

I picked up a tiny bit of red eyeshadow with a fluffy angled brush. To make sure I didn’t pick up too much I just touched my brush lightly to the powder that was stuck on the sides of my sample bag, avoiding the pile of shadow at the bottom entirely. I used a very light tapping motion to place the red shadow in the outer portion of my crease. I also angled my brush to connect the line of red with my outer corner.

Time to blend! I used my clean fluffy blending brush to make little circles at the outer corner of my eye without picking up my brush. Then I used my brush to diffuse the top edge of the shadow with a windshield wiper motion. I blended until the red was pretty subtle.

Next I mixed together my purple shadow with Superstar Serum to make liner. I tapped out a little bit of shadow onto a flat piece of mirror and dotted one drop of serum next to it. Then I dipped my liner brush into the serum and used it to push the eyeshadow together into a paste. I added a little bit more shadow to get the consistency you see in the last picture.

Next I applied the mixture as liner. I did my upper lashline first, and then used what was left on the brush to get a lighter line under my lower lashes. I curled my lashes and applied mascara to both my upper and lower lashes.

Now it’s time to do whatever your usual base makeup routine is. You can see my foundation routine here, if you’re interested. If the red eyeshadow is too far down at the outer corner of your eye, you can either remove it or cover it up with a pat of concealer like I did.

If you’re using loose blush in a sample bag, you can tap it out on to the clean side of your mirror or mixing surface. I’m pretty light so I only need the tiniest bit of blush.

Oftentimes when I’m using indie blush I wind up applying a little bit more than I need. When I do this I take a clean blush brush and use it to blend out the blush using a circular motion to make the color less intense. The difference is subtle on camera, but in person I can see it.

Last comes lipstick. Since I’m using a sample I need a lip brush to apply it. When I use a lip brush I outline my lips first, then put a little bit more lipstick on my brush to fill in the middle.

So that’s my look! I think it’s simple and I love how the grey balanced out the red and makes it more toned down and wearable. Combined with the the lip color, this look makes me feel really classy.

I’d love to hear how it works for you if you try it out. I like the idea of continuing to do tutorials for my favorite looks from my reviews, so keep an eye out for more in the future. If there’s a look I’ve done on the blog before that you’d like to see a tutorial for, you can request one in the comments too!

Tutorial: Turquoise Shadow with a Cat Eye

Today I’m doing something new, and sharing a tutorial for my favorite look from my Painted Flowers collection review. This look combines white white and turquoise eyeshadows with a cat eye and soft pink cheeks and lips, which are some of my favorite things. In fact, it’s pretty much the same as the first look I posted on this blog. Be forewarned, this post is long and picture heavy. (You can click on the pictures if you want to see them larger.)

 Makeup:

• White Eyeshadow (Hello Waffle Eat Me)
• Aqua Eyeshadow (Hello Waffle Pool of Tears)
• Turquoise Eyeshadow (Hello Waffle Moonlit Grin)
• Eyeshadow Primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion)
• Black Liquid Liner (Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper)
• Mascara (Buxom Lash Mascara)
• Sparkly Pink Blush (Tarte Adored)
• Soft Pink Lipstick (Tarte Pink Peony)
• Foundation, Concealer and Powder or whatever face makeup you usually wear (MAC Face and Body in N1, Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light)

Brushes:

• Basic flat eyeshadow brush (Miscellaneous Eco Tools brush)
• A small, slightly fluffy angled brush (ELF Defining Eye Brush)
• A fluffy blending brush (Sigma E40)
• A blush brush (Travel size Nars blush brush)
• Whatever you usually use to apply your foundation, concealer and powder (Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Sigma E30)
• An eyelash curler, if you use one (NYC eyelash curler)

For this look you’ll need three shadows, one white, one aqua and one turquoise. This time I used Hello Waffle’s Eat Me, Pool of Tears and Moonlit Grin, but I’ve used Shiro’s Cake!, Diamonds! and Steve in the past and they also work. You could even choose non-turquoise shadows and keep the basic placement. You just want to have a white and a lighter and darker color in the same family. (I put the exact products I used in parentheses, but you can use whatever you have on hand that’s similar.)

Start by priming your lids. I put a tiny dot of primer on my finger, dab it onto the center of both eyes and then rub it in with my finger.

Next, use your flat eyeshadow brush to apply your white shadow to the inner half of each lid. With loose shadow it is better to use a tapping or dabbing motion instead of a swiping motion.

Now flip over your brush and use the back side to apply your aqua color to the outer half, fanning it up and out past the crease. You want there to be a tiny bit of overlap between the two colors in the center of your lid.

Blend! Take your fluffy blending brush and blend the aqua in and down towards the white. Then use a windshield wiper motion to blend out the upper edge of the shadow. You want there to be a smooth gradient between the colors and no harsh lines.

Next, put a little of your turquoise shadow on the narrow edge of your angled brush. Apply a thin line of turquoise in a C shape around the outer corner of the aqua eyeshadow. (I always need to raise my eyebrows to get the correct placement.)

Blend some more! Use your fluffy brush to diffuse the harsh turquoise line you just made. Then take whatever shadow is remaining on your angled brush and apply it lightly along your bottom lashes. The color won’t show up very strongly, but there will be a bit more definition, almost like a shadow under your lower lashes.

Now it’s time for eyeliner. I always start by drawing a line as close to my lashes as I can starting at the inner corner, then going back over it along the very base of my lashes to fill in any gaps. Then I pull the edge of my lid taut and draw the lower edge of my wing, starting at the end and connecting it to the line above my lashes. I draw another line above this, starting at the end of the wing and ending where I want the liner to connect to my previous line and fill in the little triangle at the outer corner.

Lashes! Curl them if that’s something you do, and apply mascara. I applied mine to the upper lashes only. Once you’re done with your eyes, clean up any fallout and do your foundation however you usually do. (I do mine like this.)

Now it’s time for blush. I very lightly dab my brush into the pan so I don’t pick up too much. (If I’m using loose brush, I tap a tiny bit out onto a mirror and tap my brush against the mirror to pick it up.) Then I tap the brush above my cheekbones. The two pictures show where I start and stop applying my blush. If I apply it unevenly, I blend it out with a clean blush brush.

Last comes the lipstick. I chose a soft, natural pink so it doesn’t compete with the turquoise. I have no special technique for this, I just swipe it on my lips straight from the bullet. Then you’re done!

I really love this look. Turquoise is one of my favorite colors for spring (and also my favorite color for anything in general), and this is probably my favorite way to wear it. It’s also one of my go-to eyeshadow placements, so you could follow the same steps using any set of coordinating colors. Just replace the white with the lightest, the aqua with the medium shade and the turquoise with the darkest.

Was this tutorial helpful for you? Would you try this look? I’d love to hear about it if you do!