FOTD: Coral and Green

I never would have thought to put coral and green together in an eye look, but it’s the theme for a new subreddit I joined, and they looked really nice together, so I thought I’d give it a go. Guess what? They look really nice together on my face too. Guess what else? I’m an enormous dork sometimes.

I really, really like this look though.

Eyes:

• Baroque Walking on Air
• Shiro Gelato Beach (blush)
• Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Mars
• Benefit Stay Don’t Stray in Light/Medium
• Buxom Lash Mascara

Face:

• Lancome Teint Miracle in Buff 4C
• Benefit Boi-ing in 1
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1
• Blackbird Magic Trick Super Powder in Translucent
• Shiro 1-Up

Lips:

• Life’s Entropy Apoptosis

First I primed my eyelids. Then I patted Walking on Air, a light pinky orange, all over my mobile lids. I used a different brush to deepen the outer corners with Gelato Beach, a bright coral pink eye-safe blush. Then I lined all the way around my eyes with a shimmery dark green liner, including my waterlines. I used a smudge brush to smudge out the liner, working it up into my crease at the outer corners. The end of the green was a bit abrupt and I had too much liner on my smudge brush, so I went over the end of the green with the eyeshadow brush I’d used for the orange. I mascaraed my lashes, and applied foundation, a double whammy of concealer and setting powder. I used a light coral pink blush and filled in my lips with a bright orangey pink lip theory using a brush. I didn’t want the color to be as intense as possible, so I applied it in a very thin layer.

Have you ever seen a color pairing somewhere and thought “hey, those look nice? let me put it on my face!” or is that just me? What’s the most unexpected color pairing you’ve tried? Did it work out?

Aromaleigh Brilliant Deductions Collection: Looks

Damaged & Delusional, Lucky Cat Emporium, Psychosomatic Limp, Pupils Dilated, Sooo Changeable, Frailty of Genius, How Quaint / Experimental Drug, Password Protected, Bitterness is a Paralytic, Alone is What I Have, Fleeting Impression, Surveillance Status, Codes & Ciphers / Brainy is the New Sexy, Nicotine Patch, My Only Weakness, Spectacularly Ignorant, Recreational Scolding, Glittering Career, High-Functioning Sociopath

Yesterday I posted my swatches of Aromaleigh’s Brilliant Deductions collection. Today I’ve got the looks. Since the collection is so large ( a whopping 21 colors), I couldn’t fit them into just five looks, so this post is a little bit larger than usual, with eight different looks.

Look 1: Frailty of Genius, Damaged & Delusional and Glittering CareerI started by priming my lids, then patted Frailty of Genius onto my mobile lids. I used a tapered brush to apply Damaged & Delusional to the outer corner and blended the red into the grey with a clean blending brush. I mixed Glittering Career with Superstar Serum and applied it as liner on both my upper and lower lashlines. (Lips are Tilt/Shift Gravity.) I put together a tutorial for this look here, if you’re interested in seeing how I did it step by step.

Look 2: Password Protected and Psychosomatic Limp

This look is my basic Pixie Epoxy smoky eye, which I posted about here. I primed my lips then patted Pixie Epoxy on top with my pinkie. After it set, I applied Password Protected with a fluffy brush. I swiped the rest of what was left on my brush across my crease and under my lower lashes. I used Psychosomatic Limp on a blending brush to blend out the edges and deepen the color under my lower lashes. I lined my eyes with purple pencil liner and smudged it out with a brush. I applied mascara as well.

Look 3: High-Functioning Sociopath, Alone is What I Have and Experimental DrugI primed my lids and patted Experimental Drug on with a fluffy brush. I worked it up a little bit higher than my crease and blended out the edges with a clean blending brush. I used a pencil brush to apply a dot of Alone is What I Have in the inner corner. I mixed High-Functioning Sociopath with Superstar Serum and applied it as liner, along my upper lashes and in my lower waterline. I finished with a coat of mascara.

Look 4: Brainy is the New Sexy, Recreational Scolding and Bitterness is a ParalyticI primed my lids, then patted Brainy is the New Sexy over the primer. I applied Recreational Scolding in the outer corner and blended the two together. I tidied up the edges with makeup remover and a q-tip as well. I used a liner brush to apply Bitterness is a Paralytic to my lower lashline and finished the look with winged black liner and mascara. (Lips are Fyrinnae Sexy Nerd.) There’s a full post about this look here.

Look 5: Lucky Cat Emporium and Pupils DilatedFor this look I primed my lids and patted Lucky Cat Emporium up slightly past my crease. I diffused the edge with a clean blending brush. I mixed Pupils Dilated with Superstar Serum and lined my lower lashes with it. I curled my lashes and applied mascara, but skipped the liner.

Look 6: Surveillance Status, How Quaint, Fleeting Impression and Codes & Ciphers

As always, I primed my lids first. Then I patted Surveillance status all over my mobile lid, concentrating the color lower down near my lashes. I used a blending brush to apply How Quaint to my crease, and blended out any harsh edges with it. I used a fluffy brush to highlight my browbone and inner corner with Fleeting Impression. Last I mixed Glittering Career with Superstar Serum and applied it with a liner brush, both along my upper lashes and in my lower waterline. I finished the look with mascara.

Look 7: My Only Weakness and Nicotine PatchFor this look I primed my lids and applied Pixie Epoxy on top. I waited 15 seconds and then patted My Only Weakness all over my lids. I swiped some under my lower lashes as well. Then I put Nicotine Patch on a blending brush and used it to blend out the upper edge of the green along my crease, concentrating the color in the outer corner. I lined my lashes with a golden brown pencil liner and applied mascara to finish it off.

Look 8: Sooo Changeable and Spectacularly IgnorantI applied primer and then patted Sooo Changeable all over my lid. I used a fluffy brush to place Spectacularly Ignorant in the outer corner and blended it through the outer half of my crease as well. I used a clean blending brush to blend some more. I also applied some beneath my lower lashes. I lined my upper lashes with black liquid liner, winging it out at the end, and my lower waterline with black pencil liner. I curled my lashes and applied mascara to top it off.

So there you are! Eight looks using every single color in Aromaleigh’s enormous Brilliant Deductions collection. I’ve been plugging away at getting these done for quite some time (the oldest look here is from April!), but once Aromaleigh announced that the collection was being discontinued, I knew I had to hurry it up and finish. There’s a fair number of slightly colorful smoky looks in the mix, along with a few that have a fair bit of contrasting color. My favorite look is number 1. Something about the red together with the grey just seems elegant to me, and while the liner doesn’t show up great in pictures, in person it’s got a really pretty sheen to it. It’s the look I chose to make a tutorial for, so if you’re interested in seeing how I put it together step by step, you can check it out here. I was also really pleased with how well the colors in look 3 came together. The tiny dot of turquoise in the corner really ties things together in a fun way!

Which look was your favorite? Are you interested in the Brilliant Deductions collection? Remember, it’s being discontinued and is currently on sale, so if you’re interested in picking it up you should probably do so sooner rather than later.

Mars Inspired Look for IMAM Planet Collaboration

Some of us over on r/indiemakeupandmore decided to do a collaboration based on planets. I chose Mars as my planet. Mars is obviously the red planet, and when I think of it, I think of dusty dry red/orange rocks, so I did a mostly matte look with a lot of reds and red orange. I initially did a more avant garde version sans the winged liner, but it was a bit too in your face red without anything to balance it out. So I added some winged liner to make it a touch more wearable. A close up of the eye make up, side by side with an inspiration picture I found when googling Mars. Red glasses for a red planet look! I’m really shocked by just how much the glasses tone things down. Eyes:

• Blackbird Fire Pledge
• Blanche Neige Little Mermaid
• Notoriously Morbid Boca Del Infierno
• Hello Waffle Cortexiphan
• Life’s Entropy Brow Theory in Blonde
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Sephora Collection Outrageous Curl Mascara
• Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner in Dark Brown

Face:

• MAC Face and Body in N1
• Blackbird Magic Trick Super Powder in Translucent
• Blackbird Beau

Lips:

• Kae Q Sapodilla
• Kae Q Mango

Before I did my eyes I applied foundation and set it with powder. Then I started my eye make up by applying primer to my entire eye area, including under my lashes. I patted Fire Pledge, a matte red orange, all over my lids, up past my crease. I applied it more heavily down near my lashes and more lightly as I went up. I dabbed what was left on my brush under my lower lashes. Then I used a fluffy angled brush to apply Little Mermaid, a slightly orangey red with a touch of shimmer, to my crease. I used a liner brush to apply Boca Del Infierno, a matte burgundy red, to my upper and lower lashlines. I used a small brush to apply a dot of Cortexiphan, a red satin, to my inner corners, like a highlight except red. I used a fluffy blending brush to blend around the edges of my eyeshadow. I blended out the edges a lot. I applied mascara and was going to leave it at that, but it was a bit too out there so I added brown liquid liner on both my upper and lower lashlines with a small wing at the corner. I filled in my brows as well. For my cheeks I used Beau, a sort of reddish brown matte eyeshadow, and picked a tiny bit up with my contour blush and blended it into my cheeks as a combo blush/contour. Then for my lips I started with a base of Sapodilla, my perfect nude, and dotted Mango, an orangey red, on top and blended them with my fingers.

If you’re interested in seeing what everyone else came up with, you can check out the other planetary looks here.

FOTD: Kae Q Lychee

Since I started wearing indies, my sense of what make up I like and looks good on me has expanded an insane amount. I feel like the make up equivalent of a toddler who claims to like only broccoli but then it turns out actually likes every vegetable ever once she tries them. I’m pretty sure every single thing I thought I didn’t like, I’ve been wrong about. On the list: warm eyeshadows (pinks, oranges, reds, yellows), smoky eyes, cool blush, bold lip colors, super pale lip colors, dark lip colors, setting powder. I feel like now I need to add brown-based lip colors. For the longest time I avoided any lip color with even the tiniest hint of brown. But I feel like this look proves me wrong. Lychee is a browny brick red. Yet I actually like it on me. Not just a little bit. I like it a lot.

 

I like pairing it with the red/orange eyeshadow and warm blush.

Also, I think this look really works with glasses. It makes the lips the focus.

Eyes:

• Backstreets Makeup Co. Nectarine Sheen
• Backstreets Makeup Co. Coraline
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Stila Smudgestick in Stingray
• Make Up Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara

Face:

• MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation in NC20
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light
• Tarte Blissful

Lips:

• Kae Q Lychee

This look was pretty straightforward. I primed my lids and applied Nectarine Sheen, a soft peachy color, all over. Then I put a little bit of Coraline, a red orange with glitter, in my crease and blended it in and down towards the middle of my lid. I took what was left on my brush and applied it under my lower lashes. I lined my eyes with black pencil liner and smudged it with a brush. I did my usual face stuff, with a peachy coral blush. I finished by applying Lychee, a brownish brick red beso balm, with a doefoot applicator.

I was talking to one of my internet friends the other day, and she didn’t even realize I wear glasses. But I do! Every single day, in fact. Which it would be very reasonable for you not to know if you read my blog, because I actually take very few pictures of my make up with my glasses on. There are a couple reasons for this. One, I don’t have a very strong prescription, so I do my makeup sans glasses and take pictures before I put them back one. Two, I love eyeshadow and it’s easier to see my eye make up without my glasses. And three, I take my pictures in front of a window and a lot of the time the angles that have the best light also have glare on my lens, which is a pain. Anyways, I actually love my glasses (I’m a proud glasses wearer for sure. As a kid I longed for glasses cuz I thought they looked cool.) so it’s kind of weird that they’re almost entirely erased from my internet presence. To counteract this, I want to take more pictures of my make up while I’m wearing my glasses. I’ve also added a glasses tag, if you’re interested in finding all my glasses wearing pictures all in one place.

Do you wear glasses? Do they affect your make up choices?

FOTD: Sunshiney Look with Kae Q and Baroque

Baroque and Kae Q, two of my favorite indie brands share an anniversary. Instead of competing with each other, they decided to team up and do a joint sale. Today and tomorrow you can get 20% off at either site with the code SUNSHINE. To kind of dorkily celebrate their anniversaries, I decided to do a sunshine themed look, using Baroque and Kae Q products.

Both shops carry yellow-orange products, and if you by one in a fullsize you get a coupon for the other shop that’s good for the next month (or so? I’m not quite sure). From Baroque, it’s their Kilmt Eastwood blush, which I used on both my eyes and cheeks in this look. From Kae Q it’s Carambola, a sheer lip color.

Eyes:

• Baroque Klimt Eastwood (technically a blush)
• Baroque Walking on Air
• Baroque She Likes My SPARK
• Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner in Intense Black
• Sephora Collection Black Lace Eyeliner
• Urban Decay Primer Potion

Face:

• MAC Face and Body in N1
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light
• Baroque Klimt Eastwood
• Baroque Mucha Ado About Nothing

Lips:

• Kae Q Mamey

I primed my eyes like always and then I patted Klimt Eastwood, a yellow orange blush, all over my lids. I added Walking on Air, a peachy light orange, to the outer corner, blending it into the yellow and blowing it out a little. I used a liner brush to apply She Likes My SPARK, a shimmery copper orange, below my lower lashes. I used black liquid liner and winged it out for my upper lashline. I used a black pencil liner to lightly line my lower lashes. I actually forgot to apply mascara. Oops. Then I did my foundation/concealer/powder thing. I applied Mucha Ado About Nothing, a reddish rose, to my cheeks. I used a contour brush to apply Klimt Eastwood above it, kind of like a yellow highlighter on the tops of my cheeks, and blended it down to form a slight gradient. I finished off with Mamey, a muted salmon balm, which I applied with a doe foot applicator.

I’m really happy with how this turned out. It’s been grey here for weeks on end (it’s Southern Hemisphere winter, after all), so it was nice to do something cheery and warm.

This post is not in any way sponsored, although I did use a blogger discount on my order from Kae Q. I’m just genuinely a fan of both of these brands and wanted to share! Kae Q’s lip products are very creamy and easy to apply and surprisingly opaque for what’s marketed as a balm. (Although she has added some sheer balms to her summer lineup that I’m interested in trying as well.) And Baroque’s eyeshadow formula is a shimmery, easy to blend delight. Her colors can be a bit on the sheer side for some, but I like it because it makes me feel ethereal and glowy when I wear them.

Have you tried Baroque or Kae Q? Are you planning on picking anything up in either sale?

Dark Matter Makeup Zodiac Collection: Looks

Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces / Libra, Aries, Taurus, Capricorn, Aquarius, Sagittarius

After yesterday’s swatch post, it’s time for my looks from Dark Matter Makeup’s Zodiac collection. This collection has a lot of bright, fun colors, although some of them took a little bit of extra work to use in the looks. Nonetheless, I’m happy with what I came up with and if you’re a more confident eyeshadow user, you should be able to make some nice bold looks with these colors. Also, if you missed my update to yesterday’s post, these shadows have been reformulated since I bought them, so it’s possible they perform better now. Dom’s sending me a few samples of the reformulation, and when I get them, I’ll post an update about the new formula.

 Look 1: Virgo and Pisces For this look I primed my eyes and then patted Virgo over the lid. I placed Pisces in the outer corner and the outer portion of the crease and blended it down and into Virgo. I kept blending until the transition was smooth. I added a little bit more Pisces in the crease to make it more vibrant, and brought some under my lower lashes as well. I lined my eyes all the way around with black pencil liner and applied a lot of mascara.

 Look 2: Scorpio, Taurus and Sagittarius  I primed my eyes and patted Pixie Epoxy on to my mobile lids. After it set, I applied Scorpio to my lids. I took a tiny bit of Taurus on a blending brush and worked it into the crease to smooth out the edges, fanning it up slightly at the outer corners. I tidied a bit with a q-tip and diffused the edges with my blending brush. I used a liner brush to apply Sagittarius along my lower lashline. I lined my eyes with black pencil liner and finished with mascara. (Lips are Kae Q Sapodilla.)

 Look 3: Aquarius and Aries This is the second look I attempted with these colors, since the first one turned out patchy. For this, I primed my lids and applied Aries up to my crease. I blended out the edges a little to diffuse the upper edge. I mixed Aquarius with Superstar Serum and applied it as winged liner using an eyeliner brush. I applied a little of the mixture to my lower lashline as well. I finished the look with mascara. (Lips are Kae Q Mamey.)

 Look 4: Libra, Gemini and Capricorn  This look is an attempt at a halo eye, although the colors were too similar for it to be very distinct. I primed my eyes and applied Gemini to the inner and outer thirds of each eye. I used a pencil brush to apply Libra to the very inner and outer corners, as well as to the inner and outer thirds of my lower lashline. I filled in the middle third of each eye with Capricorn and blended the purples together. I might have overblended slightly, which cause the halo-ness to become extremely subtle, so I added a touch more Gemini over the top. In retrospect, maybe I should have added a little bit more back. I also applied Gemini to the middle third of my lower lashline. I blended out the upper edge of the purples with Capricorn on a fluffy brush, bringing it up a little higher than my crease. I lined my upper lashline with black pencil liner and my lower lashline with grey. I curled my lashes and applied mascara to complete the look. (Lips are Fyrinnae Pygmy Hippo topped with gloss.)

 Look 5: Aries, Leo and Cancer, plus Pisces  For this look I started my priming my eyes and then applied Aries to the inner third of my lids. I applied Leo to the middle third and Cancer to the outer third. I flared Cancer up at the outer corner and applied some to the outer half of my lower lashline as well. I applied Leo to the middle of my lower lashline, stopping before my tear duct. I blended the three colors on my lid together to get a smooth transition, but Leo became very sheer so I patted a little more on top. I took the teensiest bit of Aries on a blending brush and used it to lightly blend out the upper edge. I lined my upper lashes with black liquid liner, ending in a little wing, and my lower lashes with black pencil liner. I also applied mascara.

After I finished the first version of this look, I realized that it would be super fun to add some turquoise to the lower lashline, so I used a liner brush to apply some Pisces to my lower waterline. This version made me think of a tropical sunset over the ocean!

So there are my five Zodiac Collection looks! Despite the fact that some of the shadows were a bit tricky to use and required a careful hand or touch ups after blending, I really like the way they turned out. I was able to make a lot of bright, fun looks! Since turquoise is hands down my favorite color, look number one was my favorite, but I was pleasantly surprised by number three as well. My first attempt at an Aquarius/Aries look (a smoky eye over Pixie Epoxy) turned into a bit of a patchy mess (especially when my eyes were closed and you could see it all), but foiling Aquarius as liner worked quite well and made for a nice, delicate, pretty look. What about you? Which look was your favorite?

FOTD: Yellow Blush

In my order from Baroque, Andi included her yellow blush, Klimt Eastwood, as my free sample. Yellow blush is one of those things that I probably wouldn’t have bought on my own, but since I have it I wanted to try it out. And you know what? It’s not bad.

I think it winds up looking like more of an apricot than a yellow once it’s on my face, so I paired it with some similar apricot eyeshadows.

Eyes:

• Aromaleigh Amelie
• Hello Waffle Summertime
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner in Intense Black
• Buxom Lash Mascara

Face:

• MAC Face and Body in N1
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light
• Baroque Klimt Eastwood

Lips:

• Life’s Entropy Recursion
• NYX Wonder Pencil in Light

I started by priming my lids and then applied Amelie, a light shimmery peach to the mobile lid. I used an angled brush to place Summertime, a darker yellowish peach, in the outer portion of the crease and blended in down and in. I applied winged black liner on my upper lashline and black pencil liner on my lower lashline. I put a little more Summertime below my lower lashes as well. Then I curled them and applied mascara to both my upper and lower lashes. I did my foundation, concealer and powder like usual. I tapped some Klimt Eastwood, a yellow blush, out onto a piece of mirror and used my contour brush to pick some up, since it’s smaller and more precise than my blush brush. I applied it to my cheeks and blended it out with a clean blush brush. Then I lined around the outside of my lips with a skintoned pencil and blended it out with my finger. I used a lip brush to apply Recursion, a bright orangey red lip theory, to finish the look.

I was pleasantly surprised at how peachy Klimt Eastwood turned when applied. Even though it’s definitely a goldenrod yellow powder, the natural color of my cheeks shows through a little and makes it look more like a light orange. I like it. I could see myself using it again. If I wanted to make this look monochromatic, I’d swap out the Lip Theory for Shiro’s apricot Come Out, Come Out balm, which I think would match the blush perfectly.

Have you ever tried any unusual blush colors?

Hello Waffle Painted Flowers Collection: Looks

Mad as a March Hare, Animate Chess-Piece, Eat Me, Golden Afternoon, Pool of Tears, Gryphon, Deepest Fears / Locked Doors, Dormouse, Mad, Beneath Oxfordshire, Moonlit Grin, Rule 42, Hearts

Yesterday I posted my swatches of Hello Waffle‘s spring seasonal collection, Painted Flowers. Today I have the looks to share with you. This is one of my favorite collections, and I really like how easy it was to come up with looks using these shadows.

Look 1: Pool of Tears, Eat Me and Moonlit Grin

I liked this look so much I actually put together a tutorial for it with pictures. But in brief, I primed my lids, applied Eat Me to the inner half and Pool of Tears to the outer half and blended them together. Then I used a narrow angled brush to apply Moonlit Grin in a C around the outer corner and blended that too. I finished with black winged liner and mascara.

Look 2: Hearts, Deepest Fears, Rule 42, Dormouse

For this look, I primed my eyelids and applied Hearts to the inner third, Deepest Fears to the middle third and Rule 42 to the outer third. I blended them together and brought Rule 42 up into the crease. I blended out the upper edge with Dormouse. Then I smudged some Hearts into both my upper and lower lashlines. I applied Rule 42 to my lower lashline as well, closer in to the lashes. I lined my upper lashes and lower waterline with black pencil liner, smudged it out and finished with mascara.

Look 3: Golden Afternoon, Mad, Animate Chess-Piece, Beneath Oxfordshire

First, I patted Golden Afternoon onto my already primed lids. Then I applied Mad in the outer corner/crease and blended the two together. I used a little Animate Chess-Piece to as a transition color to soften the upper edge. Then I mixed Beneath Oxfordshire with Superstar Serum and applied it as liner, thickly on the upper lashes and lightly on the bottom.

Look 4: Locked Doors, Mad as a March Hare, Dormouse

For this look, I primed my eyes and applied Locked Doors all over my lids and along my lower lashline. I placed Mad as a March Hare in my crease and blended them together. I applied Dormouse above the darker shadows and blended it up to my eyebrows. I finished with smudgy dark brown liner and mascara.

Look 5: Gryphon, Eat Me, Rule 42, Dormouse

I decided to try a new technique for halo eyes with this look. I started by applying Dormouse to my crease as a transition color and blended it out quite a bit so it wasn’t too sparkly. Then I applied Gryphon to the inner and outer thirds of each eye, leaving the middle of my lid empty. I used a pencil brush to apply Rule 42 to the very inner and outer portion of each eye and to the inner and outer thirds of my lower lashline as well. I filled in the middle section with Gryphon. Then I patted Eat Me into the blank space in the center of my lid and carefully blended the three colors together, making sure not to darken the white. I lined my eyes with a metallic dark grey pencil, curled my lashes and put on mascara.

So those are my Painted Flowers looks. I like that they’re a mix of colorful fun looks and dark and moody looks. My favorite is the first one, just because of my deep and abiding love for turquoise shadow and winged liner. It’s tutorial will be up tomorrow if you want to try it for yourself! But I’m also really happy with looks 4 and 5. I’m usually not a huge fan of browns, but really liked how they came together in look 4 and I feel like look 5 is the most successful halo eye I’ve ever done. What about you? Which look is your favorite?

FOTD: African Pygmy Kingfisher

The next predatory animal my husband choose for my animal series is the African Pygmy Kingfisher. It’s so tiny and cute and adorable it’s hard to believe it’s a predator. It’s also super colorful, so this look was a lot of fun.

I was definitely surprised at how wearable this wound up, given the colors of the bird.

 I probably wouldn’t have chosen orange, purple and blue together without the inspiration, but I like it! I definitely see myself doing more bird-inspired looks in the future.

Eyes:

• Shiro Team Rocket
• Hello Waffle Mad
• Hello Waffle Golden Stairs
• Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Ultraviolet
• NYX Milk
• Benefit They’re Real Mascara

Face:

• MAC Face and Body in N1
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light
• Shiro 1-Up (I think. I forgot to write it down.)

Lips:

• Shiro Come Out, Come Out

I started by covering my entire eye area with NYX Milk pencil and blending it out with my finger. Then I applied Mad, a light yellowy orange, to my mobile lid. I used a tiny brush to carefully apply a thin layer of Team Rocket, a bright pink-toned purple, to the outer part of my crease. I blended carefully. Then I highlighted my inner corner with Golden Stairs, a peachy gold shade. I lined my upper lashes heavily with Ultraviolet pencil liner, a super bright shimmery blue. I lined my lower waterline as well, stopping before my tear duct. I curled my lashes and applied mascara. I did my face like usual, with a peachy blush and a light orange tinted balm.

I was honestly surprised at how well this turned out. The lid colors were lighter than I expect them to be, but that actually helped balance out the super bright liner. Plus now I know a type of super cute bird I’d never heard of before! Have you ever done bird-inspired make up? What’s your favorite bird?

FOTD: Little Mermaid and Pisces Challenge

Over on Working With Monolids, Francesca has been doing a sample challenge. She draws two random eyeshadow sample bags from her stash and creates a look using both of them. She brought the idea to /r/indiemakeupandmore, and asked people to list the eyeshadows they own. Then other users would choose two random colors to make a look with, without looking up pictures of what the shadows look like. I love pretty much every type of make up challenge there is, so I jumped on board. Half an hour of typing out names later, I had my list. /u/three8six9, of Butabanasaurus, gave me my first pairing, Blanche Neige’s Little Mermaid and Dark Matter Makeup’s Pisces. From the sound of the names, with their aquatic references, you’d think the colors would go together easily. However. Little Mermaid is red orange. Burnt red orange. And Pisces is turquoise. Super bright turquoise. Not really colors I would have paired up. But it was a challenge, so I knew I had to figure it out!

I wasn’t sure what to do, and wound up going full on avante garde. I actually like this, in a “I wish I had a weirdo gallery opening or an experimental theatre opening night to wear this to” type of way.

A glasses shot and a close up. To show off the weirdness in all possible ways.

Eyes:

• Blanche Neige Little Mermaid
• Dark Matter Makeup Pisces
• Shiro Doge
• Stila Desert
• Tarte Hot Stone Massage
• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Anti-Aging
• Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
• Sephora Collection Black Lace Eyeliner
• Buxom Lash Mascara

Face:

• MAC Face and Body in N1
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light
• Tarte Exposed

Lips:

• MAC Viva Glam V

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with this combination of shadows so the look sort of developed as I put it on my face. My original plan was to use Pisces in the inner corner, Little Mermaid in the Outer Corner and Doge in the middle as a transition, so I started by applying Doge, a shimmery champagne, all over my primed lids. But Then I wound up covering it all up with Little Mermaid, a burnt orange-red, which I applied up to my crease and below the outer half of my lower lashes. I used a matte orangey nude to blend it out and up to my eyebrows. Then I applied Pisces, a bright turquoise in my inner corner, and blended it up and a round the corner into the red. However, it wasn’t turquoisey enough, so I applied a bot of Pixie Epoxy and added some more on top. Then I lined my upper lashes and both waterlines with black pencil liner. With the black liner on, I decided there needed to be still more turquoise, so I used an angled brush to blend it across my entire lower lash line and along the bottom outer edge of the red shadow. To finish I applied Doge underneath my brow bone, curled and mascaraed my lashes. I did the rest of my face makeup, with slightly reddish brown nudes for both my cheeks and my lips, and realized the amount of crazy eyeshadow I had on was overpowering my brows. So I used a grey brown eyeshadow to fill them in with an angled brush. Weirdo look complete!

Have you ever paired random samples? I had a blast with it and am looking forward to doing the rest of the pairings I was given.