Saturday, May 29, 2010

Interpreting McQueen with Makeup




Quick little post for this one: Alexander McQueen Inspired Mask

Not much can be said for the genius of McQueen, the words haven't been invented... yet. So I decided to pull inspiration from one of his pieces for this mask. I didn't use a ton of products so it's really inexpensive if you fancy a go at it. Hope you enjoy!









Products:
Mehron Basic Paradise Palette (I used the bright yellow and the black)

Ben Nye Eyeshadow in Sun Yellow

Hard Candy Walk the Line Eyeliner in Asphalt

MAC Eye Kohl in Feline

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black

Halloween False Lashes: Spyder Woman

Avon Lipliner in Wild Berry

American Beauty Lipstick in Berry Blend

Revlon Lipgloss in Rock Royalty



Thursday, May 13, 2010

Seadragon Inspired Eyes

I am LOVING greens, blues and golds lately! I think it's an exciting combo for the spring and summer seasons. And well since it's springummer right now I did this quick look using the 120 palette. It's such a great little palette since everything you need is all in one place, which is great for people like me who need that extra sleep in the morning and don't want to drag out all of their make-up for one look. So I present to thee: Seadragon Eyes! The first picture below is a diagram of color placement. The second is a chart of the colors used. The numbers correlate. I thought this would be a quick and easy way to see what I used.



Product Breakdown:

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

120 Eyeshadow Palette

Rimmel Eye Kohl in White

L'oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black

Avon Lipliner in Wild Berry
Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lipstick in En Vogue



The 120 palette came from Sedona Lace and can be found here.


Thursday, May 6, 2010

Rocker Eyes with Raving Beauty Cosmetics


Up on the agenda today we have ROCKER eyes! I absolutely love dark intense smoky eyes... oh those lucky rockers. And you can't have rocker eyes without eyeliner... it's a rock essential. I also think of metallics, so I have incorporated them all into this look. So let's get down to the product breakdown...

MAC Kohl Power Eyeliner in Feline- I used this as a base because of it's insane pigmentation. It's the best black eyeliner I have. The downfall is that is smears like a motherfrencher. It is limited edition but in reality any soft black eyeliner would work. Check out my last post to grab some tips on using eyeliners.

Raving Beauty Loose Mineral Eyeshadows

Exotic Bloom- A medium pink with a pink/purple duochrome. This is a great dupe of MAC's pink pearl pigment. Other colors that are comparable: Ben Nye's Cosmic Violet, MAC's Stars and Rockets and Urban Decay's Fishnet.

Haitian Flower- A true hot pink with a hint of shimmer. This is comparable to MAC's Post Haste eyeshadow except for the finish. Post Haste is a matte and Haitian Flower is a shimmer.

Carbon- A matte black. This shadow is super pigmented and works great wet as an eyeliner.

Silver- A gorgeous silver! This shadow is super sparkly and works really well as an inner corner highlight.

Find Raving Beauty here

Wet N' Wild Color Icon Palette in Lust

I used the cream color in the palette as a highlight. This is a wonderful little palette and there are many dupes for MAC eyeshadows in it. You can find these at most drugstores.

Rimmel's Lipcolor in Airy Fairy

A lot of you have heard of Rimmel's Airy Fairy, if not I highly recommend it. It is a gorgeous pink gold color and it doesn't dry out lips. It also lasts fairly long and it's quickly become my favorite go-to lipstick. It can be found at most drugstores that carry Rimmel.


Stila's Lipglaze in Kitten

This is also a pink gold color. It is easily dupeable but I like the formulation of Stila's lipglazes. They aren't sticky or thick. Kitten is available in Sephora and Ulta.







Monday, May 3, 2010

How to Prevent Eyeliner Smudges/Runs/Smears

So yeah I don't think Captain Jack Sparrow worries about his eyeliner, but in all honesty I think he is the only one that can rock the raccoon eyes. With that said, ladies and gentlemen I give to you my first ever post on my brand new blog. And what is the topic at hand you may ask... Well my fellow make-up connoiseurs I present to you how to prevent eyeliner smudges. We have all witnessed the terror that smudged and smeared eyeliner can bring; the stares, the did you get enough sleeps, the honey grunge went out years ago comments. But the question at hand is HOW DO WE PREVENT these ghastly smears? As a fellow eyeliner lover I am here to share with you some of my favorite tips.

First let's begin with upper lid liner.
I find liquid eyeliner is the way to go on the upper lid. Not only is it simple to apply but you don't have to worry about sharpening a pencil or washing a brush. Also liquid liner offers the cleanest lines especially if you are going for that illusive cat eye wing. But liquid liner can smear. So how do we stop that? The solution is to find a good sealant. I highly recommend Kryolan's Cel Sealer. This product is designed for the stage which means it has amazing staying power. At first glance it looks like a bottle of eyedrops, but this little sucker packs a lot of bang for the buck. I purchased mine six months ago and have barely put a dent in it. To apply it you simply place a drop on your hand, pick up a small bit on an angled brush and sweep it over your liner. It only takes a few seconds to dry and after that you are ready for an all day eyeliner fest. It won't smudge or smear. And for you fans of gel liners and pencil liners, fret not, because it works just the same with them. Another added benefit of this product is it's ability to mix with loose shadows to make your own eyeliner. To achieve this you simply mix a few drops of the Cel Sealer with your favorite loose shadow and apply it just like a liquid liner. The best thing is this product is affordable compared to it's counterpart Benefit's She-Laq. She-Laq costs $30, Krylon Cel Sealer can be found for around $10. The best place to find it I have found is eBay. I ordered mine from FunHouseTheatrical (click on the name to find the shop). Some theatrical makeup suppliers also keep it in stock as well. I definitely think it's a must have for those of us who struggle with racoon eyes.



Now on to the lower lid...
The lower lid is a bit of a different beast. Where I prefer liquid liner on the top lid, I definitely use gel liners, pencils and eyeshadows on the lower lid. In my opinion liquid liner is way too harsh for everyday wear. I like to use soft pencil liners which are notorious for smudging. To combat that I simply pat a similar shade of eyeshadow over the liner. You can also skip the liner and just use eyeshadow for lower liner. Eyeshadow, as powder, and can hold up really well under the eyes.
Now it's time for the waterline....
Oh joy of joys! The waterline, which is the inner rim of the eye, is quite a pain to line. However lining it can intensify your eyes like nothing else! I really like using waterproof, smudge-proof liners like the Styli-Style Line and Seal liners. These liners are available in many drugstores like CVS and offer a wide variety of colors. They hold up better for me than the Urban Decay 24/7 liners and are a fraction of the cost. I do also like to pat similar eyeshadows over the liner as well. Any little extra I can do to make it last I will do. I have yet to find a guaranteed solution but these tips have definitely helped. So get to lining those beautiful eyes!