Simple with a Twist

Here is another go at simpler eyes.  I didn't get my flick just quite right, as my one somewhat droopy eye crease tried to eat it up, but it was good enough for the time.  I'm sure the metallic gold brows distracted from that just as they should have!  :)

I absolutely adore Tweak blush on myself.  It might be my new favorite blush!  So many blushes to love...so little time on this earth to wear them all enough.

The new Cover FX powder compact is most definitely not matte.  As you can see, it's got a nice natural glow to it.  I applied it lazily with the included sponge pad and was surprised at how light it looked on me (thus the gentle dusting of bronzer all over afterward).  It did wear well through a long and rather humid day, so I give it big points for that.  Also, no annoying creasing or bunching up in my expression lines.  Hooray!

Face:
Laura Mercier Face Primer
Illamasqua Concealer 115 (spots)
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder (under eye)
Cover FX Mineral Compact N10
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01 (lightly all over)

Cheeks:
Illamasqua Tweak <3

Eyes:
Nars eye primer
GA ETKI #26
RBR Golden Rhea (inner corner)
Lorac Chic Baked Matte Satin e/s (brow bone)
Stila Stay All Day black liner pen
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
UD El Dorado and Baked e/l pencils (brows)

Lips:
Bite Beauty Lip Lacquer Aurora


If you are wondering about the lippie, I will tell you that I am in love with this color and am sure it was made to be worn with Tweak.  It's a tacky formula that tastes yummy and sweet (a bit like honey).  My lips weren't dry from it.  The applicator needs several dips to get my lips covered.  It stayed on good, although after hours of wear it left me with more of a stained balm kind of look.  What I'm trying to say here is that it doesn't retain its shiny lacquer appearance for much more than an hour or so?  Something like that.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Blue Line

Happy Thanksgiving!  This is the look I wore yesterday.  I apologize for the lack of great pictures.  It just didn't work out like I'd hoped.  The wing here isn't tremendously ambitious, but it did give me some anxiety!  I am totally not sure about the shape. Again, please feel free to help me out with any tips or constructive advice.  I'd love to learn and hope to keep improving.  :)

It is odd to me how my Armani Eyes to Kill Intense #1 eyeshadow (on the lid underneath Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Vision) is primarily gold, with just a tiny hint of blue, and the tester at my Sephora, where I bought it, is primarily blue with a hint of gold!  I'm kind of bummed, as much as I love gold.  I suppose that is the kicker of having multi-color mixed shadows.

Face:
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Foundation Porcelain
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1
Illamasqua Concealer 115
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder

Cheeks:
Givenchy Bucolic Poppy
Nars Hungry Heart (pink side)

Eyes:
Nars eye primer
GA ETKI #1 Blast of Blue (lid)
Chanel Id'O Vision (over top of Blast of Blue) <3 - super sparkly love it so much
UD liquid liner Sabbath
UD liner pencil Binge
GA ETK waterproof black pencil (waterline)
Stila Stay All Day black liner pen (tight line)
Anastasia Go Brow pencil
Fiberwig D.J.V Beautenizer Volume Lash
Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof (lowers)

Lips:
UD Lip Junkie Lip Gloss Jilted <3

I'm testing out a sample of the Korres mineral foundation and I think I like it!  The color seems about perfect and it wore nicely on me through the day.  It did get shiny on my nose after I'd had it on for a full day, but that's not a total deal breaker for me.

If you haven't tried the Urban Decay Lip Junkie glosses, I insist that you must.  They are among my favorites!  They stay on a decently long time, they are minty cool and fresh, they actually and I mean seriously actually plump up my lips over the long term, they hydrate, and they come in some pretty nice shades.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a safe and wonderful holiday!

Gilded Bronze

Face:
Armani Fluid Master Primer
Becca Radiant Skin foundation Porcelain mixed with Illamasqua Skin Base 2
Illamasqua concealer 115
Smashbox under eye primer
BareMinerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder
Guerlain Meteorites du Dragon

Cheeks:
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01
Illamasqua Lover
Nars Hungry Heart (gold side)

Eyes:
Nars eye primer
Belmacz Blitz (lid blended into crease)
RBR Bejewelled Skylark e/s (crease)
Makeup Geek Corrupt e/s (outer corner)
Sephora Moonshadow In the Night palette (gold on lid and lighter gold on inner crease)
MUFE 2L e/l (outer corner lowers)
MUFE 10L e/l (main portion of lowers)
Stila Sandstone e/s (smudged into 2L on lowers)
Stila Gilded Gold e/s (smudged into 10L on lowers)
Stila Champagne e/s (inner corner)
Too Faced In the Buff e/s (brow bone)
Stila Damsel Smudge Stick e/l (smudged into upper lash line)
Stila Stay All Day black pen e/l (tight line)
GA ETK black waterproof e/l pencil (waterline) <3
Illamasqua Liquid Metal Solstice (inner lowers)
Tarte taupe brow pencil
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof mascara (lowers)

Lips:
MAC Ruffian Gold lipstick


Okay.  I really struggled with the shape of the eyeshadow on this one.  I'm not sure I got it to where I wanted it (I actually tweaked it immediately after taking the pictures, too), but I was happy enough to stop obsessing!  I have a droopy crease on my left eye, coupled with an oddly high brow arch on my right eye, which is double trouble, if you ask me.  In any case, it's just makeup.  I tell myself that.  :)  It's not supposed to be perfect (and neither is my face).

I love how these colors make my eyes look super blue.

All in all, it was a great makeup day.  Everything wore exceptionally well on me, I am pleased to say.  The lipstick was probably the most finicky bit, but not in a major or truly annoying way.  I just had to check ever so often to make sure that the gold shimmer bits weren't wearing unevenly or bunching up in funny spots.

I realize that I used an absurd amount of things on my eyes.  Some days I just get lost in doing it and keep finding things I want to add in.  So I do.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions or comments.  :)

Quick Looks

Somehow I left myself with very little time to do my makeup the last few days.  What gets sacrificed, you ask?  The eyes, of course.  I used GA ETKI #8 as a wash, YSL's waterproof eyeliner pencil in 3 Ultramarine, lightly smudged, Illamasqua Vow on the waterline, Stila Stay All Day black liner pen for tightline, and Givenchy Noir Couture mascara.

On my face I am wearing Smashbox dark spot correcting primer (which smells a little strange after I've massaged it in), Amazing Cosmetics Velvet Mineral Pressed Powder, Illamasqua Hussy blusher,  Guerlain Meteorites Perles D'Or, and the BareMinerals Stroke of Light brightener under my eyes.  The lip color is Tarte's Luster in Obsession.

The next look is a little more amped up with the eyes, but not by much.  I used more mascara and shadow smudged into liner for a very quick smoky liner effect.

I'm wearing Tarte's lip Tint in Lust, which is one of my favorite reds ever because it's easy, quick, long lasting, low maintenance, and comfortable.  My pictures here make it look slightly pink but I assure you that in person it is a warmer, true red when layered to intensify (yes, I've layered it here but it just looks a little dull and cool).

On my eyes I am wearing GA ETKI 18 as a wash, Stila Lionfish Smudge Stick with RBR Abyssinian Catbird smudged into the uppers and UD Baked eyeliner pencil on the lowers (again, with Abyssinian Catbird smudged into it).  I've used Stila Stay All day black liner pen for tightlining, Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash mascara with Korres Volcanic over top on the uppers lashes, and Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof mascara on my lower lashes.  The mascara looked a little chunky, but seen from a reasonable distance gave me quite a nice dramatic look!

On my face I wore the Amore Pacific Tinted Moisturizer, which I continue to enjoy.  It's so smooth!  Also, my skin is very clear right now, so I have to wonder if I should give it that credit.  I finished with Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder, blushed with Stila's Custom Color Coral blush, and do believe I went for a dusting of the Guerlain Meteorites in Perles D'Or yet again.

I apologize that the last picture is so blurry, but I was smiling, so I decided to include it.  :)

I've obviously not listed every single detail of my makeup for either of these looks, so please feel free to ask about anything you see or wonder about that I've not mentioned.  Otherwise, I'll assume that you are happy just to breeze on by and see what I've been up to makeup-wise the last few days.  I'm hoping to get back to some more dramatic eye looks very soon.

Bronze & Shine

I've caught myself up to the present.  This is what I wore today!  This morning, I stupidly forgot that I would be wearing a pink t-shirt (the one you see here) or else I think I might have picked different colors for my makeup.  Yes, I put my makeup on while wearing my night gown.  That said, I don't think the bronze look was a total disaster with the really cool-toned and bright pink shirt.

I used Armani Eyes to Kill Intense shadows in 15 (lid and lowers) and 28 (crease).  They are quite similar, as you can see, but 28 has a rosy quality to it and is more sparkly where 15 is just metallic, if that makes sense.  I did a tone-on-tone eyeliner on my upper lash line, using Stila's Sparkle liner in Rock Candy.  You can just hardly even notice it here but it did add a tiny bit of extra definition, sparkle, and covered the area right up by my lashes, which is often neglected when I chose not to wear liner.

Oh look!  I'm smiling, mostly.  I know folks like to see smiling pictures, but gosh, it's hard to get a good one!

I decided to just wear gloss, which sadly looks washed out here.  It's Lorac's Multiplex 3D gloss in the color "3D," which is one of my favorite glosses ever.  It goes iridescent from bronze to pink and has a really lovely shimmer.  The forumla is superb as well.  It hydrates and is long lasting.  I adore these glosses and have several.

I think you can see the rosiness of ETKI #28 better in the picture above.  I wish the sparkle showed up better, though!  I guess that's what happens when you take pictures in indirect lighting, though, huh?

Face:
Illamasqua Skin Base 2 mixed with
Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Tinted Treatment Moisturizer 102
(approximately 1/4  Skin Base and 3/4 AP TM)
Bare Minerals Stroke of Light Luminous 1 (under eye)
Illamasqua Concealer 115
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder <3

Cheeks:
Guerlain Terracotta Light Blondes 01
Guerlain Terracotta Blush and Sun 03 Sun Tan (strictly as blush)
Laura Mercier Rose Rendezvous Illuminator

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
GA ETKI #15 (lid and smudged into liner on lowers)
GA ETKI #28 (crease)
Too Faced In the Buff e/s (inner corner)
Too Faced Pink Cheeks e/s (brow bone)
Urban Decay Baked eyeliner pencil (lower lash line and water line)
Stila Sparkle eyeliner Rock Candy (uppers)
Stila Stay All Day black liner pen (tightline)
Urban Decay El Dorado eyeliner pencil (inner lowers)
Fiberwig D.J.V. Beautenizer Volume Lash
Givenchy Phenomeneyes waterproof mascara (lowers)
Tarte Taupe brow pencil

Lips:
Lorac Multiplex 3D lip gloss "3D"

The mix of the Illamasqua Skin Base (which is too fair) and the Amore Pacific tinted moisturizer (which is only a pinch dark and yellow) provided a perfect match for me today.  It still went on like silky perfection and lasted great through the day.  I am loathe to mix bases only because I find it annoying and troublesome (where do I put the excess if I mix up too much?), however, in this case I'm glad I took the time to do so.  Also, it puts my sad and oft neglected Skin Base to good use.

What do you think of this look?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Icy Cool with Orgueil

This past week has been totally crazy!!  I am still tired from it.  Here is a face I did last Tuesday.

I intended to merely tightline my eyes, but ended up lining them more fully.  I was trying to paint the tops of the base of my lashes with my Stila Stay All Day pen and ended up hitting the edge of the lid as well.  I hate that my mascara doesn't always get the tops of base of my lashes perfectly black and since my lashes are naturally quite blonde, it's not exactly attractive that way.  In any case, it kind of ended up looking like fake fake lashes, don't you think?  The line mimics a band!

My face is really flushed here, thus I look super pink.  Additionally, the pressed Guerlain Meteorites compact I used is a rosy tint, which only added to the pink problem at this juncture.  Also, I did not fill in my brows at all that day, and was pleasantly surprised that no one seemed to notice them (or notice that they were missing).  I believe I was also able to pull this off due to the eye makeup being not very dramatic overall.

Face:
Miracle Skin Transformer Light
Guerlain Meteorites Compact Powder Teint Rose 01
I'm not sure what under eye concealer I used here - I think MUFE Lift 1
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Setting Powder (over concealer)

Cheeks:
Tarte AC Fantastic
Tarte AC Angelic

Eyes:
Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
GA ETKI #22 Ecailles (lid and blended into crease)
GA ETKI #23 Madre Perla (inner corner)
Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Fantasme (patted on over center of lid)
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Sterling (smudged into lower lash line)
Lorac Baked Matte Satin e/s Chic (brow bone)
Stila Smudge Stick e/l Silver Dollar (waterline)
Stila Stay All Day black e/l pen (tightline and upper lash line)
I'm not sure what mascara I wore here!  I think Benefit They're Real
Clinique Bottom Lash

Lips:
Guerlain Rouge G Extrait Orgueil

I have mixed feelings about the icy eyes.  I like that they are different for me but I also feel like they are lacking somehow.  The uber-sparkliness also did not translate in my pictures, unfortunately.  I do enjoy the contrast with the eyes and the lips.  The formula on the Rouge G Extraits is very nice - smooth, light, and comfortable on.  The packaging, of course, is silly and annoying, if you ask me.

The compact Meteorites powder was also a deviation in my routine.  I normally only use it when on vacation or while traveling (neither of which I do often).  It looked slightly too pink overall when I was not flushed, but nothing too noticeable.  Perhaps it would be better over a more yellow base to balance things out more.  Also, perhaps it would work better with a less blatantly pinky pink blush!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to ask questions about anything.  I'm going to try and play catch up from last week's looks over the next couple of days.  Wish me luck!