look of the day - A HAIRCUT, FINALLY

I haven't had an actual haircut in at least 8 months, likely more, and I finally went to the salon today.

Some things to note!

a) My bangs are doing weird things because my hair dried in a part too close to the center.

b) Obviously, there's a bit of a curl in my hair, but the actual length is at least two inches shorter.

c) I took this on my phone camera because it's a ton better than my point-and-shoot camera.

Kate requested a simple look for a regular high school day, so I've tried my best to replicate something and will provide cheaper dupes for products if I know of any.

For face products, start out with a BB cream if you need coverage all over your face. Generally, BB creams tend to be multipurpose, blurring imperfections while covering redness. I've used a Dr. Jart+ BB cream, but Maybelline makes two formulations (depending on skin type) that seem to work well. Take a concealer and cover up anything else you'd like to cover that the BB cream didn't. Maybelline Fit Me concealer is one that I quite like. For cheeks, a cream blush is quick and easy and can be applied with your fingers. Try one of Revlon's cream blushes or L'oreal's mousse blushes.

For eyes, take a shimmery pinky-nude eyeshadow and use it over the eyelid. This gives a wash of colour without complicating the process. If you want to take the extra step, use a taupe or purple-toned eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid. Eyeshadow can actually be skipped if you're feeling lazy or you don't have that much time to get ready. The brown eyeliner is the most important--draw a line across your upper lid. Brown is softer and more forgiving than black. (If you have oily eyelids, consider using an eyeshadow primer and a translucent powder to make sure your eyeliner doesn't smudge.) Finish with a coat of mascara--brown for lighter eyelashes, black for darker.

For the lips, use a pinky-nude lipstick. There are so many good ones out there--Lipstick Queen makes a universally flatter shade but it's definitely pricey. Revlon lip butters are a good place to start, but their balm stains are really good if you don't want to keep touching up throughout the day. The glossy part of the product might fade but it leaves a stain behind that will last several hours. Honey is a really good colour.

BROWS
Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express brow kit in Brunette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Granite

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Inner half of lid - Laura Mercier eyeshadow in Guava
Outer half of lid - Laura Mercier eyeshadow in Kir Royal
Upper lash line - marc jacobs highliner gel crayon in brown(out)
Lashes - ck one mascara in 800 black

FACE
Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Primer
Dr. Jart+ V7 Beauty Balm
Benefit boi-ing concealer in 01
stila convertible color dual lip & cheek cream in peony (I THINK. This was a sample and I can't find the shade name on it.)

LIPS
Lipstick Queen Jean Queen lipstick

autumn favourites - vampy lip colours

Okay, this post has been a long time in the making! If you're only just tuning into this blog, autumn is my favourite season and vampy lips are my jam. These photos don't really do any of the products/swatches justice, but these are all of the products I would consider fall-appropriate. (Also, this is likely the last post I'm making using my terrible point-and-shoot camera since I now have a smart phone with an amazing camera, REJOICE.) Of course, autumn doesn't just mean vampy lips and to hell with "seasonal beauty rules" if you prefer wearing neons or nudes or pinks, but there's something about cooler weather that just lends itself to berry lips in my mind.

I have quite the collection and if anyone wants better swatches, feel free to request them! Anything with an asterisk next to it is a favourite of mine. Every list is from left to right and where applicable, official colour descriptions are in parentheses. Note that I don't think they're always accurate.

• Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Dolly (shimmery sultry mauve)
• Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer in Shooting Stars (berry mauve with shimmer)
• Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Cabaret*
• Sephora Color Lip Last in 12 Royal Raspberry (matte fuschia)
• Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 11
• Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 107
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry
• Geek Chic Cosmetics JoyStick in Stay Classy (velvety burgundy)

• Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Brooklyn (harvest fig)
• NYX Butter Gloss in Devil's Food Cake (deep plum)
• Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Amarone (raisin berry)
• Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Bramble (black currant)
• Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Aubergine* (eggplant)
• Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Truffle (deep brown)
• Maybelline Color Sensational Matte Lipstick in Touch of Spice
• Maybelline Color Sensational Matte Lipstick in Divine Wine

• Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Rhubarb* (plum rose)
• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten
• Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Berry (berry pink)
• Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Bauhau5* (deep raspberry)
• Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Vampira* (deep reddish burgundy)
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen* (matte rich plum)
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania (matte deep violet)
• NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Plum (plum)
• NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Cabaret (plum red)
• NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Currant (plum)

• ILIA Tinted Lip Conditioner in Lust for Life (dark berry stain)
• NYX Butter Lipstick in Hunk (blue violet)
• NYX Butter Lipstick in Licorice (deep burgundy)
• rms beauty lip2cheek in diabolique* (rich burgundy)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Strumpet* (seedless grape red)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Stained Gloss in Nomad (gold-laced maroon)

• NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in Aphrodisiac (light brown plum)
• NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in Temptress (deep royal purple)
• NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in Bewitching (burgundy with blue undertone)
• NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in Covet (light red with rust pearl)
• NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in Enamored (deep brown with burgundy pearl)
• NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in She Devil (deep plum)

• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Anita* (browned burgundy)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Lydia* (darkroom plum)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Lydia (darkroom plum)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Black Dahlia* (blackest blackened red)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Black Dahlia (blackened red)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia* (blackened burgundy with red pearl)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Stained Gloss in Rhythm Box (translucent purpled burgundy)

(The lip tar swatches photographed the worst out of the whole bunch, but they tend to be my favourite, so I will likely take a better picture another time. They also bleed very easily because you only need a tiny drop for full-coverage, but to swatch them you need more, and then they start bleeding into every line of your skin. Lydia wasn't fully mixed when I swatched it so I re-did it below.)

• Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Fig* (lavender)
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Lydia* (darkroom plum)

Not pictured: Limnit Lipsticks in Swept Away (dusty rose), Castle In the Sky (slightly cool, pinky-purple), Olly Olly Oxen Free (medium oxblood with purple undertones/deep berry). I couldn't dig them out of my collection (buried in a shelf underneath other products) so I skipped them.

If you're afraid of trying a vampy lip and want a stepping stone, the cult classic Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is perfect. I also own this and could swatch it if someone requests it.

I've been slacking when it comes to autumn makeup and not really giving much thought to it, but these are some of the eyeshadow palettes that I think are perfect for the season! Lots of plummy shades and neutral tones leaning slightly dark.

• tarte Limited-Edition Rainforest After Dark Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette
• Lorac Skinny palette in Plum
• theBalm Nude Dude palette
• IT Cosmetics Matte Luxe Eye Shadow Palette
• both Lorac Pro palettes (the first leans warm, the second leans cool)

sailor moon series #1 - sailor chibi moon

Wow, where did the weekend go?

After spending Friday night and Saturday visiting my sister and my best friend at my alma mater, I came home late last night so I could catch a movie and a zombie makeup artist at a nearby theatre, and now it's the end of the weekend and it's weird.

This marks the start of a new series of looks! I've loved Sailor Moon for the majority of my life, ever since the dub first aired on television when I was a child. I started doing makeup looks for each sailor scout over on my Tumblr about 2-3 years ago, but I'd like to think my makeup skills have improved and maybe I'll actually finish it this time.

I'm aiming for matching my hair to each sailor scout, so this series is going to take a while, but hopefully it's worth it. Since my hair is currently pink, the natural first character is Chibi-Usa, or Sailor Chibi Moon.

Okay, so the eye makeup is not immediately noticeable in this photo, but it's really not that important. I used a white eyeshadow in the inner corners, a light pink in the center of my lids, and a slightly more vibrant blue-toned pink in the outer corners and under the lower lash line. Taupe eyeliner finished all the eye makeup and then I curled my lashes and put on some falsies. If I were to do this look again, I'd line my lower waterline with a white eyeliner to give the wide-eyed, shoujo look.

My eyebrows are lighter than I've worn them in some time because I went with powder rather than the Dipbrow since Chibi-Usa is young, and I wanted to emulate that somewhat.

I used a light gold-pink eyeshadow in place of blush and a blue-toned pink lip colour topped with a multi-dimensional white shimmer gloss.

My hair is in pigtails to further emphasise the youthfulness of this look and the character. I'm still debating wearing clothing in the character's colour scheme, but I went with it and apparently all I have that's pink is this old sundress.

BROWS
Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express brow kit in Brunette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Granite

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Inner corner - Urban Decay eyeshadow in Bobby Dazzle (metallic white/pale gold micro-glitter)
Center of lid - Geek Chic Cosmetics eyeshadow in Pretty Guardian + Urban Decay eyeshadow in Alien (pink-peach/golden shift)
Outer corner + lower lash line - Sugarpill Chromalust pigment in Birthday Girl (princess pink with fuchsia sparkles)
Crease - Sugarpill pressed eyeshadow in @#$%! (vampy pearl red with silver metallic sheen)
Liner - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Desperation (deep taupe to gray matte)
False lashes - Ardell Fairies Black lashes

FACE
Urban Decay Naked Skin liquid foundation in 1.0
Benefit boi-ing concealer in 01
Under eyes - It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Corrector Concentrate Cream in Light
Urban Decay eyeshadow in Scratch (rose gold shimmer)

LIPS
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan (mid-tone blue-toned pink)
Shiro Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Moon Prism Power