j.r.r. tolkien's the hobbit series #2 - elves

Greetings! It's been a long time since my last post. Last week was Thanksgiving (I hope you all had a good holiday if you celebrate, or a good start to Hanukkah, or you just had a good weekend. Maybe you all went shopping and I hope you got what you wanted!) and my sister was home for the week. Her first semester of university is almost over and it's weird.

I've been in a bit of a poor mood as of late, so I haven't had much inspiration to post anything. But I did do this look over a week ago and it's about time that I show you all! I'll admit that I'm not the most dedicated fan of LOTR or The Hobbit, if only because I was really behind in watching the LOTR trilogy and now I'm only just catching up. Regardless, everyone knows that the elves of Middle Earth are arguably the best race, and at the very least, they're certainly very pretty. Any mention of elves and I immediately think of how glowing and gorgeous they always are, and they're usually surrounded by blue tones.

This look focuses heavily on blue and white and is a bit heavier than what you'd see in the movies, but rest assured that it was intentional. In the first Hobbit film, the elves seem to be after their own interests, so they seem darker as a whole than they did in the LOTR films. In the second film, they feature heavily in the trailers and I'm really excited to see them in action, especially Thranduil the Khaleesi. (Come on, did you all see his sassy cape removal? It was straight out of Anastasia!)

I couldn't help myself--I had to pay homage to Lee Pace's fabulous eyebrows, so the brows in this look are darker than I usually do. The dark liner is in part inspired by Egyptian makeup, but the double liner also serves as a reminder that the elves aren't always there to be the good guys. The most important part of this look is the glitter.

LOOK AT HOW IT SPARKLES. For some reason, the little curlicues I drew on with a sparkling white shadow were hardly visible unless I did a close-up like this. If you look closely, there's one underneath my eye. I would advise drawing these in with a white eyeliner and then putting eyeshadow over that if you want it to look more noticeable!

1. Apply foundation as necessary. Elves seem to have consistently flawless, glowing skin, so you're aiming for that sort of look. Don't use a matte foundation if you can avoid it. Instead, look for something more luminous.
2. Conceal any dark spots or redness that you have. Your skin should look like a blank canvas!
3. Prime your eyelid. I was being really bratty with my eyeshadow choices and decided I needed to use three different colours that ended up looking almost the same in these photos, so feel free to just pick one light, blue-based, iridescent eyeshadow for your entire lid. I really recommend something like Sugarpill Lumi because it's one of the best investments you could make in an eyeshadow.
4. Tightlining your upper lashline with a black liner is optional, but it will help make the look more cohesive. Using either a dark, metallic blue eyeliner (Urban Decay has several and I know that other brands will likely have good ones, as well) or a dark blue eyeshadow with a damp brush, line your upper lid. Extend the line outward and upward to your liking.
5. Repeat the previous step on the lower lid.
6. Now to add some glitter. Lit Cosmetics has a liquid glitter base that you use to make the glitter stay on, but it really depends on what you use. I think their base is excellent and provides a really good foundation for the glitter. Line the upper lid over the previous eyeliner with whatever base you're using, and then apply deep blue glitter over it.
7. Line your lower waterline with a white eyeliner to make your eyes pop.
8. Using a loose white/blue eyeshadow with a damp brush, draw on as many curlicues as you'd like around the eye area. If you're as pale as I am, they might not show up too well. I would suggest drawing them in with a white eyeliner first and then going over them with the eyeshadow.
9. Fill in the space between the upper and lower winged liner with glitter base. Take a clear iridescent glitter and pat it over that space.
10. Curl your lashes and put on a few coats of mascara. Use a waterproof formula over a regular one if you're wearing this look to the movies! (I wouldn't advise it, as the dark liner might travel quite a bit down your face, but do whatever your heart desires.)
11. Fill in your brows. You don't have to go as heavily in as I did, but I wanted to make it dramatic so the eyes didn't wash me out. I also tipped my brows with some iridescent shadow after applying a brow gel and waiting until it was tacky, but I don't think you can actually tell the difference in these photos or in real life.
12. Blush is optional! You want a lip colour that won't complete with the strong eye and the strong brow, so apply a nude colour. Nude doesn't necessarily mean concealer coloured lips, either--think a my-lips-but-better shade, so something a little more pink, and don't be afraid to go a little more pigmented if your natural lip colour is very pink.

BROWS
Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express brow kit in Brunette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Granite
Oslo Cosmetics loose eyeshadow in Dark Days: Pyxis (light iridescent duochrome pink-violet)

EYES
Lid - Shiro Cosmetics loose eyeshadow in Nestyr (violet-lavender with blue shimmer, discontinued)
Center of lid - Fyrinnae loose eyeshadow in Jade Ghost (white-green shimmer)
Crease - Sugarpill Chromalust pigment in Lumi (snow white with turquoise sheen)
Upper lash line - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion (deepest matte black)
Liner - Sugarpill Chromalust pigment in Magpie (black with metallic blue sheen) + Lit Cosmetics glitter in Elton Jon S2 (matte peacock teal glitter)
Lower waterline - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Yeyo (metallic white)
Decoration - Lit Cosmetics glitter in Barbie Shops S3 (clear iridescent glitter) + Fyrinnae loose eyeshadow in Otherworld (pale aqua shimmer)
Lashes - Maybelline Volum' Express the Mega Plush mascara in Blackest Black

FACE
Urban Decay Naked Skin liquid foundation in 1.0
Benefit boi-ing concealer in 01
Maybelline Fit Me foundation stick in 235

LIPS
rms beauty lip shine in moment (light rose-brown)
Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in White Russian (nude pink)

You can see that there isn't much colour on the lid. Most of the eyeshadows I used rely on duochrome and iridescence, so certain angles will show more saturation and different shades. I also had a lot of transfer from the liner onto my crease, so that's why it's kind of darker than I had originally planned. Whoops!

I think I'll do an elf look that is more based on what Galadriel and Arwen (and Tauriel, though her look seems more simple) wear in the films, so keep an eye out for that!