look of the day - colour of the year

Wow, it's been a while.

I started my first adult job two weeks ago, so that's my excuse for not posting. I'm a civil engineer working in Construction services and I happen to be the only girl of eight people in the trailers--yes, we work in trailers but they're not shoddy so it's okay--and my work hours are from 7AM - 3:30PM. Any time I do bother to put on makeup, I very rarely bother doing anything elaborate, partially because I'm trying to keep a low profile during my first year, and partially because doing my makeup at about 6AM is never conducive to anything creative.

All I do is wear jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater to work every day anyway, so anything colourful just looks sort of out of place.

I had planned to do something last weekend for the blog, but my sister came home from university and we ended up out of the house pretty much the entire time. My parents decided to go to some orchid show at Botanic Gardens and so I was home alone for the first time in months, so makeup time was definitely available!

I'm sure you've all heard that Pantone's colour of the year is Radiant Orchid, and if you haven't... Surprise! This look is centered on the shade. Now, I tried the eye look with two different lip colours, one of them being OCC's lip tar in Hoochie, which is slightly more purple than the colour of the year. It looked really weird to me in the photos, but I'll post one anyway.

... Yeah, I like the lip colour, but not in this look! (Also, the CC cream from Smashbox that I used was a sample in a shade that's too dark for my skin, but it was the lightest shade that wasn't noticeably pink.)

The brows might be my favourite part of this look. I used a normal brown brow powder to fill in the outer edge and arch, but using two muted purple shades from an eyeshadow palette, I filled in the front of my brows, with the lighter shade in the innermost part and the darker shade toward the arch. (Note to self: wear brows like this more often once you dye your hair purple-brown/burgundy.)

For the eyes, take a purple shade with golden shimmer and tap that into the inner corner. Then take a pigmented, mostly matte red-toned purple across the lid. Using a medium-deep brown, blend it into the outer corner and up toward the crease, and take a deep purple to smooth the transition between bright purple and brown. Taking a shimmery purple shade, press it into the crease above the lid. Use a matte, creamy shade to blend the colours toward the brow bone. Line the upper waterline and lash line with a black pencil.

Underneath the eye, gently sweep a light pink shimmer close to the lash line. Take a deep taupe pencil and line the lower waterline. Finish off the eyes with a coat or two of mascara.

This look needs a bit of blush to balance it out, even for someone like me who doesn't like to use blush too often. I actually used a cream eyeshadow for blush--it's so much fun to use makeup in unexpected ways.

For the lips, you can just use a pinky nude shade if you want to wear this out and about. (By the way, I think it's totally great for daily wear. Purples are easy to tone down to seem like neutrals.)

Any listed eyeshadow shade that doesn't have a brand name attached is from the Laura Mercier Artist's Palette. One day, I'll write a rave review about this palette because the shadows were so easy to blend and use and they managed to make a neutral palette not boring by incorporating pink tones and purples, BUT today is not that day. Not when it's evening and all I want to do is sleep because Daylight Savings Time threw me off.

BROWS
Inner corner - Plum Smoke (matte/smoky amethyst)
Inner brow - Violet Ink (matte/muted eggplant purple)
Outer brow - Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Brunette (darker shade)

EYES
theBalm Put a Lid On It! eyeshadow primer
Inner corner - African Violet (luster/violet copper shimmer)
Lid - Sugarpill pressed eyeshadow in 2AM (matte purple with slight pearl sheen)
Outer corner - Truffle (matte/deep chocolate taupe)
Crease - Kir Royal (sateen/deep aubergine) + Victorian Disco Cosmetics loose eyeshadow in Water Siblings (pink-purple with bright blue shimmer)
Browbone - Vanilla Nuts (matte/light neutral champagne)
Lower lash line - Guava (sateen/peach stucco)
Lower waterline - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Desperation (deep taupe to gray matte)
Upper waterline + lash line - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (black)
Lashes - Maybelline Volum' Express the Mega Plush mascara in Blackest Black

FACE
Smashbox Camera Ready CC Cream in Light
Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Concealer in Light 16
Blush - Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal 24HR Cream Gel Shadow in 55 Inked in Pink

LIPS
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmpetics lip tar in Hoochie (extreme magenta)
NYX Cosmetics Butter Lipstick in Hunk (website says "blue violet" but it's definitely a cool-toned magenta pink)