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

(belated) look of the day - BEST EYESHADOW POSSIBLY EVER

Disclaimer 1: This look was from Saturday. I took the pictures and rushed out of the house and just completely forgot to write this post.

Disclaimer 2: The title is misleading, probably. I'm just kind of obsessed with this colour and want to use it in everything.

Disclaimer 3: I just wanted a third disclaimer.

Saturday was my best friend Katina's graduation/birthday party, so naturally, I was later than intended because I had to do my makeup. I ordered a package from Beautylish on Wednesday at about 10PM and it was at my front door on Friday around 5PM. Their customer service is PHENOMENAL. On two separate occasions, I had something happen to my packages (a lipstick in the wrong shade was mailed and a face oil had leaked) and on both occasions, they were so nice about it that they just gave me replacements free of charge. Seriously, go check it out.

Anyway, so I took the advice of Phyrra who advised everyone to get this eye shadow and I just have to say that I wholeheartedly agree, even if my greasy lids made it crease after some undetermined time. (I wasn't close to a mirror to check it until right before I left Katina's house around 10:30PM and I did my makeup about 12 hours prior.)

I should have taken better pictures but I was already running late.

Anyway, this look was actually quite simple. Take a copper cream eyeshadow and tap that into your inner corner and blend it toward the center of your eyelid, then take the Inglot pigment in 81, the most gorgeous copper-pink metallic shade, and press that on top and toward the outer corner of your lids. Next, take a darker matte taupe shade and blend that into the outer corner of your lids. I used several shadows to achieve the effect I wanted, but if you have a trusty darker taupe, just use the one and save yourself some trouble. Create whatever shape suits you--I just blended it out without really caring what the shape was and that worked out just fine, but if you want to be more precise, go for it. Blend the matte taupe shade into the metallic shade and please, do a better job than I did.

I didn't bother with mascara because it was going to be warm outside, but I did use a thin flat liner brush to tightline my upper lash line. The gold eyeliner on the lower lash line is optional, but I thought it rounded out the look a bit.

My eyebrows are actually purple here, but the flash makes them look a bit more brown. I also didn't put on blush, but the lip colour is lighter to balance out the slightly heavier eye.

BROWS

Inner half - Laura Mercier eyeshadow in Plum Smoke (matte smoky amethyst)

Outer half - Sephora eyeshadow in Blueberry Muffin No 30 (black plum matte)

Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Granite

EYES

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Inner half - LUSH Cream Eyeshadow in Happiness (sunset copper shimmer) + Inglot Cosmetics AMC Pure Pigment Eye Shadow in 81 (metallic copper-pink)

Outer half - Sigma Beauty eyeshadow in Hitch (matte medium-dark ash-brown) and Snoop (matte dove grey)

Upper lash line - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion (matte blackest black)

Lower lash line - NYX Slide On Liner in Glitzy Gold (pure gold)

Under eyes - Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 15 Fair

FACE

Urban Decay Naked Skin liquid foundation in 1.0

Benefit boi-ing concealer in 01

LIPS

Geek Chic Cosmetics JoyStick in The Last Cetra (metallic purple-toned light pink)

look of the day - purple wedding

IT'S A LOVELY DAY FOR A PURPLE WEDDING.

I'm going to try not to spoil anyone who hasn't read the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but I'm just saying that I'm so excited for tonight's episode of Game of Thrones that I had to base a look on it. And I might be on the verge of throwing up because I'm so excited.

The brows were done like the ones in this previous look. For the eyes, all you need to do is take a shimmery purple eyeshadow and apply that to the inner half of your lid and then take a shimmery charcoal shadow to the outer half. I was finicky and had to use two different purple eyeshadows and a shimmery white eyeshadow in the inner corner. All eyeshadows were Sugarpill because they're fabulous.

Using the purple eyeshadow, trace your lower lash line. Then take a black eyeliner and line your upper and lower waterlines. You don't want to go too overboard with the eyeliner because you're already wearing a smoky eye with a dramatic lip, but of course, if you want to forego the purple lipstick, feel free to line your eyes a little more heavily.

Excluding the usual foundation/concealer routine (I tried Wayne Goss' tip about putting powder on before foundation), all I used on my face was a foundation a few shades darker than my skin tone for contour and a touch of blush on my cheeks.

Because the lips are so dramatic and vibrant, it's probably a good idea to wear lip liner if you plan to wear it out. I left that step out, but since purple liners aren't that openly available, a clear lip liner would be great. (I prefer cruelty-free brands, but if you don't mind that as much, MAC has some purple liners. NYX is a good cruelty-free option that is also easy on the wallet! I know there are a bunch of other brands out there, too, but I'm forgetting them all.)

BROWS
Inner corner - Laura Mercier eyeshadow in Plum Smoke (matte smoky amethyst)
Inner brow - Sephora eyeshadow in Blueberry Muffin No 30 (black plum matte)
Outer brow - Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Brunette (darker shade)

EYES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Inner corner - Sugarpill pressed eyeshadow in Diamond Eyes (satin white with crystalline sheen)
Inner lid - Sugarpill Chromalust pigment in Weekender (metallic blue-violet)
Center of lid + lower lash line - Sugarpill pressed eyeshadow in Elemental Chaos (deep grape shimmer with iridescent blue undertones)
Outer corner - Sugarpill pressed eyeshadow in Soot & Stars (metallic gunmetal with prismatic sparkle)
Waterlines - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion (matte blackest black)

FACE
bareMinerals Prime Time foundation primer
bareMinerals mineral veil
Urban Decay Naked Skin liquid foundation in 1.0
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer in Light
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 15 Fair
Contour - Maybelline Fit Me foundation stick in 235
Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow

LIPS
Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in 215 Shameless
Corners of lips - NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania (matte deep violet)

WHO ELSE IS EXCITED?! Please come talk to me if you've read the books and are super pumped like I am!

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)