BSB: Beauty news, makeup swatches and pictures, nail polish articles, makeup tutorials, product reviews, and how-to's from a MAC-trained makeup artist.

Is "simple" a bad word?

Are you feeling it? That frazzled, overwhelmed and undermotivated post-holiday crash? There's a degree of stress, going back to our routines after the happy chaos of the holidays. The more hectic things get, the more I like to simplify when I can.

When did "simple" become a bad word? There's nothing wrong with simple or easy or basic. My wine doesn't have to be the oakiest, my car the snazziest, my shoes the totteriest, my nails the blingiest. And my makeup looks don't have to be fancy, done with 32 products, and difficult to execute.

Simple is OK.

Simple is comfortable, like a favorite pair of jeans with an oft-washed tee. Simple is homey, like a roast chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Simple is traditional, like dinner and a flick at the mall theater. Simple is a break from stress, like a walk in the park with your dog or a friend. Simple is familiar, like a playlist of all your favorite songs. Simple is a reward of sorts, like  being curled up on the couch with a book, some tea, and a throw.

Simple is OK.

Easy, familiar things are calming and soothing any time, really, and are things I lean on more and more the older I get - anytime, not just when I'm stressed.

I think I'm going to focus on Simple this year on BSB.
It's not that I do particularly complex looks anyway, but I put a lot of pressure on myself thinking I should. But most -like 95%- of my makeup clients want simple looks and tricks. Maybe there are some blog readers who are looking for the same thing...? Maybe they don't want rainbow eyes or 5 shades of shadow and 3 lip products! They want easy and dependable over fancy and complicated. They want something they can do everyday, quickly, but have it look good. They want products that work, and when they find them they'll buy them over and over and over.

So, I'm going to focus on Simple. Ease. Comfort. Dependability.

Here's my first Simple Look.
It fits the bill by using basic and flattering colors that enhance my features but isn't hard to do. Take a look...

How to get this look, simply.

• I counteracted my undereye circles with Bobbi Brown Corrector, then used concealer to cover spots. (My shade: Porcelain Bisque)
• A little foundation mixed with moisturizer and/or primer gives a believable look to skin while still evening-out my skintone and adding a bit of radiance (so I don't look as haggard as I feel!). (Primer: Murad Skin Perfecting Primer Dewy Finish; Foundation: MAC Face & Body)
  
• I filled in my brows because they help frame my eyes. What does that really mean? It brings attention to my eyes (where most of us like the focus to be) and makes me look "done" (but not overdone, if I keep it light!). (Chanel brow trio)
• I lightly brushed a glowy peachy shade onto my cheeks, which makes me look more lively (catching onto the theme?!).
• A dab of primer on the eyes (I used Urban Decay Primer Potion today) helps shadow adhere and not crease. An extra step, yes, but worth every second and penny!
• A light, shimmery-but-not-glittery shadow went from lash to above the crease. This brightens andlifts and opens up the eye area so I look awake-ish. (MAC Grand Entrance ~ champagne shimmer)
• My eyes are full in the area above the crease, so I like to dab a slightly darker shade there to "contour" (read: pretend that area isn't so puffy). Totally a skipable step if your eyelids aren't fat! (MAC Style Snob ~ grey/taupe shimmer)
• I took a creamy brown and pressed it onto my lashline. In this case, I used a Paint Pot but any cream, gel, pencil or powder would work. (MAC Quite Natural ~ creamy midtone brown)
• Simple: brown mascara. Three coats. (Covergirl Lash Blast)
• My favorite neutral lipstick is MAC Gleam (shimmering, frosty taupe-mauve). What's yours?

And that's it, my friends. Simple. Pretty. Simply pretty!

Blue eye shadow - a visual history

"Blue shadow looks so dated."
I probably should have tackled that statement as a BSB Beauty Mythbuster article! But you know, in all honesty I am sure it would have resulted in a "plausible" rating.

Blessed Cursed with possibly the worst rep in the beauty biz, blue eye shadow has had its heyday several times in the last sixty or seventy years. I'm willing to bet we'll be seeing it for decades to come.

I wanted to take a look at the various incarnations of blue shadow fashions (minus "Crazy Cat Lady", which is essentially a personalized blend of any of the following and with a heavy, albeit gin-soaked and unsteady, hand).

The Fifties

The introduction of blue into the modern woman's makeup repertoire. This was when men were men, and women wore perfect makeup to clean the house. Your look wasn't complete without your pearls and red lipstick. Blue eye makeup wasn't required, but certainly helped. Most often it was confined to the lids and put on carefully before topping with a perfectly rounded brow and precisely placed mascara.

The Sixties
Makeup got bolder in the Sixties as society loosened up a bit. In the Mod look (not the only trend, but the one most identified as being from the era) eyeliner and mascara were the king and queen, crowning a brightly painted lid. Lips were most often a very chalky pink and cheeks were "bronzed" a "healthy" orange.




The Seventies
Blue makeup got the sideeye from this decade's hippie chicks, who favored long, center-parted hair and minimal embellishments (though sometimes a peace sign would be painted on a smiling cheek!). Blue liner made some appearances, a nice accent to the heavily bronzed orange cheeks  that were hallmarks of the "healthy look" that was so popular. The latter part of the Seventies brought disco, in all its glory. The hip hustled to grab glitter and sequins and bold colors for their dancing dress and eye makeup alike.





The Eighties, Part One
I picked two Eighties looks because they were so vastly different. The Seventies stranglehold on fashion left many denim-clad women still standing with a minimalistic approach to beauty but a yearning for more. Taking eyeliner and sponge applicator firmly in hand, they doused their eyes with blue faster than you could say Berlin Wall. The blues were bright and the liner heavy-handed. This look took hold and stayed put for years for many women, just like feathered hair. Were we the only ones who called them "wings"?



The Eighties, Part Two
Pop, Punk, New Wave and Heavy Metal. These musical movements had a strong influence on makeup. Boundaries were being pushed everywhere, and excess was In. Color wasn't confined any more than anything else was, resulting in bright stripes, blocks of colors, and makeup that left the lid and cheekbones and traveled... well, everywhere! Colors didn't have to match your mohawk or jelly bracelets. In fact, it was probably better if they clashed.

The Nineties
I always think of the Nineties as MAC's makeup era. Sure, the brand started in '85, but they were everywhere by the time Bill Clinton famously ordered that pizza. For those not rocking the grunge look (read: Hot Mess.) (Editor's Note: me), makeup was getting reigned in, sort of. As a delicate counterpoint to an extension of the structured shoulderpads and carefully coiffured hair, cheeks were being chisled and eyes were getting shaped. MAC artists taught us how to contour, and we ran with it. Browns were "natural", despite their orangey tones, and we put them on eyes, cheeks and lips in the early part of the decade. But blue was there, too, with much layering and blending and shaping. And let us not fail to point out that this was the era of the darker lipliner and lighter fill-in. Those were dark days, indeed...

Turn of the Century - "The Aughts"
Pendulums swing, and as we left the sculpted 90's we entered a reactive era of... more sculpting. But this time it was a bit more natural. In fact, some things were almost erased! The 90's lived on for most of us, and we kept blending and shading and playing with color, but thanks to fashion trends and makeup advances we were learning how to downplay, too. Gone was the muddy contouring and shimmery highlighting of the previous decade. Instead, we modeled ourselves after the runway models and nude'd our lips and played up our smokey eyes. Or, conversely, we bolded our lips and all but erased our eyes. We also played with the past, bringing a little of this and a little of that into our fashion, music, art and makeup. Reality TV and dermal fillers impacted our fight against aging and our need to have the smoothest skin, the most arched eyes, and the whitest teeth. At least we could do our blue smokey eyes to bring out our happy fish faces for our MySpace profiles!

 

Now
I'm not sure where things are going to go, but with the hi-def trend firmly in place it may continue to lean towards the uber-natural. On TV we can see every line, wrinkle and blemish. We're already terrified of aging, though in my opinion that fear is loosening a bit. My prediction? In another ten years we'll be focused even more on Healthy instead of Fighting Aging. Wrinkles will be accepted, if not embraced, and we'll be getting them later as we reap the rewards of our careful use of SPFs. (Except, of course, for Snookie and the gang, who will find their aging guido years a bit more rough, I suspect).

This is how I'm currently rocking blue eye shadow: with a grounding taupe or brown and in a greyed-blue shade that complements my skintone. It accents my eyes without drawing attention away from my skin and my natural-ish my-lips-but-better lipstick. Moderate gloss, please. How do you wear blue now?

 
 

Getting that Bobbi Brown look!

I mentioned before that I was freelancing for Bobbi Brown. What fun! It's such a nice line and works on any skintone or skintype and (yay!) skin color. While you can create any look you desire with Bobbi Brown makeup, there is a certain look that typifies "a Bobbi woman".

Let's take a look...

What do you see? 

1. Glowing skin (not foundation)
2. Flushed, pink cheeks
3. A natural but healthy lip color
4. Eyeliner
   

Most importantly, you see what is unique and beautiful about each woman.

Those are the keys to the Bobbi look. Sure, you can go super-natural or sexy and dramatic,  but whatever look you choose, these are the keys to "being Bobbi". Well, except the lipstick thing -- a dramatic lip is ok from time to time. ;)

Learn how to craft the look! Keep reading.

Five Days, Five Ways: MAC Melon Pigment - Sunset Eyes

I'm playing catch up here! OK... we've got "Sunset Eyes" which is mostly a really orange eye.

PS: This is amazing on blue-eyed gals!

Originally, this was going to be more of a gradation, but it seems putting the golden-bronze base sort of evened everything out and made it a subtle orange fade. Still nice, but not what I had planned. A happy accident. :)

You need:

• A bronze eyeshadow base (optional) (I used MAC Indianwood Paint Pot)
• MAC Melon Pigment
• A midtone orange pigment or eyeshadow (I used MAC Off The Radar Pigment)
• A dark orangey-copper pigment or shadow (I used MAC Coppering eyeshadow)
• A soft peach shadow (or gold or beige) (I used MAC Jest eyeshadow)
• Black eyeliner
• Mascara
• Foundation etc
• An orangey pink lipgloss (I made mine -stay tuned!)

Steps:

• Apply your base to the lid and crease. Pat the edges with your fingers to blend it into the skin. Optionally, simply apply the next step with a dampened brush or put the shadows over your base of choice.
• Using a fluffy brush, sweep Melon on the crease and slightly above.
• Pat a medium orange shadow or pigment onto the lid.
• Using a pencil brush or small eyeshadow brush, apply a darker copper shade to the outer "v" of the lid and under the lower lashline. If you need more intensity, dampen your brush first.
• Line the top lashline with black liner.
• Press the soft peach shadow into the area around the tearduct and blend it onto the browbone.
• Apply mascara.
• I also used Melon on my cheeks to highlight! I love that look.

 

 

Five Days, Five Ways: MAC Melon Pigment - Melon Mushroom

 Hi, beauties!

Here's Day 1, Way 1 for our pretty peach Pigment from MAC: Melon. Read the rest of the days & ways by visiting the hub post, here.



MAC Melon +  MAC Subtle Pigment = Melon Mushroom

Clever name for a look? Maybe not, but the color combo is genius! Golden cantelope meets glowing taupe.

Perfect for: Cool, fair complexions (like mine!); blue eyed beauties; almost any fair-to-medium complexion and many darker tones. I see no reason to limit this to a particular age group, though very crepey eyes will show their lines with all of the shimmer (but who cares?!).

Wear it: Just about anywhere. The peach isn't screaming "ORANGE" so she's not too bright to pull off in quieter arenas. The taupe does a good job of grounding her to keep her from looking too young or silly.

Take a look at how they swatch. The inner swatches were applied dry and the outer two were applied iwth a dampened brush.

There's more on the next page, so keep reading!

Five Days, Five Ways: MAC Melon Pigment

Beauties,

Are you having a good Monday? I know, I know. "Good Monday" is an oxymoron. And to add insult to injury, it's even raining where I am. Well, at least the weekend was good! We went antiquing on Saturday and just had a cozy day yesterday. What did you do?

To cheer us up from the Monday thing, I'm introducing a new BSB feature called Five Days, Five Ways. It's going to run pediodically and give us a chance to look at one product used a few different ways. I am going to keep this to permanent products, rather than Limited Edition items (at least, I am most of the time). I thought that way we can have more of a chance to all play together!

Please let me know how you'd use the Five Days, Five Ways products when you see this feature. You're always welcome to submit your own looks, comments, or thoughts!

Without further ado...

 

 

 

MAC Melon Pigment

This Pigment is one of my favorites. In fact, it's on of my favorite products in the whole wide world.  :)  Since it's being repromoted in this week's Venomous Villains collection (it's part of the Dr. Facilier portion of the set), I thought it was place to start our Five Days, Five Ways series. Plus, if you buy it as part of the Villains collection, you get special packaging. Cool!

Pigments, for those of you not familiar with the product, are loose color powders that can be used in an astounding number of ways. Other companies make similar loose powder products, but the MAC brand calls theirs "Pigments". They're quite, well, pigmented. You can apply them to skin, hair, lips, mix them in lotion, make them into nail polishes, or a few other things. Of course, not all are eye-safe or lip-safe, so be sure to check the recommendations on the item before you get too creative!

Melon is a soft orange shade that makes me think of cantelope. MAC describes it as "bright golden peach". Below are some pictures and swatches of my Melon pigment, which is in the older style of packaging. The new jar is a bit more narrow and tall.

Stay tuned for the first look I came up with for Melon. It's on its way, soon. I'll link all of the Five Days, Five Ways for Melon to this post as they publish, so you may want to bookmark this if you're curious about this awesome Pigment!

1. Melon Mushroom
2. Melon Sunrise
3. Melon nails
4. Melon Sunset
5. Bronzed Melon

Do you have Melon Pigment? Like it? Love it? Hate it? How do you like to wear it, or what would you pair with it?
Do you use loose pigment products, or prefer the pressed?

Smoke gets on your eyes - three "looks" with LORAC Private Affair palette

So you probably just read my review for LORAC's Private Affair pallete, which is a gorgeous burgundy faux-croc case housing 6 soft smokey shades. If not, go read it. We'll wait for you here. ;)

After the jump are three "looks" I did with the palette.

Aromaleigh look with Victoria's Revenge | Look 2

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More from the new shadows I just got. This time purples.
See my post on Aromaleigh's new group of hot colors, Victoria's Revenge.

If you like MAC's Cinderfella (LE) and Young Punk (LE) and other shades of that ilk, you'll love Aromaleigh's Poison Utopia.
If you like MAC's Violet Pigment but also like a bit of sparkle, you'll love Aromaleigh's Mourning's Whimsy.

Here's how the look breaks down:
Eyes are MAC Bare Canvas Paint as primer; Aromaleigh Poison Utopia (deepest purple with gorgeous shimmer) on the outer half of the lid; Mourning's Whimsy (violet on fire) on the inner half of the lid; MAC Emote blush (muted taupe) in the crease as a bridge.

Also making an appearance: MAC Full Coverage foundation; MAC Dame blush on cheeks; Bobbi Brown Medium Bronzer; Clinique High Lengths Mascara; Givenchy Phenom'Eyes - the funky-looking brush one, in purple; Bobbi Brown Black Pearl gloss (grey-taupe), MAC Smolder on the top waterline.

Aromaleigh look with Victoria's Revenge | Look 1

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Love this collection! See my post on Aromaleigh's new group of hot colors, Victoria's Revenge.

If you like MAC's Sumptious Olive shadow and Golden Olive Pigment, you'll want to add Private Lunacy to your stash.

If you like unusual colors, collect yellows, or are seeking the perfect mustard shade, you'll love Airy Ethos.

If you hoard red-browns, chocolates, or like MAC's Embark, Folie, and Cut to Fit (LE), you'll love Perpetual Motion. 

If you dig oranges or coppers, have blue eyes(!), or like MAC's Coppering, you'll flip for Braze & Bitter.

Here's how the look breaks down:
Eyes are MAC Painterly Paint Pot as primer; Aromaleigh Airy Ethos (mustard gold with shimmer) on inner corner; Brazen & Bitter (rusted coral with shimmer) in the middle of the lid and crease; Perpetual Motion (burnt chocolate with a hint of rust and shimmer) on the outer 1/3; Private Lunacy (shimmery moss green) along the lower lashline.

Also making an appearance: MAC Full Coverage foundation; MAC Improper Copper Cream Color Base on cheeks; Clinique High Lengths Mascara; Chanel Creme Gloss Lumiere (color unknown and besides they don't make this stuff anymore). Oh, and I tossed MAC Blacktrack on the waterlines, top and bottom. Not that it stayed in place for long. ;)

Since this look reminded me of the retro shades I've been loving lately, I put on my tie-dye t-shirt and spritzed on some patchouli (ok... it was Tom Ford White Patchouli, so not really the same as the hippies wore, but the spirit was there).

Aromaleigh's new collection "Victoria's Revenge"

Look deeply into my eyes and listen while I tell you a tale
of Aromaleigh's new collection, "Victoria's Revenge".

A stunning collection of deep, rich shades that suite your Gothic Lolita steampunk Victorian esthetic. A little secret: even if that's not your thing you can still wear these amazing colors! You guys... this collection is AMAZING.

Stay tuned for some looks done with these colors. The first one is coming later today.

See the collection here. See swatches here. Buy tons of makeup from the collection here.
Keep reading for the color descriptions and insight into the inspiration for the collection.

Currently...

 

I've been reaching for my fuchsia lipglosses and my purple shadows a lot more lately (I even grabbed a fuchsia polish because I just couldn't get enough!).  My stash is light on the fuchsia, which is depressing me, so I feel a lemming-driven visit to Sephora or Nordstrom to stock up on bright pink lippies coming on! Dabs of purple and hot pink on a basically-neutral eye can brighten up a look without taking it over-the-top - but of course a full-on pink & purple look is fun, too. And my complexion just loves a blue-pink or rose blush, which tops off these cool-toned shades nicely.

What are your recent inspirations?

Putting together a makeup look: Coral and turquoise inspiration

Where do you get your inspirations?

Image soures: painting, coral reef photo, yarn, girl w/ glasses, retro print

Easy rocker eyes!

 

Like the headline says, here's an easy tutorial for getting a rocker-style eye - with only a few products, too! What's nice about this look is that you get the flava of a smokey eye without too much hassle, and you can make it as dark and sultry as you like. Plus, it works on any skintone or shade and with any dark shadow(s). How easy is that?

Love this amazingly tough-but-sweet styling

Dazed Digital's "Balletic" is where I found these pretty pictures. I love the muted but still Springy palette and the models' poses! Note to self: must learn how to use scarves like this!

But wait: there's more!

Valentine's Day color theory

Valentine's Day. Love it or hate it, it's not going anywhere. Whether you're in the Pink Frills & Lace camp or on the All Black in Protest team (or somewhere in between), if you're a makeup junkie you're still faced with the decision: what makeup will I wear?

Here are some classic choices...

Basic But Sexy: red, white, black and nude

Super classic, this look is a never-fail. It can be done no matter your skin color or undertones.
Beautiful, perfect skin, nearly-white and/or nude tones on the eyes (matte, satin or pearl- your choice!) accented with black liner (upward flick optional). Lips are red! You have your choice on that- go sheer, use a stain, bust out the fully opaque red and even top it with a hi-shine gloss if you dare! Reds can be pink-red, pure red, or even burgundy. The world's your oyster!

Classic Beauty: neutrals, navy and burgundy

I personally love this look! You can tailor the neutrals to your own skin and style (I like taupes or greys), accent with a navy liner and even some navy in the crease, if you like. Lips are a wine or burgundy, which you can also put softly on the cheeks. Oprah does this look a lot (flawlessly).

Cool as Ice: cool pinks, icy silvers, and inky black

Another favorite of mine, this look is mostly for the cool-of-skin, but bold gals with warmer complexions can still rock it. I love a soft blue-pink on the eyes, accented with a pop of fuchsia, with a coordinating shade on the cheeks. Slinky silver on the inner corners of the eyes pops, while black liner gives definition. Soft pink works on the lips, but intense fuchsia really sexes things up! Middle of the road? Stick with a berry shade.

sneer optional

Soft Pink Symphony

Absolute perfection: soft pinks that flatter your skintone, everywhere. Easy as pie, to with lovely, pale pink shades adorning eyes, cheeks and lips. Everything gets blended and buffed to perfection, creating a sexy, pink glow that no one can resist.

Cozy Romance: soft warm pinks and balancing taupes

Gorgeous on warm-skinned beauties and cool-toned lassies alike. If you're not too sure you can pull off the whole pink thing, try always-complimentary taupe in the creases of the eye and as liner, to give balance. Keep lips a nearly-nude pink to remain in your comfort zone (and stay work-friendly!).

Party Pretty: bold pinks and purples

I'm a purple freak, so this look really appeals. You can do it easily with a bit of purple liner added to your pink eye makeup, or go all-out with shadow graded from soft all of the way to look-at-me purple Or, keep it quiet with plums instead of royal purple. I love a more satiny pale shade of pink or lavender in the inner corner of the eye that softly blends to frosty violet in the outer corner. Not so sure? Try a purple pencil on the lashline or dampen a brush and press purple shadow between the lashes. Top with a pink or pinky-purple lip, as bold as you dare! If your not sold on the bright lips, try a nude instead, like Kim (below).

 

Love is Golden: Lusterous shades of gold, bronze and copper

It's never wrong to do glowy bronze. Ask J-Lo! Gently bronzed skin, a rainbow of glittering gold, copper and bronze on the eyes, and lovely nude or shimmery lips. Perfect for occasion!

Always pretty:

• Lotsa lashes, be they faux or just well-coiffed with lengthening and thickening mascara
• Flawless skin are always the right place to start
• Well-groomed brows, the perfect frame
• Slightly less-than-perfect hair (nothing is as scary as hair that doesn't move)
• Fresh breath (please)
• A soft, close-to-the-skin scent that doesn't overpower

I wish I could pull it off...

Steampunk.

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Pointless entry for Mizz Worthy's Contest #4

Again: I missed the deadline but wanted to post this anyway.

This is another example of how the concept made me happy but the execution sucked.

Concept:

Why do we focus on the eyes and lips? What if we focused attention on the ears? The chin? The nose? Here I chose ears. Did you know each ear is unique, like fingerprints!? Why not play 'em up, since they're not like anyone else's!?

The reality:

It is incredibly difficult to put makeup on your own ears! The result is childlike and messy, I admit it.

I may do this again with a model instead of trying it on myself!

I will say, if we ever start putting makeup on our ears regularly, someone is going to have to come up with a new mirror and some different brushes and hair-proof makeup! ;)

       

So here's what I did...

I put on my makeup as usual, with a nude eye and lip. I extended the brow out towards the temple and down to the focal point: the ear. I accented with a glitter liner, too (which I would do differently the next time, instead using a brush and glitter; the glitter liner is too unpredictable). I painted the ear with a ton of different products - purple and teal liners and shadows, a fuchsia lip liner, a fuchsia glitter liner and a gold one. (Note to self: I hate glitter liners!) I tried to do things that would bring out the unique contours of the ear. Then I augmented the cheek with some craptastic gold glitter liner. Again: concept = great, reality = suck!

Pointless entry for Mizz Worthy's Contest #3

I missed the stupid deadline due to a stupid mistake, but am posting the looks anyway.

Execution on this one wasn't great*, but I loved the concept!

*I put a brow wax on, and then the brows got really manky and not at all nude. Shoot!
Ideally, I would have made them skintone, but couldn't get it to work with the items I had on-hand.

Here's the inspiration:

I used to work for a cosmetics line, and one season was all about "smokey eyes, nude lips". You know how sometimes your brain is working faster than your mouth? Well, I kept mistakenly saying "smokey lips, nude eyes."

And so the look:

 

 

When I learned how to do a "real" smoky eye, I was told to envision a puddle of ink that was super-saturated in the center and faded as it moved away from center. So that's what I tried to recreate with the lips - darkest in the center, fading into the skin.

I used MAC's Smolder Eye Kohl to create the darkest black, and a nude lipstick, then blended carefully. I went over the center again, then used a black gloss in the center and a nude gloss over the lip margin and onto the skin around the lips.

 

Pointless entry for Mizz Worthy's Contest #2

Damn. I misread (?) the contest rules for Mizz Worthy's contest, "Think Outside the Box". The rules said the contest ended at midnight, Wednesday, December 17th. Well, Wednesday (today) is the 16th. I centered in on the date rather than the day, and so while I had done some posts I didn't have them posted in time. Damn, damn, damn.

Anyway, here's what I came up with for entry #2, for what good it does me. :(

The exercise was liberating and inspiring, so it was worth it!

Inspiration

I was doing a few "conceptual" ideas, but I believe I was over-thinking them a bit without enough time to actually get them done to my liking (it's hard to do complex makeup looks with two little kids!). So this is more of a "just let loose" look. I decided to focus on the features I like about my face an use flattering colors in a new way. Anyway, it's not the most over-the-top look, but I quite like it!

 

 

Eyes

I have a love-hate relationship with my brows. They aren't always well-behaved! At the moment, they're working the best they have in ages, so I'm quite pleased. I decided to accent them with a a blue-green shadow. Since I'm a mom, I'm often tired and thought a flattering lavender would perk up the under eye area (as a wide-ish stripe of liner in the center), especially paired with white liner applied heavily in the corners and both waterlines! I also brightened the lid with white and put a shimmery yellow-beige through the crease and above. Highlight above the brow helped accent their current nice arch.

Lips

Boy I love doing multi-color lips! Please let this be a trend that takes off in my lifetime! :)

Here, I pulled purple, white, silver and blue-green together to make a flattering melange of shades (in my opinion). Clear gloss helped everything blend and shine! I liked using the purple to contour the lips and really make them pouty, while the green in the center really tied the eye makeup into the look.

 

Face

I'm mad for Urban Decay's Grifter, a lilac-lavender-light-pinky-purple shadow. I find it particularly flattering to my skintone, so I used it to blush the cheeks, temples and forehead. Meh, maybe it's not so hot on the forehead, but I loved the way it looked on the cheeks!

I found this exercise REALLY freeing! So much fun to really fall in love with color again by looking at it in a new way...

Mizz Worthy contest... Outside the box: Entry 1

Mizz Worthy is having another contest! The goal is to think outside the box -and win a copy of Alex Box's book!

I was thinking... what if we didn't focus so much on the eyes and the lips? What if we used the entire face as a canvas, with one statement across it? I spent time carefully blending several shades of blue the way I might on the eyes - but I put it over my face. It's not a terribly complex look, though it required a lot of attention to get the "ombre" effect blended evenly. I feel like I came up with a realistic version of what one might do on a daily basis... if we painted our entire face, that is!

Since the focus was on the wash of color, I didn't put on any mascara or fill-in my brows or do anything special with my lips (though I did prime my skin before putting on the colors!). The point was not to accent the eyes or the lips - it was to create the color effect.

PS: It wasn't until I was done that I realized I looked a bit like the result of a romance between X-Men's Mystique and The Blue Man Group!

Products used: MAC's Naval Blue, Azrael Blue, and Steel Blue Pigments and their Surreal eye shadow, and  Urban Decay's Goddess, Perversion, and Absinthe shadows.