Feeling Festive? A Christmas Makeup Look
Just a couple of weeks ago I posted a smokey metallic makeup look that I wore to my husband’s work Christmas party. By the time my work party rolled around, I was ready to mix it up. I wanted to play with some colour and ended up with a very intense, bold and festive makeup look.
What I used to get this look:
- Super Rollers to turn my bone straight hair into soft curly hair
- Fame Lip Enhancing Gloss by Smashbox
- MUFE HD Foundation in shade 118
- Erase Paste concealer/brightener by benefit
- Pink Powder Blush from Too Faced’s Natural Face Palette
- The red eyeshadow portion is made up of one shade: Basic Red Pigment by MAC Cosmetics
- The green eyeshadow portion consists of Kelly, Bio Green and Bottle Green eyeshadows all by MAC Cosmetics
- Brule eyeshadow by MAC as my brow bone highlight
- To finish off my eyeshadow, I used Avon’s silver liquid eye liner all over my eye shadow to glam up the look and make it nice and sparkly for the party
- For eye liner I am using Kat Von D’s tattoo liner in Trooper on the top and for my waterline I used tarte’s skinny smoldereyes pencil in Onyx
- They’re Real! mascara by benefit
- And for my lashes, I knew with a big bright look, I needed big bold lashes – so I went for the biggest ones I own, my “Lacies” by Ardell
How about you, are you being adventurous with your makeup this holiday season?
I really hope you all like this fun makeup look for Christmas! After all there is really only one time of year that this makes any sort of sense at all and that is right now, during the holidays! I’m sure some people would argue that there is no time of year that this look makes any sense haha…but I had a lot of fun with it regardless and I do believe that is the point!! So make sure you remember to have a little fun too. 😉
Thanks for reading!
xox,
Shannon
Feeling Sexy? A Holiday Makeup Look & Tutorial
The season of holiday parties is upon us! I always love getting done up for Christmas parties and the like. I feel as though I can be more adventurous this time of year and am able to put on some makeup that I wouldn’t normally leave the house in…no longer stuck waiting for those special occasions.
Last year, I tried out my very first Pin-Up makeup look and was sporting a bold red lip.
This year (or at least for party #1) I went with a metallic smokey eye. The Copper pigment adds enough glitz and glam to make the look festive and the use of black kicks the look up a notch into the world of dark, dramatic and sexy.
Get the eyes:
- Step 1 is “Tame those brows!”. Fill them in, glue them down, do whatever it is you do to get that area ready. 🙂
- Prime your lid and all the way up through your crease to your brow. I used Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. Make sure you are always using some sort of primer as a base, whether you want a soft daytime look or something dramatic for evening. It provides you long wear time and will help you avoid creasing. Your shadows will also apply more vibrantly and stay true throughout the day/night, without “melting off”.
- Next, take a piece of tape (scotch, masking, painters, any will do) and get it in line with your lower lash line and where your eye brows end. Press it down, making sure it is nice and smooth with a good seal. It will take you a few minutes to get used to how this feels when you blink.
- Using a flat eye shadow brush, I pressed on “Copper” pigment by MAC all over my lids, working from the inside out.
- Using a stiff dome brush, start dusting a matte black shadow throughout your crease, and down along the outside of your eye, along the tape line. Using this same colour and brush, lightly smudge this along your lower lash line too, the outside half only. I used “Corrupt” by Makeup Geek as my matte black shade. It’s really intense and heavily pigmented. I suggest using a matte shadow for this step so the Copper shade stands out more…and when I am putting black this high on my brow bone, I feel like the matte texture helps tone it down slightly and isn’t as overpowering as a lustre or frost might be. You can feel free to use a glitzy black if you’d prefer.
- I decided against an inner corner highlight with this look. Instead, I used “Goldmine” eyeshadow by MAC on the inner quarter of my lid to gently lighten the copper and create a very subtle gradient effect.
- Then I took a fluffy crease blush and gently dusted “Brule” eyeshadow by MAC underneath my brows. Brule is a soft matte, nearly nude shadow that is close to my natural skin tone.
- At this point you should be ready to pull that tape off! If necessary, perform any clean up that the tape might have missed. A Q-tip dipped in makeup remover will do the trick!
- For eye liner I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in “Trooper” on my lid. The felt tip on this makes it really easy to apply and wing out the edges. To create a similar look to what I have here, you want to continue your line out past your lashes and gently flick it upwards. Now, draw that line down to your lower lash line and fill in the middle. On my waterline I opted for Makeup Forever’s Aqua Eyes waterproof liner in black. For this, I applied it once to my waterline, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then went back in with the pencil again to make it more opaque. Both of these eye liners are from my “Draw the Line” Sephora Favorites sampler that I am super in love with, it’s great value and you should check it out if you haven’t already, it has definitely proven to be one of the best purchases I have made all year!
- Finish the look with at least two coats of mascara. I used “They’re Real!” mascara by Benefit. Normally if I am wearing false eyelashes I go for a soft basic mascara. But because I was only planning on wearing lashes on the outer half, I used my most intense volumizing mascara.
- (Optional) As always, the addition of false eyelashes is optional. For this look, I used “305” by Ardell.
Get the look:
Face > For my under eye concealer I used Erase Paste by benefit in shade No.1. Then, all over I used MUFE’s HD foundation in shade 118 topped with MAC’s Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in shade Light Plus.
Cheeks > Powder Blush from Too Faced’s Natural Face Palette (a slightly shimmery pink frost blush)
Lips > “Leslie” Buxom Lips
Hair > Curls using a 1″ rod by Sultra
What sort of makeup will you be wearing for your holiday parties this year?
xox,
Shannon
P.S. This look was loosely inspired by “Mad as the Jangsara” where she used the same Copper pigment by MAC.
My Birthday Makeup
So another year has come and gone and I am officially older! I’m not sure where the time goes. It was my 28th birthday last week and although I haven’t partaken in any big festivities to celebrate it since I was a kid, my husband still treated me with flowers and took me out for a lovely date night.
I absolutely love how bright the flowers are, they really helped brighten up our apartment this time of year seeing as the sun doesn’t like to help with that at the moment! Aren’t they pretty?!
For my makeup I wanted to experiment with some eyeshadow shades I haven’t tried before (other than swatching) and a method I’ve only done once.
The eyeshadow being Makeup Geek:
The method being scotch tape. The first time I stuck scotch tape on my face was for my first attempt at an Arabic eye makeup look. The tape serves the same purpose it would as if you were painting. It stops the colours from spilling over where they aren’t wanted. It creates a nice precise line with a clean, sharp, finished look.
I used it here with this look to create a dramatic and clean line on the outside edge of my eye makeup.
Wanting to know what I did?
- I like to start out with filling in my brows first to help frame the area. For this I used “Spiked” brow pencil by MAC Cosmetics (a new addition to my collection).
- Prime your lid and all the way up through your crease to your brow. I used Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. Make sure you are always using some sort of primer as a base, whether you want a soft daytime look or something dramatic for evening. It provides you long wear time and will help you avoid creasing. Your shadows will also apply more vibrantly and stay true throughout the day/night, without “melting off”. MAC Paint Pots or cream bases will work for this too (NYX’s eye pencil in Milk is one of the most popular drug store choices).
- Next, take a piece of tape (scotch, masking, painters, any will do) and get it in line with your lower lash line and where your eye brows end. Press it down, making sure it is nice and smooth with a good seal. It will take you a few minutes to get used to how this feels when you blink.
- Using a flat eye shadow brush, I dabbed on “Mercury” eyeshadow by Makeup Geek all over my lids, from the inside corner to the outside corner. This is a nicely pigmented smooth basic silver. While you have this colour out, take a small dome brush and go along the inner half of your lower lash line as well. I actually really prefer this shadow to MAC’s “Forgery”. I find that Mercury gives nicer coverage with less work and also seems to have a formula that feels less dry. For this step, you can of course use any silver eyeshadow you want.
- Using a fluffy crease brush, start dusting a darker grey shadow throughout your crease, blending upwards. Also be sure to hit the outside corner of your eye as well so you almost have a fading effect. Using this same colour and a small dome brush, lightly smudge this along your lower lash line, the outside half only. I used “Galaxy” by Makeup Geek as my gunmetal like shade. It has a nice creamy formula too that glided on easily with no fuss.
- Then, using the same fluffy crease brush, gently apply a touch of black eye shadow at the outside edge of your eye and throughout the outside half of your crease. This will further intensify your look, creating a more dramatic effect. I used “Corrupt” eye shadow by Makeup Geek. This is a matte, true black. It is heavily pigmented and very powerful. A little goes a long way with this one!
- After brushing off all the black, I took that same fluffy brush and took “White Lies” which is a soft white matte eyeshadow from Makeup Geek’s collection and swept it along the top edge to soften the look slightly. This also acted as my brow bone highlight.
- Now you are ready to pull that tape off! If necessary, perform any clean up that the tape might have missed.
- For eye liner I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in “Trooper” on my lid. The felt tip on this makes it really easy to apply and wing out the edges. On my waterline I opted for Makeup Forever’s Aqua Eyes waterproof liner in black. For this, I applied it once to my waterline, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then went back in with the pencil again to make it more opaque. Both of these eye liners are from my “Draw the Line” Sephora Favorites sampler that I am super in love with, its great value and you should check it out if you haven’t already.
- Finish the look with at least two coats of mascara. I used Clinique’s Lash Doubling Mascara.
- (Optional) Add false eyelashes to your look. I used “117” by Ardell along with the Duo eyelash glue that dries black.
What do you guys think of this makeup look? And I’m curious if you have ever used tape when applying your makeup before?
Thanks for reading!! Hope you all are having a great week so far! 🙂
xox,
Shannon
P.S. Isn’t my husband a good artist? He quickly sketched my favourite animal at dinner. I hope you all can tell what it is! I liked it so much that I made him take a picture:
Date Night Makeup
Life can be busy and its easy to get caught up in the tornado of the everyday. But my husband and I always try to set aside time for just the two of us. We simply call them Date Nights, and try to spoil ourselves with them every week or every two weeks. We get ourselves all cleaned up and venture out of our tiny crappy apartment to enjoy a dinner, a movie and each others company without the distractions the technology of our apartment grants us. So last weekend we did just that.
I opted for a bright colorful smokey eye with a subtle lip and big curly hair for our date night.
I thought this make-up looked dramatic enough for a fun evening out, but not so intense as to be mistaken for a Halloween look. What do you think of it??
Here is how I created this look:
- As always, fill in your brows first to help frame the area. I used Mystery eyeshadow by MAC Cosmetics for this.
- Prime your lid and all the way up to your crease. I used Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. Make sure you are always using an eyeshadow primer, no matter what type of look you are going for. It provides you long wear time and will help you avoid creasing. Your shadows will also apply more vibrantly and stay true throughout the day/night, without “melting off”. MAC Paint Pots or cream bases will work for this too (NYX’s eye pencil in Milk is one of the most popular).
- Using a flat eye shadow brush, dab Steamy eye shadow by MAC all over your lids. (from the inside of the eye to the outside of the eye). Steamy is a frosty teal shade that glides on very smoothly and vibrantly. Feel free to use any teal shade that you might have at home.
- Using a stiff dome brush use your Satellite Dreams eye shadow (or a similar purple shadow that you might already have) throughout the crease and up onto your brow bone, blending gently up and out.
- Then, using a fluffy crease brush, sweep a touch of black eye shadow at the outside edge of your eye and slightly up through your crease to add depth and intensify the look. I used “Black Tied” eye shadow for this. It is a basic black lustre shadow with silver specks.
- After brushing off all the black, I took that same fluffy brush and took “Brule” which is a very soft nude color close to my natural skin color and swept it around the edges of color in an attempt to soften the lines and a less blocky look.
- To highlight, I used “Phloof!” eye shadow by MAC. It is a frost eye shadow perfect for highlighting your brow bone or the inner corner of your eye. It has very slight pink undertones which makes this less harsh than a straight white frost would be.
- For eye liner I used Master Precise Felt Tip Liquid Liner (available at Ulta in the US and at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada) on my lid. I didn’t apply any on the lower side of my eyes. I wanted to create a softer and more open look and not close off my eyes. Instead I opted for a white waterproof pencil to brighten my waterline. For this, I used Sephora’s 12H Waterproof Crayon Jumbo.
- Finish the look with at least two coats of mascara. I used Clinique’s Lash Doubling Mascara.
- (Optional) Add false eyelashes to your look. I used “Hotties” by Ardell along with the Duo eyelash glue that dries black.
For the rest of this look:
Face > For my under eye concealer I used Erase Paste by benefit in shade No.1. Then, all over I used Clinique’s Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer in shade 01 topped with MAC’s Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in shade Light Plus.
Cheeks > a soft pink frost powdered blush from Too Faced’s “Natural Face” palette.
Lips > For my lips I started with Celebutard lipstick from Kat Von D’s Painted Love Lipstick collection. Then, because I wanted a slightly glossier look, I decided to add on Hourglass’s “Child” from their line of Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Glosses.
Hair > Earlier in the day, I put Flexi-Rods (Super Rollers) in my hair and by the time we were ready to go I simply pulled them out and pinned back a small portion from the front. I love that I can get soft, non-crunchy curls without putting my hair through any heated torment.
What colours of eye shadow are you wearing this fall? What products do you turn to for your date nights?
Thanks for reading!
xox,
Shannon
Feeling Earthy? (a rainforest makeup tutorial)
It feels like forever since I’ve done an eye makeup tutorial. This one is super simple and fast to do. I tried to make a season appropriate look for this time of year, but still have some fun with it. With this eye shadow combination I still get my “necessary” pop of colour with the bold green, but the look is grounded by the brown eye shadow.
I used 3 eye shadows from MAC Cosmetics – Swimming, Humid and Mystery.
But you can certainly recreate this look with any similar combination of shadows.
How to create this super simple look:
*follow any of the links below for swatches, where to buy and other shades available*
- As always, fill in your brows first to help frame the area. I used Mystery eyeshadow by MAC Cosmetics for this.
- Prime your lid and all the way up to your crease. I used Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. It is super important to use a primer if you want long wear time and to avoid creasing. Your shadows will also apply more vibrantly and stay true throughout the day/night.
- Using a flat eye shadow brush, dab Swimming eye shadow by MAC all over your lids. (from the inside of the eye to the outside of the eye). Any bright green will work for this, you don’t need this specific shadow. Just make sure it is not lime green, you want it to be more of an earthy tone.
- Using the same brush (brush off all the green pigment first on a kleenex) use your Mystery eye shadow (any dark brown matte eye shadow will do) throughout the crease and up onto your brow bone.
- Then, using a fluffy crease brush, sweep Humid eye shadow (or a nice dark forest green) gently back and forth through your crease. This will help meld the dark brown and the bright green together, creating a more fluid and blended look.
- For eyeliner I used Master Precise Felt Tip Liquid Liner (available at Ulta in the US and at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada) on my lid. I didn’t apply any on the lower side of my eyes. I wanted to create a softer and more open look rather than closing off my eye.
- Finish the look with at least two coats of mascara. I used They’re Real! mascara by benefit.
- (Optional) Add false eyelashes to your look. I get such volume and curl out of this mascara I decided not to bother with lashes.
How to get the rest of this look:
Face > For my under eye concealer I used Erase Paste by benefit in shade No.1. Then, all over I used Clinique’s Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer in shade 01 topped with MAC’s Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in shade Light Plus.
Cheeks > Margin Blush by MAC Cosmetics (a frost powdered blush)
Lips > Bite Lip Shine in shade “Vintage”
What do you guys think? Are you a fan of this combination or do you hate it? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Tell me, what make-up are you sporting this fall??
Thanks for reading!
xox,
Shannon
Neutrals with a pop of colour
I’m not crazy enough to think that people love bright makeup as much as I do. And it’s true that sometimes, all you need is a pop of colour instead of an intensely bright eye. After all, hot pink eyeshadow isn’t always work place friendly.
So I wanted to share with you a few different ways that I like to incorporate something bright or bold into my soft and neutral looks.
1. Keep your eyeshadow and lips soft and opt for a bright contrasting eye liner.
MAC's Aloha Crushed Metallic Pigments with Pearlglide Intense Eyeliners:
2. Create either a soft or smokey eye using neutral colours like browns or greys and add a bold lip in a vibrant shade such as red, pink or even orange.
Pin-Up Style with a Bold Red Lip:
Too Faced Sweet Dreams Palette:
3. Pair neutral shades of eyeshadow with a brighter colour like seen below in this unlikely combination of brown, peach and green. The browns keep it soft, while the green and peach add a little bit of fun.
Lancome Makeover:
So, when you are planning to pair those brown eyeshadows with that nude lipstick and muted blush, have a little bit of fun instead and add a pop of colour!
And tell me, how do you add colour to your everyday?
xox,
Shannon
a fun makeup look using only Drugstore products (for under $20)
After my 24 hour test of the Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow, I just had to grab a couple more colors when I saw they were on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart again for $4.99.
This time around, because I already knew I loved the product I opted for some brighter colors to have fun with. I grabbed Edgy Emerald and Painted Purple.
The consistency of these two is much like Tough as Taupe. They are creamy, smooth and glide on easily.
The packaging for this product is fantastic – nice clear glass pots that allow you to see the colour easily in your mess collection while you are quickly trying to get ready.
As you can see from this swatch, the colours are rich and heavily pigmented. They are easy to use and blend well together. I was worried blending would be difficult (I don’t have much experience with cream shadows) but I was pleasantly surprised. 🙂
***I know lots of people who are used to purchasing higher end makeup are skeptical of this product immediately because of the price tag…and if that sounds like you, then you absolutely MUST check out my pictures and 24 hour test results here showcasing this products wear time and its quality.***
The drugstore I picked these up at had a sale on various cosmetics so I grabbed a mascara by L’Oreal that came with a bonus eyeliner. You know me and free things….
The package for both was on sale for $6.99, down from it’s regular price of $9.99.
On the side of the packaging there is a little diagram showing how this mascara creates the effect of false lashes. It also says “visuals are dramatized”. 🙂 At least they are honest about it.
The Voluminous False Lashes mascara itself comes in a highly reflective, twisted triangle shaped, gold container.
The wand isn’t too bulky so it should work on the majority of eye shapes as well as those hard to reach lower lashes and inner corner lashes without making a mess.
The bonus Voluminous eye liner comes in a sleek easy to handle tube, with a chisel felt tip.
Given the shape of the tip, you can actually use this eyeliner to create 3 different thicknesses quite easily. Take a look at my swatch below:
As you can see, you have a lot of versatility with an eye liner that has a chisel tip like this one.
I thought it would be fun to create a quick eye makeup look using all four of these new products to see exactly what is possible for under $20. Here is what I ended up with:
I really love “Painted Purple” and “Edgy Emerald” together, I find they really compliment each other for a fun summery look.
What shades are your favourite from the Color Tattoo 24 hour collection? Do you have cream shadows you prefer to this product? AND tell me, what is your favourite drugstore mascara???
Thanks for reading!
xox,
Shannon
