Lipstick Bandits Secret Santa Look Swap!

And now for something completely different: Lipstick Bandits Make-up Look Swap! Back in October, it was decided that our Holiday installment would consist of swapping the participating Lipstick Bandits signature make-up looks, Secret Santa-style. And guess what, Rae, our Head Bandit, drew Larie of Eye Heart It for me!

Having met Larie in person (yay for Seattle-based beauty bloggers!), I was under no illusion that my features even remotely resemble hers (I would have loved to swap for that gorgeously smooth skin though!), so I decided to recreate a recent look she posted that was based on a Vietnamese editorial make-up she was inspired by (click!). I thought it was a good example of a glamorous Holiday eye look for monolids (which I obviously don't have) that could be easily adapted to suit a variety of eye shapes, and those red lips... I couldn't resist!

Our little secret swap allowed me to experiment with a couple things I rarely opt for in my everyday make-up routine. For once, I used a cool matte brown eyeshadow (Annabelle So Foxy) to make my brows a bit thicker. I also tried to copy the beautiful, defined almond shape of the eyeshadow but I think I failed in that regard; I just don't have enough space between the crease of my eyes and my brows. I also altered the shape of my liner on the upper lashline to make it a bit rounder and more flirty - Larie is a pro at this! I usually don't line my eyes all the way around but I was pleasantly surprised at how it looked on me; this made my eyes appear a lot more feline and coupled with the coppery and golden shades of the eyeshadow, I felt like a lioness.

I used my blush and bronzer in a more sculpting fashion by following the line under my cheekbones - I need to do this more often! For the lips, I tried accentuating my cupid's bow to mimick the model's lip shape, which I find added a bit of softness to the overall look. I kept the skin more satin by skipping the powder too.

And here's what I used, in case you're curious: Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Oily/Combination Skin in Ivory, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque for under the eyes and highlighting the center part of the face, Becca Compact Concealer in Sherbet on blemishes, The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in Fair(?) with NARS Douceur blush to contour.

For the eyes, I primed with NARS eye primer and then used Urban Decay Smog all over the lid blended out with Inglot eyeshadow no.405 Pearl, UD Virgin in the inner corner and under the brow, Fyrinnae Sacred on the lower lashline with a bit of UD Half-Baked. I used Clinique gel liner in black on my upper lashline and lower waterline and finished off with a good coat of Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara in Black.

I lined and filled the lips with NYX Plush Red lip liner, applied a coat of Milani Berry Rich on top and topped with Lancome Juicy Tubes for lots of glossiness.

Don't forget to check out other Lipstick Bandits' swap looks, including one inspired by my face...
Call It Beauty
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Glitter Geek
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
theNotice: a beauty blog‎
And a new Bandit this round: ChloeAsh‎

I also wanted to wish all of you who celebrate a very Merry Christmas - as you might know, I'm home with my family at last and I just couldn't have a better holiday season. In Poland, we traditionally unwrap our presents after a big dinner on Christmas Eve, which is today! I can't wait to see what everyone is going to find under the tree and I'm very excited for all the fun we're going to share. Again, Merry Christmas my lovely readers, and Larie - I hoped you liked your little Secret Santa!