Face of The Day feat. Products from My Project Pan

I always attempt to pick the products for my Project Pans (newest Intro here) not only according to season, but also so that they'll compliment each other and create a whole make-up look for me without effort. I keep them all in a little tray (really, a box lid) in my vanity drawer, so in a way, they consitute my seasonal 'make-up basket'. I thought I'd show you what most of these items look like paired together in a daytime, spring/ summer Face of The Day.

 For the base, I used the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer SPF 15 (click here for my review) on my T-zone (middle of forehead, nose and sides of the nose, a tiny bit on the chin) and followed with a light layer of Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in Ivory (click!) all over, blended in with a damp Beautyblender. I think I like the Beautyblender the best for applying this foundation, followed by fingers - it has a bit more coverage than the Koh Gen Do Aqua, a foundation I was using previously, and the damp sponge helps to sheer it out for a more natural look and better shade match. I concealed under the eyes and on blemishes with a mix of Laneige Cushion Concealer in Light (click!) and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly.

I set my T-zone sparingly with the MAC Blot Powder in Medium, and you can see that the overall effect on the skin is quite matte, and remains so for about 7 hours. I've noticed that depending on the face moisturizer I'm using for the day, I can change the finish a little bit; Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute gives me more glow, but the Paula's Choice Hydralight sunscreen (both discussed in my recent Morning Skincare Routine post here) mattifies my face almost completely. I'm not such a fan of that flat matte look on my face anymore, but it's nice not to worry about make-up sliding off my nose in the middle of the day. I warm up my face using The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in Fair on the backs of the cheeks, temples and around hair line, and on my neck - again, to help with the foundation shade match. My neck is so pale, you guys. The blush I was using that day was Canmake Cream Cheeks in CL03 Clear Orange (click!).

I then lightly fill in my brows with the NYX Micro Brow pencil in Taupe (reviewed here), and prime my eyes with Maybelline Color Tattoo in Just Beige (LE). I actually quite like this Color Tattoo for an eyeshadow primer; the yellow tint conceals my pinky purple veins, and lid shades pop a little more on top. It also has the effect of toning down the shimmer in some eyeshadows, which I happen to like right now; for example, I was using Stand-offish from my theBalm Nude'Tude palette (which is in my Pan That Palette 2016 project), and it's usually a very metallic finish - as you can see, I managed to tone it down a bit. I also used Sexy, a matte plum, in my outer corner, and blended the crease out with a warm medium matte brown, Sultry. I used a combination of two lightest shades in the palette, Sassy and Snobby, to highlight my inner corners and tops of my cheeks.

To finish off my look, I tightlined with the Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir (click!) and applied a generous coat of Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes in Deep Black to my lashes (recently reviewed here). On my lips, I'm wearing Buxom Full-on Lip Cream in Cherry Flip (click!); it's a perfect warm coral red to perk up the whole face. It also pairs nicely with OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where? on my nails.

There you go - I really enjoy this combination of shades. I used to be a 'cool-toned eyeshadows only' type of girl, but I've grown to love the warm mattes from the Nude'Tude palette, and I think they go very well with lightly bronzed skin and a juicy lip. What's your go-to look at the moment? Do you keep a weekly/ monthly make-up basket, or reach for something different every day?

Pan That Palette 2016: 5 Eye Looks with The Balm Nude'Tude

One of the main post ideas I had after writing my rambling rant on how I'm currently not so much into make-up products (here) was to do different eyeshadow placements all focusing on a single palette. That palette is obviously The Balm's Nude'Tude, which I'm trying to pan this year.

From my understanding, there's some sort of general consensus online that Nude'Tude is not a great neutral eyeshadow palette - the undertones are weird, it lacks a matte highlight shade but has too many dark mattes, and so on. And yeah, I can see that - for my fair complexion with cool undertones, a lot of the shades in this palette are not ideal, even though the shadows themselves are pigmented and easy to apply. But while these shades may not be ideal, they're still absolutely workable and wearable. Let me show you how :)

1. Gradient Gunmetal Smokey Eye:
Use a dark eyeliner at the lashline as base; I'm using the Stila Bluefin Smudgestick from my current Project Pan - that's where the teal microglitter is coming from. Set the liner and blend it upwards and inwards from the wing with a matte black (Serious). Apply a shimmery taupe (Selfish) to the center of the lid and the lower lashline and blend out. Continue building the matte black at the lashline to the desired depth, smudge a very small amount on the outer part of the lower lashline. Highlight the inner corner with a white pearl (Sassy), blend out the outer corner and crease with a warm matte medium brown (Sultry). Finish with lots of mascara and black eyeliner on the upper waterline.

2. Daytime Cat Eye:
Apply a mix of yellow and pink pearl shades (Snobby + Stubborn) all over the lid and highlight the inner corners with Sassy. Define the crease with a matte brown (Sultry) and the lower lashline with a shimmery bronze (Schitzo). Line the upper lashline with Silly mixed with a drop of Inglot Duraline; it's a liquid silicone product that turns powders into long-wearing cream formulas. I just poured a drop directly into the corner of my eyeshadow pan so that I can still use the rest as a regular powder eyeshadow with my brushes. I have to admit that I was disappointed with how Silly performed as a liquid liner; I was hoping for a subtly glittery wing but the result was that of a dark matte brown, very similar to the shade Sleek from the palette. So far, no matter what I do, I cannot make the beautiful shimmer in Silly show up on my eyes :(

3. Sophisticated Khaki Smokey Eye:
Apply a darker taupe/ grey/ khaki cream eyeshadow all over the lid, blending it out into the crease - I've used Benefit Creaseless Cream in Skinny Jeans. Blend out and warm up the crease with a matte brown; I decided to use my face contour shade (NYX Taupe), but you could use Sultry from the palette. Define the outer corner with a dark khaki brown (Sophisticated) and dab a little yellow pearl (Snobby) on the centre of the mobile lid with your finger. Brighten the inner corner with a mix of Sassy and Snobby; I decided that Sassy alone would be too cool-toned. Line the lower lashline with Sophisticated, pop a little Snobby in the center of the lower lashline to mirror the lid placement. Black mascara on the lashes, black eyeliner on the upper waterline, green eyeliner on the lower waterline (optional - I had TIGI Perfect Eyeliner in Green lying around, so I thought why not).

4. Aegyo Sal-inspired:
This is one of the looks I liked from the Korean Beauty Secrets book I've recently reviewed. For those not in the know, aegyo sal is that little roll of fat on the lower lashline that babies often have (some adults too), and of the trendier looks in Korea is to either highlight or mimick that by applying a shimmery eyeshadow to the under eye area.

I'm saying this is aegyo sal-inspired because I do not have that 'baby eye fat' and what's more, I actually have some fine lines in that area that look more pronounced when covered in shimmery eyeshadow. So I've only applied a mixture of white pearl (Sassy) and shimmery champagne (Stand-offish) to the inner half of my lower lashline and around the inner corner, and a medium matte brown on the outer half of lower lashline. For my lid and crease, I applied a light layer of satin pink (Stubborn) all over as a base, and topped with another fine layer of warm matte brown (Sultry), buffed out into the crease. I also applied a smidgen of dark matte brown (Sleek) along the outer portion of my upper lashline, but otherwise skipped eyeliner.

5. Typical Monika Daytime Definition:
I realize that in my photos, this looks exactly like the second look (Daytime Cat Eye), but it's a little different: a typical Monika look has a more defined/ darker outer corner, and the upper lash liner is thinner and less winged out. For this look, I used the shimmery champagne (Stand-offish) on the lid, a matte medium brown lightly through the crease (Sultry), and a matte aubergine (Sexy) in the outer corner. A mix of the champagne (Stand-offish) and pearl white (Sassy) on the inner corner, medium matte brown (Sultry) along the lower lashline. The upper lash line is accentuated with a darker eyeliner (Stila Bluefin), lightly set with a matte black (Serious). A black eyeliner to tightline and lots of mascara.

I was the happiest with my Aegyo-sal inspired look - it was quick and easy and yet quite a bit different from my comfort zone (look 5). For a bit more drama, I also liked the first look - I quite like the smoked out lashline as opposed to lots of darker shades in the outer corner of the eye. But all in all, I've been leaning towards less eyeshadow lately, and I'm particularly not that fond of eyeliner at the moment. I think that daily eyeliner wear (due to having various pencil liners in my Project Pans/ Projects Make A Dent) has started to feel a little boring to me, and I appreciate the cleaner/ more effortless look of having only mascara-ed lashes against the lighter background of the eyelid.

All in all, it was a good experiment. I've been using The Balm's Nude'Tude for over a month now, and I can't really say that it has felt like a challenge so far. Every time I reach for the palette, I'm able to come up with little tweaks or slightly different placements. I've also been mixing and layering all the shades quite a lot, and it's fun. There's a whole LOT you can do with 12 different eyeshadows - and I actually feel like the variety of looks I've been able to achieve comes more from trying various approaches and styles as well as combining shades as opposed to having a variety of actual eyeshadows to choose from. What I'm saying is - I don't need 10 neutral eyeshadow palettes. For me, there's going to be more variety in looks in the scope of a single palette versus across those ten different selections. Almost every single neutral eyeshadow palette has a light shimmer, a medium brown, a cool and/or medium shimmer, a dark brown. Sure, the undertones may be different - but the basic placements remain the same. Once blended together, a lot of eyeshadows from palletes that may at first seem very different in the pan will actually look nearly identical on the eyes.

Which look was your favorite? Do you tend to do the same eyeshadow look every time you do your make-up, or do you like to experiment?

A Week in Faces of the Day

Things haven't been particularly interesting in these parts when it comes to new make-up acquisitions, so I figured I could just show you a couple (well, five) make-up looks I've been sporting recently. These are my usual 'a tweak here, a tweak there' everyday looks, so it's not anything you haven't seen before, but still, maybe you'll find an element or two inspiring or fun to incorporate into your routine. Enjoy!

This is one of my go-to looks, featuring a brighter lip color (Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58 from my Project Make A Dent) and a slightly winged out eyeliner - I believe this was possibly the last of my Urban Decay Rockstar eyeliner, also from the Project. I wanted to multitask my denting products, so I layered a Michael Todd lipgloss in Natural under the berry lipstick, and I did not like that effect at all - you can see a little bit in the photo, but basically it caused most of the pigment from the bright lipstick to migrate towards the outside of my mouth, almost giving the look of a darker lipliner. Don't try this at home, kids! I was unsatisfied with this look enough to have another go at it later in the week, which you'll see below.

This was my attempt at a lazy but glowy weekend look. I say lazy, because I skipped a product here that I very rarely omit from my make-up routine: a spot concealer. In fact, a spot concealer is the one product I always said I couldn't do without. But my skin has been looking pretty clear recently, and I haven't had the need to do as much pinpoint concealing as I used to. For my base, I applied Dermalogica's Sheer Tint SPF20 in Light (which turned out to have no coverage whatsoever), and layered Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder in Tender Rose over the top, which gave my skin a lightweight, dewy look with most of my freckles peeking through. On the eyes, I played with Urban Decay Electric on the waterline, and made sure to add plenty of black mascara. Cheeks are Laura Mercier Lotus Pink, lips are Revlon Superlustrous gloss in Coral Reef.

Now, I've recently been lemming a lavender blush to add to my collection. I think it's the result of craving something new to play with, and browsing Korean make-up products on eBay; it seems that pastel purple blush is a big trend in Korea. But, I've exhausted my make-up low buy allowance for this month, and I also expected said blush wouldn't get to me in time to be seasonally appropriate (not with the hot and humid weather we've been having in NYC recently), so I shopped my stash instead, and came out with La Femme Powder Blush in Flamingo Pink and NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Dolly. I thought they complemented each other nicely, and I did a very basic eye with the Dior quint in Earth Reflections coupled with a more interesting dark teal liner by way of Sephora Contour pencil in Surfer Babe.

Here's another rendition of that first failed berry lip look. This time, I decided against a cat eye, opting for a very fine line right against the lashline instead for some extra definition; the eyeshadow look was also rather subtle thanks to the lighter shades in the Dior Earth Reflection. I've used quite a bit of Stila Convertible Color in Lillium (also from Project Make A Dent) on the cheeks to offset the darker lip, and patted my Inglot no. 58 over a layer of Milani Anti-Feathering Transparent Lip Liner to achieve a more matte look. I thought it turned out much prettier than the first attempt!

Lastly, here's my version of a daytime smokey eye. I decided to wear my Rouge Bunny Rouge Chronos Eyeshadow Palette on the eyes, using the navy charcoal shade in the outer corner. I also bronzed up my face a little with Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil, dabbed some of that Stila Lillium on the cheeks, and swept a small amount of Laura Mercier Baked Highlight on top of the cheekbones - that's where that subtle glow is coming from. On the lips, I used only the nude Michael Todd lipgloss. Overall, it wasn't my favorite look either - I think I'm looking a bit tired and sallow here, and maybe a slightly darker My Lips But Better shade would have counteracted that. Well, you live, you learn, right?

Which one of these looks is your personal favorite? I hope this wasn't terribly boring, you guys - I always enjoy seeing what people actually wear on their faces from day to day, so I thought it was worth sharing. Let me know what make-up look you've been sporting most recently!

My Spring Make-up Palette

Happy second day of spring, beautiful readers! Can you already feel it coming? Last year, after experiencing the season on the East Coast for the first time, I bitched and moaned that New York didn't get any spring at all - it was just bitterly cold, then grey and rainy, then straight onto summer. But you know what, this year, even though it's still rather chilly and nothing at all is blooming yet except for my house orchids, I feel the change in the air, in the angle of sunlight, in my energy levels. I'm ready for warmer weather!

Taking a page from Gummy's book, I decided to shop my own stash for some spring-themed make-up. I'm all about the de riguer springtime shades like pastels and peachy pinks, because they suit my fair complexion very well. Nearly all of the products featured here have been previously discussed and reviewed in detail, so... Let's just feast our eyes on some cheery product shots, shall we?

For the eyes, I obviously had to whip out my Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in BL215 Static - I don't own another eyeshadow palette that's more perfect for the season than this one, and as a bonus, it can be layered over different eye bases for a variety of looks. To be completely honest, I rarely do that though; I prefer to use these shades as accents in the inner corners of my eyes or along the lower lashline. I basically plan to use bareMinerals Eye Color in Celery, Fyrinnae Electric Stardust and When I Grow Up, as well as MAC Satin Eyeshadow in Heroine, a beautiful periwinkle blue, in the same way, or to add interest to a pencil eyeliner, like the NYX Slide On in Pretty Violet, on the upper lashline. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost can add some dimension via its angelic champagne sparkle to any eye look I decide to create.

L-R: Laura Mercier Sugar Frost, NYX Slide On in Pretty Violet, Fyrinnae When I Grow Up, MAC Heroine, Fyrinnae Electric Stardust, bareMinerals Celery

Nothing groundbreaking on the lips, but I was happy to be reminded of the gorgeous texture of Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine in PK331 and the Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in Coral, both sheer, lightweight, comfortable, glossy formulas. To balance out the high-end stuff, I also threw the Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist into my current make-up basket. Since all of these products give off intense shine on the lips, I didn't really need a gloss, but I always enjoy wearing the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer.

L-R: Covergirl Watermelon Twist, Clarins Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer, Shu Uemura Supreme Shine PK331, Giorgio Armani Sheers in Coral 301

For blush, I was really feeling The Face Shop Pastel Cushion Blusher in Coral Cushion and the NYX Powder Blush in Pinky. The first is a bit too sheer, the other a bit too pigmented, but the effect of both once applied is that of a youthful, glowy cheek. No arm swatches, because... lazy.

The consequence of taking these extreme face close-ups is not only realizing you have stray brow hairs that need plucking and freckles even on your browbone, but also feeling the odd detachment of your own face looking alien to yourself.

For this Face of the Day, I kind of took the 'all the things, all at the same time' approach to feature as many products as I could combine in action, but on a normal day (who am I kidding, what is a normal day?!), I'd only reach for a couple of products from my spring palette and pair them with some boring neutrals. For the eyes, I used Laura Mercier Sugar Frost on the lid with some lighter brown to add definition to the crease, and lined my upper lashline with a dark eggplant eyeliner (Urban Decay Rockstar from my Project Make A Dent), layering NYX Pretty Violet over the top on the inner half of my eyes. I love how that turned out!

On the lower lashline, I combined MAC Heroine and Fyrinnae When I Grow Up, with Electric Stardust in the very inner corner. The rest of my face is a standard base of Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Procelain set with MUFE HD Powder (Project MAD again), some light bronzing courtesy of The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder, NYX Pinky on the cheeks and Shu Uemura PK331 on the lips. Clearly, I don't match my make-up to my outfits, because all of these cool tones look rather clashy against my red sweater. ANYWAY.

Which products out of your make-up stash do you always bring out for spring? Have you bought any pieces from spring collections this year? Or do you abhorr pastels and impatiently look forward to the warm summer shades?

Color Of the Year: Marsala Inspired Face Of the Day

Well, TWO Faces of Two Days, to be specific. I have to admit that neither of these looks turned out exactly how I imagined them to be in my head, but it's not necessarily a bad thing - you know, sometimes it's fun to enjoy the journey too, not just the destination. But without further ado, here are the looks I created using my Marsala product picks from the previous post:

To get the boring stuff out of the way, the staple products I used in both looks were the same: Dr Brandt Pores No More face primer, Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain set with MUFE loose HD Powder, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Annabelle So Foxy brown eyeshadow set with Benefit Gimme Brow Light/Medium through the brows, NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Primer, Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara in Black, NYX Powder Blush in Taupe to contour.

For the first look, I used the Inglot Eyeshadow Trio with a mustard yellow and rusty brown, and lined my upper and lower waterline with Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in CopperGlow. I also smudged some of that red burgundy shade from the Sleek Storm palette under the lower lashline. Lessons learnt while working with red tones on the eyes: you absolutely need to conceal all of undereye purpleness and veins, and defined lashline and lashes to set off all the red are a must as well. On the cheeks, I used Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Highlight and bareMinerals READY blush in The One, because I thought it complimented Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb rather nicely. I actually loved Rhubarb the most out of this look - I will definitely be reaching for this shade more often from now on.

The second look was a bit of a fail because I wanted to showcase Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Purgatory. However, it absolutely refused to layer over a black liquid eyeliner I used (actually, that liner - LORAC Front of the Line PRO - also refused to layer over itself... not fun to work with), so I cheated by substituting Purgatory with Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in New Moon, which has microglitters in copper and plum tones. The cheeks are Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten in Boysenberry and the lips are Maybelline Color Sensational in Plum Perfect.

Tell me, have you been incorporating marsala shades into your make-up routine? Do you prefer to use these earthy red tones on your eyes, cheeks or lips?

Jewel Tones and Metallics: Holiday Glamour Make-up Look

Since I always complain how boring my everyday looks are, why not have some fun at least for the Holidays? I haven't done a true smokey eyes in so long that I thought it fitting to return to this true make-up classic and put a glamorous Holiday spin on it with rich jewel shades and sparkling metallics. It's a good look to try if you prefer to play up your eyes rather than your lips, or have a long night of eating and drinking and would rather not risk a Christmassy red lip. Here's how I did it:

I'm not sure how much you can tell from the photos but the eyes are very heavy in this look; in fact, I don't remember the last time I wore this much make-up on my eyeballs. Because the eyes are so dramatic, I've kept my cheeks and lips more on the neutral mauvey side, but made sure to carefully define and fill in my brows to balance and frame the bold eyes.

And yes, this is a pretty literal interpretation of the Holiday color theme: a burgundy matte in the crease and a shimmery emerald green along the lower lashline, with a an antique gold metallic taupe on the mobile lid and in the inner corners. I've also used a matte midtone neutral brown to transition the burgundy in the crease, and a matte cream shade under the browbone to help tie the whole look together. I lined my upper lashline with a black eyeliner pen, extending it out only a little bit at the outer corner, tightlined with a black pencil liner, and applied a dark teal in the bottom waterline.

This bold eye look wouldn't be complete without a pair of false lashes, and I chose a pair of Esqido Mink Lashes in the 'Oh So Sweet' style*. This is my second pair of Esqido's beautiful, fluttery falsies and I have to say that Oh So Sweets blend in with my natural lashes even better than the Unforgettable pair, reviewed here. I still struggle a bit with properly applying these in the inner corners of my eyes, but I think we're getting there. The Esqido Oh So Sweet give just the right amount of drama and definition to the look without overwhelming my eyes - and you can now get them for 20% off, AND there's a 12-days giveaway going on until December 12th too! If you're not sure which style would suit you, Esqido just came out with an interactive Holiday Lash Guide to help you choose the perfect pair to suit your look and eye shape. It's a lot of fun to try out and actually, the Oh So Sweet pair turned out to be my match!

Here's the product breakdown with reviews linked where possible, in case you're curious:
Base: Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque under the eyes, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly on spots and scars, MUFE HD loose powder to set
Cheeks: Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer for a very light contour, NARS blush in Sin on the apples and blended back into the hairline, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light to highlight
Brows: Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 eyebrow pencil in Seal Brown, Benefit Gimme Brow fiber gel in Light/Medium
Eyes: NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base, antique taupe from the L'Oreal HiP Duo in Electrified on the lid and inner corner, theBalm 'Sexy' matte burgundy shade from the Nude'Tude palette, a matte light brown from the Physicians Formula Canyon Classics quad to blend out, Too Faced Heaven matte cream eyeshadow on the browbone (from the Natural Eye palette), Inglot no. 414 Pearl emerald green eyeshadow along the lower lashline;
Physicians Formula Eye Booster thick eyeliner pen in Black, Pixi Endless Silky Eyeliner in Black Noir to tightline, Sephora Contour Waterproof Liner in Surfer Babe on the lower waterline, YSL Faux Cils mascara, Esqido 'Oh So Sweet' Mink Lashes*
Lips: TATCHA Gold Camellia Nourishing Lip Balm*, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Warm Me Up, patted in along the lip lines

I hope this gives you some inspiration for the upcoming season of parties and family gatherings; I'm defnitely going to do something similar for our Christmas Eve dinner or maybe Christmas Day! Do you plan your Holiday party looks in advance? What are you intending to wear this year?

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) are press samples I received from the brands for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!

'Stay sane inside insanity...' Rocky Horror Picture Show Collaboration

'I said hey listen to me. Stay sane inside insanity, but he locked the door and threw away the key.' - Columbia, Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Happy Halloween, my dears!!! I hope you're having fun gallivanting around in your fantastic costumes (who did you go as? Please share in the comments!) while me and husband are stuffing ourselves with take-out sushi and watching a movie on Netflix - yes, you guessed correctly, we're not that into dress-up parties. But I do love theatrical Halloween make-up, and my blogging pal Liz from So Lonely In Gorgeous suggested we transform ourselves into characters from the cult movie Rocky Horror Picture Show for the occasion. Here's the result of my efforts:

Something a bit different after all these boring neutral FOTDs I've been posting, huh? :) I also thought it would be fun to take a few shots of the process - it did take me an inordinate amount of time to complete my look as it was my first time attempting to erase my eyebrows. Well, lots of swearing, fallen brow hairs and half a glue stick later, I think the result is quite decent for my first try.

While I was changing myself into Columbia, I reflected that it's generally a very convincing look for fair-skinned redheads, and I know there's a fair number of you reading this blog; so maybe a costume idea for next year's Halloween party? I decided to skip a full product breakdown for you, but I will say that Graftobian Hi-Def foundation in Buff made my life a whole lot easier for this look. I've also used La Femme blush in Mocha for the cheeks and MAC's Cockney lipstick (interestingly enough, my wedding lipstick shade).

Please check out Liz's take on Magenta - I, for one, can't wait to see her transformation.

Don't Dream It, Be It!

My Fall Color Palette: Eyes, Lips & Cheeks

Even though I'd been planning this post for about a month, there aren't really any totally unexpected product picks in here: just your usual berry, purple and plum shebang, with a couple warmer blushes and some greys thrown in for a good measure. What can I say? I like what I like.

I also haven't bought any make-up from fall/winter collections this year, so all of the products I'm featuring have been hiding in my stash and not getting the love they deserve - time to rectify the situation. In a way, think of this post as 'shopping my stash for fall'; let me know in the comments whether you're also sorting through your existing collection for seasonally appropriate hues, or if you've purchased some new products this month - I'd love to know!

Let's start with the eyes. While summer was all about wash of color on the lids with some smudgy eye pencils (read as 'couldn't be bothered to use more than one eyeshadow and be super precise with eyeliners'), I'm now craving some more put together looks. I haven't used my purples in a really long time and I like how they compliment my brown eyes, so I've unearthed a small GWP quad from Clinique with Frosted Blossom (light shimmery pink), Stone Violet (matte medium warm purple), a darker shade from Beach Plum duo (medium warm purple with gold shimmer) and Night Plum (matte aubergine). I'm wearing all four shades in the second FOTD below.

 

Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Forgiveness is another matte purple (very similar to Stone Violet) I like to use in the crease to give my eye more definition. The texture of the Illmasqua matte is far superior to the dinky Clinique quad: smooth, creamy, more pigmented and blendable. On a cooler side of the color spectrum, I've been playing around with some greys from my collection: that's MAC Vex and MAC Hocus Pocus. Two of my cream eyeshadow sticks pair really well with both greys and purples: Avon Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Pencil in Amethyst and Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl.

L-R: Clinique GWP quad, Illamasqua Forgiveness, MAC Vex, MAC Hocus Pocus, Avon Amethyst, Laura Mercier Grey Pearl.

I tried to reign in my lip product picks a little bit: that's usually the one element of my make-up routine I like to change out the most often. But here's an interesting detail: I haven't actually been that much into deep pinks and berries so far this fall (exhibit A: the first FOTD. Not digging that lip shade - it's Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58 by the way, and as you can see, pointedly omitted from my lipstick picks). I'm all about the vampy blueberry shades, and deeper reds; and when I'm not feeling a dark lip, I reach for a sheer mauve gloss by way of Buxom Lip Polish in Dolly, which also pairs beautifully with those vampy lipsticks.

I like to wear all three of my deeper lipsticks either full strength or dabbed on as a stain: especially Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry requires some careful layering and general cajoling to apply evenly - I'm wearing it as a stain in the second FOTD, with more product layered in the center of my lips. Maybelline Color Sensational in Plum Perfect has a lot more reddy brown tones, so if you're into the 90s trend but you're a bit more cool-toned like me, it's a very nice shade for the colder months. Both Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Grandest Grape and fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Passion are the most moisturizing of the bunch, so a more practical choice when the lips get chapped thanks to the freezing temperatures outside.

L-R: Clinique Grandest Grape, Buxom Dolly, fresh Sugar Passion, Maybelline Plum Perfect, Revlon Black Cherry

Lastly, blush: oh, how I love thee. The skin on my cheeks has finally started to clear up, so I can have more fun with cheek products again! All three of my picks have a sculpting effect on my face, but additionally I've been pairing them with Benefit's Hoola bronzer, used as a contouring powder. I am now the most tan I've been this whole year (despite daily SPF application), so I'm milking it by using some darker cheek products in my stash.

NARS Sin blush in particular gives my face a lot more definition thanks to the very fine gold sheen which highlights my cheekbones (second FOTD below), while NYX Powder Blush in Mauve and NARS Douceur warm up my coloring and will compliment my fading tan - yes, I'm giving it another month tops. A bronze goddess, I am NOT...

L-R: NARS Sin, NARS Douceur, NYX Mauve

I've also returned to liquid eyeliners and cat flicks - they just pair so well with a bold lip. In terms of foundation, I'm still trying to make a dent in my Estee Lauder Double Wear Light; having used it for a solid couple months non-stop now, I have to say I've grown quite tired of it, even though the shade Intensity 1 is my perfect match right now. Nails in the first photo are Zoya Payton, which will be featured in an upcoming fall nail polish picks post.

I rarely use pencils in my waterline or to tightline, but I've been experimenting with slightly lighter shades, like the shimmery taupe of Sephora Contour Eyeliner in Flirting Game, which you can see in the photo below. I'm also into bolder brows, making good use of my Shu Uemura Seal Brown pencil - but I'm thinking of investing in a tinted brow gel (Benefit Gimme Brow?), and maybe even a brow powder (Anastasia?). Do you have any favorites you could recommend?

And that's a wrap! I feel like this post is a bit all over the place, but hopefully you guys enjoyed it nonetheless. How do you change up your make-up for fall? Are there any specific shades, placements or techniques you like to use in the colder season?

Recreating the Rouge Bunny Rouge Summer Look with Visée Bitter Brown Quad

To be honest, this post is probably useful for just about no one, since the star of this Rouge Bunny Rouge-inspired eye look is a Japanese Limited Edition Kosé Visée feat. SmackyGlam eyeshadow quad that's no longer available - no, not even on eBay. I could of course extrapolate and say that today's post is about taking inspiration from current trends and recreating a make-up look with what you already have without needing to purchase anything new; blah blah blah. I don't know. I had numerous ideas on how to feature this look, but in the end it boils down to this: I very much like the Rouge Bunny Rouge Summer 2014 look, called Chance. I also very much enjoy using the Visée BR-7 Bitter Brown quad, which was a gift from the one and only Belly. So, here are the two together. I hope you like.

A simple make-up look featuring a cobalt blue eyeliner in an otherwise neutral color palette makes me a very happy camper. Cobalt blue (or ultramarine, however you prefer to call that) is my favorite color; and as a bonus, it looks good on my fair cool skintone, AND makes my dark brown eyes stand out. The hint of vibrant blue paired with gleaming golden browns is a perfect summer eye combination.

Here's what I picked from my stash to recreate the Rouge Bunny Rouge Chance: for the eyes, I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige as a base and inner corner highlight, the golden brown from the Visée Bitter Brown quad on the lid, blended up into the crease and along the lower lashline, the dark shimmery brown smudged along the upper lashline.

I lined my upper waterline and inner corner with the Sephora Nano Eyeliner pencil in Azur Blue, and applied Benefit BadGal Lash mascara in black. On the cheeks, I'm wearing Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer and bareMinerals Ready Blush in The One, on my lips I have the Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait. The base is my standard Estee Lauder Double Wear Light set with MUFE HD Powder.

L-R: Four shades in the Visée Bitter Brown quad, Sephora Nano Eyeliner Pencil in Azur Blue, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige, bareMinerals Ready Blush in The One, Revlon Peach Parfait Lip Butter

Even though I have not used all the shades in the Visée Bitter Brown in this look, I'll still offer up my thoughts on the formula, and my general usage of the quad. All four of these eyeshadows can be called shimmery, however each has a different finish: the pinky white is a mostly gold glitter (with some silver, light blue and baby pink flecks as well), the peach is shimmery with small flecks of golden glitter, the golden brown has a regular pearl/frost finish, while the dark brown is almost a satin. The textural variety in the Bitter Brown quad allows for some more interesting but still neutral looks, and the formula of the shadows is smooth, creamy and pigmented. If you like glitter and shimmer on the eyes, the Bitter Brown quad is perfect - although even for a shimmerphile like me, using all four at the same time without any mattes is a bit of an overkill.

 What has been your favorite look this summer? Have you ever tried any eyeshadows from Visée?