OK, so I am on this tutorial kick this weekend. I also redesigned the site. You likey? Me likey a lotty.
Anyway, this tutorial is an Arabic makeup inspired look. Let me show you what I mean:
The makeup style is very dramatic, with use of at least three different eyeshadow colors. Shimmer is a must have!! I am adding glitter to my tutorial just for fun, you don’t have to use it, but I like it!
We are gonna start off using some different foundation than I used in the last tutorial. No purpose, just to show how different foundations look.
I used Estee Lauder Ideal Matte (a bit like Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse) in Ivory, using my fingers, and on top of that, I used a light coat of Jane Iredale Amazing Base in Cool Sand using my Bare Escentuals Handy Buki brush, which is a really stiff and dense brush that picks up a lot of product.
This is my usual MAC Showstopper shadow used as my eyebrow filler. Pictured is the Brandon brand brush which can be found at some beauty supply stores and drug stores, look for it online, I have seen it around.
I didn’t use a brow stencil this time, I just freehanded the arches, using short strokes.
On to the eyes! From the left: Sample size Urban Decay Primer Potion, NARS eyeshadow Duo (discontinued) Mediteranee, Urban Decay Heavy Metal gold glitter eyeliner, EMANI loose mineral shadow #167, Maybelline Lash Stylist mascara.
I primed my eyes with Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, patted down a light coat of the lighter color of the eyeshadow duo (light gold shimmer) and lightly patted a layer of the EMANI mineral shadow under the brow and in the inner corners and outer corners of the eyes.
This is the tricky part! The hardest part of the tutorial.. so pay attention!!! hahaha! Using a flat eyeshadow brush, I picked up some of the darker orange shadow from the NARS duo, and patted it down the middle of my eyelid, stopping in the crease. Some of the shadow may fall on the lashes or face, that’s okay, we will clean that up after we are done with the eyes.
Next step is the contour color, which is the awesome and versatile MAC eyeshadow called Sketch. It’s a beautiful dark burgundy shade with a slight reddish shimmer. This shadow looks awesome over the top of black eyeliner, which I won’t do in this tutorial, but I am just suggesting that you try it out.
Make sure you wipe your brushes off when changing colors! I tapped my flat eyeshadow brush into the MAC Sketch eyeshadow and very carefully patted the shadow next to the orange stripe, up into the crease. Do not blend yet, just leave it there!
Using a very small shadow brush (I used Lancome’s Smudger Brush #10 $24.50) I lined my bottom outer corners with the Sketch eyeshadow, bringing the line up into the crease.
This the part where people have the most trouble. BLENDING! Ugh.. I know, it’s a total drag, but if you practice enough, you will be a pro. I used a MAC #224 tapered blending brush . Starting from the outer corner of the lower lid of the eye, I use small light strokes to bring the burgundy shadow into the orange shadow. Once it looks blended with no seam, I start bringing the outer edge of the crease into the center, blending over the orange and towards the inner corner of the eye. I had to pick up more of the burgundy shadow to make the crease color a little darker. The trick to blending the outer corner crease color is to use circular motions with the brush. See the blended eye on the left, unblended on the right to see the difference. If some of the orange shadow faded a lot during the blending process, pat a little bit more back on and blend.
Above is the finished blended look. I had to add a little bit more of the EMANI loose mineral shadow to the corners of the eyes and brought a little bit up into the corner of the crease of the inner eye to help blend the burgundy shadow a little bit more.
I lined my eyes with Bobbi Brown Gel eyeliner in Black Ink , lining the inner rim of my bottom lid is pretty easy with the gel liner.
This is totally optional, GLITTER!!! To add more drama and glam to your look, add a little glitter. I really love this Urban Decay Heavy Metal glitter liner, it is really easy to use and stays on all day. I dabbed a little in the inner corners and painted a line of glitter right above my upper lid eyeliner, as you see in the photo.
I finished off my eyes with a bit of Sketch shadow lining the bottom lid line using that lovely Lancome brush I mentioned earlier. I dabbed a little glitter in the inner bottom corners. I used my favorite mascara, Maybelline Lash Stylish on top and bottom lashes. In this picture, I added Benefit’s Dallas blush in the hollows of my cheeks (I made the fish face and sucked in my cheeks to find the hollows!)
After I applied Dallas to the hollows of my cheeks to create a slimming and bronzing effect, I applied Jordana blush called A Touch of Pink, which is actually not pink, it’s more coral/orange, but it’s cute! It’s a matte blush which I found at the 99 cent store. Jordana is a very inexpensive brand and you may find it at Long’s drugs, flea markets, but check online if you can’t find it there. I wanted a little highlight on my face, but I wanted to try something that I had in my makeup collection that I had not tried in a while. I used Pop Beauty Glam Jam in Spring Time. It’s a highlighting product that I find hard to use because it’s moist. I usually prefer powder highlighters, but I liked the pinky gold tones in this and I wanted to give it a shot. I squeezed out a small amount on my fingers and pressed it into three other fingers, patting it on my face, not rubbing. I concentrated on the cheek bones, bridge of nose and forehead areas.
Next for the lips. I really do love the Urban Decay 24/7 lipliners.. especially Naked. It’s the perfect nude shade, a little on the mauve brown side, and it stays on a pretty long time. The lipgloss I used was a limited edition Tarte lipgloss from the Purse your Lips collection. These glosses are all wonderful and packed with vitamins and minerals.. even acai berry extract!! I highly recommend purchasing this adorable limited edition collection. Although I do not know the name of the gloss, it is a peachy – gold – pink sheer color. A bit iridescent. Over the top of that, I dabbed a very small amount of the EMANI loose mineral shadow that we used earlier, in the middle of my bottom lip and pressed together. I blended it around a little with my finger.
All done! You can see the full effect of the EMANI mineral shadow under my eyebrow and the Pop Beauty shimmer cream on my cheek bone.
After I heard that Megan Fox was single, I immediately started looking for photos of her.. was she sad, happy.. did she dump Brian for another man?? I was obsessed. I really like how she does her makeup, especially the coral bronze look, so I wanted to experiment a bit and see what I could do.
Note that some of these products are discontinued!!
From left to right: Perfekt primer , Revlon Colorstay in Tawny Fauve, MAC 180 Brush for foundation, Prescriptives concealer in Warm 01, DiorSkin Nude 10 powder foundation, Bare Escentuals Handy Buki brush, & Benefit Ooh La Lift.
Time to get the skin perfected. I currently am broken out really bad due to a foundation stick that I was trying out, my skin is red and blemished.. sorry I am not posting the “before” pic.. I just don’t want to humiliate myself on that level! I started out using the Perfekt primer just on the T-zones to smooth out enlarged pores. I only use my finger with this stuff. Right over the top of that and on the entire face, I apply the Revlon ColorStay foundation with the MAC 180 brush until I get the desired affect, which is blended and smooth skin. I always apply concealer AFTER I apply foundation because sometimes the foundation does a good enough job covering imperfections. I applied the Prescriptives concealer with my ring finger under my eyes and on my nose, where an annoying zit is brewing. I finished everything off with a light dusting of my new favorite powder, DiorSkin powder foundation, using the B.E. Handy Buki brush for extra coverage. I applied Ooh La Lift on both top eyelids and patted until the puffiness was gone.
Lord help me.. I am brave for posting this.
I applied NARS Zen blush (on left) as a bronzer right under my cheekbones, on the sides of my nose and dusted a little on the forehead, under the chin and anywhere I think I needed a little tan. I applied a light dusting of Wet N’ Wild shimmer Silk Finish Blush (it’s a champagne color) to highlight my face (cheekbones, bridge of nose, above lip, forehead). In honor of Megan Fox, I decided to go for a dark, exaggerated, thick brow. Since I do not grow thick brows naturally, I had to do a lot of work with my Anastasia eyebrow stencil (pictured) and chose the High Arch tempate. Using MAC’s dark brown matte eyeshadow in Showstopper, I patted and brushed my brows in using an angled brow brush made by Brandon (avail. in drug stores, beauty stores) It takes practice and patience to use brow stencils. It’s very hard to get both brows to match up, at least for me. Sometimes I have to use a straight edge of paper just to find the place to put the stencil. In the picture below, you can see the brow, and where I used a Q-tip to wipe excess powder away.
Don’t worry, we will clean up the area.
Next I need to prime my eye area. I’ve already used Ooh La Lift to take away the puffies, next I need to smooth the skin and prep it for eyeshadow application so that it will last through the day. First I used a little bit of the MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study (on left) on the outer corners of my eye, using a light touch with my finger. I also use this Paint Pot to highlight areas on my face, like the bridge of the nose and cheekbones. Next, I drew a couple dashes under my brows with Benefit’s High Brow big pencil (second from right) this highliger pencil is great for smoothing out and concealing fine hairs that are growing back after your brow waxing. I then patted Urban Decay’s new ‘Sin’ primer potion on the bottom lid and into the crease, also touching a bit into the corners of my eyes with a finger.
One of my favorite products is Bare Escentuals Shimmer powders. There are so many colors to choose from and I have A LOT of these to play with at home. I dipped my Beauty Strokes eyeshadow applicator brush (drug stores, beauty supply stores) into the B.E. Shimmer powder in the color Tropics. It’s a pretty gold/coral shade that also works great as a blush.
If you want to go for a really natural look, you can just throw on your mascara at this point, but since I am going glam, I am taking further steps to glamness.
I thought I took a picture of this product, but I didn’t see it coming off my memory stick.. SOOO.. I used the Bobbi Brown cream liner, black, with the brush that the kit came with (it was a limited edition kit, expensive, and not sure if it’s still avail.) You can also try MAC’s Fluidline cream liners too.. they work just as good and are more affordable. I started at the inner corner of my eye and worked the liner across, making a little extended tail at the end. I applied a small amount of matte black powder shadow on top of that to soften the look and seal the creme liner in.
Everyone always hears me bragging about Maybelline Lash Stylist. The above picture speaks for itself. That is ONE coat of the product. No primer, nothing fancy, just the best mascara ever. There is proof that it can make puny, light red lashes into nearly fake looking glam lashes.
I said we were going glam, right? So I decided to take my lashes to another level. I used MAC’s Hello Kitty Lashes.. they are corner lashes, not a full strip, and they are so comfy and easy to wear.
I applied the Bobbi Brown creme liner to the inner bottom lid area, then added a bit of the “Tropics” shimmer under my bottom lash line with the angled brow brush dipped in water. I wiped the brush off, then applied a little of the matte brown MAC Showstopper shadow to the outer corners, blending it into the Tropics shadow below my lash line. I forgot to apply mascara to the bottom lashes, but oh well, I don’t think it needed it now!
I wanted a really POP coral lip. Like miss Fox! I thought that MAC Lipglass in Red Devil, & MAC Dame Edna lipstick in Coral Polyps would be perfect to pack that coral punch. I lined my lips with RIMMEL’s 1,000 Kisses lipliner in Red Dynamite, which is an orange-based red. I applied Coral Polyps, and blotted, then Red Devil Lipglass topped everything off just right.
On the balls of my cheek, or the apple, whatever you want to call it.. the fat part? I applied Coralista by Benefit,which is a total copycat of NARS Orgasm, but I thought the box was totally cute.
Ta-da! The finished face. The only thing I wished could have happened here was tanner skin. I was planning to go out this evening with my man, so I didn’t want a tan face and white arms, so for this photo, I didn’t use as much bronzer as I would have liked for this look. I also wished I would have waxed my lip, but I can do that next time!!!
I love doing these tutorials, don’t get me wrong, but I have no time for these! I will try to do one at least per month. (Once per week would be great.. but.. )
I am a little behind on fashion week posts… but I made this cute little chart of all of the MAC looks from fashion week. Hope you enjoy!
The US has banned the trendy fish pedicure procedure.. ugh.. I didn’t even get to try it! Oh well. I guess I will go swim in a lagoon somewhere and hope that a school of fish sees my callouses.
If you are like me and you need help prying yourself away from MAC’s Hello Kitty line.. then this is for you.. (and me) There are so many cute things coming out for Spring 2009!!! Nude lips, the smokey eye is back and fiercer than ever, baby pink is back!
Now.. there is a lot to cover, and I am not going over every single line of cosmetics. I am going over the ones I feel deserve to be mentioned!
Let’s start with Givenchy!!! Be a Bollywood Millionaire in this adorable Bollywood-inspired Spring line of cosmetics. From cute compacts to sultry eyeshadow palettes, this line is sure to please!
View product line here: Givenchy Spring 2009
Yves Saint Laurent.. divine beauty comes easy with this line! R.I.P Mr. YSL!!
Anway, I will stop drooling now. Check this out.. inspired by Contemporary art!!
Product line: YSL Spring 2009
Armani cosmetics are rarely spoken of.. so let me do the talking! This line is elegant, very “Oscar night” themed. Check out the product like for Spring 2009.. simple, soft, feminine: Armani Cosmetics “Pink Light” Collection 2009
Last but not least.. DIOR!!! Hugs, kisses, stars and confetti for Dior. The 2009 Spring collection is described on dior.com as:
This spring, Dior creates a look in honor of the Parisian woman of the 60’s with a timeless and ultra-chic collection.
The collection introduces makeup “classics” with a wide range of “nude chic” shades to enhance women’s natural beauty.
The new collection offers expert products to perfect and highlight the complexion. Eyes are adorned with an array of taupes, browns and beiges. Lips are wearing delicate beige or light pink shades.
So, what do you gals think? Can you handle the bright lips this Spring season? Are you gonna go for it? With all the bright lips and cheeks, I am beginning to wonder if I even need to splurge in the shopping malls.. I already have all of this stuff. Doesn’t hurt to add a bit to the collection, right? We can also go recession chic and dive to the drug stores!
I am not one to say that plastic surgery is bad, it has done wonders for stars such as Megan Fox. BUT.. the trout pouts and the noses that are way too small for one’s face.. now that is just nasty. Nadya Suleman really should be saving her dough for the Octo family (plus the other six) not for MAC clear lipgloss and mani-pedis.
If you are also like me and obsessed with looking at awful celebrity plastic surgery, check out my fave site: www.awfulplasticsurgery.com
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I was highly intrigued by the look of this product. I tried the Amazing Base loose mineral powder by Jane Iredale and since I do not like mineral foundation in the powder form, I really didn’t jump for joy, but I thought that a liquid foundation would be better for me.
The Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals foundation is described as follows:
You’ll be delighted and amazed when you see the results you get with our revolutionary liquid mineral foundation. Liquid Minerals diminishes the appearance of lines and wrinkles, minimizes pores and evens out skin tone. beneficial ingredients actually enhance the health of your skin.
Winner of the DaySpa’s Editor’s Choice Award.
Product not tested on animals.
Made in USA
For $46 dollars, you get thousands of tiny mineral balls suspended in a clear gel, which I think is glycerin, as you can see in this photo:
The main reason I purchased was because of the ingredients, which include Hyaluronic Acid, Algae, Vitamin C, Squalane, and other natural stuff. Those are pretty much top ingredients in skin care and to add those into my foundation was a plus for me. I thought it was totally worth it since I do not use a daily moisturizer due to my oily skin.
When you first start using this product, it seems like total crap. You have to pump it quite a few times to get the “balls popping” and out of the pump. I didn’t really get to experience the quality of the product until I had used it for about a week and a half. It comes out of the pump quite chunky because it’s basically powder mixed with glycerin, and I do use a foundation brush to apply. The product dries down to a power finish, but not the same look as if you were using a powder foundation. It does give you a bit of a glow! I was a little disappointed with the color, Amber, it was too light for my fair/golden toned skin, and I feel like I could use something a little bit darker. I have a bit of red in my skin, too, so a product that gives me the slightest hint of a tan works best for me. I used a lot of bronzer to even out my skin tone.
I will have to say that it’s hard to compare this to my Makeup Forever HD liquid foundation… I think that if I had a darker color in this Jane Iredale product, I would be happier. Since I bought this product on the internet, I don’t want to go through the hassle of mailing the box back, etc. I will be fine with the shade for now until it’s time to repurchase. I applaud Mrs. Iredale for accomodating people who want organic makeup that is not in the powder form. I am a fan and I will check out more of the product line.
I really wanted to love this as much as I love the original Primer Potion. This product reminds me of so many other products out there.. sigh.. but it’s okay, I’m over it.
I have used a lot of MAC paint, paint pots, and the fluidline products, and they are all pretty much like “Sin”, which to me is a liquid eyeshadow and not really a product that holds shadow on. I also have a product like this from Biotherm (no longer in stores, but online) and Lancome, where the product was in a tube and you basically used it as an eyeshadow or base, but really didn’t have the staying power that the original Primer Potion does.
My final thoughts.. well.. I am sticking with the original potion. It works for every shadow, even creme shadows, and doesn’t crease at the end of the day. I did find with “Sin” that I had a minimal amount of creasing at the end of my work day and I did have to pat it around with my finger to make it smooth again.
If you love the Doctors as much as I do, then you can’t miss today’s episode featuring “Medical makeup” GlyMed cosmetics. The foundation that was used on this young client (pictured below) transformed the skin into flawless, perfect skin.
The client has a Port Wine stain birthmark and it also covered areas on her body. The Master Esthetician on the show, Christine Heathman, had gorgeous skin, and she says she also uses the GlyMed cosmetics on her own skin to protect it from the sun. I am interested in trying this foundation and hearing about others who have tried it. I am assuming the product that Heathman used with the Tinted Photo-Age Pigment Protection Skin Shield, featured on this page: http://glymedplus.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=32
If you or someone you know has tried this, let me know your thoughts!
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