It is officially fall and it’s hot here in San Jose, California! I still have bathing suit time to burn out here and I’m glad because I think I only hit the pool once! This summer, I’ve tried a lot of new products that I’d like to share with you. I haven’t done a tutorial in ages, but this past weekend, I managed to get my ass back to the creative side and create a super-dramatic look for the celebration of autumn’s beginning and give away an amazing prize…the Anastasia Beauty Express kit for brows & eyes (in blonde, but works for many!).

Ta-dah! (on the left!)

Click here for larger Flickr image

I did say dramatic, didn’t I??  Was not joking. (Scroll down for full face photo)

Win this Anastasia Brow Kit!

So here’s how to snag that awesome Anastasia prize that I mentioned above (a $39.50 value) … time to get creative yourselves and discover your own autumn inspiration look! You can create something totally dramatic or go sultry subtle .. it is all up to you! I am looking for something inspiring, creative and gorgeous to share with my readers, so keep that in mind.  Just sending me a photo will NOT suffice as an entry for the prize. I would like for you to tell me how you created the look, step by step. So basically, create a tutorial for what you have done. You can do this in video form, a photo slide show or send a high res image to me with instructions on how you created the look. Please take note of that products were used and what shades. The winning tutorial will be posted on this blog along with some honorable mentions!

To enter: Please send your full name, age, state of residence, photos or videos of yourself demonstrating an autumn inspired look  on yourself or someone else by OCTOBER 31st, MIDNIGHT PST, to krista@kristadior.com with subject header: ANASTASIA ENTRY. If chosen as a winner, I will need your full address so that I may send the prize out to you.  Prizes may take up to 4 to 8 weeks to arrive via USPS. Contest open ONLY to US residents! If you are an international viewer, you may still submit your photos so that I can post them on the blog!

The tutorial :

FACE : I used Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Oily/Combo Skin with Jane Iredale Amazing Base Loose Mineral powder in Bisque. I used a round, dry kabuki brush to apply my foundation and buff it out. I also used another kabuki (I always have two on-hand, one for using with foundation and one for powder) to apply my powder.

CHEEKS : I use my new Ben Nye Ben Nye Essential Eye Shadow Rouge Palette on the cheeks (A hazy coral matte shade) which is a totally amazing value for 6 giant eye shadows and 6 blushes. All matte! I also used bronzer very lightly to contour my cheekbones and nose which is the also amazing Beauty Society bronzer called Californication. I love the soft pigment in this bronzer, and it is perfect for pale skin! (I’ll brag more about Beauty Society later.. it is great stuff and good for your skin! I use only Beauty Society skincare these days.)

I always use my Bare Escentuals Angled Blush Brush (small) to do the contour of my face and then I use whatever blush brush is clean to finish off with blush and a little bit of highlighter.

EYES: The eyes are the big part of the tutorial! I used a small amount of Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion. The Eden primer potion is a little yellowish in color, which helps to hide imperfections on the eyelids (like gross veins and discoloration!) and it does a great job at holding onto the shadow color for dear life. I let that dry for a few seconds and then I start up with my favorite white product, Kryolan Aqua Color White, which I bought on Ebay. This is the whitest of white matte shadows I’ve ever used, and you use it with a damp brush since this product is a cake shadow. I used the Bare Escentuals Maximum Concealer Brush to apply the Kryolan… very lightly and carefully, patting it as I go. I cover the entire top lid, like a base, making sure the most coverage is concentrated on the bottom lid.

I started with the yellow first right below the brow bone (leaving a little white highlight above it) and with a flat eye shadow brush like this Bare Escentuals Tapered Eye Shadow Brush , I coated the brush heavily in the MAC Chrome Yellow and patted it across the top (look at the picture for placement). I did not blend it because I ended up putting a dash of Bare Escentuals True Gold Shimmer over the top. Right under the yellow, I used the same method to apply the MAC Matte Orange shade. This time, I blended the orange shade up into the yellow with the MAC #222 Tapered Blending Brush.

Below the orange, I applied MAC Sketch Eye Shadow to the crease (with the MAC Pencil Brush) and mixing it with a little matte black eye shadow to darken it as much as I could without being too black. I allowed a little bit of this dark shadow mixture creep down on the bottom lid to blend with the white a little. I also added a bit of Sketch shadow to the outer corners of my eyes and in the lower corners of the lower lash line with the pencil brush.

I took a clean tapered blending brush (or any soft blending brush would do) and blended the places that needed a little TLC. I took out my new favorite liquid liner the Yves Rocher 12 hour Felt Tip Liner. I used this on my top lid, starting thin in the inner corners and thicker as I worked my way to the outer corners. It dries very quickly so there was no waiting time to start on the next part of my eyes!

In my inner rim, I used the MAC Chromaline creme liner in Black Black. Finished it all off with using the orange MAC matte shadow underneath the liner with the MAC pencil brush.

LIPS :Do the lips even matter after all of that? I honestly don’t remember what I used here. I think it was a limited edition Chanel Glossimer, a soft nude pink shade with a silvery shimmer. You definitely want to use a nude lip with this eye look, but if you tried a dark red lip or bright orange lip, I am not going to blame you.. it could also work!

So good luck contestants.. please send your tutorials/photos to krista@kristadior.com by Oct. 31st at midnight. I’m looking forward to seeing the entries!