FOTD: More Than Just a Pop of Color

Oh my goodness I feel like I haven't done a face of the day post in FOREVER.  I get up do my makeup quick and then usually have to go do other things so I never seem to have the time to do a fun makeup look and take pictures of it.  I made it a point to do this week because this started as a makeup blog and I feel like all my latest posts have been....well not about makeup. Hopefully that will change soon. 

So I was wearing a teal tanktop with a purple sweater and felt like doing a nice colorful eye look to match. I started out with some NYX Milk on my lid to help bring out the Comet eyeshadow from BH Cosmetic's Galaxy Chic palette. Next I took Urban from Urban Decay's Electric palette and blended it into my crease and very lightly under my eye.  I deepened my outer corner with Urban Decay's Blackout and also smudged it on my lower lashline.  I then took my Jesse's Girl liquid liner and draw a regular wing, then went back in a drew another really thin one right under that, blending it in with the Blackout applied earlier.  To emphasize the space between the wings and my inner corner I dabbed on some NYX shadow in Whipped Cream.  On my lips is my favorite nude ever, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Zurich. 

Here is an angled shot just so you can better see all my accessories.  When I match, I MATCH.

Golden Raspberry FOTD

This week is finals week so I've been doing a lot of studying and definitely not any procrastinating whatsoever......

Hah.

Today is my physiology II final...its in about an hour....and since its such a nice day out I decided to do a springy look using a color I normally don't work with...gold!

For this look I first put down NYX Milk to make that gold pop as much as possible.  I then used Saturn from the galaxy chic palette on my lid.  Next I took Jilted from the electric pallete and blended it into my crease and under my eye, creating a halo effect. I then finished the look up with Urban Decay's Blackout by using it to darken my outer corner and give my upper lashes a very fine line. Very easy and very cute!

On my lips is Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick in Lead the Way.

I also wanted to share my outfit because why not!  I absolutely love this top.  I got in at H&M while I was in Turkey.  It is one of the few floral prints I own and for whatever reason as of a little bit ago I've been really eyeing floral prints more and more.  I think when I do some shopping this summer I'll be picking up quite a lot of floral.  The dark green tank top is by Loft,

Now I'm going to do a small bit of extra studying before heading out to take my first final!

Charlotte Wessels Inspired FOTD

Happy Easter Everyone!

Since I know I will be busy today I have prepared this post ahead of time.  If I do an Easter look it will have to wait for another day.

It seems symphonic metal goes hand in hand with awesome makeup because I've been doing a lot of looks inspired by the genre.  Today I decided to base a look off of Charlotte Wessels of Delain.

She is very pretty and even more talented. I had not listened to them too much but after seeing them open for Sonata Arctica I've been loving their album Lucidity.  I'll be seeing them again open for Nightwish so I'm very excited!!

If you've never heard of Delain here is a video for Frozen off Lucidity.

It's weird....sometimes the close up eye pictures look better than the face as a whole and other times the whole picture is way nicer than the zoomed in eyes.  This is definitely the latter.  I just could not get a good close up picture of this look but I adore all the full face shots.  Oh well!

To get this eye look I used all Urban Decay products! It wasn't actually intentional, it just happened that way.

I started with the Naked 3 palette and put Factory on my entire lid and crease.  Then I blended Darkside onto my lid and highlighted with Strange.  Next I took the single Blackout and blended it along my lashline and in the outer corner for depth.  To finish up I grabbed Urban from the Electric Palette and blended it under my lower lashline. 

 I also contoured heavily with a combo of NYX Taupe and MAC Crazed Imagination.  On my lips is Urban Decay's Andromeda gloss which is discontinued.  I didn't really have any shimmery peachy nudes like she was wearing so I had to improvise.

So dark but yet so wearable! I might just do this again tomorrow.

And of course as is necessary here is my side by side comparison.  Photoshopped of course to fit the lighting of the original. So much contrast.  My purple is a little more intense and my darks could have been darker but overall I'm pleased with how I did.

One final picture of the lovely Charlotte to end the post!

Spring Summoning FOTD

I am oh so very much ready for spring.  I hate the cold and I love swimming and flowers and ugh stupid window needs to end.  Today I dressed as if it were about 20 degrees warmer to make myself feel better.  

For this look I used Slowburn and Revolt from the Electric Palette. I dabbed Slowburn all over my eye lid and blended Revolt under my eye for a nice pop of sparkle. I took Skinny Dip by NYX and blended it into my crease.  I then darked my outer corner using Urban Decay's Blackout single shadow. I finished with a wing and voila! Super easy spring eye!

On my lips is NYX soft matte lip cream in San Paulo. 

Happy St Patrick's Day!

What is St Patrick's Day without a slightly over the top green eye look??? No fun, that's what!

I don't really like how I look with so much green on my eyes.  For me green is more of an accent color, therefore I only dress up my eyes in green once a year.

 I'm not 100% sure if I have any Irish in me but there is evidence that points to my last name on my father's side being a variation of an Irish name that could have been Americanized during immigration. So...yay for maybe being part Irish!

I used only green products on my eyes except for my mascara.  It was fun but this is definitely a once a year only FOTD.

To achieve this glorious green look I started by taking my Electric Palette and placing Freak all over my lid. Then I took Fringe and applied it in my crease and inner corner to create a halo effect. I also lightly blended Fringe and Freak under my eye with Freak being closer to my inner corner. Next I finally got to use Ulta's precision liquid liner in Forest Green (which is seems they are already discontinued...that was fast.  Probably for good reason, they aren't that great) and used it to line my lid and create a small wing.  Finally I grabbed my NYX liquid crystal liner in Crystal Jade to add a line of green glitter to my lower lashline.  

 

Also take notice to my super cute shamrock earrings. I have no idea where I got them but without fail I have worn them once a year for St Patrick's Day for the past 5 years.

On my lips is Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick in Mystic Plum.

Whether you actually celebrate St. Patrick's Day or just use it as an excuse to wear green with crazy green makeup, I hope you have a happy one!

Ethereal Smokey Eye

Today's FOTD was completely unplanned.  I woke up and knew I wanted to do something dark but nothing too crazy.  I think I found the perfect combo between interesting, dark, and wearable.

I started by placing Urban from the Electric Palette all over my lid and into my crease.  I then patted Black Out by Urban Decay onto my lid and slightly blended it into the purple. I then attempted to create a slight halo effect by lightly dabbing Mother of Dragons by Shiro Cosmetics onto the center of my eyelid.  I love how it turned out!! Lightly putting Mother of Dragons over a matte black creates this really interesting ethereal shimmer on the eyes.  I will definitely be doing this again! It takes a dark look and makes a bit less heavy and a lot more enchanting.

On my lips is Ches Desire Cat by JCat Beauty applied lightly. 

Finals Day Five: Bare Minerals Be Bold

I'M DONE YES I'M SO EXCITED!!!

So I just finished my last final of the semester and I'm pretty sure it went awesome, I felt pretty confident the whole time.  YES!

On the fifth day of finals my grad school gave to me one Pharmacology final and a lipstick in Be Bold.

I don't even know what's going on with this eye look.  I got up earlier than I was expecting so had a bit of time to mess around.  Which is exactly what this was.  I didn't really have an idea going in, I just kept doing things until I wound up with something I liked.

On my lid is Freak from the Electric Palette, I then did the sharp edge at the outer corner with my liquid liner.  After I had them semi even I used Urban Decay's Blackout to do some smudging and blending out from the point and into my crease.  I then smudged BH Cosmetics BHCM18 eye shadow single under my eye. My inner highlight is Whipped Cream by NYX

Be bold is a color I don't wear very often and I'm not sure why.  Bare Mineral's marvelous moxie lipsticks have a pretty good formula to them.  Creamy, non drying, with a good staying power.  This is a nice deep red that feels very comfortable and nice on the lips.  Perhaps its because I tend to gravitate towards matte red lip products that this doesn't get much use, but overall it is a really great lipstick.

I'm so glad to be done with finals.  Now it's time to pack up, go home, spend time with my boyfriend and family....and possible bring home some new little friends ;)

 <3__)~

Finals Day Three: NYX Simply Vamp in Bewitching

Today is a reading day so it's nothing but studying. Sigh. 

On the third day of finals my grad school gave to me an entire day of studying with a lipstick in bewitching

Lipstick aside, I looooove this eye makeup.  I feel so bad ass wearing it, especially with a dark vampy lip.  This is especially awesome for those with hooded eyes who want to show off some intense color even with their eyes open.  To get this look I applied strange from the Naked 3 palette all the way up to my brow.  I then put Limit on my lid and drew a wing with my Jesse's Girl liquid liner.  I then grabbed my handy dandy electric palette and smudged Jilted under my eye and wing.  Then I carefully took Urban and put it as close to my lower lashline as possible.  To finish this up I took the tiniest bit of Black Out (Urban Decay single) and dabbed it where the wing meets Urban.

My boyfriend loved this eye look so I'll probably do it again on Saturday when he and my family come to move me home for the semester. :)

As for my red lip of the day, I'm wearing NYX cosmetics simply vamp lipstick in Bewitching.   Its a really nice wearable dark red.  However as a word of caution, make sure your lips are well exfoliated before use as it tends to cling to dry patches.  It is also a bit drying itself....but that color <3

Only two finals and two days until the end of the semester...let's do this!

Pink and Green Birthday FOTD!

Happy Birthday to me! Even though I have a week worth of finals ahead of me, I never let it get me down.  

I was planning on reviewing my Sephora birthday gift for today but because I left it at home, I won't be able to use it until the semester is over...I'm so good at life....sigh.

So instead, in honor of my birthday I wanted to share with all of you one of my favorite looks!

I feel so insanely fabulous every time I wear this.  The colors can also easily be changed up to match whatever outfit you are wearing.

To do this I first put Ever in Your Favor by Shiro Cosmetics all over my eye lid.  Then I take Blackheart from Naked 3 and put it in my crease.  I add a bit of depth to the outer part of my eye using Blackout by Urban Decay.  Next I draw a wing with my (brand new just opened!!!!) Jesse's Girl liquid liner.  I finish it up with a sweep of Fringe from the Electric Palette under my eye.

On my lips is NYX lip liner in Plum with Starlooks Odetta on top. 

With a green cardigan and my dark pink Turkish scarf I feel awesome today!

Purple and Teal Graphic Liner FOTD

When I put my favorite flannel on this morning I got the urge to do an eye look to match.  I'm not sure how I got there but I ended up doing a graphic liner of sorts.  I don't have too much experience doing this kind of thing but I still liked how it  came out.

To start I covered my upper lid in Urban from the Electric Palette.  Then I took Blackout by Urban Decay on a small brush and carefully outlined a wing and in my crease.  I only had to use my makeup remover pen 10 times to get this to look decent...Regardless, I then blended Blackout into the purple which looking back I probably should have used a different brush for.  Blending with the flat part of my liner brush was not a good idea.  I finished the look by taking Shiro Cosmetic's Maiden Queen and lining under my eye.

Lip is Mary Kay gloss in Berry Tart.

Happy Ruby And Sapphire Remake Release Day!

Happy November 21st!!! What's so special about today?  Well it just so happens to be the release date for Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire in North America! Gen III holds a special place in my heart because Sapphire version was the first Pokemon game I ever bought with my own money.  I also remember being completely blown away by the Game Boy Advanced graphics.  Now I am eagerly awaiting my copy of Alpha Sapphire to arrive in the mail so I can disappear for the next few months in Hoenn.  I apologize in advance to my poor boyfriend. 

Anyway in celebration of the release of the gen III remakes I did an eye shadow look based on Kyogre, the legendary in Sapphire.  Sorry Groudon fans but I have always been a Kyogre kind of girl.

To get this legendary (heh heh) look I started by applying NYX Milk everywhere around my eyes and blending it out with my finger.  Next I packed Chaos from the Electric Palette onto my eyelid, blending it into my crease.  Next I took Aphrodite from the Galaxy Chic palette and lined all around my eyes, finishing with a wing because Kyoge has those pointy side fins.

Finally I applied extra Milk under my eyes and blended downwards while also flicking it up under the red wing for extra wing action.

I attempted to give my best "I'm sick of your shit, Team Aqua" face.

I also attempted to draw Kyogre...it went okay.

I hope you all enjoy your new adventure!

Urban Decay Pressed Pigment in Jilted from the Electric Palette on my Lips

Ok so this is hands down my favorite shadow for use on the lips.  Just wow, its so freaking gorgeous.  I wish the Revolution lipstick in Jilted looked this awesome.  The blue shift is so much more pronounced from the shadow and it goes on like a dream!

This color is intensely pigmented and pats on the lips very evenly.  Put on a gloss on over this and it looks so fabulous especially for fall.  I can see me reaching for this shade a lot for use on my lips way more than on my eyes.

Urban Decay Pressed Pigment in Savage from the Electric Palette on my Lips

Here is yet another Electric Palette shadow on my lips.  This time its Savage a much more natural (at least as natural as the electric palette goes ) and wearable shade.  Overall this was fairly easy to apply and even though it looks a bit patchy in the close up, from a bit further away it looks perfect. If I ever wanted to wear a matte pink lip I would definitely reach for this.

This color makes me feel so bubbly and cute! It will stain the lips when taking it off though so prepare yourself for that.  Stay tuned for me to eventually finish the palette...I think I officially have the top row done! Yay!

Urban Decay Pressed Pigment in Gonzo from the Electric Palette on my Lips

I feel like I haven't done one of these in forever!  Here is yet another shade from the Electric Pallete on my lips! This time I patted Gonzo on my face....and its probably one of the worst so far.  It just refuses to cover evenly and instead goes on very very patchy.  Oh well, I probably wouldn't wear such a bright blue outside anyway.

This shadow in general tends to not want to apply evenly so Its not that big of a shock that it doesn't want to work on the lips either. However there is a silver lining to this post......

On a whim I picked up a pink lip gloss and.....BAM

Awesome, shiny, even dark blue lips.  This color is lovely and I'm so glad I did this. After applying Gonzo I applied my Pop Beauty lip gloss in Peony Petal over top until all was evenly blended.  Win!

Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions Makeup

This past Friday I attended Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions in Philadelphia!  I had a great time even though I wish they would have played more songs from Gen I and II. Anyway I decided to wear my Pikachu Link Pokemon shirt to the event and used the Electric Palette to do a look to match!

To create this look I patted Thrash all over my lid, then I put Urban in my crease.  Next I lined my lower lashline with Freak and then patted a bit of Revolt on top of Thrash for extra sparkle.  I finished with a wing and mascara.  I really liked this look and absolutely love doing super colorful looks with this palette. <3

Here is the shirt in all its epic glory.  On my lips is an Ulta lip liner in Punch with Be a Bombshell lipstick crayon in Hot Damn over top.  

How To Quickly Fix A Broken Eye Shadow.

Whether you've crumbled a shadow during depotting or dropped your favorite palette on the floor, eye shadows break, its a sad fact of life. Well a few days ago I droppd my precious electric palette like an idiot and of course one of my favorite shadows cracked.  Why couldn't it have been Thrash....why Slowburn!? Anyway because the break wasn't too bad, the top layer just cracked off with some crumblies around the outside I knew the fix would be pretty easy. I used this as an opportunity to show you how I fix my broken shadows.

Step 1 

Break your eye shadow,  Not really but you it kind of needs to happen for this tutorial to be relevant. 

Step 2

 put a bit of 91% alcohol on the shadow, enough to get it wet but not too much so that its drowning.

Step 3

 Grab your favorite paper towel and quarter and push down on that sucker! I was afraid to push too hard because this palette is my baby but I was able to put a good amount of pressure on it.  

Step 4

 Keep doing this until no more pigment appears on the paper towel.  For me this happened on the 3rd press. If you put more alcohol on which you may need for a more serious break it will probably take more.

Step 5 

Let it dry and you're done! It may not look as pretty but no more crumblies are falling everywhere and at least for high quality shadows the pigment stays just as intense.  I have experienced that low quality shadows lose almost all ability to produce pigment.  No idea why but as long as the shadow isn't the lowest quality possible (like those super cheap Ulta shadows you get in those giant makeup boxes) you should be fine.

Hope this helps!

<3__)~

Sparkly Purple Smokey Eye Tutorial

I've never done a tutorial before so since I knew I'd be doing this look twice, once for a trial run, and again for the concert, that it would be a good opportunity to attempt something like this.

1. I covered my entire lid with Urban from the Electric Palette

2. I put Blackheart from Naked 3 on my lid

3. I lined outer part of lower lashline with Starlooks gem eye pencil in Topaz

4. I drew a double wing with Jesse's Girl liquid liner in black

5. I made a small line under the bottom wing with a discontinued purple Urban Decay Heavy Metal liner

6. I highlighted under my brow and on the inner corner with Strange from Naked 3

7. I finished the look with Urban Decay's Perversion mascara

Hope this was decently easy to follow!

Urban Decay Pressed Pigment in Slowburn from the Electric Palette on my Lips

So normally I avoid orange lipstick because it just looks super strange on me.  However I am seriously digging the way Slowburn looks on my lips.  For whatever reason it is much more flattering than any other orange lip I've tried to wear.  For that I am so happy!! Definitely a win, it even looks cute in my hair.

On my cheeks I tried to use Urban, the purple from the palette.  I honestly really like it, especially with the orange.  I think I'm so pale and cool toned that purple blush turns out looking oddly normal on me.  I'm totally ok with this.

I popped a lip gloss over top to add some shine.  It also helps cover up any powdery texture making slowburn look like an honest to god lipstick :)

<3__)~

Urban Decay Pressed Pigment in Revolt from the Electric Palette on my Lips

I know I'm on a roll with these and absolutely loving every one.....until now.  Revolt is a gorgeous sparkly white but I just couldn't get it to work anywhere but my eyes.  It may work on the lips for someone with a darker complexion but I'm just way too pale.  I also attempted to put some in my hair but it just made it sparkly which may only work for a rave....

I ended up putting this on over top of NYX Milk in order to create an opaque coverage.  This pigment is slightly sheer so it may work better over top of intense lip colors to add some pearly white sparkle.

Don't worry my next update will be displaying a much more wearable color from this palette!

<3__)~

Urban Decay Pressed Pigment in Fringe from the Electric Palette on my Lips

I had so much fun with putting Urban on my lips I just had to try with one of my favorite colors from the palette, Fringe!

I also put a tad bit in my hair for extra awesome.  My friend told me I look like an electric mermaid....I am totally ok with this.  On my cheeks I applied Jilted as lightly as possible.  

I love this palette.

<3__)~