makeupbox:

80’s Pastel-Suede Makeup (Too Faced Insurance Policy Eyeshadow Collection)

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Taking a short break from the glittery looks for something that’s still quite dramatic in shape and texture, but can easily be adapted for daily work wear.

I’m using the Too Faced Insurance Policy Eyeshadow Collection, and there were 4 shades I picked;

• Boy Toy: Pale cotton candy pink shimmer (MAC Swish is similar)
• Glamazon: Pale champagne beige (most brands would have a similar soft beige shade)
• Full Frontal: Warm reddened brown (MAC Sable is very similar)
• Skinny Dip: Navy shimmery (this color goes on slightly violet over skin; just pick any deep rich blue shimmer)

One thing you will need to note is that the Insurance Policy shadows WILL give a fair amount of fallout. I had to clean off my cheeks, so you might want to do the rest of your makeup AFTER you do your eyes.

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Step 1: Place the pale candy pink in the inner corners of the lid, going down to the lower lash line as well.

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Step 2: Pack the soft champagne beige down the center of the lid. Make sure you get it quite intense because it will provide the contrast against the richer brown later.

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Step 3: Using a soft blending brush, apply the rich brown in the outer 1/3 of the lid first, using a circular buffing motion to concentrate the color. THEN pull the brush inwards along the arc of the socket line. Just follow the natural hollow of your eye.

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Step 4: The optional step. If you want that slightly 80’s - 90’s sculpted eye look (which is quite fun and flattering, even though it’s very dramatic by today’s standards) sweep the remaining shadow on the brush up from the deep brown section of the lid, up towards the end of your brow in a soft zig-zagging motion.

This won’t create a zig-zag. All it does is guarantee that there is minimal shadow on your brush the further from the lid you go, and you get a beautiful transition. If the outer edge of the shadow isn’t a neat curved line from your eye to the end of your brow, you can always clean it up with a Q-tip or some concealer later.

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Step 5: Just to update the look a little, since everything is very “top-heavy” by this time, I added a stroke of soft indigo blue to the lower lash line. Use a flatter brush to stroke sideways.

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Step 6: I used black gel liner and a small brush to line the upper lids, creating a line that is thin on the inner corners and thicker on the outer corners. This is easiest to do by lining from the outside in. 

This way you deposit the most product on the outer corner, and you can control the line as you move your brush inwards in sections. A lot of times, people will start in the center of the eye and move outwards, but I always see them leaving globs in the center, which they then have to clean up or even out by making the liner much thicker than they had intended.

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Step 7: Finish by curling lashes and then applying a strip of wispy false lashes. Natural-looking ones will do.

The trick for any full-strip of lashes to look especially nice is to wait until everything is placed nicely and the strip is not going to pop off, and then press the inner half of the lashes downward so they point in front, and leave the outer lashes pointing upwards slightly.

(Source: beautiful--freedom)

makeupbox:

Navy Pearl: Inky-blue nails with Pale Blue-green Pearlescent Glitter (How to do glittery nails without glitter polish)

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I’m no nail maven. I do my own nails every week, but I certainly am not a pro when it comes to nail art and techniques, so do excuse the imperfection!

This is just a quick overview of how you can use any glitter as a nail polish without having to dunk a lot of it into clear nail varnish, using the last zodiac shade (there is a 13th but that one is not one of the 12 signs). How many of us have run out to buy little bottles of clear varnish and then dipped tons of precious glitter in? 

There’s only one special tool that I use to get intense glittery nails without having to commit so much extra product up-front. 

• Base coat and top coat
• Nail varnish (I used L.A. Girl Disco Brights in Dance Studio)
• Glitter (Lime Crime’s Pisces, a translucent baby-periwinkle with green and gold reflection)
• Special tool: Small synthetic bristle fan brush (see step 3 image below; you should be able to get this in an art store for just a few dollars)

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Step 1: I first apply the usual base coat and then 1 coat of varnish (or until the base color is ALMOST the opacity you want). You want to leave the final color-coat for later.

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Step 2: Work finger by finger. First paint on the final coat of color on that one nail, and then dip the damp tip into a mound of glitter. You should get a very thick coat of glitter right there. 

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Step 3: Then quickly with your fan brush, press into the glitter and then lightly tap the flat of the brush over the glittery sections, moving inwards away from the tip slowly. You should deposit less glitter the further in you go. If you are light-handed there shouldn’t be any varnish getting onto the brush itself. If it happens, just quickly pinch the brush hairs between a sheet of tissue and pull away to remove.

This creates a gradient effect instead of a harsh line between the navy blue and the sparkles.

Repeat on all the other nails.

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Step 4: Let everything set for a bit and then apply clear top coat. You want to get a generous drop of varnish onto your brush so that you can cover your nail with 1-2 strokes max. The more strokes you do, the more likely you are to smear glitter off or create gaps and patches around the tips.

And that’s all!

(Source: dfighter)

makeupbox:

Grey with a Lavender Twist: Duochrome Sparkle Eyeshadow Tutorial

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You will need:

• Black pencil
• Grey cream shadow or base
• Pale white glitter with lavender sparkle (you can actually use any pale glitter; it doesn’t need to be a white with violet duochrome, but if you can get hold of some, it adds a twist to the look)

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Step 1: First, I did a simple black liner swatch along the upper lid. Do it in a rough triangle so it’s thick at the outer corners.

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Step 2: Here’s the fun step. You apply the grey shadow using a synthetic concealer brush, and you want to line it up exactly above the black liner you did earlier (overlapping a tiny bit is fine) and then drag it out past the outer corners of the eye. 

This actually scrapes the black and pulls it out into a nice sharp wing.

The grey should go up to the hollow of the socket line, so continue to apply if that stroke with the brush did not cover everything.

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Step 3: The simple part is the glitter. Just quickly use the same brush to press a thin layer of pale white/violet glitter over the grey cream shadow.

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Step 4: Finish with black mascara. Because the glitter doesn’t really go down to the base of the lash line, you can easily wear half-strip lashes with this look for some extra drama.

It’s quite a neutral look but there’s just that bit of extra sparkle in a different color when your eyes catch the light.

(Source: makeupbag)

drugstoreprincess:

DrugstorePrincess’ Eyebrow Tutorial

This is how I fill in my brows.  Now that I have red hair, it is a whole new experience for me, trying to change the color as well as maintain a solid shape.  

What I Use:

• Matte Eyeshadow (ones shown are from my 88 Matte Palette, you can purchase one here)
• Small angled eyeliner brush… the one I use is from ELF Studio collection, and it costs $3
• Any concealer that either matches your foundation or is slightly lighter, to give your brows a natural highlight (I use Hard Candy Glamoflauge)
• A flat concealer brush, for blending in your concealer.
• Brow Gel or clear mascara (optional, for setting)

How I Do It:

1. Put shadow onto your angled brush, and line underneath your brow. Stick close to your natural eyebrow, unless you’re intending on adding a lot of thickness.  I have extended mine out past my natural brow inwards, to add more length to them.  (I spent years misguidedly plucking in between my brows which caused them to now be very far apart!)
2. Create another line above your brow.  If you want to create the “faded” effect that many gurus do with their brows, draw your top line much lighter than your bottom line (I’m not doing this)
3. Use your brush to blend the color evenly throughout your brow.  Make sure you are doing short little strokes, upwards and outwards at an angle.  This will help the color look as natural as possible.
4. Now onto concealer - use your concealer brush to apply concealer as a sort of “corrector” all around your brow.  This helps clean up any messiness, and can help you reshape your brows if you went a little too crazy on one or the other.  I recommend that you set your concealer with powder to keep it in place!
5. Now you’re pretty much done - apply a quick layer of brow gel or clear mascara over top to keep the color in place all day.  I normally never see any color fade or smudging, so I often skip this step.

Remember, practice makes perfect!  And you never want to stray too far from your brow’s natural shape.  This technique may not be for everybody, and it’s up to you to find whatever method that looks best on your brows!

makeupbox:

Glacial Eye Makeup Tutorial: Quick Frosted Aqua and Gunmetal Look

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Simple, quick 5 minute eye that you should be able to pop on within minutes after you do it once or twice. I used a

1. grey cream shadow (Maybelline Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt), 
2. a pale silvery aqua (MAC Shimmermint; this is limited edition so you can try MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow in Bright Moon or any sheer, sparkly pale blue-green), 
3. a black or grey shadow (any will do; I used the black shade in Rimmel Glam’Eyes palette in Precious Crown) 
4. a grey liner pencil (Bourjois Metallise in 51 Noir Effet Miroir), and 
5. mascara.

Great for:

• Grey, blue, blue-green eyes
• Mono-lids
• Any skin tone

Replace the pale blue shadow with a matte version if you have:

• Mature lids
• Puffy eyes or prominent eye bags

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Step 1: First pack the cream shadow all over your lid. If you have very dark skin tone, you can swop out the grey for a charcoal or even a black cream shadow.

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Step 2: Gently buff the shimmery aqua shadow all over the grey, concentrating most of the color along the inner half of the lids, AND along the inner half of the lower lid.

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Step 3: Define the lash line with the grey pencil. I go from outside in, making  it thick on the outside, thin on the inside.

For the lower lash line, I only covered the outer half of the lash line.

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Step 4: Dip the same brush used for the aqua shadow into a little black/dark grey. The aqua that is still on the brush will help make sure the black goes on quite soft. (Test on the back of your hand to check the color isn’t too dark or harsh.)

Sweep your brush along the socket line* like a wind-shield wiper, only from outside to the center of the eye. This step is especially important if you have mono-lids or hooded eyes, because it is what defines your eye shape. 

*Feel for the sunk-in arc above your eye ball, using your fingers. That’s your socket line.

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Step 5: Finish with mascara!

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Read on only if you want to find out why I recommend this for blue/blue-green eyes.

• It’s a popular belief that contrasting colors will bring out our eyes more. This is only half the truth.
• A shade that “echoes” the tones of our eyes but isn’t brighter or stronger can do the same job, as long as you make sure there is some definition (darker defining color) around the lash line.
• That’s why I layered a gray below the aqua blue. This tones down the color just a touch so it still glows but doesn’t overpower blue-green eyes. 
• If you have brown, hazel, green eyes, by all means wear the look! As mentioned, just because a color might not bring out your eye color in particular, doesn’t mean it won’t look good on your face when paired with your eye shape, skin tone, hair color, etc. Remember there’s more to beauty than a fixation on bringing out your eye color.

makeupbox:

Simple Morning-After Eye Makeup: aka What I do when I get Puffy After-Party Eyes

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Taking a break from the glittery party looks to insert a “palate-cleanser”, especially for those of you longing for some neutral/simple makeup looks. This is something I tend to go for both when I’m feeling lazy, and also when my eyes get puffy after a late night, or too much drinking/eating/crying.

A note on puffiness:

Puffy eyes are different from general dark circles because the flesh around the eyes are swollen. While most tutorials and guides will tell you to apply bright, soft colors around the eyes after a late night so you can look more awake, applying soft pastels or shimmery shades on puffy lids is going to make them look even more pillowy and marshmallow-like.

What you really need to do is to add some definition and shade in the right places, without weighing your eyes down with too much makeup. (That will just draw more attention there.) This is a look you can do if you have very thick or heavy lids that you want to visually “reduce” as well.

P.S. This is also a perfectly-simple yet defined neutral lid for school or work.

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Step 1: Aside from some salmon-toned concealer under the eyes to correct the oh-so-visible veins and darkness, I like to use BB Cream as a lid primer. Not only does it hold shadow nicely, but it’s also a lot better for the skin than the regular primer.

Avoid too much powder in and under the eye area as it can grab in any fine lines and make your skin look worse.

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Step 2: Pick a soft beige-pink satin or matte shadow (MAC Yogurt is pretty good) and pack that onto the inner half of the lids. The slight pink undertone won’t look visible on the lids, but helps to illuminate and correct any darkness without adding a load of shimmer.

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Step 3: On the outer half of the lids, pick a matte brown shadow, mix it with a little of the soft beige shade from earlier to soften the color, and then apply it to the outer half of the lids. This provides some shading and contouring, and helps to “recede” puffy lids a little. Avoid applying too much dark color to the socket line or you will do the reverse.
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Step 4: Along the upper lash line, apply a stroke of black liner from the outside in, keeping it very thin at the inner corners. What you’ll do in the next step is what’s going to “mask” the puffy lid by creating a false shadow.

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Step 5: Using the same shadow brush from earlier, just buff black and forth along the line to smudge and smoke it out until it becomes quite a soft charcoal shade over most of your mobile lid. This draws attention to the lash line, and also recedes the puffy lid area further. 

Now, you can simply curl your lashes and apply dark mascara to finish.

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Final tip for mascara: The lower lid is usually also slightly puffy, and applying dark shadow there can look overly dramatic for the day. Simply apply mascara to the central section of the lower lashes. This adds definition to your lash line, casts a little shade over the puffy area beneath, but doesn’t look like you’re wearing heaps of eye makeup.

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Other tips for quick puffy-eye remedying:

We don’t always have time to lie back with slices of cucumber or chilled tea bags on our eyes. This is what I used to do back in my “wilder days” when I would party ‘til the lights came on, about 3-4 nights a week, and still had to look presentable for work or shoots the next day. (Yowch.)

1. Products with some caffeine can drain the eye quickly (or at least much faster than leaving them as is), and one of the BEST products I’ve ever tried is Origins No Puffery. I read about this a few years back when some models listed this as the best fix for puffy eyes when they’ve been out partying and need to look good for shows and shoots the next day. Pop this in the fridge, and pat a bit around the entire orbital area when your eyes are puffy. It usually drains the eye area significantly in about 5-15 minutes.

2. Apply pressure to the orbital area to drain it. Clarins has a great facial massage sequence that I do to drain excess water from the face, whether or not I’m using their product, although pairing it with a caffeine-infused facial treatment product DOES give you faster and better results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGolChrkfyo