Butterfly Makeup Tutorial Inspired by Lisa Eldridge

Two events inspired today's post: 1) Suffering from an unexplained case of milia and breakouts and need a pick-me-up, 2) Watched Lisa Eldridge's butterfly makeup tutorial. I happened to have similar products at home to recreate the look, so here we go.

I briefly considered cleaning the pans up before taking this photo, but that's just not how real life looks.
Items: Addiction Brown Toast Cheek Mix, Addiction Mustard Tree Eyeshadow (see here for swatches), Chanel Rose Initiate Blush, Shu Uemura Brow:Sword, Tatcha Cherry Blossom Lip Pencil, Tatcha Cherry Blossom Lip Balm, Suqqu Blending Brush, Shu Uemura 8HR

I apologize in advance since most of the items pictured above are limited edition or discontinued, but I'm sure it's not too difficult to find similar shades in the current beauty ecosystem. Case in point: a casual Sephora browse led me to this Natasha Denona palette, which pretty much has all the shades one might need. Other than the yellow shadow, you could also probably search your stash for a blush or bronzer that might fit the bill.



I followed Lisa's tutorial pretty closely. First, I used Addiction Mustard Tree all over my eyelids, washing it out past the crease. I also placed it on my lower lash line. Then, I applied the orange part of Brown Toast Cheek Mix on my inner and outer lids with a small blending brush, being careful to leave a swath of yellow in the center of the lid. Finally, I used the tip of the brush to apply Chanel Rose Initiale to the inner corners of my eyes and the outer edges of the bottom lash line.

If any of the above terminology confuses you, Temptalia's impeccable eyeshadow placement guide is a good place to start.

Unblended

After placing the shadow, remember to blend it out! I didn't realize how stark mine was until I took the photo above. Compare it to the one below, which was taken after I used a clean blending brush to smooth out the edges. One is more polished than the other.

Blended

Lisa didn't use eyeliner for this look, opting only to enhance the model's eyelashes. I am not genetically blessed in that area, so I tightlined with black eyeliner before applying two coats of mascara. Couldn't get my eyelashes on both eyes to look the same (lopsided eye woes), but again, that's just real life so I'm okay with it!

I also darkened my fading microbladed brows with some eyebrow pencil because I preferred a stronger contrast with this look.



After that, some concealing under the eyes and lightweight foundation to even out the skin. I highlighted the tops of my cheekbones and nose as usual, and applied Chanel Rose Initiale Blush on my cheeks. Like Lisa, I placed it a little higher than usual and used a big fluffy brush for a more diffused look. To finish, I lined my lips with a pinkish nude pencil and topped it off with a balm for comfort.

This look was SUPER fun to create and timely since I paired it with a day trip to Hudson to take in the fall foliage. Coupled with the other look I created with my new THREE goodies, you basically know how I'm going to look this fall.

Products used in this post:
Shu Uemura Brow:Sword in Seal Brown
Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion Intense in Medium Pink
Guerlain Multi-Perfecting Concealer in Medium Cool
Addiction Brown Toast Cheek Mix
Addiction Mustard Tree Eyeshadow
Chanel Rose Initiale Blush
THREE Mesmerizing Performance Eyeliner Pencil 10
Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara
Glossier Haloscope in Quartz (you can get $10 off as a new customer with this referral link)
Tatcha Cherry Blossom Lip Pencil
Tatcha Cherry Blossom Lip Balm

Beauty Shopping in Taiwan, Part 1

So... remember that large suitcase I was telling you about in my travel post. True to my prediction, exactly half of it was filled with food, and the other half filled with skincare and makeup (I only brought one packing cube worth of clothes). I was doing so well with my skincare no-buy before the trip and making headway on working through some of my stash, but traveling to Asia does crazy things to me. Now that I'm back, I'll put myself back on that no-buy so I can actually work through these goodies.

I spent two weeks in Malaysia and three days in Taiwan. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen the barrage of food content on my stories. Most of my time in Malaysia was spent with family and friends, while most of my time in Taiwan was spent eating everything I saw and trawling through pharmacies and department stores. I was particularly ecstatic to find that my favorite Japanese brands (Suqqu, THREE and Addiction) were all available in the same department store, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Hsinyi Place A8, so that was the first place I went.



The difference between beauty shopping in Taiwan and the US is that the sales associates in Taiwan are more savvy when it comes to skincare. I went to the THREE counter with the express purpose of purchasing my HG eyeliner (thwarted because they don't sell the black one in Taiwan /anguish) but got waylaid and treated to a whole skincare and makeup routine instead. THREE's skincare philosophy centers around "naturally derived ingredients," which I take to mean lots of essential oils and plant extracts. This doesn't necessarily speak to me, because I'm a believer of clinically proven results when it comes to skincare ingredients (see: Vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, etc). However! I've heard great things about the cleansing oil and balancing foam and was willing to try them because my requirements for cleansers are less stringent. I also impulse purchased the balancing cream because the SA put it on me and I liked it.

The risky buy here is the balancing clear lip lotion. For context, I have terrible peeling lips that no amount of water drinking or lip balm applying has ever fixed. It has gotten to the point that I suspect it is caused by allergies, but it peels even if I have nothing on it! The lip lotion, I surmise, is like a serum for the lips. I bought it even though the ingredients don't suggest that it would... do anything, but I am desperate enough about the situation to try any new thing I can find. Right now, I'm dutifully using it morning and night. We'll see if it changes anything!

On the other hand, the lip balm has a pleasant yuzu scent and a nice melty texture. Definitely a new favorite.



I think I was just feeling particularly trigger happy that day. The model in their Autumn/Winter campaign was wearing the Dimensional Vision Eye Palette 03 and her eyes were a vision of fall. I also picked up the peach-toned lip gloss/cream she was wearing, which the brand calls Lyrical Lip Bloom 16. I AM NOT IMMUNE TO MARKETING, OKAY? Both pieces are limited edition for fall.



Suqqu went through a packaging revamp since I last saw them (admittedly, years ago) and damnnnnn are they sleek now (action video here)! I briefly regretted purchasing the THREE palette instead of going all Suqqu when realizing the disparity between their packaging, but of course it's what inside that counts... right?

Pictured here are the Retouch Pressed Powder 02 and Pure Color Blush 10 Usumoya. Both are from the permanent collection. They're both housed in the thinnest black and gold palettes and it's such a joy handling them that I'm battling waves of regret for not getting more Suqqu things to pepper into my stash.



I also got the Extra Rich Glow Cream Foundation, mostly because of Wondegondigo's recommendation. I waver back and forth whether this or the THREE Flawless Ethereal Fluid Foundation was a better choice, but I guess I'll never know. Such are the pitfalls of purchasing products with no window for testing.

I'll stop here for now. Part 2 will feature my drugstore picks!

Summer Makeup, Day and Night

While I have tanned considerably in the past few weeks, it seems Blogger is determined to make me look even more like a bronze statue. For some reason, when I upload these pictures, the overall tone becomes considerably yellow. This disturbs me as someone who has always aspired to have fair skin, but more importantly, it's getting in my way of blogging. /waves fist at Blogger

Here in New York, we've been having a great prelude to summer – the weather has been temperate and spring showers relatively rare – and I've already settled into the look I'll be wearing for most of the next three months. It basically consists of Jeremy Renner's Guide to Makeup:

... because I now require 2-3 blotting papers every session to soak up the oil on my face. Anything else will simply not do. So! I concentrate the color on my cheeks and lips and call it a day.

For daytime, I like to use bright colors to distract people from the fact that I didn't bother with anything else. I'm kidding! Didn't we wait all year to actually be encouraged to wear obnoxiously bright colors? A recent find is the Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist, which is a tinted balm; a super-charged Clinique Chubby Stick, if you will. As much as I absolutely disagree with the price ($50!), these sticks are in a league of its own. It feels like a balm, is pigmented like a lipstick, but has the shine of a gloss. It has a twist-up mechanism so you won't have to sharpen and waste, which is really a necessity at this price point. I hate to say it, but it's the best I've tried within the lip crayon category.

For night, I like the idea of vamping it up (who am I kidding? I always like the idea of vamping it up). Below, a sweep of Burberry Earthy creates a subtle contour to complement the dark lip, courtesy of Addiction Vamp.

For brows, I have gotten into the habit of penciling them in then going over them with brow powder. I tightline my eyes to give my lashes more definition, then finish with a coat of mascara.

As a conscious reaction to my earlier post about skin, I eschewed foundation for this post. I concealed under my eyes and highlighted under my brow bones, around the inner corners of my eyes, above my cheekbones, and above my cupid's bow. Man, after writing that out, I realized that a "natural glow" takes a lot of work!

Products Used:
Le Metiér de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer Shade 1
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 Moss Green
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil 05
Sisley So Intense Mascara in Deep Black
Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink
Day Makeup: Burberry Tangerine Blush + Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist #4 Pinky
Night Makeup: Burberry Earthy Blush + Addiction Vamp Lipstick

Roaring Red

Visual reminder of my lopsided eyes, hello!

This past weekend I did something I haven't done in a long time – put on makeup that's not stashed in my work drawer. Sad to say, of late the art of painting my face has been relegated to obligatory strokes in the attempt to look "professional," or hasty primping before a night out. Those efforts always end up looking half-finished, and are neither fun nor creative.

As you can see, I started small. Clean skin, faintly blushed cheeks, tightlined eyes, mascara, eyebrows (i.e. the basics) and concentrated color on the lips.

Addiction Lip Crayon in Paprika is a juicy tomato red (which based on the runways, is going to be the lip du jour of Spring 2014). The lip crayon formula delivers a finish that's usually more matte, but in these photos I layered it over a lip balm because my lips were peeling like crazy. I like this finish though, and I'm in awe of the amazing formula. It never feathered throughout the day, even without lip liner and on such a slippery base.

Another recent obsession of mine is The Reformation, a clothing store based in New York and Los Angeles. The Reformation repurposes vintage and surplus fabric to create its wares, which is why most items are limited edition and have a very tiny run and is the source of many a heartbreak. I had to get this Rawr Sweater as soon as I laid my eyes on it. People don't really get why I'm so happy about having a roaring dinosaur on my sweater, but I guess that's the point.

Addiction products, as usual, can only be found with a high markup on ichibankao.com.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
THREE Flash Performance Eye Liner Pencil in 08
Guerlain Noir G Mascara
Addiction Brown Toast
Addiction Lip Crayon in Paprika

Spring Butterfly Makeup

L-R: Addiction Twig, Suqqu Mizuaoi

Not even gonna lie, the "butterfly" part was coined by the editors of Harper's Bazaar to describe the below, taken at Roberto Cavalli's Fall 2012 runway show. To my dismay, I don't have purple or green eyeshadow that vibrant, but as usual I took matters in my own hands and cobbled up a look with what I had. I only noticed after editing that the result is similar to the Rouge Bunny Rouge look I did a couple months ago, with slight adjustments to placement.

I wish I used a brighter green. Can we just imagine that the dark green I used on my lids was brighter and popped (I hate using that word, but in this context it's really apt) more? Would have made this more interesting.

Anyway, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. I covered my eyelids and my bottom lash line with the green eyeshadow. For the blueish lilac shade, I stuck my brush by the side of my nose bridge and blended the shade into the lid, stopping just before it touches the eyebrows. The definition achieved by the model above is envy-inducing—alas, I have no such nose.

For the outer half, I used the purple brown shade from the Suqqu Mizuaoi quad (sadly discontinued) and blended it into the two colors. I lined both top and bottom lash line with a black liner, then applied mascara. For the finishing touch, I dipped a liner brush into the white and highlighted the inner corners of my eyes.

While the makeup on the rest of the model's face was kept bland, I added just a hint of pink on my cheeks (the trick is a really fluffy powder brush, a light pink blush, and an even lighter hand), then highlighted on top of my cheekbones and down the center of my nose. I also went for lipstick that didn't wash me out.

Oh! I tested a new trick to applying foundation. I sprayed a mist between every layer. Basically, mist –> foundation –> mist –> powder -> mist. The aim was to create dewy-looking skin.

The Look






Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist
Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites
Benefit Dandelion Blush
RMS Living Luminizer
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette in Moss Green
Suqqu Mizuaoi
Addiction Twig Eyeshadow
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Blackest Black
Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer in #201

Editorial: Purple Smoke with Rouge Bunny Rouge

INSPIRATION is such a beautiful word. While it's been said true artists/writers are the ones who slough through regardless of its presence, I'm sure we all can agree that when it's there, life is a million times easier.

I've been meaning to feature a trio of shadows Rouge Bunny Rouge sent to me, but just couldn't figure out how to use them together, until I stumbled upon this photo.

The eyeshadows in question are Snowy Egret, Lilac Reef Curassow, and Eclipse Eagle — an icy gold mint, a lilac, and a purpled brown.

L-R: Snowy Egret, Lilac Reef Curassow, Eclipse Eagle

Here you can see them housed in a nifty little case (RBR' Trio Eye Shadow Keeper)

As you can see, I switched up the colors from the original photo (which are breathtaking, by the way. I want everything used on her), but conformed to the same shading shape. Basically, think of your eyelids in thirds. After applying primer, I patted on Lilac Reef Curassow to the center (2/3) of my lids. I then applied Eclipse Eagle to the inner and outer lid (1/3 and 3/3), making sure to blend, but not overly blend into the lilac. More detail went to shading the inner lid, as the makeup artist extended the shade to the side of her nose bridge instead of stopping at the edge of the lid. I applied Snowy Egret to the inner corners of my eyes and smoked out the bottom lash line with Eclipse Eagle.

I could discern only the faintest inkling of a line on the model's eyes, so I tight-lined using a black pencil liner. Two coats of black mascara, and done.

The Look

Rouge Bunny Rouge products are available internationally on rougebunnyrouge.com and zuneta.com.

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Guerlain Meteorites Perles du Paradis
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadows in Snowy Egret, Lilac Reef Curassow, and Eclipse Eagle
THREE Flash Performance Pencil Eyeliner in Eye On 08
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Blackest Black
Addiction Blush Mix in Brown Toast
Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer in #201

Necklace from Intermix, dress from Free People.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

New Year Sparkle: Ushering In 2013 With Style

Today's post will be a little unorthodox. It was supposed to be a post featuring the de facto New Year's Eve look (metallic lids and vamp lips) in collaboration with a few of my blogger friends. I did the look, but instead of taking my usual slew of deer in headlights close-ups, I invited my housemate for a fun photo shoot instead. We've been living together for three months and have since became best friends, but we didn't even have a blurry iPhone of each other. It was time.

An embarrassing amount of pictures were just of us howling in laughter, but for the sake of relevance I picked the few that most clearly showed my makeup.

She insisted a family picture includes our large soft toys

And we needed props for uh, festive points

For the look, I used Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense #19 on my eyelid and smoked out the crease with Addiction Midnight Oasis. I tightlined with a black eye pencil and layered on the mascara. Lips are Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir #109 layered with Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in Black-Tie Plum #982 (as seen in this post) and Burberry Lip Velvet in No. 310 Military Red layered with Guerlain Rouge G Garconne. There was no particular reason for using two red lipsticks. I just wanted a sheen instead of a matte but didn't want to go through the hassle of removing the Burberry, which I was already wearing.

Do remember to see how my other friends are ushering in the new year:
A Little Bit Of Everything
Beaute Fabuleuse
BellaChique
Bronzer Bunny
ChloeAsh‎
Eye Heart It
Joey’space
Messy Wands
Mostly Sunny
Musing On Beauty

So You Want to Look Like Keira Knightley

source: tomandlorenzo.com

Ladies and gentlemen, we are back in business. Sort of. I still don't wear a lot of makeup when I go out, which is not fun because now that it's so near winter it's exactly the time to slap on a ton and still look "normal."

The good thing is now that Anna Karenina is about to (finally) hit theaters, editorial images of Keira Knightley are popping up all over the Internet. In case you didn't figure out by the sharpness of her cheekbones and jawline, I have a major crush on her. The editorial above was featured in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar UK and as soon as I saw it I told myself I had to recreate it.

I didn't realize how geometric the eyeshadow shape really was until I reviewed the pictures (or perhaps it wasn't on her and that's just how it translates on my Asian eyes. Adaptability = win!). I patted Addiction Fudge onto my eyelid and then blended it out on the crease and slightly toward the inner corner. Afterwards, I shaded the bottom lash line (covering the entire "bag" section) and made sure the shadow connected to a smoked out wing. Make sure to leave the inner corner clean.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that Keira's upper lash line and waterline were white, so I went over mine with NARS Larger Than Life Santa Monica Boulevard (it wouldn't show up on my waterline since it's immune to makeup, apparently). But that's not all – her makeup artist sneakily tight-lined her upper waterline so the white wouldn't look odd.

... I realize I may be making all this up and it could have just been white eyeshadow. But that's how I achieved my look!

If you click on the source link, you'll see the writer and a large number of commenters harping on Keira for having a constantly open mouth in photo shoots. I don't personally have a problem with this, but I'll say in her defense - didn't they know cheekbones appear sharper when one's mouth is open?

Enjoy!

Products Used:
Face -
Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation in Camomile
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Classic Flawless Finish Powder #1
Chanel Rose Ecrin Blush

Eyes -
Addiction Fudge Eyeshadow
NARS Larger Than Life Santa Monica Boulevard
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner in Eye On 08
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown

Lips -
Le Métier de Beauté In The Know Bordeaux Lip Creme
Make Up For Ever Lip Pencil #13C

Addiction Winter 2012: Arabian Nights Makeup

I have never been persuaded to purchase an entire look because of an ad, till now. When I saw the picture for the Addiction winter makeup campaign – and it doesn't help that I'm already an ardent fan of the brand – something in me snapped. Before long, I was sending an embarrassingly long shopping list to a dear friend in Japan, who was kind enough to get everything I wanted for me.

The Swatches

Mustard Tree Eyeshadow

Brown Toast Cheek Mix

L-R: Argan Tree and Tea Rose Cheek Sticks (blended, unblended)

Saffron Lip Crayon

The Look

Arabian Nights, Winter 2012

I mean, not that I have anything against it, but it's mustard yellow eyeshadow. I must have been feeling adventurous... or trying to dig myself out of a serious makeup rut. Either way, I have no regrets whatsoever.

The nifty thing about Addiction is they publish a complete step-by-step on how to achieve the look. I had to improvise because I didn't have a couple of products, but otherwise I stayed true to the instructions. You can take a look at the original tutorial here.

I needed flawless skin, so after concealing under eye circles and redness with my RMS concealer, I applied a thin layer of Chantecaille Future Skin around my t-zone and on my cheeks. Recently my skin gets oily very quickly, so I patted on a Paul & Joe translucent face powder to set.

I had the most fun with the cheeks, mostly because I found another contour color that works perfectly. I applied Addiction Argan Tree to the hollows below my cheekbones and blended it out with my fingers, then Tea Rose on the cheeks, blending it into the contour shade. I applied the brown shade in Brown Toast over the contour color, below the jawline, and to the sides of my nose. I lightly went over Tea Rose with the orange shade, and applied the highlighter shade down the center of my nose, above my cheekbones, and on my cupid's bow.

For eyes, I patted on Addiction Mustard Tree all over the lid, stopping just as I reached the bottom of the brows. I made sure to feather the edges so it wouldn't look harsh. With an eyeliner brush, I pushed Shu Uemura ME856 right into my lashes. I also applied ME856 to my waterline and created a slight gradient at the lower lash line with Mustard Tree. Finally, I dabbed the lilac shade of Le Métier de Beauté Penelope at the inner corners, combed on mascara, and applied Addiction Saffron to lips.

Individual reviews of the items above (hopefully) to come. I know it would have made more sense if I talked about those first, but I just really really really wanted to share this look!

Addiction makeup is exclusively available in Japan, though at a mark-up we in the States have access to it through ichibankao.com.

......................................................................................

Products Used:
Face -
Chantecaille 'Future Skin' in Camomile
RMS Beauty "Un" Cover Up #22
Paul & Joe Face Powder 001 (from the Holiday Make Up Collection 2012 001 Set)*
Addiction Cheek Sticks in Argan Tree and Tea Rose
Addiction Cheek Mix in Brown Toast

Eyes -
Addiction Eyeshadow in Mustard Tree
Shu Uemura Pressed Eyeshadow Refill in ME856
Le Métier de Beauté Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Brilliant Black

Lips -
Addiction Lip Crayon in 008 Saffron

The product marked with * was provided by the company for review