Date Nights and the Makeup that Goes With It

Welp, a month since my last post has dazzled by. I've been a software engineer (!) a little over three months now, and I'm happy to report that I no longer feel the crushing imposter syndrome and anxiety I felt when I first started. I'm grateful for the many women who've paved the way before me in this industry and having the chance to participate in clubs like Women in CS, because hearing their stories made me realize that my feelings were normal, even expected, and completely self-imposed. In an Instagram post written three months ago, I wrote: "posting this as a reminder to my future self that we all start somewhere and felt hopeless once upon a time, but it’ll get better." I'm glad even as I was in the throes of doubting myself, I knew I could wait it out.

I'm pleased to report that my absence from writing was due to an incredible month of catching up with dear friends (all of whom lament the lack of time time time) and meeting (hopefully) new ones. They say it's difficult to make new friends in your 30s, but that's also the age they say you stop changing, and I refuse any notion that limits me from living the life I want. As luck had it, sometime in the past month I found myself in a four hour conversation with a couple I just met, which only ended because a) the restaurant was closing and b) we all had to wake up at a reasonable hour for work the next day. It felt like a really good first date, a feeling that's elusive to find in couple friends — it always seems like you get along better with one person, not both equally — and you bet I'm going to hit them up for a next hangout.

Speaking of dates, here's a serious throwback in more ways than one: a look I wore to a date night a few weeks ago featuring mostly old school classics (permanent products! taupe!) and some strong deer in headlights cheekbone action. After all, some things do stay the same.



Products Used (clockwise):
Chanel Joues Contraste in Rose Initiale (I love that Chanel.com has free shipping for all orders)
Chanel Les Beiges Fresh Water Tint in Medium Light
Suqqu Retouch Pressed Powder in Porcelain
Burberry Eyeshadows in Trench, Rosewood and Midnight Brown
Rouge Bunny Rouge Succulence of Dew Sheer Lipstick in Perfume of His Gaze
Cle de Peau Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink
Not pictured:
Guerlain Multi-Perfecting Concealer in Medium Cool
THREE Mesmerizing Performance Eyeliner Pencil 10
Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara



I'm possibly the last person to get to the Chanel Fresh Water Tints. The hype does not disappoint. I love that it feels like water and gives just a hint of coverage. It's enough if you have pretty good skin and all you want is a little rounding out, a tone down of the redness around the nose and cheeks. Spot conceal where needed — ever since I stopped using hormonal birth control I've started getting breakouts on my face again. /lament



Burberry Trench as base, Rosewood all over lids, Midnight Brown on outer edges and lower lash line. Nice thick eyeliner to give the appearance of ample eyelashes, swipe of mascara to create said eyelashes. I smudged the edges of the eyeliner just a smidge for a more natural look.



Blush above the hollow of cheekbones, highlight atop. Don't forget the middle of the nose, above the cupid's bow, inner corners of eyes. Lipstick and done!

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

Distracting myself from Chanel with a little Tom Ford

Every few months or so I get an irrational itch to buy something I definitely don't need, like a lipstick or blush or eyeshadow that's "missing" from my vanity (and by missing I mean it's probably 90% similar to something I already own). That urge will come down hard and remain an obsession until I inevitably pull the trigger.

At the moment, I'm consumed by the Chanel Top Coat Eyeshadow Veil that's released for fall. The idea of a gossamer, barely there hint of shimmer kind of eye is very appealing to me, but this particular product is really hard to gauge over the Internet. The bloggers I like have praised it for what it purports to be: a shimmering veil of light over the lids, but their swatches look disappointing. Somehow I remain undeterred, and visited two Chanel stores to see it in person.

In real life, they were... alright. The perfect version of this would be shimmering microglitter that looks almost wet on lids, but don't crease (yes, one can dream). The Chanel Top Coat Eyeshadow Veil had the shimmer, had the microglitter, but also had some chunkier bits. The effect is honestly quite dreamy over other eyeshadows, but on its own it's not quite what I had in mind. The colors on offer — white and pewter — were also not my cup of tea.

To deter myself from purchasing it, I dug into my own stash and unearthed the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color in Naked Bronze. The powder portion of the duo is a fine gold shimmer with glitter bits. It shall do instead for this fall season.





I applied just the powder all over lids in the photos above. You can visit this old Instagram post for a fully bronze look. I'm still on the lookout for an eyeshadow that'll give me that shimmering wet editorial look that won't crease. If you find one, let me know.

Alas, that original itch, far from being scratched, was satisfied by another rogue Chanel purchase.

Products used in this post:
Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion Intense in Medium Pink
Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color in Naked Bronze
THREE Mesmerizing Performance Eyeliner Pencil 10
Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara
Glossier Cloud Paint in Beam (you can get $10 off as a new customer with this link)
Glossier Haloscope in Quartz
THREE Lyrical Lip Bloom 16

Super Pared Down Travel Makeup

After over three months of anxious waiting, I finally got my Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which allows me to legally work in the US but equally importantly, leave the country and safely return. I have been agonizing about having all this precious free time and not being able to spend it with friends and family back home, so trust when I say I'm vibrating with anticipation to get on that flight.

I like traveling light when I go home, mostly because I want every extra ounce of unused weight to go into bringing snacks and Asian skincare back to New York. I own a Rimowa Lite Large Check-In (best suitcase ever) and I would fill up less than a quarter of the space. This does mean cracking down on what makeup to bring. There are people like my older sister, who only uses one blush, one eyeliner and one dedicated lip color — clearly this isn't a problem for her. Asking me to choose JUST ONE BLUSH to go with every look I might want to do in 1-3 weeks plunges me into a rabbit hole where I'll start drawing decision trees in my head, because that blush will affect what eye and lip colors I can bring, and the pile would get bigger and bigger until I'm stuck under an avalanche of palettes, wondering how I got there.

After years of agonizing and still bringing more stuff than I would use, I have now narrowed it down to my most basic kit. With this, I don't even have to bring makeup brushes. I just use the ones provided and my fingers:

• Concealer and/or foundation, depending on how much coverage I need at the time.
• Eyebrow pencil I microbladed my eyebrows and no longer have to fill them in! Best decision ever!
• Burberry Earthy to double as eyeshadow and blush.
• Eyeliner and mascara, usually black.
• Highlighter. My relationship with the Glossier Haloscope went from meh to grudging respect, which is a story for another day. I like bringing this for travel because it's meant for finger application.
• One nude lip and one fun lip. I've been partial to the Chanel lip balm and powder duo in recent trips because I can either do a light stain or build up to a full red.

This is the base look that I create with the kit above, though lips are bare in the photo. It's my-face-but-better, versatile with lip color, and photographs well. There's honestly not much more I can ask for.



Another way to police how much to bring is to have an inviolable rule. I can only bring what fits into my Issey Miyake pouch, which does double duty as a clutch when I travel. If only I would enforce this rule on skincare...

How do you pack for travel? Do you bring your entire kit or mercilessly choose your favorites?

Chanel Eastern Light

White polish came back in vogue in a huge way when Chanel Eastern Light was first released (Hong Kong collection last year). The white polish, which was once associated with Wite-Out and forbidden, hastily splattered on nails in high school (I wasn't allowed to wear polish to school), suddenly became the shade du jour. I'm always skeptical when this happens. Why does it only become cool when Chanel chooses to pick up a trend?

(I mean, I know why. But I'm not happy about how perceived prestige causes us to so easily change our minds.)

But I did swoon over Eastern Light. I remember ordering it as soon as it was available on chanel.com last year, and barely agonizing over the fact that I paid $27 for white polish (though why should we be any less picky about white than say, red?). As white polishes go, this one is decidedly less streaky than most – with two thick coats or three thin coats to achieve opacity. The trick is to not apply too much pressure during application, otherwise you'll get a shadowy spot on the base of your nails.

Chanel Eastern Light is currently a repromote in the Reflets D'Été de Chanel Summer Collection, so for those who missed out the first time, here's your chance! Available for $27 at Nordstrom.

also good on toes!

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 Moss Green
Le Metiér de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer Shade 1
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil 08
Addiction Sandbar Eyeshadow
Lancome Star Bronzer Palette in Bronze Essence
Chanel Joues Contraste Rose Initiale
Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink
NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never

Lipstick Bandits: A Flailing Pick

Like all Lipstick Bandit posts, the idea came from a Twitter conversation. The details by now are fuzzy in my mind, but the outcome was a curiosity among us bandits — what does the opposite sex have in mind when they think of our lipsticks? And if they had to choose, what would their "ideal color" be?

I brought this up with my boyfriend months ago, and I remember his reaction being one of the flailing sort; we avoided a conclusion then. A few weeks ago I asked again, and he said "classic red," to my surprise. I said, "really?" And he sheepishly said, "that should go with smokey eyes, right?" Apparently, his idea of ideal makeup is 100% bombshell (though I did try to explain that I wear nudes with smokey eyes more often).

Then finally, with an answer worthy of a Bandit Boyfriend, he named a specific lipstick I once had on that he really really liked. It was Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir, which I wore to the Gatsby party a couple of months ago. In the pictures below, I cheated by adding a layer of Dior Black-Tie Plum Gloss because my eternally dry lips make dark colors look patchy.

You haven't seen me in a while (hi, *sheepish wave*) and my hair has grown a fair bit. Remember how I looked like a 13-year-old Chinese high school boy in my pixie days? I can now pass as an emo Korean rockstar. Case in point:

But I assure you this is how I look like usually.

The hair is now at the awkward stage of trying to be a bob but is just not quite there yet. I usually just tuck the excess behind my ear and call it a day. As for makeup, this is kind of the most I've been wearing in months. Usually it's a brows, conceal, and blush situation, which I'm oddly pleased about. I've never felt like I needed anything else for daily life, except perhaps a fuller set of brows? I may seriously consider feathering when all this shading in gets old.

Anyway, there were rumors that some bandits had really unexpected feedback from their other halves (green lips, anyone?) and I can't wait to see if those rumors are true!

• Beauty Reflections
• BellaChique‎
• ChloeAsh‎
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Mostly Sunny‎
• My Funny Valentine
• Rocaille Writes
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir
Burberry Sheer Summer Glow Natural Highlighting Compact
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light
Guerlain Noir G Mascara
Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner #13C
Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir #109
Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in Black-Tie Plum #982
Illamasqua Raindrops

Chanel Joues Contraste 76 Frivole

There were two items that intrigued me from Chanel Spring 2013: the pink liner and the blush. I skipped on the liner because I didn't like their eye pencil formulas and I procured the blush because of the bright, happy color.

Sometimes I wish I gave a little more forethought to my purchases (though this is why I am particular about a store's return policies) because I realized after that Chanel Joues Contraste 76 Frivole ($42) bore striking resemblance to NARS Liberté, which I already own.

L-R: Chanel Frivole, NARS Liberté, Paul & Joe Color Powder CS in Inseparables

I swatched both blushes heavily to make sure I had a true representation of the shades. Frivole and Liberté are similar though not exact dupes. Frivole is a peachier orange while Liberté leans more red.

When applied to the cheeks, the difference is barely noticeable. If I was to be a stickler about it, I'd say Frivole pulls just a tad more orange and is comparatively less wearable on me (but remember, I'm neutral cool). I think it's because Liberté draws out the pink in my skintone. That said, unless you were looking at both cheeks with a macro lens (like below) you wouldn't notice.

Chanel Frivole

NARS Liberté

Chanel Frivole

NARS Liberté

Thus, I'd say those who already own Liberté can skip Frivole, unless you have a particular preference for Chanel blush formulas.

Funny anecdote about the beanie: I had lunch with a reader a few days ago (hi Joanne!). When I told her I didn't drink coffee, she reacted in surprise. She pegged me as this cool coffee-drinking hipster-dressing type based on my blog, which... couldn't be further away from the truth. Except I bought this beanie and it totally fitted into that mould. This beanie - the color, the style - does not fit my regular "style." In fact, it clashes with just about everything in my wardrobe. I was originally going to post this up and ask if I should return it, but for some reason now I love it way too much, so I removed the price tag and all you guys get are pictures of me wearing it. There.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brow Pencil in Seal Brown
Guerlain 'Meteorites' Illuminating and Mattifying Face Powder 02 Teint Beige
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder
NARS 'Pro Prime' Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre
THREE Flash Performance Pencil Eyeliner in 08 Eye On
Eyeko Black Magic Mascara Drama & Curl
NARS Liberté Blush
Chanel Joues Contraste 76 Frivole
Burberry Lip Mist No.212 Nude Peach

Editorial: Copper+Blue

The title of this post could have been a lot of things. I briefly entertained:

How To Make Your Lips Look Three Times Larger Than Usual
I Didn't Know They Make Foundations Like This Now
The Tale of Two Clavicles
Erghfghgfgh Make Up!

But I suppose Copper+Blue will suffice. I have to thank Larie for assigning me homework yesterday and breaking me out of my makeup rut. I've been doing the simple brows/lashes/blush routine for the past two weeks and almost forgot what a good amount of color could do to my face.

Sung Hee in Elle Vietnam, September 2012 (source)

For the record, the above picture was the inspiration. Below is what I cobbled up.

I took one hour to recreate what seemed like a really simple look. There was a lot of prep and tweaking involved on my part. I wanted the lips to look like hers and I underestimated the amount of gloss needed. I also needed my skin to be absolutely smooth sans Photoshop. Those things take time, yo.

Anyway, first I applied a thin layer of Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in 78 Beige all over my face, blending it into the neck (my lines are deep and permanent, can't mask that). I've only used this foundation twice and so far I'm still in shock. I didn't know foundation could do this to skin! When I first had it on I wasn't used to it because I looked airbrushed. Best of all, the texture is so liquid-y and lightweight that I can't even feel it on my skin. It covered redness and evened out my skintone. I only had to add a dab of RMS "Un" Cover-Up #22 around my under eye area for, dare I say, flawless skin.

To sculpt the cheeks, I swept on Chanel Brume d'Or in a sideways triangle.

After prepping the skin, I sketched in thick eyebrows with a pronounced arch with my Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil. I used Le Métier de Beauté Champagne Dualistic Eye Pencil as an eye base, then layered True Color Eyeshadow in Jojo, Spicy, and Tuscan Sunset respectively over it. To emulate the gleam on Sung Hee's lids, I applied Sugar to the center of my eyelid. I highlighted under my brows with Revive Eye Brightening and Setting Powder.

I didn't have that beautiful green in my arsenal (of course, now I have to find one just like it) so I substituted it with the blue in the Oscar de la Renta Kaleidoscope Eye Kit. I applied Noir Precision Liquid Liner closely on the lash line and waterline, and finished with a big swipe of Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara.

For lips, I swiped on Guerlain Rouge G Guerlinade and topped it with Le Métier de Beauté Vanilla Rose then a thick layer of Creme de la Creme applied with a lip brush. It doesn't look much in the close-ups (in fact, shudder at those lip lines!), but my lips looked three times plumper from afar.

I really should do this when I go out sometime. It's sort of a pity (and a waste of perfectly good makeup) that I wear almost nothing when I step out of my house.

At any rate, happy weekend to all!

Products Used:
Face -
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation in 78 Beige
RMS "Un" Cover-Up #22
Chanel Brume d'Or

Eyes -
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Champagne Dualistic Eye Pencil
Le Métier de Beauté True Color Eyeshadow in Jojo, Spicy, Tuscan Sunset, and Sugar
Le Métier de Beauté Oscar de la Renta Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Métier de Beauté Revive Eye Brightening and Setting Powder
Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara

Lips -
Guerlain Rouge G Guerlinade
Le Métier de Beauté Lip Crème in Vanilla Rose and Creme de la Creme

A Holiday Eye Tutorial: Silver Eyes And Red Lips

I unearthed my Guerlain Les Gris Eyeshadow Quad from a recent rummage through forgotten drawers and decided to put it to good use. I reimagined one of my all-time favorite pictures on Messy Wands, resulting in the makeup from the recent Dolce & Gabbana lipstick post. Below is the low-down on how to achieve the look.

I primed my eyelids using Le Métier de Beauté x Marchesa Sheer Illumination Brightener (at time of writing, still available at John Barrett Salon!), also applying some to the tops of my cheekbones. I applied the lightest shade from Guerlain Les Gris all over the lid, then patted on the shimmery light gray over three-fourths of the lid. I smoked out the corners with the dark blue-gray shade and added slight definition to the outer-v with the matte gray. I lined my eyes as close as possible to the upper lash line with a black liner and applied a smidgen of the shimmery gray on the lower lash line. Some mascara, and voila.

For cheeks, I contoured under the cheekbones with Chanel Notorious and lightly applied blush to the apples with Benefit Dandelion.

The lips, as mentioned, is Dolce & Gabbana Ultra, lined with Le Métier de Beauté Rose Dualistic Lip Pencil.

I do not actually think Chanel Dragon Vernis is the best polish to go with this lip color, but I just wanted to illustrate how blue D&G Ultra is as a red lipstick that it makes the very blue Dragon look warm.

It's funny how the shorter my hair is, the more makeup I can wear without looking like a total clown. In case the amount of color on your face bothers you though, you could always throw on a pair of glasses. (Feeble hurrah) as this is the only time we of the bespectacled bunch has the upper hand.

Products Used:
Face -
Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation in Camomile
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Chanel Notorious Sculpting Veil for Eyes and Cheeks
Benefit Dandelion

Eyes -
Le Métier de Beauté x Marchesa Sheer Illumination Brightener ($48, contact Dustin at 212.872.2714)
Guerlain 'Ecrin 4 Couleurs' Les Gris Eyeshadow Palette
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil in Eye on 08
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown

Lips -
Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Lip Pencil in Rose
Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Ultra #190

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

Witchy Vibes for All Hallow's Eve

boo?

Funny how things happen retroactively: When I took these pictures I wasn't thinking of Halloween. I think it was right after photographing Burberry Military Red and I was experimenting against the saying that you can't pair a statement lip and dark eyes. I wanted an accessory, so I chose a black capelet hanging in my closet.

(Just fyi, I have an inordinate amount of witchy clothing that I never wear in my wardrobe. It was a very long and expensive phase. For those interested, most pieces I own are from Sumie Tachibana, who also has an Etsy shop.)

The eye makeup was wonderfully simple due to the multidimensional shimmer of the pigments in Giorgio Armani ETK Intense #3. I just patted it onto my eyelid with a flat eyeshadow brush (Shu Uemura 10) and lightly blended out the edges. A flick of black eyeliner and two coats of mascara, and done.

The lips were a mix of two colors. I liked Military Red but wanted the color to be darker to fit the overall look, so I used Chanel Rouge Noir with a crease brush to line my lips, blending it into the red.

I curled my hair with the one-inch Sultra Bombshell Curling Rod and forgot how messy it would look without some sort of styling product after. Might have worked in favor of the witchiness though.

That said, I wouldn't have made a good witch anyway, because that was my face most of the time while photographing. There was another one of me flapping the hood like it was my wings, but I'll leave that up to your imagination.

Happy Halloween weekend, everybody! Stay safe if you're partaking in the celebrations.


Products Used:
Face -
Mistura 6-in-1 Beauty Solution*
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Frais/Cool
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

Eyes -
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow in Moss Green
Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense #3

Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir

Guerlain Noir G Mascara

Lips -

Burberry Lip Velvet in Military Red

Chanel Rouge Allure in Rouge Noir

Hair-
Sultra Bombshell Curling Rod (1")

The product marked with * was provided by the company for editorial consideration