Classy Color Look

 My favorite thing is when a friend tells me, "I can't wear that!" The great thing about makeup is that it was all made to wear by a wide range of people. The key is just to play around and get comfortable seeing yourself in something new! My dear friend Beth has said often, "I just don't know how to wear something like that."So today we decided to have some fun with color and this is what happened:

Let's get started!:

The first step is to prime the eyes. I also used a NYX Milk jumbo eye pencil in the inner corner and Buck, a matte medium brown, in the crease. Using a color like Buck can make it easier to blend other colors later on in the process.

Fishnet, an iridescent light purple that has a blue undertone, is a color from Urban Decay and I used a flat shader brush to apply it all over the lid. 

Next I used Underground, a medium brown with high shimmer, in the outer third of the eye and blended in the crease.

To darken the crease I used Darkhorse, a dark brown, on a fluffy crease brush. I tried to concentrate this color in the crease and then blended it into underground to soften the effect.

I used Virgin, a white eyeshadow, to highlight the inner corner and below the brow bone. Also, using the same fluffy brush as before, I added some of Darkhorse along the lower lash line to add a smokey effect and to balance the purple on the lid.

Now you should add your favorite eyeliner and mascara. I used a pen eyeliner to give her a small wing. This also balances out the purple, but you can still see the beautiful color on the lid. 

This is her full face before and after! To finish out the face I did some light contouring, added a small amount of peach blush to warm up her skin, and added a nice lipstick she already owned. 

The true key to using new and bright colors is balance. Using neutrals and toned down colors in other areas of the face help the bright color be the focus and complement it. I think colors are really beautiful when done well and are the truly fun part of makeup. Try some colors out in your collection!

Let me know what you think and what you would like to see next in the comments below! -Jessica

Eyeshadow Eyeliner- Naked Palette Look

The month of October seemed to be very busy at my house. It was nice when I was in a rush to get ready for an event to have a go to look that I love, is easy, and could be done on the go! This is my most used eye look of October and I hope you will enjoy it!

Let's get started:

The first step to a look that you want to last all night is to prime your eye. I first use an eyeshadow primer, because I a serious problem with creasing, but if you do not you can go straight to the color bases. Here I used a light champaign color across the lid, this matte taupe in the outer corner and in the crease, and white to highlight the inner corner and below the brow bone. 

I used a small shadow brush to put Sin, a light pink, on the very inner part of my eyelid, not the inner corner of the eye. 

Using a flat eyeshadow brush I put Sidecar, a taupe shadow with some glitter, over the rest of my eyelid. The glitter in this eyeshadow may be intimidating, but by the end of the look the glitter is very toned down is my or a highlight on your lid to make your eyes look a bit bigger. This shadow also has some fallout, so pat while applying to minimize the shadow that may fall onto your cheeks.

I used Toasted, a dark taupe shadow, with a fluffy crease brush. I put the color on the outer third of my eyelid and into my crease. I blended it out into my desired shape. I tend to prefer a rounded edge to my eyeshadows. 

Hustle, a deep plum, is an optional step to darken up your crease. Depending on the time of day of my event I may or may not use this step. Darkening your crease is a great way to make a look more night time. Use the darker color in your crease and blend into Toasted so there are no harsh lines of color.

Using a  fluffy crease brush I mix Toasted and Hustle to make the lower lash line smokey. Virgin, a white shadow, is great for an inner corner and brow bone highlight. At this point I also line my upper water line with a black eyeliner pencil. Use the same pencil to line the upper half of your upper lash line. (Sorry that second picture is so dark.)

Use an eyeliner brush and a dark eyeshadow, I used Creep a dark green/black, and smudge along the eyeliner perviously placed on your lid. I like to make the liner thicker as it moves towards the outer corner.

Add your favorite mascara and your are finished with the eyes. This would also be the time to add some false lashes if you are wanting to be really fancy.

To finish the face you want to keep in mind that this is a fairly bold eye. I used some bronzer to lightly contour my cheeks and added a little blush just to give my cheeks some color. I used a pink lip gloss here as one option for this look. A nude lip and a bright red lip are also options!

I hope you enjoyed this look! Leave me a comment letting me know what you think and what you would like to see next! -Jessica

How to Reduce Under Eye Circles

There is nothing more difficult to conceal than under eye circles. The under eye is a thin area of skin that tends to wrinkle so it shows the world if you have caked on any product there. I am going to show you how I deal with my any discoloration or bags under my eyes.

Let's get started:

I don't have serious problems with my under eyes, but I do have some discoloration in this area.

My first step is to add foundation to my face. This lays down a base of color to work from. For example my skin has a lot of red in it naturally, but when I add foundation this is balanced out so that I don't need more products to correct the issue. This will help you decide what color you should use to correct discoloration under your eyes.

Here I am using a very light concealer that is a few shades lighter than my skin tone. If your under eye area is still very blue at this point try and find a concealer with a salmon tint to it.  I tap the concealer in an "L" shaped area below my eye and down the side of my nose. I blend it in a triangular shape. This disperses the color over the area. You do not want just a small bit of very light skin below your eyes, so by blending it over a wider area you are covering the problem area and blending it in to your face in a flattering way. I really love this Mabelline concealer, just remember to get a shade a few shades lighter than you skin tone.

Use a matte powder to set the concealer, so that it does not settle into fine lines or wrinkles in the area.

This is the before and after of my under eye area. You can see that the discoloration is gone and the eye looks more lifted and awake. Both products I used are from the drug store and are very easily accessible, I truly love them and use them on a regular basis.

This is my full face before and after. The lower picture is a close up on my eye makeup. I would recommend avoiding dark eyeshadow or liner on your lower lash line if under eye circles and discoloration are a big problem for you. Keep the darkness on top to help with the eye looking open and light.

I really hope this was helpful! Please leave a comment and let me know if you have tried this and how it worked for you and also what you would like to see in the future! -Jessica

Makeup Ban

I have had a few periods during my makeup collecting where I have put a ban on my purchases and it is time for another. I have made some really great purchases lately with the opening of an Ulta in my town and now it is time to enjoy them!

It can be easy when buying lots of new products for some of them to be pushed aside an forgotten or under used.

This ban is not punishment, but a time for me to enjoy what I already have and rediscover some loved items already in my makeup collection. I will be posting blogs and reviews on some of my very favorite and rediscovered products!

I am excited to see how this ban goes and I encourage everyone to try this little project every now and then! -Jessica

Panda Bear Halloween Look!

This is a super quick and easy Halloween idea! Panda Bears are cute and adorable and this is a super comfy costume for any party you have planned!

Let's get started:

For this look you are going to want to start with the eyes before adding any foundation. I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean as a base. I put it all over my lid and blended it out with a fluffy brush. 

Use a matte black eyeshadow all over the base and start forming a rounded shape with the eyeshadow.

Line your upper and lower water lines with a black eyeliner pencil. Then line your lower lash line.

Using the same matte eyeshadow smudge the liner on the lower lash line all the way into the inner eye area. Create a rounded eye shape at this point, but don't worry about the edges being perfect. 

Use a makeup wipe and a single finger to trace around the edges of the eyeshadow. This is why you did not want to do your foundation first. This is also a good time to clean up any fall out that might have fallen under your eyes or on your cheeks. This is the time to perfect your desired eye shape and add mascara.

At this point I put on my foundation like I normally would. I used a little blush to make the look a little more cutsie! I used a neutral lip stick and gloss to keep the focus on the eyes and used the black bean pencil again to color a little bit in on my nose to make it a little more like a bear.

I found this super cute cap at Wal-Mart for $15! It has paws hanging off of it and it is just too fun!

Here is the full face before and after:

This is super fun and simple for Halloween and I hope it gives you an idea of something fun to do! Leave me a comment letting me know what you think and what you would like to see next on my blog! -Jessica