Emma Stone inspired tutorial

I saw this pic of Emma Stone and fell in love with the look.  I of course had to pull out my beloved Sleek Vintage Romance palette and give it a go.  My version is slightly more wearable as I didn't bring the purple up so far and I passed on the false lashes.  I also opted for bright pink lips instead.

Products Used
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Sleek Vintage Romance palette -
                                                   Meet in Madrid (medium-pale gold)
                                                   Marry in Monte Carlo (medium fuschia)
                                                   Bliss in Barcelona (medium-dark blue toned purple)
                                                   Love in London (medium black)
Boots Natural Collection eyeshadow in Sea Shell (light, matte nude)
Rimmel Glam Eyes black liquid liner
Illamasqua Sophie pencil (black)
Benefit They're Real mascara

1.  After priming the lid, apply Marry in Monte Carlo in the crease with a fluffy blending brush.

2.  Pat Meet in Madrid onto the lid using a flat shader brush.

3.  With a tapered blending brush, apply Bliss in Barcelona on top of the fuchsia shadow, leaving some fuchsia showing at the top.

4.  Apply Sea Shell on the brow bone and blend downwards softening the fuchsia.

5.  Using a clean flat shader brush, apply Marry in Monte Carlo under the eye.  Place Bliss in Barcelona on top of this along the outer half of the lower lash line.

6.  Taking the tapered blending brush, apply Love in London to the outer crease to darken.

7.  With a clean brush, blend until there are no harsh lines.

8.  Line your lid with black liquid liner, and then add black pencil liner to the upper and lower waterlines.

9.  Add mascara and you're done!

Face
YSL Touche Eclat foundation in BR10
Illamasqua Skin Base Lift concealers in White and Light 1
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Light
Illamasqua Velvet Blusher in Peaked

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Sleek Vintage Romance palette (Meet in Madrid, Marry in Monte Carlo, Bliss in Barcelona, Love in London)
Boots Natural Collection eyeshadow in Sea Shell 
Rimmel Glam Eyes black liquid liner
Illamasqua Sophie pencil
Benefit They're Real mascara
MUFE Aqua Brow

Lips
MAC lipstick in Show Orchid
Dior Adict gloss 856 (Iconic Red)

Big Beautiful Eyes tutorial

So it seems life doesn't want me to blog at the moment.  As soon as had life quietened down and I get a few days off I got some horrid fluey bug that left me stuck in bed.  I finally feeling well enough yesterday to do the tutorial I'd been meaning to do all week.

On days where I'm working at Benefit I (obviously) have to wear all Benefit makeup.  I have a few bits and pieces now, one of them being the Big Beautiful Eyes kit.  This kit is one of their older pieces as I remember it from when I worked for Benefit years ago.  The shadows are smooth and pigmented, and a joy to work with.  The only thing I miss is not having a black eyeshadow to work with.  In this tutorial I use a black pencil (which Benefit do do) in place of a shadow.

1.  After prepping and priming your eyes as usual, pat the pale pink shade from the palette all over the lid.

2.  Apply the medium brown shade in the crease.

3.  Pat a nude shade under the brow bone and blend down, softening the crease shade.  Benefit's Call My Bluff works well, or you could just use your usual face powder.

4. Apply the dark brown shade from the palette into the crease on top of the light brown and blend.  You shouldn't take this shade up as high as the light brown.

5.  Draw a small v at the outer corner of the eye with a black pencil.

6.  Put some of the black pencil onto a flat shader brush.

7.  Use this to blend out that outer v.

8.  Apply the dark brown shade under the eye.  Use what's left of the black on the shader brush under the outer third of the lower lash line.

9.  Line the lid using black liquid liner.

10.  Add mascara to finish.

I wore this with Benefit's Big Easy Foundation (love this), Sugarbomb blush, and Juicy Details lipstick.

Green and purple with a splash of glitter tutorial

It's been way too long since I did a tutorial!  This was one of those looks that I started with no idea as to where it was going.  I can't help but think of The Joker when I look at it though...

Products Used

NYX jumbo pencil in Milk

Shiro Cosmetics You Know Nothing (light blue tinged white)

Shiro Cosmetics Angry Cuccos (white with green and red shift)

Shiro Cosmetics I Guess You're Okay (pale grey-purple with a green shift) - This was LE.  If you didn't manage to get it, try Bojutsu Science Adept by Geek Chic Cosmetics

Shiro Cosmetics That'ssss A Nice House (shimmering grass-green)

Shiro Cosmetics We're Up All Night To Get Loki (olive green with gunmetal shimmer) - Another LE shade.  As we're layering, MAC Humid will work.

Shiro Cosmetics I'll Move That For You (blackened amethyst with bright purple sparkle)

Rimmel glam eyes black liquid liner

Collection glam crystals glitter liner in Shake It Up! (purple glitter)

Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Psychedelic Sister (purple)

Lancome Hypnose Star mascara  

1. After priming your eye, apply Milk all over the lid, blending up to the brow bone.

2.  Pat Angry Cuccos on the inner lid.

3.  Apply I Guess You're Okay to the outer half of the lid, blending into Angry Cuccos.

4.  Sweep That'ssss A Nice House into your crease area, taking it up towards the brow bone.

5.  Apply We're Up All Night To Get Loki to crease, blending as you go, but not taking it as high as the previous green shadow.

6.  Pat You Know Nothing under the brow bone, and blend down.

7.  Gently place I'll Move That For You along the outer v, making sure you don't over-blend.  I then tidied up the line with some makeup remover.

8.  Draw a thin black line with black liquid liner on the lid.

9.  Along the lower lash line, apply Shake It Up!.

10.   Apply Psychedelic Sister to the water line.

11.  Add mascara and you're done!

Blue, gold and pink tutorial

I got quite a few requests for tutorial of yesterdays look.  Trying out a sightly different format for the tutorial today.

Products Used

Illamasqua Skin Base Lift in White and Light 1

Sephora Du Luxe Punk eyeshadow (deep pink)

Sleek Originals palette (black, dark shimmery blue, deep shimmering gold)

Boots Natural Collection Soft Pink eyeshadow (pale pink)

Illamasqua gel liner in Infinity (black)

Illamasqua Sophie pencil (black)

Lancome Hypnose Star mascara

Primark black and gold glitter liner

Barbara Daley eyeshadow pen in Air Force (medium grey cream shadow)

Active Cosmetics Razzle Dazzle lashes

Random eyeshadow glue

MUFE Aqua brow (not show in this tutorial, but thought I'd share what's on my brows!)

I prepped my lid with NARS smudge proof eyeshadow base as I have the oiliest lids ever.  For most I would have thought that the grey cream eyeshadow will be enough of a base.

1.  Apply your grey cream shadow all over the lid.  I used the brush on the end of the eyeshadow pencil to do this.  If you're just using a regular cream shadow, and synthetic flat shader brush works best.

2.  Using an eyeliner brush, draw a line where your crease is in black gel liner.  I removed any excess and blended it up slightly.  Darken the inner and outer corners of the lid.  This doesn't have to be super tidy.

3.  Using a tapered blending brush (I used MAC 226, which is limited edition.  Damn you MAC!) apply the deep pink shadow to the crease, just above the gel liner.

4.  Pat a pale pink shadow under the brow, and blend down into the darker pink.  I favour MAC's 275 as it's super dense and allows me to really blend the colours.  Add more of the deeper pink if you need to.

5.  Part your gold color onto the center of your lid using a flat shader brush (MAC 242).  The Sleek shadow I've used is a little chunky, so really takes some effort.  You can see here how I need to add an extra layer (which I did, after taking photos).

6.  With a clean shader brush, pat your dark blue shadow on the inner and outer lid.  Be careful not to over-blend this.  I used a patting motion to blend so as not to make the colours muddy.

7.  Using the same brush, apply  blue shadow on top of the black gel liner.  I used the narrow side of the brush to run the shadow along, and then used short pushing motions to blend it up into the pink.

8.  To add some depth, take a black eyeshadow on an angled brush (MAC 266) and run it along the crease where the gel liner is.  Again, use small, gentle pushing motions to blend it up into the blue.  You don't want to take this colour up very far.  I also added it to the very inner and outer corners of the lid.

9.  Clean up any fall out from under your eye, running a makeup remover wipe along the edge of your eye where your wing will me.  Add your concealer under the eye and along that edge.  I just used my finger.

10.  Taking your gel liner again, use your preferred liner brush to line your top lid.  This line can be as dramatic as you like!

11.  Run some of the blue shadow under your lower lash line.

 12.  Line under your eye with blank gel liner, taking the liner into a point at the inner corner of the eye.

13.  Line your upper and lower water lines with black pencil.

14.  Add black and gold glitter liner to your lower lash line, along the black gel.  I'm rubbish at photographing glitter, so you can't really see it in these pictures.  

15.  Add mascara and lashes, and you're done!

Dramatic Aarbic inspired look

For those of us with rounder eyes, Arabic inspired makeup can be difficult to do.  Usually when you wing out your liner, you follow the natural curve of your eye.  This means that you don't get that long, drawn out cats eye shape.  This is a tutorial which shows how the effect can be achieved.

Products Used

NARS Eyeshadow Primer

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk (matte white)

Sleek Vintage Romance palette (medium purple, dark purple, gold, and black)

MAC Nylon eyeshadow (white-gold)

Illamasqua black gel eyeliner

Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Zero (black)

Lancome Hypnose Star mascara

Girls With Attitude False Lashes - Diva

The red line in the first picture shows where my wing would usually go.  As you can see, it follows my lower lash line, and goes up in quite a steep line.  For this look I'm going to be ignoring that line, instead placing it on the angle shown by the blue line. This line starts about a quarter of the way along the lash line, and only slopes up slightly.  This line is the key to getting this look right!

1.  After priming my eye with an eyeshadow base and NYX Milk, I placed a piece of tape where I want the wing to go.  Draw in your crease line, using the tape as a guide line.  I drew my crease line a little above where my natural crease lies, giving myself more lid space.  Blend out the black liner with a tapered blending brush.

2.  I like to remove the tape, as I feel it gets in my way, but if you prefer you can leave it on until step 8.  With a flat shadow brush, pat gold eyeshadow over the lid, all the way up to your black crease line.

3.  Taking the tapered blending brush. apply the bright purple shadow in the crease area, over the black pencil.

4.  Pat the white-gold highlight colour along the brow bone, and at the inner corner of the eye.  With a clean tapered blending brush, blend the purple and the white-gold.

5.  Take a small angled brush and define the crease line with a dark purple shadow.  I use the side of the angled brush to gently blend the dark purple up into the lighter purple.

6.  Next, using your flat shadow brush, pat black shadow along the wing, blending it into the lid colour at the same angle.  Alternate between black and gold until you're happy with the blending.

7.  If you haven't yet taken the tape off, now is the time to do so.  Clean up any fallout you may have.  I also run a line of concealer along the wing.

8.  With a black gel liner and a pointed eyeliner brush, draw a fairly thick black line all around the eye, using the line you created with the tape as a guide line.  The liner under the outer corner of your eye will be thickest, as this is where you're changing the shape.  Point the liner at the inner corner too.

9.  Run the purple shadow under the eye.  Use a black shadow to blend the black liner down into the purple.  Apply black pencil liner to the upper and lower waterline.

10.  Add mascara and some nice big lashes!

A purple look tutorial

It's really simple to switch up the colours in this look, as there's only 3 eyeshadows used!  Just swap the dark and light purple for dark and light hues of the colour of your choice!

Products Used
Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
Sugarpill Tako eyeshadow
Sleek Saturn's Ring eyeshadow (Celestial palette)
MAC Beauty Marked eyeshadow
Rimmel Glam Eyes black liquid liner
Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in LSD
Lancome Hypnose Star mascara
Active Cosmetics lashes

I started by priming my eye with an eyeshadow base and NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk.  

1.  Pat a matte white eyeshadow onto the inner half of your lid.

2.  Apply a light purple shadow in the crease, winging it out slightly at the end. 

3.  Pat the same light purple onto the outer half of the lid, blending into the white.

4.  Highlight the brow bone with white shadow, and blend the purple, softening the line, adding more definition to the wing.

5.  Outline the crease and outer v with a dark purple shadow.  This is where you can really define that wing shape.

6.  Gently blend into the light purple.

7.  Apply both purples to the lower lash line, running the light purple all the way along, and then placing the dark purple on top, just over the outer third.

8.  Line your upper lash line with black liquid liner.

9.  Use a medium blue pencil to line your waterline.

10.  Add mascara, and, if you desire, false lashes.

A Christmas tutorial

I did this tutorial before I came to France, and it was only upon going through the photos today that I realised how awful the photos are.  I've fixed them up as best as I can, but I'm afraid my photoshop skills aren't that impressive!

Products Used

Primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance)

White pencil/cream base (Beauty Uk black and white double ended pencil)

Silver eyeshadow (Sleek Celestial palette)

Red eyeshadow (Sleek Sunset palette)

Dark red eyeshadow

Black eyeshadow

Matte white eyeshadow

Black liquid liner (Rimmel Glam Eyes liquid liner)

Silver glitter liner (Collection 2000 Glam Crystals in Hustle)

Black pencil liner (Illamasqua Sophie)

Black mascara (Lancome Hypnose Star mascara)

False lashes

1.  Start by priming your eyes with chosen eyeshadow primer and white base.  Pat the silver shadow onto the inner half of the lid using a flat shader brush.

2.  Apply the bright red shade on the second half of the lid, and up into the outer half of the crease.  Take the shadow in the crease as far over as the red on the lid.  I used the flat shader brush again.

3.  With the flat shader brush (again!), apply the dark red shadow to the outer quater over the bright red.

4.  With a fluffy brush apply the matte white eyeshadow to the brow bone, blending out the red.

5.  Using a pointed pencil brush, deepen the outer v with black shadow.

6.  Starting in the middle of the lid, apply black liquid eyeliner, winging it out at the end.

7.  Apply glitter liner from the inner corner of the eye, up and along the top of the black liner.

8.  Define the lower lash line with silver eyeshadow on the inner half, fading into black on the outer half.  I used the pencil brush.

9.  Apply black pencil liner to the upper and lower water lines.

10.  Add mascara and some false lashes, and you're done!

Pink and brown cut crease tutorial

I added my new Bobbi Brown sparkle eyeshadow over the top of this, but you can leave that out for a more day-friendly look.  I wish the sparkle showed up better in these pictures!

Products needed

• Eyeshadow base - Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Pinky-purple cream shadow - Illamasqua Delirium
• Brown Pencil liner - Urban Decay Demolition 24/7 pencil liner
• Pink sparkly shadow *optional* - Bobbi Brown Silver Lilac sparkle shadow
• Brown eyeshadow - MAC Satin Taupe
• Black eyeshadow - I used MAC Carbon, as it's not that pigmented, so gives a softer look.  Try Urban Decay's Blackout if you want a darker look)
• Neutral highlight shadow - Boots Natural Collection Sea Shell eyeshadow
• Black sparkly eyeliner - Urban Decay Oil Slick 24/7 pencil liner
• Black pencil liner - Illamasqua Sophie pencil
• Mascara - Lancome Hypnose Star
• False lashes

1. After priming your eye, apply your pink cream shadow all over the lid.
2. With a brown pencil draw a line along your crease, and mark out your flick,
3. Place your brown shadow on top of the brown liner, blending upwards towards the crease.  At this point, I patted my sparkly eyeshadow on top of the cream shadow.
4. Highlight under your brow using your neutral shadow.  Define the brown pencil line with black eyeshadow.
5. Line your eye with a black sparkly pencil liner.  I used an angled brush to blend this into the wing line I made with the brown pencil.
6. Apply black pencil to your waterline, then add mascara and lashes.

Gold smokey 2 brush tutorial

Good quality makeup brushes can be expensive, and you may not have a large variety, especially if you're just starting out.  That's why, when I got this tutorial request, I decided to only use one eyeshadow brush, a flat shader brush, and one eyeliner brush.  It's also a fairly simple look that uses only 3 eyeshadows.

Products Used

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Sleek Vintage Romance palette (Meet in Madrid and Love in London)
Boots Naturals Eyeshadow in Sea Shell
Illamasqua Gel Liner
Illamasqua Sophie pencil
Benefit They're Real mascara

Flat Shader Brush (MAC 242)
Eyeliner Brush (Funky Fox 53036/01)

 

1.  After applying an eyeshadow base, pat a gold shadow (Meet in Madrid) all over your lid. Wipe any excess shadow off of your brush.
2.  Using the end of your brush and a black shadow (Love in London), roughly mark out where you are going to wing out your shadow.  Don't worry too much about being neat as we'll sort that out when we tidy up and fall out later.
3.  With the flat side of your brush, apply the black shadow in the outer 3/4 of your crease.  Again, wipe any left over colour off of your brush.
4.  Using the same method, take your gold shadow and place it in the inner 1/4 of your crease, blending it into the black.
5.  Apply a matte highlight close to your skin tone (Sea Shell with the flat of your brush, and blend it down.  Now, we're going to soften that line a little.  Using the end of your brush, run the brush back and forth over the line until it softens slightly.  We're not blending it up too far.  You can add more black if you need to.
6.  Using the end of your brush again, apply the black shadow under your lash line.
7.  With a cotton pad and makeup remover, or a makeup remover wipe, and run it along your winged line to make it sharper.  Clean up any other fall out.  You may now want to apply your under eye concealer.  Tip: For a really sharp line you can use the end of your brush to place a sharp line of concealer against the wing, blending downwards into your skin.  Just make sure your brush is free of any eyeshadow first!
8.  Use an eyeliner brush of your choice to apply a black gel liner (Illamasqua gel liner).
9.  Apply a black pencil (Sophie) to your upper and lower water line, making sure you get in between the lashes to tight line.
10.  Apply mascara.  This would look great with false lashes for a night out too!


Let me know if you have any requests for tutorials you'd like to see!

Bad Girl Tutorial

I can wear eye makeup again!  After not wearing anything on my eyes for 4 days I decided to go all out with a dark look to go with my new Illamasqua lipstick and gloss.  Whenever I want to use dark shadows I reach for my Sleek Bad Girl palette.  I have the Urban Decay Black palette and I don't think I've touched it since getting Bad Girl!

Products Used
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Sleek Bad Girl palette (Innocence, Intoxicated, Obnoxious, Twilight and Noir)
Illamasqua Gel Liner
Barry M Dazzle Dust shade 98
Benefit They're Real mascara
Illamasqua false lashes (no.23)

1. Start by roughly drawing a winged line, taking it all the way across your crease with black gel liner.  Don't worry about being neat.  This means that your crease will be nice and dark.
2.  Apply a medium-dark green eyeshadow (Intoxicated), using a flat shader brush, to the inner half of your lid.
3.  Using a flat shader brush again, apply a medium-dark blue eyeshadow (Obnoxious) to the rest of the lid.
4.  Take a medium-dark purple shadow (Twilight) and, using a tapered blending blush apply it in the crease.  I also used a pencil brush a a black eyeshadow (Noir) in the crease, blending the dark gel line into the purple and blue.
5.  Highlight under your brow bone with fluff brush and a shimmery white shadow (Innocence).  Blend down into the purple.  Don't forget to take the white down to your tear duct to open up your eyes.
6.  Line your eyes with a thick black line using a black gel eyeliner.  I also patted a little Barry M Dazzle Dust in shade 98, which is a black loose pigment with blue and green shimmer, under the eye.
7.  Add mascara.
8. Finish with false lashes.  I used Illamasqua lashes which have a flash of green running through them!

Products Used

Face

YSL Touche L'eclat foundation (BR10)

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural (Light)

Illamasqua Skin Base Light (White and Light 1)

Sleek blush in Antique

Eyes

See above

Sugarpill Afterparty eyeshadow for brows

Lips

Illamasqua Sophie pencil

Illamasqua Pristine lipstick

Illamasqua sheer lipgloss in Violate