Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Makeup Technique - Smokey Eye Tips

Everyone loves a good smokey eye... and everyone seems to be searching for better ways to do them. Here are some of my thoughts that hopefully will be helpful.

What is it?
First off, what is a smokey eye? Generally speaking, it's a dark eye shadow on the eyelid whereas regular application would be a medium or light shadow. It usually evokes a vamp look. Essentially, your eye will look like there's smoke around it... hence smokey. ;)

Note that, if you're not used to doing this kind of makeup, it might take some getting used to, not so much in how to apply but more in getting used to the look on your face.

Alternative to black
When we say smokey eye, people will generally think of applying black. And while that's a good choice for it, there are other alternatives that may work best, especially if you have pale skin (I know all about that). Really, it just needs to be a darker eye shadow. So consider playing with other colors like dark blue, dark green, dark brown. It will open up a whole new set of possibilities and may actually look better depending on what you are wearing as well as your eye color. For example, I have blue eyes and, when I use a dark blue, it makes my eyes look paler (sort of icy blue) whereas, when I use a dark brown, it makes them look more intense.

If you're going to use black...
If you are going to use black, consider going for anything but a matte finish. The reason for this is that matte will make your eye look like it's receding, especially if you will be using this for a stage makeup under bright spotlights. My favorite black to use for a smokey eye has gold sparkles in it and it makes for a very nice shimmery effect. So it's still undeniably black but has a nice richness to it.

Fallout management
Whenever you apply a dark color all over your eyelid, there will be more fallout than a medium or light color... or so it seems b/c of the intensity of the color. There are several options to take care of this. One way is to wipe the fallout with a soft fluffy brush, using a light touch. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGERS! It would only embed the dark eye shadow more in your skin. Another option is to apply more loose powder after your eye shadow application, which is a similar principle as just wiping it off with the brush. You also can simply apply your foundation after you have done your eyes: it will simply erase any trace of fallout.

Don't forget the brow bone highlight!
Since you will be using such dark eye shadows, definitely remember to apply a pale, shimmery eye shadow at your brow bone to create a nice highlight. It will take your eye from looking closed to opening it back up again. It's like magic!

What about the crease?
That was something that bugged me for a bit: what do you do with the crease? Well, I do either of two things: either I will bring that dark eye shadow in the crease as well, generally using a lighter touch when applying so it sort of feathers out or I will use a medium eye shadow to have a gradient of color. Typically, I do the former if I use black whereas I'll do the latter if I use a different color. But it depends on my mood too. Just experiment and see if you prefer one or the other option.

Eyeliner
I still line the upper and lower eyelids (usually on the waterline for the lower lid) with a black liner, even if I use black. It just makes for a nicer finish as generally the eyeliner will be a more intense black. But you could skip the eyeliner as it's dark enough as it is.

Another option entirely
If you don't like using dark eye shadows on your eyes because you don't like the look or you want to keep your eye looking open, there is another option entirely. One of my favorite makeup looks that looks like a smokey eye and isn't exactly one is the one in the below picture. I applied a silver eye shadow on the eyelid and black at the crease but I made my crease bigger/more prominent than I normally do, which is yielding this smokey eye look (you can see the instructions for this makeup here). Essentially, this could be done with whichever shadow combination you want, just making sure you have a dark shadow at the crease and making said crease more prominent.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Makeup Look - Peacock Eyes

On Saturday, I was feeling like using some blues for my dance makeup for Greek Islands. As promised, here are the instructions on how I achieved the look.

The palette that I used for most of the look is from the Fergie collection by Wet n Wild in Maldives Sky. You can find this at a drug store or Walmart for about $5-6. And, yes, it works great. You can see a review that I had done of a different shade of the palette here.
  1. I applied eye primer all over the eyelid to the brow and a little at the lower lash line. I use Shadow Insurance by Too Faced.
  2. I applied the top left color from the palette over my eyelid.
  3. I applied the bottom left color from the palette on the eyelid, at the outer corner and until about 1/4 of the eyelid towards the inner corner to bolster the color on the eyelid a little.
  4. I applied the purple color (so top right on the palette) at the crease, making it darker at the outer crease and less intense as I'm going towards the inner crease.
  5. I applied a beige, shimmery eye shadow at the brow bone for a highlight. I used Shroom by MAC.
  6. The lower lash line is divided in 3 roughly equal parts and will have different colors. I applied each color from in to out. First, I did the outer corner 3rd with the purple. Second, I did the middle 3rd with the bottom left color. Lastly, I did the inner corner 3rd with the top left color. 
  7. I lined both the top eyelid and the bottom waterline with the black gel liner from E.L.F.
  8. I applied mascara.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Product Review - Renewing Eye Cream by Nourish Organic

I've been using the Renewing Eye Cream by Nourish Organic for about a month now. The product promises to cool your skin, and reduce puffiness and dark circles... as most eye creams do.

Did it hit the mark for me? Yes and no.

I did feel that it was cooling the skin. In terms of reducing puffiness, honestly, I haven't found a cream that does that better for me than sleep does. As for dark circles, I didn't see much of a difference.

I will have to put a caveat that the sample did not include the applicator that the full size would come with so it perhaps would make a difference. Who knows?

The cost is actually low for an eye cream at $19.99 and is more of the entry level eye cream. At my age, I actually need a bit more oomph and treat fine lines as well so I wouldn't purchase. However, if you don't have the fine lines concern just yet (so are roughly less than 35), you might actually enjoy this cream. I did like the cool feeling on my skin.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Product Review - Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow by Pacifica

I received the Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow by Pacifica in my Ipsy subscription.

The product promised to be a velvety finish and I was skeptical because it's never as smooth as they make it out to be. But, lo and behold, it does feel very nice on the eyelid. I tried it both with and without eye primer and it held very well even without.

For my friends who have concerns over products, all the Pacifica products are animal cruelty free (not sure about humans :p) and vegan so that's a plus. This brand used to be only available online but is now available at Target so you can find it more easily.

Interestingly, I couldn't find this single shadow on their website nor on the Target website so I couldn't tell you the price. Did we receive a discontinued product? It's possible. What I do see are palettes and they run between $11 and $34, which seems like a good price given the sizes. I would consider looking into that brand, for sure.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Makeup Application - The dotted line eyeliner

I've recently restarted doing this for a variety of reasons and thought that I should share. One trick when it comes to getting your eyeliner as close to your lash line as you can is essentially making little lines right at the lash line, as close to the lashes as you can.

This has a few other advantages as well:

  • Smoother line: it's a little easier to make a smooth line with this method than with a continuous line;
  • Better shape: in the same vein, it's easier to control the shape of the line as you'll go back over the liner to create the shape and will have fewer chances of whoopsies should your hand veer off path.
As mentioned above, what you end up doing is making those little lines, which can overlap, as close to the lash line as you can. And then you can go back over them in a continuous (or nearly continuous) line. 

For the upper lid, I typically do the dotted line starting about mid-eye and going towards the outer corner and then will work my way back from a little off from the inner corner to the middle of the eyelid. When I do the continuous line, I will start from the inner corner to the outer corner (and I flare the line).

This method works especially well for the lower lash line, if you want to apply at the lash line instead of on the water line. It helps to go under the lashes to do this. I start from the outer corner and will work my way inward. I have taken lately to ending this line around mid-eye, which makes my eyes look a little more open (a full line closes the eyes).

This application is nearly impossible to do with a liquid liner, though (unless it uses a felt tip applicator). But it works great with a pencil or gel liner.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Product Review - Blush in Peach Bellini by ModelCo

I received the Blush in Peach Bellini by ModelCo as part of my Ipsy subscription last month. At first, I rolled my eyes at yet another blush. But then I decided to try it and it's pretty much the shade that I've been wearing every day since then. The shade is nice and subtle and works great for my skin tone. It has also a nice sheen to it that I enjoy.

When I looked at the website, though, I saw that the price is $22, which is about par for blushes in this category. However, I don't know if what I received was a smaller sample but I doubt that it is. While the price point is the same as, say, MAC, you get about half as much product... but blushes last for a long time so it may not be as much of an issue of quantity for price compared to other products. Still, it's something to keep in mind.

Would I purchase this blush? I think that I would as I really enjoy it. Thankfully, I got it as part of the subscription. ;)

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Product Review - Big Sexy Hair Spray and Play Volumizing Spray

I received a sample of the Big Sexy Hair Spray and Play Volumizing Spray in my Ipsy subscription bag a while ago. This is an overdue review. ;)

I really enjoyed this product. The hold was really great where I managed to do my infamous faux-hawk (back when I had longer hair) and have it hold real well in part thanks to this hairspray. It is my go-to hairspray for performance hair since I tried it.

It is a little on the pricey side at about $18 but I think that it is worth that money. The hold is good enough to justify the extra expense... and a little goes a long way. It's also not so rigid that you can't manipulate the hair, albeit when I did the faux-hawk, I did have to apply enough so that my hair would stand on its own; under normal uses, though, it can be manipulated real well and, yes, will easily make your hair bigger.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Product Review - Scandaleyes Thick and Thin Eyeliner by Rimmel London


I was out of liquid liner and decided to try out the Scandaleyes Thick and Thin Eyeliner by Rimmel London, which I purchased at Walmart. The main reason why I was intrigued by this product is b/c the felt tip has 2 options (as the name implies) so you can create a thick or a thin line and that sounded like an interesting idea.

However, I was greatly disappointed.

First off, the tip feels rougher than what I'd like on my eyelids. I don't really like something scratchy while trying to make a line. Secondly, the slanted tip for the thicker line is not making it that thick. Thirdly, there isn't exactly that much product that comes out when applying. While that can be a good thing if you have issues with creating a good line, it requires you to go over the same spot over and over again to make it a nice dark line and, well, see the comment about it being scratchy.

It thankfully wasn't pricey, at $5.47 but I do feel like I wasted my money. I think that I will likely throw it away in a few days because I find that it is just too hard to work with.

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Edit: Someone brought up to my attention that she uses this product to do her tribal tattoos on her face and I can see it working very well for that purpose. So I'll keep it for that and thought that I should pass along this addition. ;) (*waves at Christiane*)

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Product Review - Just Mineral Eye Polish by Cailyn

I received the Just Mineral Eye Polish by Cailyn in orchid in my Ipsy subscription. As can be seen from the pic, the bottle looks like some nail polish (hence the name) so it had me confused a little... and then I saw the applicator and was a little dubious as to whether it would really reach through to get the product out of the bottle (since, as can be seen on the pic, it's rather short) and how it would really apply it on my eyelid.

Well, I was actually quite happy with the product.

The powder feels nice on the eyelid and the shade gives just a little shade and is perfect for my work look of a blush colored eyelid with black liner. Also, the product stays on very well throughout the day, even without eye primer. I really like it.

There is quite a good range of colors available. I think that, given the applicator, it would work better as an eyelid color than for the crease or brow bone... although it *might* work for the crease. Given the color that I received, I haven't tried it at the crease.

The cost is $15 and is about par for these kinds of eye shadows and I would actually pay that amount for it (though was of course happy that it came in my $10 Ipsy subscription ;)). I do think that it's a product that is worth purchasing if you find it. It looks like few stores carry the brand but, of course, it can be purchased online.