in which we learn that you need your spinal cord for good makeup

Spring has sprung, which this year, means 2 things: my seasonal allergies have also sprung and I have thrown my back out.  Both of this explain my recent absence; when my seasonal allergies act up, I end up with patches of eczema on either eyelid.  I find this especially ironic or just unfair, seeing as my main purpose in life is makeup.  So I spent a few anxiety ridden days makeup-less at work, only to then injure my back at work (nothing incredibly serious, but I have been in pain for almost 2 weeks, so there is that).

Things I learned: it is far worse to have clear eyelids (once you get your antihistamines all squared away) and a broken back, as you look in the mirror all HOW CAN IT FEEL SO WRONG BUT BE SO RIGHT.  Doing your own makeup without looking like Quasimodo, at least temporarily, is a difficult feat on a good day.  Days of incredible back pain are not good days at all, so it was easier to just not get out of bed.

Anyway, I digress.  I had all these big plans for my brush mini-series, but that has gone onto the back burner while I try to get some focus back.

So today, I did my nails:

China Glaze VIII, which is a nice muted purple black (it looks darker in person, at least to me, but I am the first to admit I have bad eyesight) and Essie Shine of the Times which is an irridescent flakey topcoat that I really love.  It seems to take on a different personality depending on the color you put it over.  It is distracting me as I write this blog post, but I am ADHD certified, so if this is a problem you may not want to wear it to work.  Though, let's face it, if it isn't your nail polish distracting you, it'll just be your cleavage, so why not?

(And no, I don't believe in nail clean-up.  The only people who notice are those who troll the internet...oh wait.)

Then, there is this.

Which I did using this:

The Too Faced Natural Eye palette. These shits are how I learned how to blend, in part. There are little cards tucked into the top that if you can manage to get out (minor design flaw) give you 3 different looks.  I don't need those anymore, but they helped me with some kind of direction, initially. I used the bottom row; Honey Pot (the color in the middle) over the entire lid, the darker Cocoa Puff in my crease, then Nude Beach on my brow bone.  I am more than a little obsessed with neutrals right now, and they are kind of hard to mess up (in my opinion, but you know what they say about opinions and assholes).

I have also developed a new-found love for tinted moisturizer, but I'll save that for another day when I have the energy to wax poetic on the pros and cons of tinted moisturizer and liquid foundation and tell all my secrets about what I will buy at a drug store.

Like I said.  Another day.