There is a champion inside all of us.

This is what my daily affirmation iPhone app told me this morning.  And yes, I have a daily affirmation iPhone app.  Don't hate, it gives you wrinkles.

Today, I decided to be a makeup champion.

I think I won.  Cutting the crease is so basic but really takes a meh eye look to GIIIIIRL WORK ITTTT in about ten seconds flat.  I prefer to be GIIIIIRL WORK IT to meh, so I go with it.

My eyes make me look like I am on drugs, and while I learned the price of heroin on the street today, I myself did not partake.

That photo is far blurry than I would like to be, but I did all of this using a Coastal Scents palette I inherited from a good friend (Erica, holla if you hear me, I love you boo).  The base was M.A.C Gesso over the NYX Milk primer pencil, but the effort I need to make Gesso work early in the morning is too much work, especially for a Friday, the day on which I go to work strictly on an appearance-only basis.  Anyway,  LOOK AT ALL THE COLORS:

Enter poorly taken picture of the palette.  For the price and the product being lower-middle-road, the shadows are nicely pigmented.  

I used a combination of the bottom magenta and purple to cut my crease with by wetting the brush, then brought it up some more blending in one of the more fuschia hues in, finishing off with more NYX Milk pencil with one of the very light cream colors pictured in the photo of the entire palette above.  I wish the white stood out more, but at 7 am, it is what it is (this is where I sound like my father, which I am sure he appreciates, especially in reference to makeup; I figure he has the television tastes of a 14 year old girl, why not add makeup into the mix?)

Next, I deferred to what I do best and did a cat eye with black eyeliner: I used liquid, keeping it away from the inner corners as much as possible because then it smudges in and I look a hot mess 2 hours into work.  My favorite liquid is made by Almay, and while I look down my nose at drug store makeup, I am not too proud to admit that.  I lined the lower lid with the magenta hue, then covered in the cream tone I used on my browbone and went over it with Urban Decay's El Dorado 24/7 Glide On eye pencil to dim the boldness of the look.  Mascara of your choice, I think I grabbed Kat Von D's Puro Amor which is not really a favorite, but it works and came inside a palette, and you're done.  (Well, done on the eyes, anyway.)

I call this my come-hither bedroom eyes look.  Or IMMA CUT YOU SON.  Could go either way, really.


MAKEUP CHAMPION Y/Y?

P.S. it has been so long since I have been in a mental headspace to keep up with this that it is time for ask for what you guys want to read/know about.  I can do FOTD forever but that gets boring.  I vaguely remember bronzer, pencil eyeliner and...? Drop me a suggestion in the comments, I would love to have the extra material to work with.

Stay beautiful, party people.

of mental struggles and how they lead to the perfect cut crease.

I have been anxiety's bitch for the last few months.  The idea of really DOING my makeup cripples me, along with thoughts like putting on my underwear or deciding what to have for dinner.

However, I managed this today:

Using mostly the Urban Decay Vice Palette, the outside of which I will not photograph because the second you take it out of the package it is fingerprint city (UD, WHY?).  I started with Echo Beach from lash to brow:

Then used Stila Smudge Pot in Cobalt to cut my crease (there are so many tutorials on cutting the crease, I will not be doing one):

Blended out with UD Chaos:

Then softened a little with Anonymous as a highlight on the browbone:

And a light dusting of Armor from lash to crease:

Finished with Makeup Forever liquid liner and BeneFit Bad Gal Lash:

And again: