I thought I was in love once, but I was only out of cigarettes...

I used to smoke. A lot.  I quit two years ago.  I smoked Newports.  I was looking at the Newports boxes while I paid for gas this morning and though, hm.  That would look good as a cut crease.  As it were, someone suggested I do a cut crease tutorial.  FILM IT, they said.  IT WILL BE WONDERFUL, they said.

Mostly, I just act a fool.  It is something I am good at.  But at least I look good while doing it.

Today, I choose fire.

Products used:
• Sugarpill loose shadow in Goldilux (lid, and lightly on brow bone)
• Sugarpill loose shadow in Asylum (crease)
• Sephora cream eyeliner
• Dior Extase mascara in 090

spring is...springing?

Today, I received the following in the mail from Sugarpill Cosmetics:

Sugarpill loose shadow in Weekender (purple) and Absinthe (green)

Which reminds me a lot of the following, which my mother's garden was covered with when I was a child:

Irises! Image under license from Shutterstock Images LLC

So I did this:

Like this:

 

1. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk from lashline to browbone, then Sugarpill Tako over lid.

2. At the outer corner, I applied Sugarpill Absinthe wet, blending in toward the center of my lid, so that it faded into the white about 3/4 of the way across my lid.  Then, I went from the inner corner toward the center with Tako again, dry, for a smooth transition from white to green (in the final product, the white is not noticeable, but I like a smooth transition into bright colors, I think it looks more professional and less clownish)

3. I cut the crease with Sugarpill Weekender with a wet brush, then went over it with a dry brush, working the shadow up and out.  I also find it easier to blend shadow dry as opposed to wet.

4. Using an eyeliner brush, I lined my lower lash line with Weekender from the outer corner inward, and with Absinthe from the inner corner outward, so that they met somewhere in the middle.

5.  Using Almay Liquid Eyeliner, I lined close to the lashline.

6.  Using the same eyeliner, I went outward from the line I already had to make a dramatic cat eye, following the edge of the eye shadow I had already applied.  Then, I worked it down along the lower lash line, being careful to keep a steady hand for a neat line connecting the liner on the bottom to the liner on the top that already had a cat eye effect.  Finally, I just used Maybelline Mega Plush Volum Express in Very Black on the top and bottom lashes to finish the look.

A few things:

•  I do a very basic line along the upper lash line with the liner at first because if I try to go from the inner corner of my eye all the way into a dramatic cat eye, I find that my hand will not always remain steady and then I will end up with a mess, especially when using liquid eyeliner, which is not my favorite formulation to work with, but definitely adds to the drama of a look like this.  I have also used a pencil eyeliner lightly at first, then gone over it with liquid liner.  The pencil liner acts like a guide in that case.
• I do not go past the outer edge of my eyebrow with shadow.  I started "drawing in the lines", so to speak, by using Scotch tape, which I know is looked down upon by some, but I think for someone who is new to a major eyeshadow look, or cutting a crease (which seems terrifying, but is really easy once you learn to steady your hand), it is a good way to jump off.

The color of the shadow in these pictures is pretty true to life, at least on my face.  I did have to tweak the clarity and contrast of the pictures because the place where I have the best light is almost too much light, and makes most colors look very washed out.  I am a total klutz, so working with loose shadow always makes me nervous but I like the formula that Sugarpill uses and I managed to not knock anything over so...I call it a win.

Hopefully if I do enough looks that are inspired by spring things, it will eventually get here.  My ass cannot take any more of the dreariness that is February in New York.

Stay beautiful, party people.

If I wear a summer eye, will summer come faster?

Products used:
• Too Faced Plumeria on lid
• Too Faced Cocoa Beach in crease
• Makeup Forever Aqua Black waterproof cream liner
• Sephora Full Action Extreme Effect mascara (black)

NOTD

Which we all know means nail of the week, because I am lazy and like having cuticles.




• OPI for Sephora Have You Met Rose, Mary?
• OPI for Sephora Arose Beyond Shimmer (accent)

Yesterday's FOTD

Products used:
• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
• Sugarpill Dollipop on inner corner of lid
• Sugarpill Afterparty from outer corner of lid to center, blended into Dollipop
• Urban Decay After Market in crease
• Urban Decay Broken on brow bone
• Urban Decay Blitz on lower lash line
• Makeup Forever Aqua Black cream liner along top lash line
• Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on waterline
• Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Losing my YouTube virginity

I, quite literally, spent all of my waking hours working on a video. I made one that was...not me, then made another one that took forever to split and upload to YouTube (in two parts) and goddamn, I can only do this once a week.

BUT.  It is here.

I hope you guys enjoy it!

Stay beautiful, party people.

and at some point, He created fire.

Products used:

Eyes:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
• Sugarpill Tako
• Sugarpill Buttercupcake
• Sugarpill Flamepoint
• Makeup Forever Aqua Black cream eyeliner
• Smashbox Full Exposure mascara in Jet Black

Face:

• Dr. Jart+ Black Label BB Cream
• NARS blush in Deep Throat
• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder
• Sephora Mattifying foundation (powder)
• NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder

Lips:

• Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Glinda (a dupe for Naked)
• Buxom Big and Health Lip Polish in Sandy

The highlight of my day was Sugarpill Cosmetics retweeting my FOTD on twitter.  My day was pretty much downhill from there (at 630 pm, I went to go home from running errands after work to find out both of my headlights were out, some nice man at the auto parts store helped me and one still wouldn't work because a wire on one of the connectors needed to be fixed, then I go to start the car and the battery was dead; of note: it was 28 degrees.)  So makeup...definitely the highlight.

BUT.  I looked cute while doing it.

I think we can agree.

Stay beautiful, party people.

Addicted to Pretty? Addicted to NEON.

So today, this came in the mail:

Sugarpill Cosmetics, Sweetheart palette from the Addicted to Pretty collection

I first purchased from Sugarpill Cosmetics about six months ago when I was on the prowl for the perfect matte white shadow.  I had a lot of matte white shadows in cheapie palettes I had picked up along the way, but most of them had just led to a lot of frustration at the color not being buildable, the white not showing up, et cetera.  I blogged about MAC Gesso last year as my first entry EVAR, and while it is a matte white that I could make work, it still involved a lot of effort and energy and uh.  I am lazy a lot of days.  A friend suggested I try Sugarpill's Tako, because it got good reviews on YouTube and the makeup blog circuit.  So that I did. Tako is the essential matte white shadow, as far as I am concerned, so when Sugarpill had their birthday sale last week and all shadows were on sale, I was more than okay with the Sweetheart palette having that color, even though I have a single already.

I don't own any of the other colors in a single, so I was excited to see how pigmented they were.  (I am not kidding anyone, any makeup purchase turns me into the proverbial child on Christmas morning).  I swatched all four colors on the back of my hand.  I am very fair-skinned, so often a color will look SUPER BRIGHT in the pan, then I have to spend enough time building the color to match how I feel it it supposed to look that I can practically feel myself aging.  Which means wrinkles, which I don't want. That is one thing I really like about Sugarpill - what you see in the pan is pretty much what you get.  I did not put any primer on my hand before swatching (though I would never use it without primer on my eyes) and the colors are still bold and bright. 

As for the colors: Sugarpill's website calls Afterparty a "bright turquoise" but to me, turquoise is more of a bright teal, with more green than this color has.  This shadow reminds me of the Cerulean crayon in the box of 64 Crayola set (I am dating myself here).  Which was, COINCIDENTALLY, my favorite crayon color back in 1990.  It is more a bright neon blue than a turquoise, at least for me.  It is not a matte, it has what Sugarpill describes as a "semi-pearly sheen".

The site calls Dollipop "vibrant, matte, hot pink!"  And..yes.  That is exactly what it is.  It is the perfect hot pink matte eyeshadow.

They stick with "vibrant green with a slight pearly sheen" to describe Midori, which is vague.  It is a kelly green, and the slight pearly sheen part is spot on, because it is very slight, but enough that it isn't exactly a matte, but definitely has far less of a sheen than Afterparty.

I can't wait to use this palette, though I am a little late for Carnaval, I may use it for my first real tutorial, which is probably coming this weekend.  (Probably.  I have commitment issues.)

Stay beautiful, party people.

In which I am a smurfette

Products used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
• Urban Decay Foxy (cream/beige, lid)
• Sephora+Pantone Universe 17-6219 (green, lid)
• Urban Decay Cobalt (blue, crease)
• Urban Decay Venus (brow bone)
• Urban Decay Blitz (gold, lower lash line)
• Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof liner in Perfect Black (smudged on upper lash line, water line)
• Smashbox Full Exposure mascara

I need to figure out how to get my living space set up so I can do video tutorials now that I figured out how to use iMovie, I KNOW.  I also used a sample of Urban Decay's Naked BB Cream and was not impressed, so I need to do an entry on BB cream and why Dr. Jart+ Black Label is my favorite, I KNOW.  FOTD posts get us through the hard times, YES?

Somewhat topical: I made a First World Problems meme that pretty much represents my entire life and I will share that with you now.

Don't pretend you don't understand.

 Stay beautiful, party people.

It isn't easy being green

Nail of the day:

Products used:
China Glaze Refreshmint
Essie Mojito Madness (accent)
China Glaze Graffiti Madness (glitter)
Graffiti Madness is from China Glaze's new Glitz collection, which I am in love with. Which is a given, being Queen of All Things That Sparkle.
Next up: my Valentine's Day makeup look, a few days late.

Stay beautiful, party people.

in which I am a purple people eater

Products used:

Eyes:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
• Sugarpill Tako (matte white shadow) 
• Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister (bright purple shadow with a slight shimmer) 
• Bordello (mauve-ish shadow with shimmer and glitter)
• Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Ransom 
• Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero
• Smashbox Full Exposure mascara

Face:

• Boing concealer by BeneFit
• Dr. Jart+ Black Label BB cream
• NARS blush in Deep Throat
• Urban Decay Baked Bronzer in Baked
• Sephora mattifying powder foundation in Light
• NARS The Multiple in Copacabana
• NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting powder

Stay beautiful, party people.