Lorac Pro Palette 2 Look #3 - Galactic Mermaid

Okay so the story behind this look is that, when I first did it, I was wearing these awesome nail strips that had like fish scales on them. This look is hardly mermaid inspired, but the combination of the navy and the silver definitely remind me of a spacey kind of look! I also paired this eye look with two different lip colors, depending on what you're feeling. This is my last look of this series, and without a doubt my favorite!

I started out this look the same way as the first two looks in this series, using the Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer. Then with my Lorac Pro Palette 2, I took the color "Cool Gray" on a blending brush, and blended this through the crease. Then I took "Light Brown" and blending "Cool Gray" out, to make the transition even more seamless. For the lid, I used the color "Navy" on a flat stiff brush, and patted it on the outer third and the inner third of my lid. Be very, very careful with this color. It has a lot of fall out, so be sure to tap off the excess before applying it to the lid, otherwise you'll have color all over your under eye area, and a terrible time attempting to blend the shadow. Don't bother blending out the crease yet. We'll come back to that in a moment. 

To create that three-dimensional look, I took my Mac Fix+ and spritzed my brush before applying "Silver" to the center of the lid. This really helps the color apply vibrantly. Then, I took "Silver" again, dry, and blended in between the "Navy" and "Silver" shadows to create a gradient effect. From here, I took a clean blending brush, and began to buff out crease.

Honestly, the key to this look is patience. You will have to go back in with "Navy" a few times to keep it super intense, and just keep blending. If you seem to be having trouble, go back in with "Cool Gray" and really work it into the crease. This will help everything along. I also took "Light Brown" again when "Cool Gray" became more intense than I wanted, and blended that out as well. I probably spent a good ten minutes just blending and reapplying color till I got the right look! 

Once everything was blended to my liking, I took "Black" on a pencil brush and tapped it into the outer corner, just to add even more depth. I also feathered it into the crease, but made sure not to apply any more than what was already on the brush. 

On the lower lash line, I used "Navy," and stopped at the inner corner. To really brighten up the inner corner and keep the dark colors from closing everything up, I took "Snow" and highlighted the inner corner and blended it upward into the darker shadows. I also took my Milani Liquid Eye Pencil in "Black" and lined my upper and lower waterline, as well as lining my upper lashline before blending it out with a small pencil brush. To clean up the brow highlight, I took my Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in "Nude" and lined under my brows, blending downward so there wouldn't be a harsh line. I then set the nude pencil with the color "Buff."

For my lashes, I used my Ardell 110 Lashes, and since they were on their last legs anyways, I curled them in with my natural lashes and applied both my Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara and my Maybelline The Rocket Mascara, to really pump up the volume. I also added these two mascaras to my lower lashes.

For my face, I followed the same steps as my face routine post, skipping the cream blush step. I also applied "Banana" from the Anastasia Contour Kit under my eyes to help brighten things up, since the navy blue shadow can tend to enhance any blueness under the eyes.

For my lips, I chose two options: a nude for a more wearable look, and an oxblood color for when you're feeling a little more dangerous. The nude lip is my go to MAC "Shy Girl," and the oxblood color is Lime Crime's Velvetine in "Salem" with their Opaque Lipstick in "Poisonberry" on top. Another great option for a dark lip would be Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in "Black Cherry."

That's it for my Lorac Pro Palette 2 series! I hope this helped inspire you to use this "neutral" palette in more out-of-the-box ways. It is so versatile and can be used for just about anything!

What was your favorite look of the three in this series? 

- D. 

Lorac Pro Palette 2 Look #2 - Subtle Smokey Jade

Before I get started with this look, I want to apologize for the weird lighting in these photos. I usually prefer to take photos during the day in natural lighting, but I've never really had trouble taking photos at night! I'm not entirely sure what happened this time, but the lighting is just a bit weird and unfortunately does not really do this look justice. However, it does help get the point across, and you'll just have to try this look for yourself to see how gorgeous it really is!

This look is especially great for brown or hazel eyes, because the green really makes your eyes pop. It reminds me a little bit of the eyeshadow I had to wear in high school for colorguard, which I always got complimented on because it made the green flecks in my eyes stand out.

I first began with a base to really help the green shadow pop. I used my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk" and blended it all over the lid and up to the brow bone. Be sure to use a very thin layer of this product, because it can and will crease if you use too much! Then, I went straight in with "Jade" from my Lorac Pro Palette 2, and patted this all over the mobile lid, staying below the crease and out of the inner third of the lid. From here, I took a clean blending brush, and began blending out "Jade" to get rid of any harsh lines. 

To help blend even more, I took a mix of "Cool Gray" and "Light Brown" and blended these two shadows through the crease. I then took "Charcoal" on a pencil brush to further define the crease, as well as to deepen the outer corner. When "Charcoal" is blended with "Jade," you get this beautiful smokey green color! The key to this look is to blend blend blend. "Jade" is a bit of a tricky color to blend, because it can easily lose its opacity, so the trick is to keep going back in with the shadow and reintensifying the color. Once the shadows looked blended and opaque, I took "Snow" and filled in the inner corner that we left blank earlier. I went back and forth with "Snow" and "Jade" to create a seamless blend between the two shadows, creating almost a silvery green color

On the lower lashline, I took "Chrome" and smudged it along my lashes, stopping around the same place where "Snow" begins on the upper lid. I then took "Snow" and highlighted the inner corner to really make my eyes pop. 

For liner, I took "Black" on a push liner brush and wiggled this along the upper lashline, simply to thicken the appearance of the lashes without creating a harsh line. I lined my lower waterline with the NYX Slide On Pencil in "Pure White" to brighten things up even more. Then I curled my lashes and applied one coat of Maybelline The Mega Plush Waterproof Mascara, and one coat of Maybelline The Rocket Mascara. 

For the rest of my face, I kept things simple with my current go-to foundation routine, which I talked about here. The only difference between this look and that one is that I only used the NYX Rouge Cream Blush, without Milani's "Luminoso." On my lips, I decided to keep things neutral with MAC's "Shy Girl." I find that this really keeps the whole look a bit more wearable. 

That's it for the second look! I love that this look is a great way to wear a soft, subtle smokey eye without going for a cookie-cutter neutral look. It's perfect for an evening out if you aren't comfortable with really intense looks.

- D.

Taylor Swift's Grammy's Look with Drugstore Products

One of my closest friends recently texted me saying that she was totally loving Taylor Swift's look at the Grammy's. Both she and I absolutely love Taylor, so of course I had to do the look for her!

As always, Taylor looked absolutely glowing and gorgeous at the Grammy's this year. She kept everything fairly subtle, with a pop of color in the liner. Colored liner is a huge trend right now, and she's proving that it's possible to wear colored liner but still keep things subtle. 

The first thing I noticed is how healthy and radiant Taylor's skin appeared, and I wanted to make sure that I achieved the same glow. So I first applied my L'Oreal True Match Foundation in the shade C2 (which I'm starting to worry is getting a little too dark for me! I need to see the sun a bit more...), then I applied Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer on any discolored areas or blemishes. The great thing about this concealer is that it is both creamy and blendable, as well as full-coverage and illuminating. I used the Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in "Dark Brown" to very, very lightly and naturally fill in my brows. I made sure to blend out my brows with the brush that comes attached to this product, to create a more natural look. From here, I moved onto the eyes to allow the product to settle before powdering.

She has a stunning silver smokey eye with blue winged liner, and for this look, I challenged myself to use only drugstore products. For the shadows, I used the Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette 5 Pan in "Tunnel Vision," which I believe is actually a new release for this brand.

 

To begin, I used the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick in "Whiteness White" (come on, Rimmel, what's up with these names?). I used it all over the lid, stopping at the crease, and also focusing it on the inner corner. Then I blended it out with my finger to prevent creasing. 

From here, I mixed together the white and the lightest shimmery silver shade from the Wet n Wild palette mentioned earlier and packed it all over the lid. Then, I took the medium gray, which I'd say is more a satin than a shimmer, and buffed it all around the outside of the lid color to make the next color easier to blend. I took the black on a pencil brush and, with a very light hand, focused this in the crease, before going back in with the medium gray color to blend it all together. I then wiped off my pencil brush and took the medium gray color along the lower lashline, being careful to blend it out to create a smokier effect. After I was happy with the way everything looked, I went in with the matte white and used it in the inner corner, over the white shadow stick, as well as very lightly to blend out the crease, and up to the browbone. 

From here I moved onto liner. I did an entire blog post on how to do winged liner, and this look is no different. I used the Milani Liquid Eye Retractable Eyeliner Pencil in "08 Blue" to line the upper lashline and create my wing. I also ran this along the lower lashline and smudged it out a bit. Keep in mind that this liner is NOT waterline safe because it does have glitter particles in it. On the upper waterline, I used the Milani Liquid Eye Eyeliner Pencil in "01 Black" (which is the traditional pencil, not the retractable one), and on the lower waterline, I used the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Liner in "Nude," although, from what I can tell, Taylor Swift's makeup artist may have actually used a white pencil rather than a nude.

Then to top it all off, I used my Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara and really built up the lashes. Taylor has very dark lashes, and she is probably wearing falsies, but I chose to just really coat my lashes, focusing on the root to really make them appear dark and thick.

From here, I moved back to the face. I went back in with my Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer and cleaned up under the eyes. I also ran this concealer along the tops of my cheekbones to add an illuminated effect. 

After blending the concealer out, I took a stippling brush and very lightly set everything with the Physicians Formula Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in "Translucent" to give me an all-over glow. The great thing about this powder is that it doesn't make you look oily, but adds just enough of an iridescence to help blur any imperfections and enhance your bone structure, while giving just a hint of color. I don't know about it being a "mood booster," but it sure makes my skin look happy!

For the cheeks, Taylor has just a slight hint of color, with very little noticeable contouring. I took the Maybelline Fit Me Blush in "Light Rose" and applied this directly under the cheekbone, where I would normally place a bronzer to contour. I then buffed it in an upward motion to get some color onto the cheekbone. This is a great trick to give yourself a subtle contour while still adding a natural flush to your skin.

Finally, the lips. I took the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer and applied this all over my lips, to mute out my natural pigmentation. I didn't want anything getting in the way of this gorgeous pink color. I used Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in the shade "Latino."

This look is perfect for almost any occasion, and I think that it'll be great for Valentine's Day! The lipstick is just subtle enough to add a hint of color without being high maintenance. No one wants to be touching up their makeup in the middle of a date! Or if you're like me and your significant other is working on Valentine's Day, then you don't want to worry about your makeup while you cuddle with your cat. ;)

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

- d.