Negaverse Rampage

Obviously, I've been very into the vampy makeup looks lately. While I was back home in San Diego, I FINALLY found Wet n Wild's Mega Last Lipstick in the shade "Vamp It Up," which is a pretty spot on dupe for MAC's "Cyber," and I am completely obsessed! For this look, I decided to give the new Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes a good test and use them exclusively for this look, to see what these brushes can do, and so I could give a solid review on them, which I posted not too long ago! I literally used these brushes and no others! The review is in two parts, and you can view Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. Not only will I be going over which products I used for each step, but I will also be discussing the brushes!

Also, a big shout out to my friends Chloe and Ashley for helping me come up with a name for this tutorial! I really liked both of their ideas and ended up doing a fusion of both. Chloe mentioned that it reminded her a lot of the Negaverse from Sailor Moon (throwback anyone?) and I love that she mentioned that because I never would have noticed that it's totally a look Queen Beryl would wear.

For today's look, I decided to do brows first and foremost, so, using the 202 Angled Liner brush, I filled in my brows with "Triple Fudge" (a dark, cool brown shade) from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette.  Then, to prime the lid and clean up under the brow a bit, I used my MAC Studio Finish Concealer, and used my fingers to apply this all over the lid and up to the brow. I used the 101 Triangle Foundation brush to help clean up underneath my brow.

For the eyes, I used the tape method to help ensure a crisp, clean line on the outer edges. To help everything blend well, I used "White Chocolate" (a light cream shade) from the Chocolate Bar Palette to set the concealer into place. Then, using the 200 Oval Shadow brush, I swept the color "Champagne Truffle" (a shimmery, pale pink champagne color) from the Chocolate Bar Palette all over my lids, stopping at the crease. I used the 201 Pointed Crease brush and a mix of the "Salted Caramel" (a warm, sandy camel) shade from the Chocolate Bar Palette and the "Nectar" (similar to "Salted Caramel," but slightly more peach) shade from the Lorac Pro 2 to start a soft sculpt in the crease. I also brought this color up onto the brow bone a bit, blending upward. Then, I took the same Pointed Crease brush, wiped it off on a paper towel, and began blending "Candied Violet" (glittery purple) from the Chocolate Bar Palette into the crease, going slightly above the crease and into the peachy mix I placed before. After I placed this color, I decided it wasn't quite purple enough for what I wanted, so I went back into the crease and used "Plum" (basic purple) from the Lorac Pro 2 on top of the "Candied Violet" shade. I continued building this color up until I was happy with the saturation of color. Then I went back in with the 200 Oval Shadow brush and added more of "Champagne Truffle" onto the lid, since the purple shades made it a little more muted than I desired. On the inner corner, I used "Snow" (pearlescent white) from the Lorac Pro 2, and as a brow highlight, I used "Beige," (pearlescent champagne) also from the Lorac Pro 2. On the outer two-thirds of the lower lash line, I used "Candied Violet," then on the inner third, I again used "Snow."

I took the Milani Liquid Eye Liner Pencil in "Black" and lined both my upper and lower waterlines. For my bright pop of a beautiful indigo liner, I used NYX's Studio Liquid Liner in "Extreme Purple." I'm not the biggest fan of this formula or the brush, but the color is beautiful so I'm willing to make it work. Instead of using the brush that the liner comes with, I applied the product to the back of my hand and used the 202 Angled Liner brush to create my winged liner. I then prepped my lashes with a coat of the Mally Volumizing Mascara and used the Andrea 53 Lashes. Because these lashes were kind of on their last legs, I used the Mally mascara to help blend my natural lashes and the falsies together, and then used the indigo liner to help hide the lash band. In retrospect, I probably should've used a black liquid liner to hide the lash band, but lesson learned!

For my face, I went for a perfected, sculpted look. I first used Benefit's The Porefessional to prime. Then, I used the 101 Triangle Foundation to apply my favorite CoverGirl Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation. Then, I used the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer on my under eye area, and again used the 101 Triangle Foundation brush to blend it out. I used the 100 Arched Powder brush to apply my translucent powder, then, using the 300 Tapered Blush brush, I applied the "Banana" powder from the Anastasia Contour Kit on my under eye area. This brush is perfect for this step! I used this same brush to apply the "Sand" highlight shade to the tops of my cheekbones, which helped create a really glowy effect. Next, I used the 301 Flat Contour brush and the shade "Fawn" to sculpt and contour my cheekbones. This brush is seriously the most perfect contour brush, and I don't think I can go back to using anything else! Finally, with the 100 Arched Powder, I applied the Maybelline Fit Me Blush in "Light Rose" for a subtle flush.

Now for the star of the show -- the lips! I used Wet n Wild's Mega Last Lipstick in the shade "Vamp It Up," and applied it straight from the tube and onto my lips, Because this product is a little bit hard to apply due to its matte finish, I used the 202 Angled Liner brush (after wiping it off, of course) to help smooth it out a bit. Then, using the Angled Liner brush again to apply a small amount of this gorgeous Lip Paint from Face of Australia, which sadly seems to be discontinued! However, you can achieve a similar look by just applying a clear gloss on top of the "Vamp It Up" lipstick.

I really enjoyed doing this look for you guys! I really ought to go in with no expectations and to just play more often -- I tend to get my favorite results that way. If nothing else, I hope this look inspires you to step out of your comfort zone and wear a bold lip color or strong cat eye!

- D. 

Vamped Up Taupe

I was playing around with my favorite lip combo the other day, and decided it was time to do a tutorial featuring the combination! I saw my friend Jas wearing this lip color in one of her selfies and just had to know what it was. Luckily, it was a combination of two colors I already had in my collection! This look is great because it's super easy to do without going over the top, and incredibly affordable, since all but one or two products are from the drugstore, including the lip colors!

The eyes for this look are incredibly easy. I started out using my Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather in "Creamy Beige" all over the lid, stopping at the crease. Then, I took the bottom taupe color from the Wet n Wild Color Icon "Silent Treatment" Trio and patted this on top of the cream base, placing it all over the lid. This color blends out incredibly easily, without blending away altogether, so I made sure to blend it into the crease, creating a seamless transition. For my inner corner highlight, I used the top pink shade. I then took the middle blackened brown color on a small pencil brush and lined the outer half of the upper lash line. I pulled up with the pencil brush to create a slightly winged out effect, while also smoking out the outer third of the lid. I also applied this black color along the lower lash line to make the look even smokier.

To complete the eyes, I used the Milani Liquid Eye Pencil in "Black" on the upper and lower water line, then, of course, a few good coats of my Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara and the Maybelline The Rocket Mascara.

For my contour, I used the "Fawn" shade from the Anastasia Contour Kit. On the cheeks, I used the Maybelline Fit Me Blush in "Light Rose." To add a nice soft glow to the tops of the cheekbones, I used the "Sand" shade from the Contour Kit to highlight.

Of course, my favorite part: the lips! To achieve this perfect deep wine color, I first took the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in "Sangria" as my base color. Then, I took Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in "Black Cherry" and applied that on top, using a lip brush to help the two colors blend together beautifully. Be sure to blot if you try this combination -- you don't want this color slipping and sliding!

And that's it! this look is super easy and quick, and it's affordable! Now I have a question for you. I'm still on the hunt for the PERFECT vampy deep wine color. Do you have any recommendations? Leave them in the comments below!

- D. 

Face and Nails of the Day -- Dramatic Cut Crease, Vampy Lips, and Nails on Fire.

Happy Monday!

Today, I had the weirdest shift at work, but because of the time that I was scheduled, I had plenty of time to play around with makeup, and today, I came up with this look:

Dramatic makeup is a great way to make any Monday a little less drab. It's always important to remember that if you are going to do a bold lip, neutrals on the eye are important. Neutral eye makeup doesn't have to be synonymous with boring, simple, or "every day." In this look, I used a shimmery taupe and a matte black to create this neutral cut crease.

The key to this look is BLENDING. I wanted to have a sharp edge on the outer corner, to create a cat eye effect, but I also wanted to offset it with a beautiful smokey effect as the shadow neared the brow bone.

For this look, I used my trusty Coastal Scents 252 Ultimate Palette, the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in "Nude", and my favorite translucent powder, Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Finisher.

Using a flat shader brush, I applied the shimmery taupe color all over the lid, careful not to go into the crease. Then, I used a MAC 217 brush to apply my translucent powder in the crease, up to the brow bone. This will help the black color blend a little easier. I then took a small pencil brush and carefully applied the matte black color to the outer corner, as well as through the crease. I created a V shape with this color, on the outer corners of my eyes. That is what creates the cat eye effect. Then, taking my MAC 217 again, I began blending away. 

Quick Tip: Use your face powder on a fluffy blending brush to help blend any harsh lines. Your face powder on a stiffer brush will also act as a bit of an eraser. 

After I finished blending my crease color, I felt that the taupe color was losing vibrancy, so I again took a flat shader brush and reapplied the color to my lid. From here, I used my Milani Liquid Eye Eye Pencil in "01 - Black" and smudged this along my upper lash line, being careful to get in between all the lashes. The great thing about this liner is that you have plenty of time to smudge it out, but once it sets, it has great staying power. I also used this to create a small wing on my outer corner, then blended it into the V shape using a pencil brush. 

If your outer corner V isn't sharp enough, take a makeup wipe and clean up the line!

After I decided I was happy with how it looked,  I used my Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in "Nude" to highlight under the brow bone and in my inner corner. I blended this pencil and then set it with my translucent powder. Then, I topped off my lashes with a few coats of my favorite Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara.

After this, I moved onto the lips. 

I took an angled brush and applied the tiniest amount of the OCC Lip Tar in "NSFW" all over my lips. Then, I wiped off my brush, and took a dark, warm-toned purple and applied this to the corners of my mouth. This added an ombre effect to the lips that add an extra vampy punch. Don't be afraid to be heavy handed with the purple. After I had the corners to my liking, I applied a light coat of the Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir in "Signature Scarlet" to help blend together any harsh lines created between the lip tar and the purple shadow. 

When I finished with the lips, I went back in and applied my foundation and brows. The same routine as usual:  Too Faced Primed and Poreless face primer, L'Oreal True Match Foundation in the shade C2,  Inglot 358 Matte, and my Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel. I also went in under the eyes with the Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in Very Fair, and used a flat concealer brush to help define the cat eye shape even more. Then I topped it all off with my Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Finisher. 

I used my Inglot 358 Matte shadow as my contour shade, which I ran in the hollows of my cheeks, around the jawline, and on the sides of my nose. Then I used my Morphe 10 Color Blush Palette to create a subtle flush to the cheeks. 

In the pan, this color looks very brown. However, when applied, it creates a beautiful, natural glow.

And, as always, I finished everything off with my Mac Fix+!

Now, onto the nails! 

I've been super into The Hunger Games recently, hence the title "Nails on Fire." But I found this polish at Walmart last night and am completely in love. I only wish the photos could do it justice. It's the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Pro Nail Lacquer in the color "Lava Red." It's just this amazing, almost holographic oxblood shade and I am so, so in love. In certain lights, it appears almost brown, and in others, very purple. But in direct light, it is so beautiful and almost indescribable. I wish I knew how to better describe this polish, because it is to die for. And for a little over $3? A total steal. 

- d.