Pink Lemonade Cut Crease

I'm baaaaaaaaack! No, seriously, I'm back to blogging! My first year at UNCSA just ended, and now I'm back in sunny San Diego (not really, it's been raining all day), and trying to get back into the swing of things. Of course, I'm going to be a bit rusty with all this, considering that, not only have I not done this in a while, but I'm also working on a computer that I'm not quite used to. My old HP laptop finally conked out on me, so as of right now, I'm typing and editing photos on my parents' desktop computer, waiting for my new Macbook Pro to arrive on my doorstep. Luckily, my parents' computer still has my photo editing program on it, so I can still get by!

Anyways, I thought, what better way to welcome myself back than with a fun, bright cut crease look that's perfect for summer!

I was shopping in Walmart at some godforsaken hour a few weeks ago, and spotted this amazing bright yellow eyeliner by Revlon that reminded me so much of the Stila Smudge Stick in "Canary" that I just had to have it! 

For this look, I used a handful of different eyeshadows in order to achieve just the right about of depth. Bright pink eyeshadow can be hard to pull off, because it can often just make you look like your eyes are swollen and that you've been sick or crying. A great way to combat this is with a bold liner and lots of depth in the color to make it appear as more than just some irritation.

To start out, I placed a layer of tape along the outer corner of my eyes, to help ensure a sharp cat eye with little cleanup. As a base, I used a thin layer of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk." Then, I used Makeup Geek "Beaches & Cream" all over the lid and up to the brow bone. In order to make blending easier, I then used Milani "Bella Caffe" in and above the crease, avoiding blending down onto the mobile lid to begin creating the cut crease effect. With a small, clean fluffy brush, I used Milani "Bella Rouge" and buffed that into the crease, again avoiding getting the color onto the mobile lid, blending upward. With a small detail brush, I applied Makeup Geek "Simply Marlena" eyeshadow into the crease, really focusing the color between the more feathered out "Bella Rouge" shade and the creamy "Beaches & Cream" color, creating a more defined cut crease. Because "Simply Marlena" is just slightly darker and more matte than "Bella Rouge," it also begins to create some depth in the crease. To deepen that color even farther, I took Makeup Geek's "Unexpected"  on the same detail brush and pushed that into the crease, flicking upward to help blend the color out. Then, using the same brush that I had "Bella Rouge" on, I blended upward and out, until I got a subtle gradient. When the hot pink gradient seemed to blend too far upward, I took "Beaches & Cream" on a stiff blending brush, and blended the pink shadow back under control.

In order to redefine the mobile lid, I took "Beaches & Cream" on a flat stiff brush and really carved out the contour of the lid,  mixing with Milani's "Bella White," and using "Bella White" as an inner corner highlight. After filling in my brows, I also used "Bella White" under my brow bone to really bring the look together. 

For the fun, bright yellow eyeliner, I used Revlon PhotoReady Kajal Matte Eye Pencil in "Matte Lemon." Making sure the tip was sharp, I created a thick winged liner, using the tape on the outer corner of my eyes to help keep the creamy pencil where I wanted it to be. For my tutorial on creating the perfect winged liner, click here. I also used the "Matte Lemon" liner on the lower water line. This bright yellow is a fun twist on the classic white or cream liner that you would normally apply to the lower water line to open your eyes up. In order to define the eyes even more and make the yellow really pop, I used the Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner and created a very thin winged liner along the lash line. I then used Milani "Bella Caffe" along the lower lash line to give the look a subtle smokiness, and then topped it all off with the Mally Volumizing Mascara.

To give my cheeks a subtle hint of color, I used the Maybelline Fit Me Blush in "Light Rose," then finished off the entire look with Milani's Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick in "Matte Orchid," which added an extra pop of color to this already colorful look. However, when I wore this look out and about, I went with a nude lipstick to make it more wearable.

It was crazy bright outside yesterday, so very few of the open eyed photos actually turned out alright. So you get this silly "it's too bright to open my eyes" photo instead!

I hope you enjoyed this look. I'm so glad to be back to blogging. I missed it dearly and I can't wait to share all of my fun new looks!

- D. 

Life Update: Where Have I Been?

So it's been two weeks since I've last posted, and I can't apologize enough. It feels like I've been away for so much longer than that!

Anyway, as you guys probably already know, I've been going to art school for theatrical costume design & technology since August, and recently, everything has just begun snowballing and getting super crazy! I have about one month of my first year left to go, and suddenly, everything has gone into overdrive. I've had a million and one projects due all at the same time (many of which you can see if you follow me on Instagram), and I was selected to be on the wardrobe team for the biggest production of the year -- our featured production of Guys and Dolls!

The cast for this production is between 40 and 50 people, and I wish I could post a video or something, because our cast is absolutely phenomenal. Seriously, we have some Broadway level talent here at my school. And while we only have 40 to 50 cast members to juggle, each cast member has an average of 3 different costume looks that they wear. Meaning we have approximately 150 costume looks in the entire show. You can only imagine just how crazy that is.

These are JUST the men's hats and shoes! Not to mention all the shoes that didn't fit on the table and had to be stored underneath!

Because of all the craziness of this show, on top of all the projects I've had due, I haven't had much time to blog. Heck, I barely have enough time to eat, sleep, or shower these days! I have a few posts planned though, and as soon as life calms down a bit, I'll be back up to posting weekly as usual. I really appreciate you guys for being so understanding!

- D. 

Winter Favorites

Happy spring! After doing monthly favorites for the last year, I decided that seasonal favorites would be a lot easier for me and a lot more interesting for you guys, especially since I'm in school and don't find myself wearing makeup all that often! This winter has been kind of hectic for me, because it's the first time I've ever had to deal with such cold weather and snow for an extended period of time. Last year, I went to Chicago, but that was only for a few days. I've been here in North Carolina all winter! My skin has been parched, my hair has been frizzy, and I can never seem to put enough layers on. Most of my favorites this month have been focused on combating all that!

Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss Lip Butter. After picking up the Kiss of Milk & Honey lip balm for Andrew back while I was on winter break, I decided to give this stuff a chance. Now, I apply it ever single morning and night, and I absolutely love it! In fact, since it's a few dollars cheaper than my all-time favorite Jack Black Lip Balm, I might find myself purchasing this more often. It has kept my lips super hydrated this winter -- well, as hydrated as they can be when I have to walk to school in below freezing weather. I never expected such amazing results from such an inexpensive lip balm, but now I'm hooked! Oh yeah, and it smells amazing.

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque. I talked about this mask back in my Winter Pamper Essentials post, but it's seriously become such a staple in my weekly hair care routine. I use this mask once a week, and that's all I need for some intense hydration! This mask makes my hair feel like I had never colored it in the first place, and that says a LOT, considering how many times I've bleached and dyed and bleached and dyed it. It's also been such a huge help with my current journey of attempting to grow my hair out back to my natural color, since I have a lot less breakage now!

Wet n Wild Color Icon "Comfort Zone" Collection Palette. As you may be able to tell with my use of this palette in two recent tutorials, I really enjoy this palette. My good friend Ciarlene gave it to me back when I was home as a Christmas present, and I can't stop using it! I used it when I went to a post-Christmas Christmas party (for which I took pictures for but never typed up a post about) and I got so many compliments on my eye makeup. For those of you looking for an amazing drugstore neutrals palette -- this is totally the one for you!

Real Techniques Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour Brush. If you read my review on this brush, you'll already know I'm obsessed with it. It feels so luxurious and soft and makes contouring a breeze! If you have the chance and the money, go out to Ulta and buy this brush, I promise you won't regret it. The short, dense bristles make applying and blending out contour shades super easy and quick, and since getting it, I have pretty much looked for every possible excuse to use this brush!

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant. I REALLY hesitated about putting this in my winter favorites because it is SO expensive. $78 for the full size of thing. I personally did not buy it, it came in a huge deluxe sample bag that my best friend gave me for Christmas, and the sample I have is about an eighth of what you get if you purchase the full size. However, this microdermabrasion exfoliant is really, really good. It is so finely textured, but it really gets the top layer of your skin off without being overly aggressive, and my skin always feels so incredibly soft after using it! You really don't need very much, so this tiny bottle seems to be lasting me quite well! Do I have $78 to be spending on a full bottle of this exfoliant? Heck no. Would I spend the $78 if my budget allowed me to? Yeah, probably. It's that good.

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow -- Bella White. For a pale girl like me, I can never quite find the right matte highlight for right under the brows. Turns out, I need a white eyeshadow to do the trick! I've been using this in quite a few of my recent tutorials, and I have been absolutely loving using this shadow as a highlight! When applied with a fluffy brush, it gives just a subtle highlight to the brow bone without being so obvious that I used just a straight up matte white. Then again, I'm crazy pale, and definitely need such a light color to really get the job done.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. I know this concealer has gotten a lot of hype in the makeup community recently, being noted as a pretty dead on dupe for the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I bought it while on the hunt for a replacement for my Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (which I no longer need, thanks to Andrew). It's a total gem. It's just the right amount of coverage for the majority of my spots, especially considering I don't wear much makeup on a day-to-day basis, and because it's definitely a creamier concealer, it isn't super drying. My blemishes tend to get kind of dry and flaky, and this concealer does a great job of hiding them without making the texture even worse!

Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Daily Calming Moisturizer. After running out of my long time favorite moisturizer by First Aid Beauty, I finally decided to go back on the hunt for a new moisturizer. I wanted something more affordable, since the one by FAB was $24, so I hit up my local drugstore and found this! It comes in very similar packaging to the moisturizer I loved before, but it is a bit thicker and really hydrates my dry skin! The best part is, it's totally comparable to the FAB moisturizer, for about $10 less!

That's it for this season's favorites! I'm so excited for spring, I'm absolutely dying for it to warm up. Hurry up, spring, I'm waiting for you!

- D.