The Makeup Box

Camo and Color: Simple Khaki Neutral Eyes with Fuchsia Lips

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I wanted to do a strong lip look, but instead of the usual neutrals on the lids, I thought it might be nice to do a little subtle color.

Works great for:

• Most eye shapes, including hooded and mono-lids
• All skin tones
• All eye colors, but especially hazel or green eyes

You will need (if you can’t get hold of the Sephora Jungle Chic palette):

• A dark brown gel liner or cream shadow (I used Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 02 Brown)
• A medium olive/khaki green with a shimmery finish
• A deep steel-grey or charcoal; this shade can be slightly blue or green based as long as it’s quite dark and smoky
• A medium matte beige
• A bright pink blush (I used MAC Peony Petal)
• A fuchsia lip pencil (like NYX Fuchsia)
• A fuchsia lipstick (like Revlon Colorburst in Fuchsia, NYX’s Addis Ababa, or MAC Girl About Town)

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Citrus Velvet: Matte Lime Lids and Creamy Orange Lips

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Matte lime is a surprisingly beautiful shade on many skintones, and while it’s by no means a natural looking color, it’s fab when you need a bright pop on the lids. Here are 2 slightly different ways you can wear it without changing the products used. One the regular look on the left, and one the very dramatic 60’s Twiggy style doll eye.

I used 3-4 of the lime green shades in the 88 original palette (I mixed them all up) but you can use any lime, like MAC Bitter shadow or equivalent shades from brands like Sugar Pill or Lime Crime if you already have them. 

You will need:

• A matte lime colored shadow (88 original palette)
• A matte strong green shadow (88 original palette)
• A dark brown matte shadow (88 original palette)
• White pencil (I used Revlon’s Matte white khol)
• Black gel or liquid liner (Maybelline Lasting Drama in Black)
• Mascara (L’oreal Voluminous in Blackest Black)
• Orange/red blush (I used NYX Cinnamon)
• Orange lipstick (I used Lime Crime My Beautiful Rocket)

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Tips for wearing Green, Green, Green…

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Green can be a very sultry and flattering color. It’s one of those shades that work on both cool and warm skin tones, and here are just a few quick tips for choosing the right shades for your skin tone.

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Option 1 - Keep it simple

Foolproof option for everyone. Get an emerald green liner and just wear it along the inner rim of the lower lash line as an accent. You can keep your lids completely clean, and apply just mascara. 

Works for:

• All skin tones
• All eye shapes

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Chinese New Year FOTD (Neon coral-pink lips) 2013

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Just a quick-quick post to run through a quick look I wore during the Lunar New Year holidays the last week before my little stint in the hospital. The main item was the super-bright coral-pink lip, which is a change from my usual blue-toned bright pink.

In daylight it goes really pink but indoors and in artificial light, it leans coral.

This isn’t a tutorial, because I literally just rubbed the taupe cream shadow (Maybelline Tough as Taupe) all over the lids, smudged a little black pencil on, and applied mascara. Then I applied blush and lipstick, and that was it for the whole day. Talk about low maintenance!

Makeup:

• Make Up For Ever HD Foundation 120
• MAC Studiofinish Concealers NW25, C25
• Silica powder (for setting)
• NYX Pinky blush 
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Tough as Taupe over lids
• Black Shahnaz Husain kajal smudged in outer corners
• L’oreal Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black
• MAC Force of Love lipstick (Viva Glam Nicki is very close but a little less pink; Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in L’eclatante is a reddened and more matte - but equally bright - version)

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Tomorrow, a multi-colored liner look that would go with this sort of super-bright lip!

Cobalt Wing: Graphic “Duochrome” Liner and Poppy-red Lips (for a funky Valentine’s)

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Say you’re doing away with the whole dinner and flowers thing, and having fun at the club or jazzing it up with the girls (or boys) this Valentine’s, and you want eyes on you.

This is a very fun way to wear a classic red-lip-and-liner retro “Bombshell” look with a cool twist. (I love it because it looks like stick-on liner in photographs!), And while I picked blue because I have brown eyes, you can EASILY adapt this to any other color. This is good for any skin tone and most eye shapes, including mature skins and hooded lids. If you have mono-lids, the liner might not show up quite as well.

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Orange Candy: Juicy, Bright Orange Lips (and Tips)

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Swatches above (L-to-R): Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef,  Milani Mango Mambo, MAC Morange, Lime Crime My Beautiful Rocket, Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

Orange is such an eye-popping color that you’ll instantly draw all eyes when you’re wearing it. Here are a few tips to help you make it work.

1. What you need to note when choosing an orange is how much red/pink is in your skin. If you have very noticeable pink undertones, choose an orange that has stronger red tones (e.g. Milani Mango Mambo) rather than a true-true orange that has a lot less red tones than your skin (My Beautiful Rocket). 
2. If you have very pigmented lips, you might need to get more opaque formula (like the MAC or Lime Crime) in order to getting a true orange on your lips. If you’re not used to a bright orange or want to tone it down for school or work, go with a translucent formula like the Revlon Lip Butters or Balmstains (Tutti Frutti).
3. A translucent formula would also work well if you have very pink undertones in your skin, because it allows the pink of your lips to show through under the orange.

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