The Makeup Box

[Requested] Hothouse Flower: Dramatic Tropical Floral Colors for a Dance Recital (inspired by Make Up Store)

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I was thinking about 2 separate requests; one for a “Hawaiian-inspired” look and one for an orchid color with a bright highlight. Both were for dance recitals, which require strong makeup that will show up and can convey expression under harsh lights.

Then I walked by Make Up Store and saw their Blossom campaign, which featured dramatic contrasting colors of navy yellow, and a peony pink, and thought “ah-ha!” 

I decided to do a cut-crease look with the same color scheme. Cut-crease looks place a strong defined line along the socket and a contrasting lighter/brighter shade on the lid so you emphasize every blink and expression (which is why it is so popular for stage performers).

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Electric Ocean: Intense Glowing Blue-Green Smoky Eye (120 Palette 2nd Edition)

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This has turned into a budget palette week!

Well, I haven’t been using them enough, and considering many of you own one or more of these, I figured I’d do a couple of looks with them. 

One of the key things about these palettes is the range of strong color options, and I picked the brightest, truest blue in the bunch, and paired it with a softer teal green. (See two circled shades above.)

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Butterfly Fields: Fantasy-Green Eyeshadow Look (with Paperself Lashes)

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I got requests for brighter or more dramatic color, and something green, so here’s one that’s kinda all those rolled into one.

Paperself stockists: http://www.paperself.com/ps%20%20all.html

I whipped out my 88 Shimmer palette for this. (I always forget I love this baby. It’s not dusty and the colors are beautiful.) But like most shadows, it’s very important to wear a primer or some kind of base on your lid for the pigments to cling to, if you want to get the most intense effect.

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[Requested] Reinterpretation of a Sparkly Gold Smoky Lid

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This is not an exact recreation because my eyes are shaped a little differently and I wanted to blend the edges out more, but I’ll run through the type of products you need tocreate this look.

I can’t be 100% sure with the yellow lighting and difference in skintones, but the item I find can create this type of sparkly effect is a loose golden-brown sparkle like MAC’s Reflects pigment in Antique Gold, used wet.

Reflects pigments are not glitter, and not regular shadows either. They are shiny mica particles larger than regular loose shadows so they sort of combine pigmentation with sparkle. Like glitters, they don’t “stick” to the skin well and will fall out all over your cheeks, so you might want to do your eye makeup first, then clean up and do your foundation and concealer after.

To get them to go on like dramatic foiled metal, you want to use either a good creamy base or apply them wet (do use eye drops or a liquid sealant instead of pure water as they will rub off easily once dry if there is no ingredient that provides some tackiness).

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Holographia: Dramatic Metal Ombre Lids with Yellow-Red-Pink Transfer Foil! (Click images above to see in larger size)

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Transfer foils were created for arts and crafts. Then some genius decided to use it on nails. Not long after, some people thought it might be a good idea to attempt it on the lips.

(That didn’t go too well, because while it looked cool when it was done perfectly - a la Katy Perry - very few people ever managed to do it perfectly. Tons of women ended up with disappointing patchy, cracked-looking lips.)

Since I’ve got tons of foil (I buy mine from dollarnailart.com), I naturally wondered about using it for other things. It is BRILLIANT as a dramatic transfer tattoo, But what about the eyes?

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Catwalk Trend: Sequinned Eye Makeup a la Chanel (Ideas and Tips)

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Chanel seems to have a yearly love affair with Sequins and sparkle. Last year, they went minimalistic and split a single round pailette and stuck it onto models’ lower lash lines, then loaded on the mascara, a warm tawny blush, and natural-looking lips. 

This year, they loaded on large-sized hexagonal glitter flakes along the entire lash line and then stuck a few more onto lashes for effect.

I don’t personally find that the most flattering and comfortable look to wear (honestly it looks like a bit of a mess, but who am I to argue with high fashion?), but here are some ideas if you’d like to try the more toned-down look, which I absolutely love!

It’s a great way to jazz up your look for a party without having to do a whole lot of makeup. Read on for tips and tricks!

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