The Makeup Box

Lavender-Chocolate: Soft luminous purple andbrown eyeshadow look that goes with pretty much any Lip color

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This is a color combination that is not a typical beige-toned neutral, but still goes with pretty much any lip color you want to wear. It’s also soft enough that you can use a light hand (skip step 3) and just wear it in the day for work or school.

I used just 2 shadows:

• A pale lavender (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Ice Ballet)
• A deep rich brown (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Rich Walnut)

Other than this, I had a chocolate brown pencil and black mascara.

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Peppermint Mocha Sandwich Eyeshadow Tutorial: Shot of green sandwiched between Browns

(88 Original Palette)

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This is a simple matte eyeshadow look that is good for neutral lovers or those who prefer things simple and subtle with a spike of something different. (And now I look at it, it looks like Starbucks colors…)

I used 3 matte shades in the 88 original palette: A medium green, a soft taupe brown, and a dark black-brown. You can replace the green with any other color you want. Just change it up and experiment!

Good for:

• Mature/lined lids
• Matte shadow lovers
• Double-lids
• Brown eyes  (Tip: if you have blue eyes, try an orange, copper, or even a pink for the colored stripe; if you have green or hazel eyes, try violet or lavender.)

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Simple “Tarnished Taupe”: Matte Brown shadow with a touch of olive pearl

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Back to a simple, neutral look that anyone can do. This should work with most skin tones and eye colors, and is something you can dust on quickly for work or school.

You will need:

1. A soft taupe brown shadow in a matte texture: I used I Nuovi Bark; MAC Concrete is a slightly darker alternative, and Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe is almost exactly the same.

2. A soft metallic olive: I used I Nuovi Moss but the green shade in Maybelline’s Olive Martini quad would work. You also don’t need to stick with the exact same green. Most brands have a bronze-y green that would work just as well.

3. Any very-dark charcoal or brown shadow.

4. Mascara

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Basic Purple Smoky Eye

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This is a look that you can do with any drugstore purple shadow palette as long as it has a dark shade (can be charcoal, black, dark brown, plum, whatever!), a medium purple, and a paler pink or lavender.

I used Wet n Wild ColoriCon in Petal Pusher.

It’s a very basic shape and really takes just a few minutes to do. Pair with a light colored gloss or lip balm, and you’ll be good to go!

Note that you can use ANY palette you want, but the main color that will “pop” and stand out more is the main lid shade. I chose a cool-toned purple because it tends to look good with most skintones and eye colors.

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Weekend Face: “Casual Polish” Deep Blue Liner and Mauve Lips

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I was on my way to see a movie and wanted to give my new MAC Lip and Cheek Color in Relaxation a test run.

This is a shade very similar to dusty mauve-pinks like MAC Snob and Revlon Pink Pout, both of which I love, so I had to pick one up.

I didn’t feel up to wearing it on the cheeks for a day out in warm weather though. It does blend out to a more or less matte finish, but I just went with a powder blush.

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Products Used

Base: Rachel K CC Cream (too ashy) mixed with Aveeno Positively Ageless Correcting Tinted Moisturizer (too dark, too warm)

Concealer: MAC Select Coverup

Setting Powder: Clinique Redness Solutions Redness Relief Powder on areas

Brows: MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil in Taupe

Crease (Matte beige and matte peach) - Wet n Wild Coloricon Greed Palette

Liner (Metallic navy blue) - MAC Motorhead (limited edition); use MAC Deep Truth or any metallic deep blue

Tightliner: Bourjois Liner Pinceau 16 Hr in black

Lashes: Maybelline Great Lash in Dark Brown

Cheeks: Bourjois Little Round Pot Eye Shadow #15

Lips: MAC Casual Color Lip & Cheek Color in Relaxation

Neutral Makeup Tutorial for School or Work (works for girls with Glasses!)

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This is something that can be thrown together in 15 minutes (or less) and works on most eye shapes (including mono-lids) and skin colors. You’ll also notice the eye shadow is more “spread out” and goes up quite high above the socket line, so that it’s still noticeable with glasses on.

[Disclaimer] This is not a “no-makeup” look. This is a neutral look using work/school-appropriate colors that will look more subtle when you wear glasses.

Aside from your base makeup, you will need only 2 shadows, mascara, blush, and a lipstick OR gloss.

• Soft warm-brown satin/matte shadow that is about 2-3 shades darker than your skin tone
• Shimmery bronze-brown just slightly lighter than the first shade, but a lot more shimmery
• Black mascara
• Soft pink blush (optional depending on what lip shade you’re wearing)
• Soft pink-beige lipstick (I just find this easiest for work/school because it is low-maintenance (no liners, frequent touch-ups, etc) and wears away nicely

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Step 1: After applying your base and concealer, dust on a soft pink flush on the cheeks. I always prefer to go for softer and paler shades because it’s much harder to over-apply or end up with stripes on your cheeks.

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Step 2: Groom your brows. This is important for making you look more polished and awake.

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Step 3: Apply the medium matte/satin brown (I used The Body Shop #05 Shadow but this is a shade that isn’t hard to find. MAC Soba is a good alternative.) Use a softer brush and sweep it in wind-shield wiper motions along your socket line, spreading upwards until it almost touches the lowest points of your brows, but leaving your brown bone bare.

Run along your lower lash line as well.

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Step 4: This is when you use the same brush to apply a shadow that is very similar to the first brown shadow, but with a lot more sheen and dimension. (I used The Body Shop’s #41 Shadow but any shimmery peachy-brown will work.) The shimmery shade will “pop” and stand out while the more matte one recedes and looks shaded, so this creates the subtle optical illusion of more contoured sockets without looking too dramatic or overly made-up for school.

The finished eye color should be rich and pretty, but still soft. If your eye looks too smoky and strong, you probably picked a socket shadow that is too deep.

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Step 5:  Finish with black mascara. Don’t just glom it on. There’s nothing pretty about “burnt-twig” lashes. Wipe off the tip of your brush to remove that glob and prevent yourself from making a mess.

Then place your wand right at the roots and wiggle a few times before pulling straight out along your lashes. This thickens them at the base while the ends remain tapered and natural looking. 

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Step 6: For the lips, just swipe on a nice beige-pink shade. I like mattes because the color is intense and lasts a long time, but you don’t have to wear that if you prefer a softer, creamier finish or a gloss. I used Jordana Pink Passion matte lipstick but NYX Tea Rose (more brown/peach) and MAC Syrup (more brown/mauve) would be good alternatives as well.