The Makeup Box

Scorpion Queen: Grungy Oil-Slicked Black Glitter Eye

—

I wanted to do a dark, grungy eye that would be edgy but also quite pretty, so I combined a matte charcoal eye with a pop of vibrant green and lots of multi-colored glitter for a petroleum-like effect in the light. 

You will need:

• Black pencil or cream shadow
• Charcoal, grey, or black matte shadow
• Pale golden-green shadow
• Multi-colored glitter (preferably a dark shade)
• glitter sealant or eye drops

Read More

Color Overload: Jewel-toned Dramatic Eyes

—

This is a dark and dramatic look that’s at the same time very bright and punchy. You have the option of wearing it 2 ways; one more of a traditional colored smoky look, and the other an all-out color-fest.

You’ll need:

A black base or eye liner

• A shimmery purple shadow or pigment (I used MAC Cornflower)
• A shimmery golden green (I used MAC Golden Olive)
• [Optional] Gold liquid liner (I used Lime Crime’s Rhyme)
• [Optional] Bright fuchsia lipstick (I used Barry M Punky Pink)

—

Step 1: First smear the black pencil or base all over your lid, along the lower lash lines, and also the inner rims of your lids.

—

Step 2: With a flat brush, gently smudge out the edges of the liner so you get a softer smoky look and look less like you walked out of Kungfu Panda.

—

Step 3: The fun part is always applying shimmer on top of the black. I chose a violet-blue and packed it gently over the black. Do not rub back and forth as you might smear your liner. You can use any colors you want but remember the shades will tend to appear deeper and richer than usual, so choose brighter, more vibrant ones.

—

Step 3: On the inner portion of the lids, pack the bright golden-green shimmer and let it fade slightly into the violet earlier.

Remember to run your brush along your lower lash line as well, so the color is there.

—

Step 4: This is where it’s optional. Use the black liner from earlier and draw just the tail-end of a flick from the outer corner of your eye outwards. 

Then follow by running bright gold liquid liner along the entire upper lash line, meeting and stacking right on top of the black at the outer ends. Then add a bit to the inner corners of the lower lash line as well.

Finish with mascara and that’s all there is to it.

—

Step 5: For the lips, you can choose either to go with a nude lip so the look stays focused on the eyes, or you can opt to just go crazy with a brighter lip like I did.

Greens are In! (Refreshing Chartreuse and Jade Beauty Products)

—

Green is not my favorite color.

But then there is something about a soft golden green that just makes you think of crisp, fresh, spring/summer coolness. Take a cue from Rihanna. A hint of soft golden green on the lids can jazz up any look without detracting from your face or looking overly-dramatic in the day.

Here are a few of my favorite green products this month!

—

Skincare:

Lush Herbalism - A tiny bit of this moss-like wad of chlorophyll-infused skin cleanser  goes a pretty long way. I use it as a gentle scrub about once or twice a week. It’s quite gentle (think of the texture of an oatmeal scrub), smells really herbal, and leaves your skin feeling conditioned rather than tight and dry.

Etude House AC Clinic Spot Treatment - This is like Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion, but cheaper to purchase in Asia. 
—

Eye Products:

Bourjois Contour Clubbing pencil in 44 Golden Grey Session - there is nothing “grey” about this pencil. It’s a beautiful metallic pewter-tinged pale green that has both gold AND silver tones.

L’oreal Infallibel Eye Shadow in Permanent Kaki - you’ve heard me rave about this shade before. I love this lush olive shade.

MAC Pigment in Golden Olive - It’s exactly as the name says; a bright golden-green duochrome that’s GLORIOUS on most skins, from very dark to very light.

I Nuovi Moss Shadow - If MAC Golden Olive Pigment and Sumptuous Olive Shadow had a baby, this would be it. 

—

Nails:

Essie Navigate-Her - Such a pretty pea-cream green. Most pastel green polishes are quite cool-toned and more like mint than Cream of Pea Soup, which makes this shade really unique and VERY much more interesting to wear. My favorite green creme shade by far.

—

Scents:

Chanel No 19 - Rumored to have been created way before 1971 (official launch date) as a successor to Chanel No 5, No 19 is widely-acknowledged as Coco’s personal favorite in the latter half of her life. This is a cool, green, waxy, sharp floral that isn’t very flowery at all. There is nothing overly fluffy or girly about this scent, but there’s a definite sexy edge beneath.

Chanel No 19 Poudre - Sweeter, softer, more powdery and girly than her older sister, Poudre is a different kind of beauty that I reach for where good ol’ 19 is a little too brusque for me. This fragrance manages to be powdery and fresh at the same time, but the sweeter jasmine heart and softer musk base makes it more inviting and generally “nicer” than her older sister.