The Makeup Box

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Silver Moss Grey-scale Tutorial

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Sometimes you want a slightly more edgy, dramatic look without too much drama and time at your makeup table.

This look is suitable for both mono-lids and double-lids, and like cut-crease looks, all it takes is the ability to “follow the hollow” (of your eye socket) when placing the darker contouring shade.
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Step 1: Apply a black kohl or pencil thickly along the lash line in the area marked out above, and smudge it out, fading upwards slightly.

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Step 2: For the shadows, as there’s a lot of blending needed, I used a soft white blending brush similar to MAC 217. Then using a dark mossy-grey (Make Up Store Moss is a deep grey with a hint of olive tone; MAC Copperplate would do just fine as well) matte shadow, apply from inner corners to outer corners of the eyes, expanding from the thinnest line to a thick swatch that goes up to the socket line.

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Step 3: Then without picking up too much shadow, extend the shading from outer corners in, along the hollow of the socket line. A key point for the look is emphasizing the contours of the eyes, so you need to get the shading blended into the socket-line as a frame or boundary for the paler shade later.

Also run the remaining shadow on the brush along the outer parts of the lower lash line.

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Step 4: Using a shimmery metallic silver (there are many good ones on the market; L’oreal Infallible Shadow in Flashback Silver is the one I used, but The Body Shop, Bourjois, Wet n Wild, etc all make strong metallic silvers), pack from the inner corners outward into the dark moss-grey.

Keep within the boundaries of the darker grey at the socket line. You don’t want to obscure the dark color by running your silver all over it.

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Step 5: Finish with black mascara. I kept the lash line quite clean as I did not want to load the look down with a black flick, tight-lining, false lashes, etc. The emphasis is on the socket line.

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P.S. This look works with both pale and dark lips!

Posted June 6, 2012 at 9:56 pm 185 notes

#makeup#beauty#makeup tutorial#eye shadow#grey eye shadow#smoky eyes#evening makeup#make up store#l'oreal infallible eye shadow#flashback silver

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Fall 2011 Lipstick Recommendations and Swatches

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[Picture L-to-R: NYX Iced Honey, Make Up Store Magic, and NYX Chic Red lipstick]

Some of the shades that have been showing up for the Fall fashion season include a mixture of soft, dark, and strong shades. Here are some of my favorites.

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SOFT:

Gone are the concealer lips of last season. The new “nude” lipsticks are kittenish (they make your lips look much more pouty) with a warm peachy undertone so they give your face some color without grabbing too much attention. These lips will go with pretty much any look.

Swatches (L-to-R): NYX Iced Honey (Round) Lipstick, and MAC Kinda Sexy (Matte) lipstick.

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NYX Iced Honey lip swatch

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STRONG:

Strong shades make your lips the focal point of your face. This season, the eye liner has been jazzed up, but the lips remain strong. Just keep the eye color neutral for the day, and any of these shades would look fantastic as a pop of color when you’re wearing a whole suit of dark colored clothes.

Swatch (L-to-R): NYX Chic Red (Round), and MAC Up the Amp (Amplified) lipstick

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Lip swatch: MAC Up the Amp is a creamy, strong purple mauve.

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VAMPY:

Super-dark lipsticks have been popping up in many collections. The common variations are those that are brown based, red based, and purple based. The tricky bit is avoiding looking too Goth when wearing these lip colors, but you don’t have to pair it with pale eye shadows either. Just keep the lids a soft smoky shade for a more modern touch.

Swatches (L-to-R): MAC Prince Noir (matte) lipstick, and Make Up Store Magic lipstick.

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Lip swatch: Make Up Store Magic lipstick gives an interesting metallic purple twist on the dark vamp lip.

Posted September 26, 2011 at 12:31 pm 5 notes

#make up store#make up store magic lipstick#mac up the amp#nyx iced honey#mac kinda sexy#nyx chic red#mac prince noir#fall makeup#makeupbox#style#trend

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MAC MAC Me Over Collection: Tiny Haul and Swatches (Prince Noir and Take Root)

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Dark lipsticks (L-to-R): Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel #05 Prune Caresse, MAC Amplified Lipstick in Deepest Wish, Make Up Store Lipstick in Black Orchid, and MAC Matte Lipstick in Prince Noir (Pro)

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Pending a recent Fall look tutorial featuring Make Up Store’s Black Orchid Lipstick (below), I figured it was time to feature a recent haul from the MAC Me Over Collection. Unlike the Seasonally Supreme and Styledrive Collections, this is a limited edition collection.

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I went over and over the collection for the better part of an hour, and finally decided on just two products that I felt were:

standout shades/textures
not dupe-able or available in the regular line

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The first, was Prince Noir Matte Lipstick. If you’re in the market for a good, rich, dark black-plum shade, this is it. I did like Smoky Purple from the collection as well, but felt I’d get more use out of Prince Noir, which is a bit more red-based. If you have very sallow skin, Prince Noir would look better on you.

Dark lipstick swatches (L-to-R): Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel #05 Prune Caresse, MAC Amplified Lipstick in Deepest Wish, Make Up Store Lipstick in Black Orchid, and MAC Matte Lipstick in Prince Noir (Pro)

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Texture-wise, it is much more even going on than creamier black-plums. by virtue of the fact that it is matte and opaque. This means no lip liner is necessary unless you want a very heavy and dramatic mouth. Glossier textures tend to look streaky, and will need more effort to even out.

MAC Prince Noir lip swatch

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The other product I got was Take Root Cream Color Base, an interesting, shimmery brown with an orange-toffee tone. Packed on thick, it’s a deep ochre brown. Spread out, it gives an effect that I can only describe as caramelized.

MAC Take Root Cream Color Base

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Swatched on thick, it looks like dewy red clay. As a translucent wash, it’s a delicious sugary brown. The only thing is this might only work on those with medium to lighter skin tones. If you’re very pale, with blue eyes, this would look amazing as a smoky gleam on the lids.

MAC Cream Color Base in Take Root, worn with No 7 Extreme Lengths Black Mascara

Posted September 13, 2011 at 11:01 pm 19 notes

#mac collection#mac prince noir#matte lipstick#dark lipstick#make up store#black orchid lipstick#mac me over#take root cream color base#mac take root#makeupbox#trend#fashion#style#haul

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Quick and Dirty: Smoky Turquoise and Black Eye

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When I say quick and dirty, I really mean quick and dirty. You will need a

white/beige/pale-yellow liner (matte),
false lashes or mascara,
a deep charcoal grey matte shadow, and
a satiny deep-turquoise blue.

Click here for the full step-by-step!

Posted July 20, 2011 at 11:31 pm 3 notes

#tutorial,#makeupbox#style#fashion#trend#blue eyeshadow#grey eyeshadow#matte eyeshadow#smoky eyes#dramatic eyes#make up store

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Lavender Clouds: Dusty-pastel Purple and Brown

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You will need: A soft, pastel matte or satin lavender purple, and a deep smoky brown. I used Make Up Store’s Upper East. You can get the brown from most places. MAC Satin Taupe is a good one.

You will also need a chocolate brown gel or liquid liner.