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Duochrome Blue-Brown Shadow with Duo-tone Blue and Teal Under-Liner

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Many people with pale to medium skin tones find this type of Blue-Brown duochrome shadow (MAC Blue Brown pigment) beautiful in the jar but very unflattering on the eyes. When it’s spread out it has the tendency to turn burgundy/red against the skin, and make it look like your eye ran into someone’s fist.

5 Days 5 Ways: How to use MAC Blue Brown Pigment —- I mentioned before that Blue Brown seems to be a shade that people either love or hate. The main problem associated with this pigment or type of color is that when it’s sheered out, the brown fades into a soft wine-red, which can make some people look like they just did 10 rounds in the boxing ring.  Since the reddish undertone is the main problem for many people, here are 5 ways to get around it.  —- Day 1: Full-on wash.  To get the true rich blue-brown shade you see in the jar, you need to be able to pack the pigment on intensely. Unfortunately, powders will tend to spread out and fade with blending and general movement even if you foil it, so to get it to stay looking great, make sure you apply a brown or dark base underneath.  MAC Blue Brown applied over MAC Take Root Cream Color Base, with black kohl along the water line and black mascara. —- Day 2: Sheered out mauve wash Sometimes it’s nice to bring out the red tones of the pigment instead of trying to fight it. Try loading your brush with a light silvery shade first, and then dipping it into Blue Brown before applying it to your skin. It will transform into a soft silvery mauve brown with pale teal highlights.  An even more interesting color to mix in would be a white pigment with a blue sheen. MAC Blue Brown mixed with MAC Frozen White pigment. Apply a navy liner , and dab a little more Frozen White in the inner corners so it’s brightened up.  —- Day 3: As a liquid liner. This is so simple I’m not sure why more people don’t do it. Blue Brown is amazing as a liquid liner whether on its own or when paired with either aqua, teal or brown shadows. It blends in with those shades, but flashes a different color with the light. You can use eye drops or a liner mixing medium for longer wear. MAC Blue Brown worn as liner along the upper lash line, with MAC Concrete as a matte, dark cocoa wash. —- Day 4: Oomphed-up and Contoured with Gunmetal Liner. This is a more sultry look and plays with lighter and deeper tones circling Blue Brown. I used a silver and a dark matte brown, before adding definition with a charcoal colored pencil. MAC Blue Brown as main lid color with Vex at the inner corners and Concrete at  along the crease. Gunmetal pencil (Bourjois 51 Noir Effet Miroir) applied along the lash lines for definition. —- Day 5: Colorful Fantasy Glimmer.  I armed myself with 2 other items that had the same gleam as Blue Brown. A soft aqua shadow and a pale aqua duo-chrome glitter. Apply Blue Brown as you would usually, over a good base, then run an aqua shadow along the lower lash line and finish by dampening a little aqua glitter and dabbing it onto the center of your upper lids. MAC Blue Brown pigment paired with aqua shadow along the lower lash line and MAC Reflects Transparent Teal dabbed onto center of the lid. —- Conclusion: These are just 5 ways to wear it. There are definitely more.  If you like how Blue Brown looks in the jar, then it’s simply a question of using the right methods to get it to look its best on your lids, and playing around with different color combinations to give yourself some variety.  —- IMPORTANT NOTE ON ALTERNATIVES/DUPES: Bare Escentuals Bon Bon L’oreal HIP Intrepid Lime Crime Dragon Scales MAC Club Urban Decay Lounge Too Faced Label Whore (courtesy of badgirlgotworse) Wet n Wild Coloricon Palette in Comfort Zone - bottom-right shade Why do they all look so similar? Because the “raw-ingredient” mica that gives the duo-chrome finish came like that; it’s not an effect that cosmetic houses achieved by blending a dark brown and an aqua interference shade together. It’s important to know because the bad news is that you’re going to find it really hard to accurately recreate or dupe this shade by blending brown and aqua shadows on your own. The good news is that it’s readily available to most cosmetic houses from their pigment suppliers, so the color is not at all rare.  These vary in sheen and intensity due to formula variations (I chose MAC because I wanted a loose powder for the stronger sheen and versatility, and MAC was the most accessible compared to other brands carrying loose powder versions). If you’re just looking for a basic eye shadow shade, any of the above would do depending on your preference.

Well, here’s what I do to keep it flattering, and also add an interesting twist along my lower lash line with 2 colored pencils. (Product details in tutorial steps below.)

NOTE: If you like this look for the liner effect, you don’t need to use a duochrome shadow on the upper lid. You can use a regular deep brown in place of the Blue Brown pigment.

SOME ALTERNATIVES or DUPES for MAC Blue Brown Pigment:

  • Bare Escentuals Bon Bon
  • L’oreal HIP Intrepid
  • MAC Club shadow
  • Urban Decay Lounge
  • Too Faced Label Whore (courtesy of badgirlgotworse)
  • Wet n Wild Coloricon Palette in Comfort Zone - bottom-right shade

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Posted May 26, 2013 at 9:01 am 204 notes

#makeup#beauty#beauty tips#eyeshadow tutorial#brown eyeshadow#makeup tutorial#mac blue brown#blue brown pigment#how to use mac blue brown#mac club#duochrome#neutral makeup#blue eyeliner#teal eyeliner#aqua eyeliner

Midnight Electro-Violet: Sculpted Intense-Purple Eye

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The problem with violets and purples for a lot of people is the fact that when you choose something that isn’t vibrant enough, it can look muddy and unflattering on the lids. 

If you’re one of those who feels purple never works on you, it’s an idea to go for a color that is true purple or leaning slightly towards the blue-toned side.

For this look, I wanted a bright grape color, followed by a dark purple along the socket line for definition. This is an alternative to a typical smoky eye when you’re going out at night.

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Posted May 24, 2013 at 9:00 am 326 notes

#makeup#violet eyeshadow#purple eyeshadow#purple#purple eyes#beauty#makeup tutorial#eyeshadow tutorial#smoky eyes#colorful makeup#strong makeup#false eyelashes#mac parfait amour#maybelline#maybelline color tattoo#painted purple#cream eyeshadow#ardell

Simple Color-Contrast (feat. Catrice Cosmetics Cucuba Collection eye products)

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One more European brand I’m enjoying exploring! Catrice is a well-known German brand with tons of affordable, fashion-forward colors. This season, the Cucuba collection features delicious rich browns, warm  coppery-bronzes, interspersed with tropical mints, yellows and corals.

Here are 3 of my absolute favorite items from the collection and descriptions so you can look for similar products if you can’t get Catrice:

  • Havana Drum pigment - a rich metallic bronze that goes copper on the skin
  • Take It Mint pigment - a shiny mint green shimmer
  • Take It Mint Liquid liner - pearly mint green liquid liner

I picked these colors because of the sharp contrast between them. You can substitute the copper and mint with any other color you want, but to get the same effect, just make sure they are not too close to one another. (E.g. try gold and lavender, green and pink, blue and bronze, etc.)

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Posted May 18, 2013 at 9:00 am 424 notes

#makeup#makeup tutorial#eyeshadow tutorial#bronze eyeshadow#copper eyeshadow#green eyeliner#mint eyeliner#mint pigments#catrice cosmetics#catrice#german cosmetics#drugstore makeup#green eyeshadow#pigments#cosmetics#beauty products#cucuba collection#catrice cucuba

[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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Posted May 15, 2013 at 9:30 am 490 notes

#makeup#makeup tutorial#eyeshadow tutorial#orchid colored makeup#orchid makeup#flower inspired makeup#dramatic makeup#colorful makeup#colorful eyeshadow#dramatic eyeshadow#yellow eyeshadow#88 palette#red eyeshadow#purple eyeshadow#pink eyeshadow#navy eyeshadow#urban decay evidence#cosmetics#stage makeup

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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Posted May 11, 2013 at 9:30 am 372 notes

#makeup#makeup tutorial#eyeshadow#blue eyeshadow#eyeshadow tutorial#dramatic makeup#colorful eyeshadow#colorful#cosmetics#120 palette#bright eyeshadow#bright#electric blue#teal#shimmery eyeshadow#smoky eyes#blue smoky eyes

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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Posted May 9, 2013 at 9:30 am 924 notes

#makeup#beauty#makeup tutorial#eyeshadow tutorial#green eyemakeup#green eyeshadow#dramatic makeup#bright eyeshadow#colorful eyeshadow#paperlashes#paper lashes#false lashes#green and brown#88 shimmer palette#cosmetics#tips and tricks#beauty tricks#eye kajal#green eyeliner#catrice cosmetics

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