I feel it necessary to explain my lack of blogging lately. I know, I'm trying to post something once a week, but psh. I'm a realist. (See the title.) I've been supremely busy with the American River Review (I'm Gallery Director this year) and a few other projects going on. One of my clients is very ill, and I'm worried about him. Orange Lounge Radio has been nominated for a Podcast Award (vote for us please!), I went to Disneyland where I promptly got sick and have been sick for over a week.
Monday was Halloween, and while I don't particularly celebrate it anymore, I took the opportunity to glam up a bit. I'd been feeling horrendous all day, and I still felt crappy, but dang it, we were going to see Ghostbusters at the movie theater, and I wanted to have fun. I did white and faint pink eyeshadow, dark thick black eyeliner, heavy mascara (which always makes me look like I'm wearing falsies), and a really cute casual outfit. The result? I was still sniffly, still tired, but emotionally, I felt great and had a really good time.
Just goes to show, there's some benefits to this girly stuff after all.
Take care, Gals!
-J
Showing posts with label make up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label make up. Show all posts
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Make Up Battle! Urban Decay vs e.l.f.
Are you on a budget but want the joy that is the Urban Decay Naked palette? Loads of Gals swear by it not just for the use it has as an eye shadow palette, but for it's use in contouring, especially on the nose. There actually is an alternative. First off, however, let's look at Urban Decay.
What have we here? Twelve colors and a dual-ended pencil are included for your $48.00. There's tones included for smokey looks as well as deep neutral colors as well, with a combination of cool and warm tones to make any skin tone happy.
Where does that leave e.l.f.'s offering? Let's have a look.
This is a photo of the set I just bought, which I think is a few months old to be honest. You get twelve colors, a pencil, and applicator. There's some nice matte shades and a few shinier ones, so you have your contouring colors as well, and it has the same range of tones the Urban Decay set has. It also retailed for $5.00, though I purchased mine for $4.00 as it was an older package. This regularly gets re-released, and I think it's a great buy.
I'll be posting pictures of what I've done with it soon, so keep your eyes here!
J!
What have we here? Twelve colors and a dual-ended pencil are included for your $48.00. There's tones included for smokey looks as well as deep neutral colors as well, with a combination of cool and warm tones to make any skin tone happy.
Where does that leave e.l.f.'s offering? Let's have a look.
This is a photo of the set I just bought, which I think is a few months old to be honest. You get twelve colors, a pencil, and applicator. There's some nice matte shades and a few shinier ones, so you have your contouring colors as well, and it has the same range of tones the Urban Decay set has. It also retailed for $5.00, though I purchased mine for $4.00 as it was an older package. This regularly gets re-released, and I think it's a great buy.
I'll be posting pictures of what I've done with it soon, so keep your eyes here!
J!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Make Up Lines Are FAIL
Well, I've had a hell of a time finding examples of this online, but there is something that I think we all recognize, and that's the Makeup Mask. Here's my definition: gorgeous make up with a visible foundation line along the jawline. Perhaps your face and neck are two different colors after you're done with your foundation? Here's an example borrowed from Skin Deco:
That doesn't drive me as crazy as the ones that are orange in the face and white on the neck. It looks tacky. If you're like me and use a darker color than your facial skin tone, this is something that is difficult to combat, so I'm going to share some of the tips I've picked up over time.
1. Use a foundation brush.
You'll get a much more even blend with your skin tone using a brush, and you can fade it out to the edges of your face. Since I use a darker foundation, I spread it out to my hairline and to my ears. Do I stop at my jaw? Nope, I keep going down my neck until it's fully blended and seamless. It also doesn't require an expensive brush. I use e.l.f.'s foundation brush that costs a dollar.
2. Try tinted moisturizer.
For an every day look, tinted moisturizer is the way to go. It blends much more evenly with the skin and, in my opinion, blends very well. Save the thicker foundation for meet ups and events. One can still have smooth even skin without caking it on. The point of foundation is to hide flaws and even the skin tone, not look like you're about to go perform for the circus. If you do use regular foundation, make sure it's water-based and that you can still blend it smoothly.
3. Bronzing/Blushing/Powders
I'm a fan of bronzing, but something that contributes to the cake-mask face, too. If you use a darker bronzer, tap off the excess so that you don't use too much, and layer it until you have the effect you want. Don't be afraid to use it on your neck, either, to make sure your color stays consistent. Sometimes using a larger powder brush to blend in edges makes it a lot more natural looking and less glaring.
The same goes for contouring. I see sooooo much on the "Gal-nose", meaning the dark contours on the side with a light stripe up the center to thin the nose out. The problem is that I'm not seeing a lot of blending done, so that ends up on my pet peeve list, too. Here's a good tutorial from Chaigyaru on proper contouring:
See? It's not that hard, just blend it in.
4. Give yourself a good once over.
Look for visible lines, get a second opinion. Do your make up in the right light and really blend. Again, don't forget your neck, ears, and hairline. Visible contour lines and foundation lines are really distracting and detract from the overall package. Keep the illusion going! A couple of minutes of reviewing your finished make up and blending in places you might have missed will go a long way.
I hope you all found that helpful. I know most of what I bring up are pet peeves and the unglamorous side of being glamorous, but these are all things that I believe are necessary to presenting oneself properly. If you have tips of your own, please share them in the comments!
J!
That doesn't drive me as crazy as the ones that are orange in the face and white on the neck. It looks tacky. If you're like me and use a darker color than your facial skin tone, this is something that is difficult to combat, so I'm going to share some of the tips I've picked up over time.
1. Use a foundation brush.
You'll get a much more even blend with your skin tone using a brush, and you can fade it out to the edges of your face. Since I use a darker foundation, I spread it out to my hairline and to my ears. Do I stop at my jaw? Nope, I keep going down my neck until it's fully blended and seamless. It also doesn't require an expensive brush. I use e.l.f.'s foundation brush that costs a dollar.
2. Try tinted moisturizer.
For an every day look, tinted moisturizer is the way to go. It blends much more evenly with the skin and, in my opinion, blends very well. Save the thicker foundation for meet ups and events. One can still have smooth even skin without caking it on. The point of foundation is to hide flaws and even the skin tone, not look like you're about to go perform for the circus. If you do use regular foundation, make sure it's water-based and that you can still blend it smoothly.
3. Bronzing/Blushing/Powders
I'm a fan of bronzing, but something that contributes to the cake-mask face, too. If you use a darker bronzer, tap off the excess so that you don't use too much, and layer it until you have the effect you want. Don't be afraid to use it on your neck, either, to make sure your color stays consistent. Sometimes using a larger powder brush to blend in edges makes it a lot more natural looking and less glaring.
The same goes for contouring. I see sooooo much on the "Gal-nose", meaning the dark contours on the side with a light stripe up the center to thin the nose out. The problem is that I'm not seeing a lot of blending done, so that ends up on my pet peeve list, too. Here's a good tutorial from Chaigyaru on proper contouring:
See? It's not that hard, just blend it in.
4. Give yourself a good once over.
Look for visible lines, get a second opinion. Do your make up in the right light and really blend. Again, don't forget your neck, ears, and hairline. Visible contour lines and foundation lines are really distracting and detract from the overall package. Keep the illusion going! A couple of minutes of reviewing your finished make up and blending in places you might have missed will go a long way.
I hope you all found that helpful. I know most of what I bring up are pet peeves and the unglamorous side of being glamorous, but these are all things that I believe are necessary to presenting oneself properly. If you have tips of your own, please share them in the comments!
J!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Face It! (Make Up for Face)
I did a post last week about the make up I use for my eyes. Today I'm going to talk about the make up I use on my face and neck. I include my neck with this because I have a major pet peeve about visible make up lines on the jaw. It looks like one is wearing bad theater make up or a mask! Awful! At any rate, keep reading for a little more on how I avoid this and what I use.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Mars Planet Power... MAKE UP! (Eyes!)
How's that for a blast from the past? I'll start it off with a Sailor Moon reference. Now that I have your attention, I'm going to answer a question from a couple of friends here on my blog. That question is: "What's in my make up bag?" It's a mix and match of cheap and less-cheap, but I like to be frugal and try certain things out on a cheaper brand before I spring for the more expensive. That being said, we'll start with eyes.
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