Farewell To Summer

Well, school has started. And along with that, I'll be auditioning for the school play. If I don't get in it, I'll be backstage. In all honesty, my main point is that I don't have time to keep this blog posted every weekday if I have school and rehearsal/practice and the typical high school stuff.

And my other point is that I'm in a blogger's writing block, and I need some time. I definitely want to do more homecoming looks, but blogging takes lots of time and energy I just won't have. I can't really come up with any individual looks, so I need some time to just make some colorful such and such and feel like it's good enough to put up on the internet.

I'll try to make posts at LEAST once a week, but for now, farewell.

Scoring at TJMaxx

Whenever I go to TJMaxx, I always swing by the beauty section and scour it for my beloved theBalm Shady Lady Volume 3 (see my Covet Coven). I didn't find that today, but I did find this abused but intact eye kit for - wait for it - 5$! Seperately these products cost 55$! So tip - whenever you pass by TJMaxx, check out the beauty section for flat-out steals. Today we'll be using good ol' phone camera.

 It was missing the other eyeshadow and an "overshadow" (glitter, I think).

 With the prices attached.

 Here's the shadow and makeup remover - the shadow is in  Luscious Lani ("pink champagne on ice") I want to save the mascara since I have like 6 open right now.

I'd like to point out how humongous this eyeshadow is - the average MAC eyeshadow is 1.5 grams and 0.05 ounces. For another comparison, a MAC Mineralized blush is 3.5 grams and 0.11 ounces. I forsee this being my go-to highlighter :).

I'll add a swatch of the shadow ASAP.

The Covet Coven #1

I covet MORE MAKEUP! Although with that birthday haul I don't have much left :P. Oh well, maybe I'll make an excuse to myself during homecoming or something. On with the list!

Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid eye liner in Royal OR Make Up For Ever Aqua liner in 8

I have a special addiction to sparkly purple eyeliner (see this) and as you can see from my current abused one, it's difficult to scrape out of the pot.  And it's a bit dark for my liking, so I want a lighter, sparklier one.

MAC Sumptuous Olive eyeshadow

I've just heard great thing about this shadow, and I've wanted to venture more into green shadows. This still stays neutral though, from many swatches I've seen.

Urban Decay Smoked eyeshadow palette

Those shadows look GORGEOUS (especially Mushroom). However it costs as much as Naked and I don't go out and wear smokey eyes out and about - but suuuuch eye candy.

Benefit High beam highlighter OR Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter

Wanna hear a secret? I don't do cream or liquid products. Bronzer, highlighter, and even all my eyeshadows are powder. I want to make a change - and my current one (Clinique All Over Color in Peony) is a bit -too- sheer for my liking. But I'll see.

Too Faced Natural at Night eyeshadow palette

It's that green that allures me back again! And that pinky-plummy middle row gets my mouth drooling. But again, I don't go all out when I'm just at school or something.

theBalm Shady Lady 3

Is there an Eyeshadow Addicts Anonymous around here? Cause I sure need to join one. But there colors look like they'll steadily pull me out of the neutral niche I'm stuck in.

Switch Up the Makeup

I know for school you shouldn't look like you are out clubbing, but I mean some girls keep the foundation-mascara-eyeliner-gloss routine everyday, all day. No matter it school, camp, prom, or party. Day after day looking the same, no change, no FUN! I mean break out that glitter liner for your friend's Sweet 16, or some eyeshadow for prom (NEVER overdone though). Just switch it up, you know what I mean?

Homecoming Makeup 2: Silver Cut Crease (afforable products)

 Here's my second homecoming look - a slight cut crease with Wet n Wild. The colors aren't the most pigmented, but do give a nice shimmery effect. I didn't really wear eyeliner and mascara out of this out of pure laziness - I wash off most tutorials after I'm done shooting.

Clockwise from eyeshadow: Wet n Wild Don't Steal My Thunder Trio, Tweezerman Classic Eyelash curler, NYX eyeshadow base in White, random black pencil liner (use any of your choosing; preferrably one made for smudging), my must have eye brushes, and a random Clinique mascara (use any mascara you like).

The bare eye 

 Apply the shadow base to the application area - lashline to browbone

 Sweep up the browbone shade on your flat shader

 Apply it to the lid as shown nyah.

 Now take the pencil brush and really work it into the eyelid shade - it's a pretty unpigmented shade but it'll work.

Blend it into the outer and inner thirds, but leave the middle to the frosty white. 

 Now this part looks scary, but we're just drawing the black eyeliner into the crease.

 This part looks wayyy better. Remember for the cut crease effect, blend upward and never into the lid.

Now take the pencil brush and sweep it into the pencil brush.

And now apply it on top of the blended eyeliner and pull upward and NOT onto the lid

Here it is more blended.

If you want, apply some silver under the outer eye.

Do anything with your eyeliner, curl your lashes, apply mascara, and TA-DA! (if you wanna know why I didn't do either, see opening paragraph)

Closed eye view.

How to Prevent Touch-Ups

It's likely that you've seen those girls crowding the bathroom mirrors, pushing and shoving with tubes of mascara and hair straighteners, preventing you from checking your teeth for stray sesame seeds. Well makeup, especially for those who have oily skin, has to be reapplied to keep looking fresh and da best!

When you pack up your school bag, you'll want to pack a separate bag for cosmetics and maybe for feminine issues. In all honesty it depends what you wear everyday, but these 3, to me, are the most touched-up makeup items. Why reapply your powder when you could be eating lunch with your friends?

Obviously, the first to be reapplied are lip products. This, unfortunately, will almost always rub off (and if not, I'd love to see a gloss last through a sandwich wrap and fries). However, a sticky gloss does last a class period or 2 more than a slick one. MAC lipglasses are notorious for catching hair on windy days, but it does last a lot longer than say, CoverGirl Wetslicks.

Another commonly reapplied item is powder. Oily skin seems to just absorb powder, making teenage acne all the worse. To prevent powder from being absorbed, you can use blotting sheets to remove the oil but not the powder. If you don't need coverage and just oil control, blotting sheets can blot out powder in your morning routine entirely!

The last item in my list is eyeliner. No one likes looking like they just came out of a rainstorm or a breakup, but the eyeliner smudges anyway. The best, and probably the most obvious solution is waterproof eyeliner! As you can probably tell, I LOVE Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner (both liquid and pencil formulas).

Use these tips to get you an extra 5 minutes of chow time, and more looking ready instead of looking like a meltdown!

Tutorial: My "signature" eye look for school

I do switch up my makeup a lot, but this is my most worn look because it's not across so many big palettes. This is my favorite one for school that really brings out shine.

 From top to bottom, left to right, there's Covergirl Lashblast Mascara, Tweezerman Classic Lash curler, MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, Clinique Pink Chocolate eyeshadow (a light pearly pink, I can't find it on Clinique's site), Urban Decay Primer Potion, Ecotools Angled liner brush, Urban Decay Shadow brush, MAC 217, Smashbox Brazilian Bronze, and Clinique Lucky Penny. I forgot to add the Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Underground.

 Bare eye, as always.

 Apply and spread the primer across the lid and up to the brow.

And now use your flat shader brush on one of my favorite eyeshadows - Clinique Lucky Penny 

 And pat it right across the lid.

 Now swipe your fluffy brush/217 into Brazilian Bronze

 And sweep it into the crease

 Here's what it looks like so far.

 Now swipe the same fluffy brush into Pink Chocolate,

 And sweep it right under the brow bone.

 Here's the look so far.

 Now take the angled liner brush and swipe it in the gel eyeliner.

 Use it in the outer top half of the upper eyelid, and if you wish use Underground in the lower lash line.

 Now curl your lashes and go!

Homecoming Series Kick-off: 2nd place in the Navy (affordable)

You wanna know a secret? I don't plan these tutorials. The only ones I've planned are the middle school ones and one of my upcoming ones. Here I'm starting my Homecoming series. I've always loved dark, sultry eye makeup, but I don't have many occasions to showcase it myself. Here we're going for a Silver (get it? 2nd place?) smokey eyes with Navy accents, which is wearable on really any dress (tip - silver works with every dress color! Although if you're gonig for a stunning silver dress, I'd try a brown or black smokey eye unless you wanna look matchy-matchy)

 Here we're using Covergirl lashblast fusion mascara, my highly abused Wet n Wild Blue Had me at Hello palette, Wet n Wild creme eyeliner in black, NYX eyeshadow base in white, and Maybelline Expertwear eyeliner in slate gray.

 Apply the eyeshadow base and blend out to cover from lashline to browbone.

In the Blue had me at Hello palette, sweep your flat shader brush on the silver 2nd shade in the left column ("eyelid").

Apply it on the inner half of the lid.

On the right column, 3rd shadow down, swipe your flat shader brush in the navy "crease" shade.

Apply it on the outer half of the lid. Ugh, it looks really bad here.

Swipe your pencil brush into the same silver shade.

Blend the harsh line between the two with your pencil brush.

See? Much better.

Now sweep your pencil brush in the "definer" shade in the bottom right, a glittery black.

Apply it in the outer v, demonstrated nyah.

Now use your fluffy brush in the same shade.

And blend, blend, blend it into the crease to get this effect.

Now use your pencil brush (yes, again) into the navy shade from earlier

And apply it on the outer lash line.

Finally, use your fluffy brush on the "browbone" shade on the top right.

Of course, sweep it right under the browbone.

Sweep your gel eyeliner on the top lashline, and use the grey eyeliner on the lower waterline.

Curl your lashes, add mascara, and TA-DA!