Makeup Tutorial: Natural / Work Appropriate

Sleepless nights, bad diets, genetics... just some of the hundreds of factors that lead to dull, lifeless skin. I've had plenty of days like that. And so, for presentation purposes, I turn to my trusty makeup to combat my dark circles and severely blemished skin.

This tutorial is especially for women who don't have a lot of time to get ready. It is quick and simple and can be accomplished in roughly 10 minutes. In this tutorial I'll be focusing on brightening the eyes. I'll probably do a full faced one in the near future.

As always, switch up the shades according to your skin tone. I would advise sticking to natural/neutral colors for an every day look. We're aiming to enhance your eyes, not transform them.

Products: 

Left to right: BYS 'Natural Delight' Eyeshadow Pallet, L'Oreal 24h Gel Liner, Maybelline the Falsies mascara, Rimmel waterproof liner in 'Nude'.

Tutorial

1. Using a shade slightly lighter than your natural skin tone, pat it over your lid. Concentrate it more below the crease for a 'bright' effect and blend the edges.

2. Taking a warm medium brown, blend this into the crease for definition and shape.

3. This part is optional. But because my eyes are slightly hooded and puffy, I added it. Take a dark brown shade and concentrate it on the outer corner of your eye. A little goes a VERY long way. Blend it into the warm medium brown so it appears flawless.

4. Pick up the first skin tone shade with an eyeshadow brush and use it as a brow-bone highlight. This also helps in blending the brown shades a bit more.

5. Line and mascara as you normally do. Here I used a gel liner on the top lash line and a nude/skin tone liner in the waterline. The skin tone liner acts a brightener and suits medium skin tones better than plain white eyeliners do.

And voila!

The look is complete. Straightforward and easy with the flexibility of skipping a step or two. This look is not meant to be dramatic, hence the absence of false lashes. They're heavy and annoying to wear on a daily basis.

I hope this helps you on those days you have to rush out the door without looking like a zombie.

Have a good one.

-L

Makeup Tutorial: Purple Smokey Eye

Life's no fun without adding a bit of color to it, right? So let's bring some life to this next tutorial.

This look probably wouldn't suit everyone on a day to day basis. But it's a fun, colorful look you can use at parties and special occasions. Purple, in my opinion, is an easy color to pull off with almost any outfit.

In this tutorial I used 5 eye shadow shades. As always, adjust them to your preference. They do not need to be the exact shades as I am using. This is merely a guideline on the placement of shadows rather than a lesson on how to achieve this exact look. 

As always, the eye shadows I used are marked on the picture above. The 2nd shade looks bluer than it really is. In person, it is a deep purple.

And now onto the tutorial!

Tutorial

 1. Use a medium purple shade on the inner corner of your eye. Bring it about half way.

2. Use a deeper shade of purple on the outer corner of your eye. Blend it inwards and into your crease so it merges slightly with the medium purple.

3. Pat on a shimmery lighter purple onto the medium purple shade. This is to intensify the color and bring light to the eyes. Concentrate this on the inner half of your eye.

4. Apply your brow bone highlight with a skin tone or light eyeshadow.

5. This is optional. Take a grey or black eye shadow and concentrate this on your outer corner. You may build this up if you require a more smokey effect.

6. Take a shimmery white eyeshadow and apply it in your inner corner to brighten up the eye.

7. Line your eyes as usual. Here I used L'Oreal's 24h Gel Liner on my upper lash line and Rimmel's Scandaleyes Liner in Nude in my waterline.

8. Throw on some false lashes to intensify the look. Once again, optional. My lashes are just too short so I need falsies. Also, I applied mascara onto my lower lashes using Maybelline's Falsies (waterproof formula).

And presto!

The completed look! A colorful eye look with eyeshadows that are adjustable to your preference and very easy and simple to achieve.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Feel free to leave a comment about what you think.

Have a good one.

-L

Makeup Tutorial: Smokey Brights

For the first tutorial, I debated on starting off simple or dramatic. Then I justified it by asking myself: 'Why not simply dramatic?' Corny? I agree.

Here's a simple tutorial for nights out, parties or special occasions. Switch up the shades as you see fit. For this particular look, I used 4 eyeshadows in total, eyeliner, and false lashes (optional). So here's a sneak at the products I used.

The shades I used are marked on both pallets. Feel free to use any eyeshadow brand you prefer with similar shades. The white pot is a melted down NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. Without further ado, on with the tutorial!

Tutorial

 1. Start off with a bright/white cream eyeshadow as a base. You can prime your eye with an eyeshadow primer to prevent creasing. I used Essence's I Love Stage as my primer and NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil as my base on the inner half.

 2. Pick up a bright white eyeshadow and pat it over that base. Blend the corners a bit so it doesn't look harsh.

 3. Pick up a warm brown shade as a transistion color. Blend it into your crease to help diffuse the white and the next color.

 4. Selecting a dark brown of your choice, pat it onto the outer 'v' or corner of your eye and blend it slightly towards the white. But keep it dark on the outer corner for the smokey effect and definition.

 5. Take that same dark brown and run it onto your lower lash line to balance the look. Pull it in about half way.

 6. Take the same bright white and line the lower inner corner for the bright eye effect.

 7. Use a skin tone or lighter eye shadow as a browbone highlight. This is to highlight under the brows and blend the shadows a little better.

 8. Line your eyes as per usual. Here, I went with a dramatic cat-eye liner to fit the theme. I used L'Oreal's 24h Gel Liner,

 9. Throw on some false lashes to spice up the look. This is optional. Use a lengthening mascara to achieve the long lash effect. I recommend Maybelline's Falsies Waterproof mascara.

Fin!

Here is the completed look. An easy bright smokey eye look that's perfect for special occasions or if you feel like getting dolled up. A nude or red lipstick would go well with this.

I hope you enjoyed this very first tutorial. Feel free to leave any requests or comments.

Have a good one.

-L

The Welcome

Some times one may find it difficult to decide on an opening. What should I write? Should it be formal or informal? Should it be detailed or brief? Decisions and choices swirl like a whirlwind in that tiny human cranium.

And so, I have decided to start off... average.

A VERY WARM WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

I am best known as Lilly or Rose (yes, flower references) and I am an ordinary young female adult. I would be classified as an introvert although I enjoy socializing moderately. I am best known among my friends for my writing and my cosmetic artistry. I enjoy playing video games, yet I'm not much of a geek. Reading romance/mystery/thriller novels are a part of my past time. I enjoy research - especially on skin care and cosmetics for comparisons and reviews. YouTube is my TV. Manual writing is my choice over typing (this case is an exception). Oh! And I am a '1990's baby', the oldest of three in a family of five.

This blog was created for the sole purpose of posting close-to-objective reviews, make-up tutorials and the occasional 'whimsical' thought. It is also a personal creative outlet because I would like to get back into writing.

I hope you, the anonymous valued reader, would enjoy reading these posts as much as I enjoy writing them.

Average enough? I do think so.

Have a good one.

- L