Holiday Party Makeup- The Modern Pinup

Its that time of year! There's always a party, get together or fancy occasion to get dressed up for. Its easy to feel like you have to go over board with your makeup when you're wanting to impress- but a fancy event isn't the time to experiment with makeup. Keeping it classic and timeless takes the stress out of getting ready. Here is an easy pinup look that will last through dancing, drinking, eating and smoozing the night away!

 

Start with a full coverage foundation, concealer and powder. When doing a classic pinup look, its important to have as flawless of a base as you can. I tried to pay extra attention to covering any blemishes and redness, especially around my nose and mouth. After your base is complete, fill in your eyebrows as usual. Its tempting to overdo your brows with pinup makeup, but I think its important to do your brows the way that best suites your face!

After completing my base, I applied an eyeshadow primer all over my eyelid to prevent my eyeshadow from creasing. I then swept a matte cream colored eyeshadow from the lid to brow bone.

I then used a mid-toned brown in the crease and blended it thoroughly. The goal of the brown shadow is to create the illusion of a contour under the brow bone, so keeping the color concentrated, but defused creates a more natural appearance. 

Using a black eyeshadow on a thin angled brush, I lined my upper lash line and created a small flick. You can darken the line further by adding more shadow, or a gel liner on top. I added gel liner on top, but kept to soft to avoid a harsh line.












To complete the eyeshadow, I added a matte white shadow to my brow bone, and a shimmery champagne shadow by my tear duct. Keeping the highlight near the brow bone matte keeps things classic, while using the shimmy shadow near the tear duct really opens up the eyes and keeps them fresh.

The eyeshadow is all done! Wasn't that easy? Now all that's needed is lots of mascara on the top lashes. I chose to keep the bottom lashes without mascara, but feel free to coat those babies too! If I was going to a fancy party, I'd also apply false lashes. But unless you're confident in applying them, false lashes can often be stressful- and no one needs that right before a big event!

Usually, I'd move on to finishing my face with contour and blush, but when you're doing a bold lip, I find it easier to apply the lip color first and then finish the face. Bold lip colors often show ever lip imperfection- especially if they are dried and chapped. 5-10 minutes before you plan on applying your lip color, put on some lip balm. After the balm has had time to sink in, use a q-tip to exfoliate the lips. Just rub the q-tip back and forth over the lips, and you'll start to see the dead skin slough off.



Once your lips are exfoliated, use your foundation to create a base for your lip color. Not only does it prep the lips for the color, but it also helps your lip color last longer! Lip liner also helps your lip color last- and can help avoid lipstick from feathering into fine lines. I used a color close to my lipstick color, but you can also use a clear lip liner if you want.

After lip liner, apply your lipstick. Pick a shade that you feel most confident and comfortable in. Remember you'll be wearing it while drinking and eating, so if you are a little apprehensive, try a sheer formula.
I applied my lipstick straight from the bullet, but using a lip brush will give you a more precise application. Once you've applied one layer, blot your lips and apply another layer. Layering your lip color helps create a stain on your lips, which gives you a lot more staying power! To finish off the lips, clean up the edges with concealer!

Now that you have your lip color on, you can assess your face and decide what contour, blush and highlight is needed. I felt like I looked a little pale, so I contoured my face up with the same mid-tone brown eyeshadow I used in my eye crease. I then applied a rose colored cream blush to the outer half of the apples of my cheeks. To keep the face fresh, I also applied a shimmery highlight to my cheek bones, cupids bow and the bridge of my nose.

The finished look!

Bonus look! :

Want a more dramatic look? Try bright red lips! I used a long wearing liquid lip color. This particular formula lasted all day (about 12 hours) with minimal cracking or wear. Perfect for a night out!

 

When wearing an intense lip color, its important to adjust your blush so you dont look washed out. I added a layer of pink blush on top of the cream blush to brighten my face.

There you have it- a stress free party look that will go with just about any outfit! Try it out with any lip color you want. If you're super bold, use a dark wine or even black lipstick. *Swoon!*

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Products used:

 

Face- Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation in "Ivory"

Revlon Photoready Concealer in "Light"

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in "Fair"

Elf High Definition Powder

Wet'n'Wild "Vanity" Palette (Mid-tone Brown)

NYX Cream Rouge in "Natural"

Revlon Matte Blush in "Perfectly Peach"

Physicians Formula Pearl Highlighter

 

Brows- Avon Glimmerstick Brow definer in "Blonde"

Elf Single Eyeshadow in "Pebble"

 

Eyes- TwoFaced Shadow Insurance 

Wet'n'Wild "I Heart Matte" Palette (White, Cream and Black)

Wet'n'Wild "Vanity" Palette (Mid-tone Brown)

Avon SuperShock Gel Liner in Black

Avon Lash Conditioner and Primer

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara in "Black"

Lips- Covergirl Outlast SmoothWear liner in "Ruby"

NYC lipstick in "Sheer Red"

Wet'n'Wild Mega Last Liquid Lip Color in "Red My Mind"

Recreate the Look: Adele- Vogue UK 2011

Adele's makeup is always gorgeous. Dramatic cat eye, big lashes and pouty lips is her staple look. When I saw this picture of Adele on the October 2011 Vogue UK cover, I fell in love. Its her classic look, just amped up.

source: Vogue

I decided it would be fun to see if I could recreate this look, or at least the best I could. I dont know what products the makeup artist used, so I just use colors that looked similar to the photograph. All the products I used will be listed down below- but if you want to try this look for yourself, use whatever you have on hand!

 

I started off with a full coverage foundation, concealer and filled in my eyebrows as normal.

I applied a eyeshadow primer to my lids and applied a light beige shadow from my lash line to my brow bone to serve as a base. 

I then used a light brown in the crease, concentrating the color mainly in the center of the lid and extending it up towards the end of my brow and into the inner corner of the eye.

Using a dark brown shadow, I darkened the center of the crease and blended it thoroughly. 

 

 

I packed a light pink shimmery shadow all over the lid, avoiding the crease.

Now its time for liner. You can map out where you want your cat eye to go with a dark brown shadow, that way if you make a mistake its easily wiped away. The key is to make sure both eyes match in length and angle. You can achieve this by looking straight ahead into a mirror when applying your liner, then use small strokes to plan out the line. Keep checking to make sure both eyes look the same!

 

Once you have your liner mapped out, take a black shadow and complete the line around the eye, creating a thin 'v' around the tear duct.  

Continue darkening the liner by adding more shadow or by using a black eyeliner pencil. I used a black eye pencil on an angle brush. I also added the same light brown eyeshadow I used in the crease to blend the dark liner on the lower lash line.

Once I was happy with the liner, I cleaned up the edges with concealer.

In the image of Adele, there appears to be a slight hint of purple in the eye makeup. Its most likely the lighting or editing, but I wanted to add a bit of purple to add a little extra something. I applied a small amount of deep purple with a blending brush to the middle of the crease, and also applied the same purple over top of the black liner.

I added lots of mascara and a nude eyeliner to the lower waterline. 

Some false lashes and the eyes are done!

I contoured my face using a taupe brown matte eyeshadow, and then applied a small about of bronzer on my forehead and temples. I used a light pink blush towards the outer part of my cheek and blended it with my contour. I applied a champagne cream eyeshadow as my highlight along my cheekbones, brow bone and the inner corner of my eye.

Adele is wearing an extremely nude lip, which can show every bit of flacky, dry skin. So, I exfoliated my lips and made sure they were moisturized before applying foundation over the lips. Foundation creates a blank canvas by taking out any natural redness in the lip. I lined the lips with a beige lip liner, applied a creamy nude lipstick, and then added a bit of pink lip gloss just to the center of the lower lip.

Voila! The look is complete!

I hope you liked this look and try it out for yourself! If you have any requests for a look you'd like me to recreate, leave a link of a reference picture in the comments and I'll see what I can do!

Products used:

Face- Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation in "Ivory"

Revlon Photoready Concealer in "Light"

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in "Fair"

Elf High Definition Powder

Elf Single Eyeshadow in "Pebble"

Avon Ideal Luminous blush in "Earthen Rose"

Revlon Matte Power Blush in "Perfectly Peach"

Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo Cream Shadow in "Barely Beige"

Brows- Avon Glimmerstick Brow definer in "Blonde"

Elf Single Eyeshadow in "Pebble"

Eyes- Two Faced Shadow Insurance

Pur Minerals "Beauty by Numbers" palette (Skin tone)

Urban Decay "Naked" palette (Light Brown) 

 NYX Single Eyeshadow in "Dark Brown"

Wet'n'Wild Trio "Walking on Eggshells" (pink shimmer)

NYX "Smokey Eyes" palette (black)

Wet'n'Wild "Lust" palette (purple)

Avon Supershock Gel Liner in "Black"

Rimmel Scandleyes Eyeliner in "Nude"

Jordana Best Lash Extreme mascara in "Black"

Elf false lashes

Lips- NYX lip liner in "Nude Beige"

Elf Matte Lip Color in "Nearly Nude"

Hard Candy Lip Gloss (no name)

 

Quick and easy high impact makeup

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge makeup lover. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE. I love everything about makeup- from the planning of a look to the application. When I became a Mom and decided to stay at home with my daughter, I knew the freedom to express my adventurous side in makeup was going to be a bit stifled. Taking 30 minutes to create a detailed smoky eye just didn’t make sense anymore. Not only was it unnecessary for a normal day at home, but it was a frivolous waste of time when I had more important things to do. However, just because I’m a stay-at-home-mom now doesn’t mean I should give up makeup, nor does it mean I should relent to a ho-hum makeup routine. It just means I have to become a little more creative in how I apply it and save the extravagant stuff for special occasions.

So, over the past 3 months of being at home with my baby, I’ve come across some ways to get high impact looks with minimal effort and time. Some days I only grab one of these tips and focus on it, other days I grab them all. Since I’m at the mercy of my 3 month old, it really all depends on the amount of time I have. But really, you could do all of these things in under 10 minutes.

I usually start out my makeup with a BB cream, which is a super quick way to even out your skin tone. I also will put a bit of concealer under my eyes and on blemishes if need be. I'll sweep some powder over top and my base is complete!

I'm wearing Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Shadow
in 'Bad to the Bronze', black shadow on the lash
line and 1 coat of Jordana Best Lash Extreme mascara.

1. Eyes:

Cream shadows—long wear cream shadows (like Maybelline Color Tattoos) are the easiest way to get color without taking a lot of time. You can use your fingers to apply the shadow, or a brush: either way the secret is to buff the edges so there are no harsh lines. You can use bright, sheer or even dramatic colors to create quick smoky looks. Its up to you!

Using shadow as liner—Using a dark shadow color (charcoal, brown or even black)on an angled brush to darken the lash line does wonders. It is the quickest way to apply liner I know of and is one of the most forgiving. If you make a mistake, you can just buff it out with a Q-tip. If you want more drama, you can slightly dampen your brush with water or eye drops and then apply your shadow. It intensifies the shadow, making it almost the consistency of a cake or gel liner.

 Lashes—I cant stress this enough- CURL YOUR LASHES! You will be amazed at how it opens the eyes. Not to mention it will help fool people into thinking you got 8 hours of sleep instead of 3. Mascara is another must in my book. Using good black mascara will draw attention to your eyes without much effort.

2. Lips:

I'm wearing Revlon Strawberry Suede as a stain

Bright lip color—It only takes a minute to slap on lipstick. Why not pick out a fun color while you’re at it? You can easily create a stain with your lipstick if you don’t feel like dealing with the upkeep of wearing lipstick full on. Use your finger to rub the color into your lips and then blot it afterwards.

Balm or gloss in fun color—Tons of companies make sheer, bright lip colors in moisturizing formulas now. Its an easy way to use fun colors without worrying about feeling overdone. Plus, since they are sheer and moisturizing, you don’t have to worry about your lip color rubbing off onto little baby cheeks :)

                 

3. Cheeks:

Rosy flush—Blush is a tired Mommy’s best friend. Its easy to look tired and worn out when your pale as a ghost. A quick sweep of pink or coral blush is the fastest way to bring life and youth to your skin.

Bronzer—If you’re feeling especially pale, a little bronzer can go a long way. A sheer kiss over the highest points of the face (where the sun naturally hits) is all you need. 

I have on Wet'n'Wild Blusher in Pearlescent Pink

Being a Mom doesn’t mean you have to forget about having fun with your makeup. I think its important to take a little time, even just 5 minutes, to freshen yourself up before you face the day. For me, having a splash of makeup on just makes the rest of the day feel a little more pulled together- even if all I’m doing is changing poopy diapers!

Mommy thoughts: Selfishness

I’ve been a Mom for two months now. Gabe's back at work. I’m at home. Every day I wake up to a precious little baby that needs me to care for her. Every night I go to sleep knowing that I’ll wake up multiple times to feed her, to change her diaper, to make sure she’s still breathing. Its cliché, but its true- being a Mom changes everything. From the most practical things like your day to day routine to the most deep, spiritual parts that only God sees. 

I didnt realized how incredibly selfish I was until I had Emery. I think it hit me right in the throes of trying to learn to breast feed her. I wanted to give up so badly. I told myself it was because things weren’t going as planned and I felt like it was my fault. Really at the core of it, I was just being selfish because I didn’t want to keep going on.  It hurt, it was boring, and it took most of my day. I wanted that time to myself. I was mad because I was the only one who could do it, and I wanted to shove off the responsibility to my husband.  I didn’t want to take the time and effort to succeed. Even though it was the best choice for my baby and family, I didn’t see it as the best choice for ME. I’d lie awake late at night and think how must easier it would be just to use a bottle. I felt like it would mean freedom for me and the end of a constant struggle. I didn’t see how things would get better and I didn’t want to continue fighting.  I’m so grateful that God helped me push through. He reminded me time and time again that there were babies and Momma’s who didn’t have this choice and wished they did. He reminded me that my time was and is not my own- and has always belonged to Him. He showed me that it wasn’t about doing what was easy but about doing what He’s asked me to do.

I’m still selfish, and every day I battle with that selfishness. I firmly believe that one of the many blessings of having children is that they force you to love someone more then you love yourself. They're tools God uses to chisel off another layer of our sinful nature. They make you realize that all those stupid things you used to not be able to live without are nothing in the grand scheme of life.

Two months down and a life time to go.
 

 

Thank you Heather!

Its almost been 3 weeks since our beautiful baby girl Emery was born. Its been a whirlwind. Being a Mom is both the hardest and most incredible experience of my life. As sappy as it sounds, all the cliches are true. I never thought I could love someone so much.

I wish I had the time to write out all that happened when Emery was born, as it was a long 36+ hours of labor. But since I dont have a lot of time, I just wanted to use the opportunity to say a huge thank you to my amazing sister Heather. Heather has been training to become a doula, and I was her first labor and delivery after she completed her courses. I cant tell you how grateful I am that she was there. She spent hours rubbing my legs to help speed labor (which worked!), sat up all night comforting me through contractions, and when I broke down from the pain, she supported me through tough decisions. She was with me over 24 hours and she never complained. Looking back, I think she was the driving force that helped me pull through.
If there was a way to repay her, I would. But I cant think of a single thing that would show her how much I appreciate all she's done. I sincerely hope she takes this incredible gift of encouragement and support to the next level and offers her services as a doula to other women.

Life will never be the same now that baby girl is here. I'm so glad I have such an amazing family to offer their support, advice and love. I am truly a blessed women. Thank you God for all that you've given me.