Thursday, March 20, 2014

Divergent Inspired Makeup: Erudite



 Dagnab it. I wish this wasn't the last faction. I just loved creating these!


" the one and only faction dedicated to knowledge, intelligence, curiosity, and astuteness. It was formed by those who blamed ignorance for the war that had occurred in the past, causing them to split into factions in the first place...Erudite values the virtue of intelligence and wisdom over any other. The members focus their lives on the pursuit of knowledge. Erudite are expected to delegate themselves in the library reading books, or, most commonly, reading something from the computer. They are also known to have memorized the city map. Members are also known to be particularly eloquent.
Because of the Erudite's thirst for knowledge, they are the ones easily susceptible to moral corruption as knowledge leads to lust for power...Each member must wear at least one article of blue clothing per day. Erudite's main color is blue, as it is a "calming color that helps stimulate the brain". Also, most faction members wear thick glasses to make them seem smarter." (source)


I dont mean to play into the smart girl stereotype, but come on ya'll! I wear glasses all day err'day, so this is a look I can really relate to. I decided to do a classic pinup with a twist because it looks great with glasses, and playing up your features is the smartest makeup look out there.



In a classic pinup look, the skin is flawless and pale. Much like Dauntless and Candor, I kept the skin matte with a full coverage foundation and a heavier contour and blush.


Pinup eyebrows are usually thick and overdraw, but thats not really my style. Glasses frame the face already, and I didnt need my brows competing with my thick frames. So I kept them well defined but light.


I used matte shadows to define my crease, and a black liner with a small flick on the eye to accentuate my lashes.  To keep in theme with Erudites, who must always wear blue, I used a blue eyeliner on my lower lash line and applied a bright shimmery turquoise blue over top.


The lips are the most important part of this look. I lined the lips with a dark purple and then finished it off with a deep red liquid lip color. After, I lined around my lips with a concealer pencil to sharpen any messy edges and define the lips even more.


I love this look, and wear something similar all the time. In the books, Erudite's are essentially the bad guys, but I think my love of learning would draw me to their faction. I don't think I could spend all my time studying or in front of a computer, but I could spend all day in a library :)

Would you want to be Erudite?

Products used:

Face- Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation in "Ivory"
Maybelline Fit Me Concealor in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"
Essence 'All About Matte" powder 

 NYX Taupe Blush
Revlon Matte Blush in "Perfectly Peach"


Eyebrows-
Avon Glimmerstick pencil in "Blonde"
NYX Wonderpencil in "Light"

Eyes-
Two Face Shadow Insurance
Wet'n'Wild Vanity palette
Hard Candy eyeliner in "Chop Suey"
NYX shadow in "Wild Fire"
Avon Supershock gel liner in "Black"
Wet'n'Wild Pride palette
Avon Lash Primer and Conditioner
Coty Airspun loose face powder
Jordana Best Lash Extreme mascara in "Black"

Lips-
NYX lipliner in "Currant"
Maybelline Super Stay lipcolor in "Wine"
NYX Wonderpencil in "Light"





Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Divergent Inspired Makeup: Dauntless

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"...the faction dedicated to courage, bravery, and fearlessness. It was formed by those who blamed fear and therefore, cowardice as a cause of the problems society faced. It tries to fight cowardice by giving preparation and the ability to act during fear to its members... The Dauntless value the virtue of bravery over any other, as such they train to fight and use weapons to prepare their bodies to respond to threats and challenges, which is necessary if they want to survive life as a Dauntless member. The faction also emphasizes the idea of freedom from fear, and test this daily by attempting death-defying feats. Dauntless members and initiates are the only ones allowed to ride the train and do so in a daring way; jumping onto and off the train while it is moving....Dauntless always dress in black. The women wear skin-tight pants, tights, tight dresses, and black boots and shoes. The men wear black pants and form-fitting shirts. Dauntless like to tattoo and pierce their bodies. Girls might wear dark eyeliner and makeup. They might also dye their hair in unusual colors." (source)


Dauntless aesthetic screams you're stereotypical punk. Crazy colored hair, lots of piercings, tattoos, black leather: the works.  In order to keep things fresh, I wanted to avoid the 80's-90's punk rocker connotation by keeping everything streamlined.



I kept the skin matte, applying my face powder with a slightly heavier hand and leaving off highlighter. I also used a cool toned contour shade to carve out my cheek bones, but left my blush extremely light: only using it to avoid looking overly pale.



 I  felt like a strong brow would have been to much, so I went the opposite direction and muted them out with concealer. I actually really loved the look of an extremely light, almost bleached brow. Makes me feel like Lizabeth Salander.


I liked the idea of doing asymmetrical eyes, keeping one side normal with just a flick of liner, and the other bold and dramatic. When designing the shape for this eye, I used the images from the Divergent movie poster as inspiration. Most of the tattoos they designed for the cast where tribal, which characteristically are thick, solid black shapes. I used black gel liner to give the shape its intensity, and then covered it with a matte black shadow to seal it.


Lips were tricky for this look. I didn't own a black lipstick, or anything close to black. So, I improvised and used a black eyeliner to line and fill my lips. I then foiled a matte black shadow over the top to create the depth I wanted. Over that, I foiled a dark purple pigment just in the center of the lip for dimension.


Dauntless really appeals to me aesthetically. I'm not a leather fan, but tattoos, piercing and wild colored hair is right up my alley. I am, however, admittedly a wuss, and wouldn't survive past having to jump off a moving train to get to the Dauntless compound. So, I wouldn't even entertain the thought of becoming Dauntless. Call me a chicken.

Could you be Dauntless?



Products used:

Face-

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation in "Ivory"
Maybelline Fit Me Concealor in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"
Essence 'All About Matte" powder NYX Taupe Blush
Revlon Matte Blush in "Perfectly Peach"


Eyebrows-
Maybelline Fit Me Concealor in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"


Eyes-
Physicians Formula gel liner in "Black"
Wet'n'Wild "Pride" palette
Urban Decay eyeshadow in "Strange"
Avon Lash Primer and Conditioner
Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder
Jordana Best Lash Extreme in "Black"

Lips-
NYX eye liner in "Black"
Elf Lock and Seal gel
Wet'n'wild "Pride" pallete
Fyrinnae  loose pigment in "Illicit Passion"

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Divergent Inspired Makeup: Candor

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"Candor was a faction formed by those who blamed duplicity and deception, who believed that dishonesty is the key fault in human nature which began evil and war. They believe in the principle that honesty and openness would lead to a more peaceful and perfect society...Candor are serious about their views on honesty against dishonesty. They see honesty and trustworthiness as the very foundations of morality and character. They look upon honest individuals with high respect, and upon dishonest individuals with deep contempt....Despite their belief in fairness and impartiality, the Candor believe that the truth is black-and-white, so that is what they wear." (source)

The stark contrast of black and white- truth and lies, was my inspiration for this makeup. Like Abnegation, I think Candor officals would disapprove of makeup since it can be viewed as 'concealing' one's true self. Nonetheless, I cant pass up an opportunity to flex my creativity and dig deep into a black and white makeup look!


When I started thinking about this makeup, the 60's super model "Twiggy" came to mind. When designing the look, I used her classic cut crease and drawn on lower lashes to keep the eye center focus.

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I used a heavier foundation to keep the skin clean and perfected. I also used all matte colors for my skin and eyes, so the only sheen was on the lip. 


To keep the white really bright, I used a white creamy base underneath the white eyeshadow, and also lined my lower waterline, lash line and just below the lash line with a white eyeliner. This kept the eyes big and doll like. I drew the lashes underneath the white on the lower lash line by using a fine detail brush with black eyeshadow. I decided against using black liquid liner to do this, as I felt it would be a little to harsh.


A cut crease can be really tricky when using such two contrasting colors. The key is to work from dark to light. I applied the black shadow in the crease, and then used a q-tip to clean my lid before applying the white color.


To keep with the 60's mod vibe, I did a creamy nude mouth. I slightly overdrew my lips, filled them in with a milky nude matte lip color and then added a healthy dose of gloss. I'd wear this nude lip every day if I could. I love this combo.


I wouldn't say I'm a liar by any means, but I don't think I'd do very well in the Candor faction. I think life has a lot of gray areas- so living in a society where gray areas are seen as dishonest seems a little too extreme for my blood. That being said, I would gladly wear black and white every day (I basically do anyways), so that wins Candor a brownie point :)

Would Candor be the right faction for you?



Products used: 


Face-
Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation in "Ivory"
Maybelline Fit Me Concealor in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"

Essence 'All About Matte" powder
NYX Taupe Blush
Revlon Matte Blush in "Perfectly Peach"
Sugarpill "Tako" eyeshadow (as highlight)

Eyebrows-
NYX Brow Cake Powder in "Blonde"

Eyes- 
Two Face Shadow Insurance
NYX Jumbo pencil in "Milk"
Sugarpill "Tako" eyeshadow
NYX Smokey Eyes Palette
Wet'n'Wild Pride Palette
Avon SuperShock gel liner in "Black"
Avon Lash Conditioner and Primer
Coty AirsSpun Loose face Powder
Jordana Best Lash Extreme in "Black"

Lips-
NYX lip pencil in "Nude Beige"
Elf Matte lip color in "Nearly Nude"
NYX Butter lipgloss in "Eclair"

Monday, March 17, 2014

Divergent Inspired Makeup: Amity



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Amity are the hippy's of the Divergent world. They love music and art, and are the farmers in the Divergent society. Divergents Wiki page describes them as: " the one and only faction dedicated to peacefulness, kindness, forgiveness, trust, self-sufficiency, and neutrality. Amity was formed by those who blamed war and fighting for human nature's faults.....As the faction that symbolizes happiness and freedom from human conflict, members generally  wear clothing that is bright and pleasant. Their attire consists of clothes that are red and yellow." (source)

I wanted to keep a care free and colorful aspect to my makeup, using the factions colors of red and yellow. When I read the first Divergent book, I imagined Amity kids as little barefooted fairies, with sweaty faces from running in the woods and flower crowns on top their messy hair.


Just like with Abnegation, I kept the skin clean by avoiding foundation and focusing on just concealing discoloration and spots.


I used coconut oil on my cheek bones, the bridge of my nose and cupids bow to give an extreme highlight to the skin. A little greasy for everyday wear, but really beautiful on the skin.

I kept the red and yellow color scheme on the eyes, and blended thoroughly to give a soft and airy effect. I felt like black mascara would be to stark, so I applied a white eyelash primer and packed on red loose pigment over top. It was a cheap and effective way of making my own colored mascara!


I finished everything off with extremely glossy lips. Soft, sweet and easy to maintain.

I really connect with the artistic side of Amity, and could see myself picking it as a faction. Although I think most of my family would probably say I'm a bit to combative to really fit in there ;)

Would you choose Amity?



Products used:

Face- 
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"

Essence 'All About Matte" powder
Essence Silky Touch blush in "Lifes a Cherry"
Elf Contour Bronzer
Coconut Oil (as highlight)
Eyesbrows-
Avon Glimmerstick in "Blonde"

Eyes-
Two Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Jumbo eyeshadow pencil in "Milk"
NYX shadow in "Tropical"
NYX single shadow in "Yellow"
NYX Loose Pigment in "Dust"
NYX Loose Pigment in "Red"
NYX Wonder pencil in "Light"
Avon Lash Conditioner and Primer
Jordana Best Lash Extreme in "Black" (botton lashes)

Lips-
NYX lip pencil in "Nude Beige"
NYX Butter lipgloss in "Eclair"





St. Patricks Day makeup

I have a confession: I really dont care about St. Patricks Day. *GASP* This probably means I'm some sort of heathen, especially to those who do care about St. Patricks Day or like any excuse to get drunk. But lets be honest, unless you're Irish, St. Patricks Day really just seems like a good reason to wear green. So, in my yearly St. Patricks Day tradition, I picked up the most vibrant green eyeshadows I own and went to town.

Speaking of vibrant green shadows, I got both the trios I used for under $4! The L.A Colors Trio was $1 at the Dollar Tree, and the Wet'n'Wild Trio was about $3 at CVS. What a steal!

Wet'n'Wild "I Dream of Greenie"

L.A Colors "Grassy Knoll"
























Products used:

Face-
Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation in "Ivory"
Maybelline Fit Me Concealor in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"
Essence 'All About Matte" powder
Revlon Matte Blush in "Perfectly Peach"
Avon Cool Bliss Cream Shadow in "Pebble Stone" (as highlight)
 Elf Contour Bronzer
 
Eyebrows-
NYX eyebrow cake powder in "Blonde"
 
Eyes-
Two Faced Shadow Insurance
Hard Candy Eyeliner in "Bamboo"  (as base)
LA Colors trio in "Grassy Knoll"
Wet'n'Wild trio "I Dream of Greenie"
Avon SuperShock gel eyeliner in "Black"
Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara in "Black"

Lips-
NYX Lip Liner in "Nude Beige"
Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in "Crush"
Rimmer Show Off lip lacquer in "Luna"

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Divergent Inspired Makeup: Abnegation

Up first in the 'Divergent' makeup series is Abnegation!

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The Divergent Wiki page sums up the Abnegation faction as: Abnegation was formed by those who blamed selfishness for human nature's errors. They believe in selfless actions and attaining peace through the elimination of selfishness. By doing so, they choose to completely forget themselves and only serve others.... Abnegation value the virtue of selflessness over any other. Abnegation initiates upon attaining membership are forced to reject a life of vanity and self-indulgence, protecting themselves from greed and envy which are considered forms of selfishness. Gossiping, using the mirror for long periods of time and buying luxury items are forbidden. As an Abnegation, the focus of their lives will be in serving others instead of themselves, anything done for self-enjoyment is thereby discouraged. Abnegations are usually very quiet as they don't like to call attention to themselves and they find joy in helping others.(*source)

Since Abnegations goal is to serve others and view spending time on yourself as wrong, I wanted to do a "no makeup" makeup look. Doing a perfected no makeup look actually requires quiet a lot of makeup- but if you do it right, no one will know you're wearing any! I dont think the Abnegation officals would approve of spending time on makeup at all, but oh well! Onwards and upwards!


The secret to a perfect no makeup look is avoiding caking too much on. Instead of using foundation all over the face, I only used concealer to cover any redness, spots, or discoloration.


I used a setting powder over just the areas on my face where there was a bit of shine, and then used a soft blush to give my cheeks some color.


For the eyes I applied a nude cream shadow to even my skin tone and hide any veins that show through the thin skin. I used a brown eyeshadow on the lash line and a nude pencil on my waterline to brighten my eyes. I topped everything off with one coat of black mascara. I  lightly filled in my brows, because, well, lets face it- my brows are almost nonexistent on their own.


I finished off the look with using a nude lip pencil to give a little definition to my lips and topped it with a lip balm.


I love that Abnegation is about selflessness and using ones energy to serve others. Its a beautiful sacrifice. However, I'm far to self absorbed to chose Abnegation as my faction- I dont think I could give up yummy food, music, movies or duh, makeup!

Do you think you would choose Abnegation? What would you miss most if you did?




Products used:


Face-
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"

Essence 'All About Matte" powder

Revlon Matte Blush in "Perfectly Peach"
Eyes-
Maybelline 24hr Tattoo cream eyeshadow in "Nude Pink"
Wet'n'Wild Vanity palette
Jordana Best Lash Extreme in "Black"

Lips- 
NYX Lip Pencil in "Nude Beige"
Nivea lip balm



Coconut Oil Tortillas






Recipe adapted from Alana L's video on youtube:

Homemade Coconut Oil Tortillas

4 Tbs Coconut oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 C. warm water

Combine oil, flour and salt with a pastry cutter. Add water (a little at a time), and gently mix together with fingers until it’s a well-structured ball. Knead for 2 minutes to thoroughly combine. Allow to rest for 20 minutes in the bowl.

Divide into 8 small balls and use either or tortilla press or a rolling pin to create the tortilla rounds. Make sure they are pressed thin (1/4 inch or thinner). Cook tortillas on griddle or frying pan for 1 minute (or until bubbly) on each side. Serve warm.



Saturday, March 15, 2014

Next up: Divergent Inspired Makeup Series



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The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth has become one of my favorite new series. The books are set in a dystopian future Chicago, were society is split into 5 factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite. Each faction has a specific attribute they uphold and therefore have very unique esthetics.  With the movie coming out on March 21st, I thought it would be really fun to create some makeup looks based on the 5 factions. I'll be posting one every day leading up to the release of the movie, starting with Abnegation (The Selfless) tomorrow!

Are you going to see the movie? With Emmy still being so little, its hard to get out to see movies. But we're going to TRY to see Divergent next month. It will be the first movie we've seen since Baby Girl was born, so I'll probably feel like a Depression Era kid using 25cents to see one of those 'moving picture shows' :)

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