Summer Series : Precious Metals Dramatic Eyes

Hey everyone! Today I have something a little different to share with you all! It's a full step-by-step tutorial, with before and after pictures! It took a bit longer than usual to set this up, so I hope you all enjoy it! Let me know what you think of this kind of posts in the comments! Should I do more of these?

So this look is another summer going out look. I paired very monochromatic skin and lips, with gold and copper eyes. I really like how it looks and it feels very summery to me! Keep scrolling for more pictures, a step-by-step tutorial and close-ups!

Before and After

Products Used

Eyes

• UDPP (not pictured)
• Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara
• Duo Eyelash Glue
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Perversion
• Maybelline Color Tatto in Barely Branded
• L'Oréal Infallible Shadow in Amber Rush
• Darling Girl Cosmetics Loose shadow in Curious Crocus
• Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Very Black
• Wet n Wild Single Shadow in Brule
• Wet n Wild trio in I'm Getting Sunburnt (Deep gold color and dark reddish brown)
• Tarte High Performance Naturals Palette 
• Wet n Wild Fantasy Maker in Show Stopper
• Katy Perry Cool Kitty Lashes (not pictured)
• NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Blonde

Face & Lips

• Cover Girl 3 in 1 Outlast StayFabulous Foundation
• Maybelline Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
• NYC Sunny Bronzer
• Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
• Benefit Hoola Bronzer
• NYX Extreme Lip Cream in Natural
• NYX Lip Liner in Nude
• Smashbox Lipgloss in Illume (not pictured)
• Quo Palette (Upper blush)
• Milani Blush in Corallina
• Rimmel blush in Bronze
• Hard Candy Tiki Bronzer

Tutorial

1) Prime the lid using UDPP. Apply the color tattoo all over the lid. Apply Brule up to the brow bone to get a nice even canvas to work with.

2) With a fluffy brush, define the crease using NYC sunny bronzer and the matte terracotta shade from the Tarte palette.

3) Using a dark reddish brown color on a small shading brush, apply to the outer and inner corners of the lid.

4) Using a coppery color, apply to the rest of the lid, except the center.

5) Apply an amber colored shadow to the center of the lid

6) On the lower lashline, apply a creamy gold base. Go over the cream base with a light gold shadow in the inner corner and with a deeper gold on the rest of the lower lash line. 

7) Apply black liquid liner, black pencil liner on the waterline, mascara and false lashes if desired.

Fill in brows and apply foundation, concealer and powder. Lightly contour and bronze the skin with a matte bronzer. Use a bronze or coral blush and nude lipstick or gloss to finish off.

 Results

Close ups

 ---

That's it for this look! I hope you enjoyed this particular look, but also the tutorial! Don't forget to let me know if you'd like to see more of them! Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

Photo Editing 101 : How I Edit my Makeup Photos

Hey everyone! Today I have a bit of a different post to share with you all. In the last year, I have started familiarizing myself more with photo editing. The reason for that is because I was never completely satisfied with how my makeup pictures turned out. Mostly, it was the lighting that was never right, but as I started knowing more and more about it, I started realizing that some other aspects of my pictures needed a bit of polishing. It took a lot of time, trial and error to get to the point that I am now and it's been a learning experience for me since I taught myself how to do it. Anway, I'm quite pleased with the quality of the pictures that I'm able to produce now so I thought I would share my process in case any of you is interested or trying to get into photo editing.

*Disclaimer* I photoshop my pictures, but I rarely ever touch the makeup itself. I only polish the raw edges, meaning any imperfection or lighting issues. If you're looking for a tutorial on how to photoshop lashes or colors or anything like that, this post won't help you very much, sorry!

First, like I mentionned, I use photoshop CS6 for my photo editing. It's kind of complicated to learn at first, but it's really the best editing tool for me. I'll take you step by step with me while I edit this photo to achieve the after picture that you see below.

1) Cropping the picture
The key to a nice makeup picture is cropping out anything that isn't necessary so to keep the focus on the makeup look. Of course if you're doing a full face makeup look than you won't crop as much as I do.

This is the raw picture, cropped. It's not horrible, but it could use some polishing. Notice that the only thing in the picture is my eye and brow so not to distract from the focus of the picture. (not showing the uncropped picture because you can basically see up my nose and I'm so not sharing that!).

2) Fixing the lighting and coloring of the picture
I use a few of Photoshop's features for this. First I use the Auto Tone option. Then, I always fade that to about 50% because the toning is a little harsh with the kind of lighting that I'm using to shoot my pictures. Then, I use the Auto Contrast option. This is the result.

Next I use the Exposure feature and crank up the exposure of the picture a little. I also increase the gamma slightly and then I increase the offset a tiny bit so not to lose the intensity of my liner and lashes. Bascially I'm brightening the overall picture, but keeping the darker colors intense so that I get a good contrast.

As you can see, the difference so far is slight, but it's nicer to look at already. Lastly for the coloring, I use the Vibrance option and crank it up a little bit. I also increase the saturation slightly. This makes my colors pop more.

3) Erasing Imperfections

Now we're getting to the fun part (at least in my opinion), perfecting the skin, eyes and brows. First I like to remove the veins and lashes that are in my eyes using the Patch Tool (some of my lashes have a tendency to grow downwards which looks super ugly in photo).

We're looking much better already! Now it's time to tidy up those eyebrows! I use the same Patch Tool to remove any unwanted hairs. I tweeze my brows every time I do a makeup look like this. Howeverm since I use the flash to take pictures and since it's such a close shot, you can see every single little hair I missed and all the blonde ones. I feel like it looks untidy so I like to remove them.

Next, I give the whole picture a little once-over and still with the Patch Tool, I fix any other little imperfections that I might see. The difference is subtle in this one. Can you spot the differences with the last picture?

After that, I like to perfect my skin. I don't always do this, especially if my skin is looking relatively good that day, but lately I've been doing it, so I'll show you how. I use the Eyedropper Tool to select a shade of skin that is near my eye. Then, with the Brush Tool (Opacity : 25%, Flow : 25%) I simply go over my skin once all around the eye to soften the look of the skin. It retains part of the texture of the skin because of the opacity, but it still covers up and evens out the skin a little.

Last, you can brighten up your eye color using the Dodge Tool (Exposure : 40%). This is totally optional, but I like to do it every once in a while!

---

That's it! That's all I do to edit my makeup pictures! As you can see I haven't touched the makeup itself, but it still looks 100 times better! Hope you enjoyed this and that it was helpful! Does any of you guys edit your photos? If so, do you have any other tips and tricks for me? Let me know!

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

Beginner Series : How To Fill In Eyebrows - Step By Step Tutorial

Hello everyone! Today I'm back with my beginner series! Today I thought I would share my tips and tricks as well as a step by step tutorial on how I fill in my eyebrows! My method is quite easy and quick and really makes a difference. Keep reading if you're interested to see the tutorial :)

- Brow powder that matches your brows. I believe if you have light hair you need to go a few shades darker and if you have dark hair it's the opposite, but don't quote me on that! For my color, I went with trial and error. I use this Milani Brow Fix Kit and I mix both brown colors to achieve a color that I like.

- An angled brow brush. I like to use the one that comes with the kit, but you can use any one that you have.

- Tweezers

- Clear brow gel, I like to use clear mascara for this purpose. As you can see mine is starting to look brown and gross, but it's still works the same.

- A brow comb

- A shimmery highlight shade

How to Fill In Your Eyebrows

1) Tweeze any stray hairs.
2) Comb the lashes so that no hair is sticking out.
3) Using the angled brush and the brow powder in your chosen color, start filling the brow at the base on the brow. I like to fill in the front on my brows first and the tail last because that's where I apply the most product. Use short strokes to get the effect of hairs.
4) Using the same technique, now define the upper portion of the brow.
5) Fill it in.
6) Finish by filling in the tail of the brow.
7) Brush the eyebrows into place again. This will help reduce the appearance of drawn on brows and make it look more natural by getting rid of any excess product.
8) Using the brow gel, apply a small amount to the brows to help seal the product as well as keep them in place during the day.
9) This last step is optional, but if you want to further define the brow, you can use an angled brush and apply a light shimmery shade close to the brow on the brow bone.

---

That's all! You're brows are now groomed and ready for the day. Pretty easy right? Let me know if this tutorial was helpful to you!

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

My Little Pony Series : DJ Pon3 (Step by Step)

Hey everyone, today I'm doing yet another look inspired by My Little Pony! Today, I'm doing another background pony, DJ Pon3! She looks awesome with her cool purple shades and her electric blue mane. I was so inspired that I went a little wild with this one, ahah! Keep scrolling and you'll see what I mean XD

So, I went a little crazy with this one. My idea was to reproduce her cool shades on my my lids and her mane on the lower lid. Obviously the finish result is anything but wearable (not that any of my Little Pony look is, but this one is particularly crazy looking), but I'm quite happy of how it looks! The only thing I'm kind of bummed about is how crackly the outline of the mane is on my lower lid, because the liner I used was kind of cheap, but anyhow I think it looks cool nonetheless.

In case you're curious of my process when doing a look this elaborate, I thought I'd include Step by Step pictures for this look!

Step by Step

Products used :

Eye Bases

• UDPP
• NYX Jumbo Pencil - Milk

Eye shadow & Brows

• BH 120 Palette (1st Edition)
• Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
• NYX Eye Shadow Palette in Velvet Rope
• Milani Brow Fix Brow Kit in Light

Liner & Lashes

• Ardell Inspired Lashes
• Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara
• Elf Black Liquid Liner
• Milani Liquif'Eye Liner Pencil in Black
• L.A Girl Metallic Blue Liner

Check out other My Little Pony Looks : Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle, Spike Applejack, Scootaloo, princess Celestia, Lyra, Apple Bloom and Nightmare Moon

That's all for this look! Did you enjoy this one even though it's kind of wild? Also, would you like to see more step by step like this? Let me know in the comments :D

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

 

Colored Gradient Brow Tutorial

Hey everyone! Lately I've been really into filling in my brows. It's a totally new thing for me, since I never used to do it. Now that I've started doing it, I always feel like my face looks incomplete unless I fill my brows in a little bit. SO I've been practicing and playing around with brow looks in the past few months.

I also started doing more elaborate brow painting for my colorful looks. One thing that I really like to do and that really adds to the drama of my inspired makeup looks is a colored or gradient brow. At first I wasn't sure how to proceed with this, but with a little trial and error I have found a technique that works pretty well for me. Today I'm going to share a tutorial I made on how to achieve colored or gradient brows! Check out some of the looks I have made using this technique : Princess Celestia, The Little Mermaid

What you will need

♥ White Base, I'm using NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
♥ Eye shadow(s) of your choice
♥ A small flat shading brush and an angled liner or brow brush
♥ Cotton Swabs
♥ Eye Makeup remover

Tutorial

1) Apply the white base all over your brow.
2) Clean around the edges using a cotton swab.
3) Using the flat shading brush pat on your darkest eye shadow.
4) If you're going for a one color brow, skip this step. Next, using the angled brush, pat on the lighter shadow on the outer part of the brow only and blend lightly until you get a gradient effect.
5) Using a cotton bud and makeup remover, clean around your brow to shape it. You can also use the angled brush with more of the dark shadow to help redefine the edges.

---

That's all! You now have a cool looking gradient/colored brow. Easy isn't it? Let me know how you liked this tutorial in the comments!

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

DIY : Earring for Sensitive Ears

Hey everyone! Today i'm back with a cool DIY idea that I've come up with recently. It's super easy and it has completely changed my life! (At least in terms of being able to wear earrings again!) I know many of you out there might have this issue as well : I cannot wear jewelry that isn't made of real gold. I can tolerate necklaces and bracelets if they're not too tight (I can't do watches for example), but rings and earrings that aren't gold are a no-go for me. My ears swell up, become itchy and red in a matter of minutes unless I wear gold earrings.

It's especially annoying because I really like costume jewelry. If I were to buy a pair of hoops made of real gold, I'd have to shell out at least 75$ if not more, which is definitely over my budget! So I thought of a way to make cheap costume jewelry wearable for me and others that have the same issue! If you want to know how I do it, keep reading :)

I got these for 1,50$ each at Ardène. Normally I would never be able to wear them, but with this quick DIY project, I can now have super cute earrings!

What you will need

- Square Flat Nose Pliers*

- Round Nose Pliers*

- Inexpensive pair of earrings, preferably gold in color (I couldn't find white gold hooks, so all my hook are gold in color, meaning it matches gold earring better. You could use them for silver colored earring too though). It needs to be hook earrings. Studs or hoops won't work with this technique .

- A pair of 10 carat gold earring hooks. I got mine at a local jewelry making supply store. They were 5$ a pair so this pair of earrings cost me 6,50$ pretty good right?

* You can get these in jewelry making supply store or online. 

Step 1

Using the flat pliers, open the metal part of the hook that isn't melded into the rest of the metal. It should be on the loop at the bottom of the hook, close to where the hook attaches to the earring. You should then be able to remove the original hook from the rest of the earring.

Step 2

Open the loop of the gold hook the same way you did the other, using the flat pliers. 

Step 3

Now that the gold hook is open you can slide it the opening into the earring. Make sure to place it so that once the hook goes into your ear, the earring is facing the right way.

Step 4

Lastly, using the round nose pliers, close the loop of the hook so that the hook is now securely attached to the earring.

The results

 And that's it! It's super easy and now you can wear inexpensive earrings without getting uncomfortable reactions! I'm so glad I thought of this! I can't stop buying earrings now :P

---

I hope this helps and that you liked this quick DIY post! Let me know in the comments if you try this! ♥

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

Beginner Series : Applying False Lashes in 10 Easy Steps

Hey everyone! Today, I'm back with another advice post for beginners : how to apply fake lashes. Many girls (including me) struggle with applying false lashes at first. With a little practice I've developed a few tips and tricks to make my life easier so I'm sharing them with you today!

---

What you need

- Tweezers

- Eyelash Glue
- Fake lashes
- Black gel or liquid liner
- An object that you can put glue on. I use a concealer.

---

Choosing your lash glue 

Brand : The first thing to keep in mind when buying a an eyelash adhesive is the brand. Not all brands perform equally therefore choosing a high quality glue will give you better results.

Eye Sensitivity : Some brands can be irritating for your eyes. In my experience, the glue sometimes included with Ardell lashes does this, it stings my eyes so it doesn't work for me.

Color : Lash glues come in either clear or black. If you are a beginner, it's easiest to stick to clear to avoid getting black glue all over your lid while you work on getting them placed correctly.

With all of this said, my favorite glue is the Duo Clear Eyelash Glue.  It's fairly around the 6$.

---

Applying False Lashes in ten steps

1. Finish your makeup look as you normally would with liner and mascara.

2. Apply some glue on your chosen object. Let it sit for ~30 seconds until it becomes a bit tacky.

3. Pick up the lashes with tweezers and apply the glue uniformly onto the lash band.

4. Before applying, hold the lashes in front of your eye and adjust the lashes' placement.

5. Once you have adjusted the placement, stick the middle portion of the lash on the center of your lid as close as possible to your lash line. Then, stick both ends as well.

6. Adjust the lashes while the glue is still wet to ensure proper placement.

7. Let it sit for 10-15 seconds.

8. Using your thumb and index finger, press the lashes with your own natural lashes to ensure that they blend well with your lashes and that they are secure.

9. Let the glue dry for a couple minutes. It should become clear mostly clear, but it may affect the look of your eyeliner underneath. No worries, we can fix it with a little eye liner.

10. Make sure that the lash band is hidden by applying liner wherever the band is noticeable.

---

Removing the lashes

The best way to remove lashes is with makeup remover and a cotton bud. I advise against pulling them off since it can damage the sensitive skin on your eyes as well as your natural lashes. 

To remove lashes, I saturate a cotton bud with makeup remover. Then, I hold it at the base of my lashes for a few seconds so that the makeup remover has time to loosen the glue. After that, I carefully rotate the cotton bud near my lash line until the lashes come off on their own. Here is a little video showing the technique I use.

The video quality isn't all that great, sorry about that!
Gotta figure out how to work my camera's video mode.

---

Caring for your lashes

If you plan on reusing your lashes more than once (which I usually do), you need to care for your fake lashes in order to keep them nice and in good shape. Here are a few tips to help you make sure that you care for your lashes well.

- Don't pull off the lashes. It can be damaging your your sensitive eye area as well as the lashes.

- Try to avoid putting mascara over the lashes. Apply mascara beforehand.

- Remove any glue that is stuck to the lash band using tweezers.

- Keep your lashes in their original packaging when you store them.

----

That's all for this advice post! I hope it helps and that you enjoyed this :) Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see more beginner posts and what you'd like to see!

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

Beginner Series : Easy Neutral Look with a Pop of Color Tutorial

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for this easy wearable makeup look!

It's a neutral look with a hint of blue on the lower lash line.  It's super easy and uses inexpensive drugstore products. It's great for everyday wear and perfect for a warm summer day! If you would like to know how to recreate this look, keep reading ♥

---

What you need

If you want more information, most of these products are featured in my Drugstore Starter Kit.

How to achieve it

1. Pat a light shimmery beige color all over the lid using a flat shading brush.
(Left browbone color from the Comfort Zone palette)

2. Using a fluffy brush, place a medium bronze shimmery color in the crease using a windshield wiper motion. (Left eyelid color from the Comfort Zone palette)

3. With the same brush, apply a darker shimmery brown to the outer corner. Blend into the outer portion of the crease. (Left crease color from the Comfort Zone palette)

4. Using a small brush, apply the blue color on the lower lash line going all the way in to the inner corner. (Right eyelid color from the Blue Had Me At Hello palette)

5. Line the waterline using a black pencil liner. Line the upper lash line using a black gel or liquid liner. Add Mascara.

---

You're done! It's another super quick and easy look to recreate. I hope you give it a try! Let me know what you think of this look in the comments :)

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

Beginner Series : Easy Lilac Eyes for Spring

Hello everyone, I'm back with another tutorial for my beginner series :)

This is a pastel, lilac with blue look inspired by a request I got on my Facebook Page. Thanks for the request Victoria, I love to know what you all want to see! ♥

I'm trying out a new format for my tutorial, a kind of collage inspired thing. Let me know if you like this and if this is easier to follow.

This is the look I'll show you how to recreate :

---

Material

---

Tutorial

Step 1 : Start with a clean surface.

Step 2 : Apply a white shadow base to the lid.

Step 3 : Blend out the base with your fingers.

Step 4 : Pat on a pale purple color to the first 2/3 of the lid.

Step 5 : Apply a darker Purple shadow to the outer corner in a triangular shape. Blend the two lid colors together slightly using the same brush.

Step 6 : Using a shimmery pale purple, highlight the inner corner.

Step 7 : Using a medium shimmery blue, blend out the dark purple and apply to the crease.

Step 8 : Apply a blue toned purple to the lash line.

Step 9 : Apply liner, mascara and falsies (optional).

--- 

That's all for this look! I hope you enjoyed it and that the tutorial was helpful :)

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥