Leather, Silver and Denim: Neutral Eye for Day

For many people, neutral means "taupe", "brown", "grey", black", "beige". It means safe, reliable, and flattering for most skin tones.

Well, I wanted a departure from the usual combination of coordinated shades (like brown, on brown, on more brown), so I went for the colors of everyday items that we would consider as "neutrals" of a sort. Silver jewelery, dark blue denim, soft tan leather.

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Step 1: As the shades are quite soft, it would be good to apply a good base so that you can really showcase the sheen and colors. 

Pack MAC Patina on the inner 1/3 of the lids and lower lash line.

Step 2: Pack a soft steel shade in the center of the lids. I chose MAC Electra because it is not too harsh and white, and not too deep for the center of the lids to pop.

Step 3: In the outer corners, apply a dark matte navy with a small blender, and extend down along the outer half of the lower lash line as well. I used Revlon Riviera Blue. You can use a black or grey, but those shades would not bring out silver and blue tones as well.

With a clean, soft blending brush, smoke out the outer corners of the navy so it becomes a slightly wing. If you want a more dramatic and contoured look, don't smoke it out.

Step 4: Apply black liner and mascara to finish the look. 

The final look should be defined and interesting to look at, but flattering to most eye and skin colors, and not too dramatic for day time wear.

I Hit Pan!!! (And the Reasons I Started a Makeup Blog)

MAC Patina shadow, above

To many an obsessive makeup hoarder/collector, that image signifies Satisfaction. 

(And I must say a bit of disbelief that we actually managed to use anything often enough to see the pan.)

I am one of those people who cycle between envy at those who manage to make a significant dent in their makeup items, and also terror at the thought of running out of the things I love.

Maybe I'm just OCD. When I use an eyeshadow palette, I'll inadvertently try to rotate between shades so no one color shows a bigger dent than the others. When I love a product, I'll start looking for an alternative for it so that I don't use it up. (Yeah, it's not logical.) And I also tend to get bored of wearing the same color nail polish or eye shadow consecutively. So I almost never do. 

I have a shelf dedicated to backups of favorites which I am not even close to finishing.

Strangely, I love "pan porn". I'll trawl the web occasionally, looking for images of half-finished items and wondering at how others manage to use the same items so consistently and feeling an odd admiration for them. The only things I can use repeatedly each day, and constantly finish through the years, are lipsticks and mascaras. 

Which leads me to two of the reasons I started a makeup blog:

1. Use up more makeup
2. Use more colorful makeup

I think it's time to get more pan porn of my own.

5 Days, 5 Ways: MAC Patina shadow (Frost)

MAC Patina may not stand out on the eyeshadow racks beside its more dramatic relatives, but this rich medium frappuccino-brown with subtle copper-red highlights (below) is oh-so-beautiful to wear.


If I had to own just one single MAC eyeshadow for the rest of my life, it would be this in a heartbeat. There are some other pretty lovely shades, but nothing I reach for on such a regular basis.

O Patina, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Day 1: As a simple, rich wash of color over lined lids.





Day 2: Spiced up with colorful eyeliner along the lower lash line. (And yes, just about every color liner will work with Patina.)


Day 3: Out for dinner and drinks with lots of black, smudgy reverse liner on the bottom lash line. (This photographs subtler than it really is.)


Day 4: Clean and simple. Worn as a bronze liner, traced over black pencil with a dense smudge brush.


Day 5: Kick off your weekend with a little more color. Worn with vanilla liner on the bottom lash line, and navy shadow on the outer corner.


Now have you tried Patina?
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A SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY NOTE ON "5 DAYS, 5 WAYS":
I came up with 5 Days, 5 Ways specifically as a means to

• use more products, rather than buy more products
• highlight some very versatile items which I believe are worth investing in
• challenge myself to think out of the box

Feel free to have fun with this idea, and I'd love to see photo-replies!

Lazy Face: Defined brown eyes

This is a quick and easy look for day, which does not require a lot of time, effort, or products.

What you’ll need:

• Base, Powder, Primer
• Soft brown shadow [MAC Patina]
• Black liner [Any smudgy black liner will do]
• Mascara [Canmake Gokunobi mascara]
• Contour shade [MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium Dark] and Coral blush [TheBalm Hot Mama]
• Nude-coral creme lipstick [Maybelline Watershine Pure #B32]

1. Apply primer to lids to minimize discolorations.

2. Trace black liner along lashlines, keeping color intense at the base of your lashes.

3. Apply soft brown onto your lids. I like to go just above the crease (eyes open), and not winged out.

4.With a smudger brush, apply the soft brown to lower lashline as well.

5. Use a matte black eyeshadow and the smudger brush to push a line of black into the base of your lashes as a liner.

6. Curl lashes and apply mascara.

7. Apply a shimmery coral blusher for a subtle flush. I use a light, light hand, to keep shimmery blushers from looking too scary.

8. Apply lipstick a coral-nude lipstick. [Maybelline Water Shine Pure B32 is actually lighter than the picture shows.]