Butterfly: Strong purple and blue winged smoky eye (88 matte palette)

This isn't a butterfly makeup look. It's just that the blue reminds me of butterflies' wings. The makeup itself is a standard smoky cat-eye that is flattering on most eye shapes, and the lips and cheeks are kept a pale luminous pink to stand up to the strong, matte eyes.

Step 1: Apply a good base on your lids, and then pack on a strong matte blue shadow on the inner half of upper lids, and along the inner half of the lower lashes as well. 

Step 2: Repeat with a strong, matte purple on the outer halves.

Step 3: Important step. Smoke the edges out into a smoky wing, past the outer corners of the eyes.

Step 4: Add definition by packing a matte black along the upper lash line as liner.

Step 5: Apply black mascara on top and bottom lashes to finish the eye look.

On the rest of the face:

• Use a soft eyeshadow blending brush to apply pale pink shimmer to the brow bones and cheekbones, then apply a pink blush normally. I used MAC Porcelain Pink for highlights and NYX Pinky on the cheeks
• Apply a pale baby pink lipstick lightly (Barry M Baby Pink #100), and top with a shimmery pink gloss (MAC Cha Cha Lipglass)

Metallic Blue Double-Winged Liner

Double-winged liner simply refers to a look where the top and bottom lines split apart at the outer corners instead of coming together, following the eye shape. It's not hard to do if you've learned how to do a wing.

• Use gel/pot liner and a very small, flat, firm brush. Liquid liner is a good deal harder to control if you're not well-practised at it, ESPECIALLY on the lower lash line.
• As you draw the Line from inner corners out, stop before you reach the outer corners of your eyes, point the brush the other way, and draw the flick from the outside in to connect with the rest of the line. (Same with the bottom lash line.) This also makes it easier to ensure both eyes are as symmetrical as possible, as you can better gauge where the end of the flick is going to be.

In most cases, I don't recommend pairing double-wings with a full-on eye shadow look as it detracts from the  lines, and can look like a bit too much. Below, I'm keeping the lids very clean and subtle as I wanted to use a metallic blue instead of the usual black liner. Feel free to use whatever colors you like.

Step 1: Apply a soft taupe brown to outer V of your sockets for definition, and then a matte beige to the rest of the lids, gently smoking out the deeper brown at the socket line so it's subtle. I am using just matte shades.

Step 2: With a metallic navy gel liner (you can use any other metallic gel liner), draw the upper liner from inside outwards about 3/4 of the way, and then draw the flick from outside in, after deciding where it's going to end. (If in doubt, don't go too far up and out. It's easier to extend it out further than to try and clean it off.) The outer halves of the liner should be thick, so pull your brush almost straight inwards from the end of the flick.

Step 3: Repeat on the lower lash line. The only difference is that the line sits on the waterline, does not go out as far as the upper line, and the flick goes straight out rather than pointing up or down.  (Drawing on the lashes themselves or below them can result in a smudgy, imprecise line as your lashes get in the way.)
If there are any mistakes (and I sometimes get a lot), just get a Q-tip and drag it below the liner to clean up.

Step 4: Curl lashes and apply mascara. You may need to go over the liner again in case the curler rubbed off any of it. The line should be very opaque and intense.

Step 5: After applying a soft pink blush, I applied a translucent pale blue shimmer (try MAC Reflects Transparent pigments or glitters) onto brow bones and cheekbones, for an opalescent glow.

Finish with soft shimmery pink lips. (I used NYX Jupiter, a frosted pink, topped with Revlon Pink Pursuit lipgloss.)

Tips and Tricks: How I clear clogged pores

If you've ever stood for a full 15 minutes, your face an inch from the mirror, furiously squeezing out oil plugs from your congested pores, and felt some masochistic satisfaction despite ending up with red, inflamed skin, you're just one of the millions of us who struggle to remove or at least reduce the appearance of black heads.

Oil plugs (what black heads really are) are simply a mixture of oils and dead skin cells from your face. Since regular washing does not reach adequately INTO your pores (no matter what the advertisements tell you), the oil and dead cell mixture accumulates over time and compacts into hardened oil plugs. As the oil continues to accumulate, you will often start to see visible bumps on the surface of your skin. These aren't infected and don't hurt, but they annoy me to no end, since squeezing can often make things worse, when I end up inflaming the skin, or transferring bacteria from fingers.

So recently, I've stumbled upon a different way of doing it, sans redness, swelling, reactive zits, or pain. You only need two products that should be quite commonly available and no tools whatsoever, so it will not break the bank. It also does not take a whole lot of time to complete, lasts as well as a professional facial, and is simple enough to do once or twice a week.

DISCLAIMER:

• I'd be lying if I said it gets rid of clogged pores 100%, but it works more thoroughly and gently than picking at them one by one. 
• This is not an acne treatment. It gets rid of oil plugs, not acne bacteria. It will not cure acne, even though I recommend it as part of your regular routine to start unplugging more pores before they get infected.
• The products I use are generally available and not harmful to the skin, but please avoid if you have extremely sensitive skin or are unable to tolerate salicylic acid products.

Garnier Pure SOS Blemish Clear Pen, and Etude House Black Head Off Oil EX

WHAT YOU NEED:

1. A salicylic acid spot treatment (I'm using a regular blemish gel from Garnier)
2. A cleansing oil (the sort that is used for removing makeup, and emulsifies in water. It's extremely common in Asia, but in the West, I'm not sure about availability outside of brands such as MAC and Shu Uemura.)
3. Pan of hot water and a towel, or a face steamer*

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Apply the salicylic acid treatment all over the areas where you are prone to get oily and congested. For me that is around my nose, the inner cheek area beside the nose, and the chin area. 
2. For the next 30minutes, you can gently steam your face to get it moist and warm. (The better way is actually to work out for half an hour while you let the salicylic acid do its work!)
3. Dry off your face very gently with a sheet of tissue, and then apply the cleansing oil to your skin.
4. For the next 10 minutes, press your fingertips firmly into your skin and rub in brisk circles, like you are buffing your face. The oil helps to cushion and lubricate your skin to reduce any friction or irritation, but don't drag your skin unduly anyway. 
5. If you've done step 1 and 2 well, you should start to feel the first little "grains" under your fingers in about a minute or two, as the oil plugs start to loosen and come out. 
6. Keep going for another few minutes, and then switch the direction of the circles you are drawing until more plugs come out.
7. Rinse with cool (not cold) water and then finish with a normal foaming cleanser to remove the last bits of oil from your skin if you're oily-to-normal. If you have dry skin, you can skip the foam.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Salicylic acid is an acid that can actually penetrate into your pores to clean out the inside surface. It can help to loosen oil plugs. (Hence, it's actually a better preventive tool than a treatment after zits form, but I digress.) The problem with salicylic acid is that most of us don't realise that while it can loosen plugs and exfoliate the surface of your skin to reduce the look of blackheads, it can't actually get them out of your skin without a little extra help. 
2. Working up a light sweat after you apply the salicylic acid product seems to accelerate its work a fair bit because your pores are open, and the sweat and sebum coming out helps it to stay active in there. I'd say sweat is better than steam in this case, because salicylic acid is lipid-soluble, and the oils in your sweat will help it to "spread" and sink into your pores better.
3. Remember one thing: Oil dissolves oil. After you've loosened up the plugs a little, you need to really work an oil-based cleanser into your skin to do the final job of dislodging some of them. The small circular motions actually massage and help to roll the loosened plugs out of your pores in the gentlest possible way without dragging your skin. Experiment a little to see what motions work best for you, as our pores are all structured slightly differently. 

Simple, neutral kitten-eye with soft pink lips and cheeks

I've been into glowing, barely-there cheeks recently, and you can pair it with both dark makeup, as well as softer ones. 

This time around I'm matching it with a simple, soft neutral eye and soft, cool-pink lips.

Step 1: Pack a shimmery ivory-beige shade to the inner 3/4 of the lid, leaving the outermost corner empty.

Step 2: With a taupe brown (e.g. MAC Satin Taupe) and a small pointed brush, draw in the outer V, and deepen the socket line up to the center. Blend out with a soft blending brush so there are no harsh lines.

Step 3: Apply black liquid liner and angle upwards slightly in a flick. (If you find it hard to draw from the eye outwards, then try the reverse. Hold the brush horizontally, set the tip down on the outermost point where you want the flick to end, and gently pull the brush INWARDS to meet the main part of your eye liner.)
Line your waterline (lower lid) with a pale matte yellow or beige pencil to widen your eyes.

Step 4: Lashes make a lot of difference for this look since it's so simple. You can leave it out for the day, but I know a lot of girls who will just wear super-dramatic lashes to work anyway.
I chose spiky, separated lashes that are longest at the outer corners, and applied black mascara to the lower lash line.

The rest of the face:

• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark (light contouring)
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink
• NYX Paris lipstick

Easy Bronze-Liner Look: Feat. MAC Snow Season (Glitter and Ice Collection)

I didn't go crazy over MAC's Snow Season collection. I do think there are some really nice products (the Paint Pots and the shadows are all beautiful, but I don't think they are spectacular or particularly unique unless you don't have anything similar to those.)

I have to say I think Shimmermint is a gorgeous shadow, but I can mix up something similar with some pigments and micas, so I didn't get that. The only thing I did pick up was the Mineralize Eye Shadow in Snow Season, which is the most "neutral" shade out of the eye shadows I saw. 

In the pan, MAC Snow Season looks like an opalescent pink-silver, swirled through with bronze and tiny pale gold flecks. Rubbed on, it softens out to a very soft glimmery beige with ivory-mauve tones (below). As always, the camera does not do these Mineralize products justice, so do keep in mind that they tend not to do too well in photography. 

Swatches (L-to-R): MAC Retrospeck, MAC Da Bling, MAC Ricepaper, MAC Snow Season, and Stage Makeup Irish Cream

Texture-wise, Snow Season is (and most of the other Mineralize shadows are) very similar to Luster shadows in that they are filled with lots of fine-grained mineral flakes that give it that translucent, glittery effect. In terms of opacity and true payoff they are seldom as strong as the regular shadows, unless used wet. The bad thing is that if you want intensity, you need to use a good base or mixing medium. The good thing is, you can get a soft glimmering wash without worrying about over-applying. 

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For this weekend eye, I wanted to keep things very clean and bright, but still get a defined eye without having to do a lot of contouring and layering of colors.

All I used was:

• Sephora Flashy Liner in 07 Flashy Copper
• MAC Snow Season Mineralize Shadow
• Bourjois Liner Pinceau 16Hr in black
• Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Mascara in black

Step 1: Use the copper liner to draw a simple line along the upper lash line, keeping it thick enough to be visible. At the outer corners, thicken up just a bit and then pull upwards in a flick, like a normal kitten eye.

Step 2: With the pencil, draw a line from the center of the SOCKET line outwards, to connect with the end of the flick. (Find it by feeling for the deepest part of your socket, between your eyes and your brows.) With a finger, gently smudge away the innermost portion of that socket liner so it looks like it "fades" into your crease, instead of ending abruptly.
Line your waterline as well.

Step 3: Apply a simple wash of pale shimmer to the lids, blending into the socket liner (but not covering the outer ends of the bronze liner. If you want to keep the look strong, reapply bronze pencil.

The finished look at this point should be a defined crease liner in a beautiful shade of coppery-bronze, with a soft wash of beige on the lids.

Step 4: Finish with black mascara (curl your lashes first), and black liquid liner on the tide line (under your upper lashes) for definition.

And you're done!

Emerald-Encrusted: Dramatic Green Glitter Eye

I wanted to do more dramatic glitter eyes, so this time round, I went for a deep forest green micro-glitter. 

The effect you want is a really "gem-encrusted" finish over the lids, and I'm not going to lie; it's not exactly comfortable to wear once the sealant dries. It will be a bit hard to open your eyes wide, which is the reason I shaped the eye to look a little "lazy".

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Step 1: Using a cut-crease technique with a black eye shadow and a fine, pointed brush, draw a line along the hollow of the socket, stopping before you reach the outer and inner corners of the eye, so there is a gap. 

Run along the outer half of the lower lash line as well.

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Step 2: Dampen your lid with a glitter sealant (you can get some from L.A. Splash, Napoleon Perdis, clear mascara, or mix your own), and then use your finger to pack on a thick layer of glitter. Press so the flecks are evenly distributed. You will probably have to over-apply in about 1-2 layers, and dust off the excess.
Fingers will work much better than brushes.
The black shadow at your socket line should look almost like a subtle shadow rather than an obvious line, by this point.

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Step 3: Curl your lashes and apply full false lashes over them. I chose a pair that is longer at the outer ends. By this time, your lids should be dry and will feel a little "stiff". Finish with black mascara on the bottom lashes.

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Finished Look: The lazy, dramatic, exaggeratedly-rounded emerald eye (with flash). This look can be used for both double and monolids.

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On the rest of the face, I applied a fresh pink blush (NYX Pinky), and a muted blush-nude lip (MAC Faux Satin Lipstick). The eye is so dramatic that you probably want to give glitter and gloss a miss on the rest of the face.