Desperation: A Glitzy Taupe Smokey Eye

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/9989685/?claim=4xvunsuvh2r">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Hey guys, hope everyone's having a great weekend so far. Today's look started off as a simple smokey eye and soon transformed into the glittery goodness you see on your screen in front of you. I have so many eye palettes sitting around that I rarely use, so I've been making it a point to break them out and get creative. So for this look I used a mix of a few different Urban Decay palettes: Vice, Naked 2, and Naked basics and some holographic glitter I had. 

For the eyes I knew I wanted to do a slightly different take on a normal smokey eye, so I decided to keep all the drama of this look on the upper lid and keep the lower lash line clean. I started this look off, as always, by applying a primer all over the eye and then I applied a taupe base to the lid only. Then using the Vice palette I took the shade "Armor" and applied it to the inner 1/3 of the eyelid. Next I took the shade "Desperation" and applied it to the remaining 2/3s of the lid and used "Anonymous" to highlight the brow bone. Now taking the Naked Basics palette I used "Naked 2" as my transition/blending color and applied it all over my crease. Then I took "Tease" from the Naked 2 palette and applied it further down into my crease using it to blend out the lid color.  On a pencil brush I took the color "Black Market" and applied it into the outer corner and into the crease, then I took "Crave" and "Faint" on a small blending brush and used it to further blend out that color. Taking the shadow "Verve" on a small shader brush I applied that color right on top of Armor to brighten the inner corner and add some more shine, I also used that color to blend out the line between Armor and Desperation. I applied a glitter base right into the center of the lid and applied a holographic glitter right on top making it fade into the inner and outer corner. I lined the top lid with a black liquid liner and then applied a glitter liner right over the top. Then I rimmed the eyes with a charcoal colored liner and applied lots of mascara to the top and bottom lashes. To finish the eyes off I took the shadow "Venus" and applied it right into the tear ducts.

Products Used:

FACE:

-Milani eyeshadow primer

-Maybelline Color Tattoo- Tough as Taupe 

-Urban Decay Vice palette- Armor, Desperation, Anonymous, Black Market

-Urban Decay Naked 2 palette- Tease, Verve

-Urban Decay Naked Basics palette- Naked 2, Faint, Crave, Venus

-LA Splash splash proof sealer

-Wet 'n Wild Fantasy Makers Confetti- Glitz

-Loreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense

-Femme Couture eye drama glitter liquid liner- Wicked

-Maybelline Master Drama- Coal Commander

-Maybelline the Rocket mascara- blackest black

FACE:

-Palladio herbal foundation primer

-Maybelline Super Stay makeup- Porcelain Ivory

-Pixi Correction Concentrate- Brightening Peach

-Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch- Ivory

-Loreal True Match concealer- C 1-2-3 Fair

-Sue Devitt Triple C-Weed pressed powder- Quiet & Still

-NYX Matte Bronzer- Light

-Revlon Colorstay mineral finishing powder- Brighten

-Pixi Natural Brow Duo

-Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick- Smooth Taupe

Since the eyes are so sparkly and dramatic, I wanted to keep the face matte yet luminous. I prepped the face with a primer to smooth my skin out and help the foundation go on easier and last longer. Then using my Beauty Blender I buffed on a long wearing foundation all over my face and neck. I applied a peach tone corrector under my eyes to counteract the terrible dark circles I've been having, then I applied a brightening concealer right over top. I set everything with powder to help keep my skin matte. I applied bronzer to my cheeks, sides of temples, and to my jaw bone and then highlighted my face with a pink brightening powder. I kept my eyebrows natural by lightly filling them in and setting them with a brow gel. To finish off the look I applied a super nude lipstick to my lips.

Lorac PRO To Go palette- Look #5- Golden Bronze Eyes

This is the final look in my Lorac PRO To Go palette series. I've had a lot of fun playing around with this palette and coming up with different looks. So for the final look I really wanted to make Chai the star. Chai is an absolutely stunning shimmery golden bronze shade that honestly looks nothing like anything I own in my collection. It seriously makes my eyes look so golden and bright. I didn't need to do much to my eyes to make them stand out and I feel like this look would be perfect for day or night, just add a bit of black liner and you're good to go.

I started this look off the same way as always by applying primer all over the lid, up to the brown. Then I took a large flat brush and patted "Chai" all over the eyelid, leaving the inner corner open and placing "Pearl" in that area. Then on a large fluffy brush I fluffed "Chai" all over the crease as my blending color and then highlighted the brow bone with "Shell". I took the bronzer in the palette on a smaller crease brush and placed it right into the crease and outer corner of the eyes. I used the color "Mink" as a very soft liner on the upper lid to give a bit of definition. On the lower lash line I applied "Cafe" onto the outer corner and "Chai" into the inner, then I applied "Pearl" into the tear ducts. I rimmed the insides of my eyes with a shimmery brown kohl pencil. The brown pencil is a lot less harsh than a black one, but will still add definition to your eyes. Then I just curled my lashes and added mascara to the top and bottom lashes.

Products Used:

EYES:

-Too Faced Shadow Insurance

-Lorac PRO To Go palette- Chai, Pearl, Cafe, Shell, Mink

Bronze

-Rimmel London Scandaleyes waterproof kohl kajal- 003 Brown

-Maybelline The Falsies mascara- blackest black

FACE:

-Benefit High Beam

-Garnier Skin Renew B.B. Cream (combo to oily)- Light/Medium

-MAC Pro Longwear concealer- NC15

-Revlon Nearly Naked powder- Fair

-Lorac PRO To Go palette- Bronze, Coral, Pearl

-Milani Brow Fix brow kit- 03 dark

-MAC Lipstick- Myth

-Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine gloss- Iced Chocolate

-Urban Decay All Nighter makeup setting spray

I've absolutely been loving glowing skin lately, which is strange for me because normally I'm all about really matte skin. I applied Benefit High Beam all over the high points of my face, then I applied my B.B. cream with a damp beauty blended to ensure that glow would shine through. Then I applied a long wearing concealer under my eyes to highlight and cover. Then I lightly set my concealer and T-zone with powder. This will keep the concealer from creasing and also keep my T-zone from getting oily and the base from wearing off. I took a large powder brush and applied the bronzer from the palette all over where the sun naturally hits and then I applied the coral blush right on to the cheek bones. I highlighted my cheek bones, down the bridge of my nose, cupids bow, chin, and above my eye brows with the Pearl eyeshadow from the palette. I filled my brows in with my brow palette and applied a light nude shade to lips, topping it off with a nude gloss to add some shine. I sprayed a makeup setting spray on my face to ensure the makeup would last longer and to keep my face as glow-y as possible.

Final thoughts on palette: I really think this palette is perfect for anyone who loves neutral shades and it looking for a go to palette that can be used to do a full face look. I have to say that using this palette has made getting up and doing my makeup so easy, it's been really nice and my fiancee loves it too =). The colors are all so rich and buttery soft, that you don't even have to use a primer or base underneath them. They last all day and keep their intensity, not to mention that the face products apply awesomely as well. The only problem I have with the face products are that they don't last as long as I would like them to, but for a normal work or school day they would last just fine.  All in all I am very happy with this palette and very glad I purchased it. For me this palette is perfect to bring to do makeup on other people, because all the eye colors as well as face products would work for a variety of skin color as well as you can get a multitude of looks out of it. Overall I think this palette is a nice neutral palette and the added cheek products make it a great go to palette.

Lorac PRO To Go palette series- Look #4- Glittery Natural Eyes Using Lorac 3-D Liquid Lustre

Hey guys! This is the 4th look in my Lorac PRO To Go palette series and this was going to be the last look in my series, but because this looks a lot like the second look I'm going to do a 5th and final look that should be up tomorrow. I had to go with my mom to the doctor's office today, so I didn't want to do anything to crazy or anything that would take me a long time to get ready. So I decided to do a natural eye and add Lorac's 3-D Liquid Lustre in White over top the lid to give me a gorgeous glittery look that was super simple to complete. I kept the eyes free of any eyeliner, except for a small wing using liquid liner right on the upper lid and just a touch of mascara on the lashes. To go with the simple eyes I also kept the skin super simple and easy as well. I love this look, it's easy to achieve and looks really put together and glamorous.  I was so upset that the pictures I took didn't show the full glittery goodness that is the Lorac 3-D Lustre, but seriously if you own this or have ever seen it in real life then you know how amazingly gorgeous this product is.

So to get this simple look I just primed the eyes and added a white base to the eyelid. Then I applied Lorac's "Shell" all over the lid and then blended the bronzer right into the crease and outer corner of the lid. I then took Lorac's 3-D Liquid Lustre in white, which is a gorgeous white/silvery shimmer with gold flecks, on top of the eyelid color for a gorgeous glittery pop. For the brow highlight I just used a little bit of my face powder to just matten down that area. I kept the waterlines clean and added no shadow to the lower lash line as well. I used a liquid eye pen to draw a small cat eye on the upper lash line and then added a bit of "Pearl" to the tear ducts to further brighten the eyes up. To finish the eyes I just added a bit of mascara to the top and bottom lashes.

Products Used:

EYES:

-Too Faced Shadow Insurance

-NYX Eyeshadow Base- White

-Lorac PRO To Go palette- Shell, Pearl, Bronze

-Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 eyeliner

-Lorac 3-D Liquid Lustre drops- White

-Maybelline The Falsies mascara- blackest black

FACE:

-Smashbox Photo Finish primer

-Garnier Skin Renew B.B. Cream (combo to oily)- Light/Medium

-MAC Pro Longwear concealer- NC15

-Bare Minerals Well Rested

-Revlon Nearly Naked powder- Fair

-Lorac PRO To Go palette- Bronze

-Revlon Lip Butter- Wild Watermelon

Since I was in a bit of a rush to get ready this morning I kept the skin relatively simple as well. Prior to applying anything to my face I took the left over 3-D Lustre I had on my fingers and applied it to the tops of my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose to add a natural shimmery highlight. I applied a bit of primer to my T-zone and then buffed my favorite B.B. cream all over the face to give my skin a healthy glow and some coverage. Then I applied a long wear concealer underneath my eyes to cover and highlight and set it with a brightening powder. I set my face lightly with a pressed powder and then used a large powder brush to bronze my face and neck. 

I seriously am in love with this look! Very rarely do I ever not use black eyeliner on the inner rims of my eyes, but I have to say I really liked how wide awake my eyes look and the glitter just seriously makes me happy. This whole look was so easy to achieve and only took 15-20 minutes at the very most to apply, and at least 5 of those minutes were spent dancing to my Ipod =). I hope you guys like this look and are looking forward to the last look in this series.

Lorac PRO To Go palette- Look #3- Matte Brown Grunge Eyes and Luminous Bronzed Skin

Yay for the 3rd look in my Lorac PRO To Go palette series! The look I did today was a version of one of my favorite all time looks. It's an all matte, warm brown "grunge-y" eye. Warm, matte browns are my favorite types of shadows, because I feel like there is just so much you can do with them and they just really bring out any eye color. To further complement the eyes I smudged out a black kohl pencil on the upper lash line and rimmed my eyes with it as well to add definition. I love how blown out the eyes are and how blending the shadow down into my nose contour gave the eyes a different, unique look. Since the eyes are so matte and sort of messy and un-done, I wanted to make my skin super luminous and glowing to balance everything out. I've really been having fun playing around with this palette and it really has made me start thinking about how many palettes I have that I barely use and how I want to start doing more series like this, so if ya'll would like that let me know. I'm really thinking about doing a Naked 2 series next, because I rarely use that palette and it makes me sad and I think it would be awesome to get more use out of it.

So for this eye look I started off by priming the eyes and adding a warm brown base to the lids and up to the crease. Then I took the shadow "Cafe" and patted that all over the lid, on top of that base, you want to make sure to blend out the edges and create a rounded shape in the inner and outer corners. I highlighted the brow bone with "Shell", keeping this color right underneath the brow. Then on a fluffy blending brush I took the bronzer in the palette and blended it all around the outside edges of the lid color and then I blended it right down to the sides of the nose, connecting it with my nose contour. Doing this gives the eye a smokier, more grunge look and really gives a unique edge to a simple makeup look. Taking a black kohl pencil I applied it to the upper lash line and inner rims of the eyes, then I took the matte black in the palette and smudged out the liner on the lid. On the lower lash line, first I took "Cafe" and smudged it all under the eyes and right into the tear ducts then I took the bronzer and smudged it underneath the color, bringing the color pretty low under the eye. A good few coats of mascara on the upper and lower lashes finishes off this simple eye look.

Products Used:

EYES:

-Milani eyeshadow primer

-MAC Cream Colour Base- Take Root

-Lorac PRO To Go palette- Cafe, Shell, Bronze, Black

-Loreal Colour Riche eyeliner- Black

-Maybelline the Falsies mascara- Blackest Black

FACE:

-Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector- Opal

-YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating foundation- BD10

-NARS Radiant Creamy concealer- Chantilly

-Bare Minerals Well Rested

-Proactiv Sheer Finish mineral loose powder- Light

-Lorac PRO To Go palette- Bronze

-Estee Lauder Illuminating Powder Gelee- 01 Heat Wave

-Sonia Kashuk tinted brow gel

-Urban Decay All Nighter makeup setting spray

I love the way matte eyes look with glow-y skin, so I prepped my skin by applying the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal all over my face. I love how this product adds the most gorgeous glow to your skin and whether you use it alone or under or over makeup, it just makes your skin look amazing. Now over top of the Skin Perfector I used the YSL foundation, which is an illuminating foundation that I find gives great coverage and a hydrated beautiful glow to the skin. Under my eyes I used a brightening concealer and set it with the Well Rested powder to really highlight under there. I used a sheer mineral powder to lightly set my T-zone so that I wouldn't look oily, yet the rest of my face would still have the glow I wanted. I didn't want to use any blush with this look, so I took the bronzer in the palette and applied it with a large powder brush in all the usual spots you would apply bronzer. Then I applied a golden highlighting powder to the tops of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, and cupid's bow. To finish the entire look off I spritzed a makeup setting spray all over to remove any bit of powdery residue and to ensure that this look lasted all day.

I really hope you guys like this look and are enjoying this series. I have one more look left to post, so that should be up tomorrow.