Monthly Archives: april 2010

Wedding makeup (part eight – Bride and Bridesmaid tutorial 4 – Inspired by Gabrielle Union)

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For some of the looks I talked about in part 4 of this series I will do a new tutorial, for some others I’m going to refer you to some old tutorials, simply because I don’t have the time to do ALL these looks right now and I think some of these tutorials I’d just redo for this series.

When applying makeup, consider you’re if probably going to shed a tear. If you think you will, go ahead and use more waterproof products then you would normally.

Use only corner lashes, this creates a sultry look but doesn’t cast shadows under your eyes if the lighting is coming mostly from above.

I know this sounds owfull, but try and not use a high SPF on a wedding day, this is because of the (flash)photography, this gives you an odd grey tint and that’s horrible on pictures, so again, when testing your makeup, take pictures in sunlight, “night-light” and using a flash to see it in all the lightings you’ll meet that day.

Also remember, you look most beautiful when you’re enjoying yourself and smiling, so don’t worry about how you look all the time…. if you have lipstick on your teeth, a cute guy will just tell you and you can rub it off and smile at him asking if it’s all gone. You can even go on and flirt and ask him to keep an eye out for you if he’s interested ;)

To create a beautiful nude-ish makeup (perfect for beach weddings), I took inspiration from Gabrielle Union.

Innocent eyes

By CCee · February 6, 2010

Base
I started working on a clean and well moisturised face. To prepare the face for the look I used Smashbox – Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light. I applied this with a Make Up For Ever – Finishing (foundation) brush in N20 this is a small foundation brush which has a little of a pointy tip, which means it’s great for foundation and the occasional concealer application. I used Smashbox – High Definition Healthy FX Foundation in Light L3 and Sephora’s – Concealer Palette to highlight under her eyes. I used Make Up For Ever – HD Powder to set the makeup with a large powder brush and went over her cheeks with a rosey pink Smashbox blush.

Eyes
To keep Nicole’s look as innocent as possible I didn’t want to draw in her eyebrows with a darker colour but with a light matte eyeshadow. I thickened them a little with the powder making her look younger. The colour I used was Urban Decay – Naked eyeshadow which I applied with a Models Own Angled Eyeliner Brush.

Nic was very very tired to to hide the blue undertones on her eyelids I didn’t use a “normal” primer on her eyes. I mixed the white and the salmon colour from the Make Up For Ever – Flash Colour Case and applied this with a flat cream eyeshadow brush by The Body Shop. This means a little creasing will occur, but this will be something that will make her look more awake, so it’s a bad side to this fix that I accept.

I used Sephora – Colorful Mat Mono Eyeshadow in white to lighten up her eyes even more. Adding extra white on her inner corners means you wake up her look even more. Because I don’t want her eyes to look flat I added a purple (Spellbound – Smashbox it’s a warm purple) in her crease using a light hand. I applied this with a Models Own – Shading Eyeshadow Brush blending it to make it look natural. It might sound weird to add a purple as a crease colour when going for a natural look, but the funny thing is that when blending properly and using colour lightly you can make even the colour purple look natural. So don’t be afraid to add a colour to a natural look, it will work, just try it.

Nic added her own volumising mascara and then the look was basically finished. Nic has very big and innocent eyes and this look was looking a little “naked” in my eyes, so at this point I did something I would only do on people with big eyes (if you use it on people with normal or small eyes you close up the eye too much). I just added a little of the same purple that I used in her crease in her lower lashline and some waterproof black eyeliner on her waterline.

Lips
Too add to the innocent look I used a very pink coloured Rimmel lipgloss.

Etherial

By CCee · March 14, 2009

Prep
I started with a cleansed skin. Because my skin was acting up I did the dermalogica double cleanse. I started with Precleanse which is a cleansing oil. I love how this oil really takes of sooo much dirt and makeup, also this doesn’t dry out my skin and the massage you automatically give your face when applying this boosts circulation which means less wrinkles :D . My second cleanser was Ultracalming Cleanser which is sooo soft but does really clean well. It doesn’t give you a tight feeling skin and my skin has really reacted sooo well to this, it’s super :D . After the cleaning, I wanted my skin to look even more fresh so I used bliss triple oxygen™ – Instant energizing mask to foam my skin into a brighter version of itself.


Face
As a primer I used a tester of the Smashbox – Photo finish foundation primer SPF 15 & Dermaxyl, which feels just like the normal Photo Finish but has more skincare things in it apparently. On my face I used Too Faced – Magic Wand Foundation in New York Light. I really love the way you can build up this foundation and the fact that the brush is built in, so when I’m not home (which
I wasn’t) this is unbelievably handy. As a concealer I used two different colours of Smashbox – Camera Ready Concealer. I used the no. 3 and no. 2. The more pink colour I used on the inner corner of my eyes and the more yellow toned colour was used to hide small blemishes and around my nose. I blended this with my fingers because I wasn’t home and I didn’t bring the right brush.

I used a new product I’ve fallen in love with for contouring. Officially it’s a bronzer, but I use it for contouring, it’s Chanel Bronze Universal. It’s pretty expensive but you get a huge jar. I apply this with (another new brush, yes I know, I’m addicted) Sephora Brand – Professionnel Platinum Stippling Brush no. 44. This brush is meant for Stippling, but if I use this brush with my foundation I get a very thick layer. Maybe when I get a thinner foundation (like the Make Up For Ever – HD Invisible Cover Foundation it will work better. I use this brush to apply a thin layer of the Bronze Universal on my temples working in an E or 3 to under my cheekbones and then under my jawline. Remember that you have to blend contouring colours into your hairline and ears to prevent your contouring looking fake.

I used the Make Up For Ever – HD Powder to fix the makeup, buttttt I only used the powder under my eyes and on my forehead, nose and chin, using a clean Smashbox – Crease brush. I used this brush because I want to keep the sheen to my face and I only want to hide the shine on my T-zone. I have a primer under my foundation so it shouldn’t move, but I have a fixing spray I use at the very end of my makeup application.


Eyes
On my eyes I used my favourite Urban Decay – Primer Potion. After this I used the light grey cream eyeliner from the Smashbox (Wicked Lovely Line) – Cream liner loose shimmer pot which is on sale now on the Smashbox website. For the application I used the brush I think I use the most, I even have 2 of this brush :oops: , it’s the Smashbox – Definer brush. I blended the cream eyeliner up to and a little above the crease. I also placed this cream eyeshadow on my lower lash line with the brush side of my Smashbox – Double Ended Smudger Brush.

The colour I placed with my second Smashbox – Definer brush over the grey base is the grey from the Smashbox – Eye Shadow Trio in Shutterspeed. This grey is matte, and I wanted a shimmer, so I took the Smashbox – Crease brush that I used to apply the HD powder on my face. With this brush I used the shimmer powder that’s in the Smashbox (Wicked Lovely Line) – Cream liner loose shimmer pot all over my eyes and over the grey cream liner on my bottom lash line (use only the tip for this, a slightly messy shimmery look under the eyes is sexy, a big glob of shimmer is ugly ;) if you think the brush is too big, get a smaller one for this, I picked this one because it’s very fluffy so you get a very airbrushed finish).

As a mascara I used only one coat of my new (yes, another new thing… I knowwww, I was stressed and then I buy makeup) Dior – Diorshow Iconic Mascara in black. I only wanted one coat because I wanted “flutter lashes” and no huge statement. Which worked amazingly well because that night I looked natural instead of made up.

Because I didn’t want my makeup to move or slip, but did want to keep the face looking the way it looked right now without adding (mattifying) powder, I used Make Up For Ever – Make Up Fixer Spray over this entire look.


Lips
On my lips I used a mini lipstick I got when I bought my Diorshow Iconic. The colour is an Dior – Addict High Shine Lipstick in Catwalk Mauve (sheer mauve plum). If you want the exact same set I got, click here. I hope you like this look!!

Neutral nude eye look with hints of gold

By CCee · August 13, 2008

 

This is a neutral nude-ish eye with a hint of gold (and at the end I added an extra picture with a few golden glitters to show you how to spunk it up if you want to).

Endlook:

I’ve been really into using my Givenchy palette for everything these days, so obviously I used it again today.


Products in this picture (from left to right):

  • Dermalogica, Skin Refining Masque
  • Neutrogena, PureGlow – Daily cleansing cushions (dry and sensitive skin)
  • Benefit, HighBrow
  • Clinique, Repairwear – Intensive eye cream
  • Benefit, Firmology
  • Dermalogica, Skin Prep Scrub
  • Smashbox, Photo Op Under Eye Brightener

 

Preperation
Before I start I always wash my hands first. I then take one Neutrogena cleansing cushion and wash my face. Today was my scrub day, so I took the dermalogica scrub (which is great for sensitive skin) and scrubbed all the dead skin cells off and then washed it all off with warm water. On dry skin I put dermalogica’s skin refining masque and let that sink in for about 15 minutes. I then used warm water again to wash that off and patted dry my sk
in with a towel. I then took the Clinique eye cream and put it on my eyes and let the product go everywhere crows feet can come one day. I then took the Firmology and gave my face a moisturizing layer of heaven (this stuff feels great). I then took the Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener I got with the Try me kit and gave my eyes (eye lid and under my eye) a coating of this product. I then took the highbrow and put that under my brows and smudged it out with my finger.

Products in this picture (from left to right):

  • Givenchy, Prismissime Mat & Glow – 27 sunny
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, All Over Shadow Brush – Large no. 21
  • Urban Decay, Neutral Matte Shadow – Naked (buff nude, Item # 36900)
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, Crease Brush no. 18 (now no. 13)
  • Urban Decay, Eyeshadow – Sin (champagne, Item # 36310)
  • The Body Shop, Slanted Brush (10641)
  • Urban Decay, Eyeshadow – Toasted (rich copper, Item # 36760)
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, Rounded Smudge Brush – no. 12
  • Urban Decay, Eyeshadow – Midnight Cowgirl (subtle golden-beige w/ gold glitter, Item # 36350)
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, Large Synthetic Eyeshadow Brush no. 25

 

Eye
Tip: When doing my eye makeup I tend to go do a colour on one eye, then do the other eye, if I do it like this I see layer by layer where I put what and I always have even eyes.
I didn’t use any eye makeup primer today, I didn’t feel like it and because it’s all very little colour in browns and golds so creasing will stay to a minimum and I have the photo op under it, I didn’t see the need.
I took the lightest colour from the Givenchy Prismissime palette with my All Over Shadow Brush (numbers are under the picture) and placed that all over my eye. It really doesn’t give much of a new colour to my eye, it just evens it out a bit and gives a colour base for the next three colours.

I used Naked with the Crease Brush in my crease (SUPRISE ;) ). Starting from the outside and using a windscreen wiper motion I put the colour in the crease and then I swirled my brush upward a bit to let the colour come up out of the crease a little. I then took my favourite Sin, Sin is a colour I use when I go very minimal and only wear concealer, mascara and this shadow to brighten my eyes a bit. I got 3 of this colour, one in a palette in my makeup stash, one in my bag and one in my coat, so it’s pretty essential in my life. This colour was used on the inner half of my eyelid using a Slanted Brush. I use this brush for my inner corner a lot because the tip gives it exact placement.

The colour Toasted was put on my outer half of my eyelid using yet another brush, the Sephora Rounded Smudge Brush, I also used this brush to put toasted on the outer half of my lower lash line. Basically you now have two colours hitting each other on your upper eyelid and we’re gonna fix that by using Midnight Cowgirl and Sephora’s Large Synthetic Eyeshadow Brush. Pack the colour into the brush and then press it on in the middle of your eye (where the colours hit), while pressing make a very small circular motion. I press this colour in because it has glitter in it and this means fallout if you sweep it on like you do your normal eyeshadow. (I did my foundation after my eyes just to be sure no fallout would ruin my look).

The eye is now almost done, just three more products and one little trick. I want my eyes to look a little brighter to here is my trick, I put the black from the Bourjois pencil on the inner waterline of my top eyelid. This is a bit tricky for people who don’t wear contacts to do, so here’s how you do it. You look up and put your left index finger (if you’re a lefty use your right index finger) on your still unpainted eyelashes, pushing them lightly to your brow bone. If you now look down a bit you can get the colour on your top waterline without ruining your makeup or pulling your skin. (I’m going to get Jet Set waterproof eyeliner from Smashbox soon to do this line, but for now I’m using this.) When you’re done with this, take the cream colour from the other pencil and put this on your lower waterline. The strangest thing happens when I do this on my eye (it may be only on my eye, but for me this is great), the black from the upper lash line stains the outer corners of my eye, but almost doesn’t touch the middle of my lower waterline which makes my eyes look more open.

I then put the LORAC mascara on my eyelashes (I didn’t curl my eyelashes because I want the eye to look natural). It was the first time I tried this mascara and it looks very natural, no clumps, no smudging, it was great. It’s very thin, so your lashes get a very thin coat, which was what I wanted today.

Products in this picture (from left to right):

  • Bourjois, Eyeliner pencil – Cafe & Creme
  • Bourjois, Kohl – Noir & Blanc
  • Smashbox, Hybrid 2 in 1 – Luminizing Primer
  • Unknown brand mascara wand (which I use to brush my eyebrows into shape)
  • Smashbox, Travel Foundation Brush
  • Smashbox, High Definition Healty FX Foundation – Light L3
  • LORAC, Publicity Stunt Lashes – Black (from Sephora The Lash Stash
  • The Body Shop, Concealer brush
  • Smashbox, Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer – 3.0
  • Smashbox, Pressed Powder/Bronze Lights Duo (Bronze Lights in Sunkissed & Pressed Powder in Fair/Light)
  • Smashbox, Baby Buki Brush
  • Chanel, Bronze Lumiere Poudre – Intensite 02

 

Foundation
I started with looking for fallout, there was non :D (I’m sooo good ;) )
I got my Smashbox Master’s Class Vol. 3 – Complexion Perfection in Light today and I really like this kit. It has a short how-to on a dvd in it as well, to show you how to use it (which is great if you’re new to foundation or if you want some new tricks from professionals). It was my first experience with Smashbox and I have to be honest, how the hell did I live without this stuff? It feels great, blends great, and looks great.

I started with the Hybrid 2 in 1 Luminizing Primer from the kit, it feels like I’m putting silk on my skin, it actually feels weird, but it a good way, I noticed I keep touching my cheek today, it’s so soft. I used this all over my face (except my eyes obviously) and followed this primer with the kit’s High Definition Healty FX Foundation using the brush that’s also in the kit, the Travel Foundation Brush. Online I had already seen that the dose for the entire face is one pump (which I thought was a lot, but it did all go on, maybe if I don’t use the brush I would use less). I started at the center of my face working outward, this gives the most natural finish. I like the fact that the travel brush is small for a foundation brush, it gave me more precision in where I wanted the product to go. I then took the Concealer that’s in the kit and used my concealer brush to put it on my dark circles and on my nose that’s pinkish from blowing it sooo much with this damn cold. I’m probably going to wipe it off the next time I blow my nose, but I had to see if it would cover the pink as well as it did the circles, which it did. I then took the baby buki brush (great name), and took the pressed powder from the kit and took it under my eyes and over nose and just above my eyebrows and around my mouth. Followed by something I almost never do, I had to finish the look as they put on the box to see what my opinion was, but I almost never wear blush/bronzer on my cheeks because I blush naturally and I’m always trying to make that
seem less, rather then more. But today I did do some sculpting with the same baby buki brush and the bronze lights under my cheekbones, on my temples, on the sides of my nose and my jawline buffing it out to a subtle shadow. The Smashbox philosophy is that you don’t use one colour on your cheeks, so I dug around in my make-up drawer to find Chanel’s Bronze Lumiere Poudre which I put on the apples of my cheeks. I then finished my face by brushing my eyebrows into shape

With a blue eye (for MartiniLush)

Extra eye with golden glitter:

Glitter used:

  • Urban Decay heavy metal Glitter eye gel Arena

 

That extra pop of gold
If you think the neutral look is a little to neutral for you, use the Urban Decay eye gel in Arena to add some extra sparkle to your eye. I like using this because you don’t have fallout with this gel. You just but a little blob on your hand and use a small brush to place it on the middle of your eye and in the lower inner corner of your eye.

 

* All the information stated above is based on my own experiences, and taken from books like: “Wedding Style” by Carole Hamilton / InStyle Weddings / InStyle Weddings magazines / Getting Gorgeous / Jemma Kidd – Makeup Masterclass / Kevyn Acoin books.

Wedding makeup (part seven – Bride and Bridesmaid tutorial 3 – Inspired by Zoe Saldana)

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For some of the looks I talked about in part 4 of this series I will do a new tutorial, for some others I’m going to refer you to some old tutorials, simply because I don’t have the time to do ALL these looks right now and I think some of these tutorials I’d just redo for this series.

When applying makeup, consider you’re if probably going to shed a tear. If you think you will, go ahead and use more waterproof products then you would normally.

Use only corner lashes, this creates a sultry look but doesn’t cast shadows under your eyes if the lighting is coming mostly from above.

I know this sounds owfull, but try and not use a high SPF on a wedding day, this is because of the (flash)photography, this gives you an odd grey tint and that’s horrible on pictures, so again, when testing your makeup, take pictures in sunlight, “night-light” and using a flash to see it in all the lightings you’ll meet that day.

Also remember, you look most beautiful when you’re enjoying yourself and smiling, so don’t worry about how you look all the time…. if you have lipstick on your teeth, a cute guy will just tell you and you can rub it off and smile at him asking if it’s all gone. You can even go on and flirt and ask him to keep an eye out for you if he’s interested ;)

Zoe is a young actress that keeps her look fresh with clean skin and amazing eyeliner. This is perfect for those of you that don’t normally wear a lot of makeup, but do want to add a touch of colour or makeup for this special day.

Nicole Richie (@ Proenza Schouler Spring 2009 Fashion Show) (September 11, 2008)

By CCee · September 11, 2008

If you’ve been watching this site closely, you might recognise this look, because a black and white picture of it is my favicon (the small picture in the address bar and in if you saved me in your favourites there is a small eye picture there too).
Here is the picture (with added watermark) bigger:

I didn’t add false lashes, but if you prefer adding them I’d go for corner lashes to add to the “wings”.


Products in this picture:

  • Diadermine Soft Mousse Cleanser
  • Sephora Dry Skin Soothing Toner
  • Clinique Continuous Resque Antioxidant Moisturiser
  • Clinique Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream
  • Sephora Brand, “Tricks of the Trade” Immediate Wrinkle Filler

Preparation
I started by cleaning my face with Diadermine Soft Mousse Cleanser followed by Sephora Dry Skin Soothing Toner. I used Continuous Resque Antioxidant Moisturiser and Repairwear Intensive Eye Cream to sooth my skin a little. I took a little of the  Wrinkle Filler under my eyes.


Products in this picture:

  • Benefit, Valley of the Stars
  • Smashbox, Totally fab lip gloss collection (using the lightest colour)
  • Urban Decay, Eyeshadow Primer Potion
  • Givenchy, Prisimissime Mat & Glow – 72 Sunny
  • Smashbox, Definer Brush – no. 15
  • Smashbox, Photo Op – Under Eye Brightener
  • Smashbox Photo Finish (clear) Foundation Primer
  • Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation – Light L3
  • Make Up For Ever Professional Paris, Super Matte Loose Powder – No. 12
  • Sephora Professionnel, Mineral Brush – no. 45
  • Smashbox, Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer – 3.0
  • Smashbox, Concealer Brush – no. 4
  • Dior, Diorshow Mascara – Black
  • Smashbox, Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner – Midnight Black
  • Benefit, High Brow
  • Smashbox, Arced Liner Brush – no. 21
  • Mascara brush for eyebrow brushing
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, Pointed Liner/Eyeliner Brush – no. 17
  • Sephora Brand eyelash curler

    Face

I wanted my eyes to stand out, and therefor used minimal makeup everywhere else. Now using minimal makeup doesn’t mean using no makeup, it means making it look like natural (no) makeup.
Using Photo Finish as a base is so natural to me, either this or the Luminizing primer is my standard starting point for every face I do, don’t use this on the eyelid. Because I wanted the foundation to look like no foundation I used half a pump of High Definition Healthy FX Foundation and put it on using my fingers. This creates an even skin tone, don’t use this on the eyelid, primer will be the base here. The plush side of this foundation in a pump is that you don’t get bacteria in the foundation as quickly as you have with regular foundation that’s in a tube or jar.
I used the stick of Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer straight under my eyes to give a thick layer of concealer and blended this using the no. 4 concealer brush, when using much concealer, blending hides the fact that you use a lot.
I used High Brow under my brows to lighten the brow bone and make them stick out a little more, blend this well or it will look fake.
Under my eyes I put a little layer of Photo Op Under Eye Brightener, tapping it into my skin using my ring finger.
When you want your base to stay matte use a powder to set the foundation, I used Super Matte Loose Powder and a Mineral Brush to buff it in (not going over my eyelid)
To prime my eyes I used Primer Potion, I used the primer potion on my eyelid and up to where I blended the Highbrow.

Eyes
To create a matte base on my eyes I used the bottom left colour from the Prisimissime Mat & Glow all over my eyes. The colour I used in my crease was the top left colour from the same palette.

I used the Definer brush (no. 15) to place the lightest colour of the Valley of the Stars palette on my lower lash line. I did this by putting my middle finger under my eye and pressing lightly, now you can actually reach the area better and there is no chance of you accidentally getting the brush in your eye.
This is all the colour I used on my eye (so no picture to show you because you don’t really see much of the colour differences in the picture.

I used the Arced Liner brush to place the medium thick Jet Set line on my eyes taking up the Pointed Liner Brush to do the wings at the end. The way I did this, was by looking straight into the mirror and then lightly drawing the wing top line first…. connecting it to the line I’d drawn on top of my lash line. Then I drew the lower line creating a small triangle back to my eye that I filled with black. If you have very wide set eyes start the eye line in the inner corner and make the wing not go to the end of the eye but a little in.

When I was happy with the wing
s I added Jet Set with the Arced Liner brush to the top waterline. Try not to blink when you do this, because the liner dries and now you only have a line on the top lash line keeping the bottom waterline clean.
I curled my lashes and checked to see if any of the line had moved or smudged during the curling before adding the Diorshow mascara.
Brushing my eyebrows into shape was the last thing I did to finish this Challenge.


If you want the look with falsies, check the liner afther application. If the line needs to be thicker at this point, thicken it now. Then use a little mascara only at the base to blend your lashes with the false lashes… don’t place mascara on the tips of the lashes because this will make them look even more fake.

Lips

On my lips I used Totally fab lip gloss collection (using the lightest colour).

Vibrant liner

By CCee · April 21, 2009

Final eye:

Face
I started on a clean moisturized face using Dior, Dior Bronze Anti-aging Sun Cream ( Moderate Tanning ) SPF 15 to help my skin in the sun today and give it a little of a fake tan later on. As I’m as pale as a vampire, I had to add a little extra colour to make the spring colours pop, so I used Lancaster, Infinite Bronze Face Bronzer with 15 SPF on my face, I didn’t want to wear any foundation or help with any shining, so I used only that on my skin, no primer or anything. To make me look very sunkissed I added Chanel, Bronze Universal which is a Sun illuminator, I applied this on my temples, under my cheekbones and jawline and on my nose, forehead and chin with my Sephora Brand – Professionnel Platinum Stippling Brush no. 44 which means I contoured and bronzed with this product. On my cheekbones I used a little Benefit, Moonbeam which gives a healthy glow.

Eyes
I wanted to look very fresh, and even though I didn’t wake up with dark circles under my eyes, I did wanted to add a little brightning there, so I used Smashbox, Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer in no. 2 followed by powder (only under my eyes to set the concealer) with Make Up For Ever – HD Invisible Cover Foundation. As a primer on my eyelids I used Urban Decay – Primer Potion. As a base colour (keeping the shine theme going here) I used Urban Decay, Sin eyeshadow followed by a little Urban Decay, Toasted on my eyelid and under my eye using the Smashbox, no. 15 Definer Brush. I drew the blue line with Make Up For Ever – Aqua Eyes in Iridescent navy blue (15L) first to give the eyeshadow something to stick to and to create the perfect line (make sure you sharpen your pencil first). To deepen the blue line up I used Urban Decay – Adore on top of the liner with a small flat brush, pushing the colour into the Iridescent navy blue. This also means the colour stays on better. To make the eyes look more awake I used the White from the Bourjois Noir & Blanc Eyeliner and topped that off with the Cream side of the Coffee & Cream Bourjois liner on my waterline. Mixing these colours makes it less harsh then the white alone. I brushed my brows into place and curled my lashes with my Shu Uemura lashcurler and coated my lashes with one coat of Diorshow, Iconic in 090 Black.

Nails
If you’re curious about my nails… click on this picture:

Lips
On my lips I’m wearing Smashbox, Lip Enhancing Gloss in Afterglow.

 

 

* All the information stated above is based on my own experiences, and taken from books like: “Wedding Style” by Carole Hamilton / InStyle Weddings / InStyle Weddings magazines / Getting Gorgeous / Jemma Kidd – Makeup Masterclass / Kevyn Acoin books.

Wedding makeup (part six – Bride and Bridesmaid tutorial 2 – Inspired by Oprah)

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For some of the looks I talked about in part 4 of this series I will do a new tutorial, for some others I’m going to refer you to some old tutorials, simply because I don’t have the time to do ALL these looks right now and I think some of these tutorials I’d just redo for this series.

When applying makeup, consider you’re if probably going to shed a tear. If you think you will, go ahead and use more waterproof products then you would normally.

Use only corner lashes, this creates a sultry look but doesn’t cast shadows under your eyes if the lighting is coming mostly from above.

I know this sounds owfull, but try and not use a high SPF on a wedding day, this is because of the (flash)photography, this gives you an odd grey tint and that’s horrible on pictures, so again, when testing your makeup, take pictures in sunlight, “night-light” and using a flash to see it in all the lightings you’ll meet that day.

Also remember, you look most beautiful when you’re enjoying yourself and smiling, so don’t worry about how you look all the time…. if you have lipstick on your teeth, a cute guy will just tell you and you can rub it off and smile at him asking if it’s all gone. You can even go on and flirt and ask him to keep an eye out for you if he’s interested ;)

If you look at a woman who’s inspired MANY African-American women, the first person that pops to my mind is Oprah. I used her as my inspiration for beautiful skin and day-appropriate smokey eyes):

Rachel McAdams – Time Traveler’s Wife Premiere Tutorial

By CCee · February 28, 2010 

If you want to see how I did this, keep on reading.

Face
I don’t feel awake if I don’t have a clean and well moisturized face, for some reason if I don’t properly do this I feel like I’m still sleeping.
I cleansed my face with a scrub mixed into a Neutrogena face wash, this means it’s less harsh but does take off dead skincells.
I moisturized with the Dior Capture line.

Then I used Make Up For Ever, HD Primer in 001 Neutral because this primer does the job it’s supposed to do and it’s very light on the skin, you feel like you’re moisturizing instead of priming with this primer. I then used half a pump of Make Up For Ever, HD Foundation in 155, I applied this only around the hairline (blending very very well into the hairline) and jawline, this slims the face and on the centre of my face I used half a pump of the Make Up For Ever, HD Foundation in 140 Soft Beige. Under my eyes I patted some MUFE lift concealer to hide my dark circles. To set this I used the Laura Mercier – Lanslucent Loose Setting Powder and their velours puff. To set the makeup on my face I used L’Oreal Tru Match Foundation powder and a huge Illamasqua – Powder brush to blend this into the rest of the makeup. This is really a Foundation powder, but the coveridge is only a little because I’m not applying it with the sponge it comes with. My face just looks flawless, not cakey or fake.

To add demention to the face I knew I had to use a little contouring, I used my new MAC – Powder Blush in Harmony I’ve seen Tanya Burr use this for contouring so often that I just had to get it. To contour I always use my Illamasqua – Highlighter brush, this gives sooo much controll on the placement of the colour, that I don’t think I like using any other brush for this anymore. I do tend to blend the outer edges with the brush I used for powder though, this makes the contouring look more natural because it’s blended even more. That really is a trick for a natural flawless face, blending blending blending. Many friends who just look at the list of products I use think I’m insane for using so much, but the thing is, I use very little of everything and I blend well, which makes it look natural. Sometimes I’m wearing a full face and people think I’m wearing nothing. (Then again, sometimes I’m wearing nothing and people think I’m wearing loads :S)

I added some Smashbox blush from a palette (so I have no idea what colour it is), but it was a pink with a peachy hint to it. If you don’t have full lips, add some highlighting cream on your cupid’s bow. Otherwise, this is the perfect time for a little lipbalm to make your lips well moisturized.

Eyes
Rachel and I both have dark brows, her’s aren’t filled that much and mine aren’t at all. If you do feel the need to fill your brows, do so now. Your brows are what frame your eyes, and this means that to know how far you can go with your makeup, you need to know in what type of frame you’re working.

I started my eyes with Urban Decay – Eyeshadow Primer Potion, I did my eyes without this a week ago and I hated that my makeup looked worn after about an hour.

Now I didn’t get all these MAC shadows to not use them on my first look after that haul, so I started the eyes with a base of Brule this is a great nude colour on my skin and it makes it easier to blend the colours into one another later.

Ricepaper was the next MAC shadow I used. I used it to get a frost around the crease which makes the brown I’ll use over it look more shiney. For the placement I used the Illamasqua – blending brush and the best way to explain the placement is this pictu
re:

I don’t want to have the darkest colour on my inner corner, I don’t think Rachel has the same colour brown all around her eyes, so I used Wedge and Cork on the inner corner. I used a dome shaped brush for this.

I then applied Brun with a Laura Mercier – Angled Eye Colour Brush. This is a brush that is great for creasework, but I also love using it sideways. The short hairs give a darker application of colour and the longer hairs a lighter application, so this eases the blending.

At this point I’m also applying the colour under my eyes to see how dark I want to go. (using a MAC – 219 – pencil brush)

When I looked into the mirror I thought the colour was all wrong, I needed a more golden tint to it, but the best way to create a great eye, is by layering, sooo I used 2 Urban Decay colours to top it off and a great eyeliner pencil. But first I needed to blend the Brun, so I used my MAC 217 – blending brush

I took up an Urban Decay colour that is a brown with a golden tint to it, named Twice Baked. To top off the goldenness I used very little of Baked on a big fluffy brush to add a little extra glimmer. Then to add a little more depth to the lashline I used 24/7 Glide on eyepencil in Bourbon and smuded this with the MAC – 219 – pencil brush

The thing that’s a little too bad is that the colour on the pictures isn’t the colour I saw in the mirror. The lighting was too blue (I used natural lighting but it’s winter so it’s a blue light outside).

I lined my waterlines with black Urban Decay – 24/7 pencil in Zero. I then curled my lashes with a Laura Mercier lashcurler and used Urban Decay – Eyelash Primer Potion and Diorshow Iconic. These two together mean my lashes look very long :D . At this point you can add (corner) lashes to bring this look to a higher level if you prefer.

To go with the dark eyes I went with chapstick only. This makes them look healthy but not shiney. You can also choose to add a little pigment to this chapstick for added colour but still nicely cared for lips.

When I was out with my class, one of the students took this picture of me from the side:

 

Valentine’s day look (my Theatre look)

By CCee · February 13, 2010

Oprah is know for wearing false (Shu Uemura lashes), and I wanted to show you how to wear falsies and still look fresh.

Face
For the face it’s basically the same as I later used on Iveenia’s Witch Look.
Using my Make Up For Ever, HD Primer in 001 Neutral as a primer was a no brainer, even though this feels very light, it keeps the makeup stay pretty all night! Over this I used half a pump of Make Up For Ever, HD Foundation in 155, I applied this only around the hairline (blending very very well into the hairline) and jawline, this slims the face and on the centre of my face I used half a pump of the Make Up For Ever, HD Foundation in 140 Soft Beige.

Under my eyes I patted some MUFE lift concealer. This all means you look like you’re lit from within and it helps with the contouring. I then used the stapling brush (Sephora) to blend Chanel – Bronze Universel under my cheekbones and blending this into the hairline. Because I want to look non shiney I used Laura Mercier – Lanslucent Loose Setting Powder and a velours puff. I then used a Smashbox contouring powder and my Illamasqua – Highlighter brush to contour under my cheekbones and on the temples and on my jawline. To blend this out and make it look more natural I used a L’Oreal Tru Match Foundation powder and a huge Illamasqua – Powder brush to blend this into the rest of the makeup.

Eyes

I used a little of Urban Decay – Naked eyeshadowin my brows to define them a little more but have it seem like I didn’t do anything to them at all to a non makeup freaky eye ;)

I used my Urban Decay – Eyeshadow Primer Potion on my lids only and blended this up and out. I didn’t want this under my brows because I want this eye to look naturally pretty and even though the primer potion helps it stay on better, it also adds a little bit of a thickness to the colours you use (which makes them more vibrant!) which makes it look “fake”. Under my brows I started with Benefit – HighBrow, blending this into the skin with my fingers. I then used the same pencil to highlight my inner eye corners and again blended this with my fingers.

For the next part I used 2 new brushes I got from my sister (she gave me a MAC 217 – blending brush and a 219 – pencil brush), the Illamasqua – blending brush and the Urban Decay – Book of Shadows Volume II (for more on these books, check my next post ;) ).
I used Mushroom (only available in the Volume II palette) on my eyelid and I used Gunmetal in the crease.

To add a little highligt I added some Polyester Bride on the ball of my eyelid. I used the same colours on my bottom lashline and then lined my top eyelid thinly with Urban Decay – Liquid Eyeliner – Perversion to help hide the lashband of the false lashes. I curled my lashes slightly and used Urban Decay – Eyelash Primer Potion followed by Urban Decay – Big Fatty Mascara in black black. The false lashes I’m wearing in this picture are Eylure – Girls Aloud lashes – Nadine‘s.

 

 

* All the information stated above is based on my own experiences, and taken from books like: “Wedding Style” by Carole Hamilton / InStyle Weddings / InStyle Weddings magazines / Getting Gorgeous / Jemma Kidd – Makeup Masterclass / Kevyn Acoin books.

Wedding makeup (part five – Bride and Bridesmaid tutorial 1 – Inspired by Jennifer Hudson)

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For some of the looks I talked about in part 4 of this series I will do a new tutorial, for some others I’m going to refer you to some old tutorials, simply because I don’t have the time to do ALL these looks right now and I think some of these tutorials I’d just redo for this series.

When applying makeup, consider you’re if probably going to shed a tear. If you think you will, go ahead and use more waterproof products then you would normally.

Use only corner lashes, this creates a sultry look but doesn’t cast shadows under your eyes if the lighting is coming mostly from above.

I know this sounds owfull, but try and not use a high SPF on a wedding day, this is because of the (flash)photography, this gives you an odd grey tint and that’s horrible on pictures, so again, when testing your makeup, take pictures in sunlight, “night-light” and using a flash to see it in all the lightings you’ll meet that day.

Also remember, you look most beautiful when you’re enjoying yourself and smiling, so don’t worry about how you look all the time…. if you have lipstick on your teeth, a cute guy will just tell you and you can rub it off and smile at him asking if it’s all gone. You can even go on and flirt and ask him to keep an eye out for you if he’s interested ;)

Jennifer Hudson is an amazing woman! She’s comfortable in her own skin and has amazing skin as well. I did a few looks that remind me of these looks Jennifer has worn:

The key to her makeup is using a semi-matte foundation and a slight shimmer on the high planes of her face where she wants to shine.

From all the looks I’ve done in the past years, I believe these should give you sufficient information to recreate a look similar to these. (I’m reposting some of the older tutorials I did, but I’m changing some of the texts to update them for the Wedding series.)

Naked (eye makeup tutorial)

By CCee · August 22, 2009 
There is a makeup look that will never go out of fashion, that look would be the nude/neutral eye with beautiful skin. Click the image of the product to go to the producer’s website (if it’s still sold).

Every great neutral face and eye starts with a cleaned and moisturized face, it’s spring/summer right now so the moisturizer is extremely important. In this warm weather people sweat and that means salt crystals on the skin, that plus the burning sun create an easily dehydrated skin. I’ve been using Shiseido’s The Skincare Range’s Day Moisture Protection SPF 15 (at night I use their Night Moisture Recharge Light) as my daily moisturizer and I also use Estee Lauder’s Daywear Plus Multi Protection Anti-Oxidant Lotion SPF 15 I love using different moisturizers depending on what my skin needs, the Shiseido moisturizer is a little richer and the Estee Lauder moisturizer smells sooo summery :D and feels so light. The eye cream I’m using is by Elizabeth Arden’s PREVAGE® Eye Anti-aging Moisturizing Treatment.

Because I’m someone who doesn’t suntan I always stay pretty light. I do however hate looking pasty pale when everyone around me has a healthy glow, I found a way to make me instantly tan (depending on how much you put on your face) and it’s streakless and very easy to apply. This Clinique (click the image to go to the website) Self Sun face bronzing gel tint is a product I heard about on youtube when Pixiwoo was raving about it and I HAD to buy it and I love it.


I always apply this all over my face when I need a bit of a tan (taking extra care around the hairline) bringing it down my neck and then blending it out. I never apply this over my eyelids because I don’t think this is great for the eye area and if you blend it properly you just have brighter eyes which is something we all try to achieve with makeup. Having moisturized beforehand means you can blend this better and it’s not a flaky application. Do remember to scrub your face every couple of days when you’re using self tanner.

I LOVE this Smashbox Illuminating Serum which isn’t sold separately. You can only get this in the Master’s Class Vol. 4 Rescue Beauty kit sold at Sephora.com (click on the picture to go to the website). Chanel also sell an amazing Hydrating Serum, so try that one if you can afford it.

This serum gives you a NATURAL healthy glow and wearing it alone makes your skin look perfect and not shiny or shimmery. Wearing it under a tinted moisturizer makes it a little less glowy but still naturally healthy, under a foundation it’s a minimal glow, but you can use it on top of your foundation as a highlighter on top of your cheekbones. I always work from the centre of the face blending outward because I want the most of the glow to be in the centre (the lit from within look). This tube contains rose extract and hyaluronic acid to moisturise and revive the complexion. The tube has a great “nozzle” to give you the pea size amount you need for your entire face.

I told you about the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer that I love this summer because it seems to eat my shiny-ness. I tell you more about it here.

It applies a little “stiffer” then the Smashbox Primer I love, but it does wonders for my shine this summer, so I’m loving it.

My skin looks pretty amazing now, but I still want it to look a little more perfect so I’m using the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer I talk about in this post. The colour I’m wearing is Sand.

This tinted moisturizer is pigmented enough to give me a perfect complexion. I seriously need no more coverage. When going to a wedding, try not to look like you plastered your face with makeup, it’s not pretty, believe me!

Next up is the Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener. This little tube is something I thought I’d never use, but I actually have three and I use it on everyone I make up.

When I’m not wearing any foundation I use this on the top of my nose, on my cheekbones, cupid’s bow and around my eyes. For this look I only used it on my cupid’s bow and on my eye-bone (see picture).

I blend this with my fingers.

Next up I use concealer, the one I’m using for this look is Laura Mercier Undercover Pot in no. 3 which contains the Secret Camouflage and Secret Concealer.

I tell you more about this product here. I use my fingers to blend the Secret Camouflage and the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brush with it’s flat tapered synthetic brushhead. I love how the tip is perfect for concealing blemishes.

The Secret Concealer is slightly softer then the Secret Camouflage and is perfect for under eye concealing.

I am more tan thanks to the Self Sun, but I still want a little more contouring under my cheekbones and on my temples. For this I use Chanel Bronze Universel. For darker complexions, try a contouring product by Make Up For Ever, they sell the best makeup for darker skintones.

I don’t want to contour too much because I’m going for a natural look. On the picture you can see why I almost never use a blusher, I have a natural flush.

You can also see how many more freckles I get in the summer.

Next is powder to set everything. I’ve been using Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder which is in the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot. I tell you more about it here. Up close the powder looks like this (and this is all I used on my entire face).

I use the Laura Mercier Camouflage Powder Brush for applying powder under the eyes to set the concealer.

To put the powder on the rest of my face I use the Laura Mercier Velours Puff. I skip powdering my apples and the tops of my cheekbones, I do this because I want these places to have a glow and I know that the makeup won’t budge even without powder.

To prime my eyes for the eyeshadow I love using the Urban Decay Primer potion.

I prime my entire eye and what’s left on my fingers I blend under my eye.

Now I can start with the eye shadows. To start of with I’m using a colour that’s slightly lighter then my skin tone but it’s so sheer that it’s perfect as a colour base. I use an eyeshadow all over my eye because of the primer I used, the primer keeps the eyeshadow longer, but it also makes it harder to blend. Blending is easier if you place a neutral shadow as a base. I’m using Smashbox Vanilla, which is a matte shadow. (Click on the picture to go to the website.)

I use a fluffy shadow brush (by Smashbox) to blend this all over my eyelid.

Remember to clean your shadow brushes once a week to make sure you work hygienic.

The thing that I love to do when doing a neutral eye is using shadows to make the eye look more open. The colour I use to manipulate my eye shape is Naked by Urban Decay (click the image). If you don’t have my skincolour, find a colour that’s the same colour as the shadow under your jawline, that’s the perfect colour for contouring the eyesocket.

This colour is slightly darker then my natural skin tone, it’s a matte eyeshadow.

To place this colour I’m using a stiffer brush, namely the no. 4 Concealer brush by Smashbox. This is a synthetic brush that’s made for concealer and cream eye shadows. This stiffer brush means I get a more precise application and more control over the blending.

I pack the colour only on one side of the brush and I apply it holding the colour to the eyebrow side of the eye and I’m holding the brush like this:

As you can see I’m applying it on the topside of my crease and I’m only applying it on the outer half of the crease. I then turn the brush a quarter and blend:

Put the side that the eyeshadow was on on the side of the nose. Blend and blend until you get a natural shadow and your eye looks like this:

I wanted a slightly darker brown to make it a little more shaded. I couldn’t find a matte dark brown until I found this brown in the Smashbox Smokey Eyes Eye Shadow Trio which is no longer sold.

The trio has a champaigne with gold flecks, a aubergine colour and a dark brown with a hint of gold.

As you can see the gold is almost non existing and I took very little of this on the no. 4 brush. I did the same thing I did with Naked and blended what was left on the brush after blending under my eyes, when I was done my eyes look like this:

I took up a brown cream eyeliner pencil from Smashbox in the colour Midnight Brown (no longer sold) and used that on my upper waterline pushing it into my eyelashes.

I don’t want anything on my lower waterline because this will close up the eye and it will make the makeup less natural.

The thing that finishes this makeup is eyelashes. I use my Shu Uemura Eyelashcurler, mini Lancome Cils Booster XL which I got in the Sephora Lashstash Mascara Deluxe Sampler and Rimmel London Secy Curves in waterproof Black.

The Cils Booster XL really makes my lashes appear longer. The best way of showing you is by showing you the picture of my “naked” face and the one after the mascara is applied, which is also the final eye.

When I close my eyes it looks like this:

On my lips I’m wearing Urban Decay’s XXX Shine Lipgloss (cooling lip gloss) in Heatherette.

Another tutorial that would work for these types of looks is:

Easy-Peasy Look

By CCee · April 27, 2009

Not all wedding looks should have to take HOURS and HOURS to apply, quality trumps quantity and that doesn’t mean you look like you haven’t tried.

Face:
On my Face I’m using Smashbox – Hybrid 2 in 1 Luminizing primer from the Greenroom Collection as a base. For the foundation I’m wearing 50% Lancaster, Infinite Bronze Face Bronzer with 15 SPF mixed with 50% Smashbox, High Definition Healthy FX Foundation in Light L3, I applied this with my fingers to really work it into my skin, making it look more natural. On my forehead, cheeks, nose and chin I used Chanel, Bronze Universal to create a natural bronze look using the Sephora Brand – Professionnel Platinum Stippling Brush no. 44.
Just because you’re bronzing, doesn’t mean you should skip contouring, so I used a no longer sold Smashbox Bronzer/Blush duo called Contour/Pop to contour using the Sephora, Mineral powder brush no. 45. The blush I used is from the Blush/Soft lights Duo (available in the Smashbox Runway Glam Kit), I mixed both colours to create my perfect blush colour.

Go-to Easy-Peasy Eyes:

On my eyes I’ve got the Urban Decay, Eyeshadow Primer Potion to create an amazing base, over this I used Smashbox, Cream Eyeliner in Cameo with a Smashbox, no. 15 definer brush on my eyelid and under my eye. I blended this really well just over my crease, using more on the inside then on the outside of the crease. On my eyelids I’m wearing Smashbox, Bronze eyeshadow, which is not sold on their website, but they did send me one as a gift, so no idea when they’ll sell it again, it is a lovely colour though. I applied the Bronze with the same brush as the cream eyeliner. Also using the same brush I applied the golden colour from theInstant Eyes Shadow & Liner Palette from the Smashbox Runway Glam Kit on the centre of my eyelid (creating a little more depth). The lightest colour I used under the arch of my brow. To curl my lashes I used the Shu Uemura, Lash curler and the mascara is Dior, Diorsho
w Waterproof in 090 noir.

Lips:
On my lips I used the darker side from the Fast Track lipgloss, available in the Smashbox Runway Glam Kit. I used a Benefit lipliner to create a more pointy (yet natural) cupid’s bow.

 

Elephants grey smokey eye

By CCee · August 17, 2008

Sometimes you have a wedding day that starts outside and bubbly, but ends in a party that goes into the night. Don’t think that once you put on your make-up you can’t change it later in the day without taking everything off, you can build on old makeup if it stayed put, and if it didn’t you can just clean your eyes and refresh the base there. Another thing to think about is where you apply your makeup, I do it in front of a big window for day wear and under a yellow light for nightwear. I this because this simulates the light I will be in later, and the makeup should look good in that lighting.

Tonight I wanted to show you a quick smokey eye that isn’t too dark and isn’t scary at all, it’s still wedding appropriate.


Products in this picture:
– Neutrogena, PureGlow – Daily cleansing cushions (for dry and sensitive skin)
– Bliss, Sleeping Peel – Age minimizing eyegel
– Sephora, Immediate wrinkle filler
– Benefit, Firmology

Preperation
I started with my normal routine (since this week it’s a routine ;) ). Anyway, I cleaned with the Neutrogena cleansing cushions, then followed with the Bliss age minimizing eye gel and Sephora’s Wrinkle filler. I ended with the Firmology and let that sink in for about 20 minutes. In the morning I never give it 20 minutes to sink in, but it’s supposed to be best, so when I’m not in a hurry I let it sink in.


Products in this picture:
– Smashbox, Hybrid 2 in 1 – Luminizing primer
– Smashbox, High definition healthy FX foundation – Light L3
– Smashbox, Camera ready concealer – 3.0
– Smashbox, Photo op – Under eye brightener
– YSL, Touche Eclat – no. 2
– Benefit, Highbrow

Skin
I started with my favourite primer which I put everywhere except on my lips and on my eye-area, I used it yesterday without anything else and I still looked awake. I followed with the foundation everywhere where I put the primer. I did it with my fingers and used less product then 1 pump. I wanted the foundation to only conceal where I needed it (nose and chin) and the rest was just a wash of colour. I then used the under eye brightener not just under my eye, but on my eye as well. I didn’t wear anything else on my face until I got home and this gave my eyes a little sparkle.
When I got home I used the Touche Eclat to clean up my face a bit, I used it under my eyes and on top of my eyebrow. I drew a line of highbrow under the arc of my eyebrow only because I wanted the smokey to stay smokey.


Products in this picture:
– Urban Decay, Palette (I used the colour Uzi: metallic silver w/ big iridescent sparkles – Item # 34100)
– Smashbox, Eye Shadow Trio – Shutterspeed
– Sephora, Eyelash curler
– Smashbox, Arced Liner brush – no.21
– Sephora Brand Professionnel, Crease Brush – no. 18
– Sephora Brand Professionnel, Rounded Crease Brush – no. 13
– Blinc, Kiss Me Mascara – Black

Eyes
This is a smokey eye that’s smokey, but still pretty and not to dark, which for me means greys. I always look for the perfect mushroom and perfect elephant grey colour. I once had the perfect mushroom colour by No.7 but they don’t make it anymore. Yesterday I found this elephant grey in the Smashbox Shutterspeed trio and now I’m happy. I started by making my rounded crease brush wet (as you can see on the picture I cleaned it after use because I used a wet product on it). When it was wet I made sure it wasn’t dripping and then filled it with the darkest grey in the palette (I always do this in a corner to keep the other half of the colour dry). I gave my lids and a little over my crease a thick layer of this grey colour and then seriously considered to not smoke it out and to leave the harsh line because it was kinda cool. But I decided not to in the end and let the wet dry on my eyes before I took a dry crease brush and dipped it in the dry part of the grey and then going in and over my crease I smudged out the line and went a little more up. I then cleaned the crease brush on a towel and took the middle colour from the same palette (an off white colour with a hint of golden yellow) and took this under by brow and blended down in the grey (to the crease), you take the grey colour down a bit with this down-blending. I used the brush from the Urban Decay palette to take Uzi in the inner corner of my eye for a little sparkle. I took the hooked liner brush with a little Smashbox grey on my waterline. I curled my lashes and followed with the Blinc Mascara, I have a mini and I hate the tube it comes it, but I love the way it looks on my lashes.

Lips
I got a lipstick by L’Oreal Colour Riche Star Secrets a while ago. It’s the colour Doutzen Kroes wears, she describes it as a nude, natural colour, but with a little bit of pink and orange. I personally don’t see the orange in it. It’s for blonds, and I’m really a brunette, but I don’t care, it’s the same colour my lips naturally have, and this is the colour that’s the best nude I’ve ever worn. For the best lipcolour on your skintone, press on your lips for 10 seconds, then let go, the blood will darken the colour of the lips you touched for a short period of time, the colour your lip is then is the perfect colour for you.

 

Grey/Brown with a hint of Gold look

By CCee · September 27, 2008

 

I did another look for Bellaressa a long time ago when she was in need of a few looks that are easy and great for at work. Also they need to be easily kicked into a night look. I did these looks for her then and I believe this one also applies to this Weddings series.

This post was for a sophisticated fashion event (semi night look because there will probably be no natural light.

This look is a dark grey/brown with a hint of gold smokey eye. I’d pair this with neutral lips.

Preparation
Because I needed a clean radiant face, I used Bliss Sleeping Peel Cleansing Cream to clean and take away dead skin cells. I then used Clinique’s Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief and Clinique Moisture Surge
>Extra Refreshing Eye Gel on my face and Bliss, Thinny Thin Chin on my neck area.


Products in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Hybrid 2 in 1 – Luminizing Foundation Primer
  • YSL, Teint Parfait – no. 3 Champagne
  • YSL, Teint Parfait – no. 7 No. 7 Golden Sand
  • Smashbox, Photo Op – Under eye Brightener
  • Benefit, Highbrow

Face
When my moisturizer had soaked into my skin I placed a pea sized amount of Hybrid 2 in 1 on my finger and then mixed the two with the ring and middle finger of my other hand and then went over my face. I mixed a little no. 3 and no. 7 Teint Parfait to get a apricot tint with a mild golden shimmer. This made my face look radiant and pretty. With a little Photo Op under my eyes and on top of the lid I was done, no concealer was needed. I used Highbrow under my brows to highlight the brow bone.

  • Urban Decay, Urban Survival Kit (using the Primer Potion, colour Midnight Cowgirl: subtle golden-beige w/ gold glitter – Item # 36350)
  • Smashbox, Definer Brush no. 15
  • Smashbox, Shadow Brush no. 26
  • Sephora, Eyelash Curler
  • Dior, Diorshow – 090 Black Waterproof
  • Guerlain, Ombre Eclat 4 couleurs in 401 Jeu de Nuit (using the red circled colours)

Eyes
I started the eye with a thin layer of Primer Potion as a base on the eye.
I needed a brown grey tone to work well with the gold. I found a great grey when layering the top left grey over the bottom right brown. The Guerlain palette is one of my favourites because a wash of colour makes the colours day wear ready and a thick layer makes it perfect for night. I used the no. 26 shadow brush to place the brown on my eye on the eyelid first, I then cleaned the brush and washed the colour upward over my crease. I then took the same brush and placed the grey colour over the brown, blending it at the crease into the brown, but making sure the brown was still the highest colour on the eye.
I used the grey with the no. 15 definer brush to create a smokey line under my eye that is a little brighter then on top of the eye to make the eye seem more awake.
I then dipped my finger in the Midnight Cowgirl, I used my finger because then you have less fallout. Shake your hand a little to make sure you have no fallout. I know people who blow on the finger to remove the fallout, but that is blowing bacteria on your finger, so if it’s on your own eye, do whatever you like, know it’s bacteria you’re blowing on your finger, but if you don’t care, that’s fine by me, it’s your decision and your eye. If you’re doing makeup on someone else, just shake the hand and make the fallout fall off that way because you don’t want to place your bacteria on the person your doing the makeup on.
I placed the finger then on the centre of the eye and made a small circular motion while pressing, don’t patt it in because you’ll have gold on your cheeks then. Also press a little gold in your inner corner using your pinky.
If I close the finished eye it looks like this:

I finished the look with curled lashes and waterproof Diorshow in black.

 

The thing that I would add to all these looks to make them more Jennifer Hudson is a little eyeliner starting halfway on the lid and getting a little thicker on the outside.

 

* All the information stated above is based on my own experiences, and taken from books like: “Wedding Style” by Carole Hamilton / InStyle Weddings / InStyle Weddings magazines / Getting Gorgeous / Jemma Kidd – Makeup Masterclass / Kevyn Acoin books.

Wedding makeup (part four – Bride and Bridesmaid inspirational pictures)

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bellaressa asked me to look into bridesmaids looks for her. She wants to do her own look from start to finish. There is no budget only she wants to wear Nars – Amour blusher. Also she wants to slim down her face so I’m going to use a contouring that’s natural but also I’ll advise a hairstyle that will slim down the face.

Her dress will be this amazing pool blue colour that will make her skin look radiant. When thinking about makeup for a wedding, see if you can find out the colour flowers that will be used or the colour of the dress you’re wearing. Also as a bridesmaid you’re supposed to compliment the bride, and not clash with her colours, it’s her day after all.

There are several types of looks I’m going to do Tutorials for…. but I thought I’d give you a basic idea of what I believe to be good bride(smaid) looks.
African-American skin (Jennifer Hudson is my inspiration for beautiful skin and pretty eyes):

African-American skin (Oprah is my inspiration for beautiful skin and day-appropriate smokey eyes):

African-American skin (Zoe Saldana is my inspiration for a slightly more youthfull look):

African-American skin (Gabrielle Union is my inspiration for a nude look):

American skin (Sarah Shahi is my wedding look inspiration):

For dark skin and light eyes I’m using Tyra Banks and Aishwarya Rai as an inspiration:

For brides who like a dark smokey eye I’m using Eva Longoria Parker, Kate Hudson and Beyonce as inspirations:

If you love the idea of false lashes, I’m using Carmen Electra, Beyonce, Kim and Kourtney as inspirations for their amazing eyemakeup:

For blondes who like a smokey eye, I’m using Kate Hudson’s Bride Wars look as an inspiration:

Claire Forlani and this model are wearing their hair in a low chignon:

If you have a slightly Azian eye-shape, I’m using these pictures for inspiration:

Queen B Makeup look as inspiration:

Summer makeup:

Medium skintone dark eyes nude makeup look inspiration:

Light skintone light eyes nude makeup look inspiration (Elisabeth Rohm):

Light skintone and pretty makeup inspiration (Heidi Klum and Hayden Panet
tiere):

Light skintone, dark hair and light eyes (inspiration Emily Deschanel):

 

 

* All the information stated above is based on my own experiences, and taken from books like: “Wedding Style” by Carole Hamilton / InStyle Weddings / InStyle Weddings magazines / Getting Gorgeous / Jemma Kidd – Makeup Masterclass / Kevyn Acoin books.

** If any of these pictures are yours, please PM me and I’ll take them down immediately.

50 questions tag!

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1. Where were you three hours ago?
Sleeping in my bed

2. Who are you in love with?
Not telling!!

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?
Nope

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
A cushion that says Princess my mom got me for Christmas and that Felix sleeps on most of the time.

5. When was the last time you went to the mall?
A VERY long time ago, I have no spare time at the moment.

6. Are you wearing socks right now?
No

7. Do you have a car worth over $2000?
Nope, it’s just under that. But the car I drive daily is over $2000.

8. When was the last time you drove out of town?
Yesterday

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
Nope, I’m planning on going to the movies again when it’s a holiday again.

10. Are you hot?
Nope, just perfectly warm under the covers.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water

12. What are you wearing right now?
PJ’s

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?
Carwash in the winter time, I do it myself if it’s warm enough again

14. Last food you ate?
Salad

15. Where were you last week at this time?
Watching Formula 1 on the sofa

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Nope, no time to shop

17. When was the last time you ran?
Last weekend (but is was only a very short run)

18. What was the last sporting event you watched?
Mountainbike race last weekend

19. Your favorite animal?
Depends, I love dogs and cats. But if I don’t have to own it, it would be a killer whale.

20. Your dream vacation?
I’d love to spend Christmas in New York with friends (and enough money to not have to think about money every 2 minutes). Either that or staying at home with no one who knows I’m here and not having to do anything except what I want to do at that moment.

21. Last person’s house you were in?
My parents.

22. Worst injury you ever had?
Stepped on a sharp object once and had to walk with crutches for over a month.

23. Have you been in love?
Ow yeah, that’s the big problem, I love to much to easily

24. Do you miss anyone right now?
Everyone I love and who has died. (And my died cats and dog)

25. Last play you saw?
Ode

26. What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex?
If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret any more, would it.

27. What are your plans for tonight?
Reading Changes (Jim Butcher).

28. Who is the last person to send you a facebook message or comment?
I don’t have a facebook. On Twitter the last person was Nouk.

29. Next trip you are going to take?
England probably.

30. Ever go to camp?
Nope

31. Were you an honor student in school?
I think that must be an American thing!

32. What do you want to know about the future?
Nothing, that would change the outcome.

33. Are you wearing perfume or cologne?
Right now nothing, during the day sometimes eau de toilette, sometimes nothing.

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor’s visit?
Not unless I get sick.

35. Where is your best friend?
In the city, probably still sleeping.

36. How is your best friend?
Yesterday she was tired just like I was. This morning I have no idea yet.

37. Do you have a tan?
Whaaah, nope, I don’t do tanning. Sometimes I do a daily tan if someone (read: mum) calles me pale.

38. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of the airvent in my computer. I love music, but lately I love the quiet as well.

39. Do you collect anything?
Some people say I collect DVDs and Magazines and Makeup. I really don’t think I do, I don’t HAVE to HAVE every one that comes out, just the ones I love ;)

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?
The Gossip Girl voice ;)

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?
I think about two years ago, just a routine check they do in the city on Friday and Saturday nights to test for drunk drives, I got a clean bill of health ;) I don’t drink alcohol, so that saves me everytime ;)

42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?
Probably yes, but not any more, it kills the taste and the bubbles.

43. What does your last text message say?
How you doin’? (add Joey swang to the text). 

44. Do you like hot sauce?
Nope, I do like sweet chilli sauce though.

45. Last time you took a shower?
Yesterdaymorning. I’ll take one again if I ever get up out of this bed.

46. Do you need to do laundry?
No

47. What is your heritage?
Dutch

48. Are you someone’s best friend?
I hope I am.

49. Are you rich?
Not in the money department. But I think if you look at the love I get from my family and friends, you can call me one of the richest people on earth (that’s how I feel anyway).

50. What were you doing at 12 AM last night?
Watching Private Practice with Nic and both of us screaming at Sam and Addison.

Multi-coloured eye (yes again)

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Hi everyone,

When I was doing the makeup on the girls I was wearing this makeup and I’d applied it in 10 minutes…. soooo this can show you practice makes perfect!

I asked on twitter (http://twitter.com/BogusCee) how many colours I was wearing and the answers were:

  1. Gabe Dijkstra gabe2208

    @BogusCee 876 – 870 colours

  2. Nymphette nymphette415

    @BogusCee 5? Maybe 6?

  3. Sharie SharieHyder

    @BogusCee 4?

 

None of these answers were right, if you care to venture a guess, please do so…. I’m really hoping one of you will get it right.
I will give you a hint, if I count only the primer colours the number is 4 ……

Blue India

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Hi everyone,

I got the nailpolish in the colour Blue India from the MAC Liberty of London collection, and I LOVE IT. It smells like normal paint, so that’s a but urgh, but it applies amazingly, no streaks, no bubbles, nothing annoying.

Also the colour is the colour I love more then any other colour in the world. So here are pictures of this polish, two coats, no topcoat.

Lamp:

Flash:

Also, isn’t the packaging super cute?

Cut Crease

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Hi everyone,

I did this look on Nic this weekend, it’s a cut crease with an Indian twist to the look.

Face:
Nic wasn’t wearing any makeup except for mascara when I started, so I prepped her face with Smashbox – Hybrid 2 in 1 Primer which gives her skin a healthy glow. I then added some Maybelline – Dream Satin Liquid in Ivory to lighten her skintone a little. I then used MUFE lift concealer in no. 2 mixed with no. 1 to hide her dark circles, I buffed this into her skin with a Smashbox – Crease brush no. 10 because this blends the concealer into her skin amazingly.

I then quickly set the makeup with a little Make Up For Ever – Super Matte Loose Powder in 12 Translucent Natural and then added some Stila – Sun SPF15 Bronzing powder in shade 01 to place the outer parts of her contouring (with a MAC 109 brush). I also contoured her nose with this bronzing powder. I then used a bronzer from the Yves Saint Laurent – Sensation Soleil MakeUp Palette no. 1 to really define the hollows of her cheeks.

Eyes:
Nicole has very light brows and I added a mixture of Urban Decay – Naked eyeshadow and MAC – Cork and MAC – Wedge to add multiple colours to her brows. After the brows are ready you can see how far you can do with the eyes. I wanted to do a cut crease with an Indian twist on Nic because it’s something I’ve never done on her before and I wanted to see how it would look. I started with a base of MAC – Soft Ochre and set this with a little Smashbox Eyeshadow in Vanilla.

I used Make Up For Ever – Flash Colour Case‘s dark blue with a MAC angled brush to place the crease bringing it way down on the inner corner. I did it literally ON her crease and blended it upward. I then used Sephora – Colorful Mat Mono Eyeshadow in the colour midnight kiss No. 34 to set the blue and used a little Urban Decay – DeLuxe Eyeshadow in Fishnet to add a little extra brightness.

I lined her eyes with a L’Oreal black eyeliner pencil and then used a little Urban Decay – DeLuxe Eyeshadow in Freakshow under her eyes and made the line fade out where it hit the cut crease. And that is all I did for this look.

I hope you all like this eye, I certainly did!