Tag Archives: Challenge

Challenge 10 – Kat von D for Sephora

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Hey guys, the last look I will post today is the Kat von D Challenge (I was Challenged by bluesuze).

I worked of this image:

My final eye is:

I really hated choosing the colours I would use for this look, because I actually KNOW what colours Kat has on her eyes, but I don’t have that palette, so I had to find colours in my collection to make it work.
I also creates bangs by straightening my hair (as far as straightening works on my hair) and pulling it back and then forward again and placing them with bobbie pins.


Products in this picture:

  • Talika, Lipocils – Eyelash Treatment Gel
  • L’Oreal, Derma Genesis – Moisturizer
  • L’Oreal, Derma Genesis – Eyecream
  • No. 7, Restore & Renew – Serum

Preparation
I did this look this morning, but it was really horrible weather, so halfway I went from natural light to my camera’s flash.
I started with Clinique’s 7 day scrub and moisturized with Restore & Renew Serum followed by the L’Oreal Derma Genesis set. I love the fresh smell of this and I used the Talika Lipocils on my lashes to hopefully get them healthier in a months time.

Face
I used my mom’s Dior foundation Diorskin Fluide this morning and built on that base to create this Kat von D look.


Products in this picture:

  • Urban Decay, Skull Shadow Box
  • Urban Decay, Book Of Shadows
  • Smashbox, JetSet – Midnight Black
  • Stila, Smudge Pot – Black
  • The Body Shop – Slanted brush
  • Da Vinci – Eyeliner Brush
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel Platinum, Natural Dome Smudge Brush – no. 13
  • Urban Decay, Brow Box
  • Sephora, Eyelashcurler
  • Dior, Diorshow – 090 Black

Eyes
I started with a layer of Urban Decay Primer Potion on my eyes and on the temple where the stars will be. I then decided to draw the stars first because that gives a better image of the final look. I used JetSet for this because I know this won’t budge after it’s dried. I placed the stars with the Da Vinci Eyeliner brush. When I was done I lined my waterlines and actually went to get some groceries with just the stars on my face. People looked funny, but I don’t mind so much, it was cool.

The colour I used all over my eyelid (to a little over the crease) was Gridlock, an amazing colour!! Seriously, if you need a new signature colour that you can wear for day and glam up for night, try this colour it’s seriously amazing. I placed this with the brush it came with in the Book of Shadows.

To be honest I expected the brushes in the Shadow Box to be of a poor quality, but the brush is actually really good! The handle is cheap and typically Urban Decay, but again typically Urban Decay the thing that makes a brush good (the bristles and the length of them) is really great!

I used the colour Blunt from the Skull Skull Shadow Box as a highlight on the inner corner of my eye and under my brow. This is a vanilla type of colour that’s very shimmery on the skin and looks really pretty, you don’t expect that when you look at it in the container, but on the skin it’s a real surprise!

As the dark brown colour I used Twice Baked also from the Skull Shadow Box and used it on my outer half of my eye. I also placed this under my lower lash line with the dome brush.

Next up was the dark crease Kat has. I used the Book of Shadows black for that, this colour is called perversion. To get a thin line at the inner corner of the crease I used a slanted brush by The Body Shop. For the blending further out and under my lower lash line I used the dome brush again.
After this I lines my eyes with the Smudge Pot. I don’t know why I chose this one and not the JetSet again, I just naturally went to the Stila jar. To create the wing I used the Da Vinci Eyeliner Brush again because this brush is longer then the other liner brushes I have.

Now all I had to do was fill in my brows like Kat’s using the Brow Box and I darkened the darkest brown a bit by using the Perversion here as well.
I curled my lashes and placed Diorshow on my top and bottom lashes.
The final eye is:

Challenge 8 – Vampire Costuem Look (October 11, 2008)

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Hi everyone, here is the real Vampire Costuem Look I was challenged to to by suebree96.

Original look:

My look:


It was actually really hard to do a look from a drawing, but it was a really fun challenge to do and I scared the living daylights out of my dad, so I did have a laugh with it when it was done.

Preparation
As this look has layers of makeup, I needed to have a great looking fresh skin, so I used a tester of MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel (which I really liked!) to clean up all the dead skin cells. I used Clinique Repairwear Eyecream and Neutrogena ClearSkin moisturizer to protect and feed my skin.


Products in this picture:

  • Bourjois, Black & White Kohl Pencil
  • Too Faced, Magic Wand Foundation – New York Light
  • Smashbox, Lip & Lid Primer
  • Smashbox, Camera Ready Concealer – 3.0
  • Smashbox, Concealer Brush – no. 4
  • Smashbox, Wicked Lovely Doubletake Lip Color – Gossamer
  • Smashbox, Photo Finish Clear Primer Potion
  • Rimmel London, Colour Rush Mono eyeshadow – Jet Black (214)
  • Smashbox, Eye Shadow Trio – Panorama
  • Stila, Smudge Pot – Black
  • Smashbox, Photo Op – Under Eye Brightener
  • Sephora, Eyelash curler
  • Make Up For Ever, Super Matte Loose Powder – no. 12
  • YSL, Touche Eclat – no. 2
  • Da Vinci – Eyeliner Brush
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel Platinum, Natural Dome Smudge Brush – no. 13
  • Smashbox, Shadow brush – no. 26
  • Smashbox, Definer Brush – no. 15
  • Smashbox, Smudge brush – no. 20
  • Smashbox, Angled Brow brush – no. 12
  • Smashbox, Arced Liner brush – no. 21
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, Mineral Brush – no. 45
  • Christian Dior, DiorShow Mascara – 090 black
  • Bourjois, Lipstick – no. 13
  • Clarins, Lipstick – no. 50

Face
I started my face with Photo Finish Clear Primer Potion to create a base and make sure the makeup wouldn’t move. Over this base I took quite a thick layer of Magic Wand Foundation, because it’s a light reflecting foundation and it’s the lightest I have. Also this foundation can be build up from fairly see through to a covering foundation. At this point I used the Photo Op to prevent puffy eyes later on. I didn’t need the lighting effect, so I used it under my concealer which I used with a concealer brush to hide my dark circles. I used the Smashbox Lid primer on my lids to see how well makeup would blend over this (the same as with Urban Decay Primer Potion) and well the makeup stuck to my eyes (pretty well, but I didn’t go through the rain so no definite opinion yet). I used a little Touche Eclat under my eyes working in a triangle working to a point on the apple of my cheek, blending out very well. Over this I used some Make Up For Ever powder to set everything. My eye now looks like this:

I took up the Mineral Powder brush to brush a layer of the white eyeshadow from the Panorama trio over the centre of my face blending working outward. This means you don’t have to contour your face to prevent it from looking flat and you’re lightening your face because a vampire is pale.
I took a picture of my eye after I placed the white pencil before blending to show you the placement before blending with a brush.

I went over the white pencil with some more Panorama white using the no. 15 Definer brush to set the pencil.

I placed some grey around my eye using the definer brush to have more control over the placement. I used it under my eye working outward, on the brow bone, blending into the white and down and on the side of my nose (at eye-height). See this picture for the placement:

As you can see, I look like I have a black eye:

I used a Stila Smudge Pot as a base on my eyelid to darken the colour.

As you can see it wasn’t a blended outer line, I worked the colour up to the crease with a smudger brush and blending wasn’t needed because I’ll go over it with more black later. Also, vampires don’t have perfect eyes, this eye is the example of beautiful ugly makeup, so if you make mistakes… they aren’t a huge drama.

I went over the black with the Rimmel black and the no 26 shadow brush. I used an angles eyebrow brush to place a perfect line over the white and an arced liner brush to blend the colour down in the inner corner (not into the white, around the white and down).

With the no. 20 smudge brush I blended some of the smudge pot in my lower lash line and went over it with my definer brush and black Rimmel eyeshadow.

To see how high I needed to go with the black, I looked really angry. And for a laugh I wanted to show you that eye as well:

As you can see, the black blended up very high, almost into the eyebrow at the beginning and end and only keeping the white I placed in the arc perfectly white.

Now to see how the tears needed to go, I drew them in with the definer brush and black shadow, also this creates a cheat sheet for how to hold your head for the perfect tears later.

Before adding the tears I chose to darken the under eye area a little more:

Now I took a small bowl and put some water in it. I scraped some of the black eyeshadow in the water and I then dipped the Natural Dome Smudge Brush in it because this brush can hold a lot of water without dripping. I blended the black eyeshadow to a muddy texture in the makeup and then “emptied” it in the water. Now you have very dirty water, perfect for running makeup tears.

I placed the filled up brush at the base of my lower lashes and let a fake
tear fall, helping the placement by moving my face. Sometimes I added some more “muck” to the tear halfway.

Build up the tears until you’re happy with it.


All you need to do right now is curl your lashes and add mascara. You can even choose to use false lashes to intensify the eye some more but I liked the rough look better.

Lips
I used some Lip Primer on my lips and took my new Wicked Lovely Doubletake Lip Color in Gossamer. Using the lip liner colour on my top lip and the lip colour on the bottom, now in the picture you don’t see much of a difference, but in real life the top lip was more pink then the bottom lip.
I used a mixture of a more red  (Bourjois) and a more brown (Clarins) lipstick to create a bloody effect, you could use fake blood, but this was fine for me. I placed the colour with a Da Vinci eyeliner brush to have more control over the colour. I placed it more in the corner of my lip and went up a little to make a little false grin (sort of like the joker in the batman movies).

Now the look is done and I was looking like this:

You can add false teeth to be even more vampire!

Challenge 7 – Leighton Meester – Premiere Entourage 2008 (October 10, 2008)

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Sephoragirl came up with this Leighton Meester challenge. I love watching Gossip Girl and I’m dying for Blair and Chuck to get together, the sparks that would create, wow.

Anyway, this was the look Leighton had at the Entourage premiere:

And this is my final eye:

I chose not to take a lot of in between pictures because this eye is actually really simple to do and I wasn’t home this morning so no camera to take pictures with. If you want a really stripped look just use a bronze eyeliner, mascara and red lips and you’re done.


Products in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Photo Finish Clear Foundation Primer
  • Smashbox, High Definition Healthy FX Foundation – Light L3
  • Smashbox, Photo Op – Under Eye Brightener
  • Smashbox, Camera Ready Concealer – 3.0
  • Smashbox, Concealer Brush – no. 4
  • Smashbox, Lip & Lid Primer
  • Smashbox, Eyelights – Special Effects
  • Smashbox, Shadow Brush – no. 26
  • Smashbox, Definer Brush – no. 15
  • Smashbox, JetSet – Bronze
  • Smashbox, Arced Liner Brush – no. 21
  • Sephora, Eyelash curler
  • Smashbox, Bionic Mascara (black)
  • Bourjois, Lipstick – no. 13
  • Clarins, Lipstick – no. 50

Face
I used Photo Finish Clear Foundation Primer as a base over my moisturiser to make sure the makeup wouldn’t move and have a protective base. Over this I used High Definition Healthy FX Foundation, using my fingers because I wasn’t at home and I had to do with the brushes and products I had with me.
I used Photo Op at this point because I have practically no under eye circles today, which I’m very happy about. Over the little dark I did have under my eyes I used a little Camera Ready Concealer placing it with the Concealer Brush which I did take with me.
I got a package from Sweden yesterday and that had the Smashbox, Lip & Lid Primer. The pictures I did take are after half a day or wear, so it did keep the eyeshadow put. I do have to say that I thought the Lip & Lid Primer was very small. Also the Lid primer was a very hard stick and the Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion is a creamlike texture. I do think the Lip & Lid Primer worked very well and it’s so easy to take with you. My lipstick was freshly reapplied when I took the picture, but honestly I don’t think any Lip Primer can keep Red Lipstick looking flawless for 6 hours when you have lunch and no touch ups during the day. I’ll keep you guys posted on my opinion on the Smashbox Lip & Lid Primer.
I didn’t use any brush, but Leighton does wear a blush on the apples of her cheeks, so keeping the Smashbox trend in mind I’d choose something like Blush Rush in Gingersnap.

Eyes
On my eyes I used another Smashbox product, the Eyelights eyeshadow kit in Special Effects. This has three shadows, a highlight, a skin tone and a brown, so I could have forgotten the JetSet and still recreated the look, but the JetSet is waterproof so that’s my preference.
I used the Shadow Brush to place the peachy skin tone to my entire eye as a base, this is a very neutral colour and Leighton doesn’t seem to have a defined crease so no darkening there is needed. I used the Definer Brush to place the highlighting colour on the eyelid using the most colour on the lash line and fading it up slowly.
This is my finished eye closed and within the black line (I’ve Photoshopped this in to show you) I placed the highlight colour.

I also used a little of the highlight colour under the lower lash line (but very sparingly).
As the eye line I used JetSet in Bronze, I was considering using the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil in Bourbon (brown with teeny gold glitter) that’s in my new Velvet Rope Travel Set, but I needed the line to start very thinly and work up to thick and with the Arced Liner Brush I have more control for some reason. So I went with the JetSet in Bronze. I started with bronzing the waterline and going a little into the lower lash line at the and because I have more round eyes then Leighton and this will make my eyes look a little more almond shaped. Leighton really has a thin line at the corner of the eye which works up to a thick line at the end. No wing or anything, so to make the eye look a little more almond shaped, make it end a teeeeeny bit over the outer corner. Like you see here:

I used my Eyelashcurler squeezing and releasing it whilst walking up the lash. This creates a very natural curl instead of a harsh bend only at the base of the lashes. I used Bionic Mascara today, because this is a mascara that creates flutter lashes as I call it. No clumpiness, but every lash gets a little coating. You can build it up, but I used only one coat in this final picture:

Now I went a little overboard when I was bored in the train today, so I badly photoshopped my eyes brown because she has brown eyes. So here that is:

Lips
On my lips I used the Lip & Lid Primer again, using the part for lips now ;) This is a more creamy base then the LipPlump by Benefit is, also the colour didn’t change the red so much, so I was happy about that.
I used my Bourjois Lipstick in no. 13 which is a fire engine red, but I’m very pale so it’s a more blue tinted red then Leighton is wearing, so I used a more brown tinted colour over it to take the blue edge of but still keep it pretty on my face. I used Clarins Lipstick in no. 50 as the top colour and the end lip is this one:

I hope you guys like this. Tomorrow I’ll work on the Vampire challenge and Sunday I’ll to the JLo Challenge.
I’ll mix up the brands again by then, but I do love my Smashbox, I can’t help it.

Challenge 5 – Beyonce Knowles (@ Today’s Show April 2007 (September 21, 2008)

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Here is the Beyonce look I did. I do have to say that I have a VERY DIFFERENT skin tone. But I created this eye:

I remember this look and went in search for more pictures. I found that it was a look she had on the Today’s Show on April 2007th. I also noticed that in some screens she had more pink on top of the green then on others, so I kept it noticeable, but not screaming PINK!!! I thought I’d show you all the eyes I found of this look:

It’s Sunday, so that means I take extra good care of my skin.

Products in this picture:

  • Neutrogena, PureGlow – Microdermabrasion System
  • Clinique, Continuous Resque Antioxidant Moisturiser
  • Shiseido, The Skincare – Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam
  • Bliss, Thinny Thin Chin
  • Dermalogica, Skin Hydrating Masque

Preparation
Before using the Microdermabrasion System I cleansed first using the Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam.

Now that the skin is clean and without dead skin cells I moisturised with Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturiser on my face and Thinny Thin Chin on my chin and neck area. I had very dry skin around my eyes, I think it’s because I was rubbing my eyes a lot yesterday (there was something under my lens and even though I took it out, cleansed it and put it back in, my eye kept feeling raw). To care for my eye area a little more I used the Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Mask there. Now you’re not supposed to leave it on the skin, but I do because my skin eats this stuff. I did decide not to use a primer over this on my eyes though.

I don’t know if it’s noticeable in the picture, but my skin is already less tight and more plump.


Products in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 & Dermaxyl™
  • Smashbox, High Definition Healthy FX Foundation in Light L3
  • Smashbox, Travel Foundation Brush
  • Smashbox, Camera Ready Concealer in 3.0
  • Smashbox, Concealer Brush no. 4
  • Smashbox, Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
  • Make Up For Ever, Super Matte Loose Powder in no. 12
  • Sephora Professionnel, Minderal Powder Brush no. 45
  • Smashbox, Bronzer/Blush Duo in Contour/Pop

Face
After being so nice to my skin, I had to stay nice with pea size amount of Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 & Dermaxyl™ all over my face (except on eyes). You may have noticed I don’t use this very often, I have a little tube and I try to only use it on special occasions or when my skin feels like it needs a little extra even after foundation. This primer also has anti-aging ingredients and vitamins, peptides and UVA/UVB SPF 15 (to quote the big sales pitch), but I do feel like when I use this my skin is extra protected and I like knowing I’m caring for my skin with makeup. Maybe that’s why I love the High Definition Healthy FX Foundation (applied with the Travel Foundation brush), the name makes me feel like I’m caring for my skin. It could have something to do with only the name, but I do remember after using my first expensive foundation (when I was 16 or something my mum gave me a Helena Rubenstein foundation), when I took of the foundation, my skin still felt soft and hydrated, that had never happened before. Anyway, here is my eye (foundation used everywhere but on the eyelid and crease), after primer and foundation:

As a concealer I think the Camera Ready Concealer in 3.0 fits my skin tone perfectly, I use it more then the Concealer palette (Sephora) I used before. It’s easier as well, without the mixing and everything, but when my circles are dark I do go back to the palette. I applied the Concealer with the no. 4 concealer brush and blended this well with the surrounding skin.

I tend to use the Photo Op Under Eye Brightener over the concealer to not have the brightening effect hidden by the concealer, also I think this makes the skin shine though the concealer a little and that makes it more real. I pat this into the skin using my ring finger.

I used Super Matte Loose Powder to set the base of my face. Because the eye is to intense and the lips are very strong I needed my skin to look real but not shiney, so I used minimal powder just to kill any shine to do this I used a Mineral Powder Brush to buff a little into the skin. I used the same brush very lightly to add the Bronzer Contour on my jawline and under my cheekbones. I also used a little from my temple to the corner of the eye.

I kept the contouring very light, and it’s almost unnoticeable on the picture, but you can see my face looks warmer in the second picture:

 

I thought a lot about creating the same shimmery green black and I know that MAC has a shadestick called sharkskin that (if it looks the way I think it does) should work very well as a colour base. I don’t have the shadestick so I used a couple of other things that I think most women have.

Products in this picture:

  • Bliss, LipPlump
  • Smashbox, Cream Eyeliner Palette (using Caviar only)
  • Urban Decay, Lip Envy in Greedy (deep berry Item # 26530)
  • Smashbox, JetSet in Mignight Black
  • Smashbox, Arced Liner Brush no. 21
  • Smashbox, Shadow Brush no. 26
  • The Body Shop, Slanted Brush
  • The Body Shop, retractable lip brush
  • Urban Decay, Eyeshadow, Mildew (deep green Item # 31300)
  • Urban Decay, Rockstar Palette (not sold anymore) using the colour Hotpants (medium pink Item # 36300)
  • Christian Dior, Diorshow in black
  • L’Oreal Lipstick (no longer sold) in 625
  • Sephora, Lesson 1 – Smokey eyes (using the matte black only)
  • Sephora, Eyelash Curler

Eyes
Beyonce doesn’t have highlighted brows, so I left them like this and didn’t use highbrow. The first colour on my eyelid was the Caviar Cream Eyeliner placing it with my fingers to create a sticky darker base that’s blended well at the edges (up to the crease). You can use any black cream shadow for this, but I only had a cream liner.

Because the pink on Beyonce’s eyes could be lighting I didn’t want to overdo the colour, but I did think it would look fun so I added Hotpants to the top of my crease at this point. By placing it now when blending the green up later the colour will be less noticeable but still there.
Hotpants is this colour:

Placement (with no. 26 Smashbox Shadow Brush):

I have a matte black eyeshadow in the Sephora, Lesson 1 – Smokey eyes palette and used this, again you can use any matte black eyeshadow. The reason I’m using matte is because it’s usually darker and I want only the green shimmer. I used the Shadow Brush no. 26 for this because it’s fluffy and doesn’t add a bulk of colour where you place the brush but also doesn’t create fallout. Also you can use this brush for blending as well if you only add the colour to one side of the brush.
Here is the shape of the brush close up:

And the eye after blending the black into the pink a little:

Using the Arced Liner Brush I lined both my waterlines using JetSet in Midnight Black, I went a little over the waterline at the outer corner making the eye look a little more almond shaped.

Next I packed the No. 26 bush (cleaned on a dry towel) with Mildew. I then patted the colour into the skin on my eyelid and I then used a quick horizontal brushing motion to make the shadow look more metallic. I then turned the brush (that the clean side is on the side of the eyebrow, and pushed the brush into the crease while looking normal), now I used a windscreen wiper motion and went slowly upward blending the colour out but keeping it from going to much into the pink. If this way scares you, use a normal crease brush for blending in the crease, but be careful not to make the pink vanish. I chose this way because now you have more control over the blending.

At this point I used the Slanted Brush to push the matte black I used before into the lash line, make sure you don’t go to low with this, this is a smokey eye, but she’s not going down as much. I then used the same brush to add the Mildew to the bottom lash line too. If you do go to low, take a Q-tip and erase the hard line and place some concealer on the tip/top of your finger and using a (downward) windscreen wiper motion blend the concealer up, making the bottom colours less low.

When I look down you see how short the blending is:

Now it was time for curling the lashes and adding two coats of normal Diorshow:

 

Lips
On my lips I used LipPlump as a base, to keep the colours looking bright longer. I then used Lip Envy in Greedy, which is a lip stain that actually stains your lips for a longer period of time. I love this colour, but because it’s matte I had to add a little 625 on top using a retractable lip brush.

Soooo what do you ladies think?
Do you like the watermark?

Challenge 4 – Look from the Donna Karan Spring 2009 Ready to Wear Fashion Show (September 19, 2008)

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Hey guys,

Well, the sun set already and I’m ready for tonight…

The look that was the inspiration for tonight was created by Charlotte Tilbury for the Donna Karan Spring 2009 Ready to Wear show. As you can see the basic idea for every model was the same, but it was changed for every girls eye a little. I also noticed that almost all the women I found had blue eyes hahaha…

My view on the look:


Products in this picture:

  • Bliss, Sleeping Peel – cleansing cream
  • Bliss, Sleeping Peel – age minimizing eye gel
  • Biotherm, Biopur – pore minimizer

 

Preparation
I had a late night last night (I went out with friends) and an early morning today. So I’m really tired but I don’t wish to look it so I massaged my face using the Sleeping Peel cleansing cream. My skin feels sooo much better after this and I use Sleeping Peel eye gel on my eyes to maximize the effect. As a moisturizer I used a little BioPur.


Products in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Hybrid 2 in 1 Liminizing Primer – Greenroom collection
  • Yves Saint Laurent, Teint Parfait – No 7
  • Too Faced, Magic Wand – Illuminizing Foundation in New York Light 2
  • Sephora, Concealer Palette
  • Smashbox, Concealer brush – no. 4
  • Yves Saint Laurent, Touche Eclat – Radiant Touch no. 2
  • Neutrogena, Lipbalm

Face
As a primer I used the Greenroom Collection’s Hybrid all over my face, I was sooo tired I even absent minded put it on my eyes and just let it do it’s job there. That is the reason why I skipped the Primer Potion on my eyes.
I used the Teint Parfait the way you’re supposed to use it, as a colour corrector and this gave my skin it’s glow back. Over this I used a lighter foundation then usually because I’m kinda pale from the little sleep. I applied this foundation using the brush where the foundation comes from, I did press the foundation a little more into my skin using my fingers though.
I used the Sephora concealer palette because I can mix the colours to match my needs for today. I used the lightest skin tone colour and the pink to create a salmon-like colour. This mixture I placed under my eyes using the no 4 Concealer Brush.
I then tilted my head forward a little and brushed some Touche Eclat on shadows from the bags under my eyes (grrr… no sleep doesn’t react well on my skin). The way to maximize the effect is letting it soak in a little before blending.
I used a little lip balm on my lips at this point to moisturize them.
At this point this is how everything looks:


Products in this picture:

  • Mark, Eyeshadow in Nomade
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, All Over Shadow Brush – No. 21
  • Sephora, Iridescent Cream Shadow – Silver
  • Smashbox, Eye Shadow Trio – Panorama (using the white colour)
  • Smashbox, Definer Brush – No. 15
  • Smashbox, Eye Shadow Quad – Supernatural (using the Golden/Bronze and Brown colours)
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel Platinum, Natural Dome Smudge Brush #13
  • L’Oreal, ColorAppeal TrioPro – Powder Duo + Highlighter in 304 Beige Pink
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, Crease Brush – No. 18
  • Sephora Brand, Eye Lash Curler
  • Chanel, Inimitable Mascara – multi-dimenstionnel in black
  • Eyebrow brush
  • Christian Dior, Dior Addict – 384 Rose Scenario
  • Christian Dior, Ultra Gloss – 151
  • The Body Shop, retractable Lip Brush
  • Escada, Moon Sparkle – Eau de Toilette

Eyes
When I was looking at the pictures I first thought they only had the lid glimmering, but when I saw a video of it I did see a little glimmer on the brow bone, so I started my eye with a shimmering eyeshadow tester by Mark in Nomade. It was a lot more golden shimmer then I expected, but the colour is super and was a great base to work over, to create a wash of colour as a base I always go back to the All Over Shadow Brush.
The ladies all have very light inner corners on their eyes, I don’t have a shimmering white, but I created my eye corner by starting with the Iridescent Cream Shadow in Silver on the corner first and blending it outward a lot. I then used the no. 15 Definer Brush to add the Panorama White in the corner only. This gave the corner a little extra kick but didn’t kill the shimmer of the cream shadow.

The ladies all had very hazel brown shimmery creases that had the skin shining through. I have the perfect colour to recreate this, The Smashbox Eye Shadow Quad called Supernatural (which I got in the Glambox Volume 2 set, that’s currently on sale on the Smashbox site for $51) has a Bronze/Golden colour. The colour looks more Bronze, but actually has really golden glimmers. Also the colour isn’t hiding the skin colour under the eyeshadow, it’s very transparent. I used the Natural Dome Smudge Brush no. 13 from Sephora for this because it’s a little shorter and softer then the no. 15 definer brush. This brush blends better and I’m blending with this brush as well (if you use less pressure while blending upward, you can blend with almost any brush, but if you’re new to blending or not good at blending, place with this brush and then use a crease brush to blend).

I wanted a little more depth in the centre of the crease, so I took a very glimmery palette from L’Oreal and used the brown colour from that palette on my inner crease using the tip of the Crease Brush.
To give the outer corner of the eyelid a little more of a brown kick I added the dark brown from the Quad using the Natural Dome Smudge Brush no. 13 from Sephora again. I used circular motions to buff the colour into the skin blending this colour with the grey at the middle of the eyelid. Because the silver is a cream shadow it will hold a lot of colour, soooo blend on the outside first (don’t go into the crease colour, the bronze should stay the main focus here). Use an almost empty brush to place the last of the brown in the middle to blend the silver and brown.

To finish the eye I curled my lashes and took my trusting Chanel, Inimitable Mascara to create fuller lashes. The girls at the Donna Karan show are wearing false lashes and I’m not, so adding those will add more of a dark shadow at the corners of the eyes. I also added a little mascara to my lower lashes which I usually don’t do because I have pretty dark lashes naturally. Using an eyebrow brush I brushed my eyebrows a little more down because these ladies have messier brows then I usually have.

I’ve been using a flash (fake lighting) on all these pictures.

So I went to a more yellow light and took this picture without a flash.
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Using a flash again:


Products in this picture:
This is the half of a Dior Lip palette I got as a freebie once, left is without flash and right is with flash.
The colours in the palette are:

  • Dior Addict in 489 – 579 – 687 and 384 (the most right on the palette is the one I used)
  • Dior Ultra Gloss in 483 and 151 (only the 151 is shown)

Lips
I wanted to keep my lips neutral so I used Dior Addict in 384 Rose Scenario on my lips, but thought it was a little too natural with the very flashy though light eyes. So I added a little Ultra Gloss in 151 over the lipstick using a retractable Lip Brush.

Scent
As a scent I used the Escada Moonsparkle I got from a friend today.

On the pictures it looks a lot less shiny then it actually is, I do hope you guys like the look. I will enjoy wearing it tonight. I really think it’s a spring look, it’s very fresh, young and clean.

My mum said I look very awake (I don’t feel it, but hihi, make-up is creating a great illusion).

Challenge 3 – Nicole Richie (@ Proenza Schouler Spring 2009 Fashion Show) (September 11, 2008)

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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:

Back to the Challenge it was Nicole Richie’s look from the Proenza Schouler Spring 2009 Fashion Show and she had the same look at the Cipriani restaurant in Downtown Manhattan New York City on the 8th of September 2008.

The original look I’m working off:

And the look I recreated is:

My line is slightly thinner because I didn’t use false lashes, and I didn’t want to look like Amy Winehouse.


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 like Nicole has start the eye line in the inner corner and make the wing not go to the end of the eye but a little in. On the pictures of Nicole’s eyes you see she has the line not on the outer corner of her eye. I did to this because doing it the way she has will make my eyes look too small for my face.
When I was happy with the wings 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.


Nicole is wearing false lashes… If you want the look with falsies, apply them when you’ve done the liner. When the lashes are on your eye and the glue has dried, check the line you’ve drawn and if the line needs to be thicker at this point. 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).

I hope you guys like it!

Challenge 2 – Coco Rocha (@ the 2009 DVF show) (September 9, 2008)

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Challenge two is Coco Rocha, they had this look backstage at the 2009 Diane von Furstenberg Spring ready-to-wear show.

This eye was my base:

The eye was small so I had to guess some of the colours… also I have a more round eye shape, but I think I did alright.


Products in this picture:

  • Neutrogena, PureGlow Daily Warmactive Peeling
  • Sephora, Dry Skin Soothing Toner
  • StriVectin-SD, Eye Cream
  • Bliss, Thinny Thin Chin
  • Shiseido Men, Anti-Shine refresher

Preparation
I started my day with a good Warmactive Peeling to keep my skin looking fresh throughout the day, I then took some Toner on a cotton pad all over my face to close my pores. I used StriVectin-SD, Eye Cream on my eyes and Thinny Thin Chin on my neck and decollete. I then took a tester for men, Shiseido Men, Anti-Shine refresher all over my face (except for the eye area). Don’t be afraid to use a product that is made for men, some are amazing and this one really keeps shine at bay the entire day and keeps skin feeling smooth. Also it’s not drying so we’re good on that front too. If you don’t use a foundation primer, I wouldn’t recommend using foundation over this because then it will smudge.

My eye looks like this:


Products in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Hybrid 2 in 1 luminizing primer (from the Green Room Spring 2008 collection, this is a little darker then the hybrid I usually use and for every sold product a Moringa tree is planted in a developing country.)
  • Benefit, Justine Case (using some kind-a gorgeous as a foundation and eyecon eye cream)
  • Benefit, Erase Paste
  • Smashbox, concealer brush no. 4
  • Smashbox, Natural Glow Fusion Soft Lights Cheek Palette
  • Smashbox, Pressed Powder & Bronze Lights Duo in Fair/Light (using only the pressed powder)
  • Smashbox, Half Moon Brush


Product in this picture:

  • Benefit, Realness of Concealness (Using the lemon-aid and lip plump to prime my lips)


Face
When I got the Smashbox Hybrid 2 in 1 in the Master’s Class Volume 3 Complexion Perfection set I knew I’d use this everywhere and I’d want one in my bag and one at home, so I went online and found this Green Room version that is good for the environment and all… so that made it even easier to buy :D . Good thing is it feels exactly the same, the difference it’s a little darker, but I don’t mind because it’s a luminizer and not a foundation so the colour is very soft.
I decided to bring out my Benefit stuff once more because I do love their products and I was “neglecting” them after my Smashbox addiction took over. I enjoy using these palettes and took up the Justine Case very happily and applied the Some kind-a gorgeous with my fingers all over my face (except on my eyelids). On my eyelids I used Eyecon eye cream which is made so your eyes will appear instantly brighter while softening the appearance of fine lines. To be very honest it just feels like an eye cream, it doesn’t do much else in my opinion. I didn’t use a wrinkle cream over it and no highlighter on my eyes today, simply because this was already taken care of with the eyecon (supposedly).
I did use Erase Paste as a concealer to help with the dark circles and some red spots (grrr) using the concealer brush no. 4 by Smashbox. I was so used to this brush that I automatically took it and only when I used it on the red spots did I realise the smaller concealer brush by The Body Shop would have been smarter for this because it’s smaller and less fluffy and therefor easier to use when you need precision work.
Using the Half Moon brush I pressed some powder under my eyes and on the places where I hid some red spots to set the concealer and foundation. I also used the Half Moon Brush to place some Natural Glow Fusion Soft Lights on my cheeks to make me look less pale.
I used the Lemon-aid on my eyelids as a base and at this time I added some lip balm to my lips because I’ll use the primer later and want my lips to be “fed” before adding the lip primer.
My eyes now look like this:


Products in this picture:

  • Sephora, Eyelash curler
  • The Body Shop, Retractable lipbrush
  • Smashbox, Crease brush no. 10
  • Smashbox, Arced Liner brush no. 21
  • Smashbox, Difiner brush no. 15
  • Sephora Brand Professionnel, Pointed Liner/Eyeliner Brush no. 17
  • Bourjois, Noir & Blanc eyeliner pencil
  • Sephora Brand, Lash Plumper in black

Eyes
Looking at the picture I was given I found a golden yellow tone on the lid and a brown as a crease colour used very high on the crease up to the brow. I also saw a grayish colour used on the lower lash line and a liner used in the lower lash line. A thick brown line was on top of the eye and on the waterline was white. Using this I created the following eye-tutorial.


Product in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Eye Shadow Trio in Smoky eyes

I used the skin toned colour from this palette all over my eyes to create a base colour and to make my eye a little darker then it naturally is. Using the no. 15 crease brush I built the colour up to be a soft wash at the end of the eye and more dark at the inside of the eye.


Product in this picture:

  • Urban Decay, Deluxe Eyeshadow in Honey

Using Honey as my golden colour I placed it on the centre of my eye (up and over the crease and went in- and down toward to the corner of my eye. As you can see in the picture I didn’t use this colour on the outer corner because the dark brown is supposed to be a hard colour here and using gold under it softens the colour.

To put the first layer of brown meant going back to the Smoky Eyes trio and using the darkest colour with the no. 10 crease brush. I always use dark colours in layers building them up to perfection because it’s easier to add colour then to take if off the eye. I used the no. 15 Definer brush to create a rounded edge at the outside like Coco has on the picture.


Product in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Eye Shadow Trio in Panorama

I used the grey colour from the Panorama Trio as the shadow under my eye, placing it with the no. 15 definer brush.


Product in this picture:

  • Smashbox, Cream Eyeliner Duo (using the Midnight Brown colour)

I used the Arced Liner brush no. 21 to place the Midnight Brown colour in a thick line on top of my eye (no wings!!). I built the line up slowly. The best way to do this is by first drawing the line as close to the lash line as possible. This creates already a thicker line and mistakes at this point are easily fixed. Also using a Cream eyeliner means you can slowly build the line without having it suddenly be unmovable.
When I have the first line down I usually start the thicker line on the outside and then brushing inward until I’ve reached the halfway point and then start again only now at the inner corner making the lines meet at the centre.

I pressed the colour that was left in the brush on my lash line, literally pressing the brush where the hair starts and not blending or using brushing motions. The colour will form the lash line base and when you put mascara on your lower lash line they will come out better if you do this. The eye now looks like this:

To make sure the line doesn’t smudge I pressed the dark Smoky Eye brown over the liner using a Pointed Eyeliner brush. Because you now see how the eye is coming along, you can decide to add some more brown to my crease blending all the way up to the brow at the outer corner.

At this point I used the white eyeliner pencil on my lower waterline and curled my lashes. Taking up the Sephora Lash Plumper as my mascara for today (on top and lower lashes).

I thought she had more colour on the inner corner of her crease so I added this right now. I also took some of the leftover colour in the crease brush and made the gold a little darker. Deciding not to make my brows look perfect because hers aren’t was the next move
The final eye is:

Lips

Product in this picture:

  • Urban Decay, lip gloss in Naked (From the Thorny Rose Lip Palette)

At this point I took off the excess lip balm and added the lip plump, letting it dry and then using the Retractable lip brush I added the Naked colour over the base.

Nails
I didn’t redo my nails for today, but if you feel like finishing the look, I’d recommend using:

Products in this picture:

  • Bourjois, So Laque in Dangereusement Rouge 16
  • OPI, Nail Lacquer in Curry up don’t be late

The Dangereusement Rouge is really dark that it’s a dark red/brown colour if you use two or three coats. Then use the Curry up don’t be late on the tips of your nails only.


Scent
I got a tester in the mail today of Christina Aguilera’s new scent named Inspire. This scent actually really goes with this look very well and testers can be mailed to you if you sign up for it on her website: http://www.christina-aguilera-perfumes.com/us/sample

I hope you all think I did okay on this Challenge!!

Challenge 1 – Sarah Jessica Parker (@ the Sex and the City premiere Radio City Music Hall) (September 5, 2008)

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I got the Challenge to do a Sarah Jessica Parker look, recreating the Sex and the City arrival at Radio City Music Hall.
I used this picture as a base:

I recreated this eye-look:

But first….
Remember when I got these boxes?

Those were my first Smashbox products and I fell in love. I went to a store on the other side of the country to buy a few other products but they didn’t have much and none of the new collection.
Then 2 days ago a package came with the Expert Eyes Master’s Class, and today my dearest sweetest greatest mum gave me the Glam Box Volume 2 :D

You’ve guessed it, almost everything I used for this look was Smashbox. The only things not Smashbox are the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer and the Urban Decay light blue colour named Speed (powder blue w/ silver microglitter Item # 35000)


Products in this Picture:

  • Smashbox, Hybrid 2 in 1 Luminizing Primer (Photo Finish and Artificial Light)
  • Smashbox, High Definition Healthy FX Foundation – Light L3
  • Smashbox, Travel Foundation Brush
  • Smashbox, Camera Ready Concealer – 3.0
  • Smashbox, Concealer Brush – no. 4
  • Smashbox, Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
  • Smashbox, Pressed Powder & Bronze Lights Duo – Fair/Light
  • Smashbox, Baby Buki Brush
  • Smashbox, Natural Glow Fusion Soft Lights Cheek Palette
  • Smashbox, Half Moon Brush
  • Smashbox, Eye Shadow Trio – Pretty Eyes
  • Smashbox, Crease Brush – no. 10
  • Smashbox, Definer Brush – no. 15
  • Smashbox, Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner – Midnight Black
  • Smashbox, Arced Liner Brush – no. 21
  • Smashbox, Smudge Brush – no. 20
  • Smashbox, That’s A Wrap Mascara – Black
  • Smashbox, Lip Enhancing Gloss Full Color – Aura

Preparation
I took a bath and used Clinique’s 7 day Scrub on an already clean face to take off all the dead skin cells and prep it for this night. I used the Clinique Intensive Eye Cream and then took Clinique Turnaround Concentrate as a base under my Clinique Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturiser and let that sink in for a while.

Face
To give my makeup a proper base I used the Hybrid 2 in 1 Luminizing Primer using it all over my face and neck (I took a little to much and I hate to waste this stuff). I took half a pump of Healthy FX foundation with the foundation brush because I don’t want to hide my skin and freckles (I like my freckles). I love the glow it has and a lot of foundation is not necessary.

To make my small imperfections less noticeable I used the Camera Ready Concealer and their no. 4 Concealer brush to diffuse the product more. I then took a small drop of Photo Op on the same brush and tapped that in a circle around my eye… I didn’t place it on the eyelid, but I did use it on my brow bone and under my eye and on both corners to lighten. This also adds a natural effect to the makeup here.

I used the Pressed Powder using the Half Moon Brush to set the foundation very lightly. I didn’t want it to mattify, therefor I barely touched my skin with the brush. I took the Baby Buki Brush and sculped my face using the Bronze Lights under my cheekbones and on my jawline, blending very well. I wanted some more glow to I took the Half Moon Brush again and swept it over the Natural Glow Palette and used it starting softly on my cheekbones and going up to the temples.
Now I did the whole skin care post and I explained this very detailed, so here is my eye and cheek as it is at this point of the application:

Eyes
I used Urban Decay’s Eye Shadow Primer potion on my eyelid up and a little over the crease blending it out at the edges. I then took the No. 10 Crease brush and used a little of the cream colour out of the Pretty Eyes Trio and used it as a glimmering colour wash all over my brow bone and above the crease. I then took up the no. 15 Definer Brush and used the pink colour to draw a line just above the crease blending it with the lighter colour on my brow bone.

I took up the JetSet eyeliner with the Arced Liner Brush no. 21 and first of all I painted my waterlines. I say paint because the Jet Set is a creamy eyeliner that sets waterproof. This means that once set, it really doesn’t budge. It does give some black dirt spots floating in your eye at first because that let loose before it set, but once that’s out of your eye (it goes to the corner naturally) you’re ready for a complete day of no budge black waterlines (and I always had my waterline colour fading, so this really is amazing). Another thing is, that doing it with a brush takes some getting used to, it tickles a LOT when you do your upper waterline. I smudged it into my lash line while brushing it on the waterline and then drew a line on my eyelid and in my lash line under my eye. Using the no. 20 Smudge Brush and a horizontal motion I smudged the eye line more. Remember to clean the brush between eyes or you’ll have more colour on the second eye because then their is colour from the first eye in the brush already that you’re brushing on the other eye.

Using the grey colour from the Pretty Eyes Trio and the no. 15 Definer Brush I placed the grey on the eyelid blending it into the pink. Now you see why the JetSet was blended, now you already have your eyeshadow going from very dark blackish grey to grey and then blending into the pink. If necessary use the crease brush with the pink colour to help with blending, try to keep the most of the grey under the crease. Then look down and roughly (this doesn’t have to look perfect, a great smokey eye never looks perfect) take the grey that is left on your no. 15 brush and smudge it over the lower lash line (adding some shimmer because this grey has some shimmer).

The eye now looks like this:

SJParker has some blue on the inner (upper) corner of her eye I noticed, so I took Urban Decay’s Speed Eyeshadow and used it over the grey to add some blue but keep the colour depth.

I now curled my eyelashes and added a thick coat of It’s a Wrap Mascara in Black

Lips
A lip gloss similar to the colour SJParker is wearing is Lip Enhancing Gloss full colour in Aura.

This is my inspired look… w
hat do you think?