Makeup Look: True Blue

I've always been a huge fan of makeup. I remember when I got my first issue of Seventeen Magazine. I was so overwhelmed with makeup and beauty products, I didn't even know where to start. Over the years, I have managed to explore makeup on my own. I've also taken countless makeup classes, have had many one-on-one tutorials with local makeup artists, ripped out thousands of makeup how-to articles out of magazines and even graduated from beauty school. I am by no means a professional makeup artist even though I've always dreamed about being one. I'm just a girl who loves playing with makeup.

With being a licensed esthetician and now working full-time as a Beauty Advisor, I'm finally knee-deep, working in the beauty industry. I am constantly surrounded by a variety of products either at work or in my own spare time. Working in the beauty industry, its near impossible to not have an extensive personal collection of makeup and skin care products. 

I have decided to put my "extensive collection" to good use and feature some of my favorite products here in my blog.

I've had this weird obsession with blue eyeshadow color combinations for the past six months. I don't remember exactly where the fascination started. I think I read somewhere that brown eyes (that's me!) can really get away with any sort of eyeshadow color combination. I must have seen a picture in a magazine or read an article because I have collected quite a few different shades of blue shadows over the last few months. I finally put my favorite shades together, did a little blending here and there, added some liner, applied a pair of lashes. I call this my "True Blue" look. Yes, I'm paying homage to the ultimate Material Girl whom I've been an avid fan of since the 3rd grade.

1. After applying my foundation, concealer, setting powder and eyeshadow primer, I applied MAC's Shroom all over the lid, from my lashes to my brows. I used a MAC #272 brush to apply. Shroom is one of my all-time favorite colors. I use it almost daily.

 

MAC eyeshadow in Shroom

 2. With the MAC #239 brush, I applied MAC eyeshadow in Brill to the inner eye area. I also carefully lined the inner eye's bottom lash line with Brill as well. I find that lighter colors applied in the inner eye area tend to make eyes pop, making the eyes not only look bigger, but more awake. I get up at 4 in the morning for work so my eyes need all of the help they can get in the "look awake" department.

MAC eyeshadow in Brill

3. Using the MAC #213 brush, I applied Shimmer Moss, a shimmery aqua eyeshadow color from MAC. I started applying Shimmer Moss where Brill left off-in the middle of the eyelid, right above the center of the pupil and then spread the color all the way out to the outer corner of the eye.

MAC eyeshadow in Shimmer Moss

4. I used an angled eyeshadow brush like MAC's #279 brush to apply Fresh Water. I applied Fresh Water right on top of Shimmer Moss by creating a sideways "V" of color in the outer eye area.

MAC eyeshadow in Fresh Water

5. For depth, I applied the MAC staple eyeshadow, Carbon (rich black) in the outer part of the eye, just in the crease, using the #272 brush. When you apply Carbon, just think of applying the color only in the top part of that "V" you just made using Fresh Water.

6. BLEND!! I took the MAC #224 brush and carefully blended the colors in my crease in a gentle windshield wiper motion. Really concentrate on doing most of the blending from the outer eye to the mid-pupil area, in the crease. You really want to leave the inner eye covered with just Brill so that the eyes will pop, even after you've added the darker colors.

7. After curling my lashes with an eyelash curler, I added two coats of Dior's Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum followed by two coats of Diorshow mascara. You might wonder, "Do I really need both?" I've been a huge fan of this Dior lash combo. The mascara and the lash plumping serum work together to volumize the lashes. The lash plumping serum also helps extend the wear of the mascara throughout the day and prevents any sort of smudging-an extra bonus! When I work 16-hour days and still see that my mascara hasn't moved by the end of the day, it makes me a firm believer that the two products really work well together.

8. For eyeliner, I used both a pencil and a liquid. For the pencil, I used MAC's Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved (black) on both the top and bottom outer lash line only. Then I smudged the pencil to create a more smokey effect using my Sephora Professionnel Smudge Brush. Using a slightly damp angled brush, I turned my Carbon eyeshadow into a liquid liner and just lined my top lash line.

9. To apply lashes or not not apply lashes? It depends how much time you have to spend getting ready and the look you're going for. I decided to apply lashes because I had some extra time, was working at night and wanted a more dramatic look.

10. I contoured my face using a Kabuki brush underneath my cheekbones, along the jawline and temple area with Benefit's bronzing powder in Hoola. On the apple of my cheeks, I lightly dusted MAC's Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul. I highlighted the tops of my cheeks and the cupid's bow (right in the middle, on the top of my lips) using the MAC cream in Shell.

Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul 

MAC cream in Shell

11. For lips, I first covered my lips with MAC's Prep+Prime Lip to smooth out the area. Then I lined and filled in my lips with the MAC lip liner pencil in Subculture. After, I applied a generous coat of MAC's Oyster Girl lip gloss.