Yes, I finally did it - a Christmas inspired look! This might be a bit too much for some people, but personally I like my makeup to stand out sometimes. If you're looking for a bright, colorful look for a late Christmas party or just something festive and fun for the holiday season, give it a go :) This time I'll try to make the tutorial more simple than the smokey eye one. I didn't take pictures of the products I used because it doesn't really matter which brands you use if you want to recreate this look, but here's a list of the products in order of use:
- First, apply a piece of tape from the outer corner of the eye up to the eyebrow. This way you'll easily get a nice, crisp edge with the shadows. Before placing the tape near your eye, make sure to peel it off from your hand a couple of times to get rid of excess stickiness!
- Then apply the waterproof eye shadow up to the crease for a sticky base, and make sure it meets with the edge of the tape.
- Apply a highly pigmented shimmery gold eye shadow from the inner corner to about half of the lid.
- Use a shimmery dark green shadow and apply it over the rest of the base.
- Blend out the crease a little bit with a blending brush. I used a mixture of dark green matte eye shadow and some medium brown eye shadow.
- Gently remove the tape and add a matte highlight color under your brow.
- For the lower lash line, apply some dark green or turquoise pencil, and top it with a matte dark green shadow. To highlight the inner corners, first do a thin coat of glittery liquid eyeliner and then put a shimmery shadow on top. Or if you happen to have a shadow that's vibrant enough to use alone, you can skip the liquid liner.
- If you want to add some depth to the upper lash line, apply black eye pencil and use a dark green or regular black eye shadow on top of it and softly blend it out a bit.
- Here's what it should look like with both eyes done. To finish off, apply two coats of your favorite mascara, and then add a pair of fake lashes if you want some extra drama.
- Apply red lipstick for a festive touch :) Nude lips would also work with the eyes.
- Finished!
I'm not sure if I'll make any new posts before Christmas is actually here - depends on if I get any ideas or requests - but if I don't, Merry Christmas everyone! :)
- Only two more weeks until Christmas, I can't believe it! This year has gone by so fast. I should really get going with shopping presents, but my mind is completely blank and I have no idea what to buy. To anyone.
Anyways: here are some of my current favorite products that I used a lot during the month of November. I doubt I'll be doing monthly favorites because honestly I don't buy new products that often, but I'll make sure to do a post if I come across something new and awesome!
Exfoliating Shower Gel (raspberry scented, contains kiwi seeds) by Yves Rocher.
- I got this from Mallorca since the Yves Rocher there was having a -50% off on all of their products (stupid me, I should have bought more stuff...). I use this about once a week with an exfoliating glove, and it leaves the skin very soft and ready for moisturizer!
Avocado & Oatmeal clay mask by Freeman
- This product has been sitting in my box for a good while now and I recently rediscovered my love for it. I've been using it once or twice a week after showering, leaving it on for ten minutes and then rinsing it off. It's a very nice mask for being so affordable, and after I finish this I'll be sure to check out other masks from Freeman.
"Chatter Box"- lipstick by M.A.C
- Finally, my first M.A.C lipstick! I got it also from Mallorca. This was definitely more expensive than what I'd usually pay for a lipstick, but I figured that a good lipstick is an investment. I love the color, it's a cool toned medium pink that's wearable enough for everyday use. I've been using this a lot to give my lips a little pop of color on days when I'm just wearing liquid eyeliner and some mascara. One sad thing about it though - and also a problem that I have with many lipsticks - is that despite "Chatter Box" being an amplified formula, my lips still get quite dry after wearing this for several hours and it doesn't look good when I need to reapply :/ But anyways, it's still a good lipstick and I'd like to get some more from M.A.C.
Beauty Base Eyeshadow Primer from Lumene
- I repurchased this product a few weeks back and I use it almost every day, especially for school if I want to wear some neutral shadows. It keeps the shadows on for a really long time and I haven't noticed any creasing even after 12 hours of wearing it! It's good to put a light layer of powder under and on top of it for it to work as best as possible.
Healthy Hands + Stronger Nails hand cream by Vaseline
- For some reason I couldn't find this product at the store for a couple of years, but now it's back and I'm extremely happy about that! This is maybe the best hand cream I've ever used so far, because it absorbs into the skin very fast and moisturizes well. It also contains keratin that makes your nails stronger, which is important for me since my nails are usually quite long and they break easily. If you're looking for a new hand cream, give this one a try :)
To end this post I wanted to tell a little bit about my look of the day:
- It's been a while since I've worn red lipstick but I feel that it's very appropriate now that Christmas is right around the corner and it's getting colder here in Finland. To complement the lipstick I did a light and soft smokey eye with grey and brown, then added a thin line of black liquid eyeliner and a short wing.
- For eyeliner I used "Dipliner" in black from H&M (it's actually quite good!) and the lipstick is "15 - Vintage Red" from Lumene Natural Code, which I believe is unfortunately now discontinued :(
- "Vintage Red" is a cool toned classic red, but for some reason my camera made the color look a lot warmer than it actually is. But trust me, it's not that orange - stupid camera... :|
I might do a Christmas inspired makeup tutorial some time this or next week, if I remember :D
Hi there! Being the lazy person I am, I decided not to ramble too much on this post and just share some pictures from different looks I've done during the past couple of years. Most of these haven't actually been worn outside, but I've been practicing and playing around with makeup quite a lot. And then regretting it at night when I need to wash all the makeup off. Many of these looks are quite similar due to my obsession with silver and black eye shadow...nevertheless, I hope you like them. :D
Playing with dark grey
(yup, I've had reddish pink hair..)
(excuse the lovely quality)
Same look, different angles & eyes
Trying out light blues...
...and darker blues.
I did some leopard print with liquid eyeliner, this was fun to do :)
And finally a few photos of looks I've done on my best friend (I asked her permission to share these)
Rasta - inspired random look because that's the style she likes :D
This one was for a rock festival where we went together in 2012, I think
And finally something darker :)
These are just a few looks that I've done and actually photographed, most of my experiments haven't been saved in any way :D I might do a similar post like this but about nail designs, since I'm into nail art as well. Would you like to see some tutorials on makeup or nail art?
I've always been interested in body modification, tattoos and piercings specifically. They can be quite controversial, but luckily I haven't gotten into any trouble for having them :D
Left ear: 6mm stretch and two regular cartilage piercings (they're technically not helix -piercings because the angle is different)
- Actually I think that stretching has hurt more than any of my other piercings. The cartilage ones weren't that bad, only about a 3 on a (painless)1-10(hurts like hell) pain scale. If any of you've tried stretching your piercings I guess you know what I'm talking about - I'd say the pain was somewhere near 5 or 6 and it would be sore for days after a new stretch. It took me a bit more than half a year to get to 6mm, trying to stretch about 1mm per month. I'm happy with the current size and I've stayed the same for almost three years already. The reason I didn't stretch it any bigger is that some day I want to go back to the original size, and after stretching it over 10mm it might not go back to how it was before. More than anything, stretching requires lots and lots of patience if you don't want to screw it up.
- I got my first cartilage piercing about 1½ years ago or something, and the other one I think I got like half a year ago. Anything on the cartilage is a pain in the ass for a few months because it affects the way you sleep and you need to be careful not to accidentally knock them when brushing your hair - or that's how it was for me at least. When it comes to pain they're fine now, but the only problem I have, that's very common with any cartilage piercing, is that they easily develop those little "bumps", called keloids. They're treatable with for example tea tree oil, but at the moment I don't have any because it's so damn expensive :|
Right ear: Two regular earlobe piercings and a rook
- The rook was the first thing I got on my ears except for the regular three earlobe piercings I already had. I've actually had it done twice, because the first time the piercer was still a bit of a newbie and she didn't pierce it in the right spot. So, it was difficult to see and clean it and everything and after about 8 months or so, it started to grow out and I took it out, waited a couple of months and got it repierced by another person, and I've had zero problems with it since. Some people say the rook hurts like crazy, but after having it done two times I have to say it wasn't too bad for me. Again, maybe a 3-4 on the 1-10 scale. I'm not sure why it didn't hurt like I was expecting it to but I'm just glad that it didn't, not even the second time.
I also have my tongue pierced, it's been a little over three years since I got it done and it still is probably my favorite piercing, even though I don't spend my day looking at it :D I don't have a good picture of it at the moment but it's not that special. I was extremely nervous when I went to the shop to get it done, since it was my first "professional" piercing that was done with a needle, and not just an earlobe with the piercing gun ( by the way, don't get even your lobes pierced with the gun, it's the worst way to do it and I hope I had known earlier ). Lucky for me, I feared for nothing because it literally didn't hurt at all. The only thing I felt was a little bit of pressure on my tongue and that was it. But the part that sucked, was the aftercare. Okay, aftercare is the worst part with any piercing. My tongue swelled up and it was hard to eat and talk for the first week, I drank a lot of ice water and took some painkillers to ease the healing. Finally after two weeks it was fine and I changed the jewelry to a shorter barbell - that felt good. Tattoos
(this picture was taken when the tattoo was only a couple of hours old, that's why my skin looks irritated)
- At the moment I only have one (or two, depending how you count it) tattoo, it's on my back behind my left shoulder and they're the actual paw prints of my two cats. The tattoo pain was pretty much what I expected it to be, an irritating scratching feeling. It was tolerable since the tattoo only took like 10 minutes for the artist to do, but I'm sure that if you're getting tattooed for more than a couple of hours it can really hurt. There were only a few about five second parts when the tattoo machine was closer to my shoulder bones and it hurt more, but just for a while. I would definitely get it done again if I had to :) The tattoo now isn't as black as it is in the picture, because it was done with different tones of grey and not just plain black but that's how it looked like when it was fresh. I should take a new picture of it, it's even prettier now..
- I'm quite sure I'll get more tattoos in the future, but for now I have nothing specific in mind. I'd like something inspired by the Lord of the Rings, some script in elvish or something like that.
I also wanted to share some of my favorite music on here, since it is such a big part of my life. Here are couple of songs/artists to check out if you're looking for some new music:
HIM - Buried Alive by Love
Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence ( I actually saw them live in Helsinki about a year ago, it was awesome!) and finally, something a bit heavier...or more awesome :D
I recently got a request from a friend to show how to create a smokey eye, so here it is! I apologize (again) for the bad artificial lighting in the photos, but that's all I have during this time of the year :D
First, here's what I used to create the look:
- Warm Palette 88 Eye Shadows by Coastal Scents
- Beauty Base Eye Shadow Primer by Lumene
Optional: other products to complete the look - black liquid eyeliner or gel liner, brown eye liner pencil and mascara
Brushes:
I used five different brushes, but you can manage with just the regular shadow brush (4) and a blending brush (5). Brushes 1&3 are from Coastal Scents, 2 is by Maybelline, 4 is by Ibero and 5 is by M.A.C "217". If you like to do eye makeup a lot, I really suggest you get it because it's an amazing brush for blending and I honestly don't know how I managed without it before :D
Finally, the actual tutorial:
Here you can see the shadows I used from the palette (I'll be referring to the shadows by the numbers you see here in order of what I used)
- I started by applying the eye shadow primer all over my lid up to the brow and lightly powdered on top to set it. Also, I already have a bit of mascara on because I just got home from school and then did this look :D
- Here I used shadow (1). all over the lid and a bit to the crease with the regular shadow brush "4". You could also use brush "1" to do this.
- Take a medium brown shadow (2) and apply it to the other half of the lid and slightly to the crease, using the same regular shadow brush.
( -Optional step, I used this latte colored shadow (3) and blended it softly with the M.A.C blender brush to the crease to help smoke out the darker colors we're going to add next)
- Time to start creating the smokey effect. I used a dark brown shadow (4) and applied it to the outer corner of my eye and up to the crease with brush "3".
- I like using black (5) when creating a smokey eye but if that's too harsh for you, just go with a grey or a really dark brown shadow. Apply it carefully to the outer third of the lid, but make sure the dark brown still shows up. For this I also used brush "3" but you could do it with the regular shadow brush "4".
- Lastly, blend the crease colors together with a light brown eye shadow (6) using the blender brush "5" (to blend, use light circular motions or a "windshield wiper"- motion over the crease) and add a matte cream color (7), brush "1" to highlight under the brow and to help with the gradient even more.
- I completed the look by using a brown eye pencil on the lower lash line, then dark brown shadow (4) on top of it and added a bit of the black shadow (5) to the outer corner of the lower lash line, both colors with brush "2". I also lined my upper water line with black gel liner, and did a thin black line with liquid liner on the lid. Then just add two coats of your favorite mascara (add false lashes for some extra drama!), and you're done! :)
Here are a few photos with both eyes done and how it looks further away:
I hope this tutorial was helpful, and sorry if it's a bit complicated but if you have any questions I'll be more than happy to answer them! :)
- Once again the first snow came down - and I'm already over it. Every year when spring finally comes around the corner, I'm amazed by the fact that I didn't get hypothermia or break any bones because of slippery roads. You'd think that after 18 years of living in Finland, one should be used to the fact that every winter is super cold and full of snow. Well I haven't...
Again I'm faced with the problem of what should I wear? Sure I have great boots and a warm coat for when the temperature hits -10, but what about before that? It's too cold to wear a leather jacket - or any other nice clothes for that matter - but if I jump right into wearing my warmest coat I'll be an ice cube by January.
How it looks like outside now
Sure, I like snow. But the amount of snow that's on the ground right now after two days of snowing is enough for me. It's okay if I need to walk outside in a snowy street, but what about when it's SNOWING when you're walking?
Not so glamorous, for me at least. For example, yesterday I was walking to school and it snowed right against my face and it felt like the snow was pouring down my neck and messing up my makeup - yes I do care about it :D So, when I finally got to the school I felt like a rat that came from the sewer.
I didn't really have anything else in my mind, especially after coming home from Mallorca (it was great!! ) apart from the change of weather. So that was my little rant about the fact that winter is unavoidable in Finland and I have no other option but to do what I do every year - get used to it.
Also, I've been trying to get my blog on Bloglovin but I'm not sure if this works - on their page it said that I need to put this link on my next blog post - <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13133413/?claim=m2hfy33dm9s">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
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