Feeling Blue

Who knew blue eye shadow would ever make a come back? I certainly didn't, but I'm glad it did. I absolutely LOVE the rich blues I've been seeing lately.

I am not a fan of Nene Leakes by any means, but whoever has been doing her makeup lately does a wonderful job. While I was back in the states, I saw an episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Nene Leakes was wearing a makeup look I had to try. It's taken me a few times to get it right, but I think this was my best attempt.

 I actually used 3 different blues to get this really deep color. I started with a navy eye crayon by Nars as a base. I then packed on a bright pale blue color from the Nars Rated R shadow duo, followed by a cobalt blue from the Urban Decay vice palette. I opted to keep the shadow on my lid only because all that blue could go from chic to drag queen really quickly. Liquid liner, false eyelashes, and a little blush put most of the finishing touches on my look. I typically choose my lipstick first since I love bold lip colors, but in my quest to try something new I've been thinking eyes first these days. I chose this pale pink color because it had quite a bit of pigment without competing with my already dramatic eye. Again, I'm not trying to do the drag queen thing with way too many colors.

I'm wearing a lipstick I bought at Superdrug here. It's a creamy pink by Sleek Makeup. I don't typically go for drug store makeup, but I figure there's no time like the present to start branching out. I actually bought a few things, so I'll be reviewing those products soon!

I love this look, and I got loads of compliments on it. I love this for a nice evening out on the town and can't wait to do it again! What do you think? Would you rock it?

Products::

Nars soft touch shadow pencil in Dark Rite

Nars Rated R eyeshadow duo (blue side)

Urban Decay Vice Palette (Chaos)

Mac liquid liner

Nars Dolce Vita blush

Mac Cherry lip liner

Sleek lipstick in Liqueur 

Stay fab! xx

Casual Weekend Makeup

Mac Diva lipstick and Nars Rouge Tribal gloss

I spent my weekend pretty low key, catching up with girlfriends and finding places to put all of our wedding gifts. I did get some time to play in my new Urban Decay 'Naked' palette, however. I just adore the warm neutral shades. I like my eyes to be a little bright for a little balance with a darker lip, so I opted for some of the lighter shades in the palette.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Obviously, red is something like my signature shade, so I barely blinked before purchasing this vampy red from Mac. I know I'm supposed to be trying new shades, but sometimes a girl has got to go with what works. I went for a glossy look by generously applying a Nars larger than life gloss. The gloss is a deep burgundy with sparkles and it looks great alone or with other lipstick shades.

Urban Decay 'Naked' Palette, Nars 'Exhibit A' and 'Taj Mahal' blushers, Mac 'Diva' Lipstick, Nars 'Rouge Tribal' larger than life gloss

Date Night Makeup

Nars Eye Shadow Pencil in Dark Rite
Nars Eye Shadow Duo in Rated R
Mac Eye Shadow in Black Tied
Nars Blushers Dolce Vita and Exhibit A
Nars Multiple in South Beach
Nars Larger than life lippies in Tiber and Gold Digger

Friday night was date night for me and my hunny. I decided to play around with the look that I had done at the Nars counter earlier in the week. I created a smoky eye using a navy blue eye shadow pencil, bright blue and black eye shadows. I started with the blue eye shadow pencil as a base. I covered my entire lid with the pencil. I then layered on the bright blue hue from my shadow duo on top of the navy pencil. I used the black shadow in the outer corner and crease of my lid. I used the Nars multiple on my brow bone for a highlight then finished the look with black gel liner and mascara. For my cheeks, I used the dolce vita blusher first then a touch of exhibit A. Finally, I layered "Gold Digger "gloss on top of the "Tiber" gloss.

Here's how the look turned out:

I Guess I Got My Swagger Back

Topshop top
Joe's Jeans
Saks Fifth Avenue brand wedges
Kooba bag
Prada shades

 I finally found someone to do my hair! I got my hair blown out today at the Patrick Ludde salon, and Vernon is now my favorite person in London. I am so happy to finally have my bouncy hair back! I'll be saying bye bye to my hair extensions now. I've missed my little bob. Anyway, today was a really casual day of pampering for me. After enjoying some lunch, I got my hair whipped in Mayfair before heading back to my side of town to get a pedicure. I must have been on a winning streak today because my pedicure was also excellent. (I've been to 4 crap nail salons prior to today) I wore a sweatshirt top with distressed sleeves, skinny jeans and wedges. The sun was in and out so I kept it douchey and left my shades on all day. I don't have time for the on and off game.

Mac Amber lights and Nars Brousse shadow duo
Bobbi Brown gel liner
Nars Exhibit A blusher
Nars Red Square Velvet Matte Lip pencil (Mac Redd lip liner)

Stella & Dot and Tiffany's arm parties
Stella & Dot Odette earrings

How to Rock a Bold Matte Lip

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl
Mac lip liner in Cherry 

Mac Matte Lipstick in Quick Sizzle

Mac Matte Lipstick in Quick Sizzle

I started venturing into bold lip colors like 3 years ago, and now I rarely wear neutrals. You have to have a certain confidence to rock a bold lip because people will see your lips before they see you. I typically go for a matte color because I love the way it pops. The thing about matte lips though is that if you don't properly moisturize, your color will look dry and start to flake. Hot mess.

To rock a bold, matte lip you need to start by making sure you lips are moisturized. Start with a lip scrub to remove any dead skin. I use a lip scrub by Bliss, but you can make your own sugar scrub using olive oil, sugar and salt if you're a DIY kind of girl. I then moisturize my lips with vaseline or lip balm. Before applying the color use a piece of 1-ply toilet paper (tear apart a 2 ply piece) to blot your lips. This will take off the excess layer of moisture without drying out your lips. I start with a lip liner. I line and fill my lips and then follow with my lip color. You can then blot your lips with a little translucent powder to set it. The translucent powder keeps your lipstick on longer. Apply another layer of color and you're good to go!

One last tip...stay hydrated all day long! Dehydration will cause your lips to dry and your color to flake. Gross.

DIY Lip Scrub:

1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of vaseline

Mix the honey and sugar.
Add vaseline and olive oil and mix well.