B&A and FOTD: My "Everyday" Face

I try to mix up the products I use on my face everyday. In fact, there is not even a single foundation I use everyday. I love trying out new things and trying to incorporate fun pops of color into my look. There are a few consistent attributes of my look that remain essentially the same: perfected, dewy skin that is light enough to still show my freckles, something to make my small eyes appear larger, natural but slightly more perfected brows, and lipstick...allllllways there is lipstick.

I've been working at an office this summer, so I've been utilizing some of the softer, more professional products in my collection. I don't have a standard routine, but this is a before and after of the sort of look I've been sporting quite frequently.

Oooooooh my gosh. That is so insanely unattractive. Granny curlers...undereye bags...lots o' blemishes...barely open eyes. It must be morning! But this is what I look like literally when I wake up first thing in the morning.

And here's an after shot. Ah, much better! I have kind of hooded eyes so you can literally see nothing of my eye makeup...

I've been using my new custom MAC quad, and I'm loving it! 

This summer, I've been wearing my glasses on a day-to-day basis because I get up waaaay too early for my eyes to be accepting of contacts, so this is my glasses look.

These are the products I used!

• L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation--this stuff is a revelation for girls with dry skin! I love a glowly look, and this helps you achieve it. In fact, I'm so happy with this foundation that I haven't got around to actually purchasing a high end foundation. I'm so happy with this one!
• Some random lip balm
• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush--the only brush you'll ever need for foundation application!
• Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer--it's an "eh" product. It gets the job done, but once you've used NARS primer, it's hard to go back.
• Bobbi Brown Corrector--Love this! It's the first thing I've used that actually makes my undereye circles look decent.
• Hard Candy Glamoflauge--it's nice enough. I have it in Ulta Light, which is perhaps a touch too light for me.
• Revlon Nearly Naked Powder--This is nice, but I'm almost out and want to try something new.
• NARS Blusher in Douceur--LOVE THIS STUFF LIKE WOAH. The perfect natural flush for a pale girl.
• ELF Eyebrow Kit--eh, it gets the job done.
• MAC Quad with Blanc Type, Wedge, Satin Taupe, and Sketch--I used ST on the lid, Wedge in the crease, and BC under the brow. 
• Essence Brow Gel--gets the job done. It's hard to justify spending over $3 on brow gel once you've tried this stuff!
• MAC 217--like I could do all of my makeup with this one type of brush if I had to. You have to have this.
• Sonia Kashuk Shader Brush--It's hard to distinguish between shader brushes. I honestly believe it's the brush that you don't need to spring for. 
• Tarte Lash Curler--I hate this thing. I'm just waiting to replace it when I can.
• MAC Syrup--the ultimate "my lips but better" shade. You can tell that I literally already have only a nub left. Don't worry, I've already got a backup!
• Real Techniques Blush Brush--like the rest of the brushes of this line, it's very nice.
• Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Hustle--love this brownish copper shade, I feel like it goes very nicely with my eye color.
• Rimmel Eyeliner in Nude--This stuff is supposed to last in your lash line, but it doesn't on mine. I guess my eyes are too watery.
• Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Waterproof Mascara--THIS STUFF IS DA BOMB DOT COM. I bought it on leighannsays's recommendation, and it's perfect for stubbornly straight lashes. 

So yes, this is a typical look for me at the office. Definitely an improvement over the before!

Until next time, kiddos,

xo, Maria.

FOTD: My Attempt Do Free Wheelin' 1920s Flapper Makeup

The 1920s have been all the rage recently. I myself am a Fitzgerald fan girl, but I've been kind of avoiding the whole 20s trend for a variety of reasons.

1) The clothing style of the 1920s does not suit me. At all. The whole point of the era's fashion was to break out of the Victorian mold and embrace a more boyish silhouette. While this may have looked dashing on the daring ladies of the Jazz Age, my curvy figure needs the hourglass silhouettes of the 1940s. A dropped waist makes me look like a rectangle, which is not super appealing.

2) This is going to sound like a pretentious hipster, but I try to avoid trends when it comes to makeup. It's certainly impossible to avoid sticking to trends entirely, but I prefer to play around with what I'm personally loving and personally suits me, instead of what all the other kids are doing. YA HEAR THAT? I DON'T BEND TO PEER PRESSURE! #DAREgraduate

3) The 1920s was all about the dark eyes. I have small eyes that I am extremely self conscious about. For the entirety of high school, I packed on black liner to my lower waterline. This was not a good look. I remember staring in the mirror when I got ready wondering why my face looked so unbalanced. If only the Doctor would come along...we could pop into the TARDIS and I would sprint into the bathroom, pry the kohl from my pale hands, and replace it with a nice nude. Maybe high school wouldn't have sucked then...Enough whining about high school, onto the post!

I'm an avid reader of the reddit forum, MakeupAddiction, aka reddit.com/r/MakeupAddiction. Those girls and guys are the bomb diggity. That subreddit is seriously my happy place. A few days ago, there was a FOTD challenge to do a 1920s inspired face. I was just lounging around the apartment, so I figured, why not?!

Here was the end result:

This is ridiculously out of my comfort zone, but it was fun! I really tried to channel what I believe to be the point of the beauty revolution of the 1920s. It was all about sticking it to the man; throwing off the chains that was Victorian innocence and chastity, and embracing a lifestyle of the Lost Generation. Their eyes were dark and smudgy and imprecise, and they often used dark lipstick in the shape of a Cupid's bow. Additionally, the cosmetics of the day basically only allowed for matte, pale faces. I'm sitting at about NW15 with dry skin, so I naturally fall into a matte, pale face. You guys, I would have been sooooo popular back then. But I digress.

I tried to use the Urban Decay liner in Perversion as a base, but it wouldn't smudge at all! That's a good thing when you're using it as an actual liner, and a bad thing when it's meant to be a base. I then packed the black, glittery shadow from the Lorac Femme Fatale palette that was a Hautelook exclusive almost a year ago. I winged it out and tried to make it as smoky and imprecise as possible. I then lined my waterline with Perversion, which I hadn't done in about four years. I'm actually a fan of how this looks! I'm definitely going to be busting this eye look out at the bars sometime. I also used Perversion to fill in my brows, which made them look a bit odd, but oh well. 

The lipstick is NYX Violet Ray, which looks so different on my lips than in any other swatch online. I bought this on a whim about a year ago and have only worn it once, I think. Note to self: wear this more! I love this shade.

Overall, I really liked challenging myself to create this look.

OH SO SULTRY. Just kidding. I couldn't be sultry if my life depended on it.

Until next time, kiddos,

xo, Maria.