Temptalia Challenge: Feline-Inspired FOTD

Hola everyone! The other week, Christine put up a Feline Inspired Challenge and this is the look I submitted. I originally wanted to do a leopard print eye or lip but didn't have much time so I did a basic eye but with "feline-ish" colors. I'm really not used to doing dark or colorful eyes -I'm a total whimp when it comes to dramatic looks and tend to stick with my basic neutrals. I definitely need more practice but this is how it turned out!

I wanted to use foundation since I rarely use it. I noticed how nice it makes the skin look though (more even) -it just gives a flawless (or almost flawless) finish. However, I'm self conscious about my forehead! You see, my forehead is 3 shades darker than the rest of my face (due to my melanin and possibly because my forehead is too big??) The problem I have with foundation is that most of them make my forehead look ashy and gray -they'll be a perfect match for the rest of my face but because my forehead is so dark, they make my forehead dull and gray.

How do you think this turned out?? Please give feedback as I'm inbetween about this foundation. I think it does work better (for the forehead problem) than most other foundations I've tried including NARS Sheer Glow, MUFE Face & Body, and more.

The Look:

I was trying to do a subtle but semi-dramatic eye. I used a light, peachy champagne for the inner corners of my eyes and then a gold for my lid. The crease and outer-v was supposed to be very dark blue but it turned out looking black -which I ended up liking. I wanted the focus to be on my eyes so I played down the cheeks with a light, peachy salmon orange and dabbed some nude lipstick onto my lips.

Products Used:

Eyes:

1. Styli-Style Browliner 24 in Brown

2. Pari Beauty Precious Glow Eye Primer in Platinum

3. LORAC Eyeshadows from Snake Charmer Palette (2 lighter shades) (lid)

4. Gold from 120 Palette (lid)

5. TheBalm Risque Renee (crease & outer-v)

6. NARS Night Flight (outer-v)

7. MAC Pearlglide in Black Russain (upper waterline)

8. Bourjois Regard Effet Duochrome Eyeliner in Noir Bleute (lower waterline)

9. Kat Von D Liquid Liner in Black Metal Love (thin, small cat eye)

10. Prestige My Biggest Lashes Mascara

Face:

1. Pari Beauty Balancing Foundation in 52

2. Pari Beauty Blush in 08

3. LORAC Perfectly Lit Highlighter in Spotlight

4. Stila Contouring Trio

5. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Lips:

1. Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick in Spiced Cream

Here my skin looks much more like it does in real life. For some reason, my skin always look whiter and lighter in pictures.

So, what do you think? I definitely need more practice. The reason I always go with neutral looks is because it's so easy -you don't really see the mistakes. I'm also a little intimidated by bright and dark colors although it looks amazing on so many girls. I want to start doing more FOTDs but I haven't gotten my picture taking skills down when it comes to taking eye-closeups? Any tips for that?

Bubblegum Pinks: NARS Sephora Exclusive Lip Gloss in "Angelika"

Repurchase: Yes (But not this shade)

Price: $24.00 (0.28 oz)

Product: 8.9/10

Packaging: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Overall Grade: A-

Recently, Sephora came out with 5 NARS limited edition glosses that included Albatross, Angelika, Luster, Super Orgasm, and Oasis. I was going to go with Oasis, since that's one of my favorite blushes ever, but ended up getting Angelika since I love my bubblegum/pale/pastel pink lippies.

The Packaging: Standard NARS lip gloss packaging -clear tube with rubbery, matte black cap and doe foot applicator.

The Product: As I've said before, NARS glosses tend to be thin, tacky, and slightly sticky. I feel that tacky can easily be passed off for "sticky" -to me, these are more tacky than sticky. The gloss is also moisturizing and smooth. It lasts for about 4 hours on its own. Also, NARS glosses, along with their lip products in general, tend to smell and sometimes taste like crayons. For their glosses, I find that once it's applied to your lips, the smell quickly goes away.

The Color: Light-medium bright blue based pink with a bit of lilac and silvery shimmer.

I sort of like the color but I'm not in love with it like I expected to be. I wanted it to be a more pale, pastel color. It looks nice but to me, it looks like any old pink gloss rather than a "special", Sephora exclusive shade.

Swatches.. (The non-flash pic better resembles the actual color but the flash pic shows off the texture and shimmer. The color is slightly darker than in flash pic and is better captured in the non-flash pic.)

Above (no flash): NARS Lip Gloss in Angelika

Above (no flash): NARS Lip Gloss in Angelika

Above (with flash): NARS Lip Gloss in Angelika

Above (with flash): NARS Lip Gloss in Angelika (Btw, this is the look I used for my "No Makeup Look" on Temptalia!)

Overall: I love the gloss simply because it's a "NARS gloss" and they're one of my favorites but the shade just isn't doing it for me. I don't find it very special and I don't see myself wearing it often. Don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous shade -just not what I thought it would be. This may be a return but I'm not sure yet!

Where To Buy: Sephora