Midnight Periwinkle: Metallic Sparkly Eye Look (feat Moonshot Jelly Pot P04)

Korean brand Moonshot has reached Singapore, and one of the star products I highly recommend are their Jelly Pots, metallic gel-cream shadows which set and lock on. 

They're not that different from liquid shadows that you get in squeeze tubes or gloss tubes, but they can be slightly messy because the gels will move round in the pots, so tap the bottom a few times before opening. The range comes in P (pearls) and M (matte) formulas. Also, they can be used as bases, but they're better as shadows in their own. Once they set, they don't grab powders all that well.

Which is fine if you want a more diffused and soft effect, not so good if you expect your bases to intensify your powder shadows.

For this look, I wanted a smoky but still luminous effect, so I paired Jelly Pot P04 (a medium metallic lavender) with Shu Uemura's Beauty Remix Smokey Eye & Cheek Palette in Indigo.

The final effect should be smoky and defined but still soft, with an emphasis on a blend of cloudy colors and sparkly texture.

 Getting the Look:

Tip: to get maximum shine and payoff with the Jelly Pots I recommend letting a thin layer set, then applying a second layer on top.

As for the lips, I used MAC Spice lip pencil and YSL Rouge Volupté Shine No 8.


Final note on the Jelly Pots:

The Jelly Pots last very well once set, and the sheen is beautiful with the P formula, so I totally don't recommend buying these to use as a base for powders. Use them as a shadow shade in their own right and just pair other powders and creams with them to bring out their color and texture.

There cost around SGD$34 at Sephora; not the cheapest compared to what you'd get buying it in Korea, but worth checking out nonetheless.

Pink or Black? Shu Uemura Holiday 2013 Pink and Black Palette tutorials

Shu Uemura Holiday 2013 Face/Off: Pink Princess vs Black Princess looks

When we first saw the anime-inspired Pink/Black-split collection from Shu Uemura's 6 Heart Princess collaboration with artist Takashi Murakami, it was a natural to start thinking of doing pink vs black princess looks.

I've done just that, and you can choose for yourself which suits you more! (Or just go for both since the collection celebrates the duality in all women anyway. Full swatches and close-ups of the limited edition collection, including 5 lip and cheek creams and 2 pairs of premium lashes, are available here!

Shu Uemura 6 Heart Princess Heart-full Pink Parallel Palette makeup

To view the Pink Princess palette and tutorial, click here.
http://www.makeup-box.com/post/65950065810/shu-uemura-pink-princess-look-6-heart-princess

Shu Uemura 6 Heart Princess Enchanted Black Parallel makeup look

The Black Princess look isn't as dramatic as it should be, because I used Katy Perry Ka-Pow lashes instead of the jeweled, feathered, cobweb-like premium set from the collection. (They were too large to fit my eyes, and I wasn't about to cut up $125/pair lashes.)

Shu Uemura 6 Heart Princess "Black Jewel on Wing" premium lashes

This post will be updated with a link to the full Black Princess makeup tutorial shortly!

Club E: Smoky purple look feat. VDL cosmetics

At present, VDL has confirmed it is not internationally available (bummer...) but if this ever changes you will be the first to know! In the meantime, you are free to substitute similar colors.

This is a browny plum. If you can't find VDL, CoastalScents.com's Tyrian purple is a slightly cooler version.

Alternate options: Coastalscents.com's Violet Echo or  NYX Purple. 

(read more below)

Pacific Blue: Simple, Colorful Winged Eyes (88 Original Palette)

Simple look featuring 3 shadows: 

• A light aqua, a medium bright blue, and a dark purple.
• Dark blue/purple liner optional.
• Black mascara.

Steps below!

Apply mascara to finish!

Lavender-Chocolate: Soft luminous purple andbrown eyeshadow look that goes with pretty much any Lip color

This is a color combination that is not a typical beige-toned neutral, but still goes with pretty much any lip color you want to wear. It's also soft enough that you can use a light hand (skip step 3) and just wear it in the day for work or school.

I used just 2 shadows:

• A pale lavender (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Ice Ballet)
• A deep rich brown (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Rich Walnut)

Other than this, I had a chocolate brown pencil and black mascara.

Blue Lagoon Tutorial: Color-block Eye Look with Nude Lips

I got a request recently for looks to wear with nude lips.  One fun option is to wear a colorful eye look with it, because you can get away with a lot more colors on the eyes than you would if you were wearing a stronger lip color.

I'm placing 3 strong colors side by side (coppery-bronze, a golden-aqua, and a vibrant purple). 

You will need:

• A navy base - I used an old Sasatinnie blue gel liner, but any metallic pencil would work.
• A bronze/tan shadow - I blended a whole bunch of peachy tan browns from the 88 Warm palette but you can just use any brown soft tan shade you have.
• A medium blue-green shimmer - I used Lakeshore by Coastal Scents, which reflects gold. You don't have to use a duochrome like I did. A nice strong aqua or teal would work just fine.
• A strong, bright grape - I used a Coastal Scents hot pot again, in Amethyst.

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Read on for the tutorial!

Romantic Contoured Lavender

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Lavender is a universally-flattering color for most eye and skin colors, and I always consider it one of those shades that functions like a neutral because it goes with everything and everyone. A contoured, pearlescent lavender eye like this one can look sultry and dreamy at the same time (as seen on Jessica Rabbit), AND you can change the entire look just by switching out your lip color.

Some tips:

• What you want to be careful of, if you have uneven skin tone or a lot of red/pink in your skin, is to pick purples that lean more silver or blue. 
• If you have mature lids, go with slightly less metallic/shimmery shadows than I used because a high-sheen can emphasize lines.
• If you have very dark skin, pick a purple that is richer and stronger as a soft pastel can look chalky
• If you are layering it over a grey/silver base like I did here (See below), remember that you need to go with a slightly more pink-toned shade than you want because the blue undertones in the grey base will make a purple look blue. 

I used the 88 Shimmer palette, but you can find soft pinks and purples EVERYWHERE so don't feel you need to purchase a brand new palette for this.

Step 1: Apply your base all over the lid up to the socket line, but don't wing it out at the outer corners. You want to keep the eye shape quite round and doe-like for this.

Then use a small brush to run the grey cream shadow along the outer half of the lower lash line as well. (I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt.)

Step 2: From the 88 Shimmer palette, I picked a lavender and cool pink in the 2 center columns and mixed them together on a brush.

Then I applied this mixture onto the outer half of the lids, below. As you can see the mixture goes on a straight lavender because the grey cancels out the pink/red tones. If I'd used just the purple, my shadow would look almost blue.

 

Step 3: Next I picked a warm-toned paler pink and applied that onto the inner half of the lids, blending into the pink-purple from earlier. Bring this down the inner corners to the lower lid as well. This creates a brightness at the inner corners of your eye, and is great if you have close-set eyes.

Step 4: To finish the shadow, just apply a little charcoal or black shadow right to the outer corners. I did not bother to sweep it upwards along the socket line but if you have hooded or mono-lids and want to emphasize your socket a bit more, you can do that.

Step 5: For extra definition at the lash line, I applied a thin line of black pencil to the outer half of the lids and then used the same shadow brush from earlier to soften and blend it out.

Then I finished with black mascara.

Step 6: Because I'm going with a cooler toned lip for this look, I chose a raspberry pink blush. Try something like Nyx Pinky which looks like a super-bright fuchsia, but goes on quite pretty. If you want you can apply just a little matte bronzer around the edges of your face and temples, jawline to add some dimension back to your face.

Step 7: For the lips, you have the option of using a soft pastel blue-based pink like Revlon's Strawberry Shortcake Lip Butter, OR you can apply a deep dark liver-red (MAC Diva). The dark lip instantly turns the look into a rather "Noir" one, and I didn't touch the eyeshadow or the blush at all.

Soft Purple and Neutral Eye for Hooded Lids

Purple is a flattering color for most skin tones and eye colors, but here is a subtler way to wear if it you would like to add a little color into your day.
Great for:

• Hooded Lids

• Those with a wide space between lash line and brow
• Brown, Hazel, Green eyes

You will need:

1. [Optional] a pale shimmery cream shadow
2. A purple shadow (may be shimmery or matte)
3. A matte medium-brown (use a contouring powder if you have one; you don't have to buy a separate brown shadow)

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Step 1: (Optional) Apply a creamy base in a pale silver or champagne shade. This will intensify the violet. A regular primer will do as well.

Step 2: Use a soft brush to buff a bright medium violet (try MAC Parfait Amour or I Nuovi Purple Funk) into the center of the lids, leaving the outer corner and inner corner bare.

Step 3: Using the matte brown contouring powder or shadow (I actually used TheBalm's Bahama Mama powder) and a finer/smaller brush,  run the brown along the socket line above the violet. Don't drag the brown too far out and down.

IMPORTANT: You do NOT want to connect the arc to the outer corner of your eye if you have hooded or a slightly downward-dropping lid. Just stop above it and don't bother darkening the outer corners of your lid 

Step 4: Using the same brown, define the outer 2/3 of the lower lash line lightly. Don't use a dark shade here as a strong line there can make a slightly downward drooping shape look worse. You just want a tiny bit of definition.

Step 5: For definition at the lash line, simply apply a stroke of brown pencil or gel liner. You can add a short flick at the outer corner, but try to keep it short and simple as a lid that is folded low might cause excess liner to melt and smudge.

Step 6: Curl lashes and apply black mascara. 

Twilight-Bloom: Intense Pink, Lavender and Cocoa Eyeshadow Tutorial (88 Shimmer Palette)

This color combination just reminded me of some exotic, poisonous bloom surrounded by dark woods.

 Good for:

• All eye colors
• Medium-fair to Dark skintones
• Double-lids (it could still work for some mono-lids if you have quite a bit of lid space, but otherwise it might not be as flattering)
• Those with little lines/dryness around the eye area (those with more mature skin can swop to completely-matte shades in similar colors)

You will need:

• A brown base (pencil, cream shadow or gel liner would work)
• A rich hot-pink or fuchsia shadow 
• A medium lavender
• A deep chocolate brown
• Mascara

Step 1: First use your finger to apply a light layer of brown base over the entire lid. Don't blend it out too far or pack it on too thick. It's just meant to deepen and provide an adhesive base to the colors.

Step 2: Pack the intense hot pink onto the center of the lid, right in the middle of the brown base. 

Step 3: Using the same brush, just flip to the other side and pick up some of the lavender. Pack that onto the inner 1/3 of the lid, beside the pink, and then sweep it lightly up along the arc of the socket line, to the center of the eye. (If you have mono or hooded lids, leave out the lavender upward-arc.)

Step 3: To add some definition and contour, use a dark brown on the outer 1/3 of the lids, and then follow the socket line once again, arcing inwards to the center of the eye.

On the lower lash line, run a little of the fuchsia shade along the lash line, keeping it soft and hazy. (If you want a less dramatic look, leave this out or use the brown instead of pink.) 

Step 4: Finish by picking up a little of the lavender from earlier and then using that to extend the outer edges of the brown into a very soft wing. Be very light-handed with this. If you want the look to be a little more subtle, leave out this step.

Step 5: [Optional] Line the lower lash line with brown. This gives definition if you are used to lining your lower lash line. You don't need to. Leaving this step out keeps the look more hazy and dreamy.