Chilli Red Lips and Soft Winged Eyes: Armani Lip Maestro 402 and NARS Cordura + Kalahari tutorial

Haven't put a tutorial on here in awhile, so here's a very quick breakdown of a go-to "dressed up" look that I often do when I'm going out. It's not all hard edges and precise dramatic lines though. In fact, it's kept deliberately soft around the edges, so that you can wear a stronger lip with a stronger eye, if you choose.

To give you options, I broke the look down into 2 parts. The eye, and the lip. You can wear them separately or together like I did. 

Products used: Shiseido Maquillage Long Stay Eyeliner N, Etude House Play 101 Pencil in 59, NARS Cordura (darker shade), and NARS Kalahari (warmer bronze shade used)

Firstly, a note about products. You absolutely do NOT have to use the exact same things I did. Most of us have black and brown liners, and many of us have a dark brown and a medium brown shadow. Just dig around and look for what you already own. Or if you absolutely LOVE one of the particular shades here, then go for it.

Step by step: Smoky winged eye

This eye look is so straightforward. There is no precision required because everything is hazy and smudged out. That's why I do it so often. It takes only a few minutes.

Now on to lips! I only discovered Lip Maestros from Armani in December last year. Very slow and late of me I know. But I fell for them in a BIG way. These things are incredible. Of all the lip creams that were launched last year, this is probably my favorite texture. They aren't as gel-like and glossy as Dior's, not as sheer as YSL's, and aren't as intense as Shu's (although these 2 brands have the closest textures). 

To me, it's like Baby Bear's bed to Goldilocks. Just right.

Lip products used: No7 Precision Lip Liner in Nude, Armani Lip Maestro in 402

I have a rather specific way of applying these.

Obviously I don't want them to bleed and smear quickly so I don't just wear them straight from the tube without liner.

BUT, I also don't want to ruin that semi-glossy texture or change the consistency and opacity by wearing a layer of liner all over my lips. 

So this is what I do.

My lip application procedure for Lip Maestros

What I end up doing is create a border that is mid-way between red and nude. It melds with the red so it doesn't look like an obvious line, and at the same time, it also protects the lipstick from bleeding quickly, AND it works as a border and helps bright colors from looking too hard and harsh against the skin.

The lip is neat, but it's not overly defined. You will never see a dark lip line when your lip color wears off after a drink or a  meal. And it's never harsh-looking or like "stick on" lips.

Glam smoky toffee-gold eyes with tawny-nude cheeks and lips

This look works like the classic smoky eye, with

• the lash line being the darkest and most intense
• color fading as it goes outwards
• smoky shadow blended quite far down along the lower lash line

 The rest of the face is very monochromatic, with nude tones on the cheeks and lips, topped with a little warm gold-toned sheen.

Very into smoky neutrals right now, and it’s great for the holiday season because they’re flattering for everyone, go with most outfits and are a quick way to add some glamour to the face.

Skin:

Maybelline Pure.Eraser Mineral Foundation OC2
The Body Shop Concealer Pencil 02
ClearLast Face Powder in Medicated Ochre (this is a range of pressed powders in different finishes by Mandom Japan that I love, love, love for setting makeup because they give additional coverage and don’t grab and darken over concealer, and also never look too matte or cakey).
The Body Shop Bronzing Powder in Light Matte 01 (for contouring)
The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in Coral for a soft sheen and a trace of warm color

Brows: 

Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 Pencil in Seal Brown
Canmake brow mascara 01

P.S. sorry for the duplicate image in the pictorial image below!

Smoky toffee-gold eye pictorial

Eyes:

Instead of a typical pencil, use a soft black kajal or an intense black cream shadow stick like Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick (these are easier to smoke out)
Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in 9 Burnt Sugar (or any caramel-toned brown that isn’t too shimmery)
MAC Pressed Pigment in Flicker (or Lustre shadow in Retrospeck) patted on with damp fingers for precise sparkle
Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black

Lips:

The Body Shop Colour Crush lipstick 220
Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Candlelight

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!

Basic Green/Black Winged Eyes

There's nothing quite as dramatic as a solid winged eye, and the good news is that it isn't actually extremely hard to do as long as you get the basics right.

This look is good for:

• All eye shapes and any skin/hair/eye color.

I used L'oreal Infallible Shadows in Eternal Black and Permanent Kaki. (I believe this is named differently in the States. You can use any deep khaki green you have.)

You will also need black liner, and mascara. 

Scarlet Slippers: Red Glitter Winged-Eye Tutorial

Red glitter on lids.

Red on the eyes is always incredibly dramatic, but when you use a red glitter, it becomes surprisingly pretty as well. I am applying two matte shadows from the Lime Crime Chinadoll palette but you can use any reddish and black shadow you have.

For the glitter, the finer cosmetic grade ones are better for the eye area, but if that's not accessible for you and you want to use regular art store glitter, find the finest you can get, and make sure to be careful when removing from the lids. (Wipe upwards, away from your lash line, not down into your eyes.)

See the step-by-step tutorial here! 

Lazy Girl's Guide to Perfect Winged Liner (and Shadow) for Valentine's!

Perfect Winged Eyes need not take weeks to master.

A winged eye and a demure kitten flick can give you really alluring eyes, but I got so many questions about how to do a good winged eye or flicked liner, so it I figured I’d do a more detailed tutorial on how to do it without requiring weeks of practice.

You will need:

• Black gel liner
• Flat, angled synthetic liner brush
• A sheet of paper or card (or tape)

View the step-by-step here!