Pin-Up Girl

Today's look was inspired by the sultry beauties of 1950's and somewhere around that era. ;) (Albeit, I'm not half as good-looking as any of them. ;p) I love the classic pin-up look. And I love emulating it even more. So, if you would like to look good enough to be ogled on a calendar, then flip on to the next page with me! :D



A smooth, clear complexion is vital to looking like a pin-up, so prep your face and blot out the blemishes with foundation and concealer. Then, find a nice shimmery nude-colored shadow and apply it to the lids. (I used one from the Pro Palette.) Get a dark liquid liner, and apply a nice, neat line on the top lids and make a nice, flirty little wing on the edges. (Nothing says charm like winged eyeliner!) Put on plenty of mascara, of course, so you can bat your eyes at those lover boys. ;) Make sure to put on plenty of blush to contour your face and to make you look healthy. (I used the Shisheido gradient pink blush.) And last, but not least, finish off with a cherry red lipstick so you can blow plenty of kisses (and give them, too. ;D) I used Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick in "Alarm".





There's not much to see with the eyes closed, but I thought I'd do it anyway. ;P My monroe piercing worked out perfectly with this!






Then, make love to the camera and you're set!



Makeup For Brown Eyes

In a world where blue eyes are more highly valued than brown eyes (although, I honestly don't know, there might be a culture out there that values brown eyes more...), it is fairly easy for the fairly common brown eyes to get downplayed. That is why I have to learned to love my eyes for the color they are. One time I asked my fiancee what made him so interested in me to begin with. He said that it was my eyes that really caught his attention. ;) So, in honor of my eyes and all other brown-eyed girls (or boys), I did a look that enhances brown eyes. (I can't do one on hazel, green or blue, because I only have brown eyes. And I can't do makeup on someone else, because I mess it up all the time.) Normally, the beauty gurus and fashion magazines tell you that purple shadow and brown liner work best, but I'm doing something a little bolder today. ;)



After prepping my face, I got the Pro Pallette and sweeped some of the shimmery light green all over the lids. Then, I got the matte medium-light green and spread it on the creases and under the lashes. Since I wasn't satisfied with how it looked, I took the MAC 22-color palette and got the shimmery green shade (I don't know the name, but it's a very cool green with tinges of blue in it) and spread it on top of the Pro Palette shadows to cool them down a bit and add some more sparkle. ;) (By the way, I'm not naked. I'm wearing a tube top here.)





You know that I'm a person who uses liner as little as possible, but I just felt that it was needed for this look. Black liquid liner around the eyes tends to make them look bigger and in my opinion, more beautiful. :) That's why I spread a little bit more green under the lashes, so that you could see it even when the liner is applied. Of course, if you think black liquid liner is too harsh, then just use brown liner or a black liner in pencil form instead. After I lined them, I finished the eyes with plenty of mascara. (Forgive the messiness of the brows for now. I need them to be as hairy as possible so that I can have something to work with when I wax them.) Since I used green for the eyes, I went the opposite direction with the lips and cheeks and chose warm color for them. I used Nars blush in "Orgasm" (it still makes me warm and fuzzy inside when I say that :3), which is a shimmery peachy-orange blush and a shimmery orange gloss from Claire's. :)



Brazilian Independence Day

Today is a very important day for me...it is the day Brazil officially became a nation. :D Now, why is this so important to me, you wonder? Well, it just so happens that I'm of Brazilian descent. :) My mom is an immigrant from there. I speak Portuguese, I've been there many times, most of my maternal family is from there and I know all its customs, sayings and whatever else there is to know about Brazilian culture. x) So, today's look honors that day by incorporating the Brazilian flag into my eye makeup. Vamos la, galera! ;D (Yeah, in Brazil, that's actually a really dorky saying. >_>)



After prepping my face, I used the colors from the Pro Palette to make the flag over my eyelids. I put shimmery royal blue on the inner corners and made sure to "round" it on the inner part of the lid to make the cirlce in the middle of the flag. Then, I used the matte bright yellow to make the diamond in the flag. I had to slant it on the lids slightly, so that it could get that shape and put some yellow on the middle of the bottom lash, as well. Then, I used matte dark green on the outer corners and outer part of the lower lashes. I finished it off by using Manic Panic's pressed shadow in "Virgin" (to get uber-white shadow with lots of pigment) for the stripe in the middle of the blue circle. I had to define the white stripe by dabbing a bit more blue on its edges. I put on only a little bit of mascara so that it doesn't take away from the flag  and put on some Rimmel London Sweet Jelly lipgloss in "Gourmet".





Sorry for the crap job on the eye makeup. I know I could do it a whole lot brighter, but I'm overstimulated today. ;p






Curious about the flag's symbolism? Well, from what I've been told from my uncle, the green symbolizes all the forests and the nature in the country, the yellow symbolizes gold, the blue symbolizes the ocean and the white symbolizes peace. The stars are constellations that each represent a state and the motto in the white band, "Ordem e Progresso" means "Order and Progress". (An especially appropriate motto in more recent times. :D)

As a bonus for today, here are th lyrics to the Brazilian anthem! Sing along if you know it. x)

Ouviram do Ipiranga as margens plácidas
De um povo heróico o brado retumbante,
E o sol da Liberdade, em raios fúlgidos,
Brilhou no céu da Pátria nesse instante.

Se o penhor dessa igualdade
Conseguimos conquistar com braço forte,
Em teu seio, ó Liberdade,
Desafia o nosso peito a própria morte!

Ó Pátria amada,
Idolatrada,
Salve! Salve!

Brasil, um sonho intenso, um raio vívido,
De amor e de esperança à terra desce,
Se em teu formoso céu, risonho e límpido,
A imagem do Cruzeiro resplandece.

Gigante pela própria natureza,
És belo, és forte, impávido colosso,
E o teu futuro espelha essa grandeza.

Terra adorada
Entre outras mil
És tu, Brasil,
Ó Pátria amada!

Dos filhos deste solo
És mãe gentil,
Pátria amada,
Brasil!



Arabian Nights

Ah, I had such aspirations for today's look, but it all went to mess because I kept sweating. :/ I don't know how the queens and paganesses (yeah, I realize that's not a word) from the Bible stories did it. I do realize that modern-day Muslim women can't even wear mascara in public in certain Middleeastern countries, but because people in the Fertile Crescent or other Middleeastern places invented the use of cosmetics, I'm sure it used to be legal at one time or another...and this is how they would probably look. :)



As soon as I put on foundation and concealer, I put on some Revlon ColorStay Mineral Bronzer in "Golden Bronze" on my forehead, cheeks, chin and nose for that sunkissed glow. (And no, I'm not naked. I'm wearing a tube top with a bunch of jingly little coins that make it look like a bellydancer's outfit.)





For the eyes, I used the Pro Palette. All the colors in this look are smoldering sandy colors. ;) I put the shimmery medium golden-brown all over the lids. Then, I put shimmery dark golden-brown in the creases. I put shimmery dark brown in the outer corners, shimmery copper under the lashes and finished with silver in the inner corners. I put on e.l.f black liquid liner on the top and bottom lashes and made a wing from both lashes, giving it a "fishtail" effect. For the brows, I laid the liner on extra thick, because girls in the Middleeastern region tend to have darker, thicker (and nicely shaped) brows.  I put on Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara in "Very Black" and finished with the Flipshades lipstick in "Strawberry Slush" and Mary Kay lipgloss in "Pink Pout" as the finish.






"You're my Mata Hari. I wanna know your story. In the Saharan sun, I wanna be the one who's gonna take you..."

Remember Ricky Martin? ;)



Interview Look

Hello, everyone and happy Labor Day! Sorry I did this look so late, but I've been just ughhh today. But, it still counts, since I did it before midnight Pacific time. :) So, I decided to keep it fairly simple. Today is a day that appreciates and honors the working man or whatever. (I've never been too clear on what Labor Day was about.) So, I decided to do a working woman look...a professional look for any of you who will be doing any job interviews anytime soon. (Tho, I highly doubt it in this economy.) I used this look for interviews even tho it's never gotten me a job before. (I blame the economy and my inexperience in working, of course.) But, it's simple, low-key, clean-cut and non-threatening. Let's get to work! (Hopefully...)

A clean, clear complexion is key for this look. In Communication Studies, I learned that people who look pleasant tend to get the job during an interview. So, I cleared it out with foundation and concealer. Then, I narrowed my cheekbones with the Shisheido pink shimmery gradient blush. I made sure to groom my eyebrows nice and neat and shape them with the liner.

For the eyes, I used the peachy shimmery tan from the Pro Palette and sweeped it all over the lids. Then, I put the shimmery light brown on the outer corners and creases. The key to this look is perfection, so make sure every line is sharp and nice and neat. I didn't put any liner on, because it seemed brash and intimidating. Your boss needs you to kiss his ass, so try to look more subservient. I put on some Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara in "Very Black" and finished the lips with Mary Kay's lip gloss in "Pink Pout".



Doesn't this just scream, "May I help you?" Well, I hope it doesn't, because I don't think a potential employer would want you screaming at his customers. ;p

Good luck on your interviews, everyone! And have a nice, relaxing Labor Day!



Rastafarian Revolution

The inspiration of today's look were African colors! Well, actually, it was a beautiful Jamaican model that inspired me. :) Being from Southern California, I tend to go to the beach a lot and one of those beaches include Venice Beach, where I discovered the beauty of Afro-Jamaican (?) culture. I love the combinations of red, green, yellow and black and whenever I find an item with them (like the long dress I'm wearing here), I must have them. ;) So, while one could argue that there are a bunch of looks that I could do to represent the African culture, I chose just to do the colors for today and make it more Jamaican. :p (I don't really know how Jamaicans and Africans feel about each other, but Nerissa Irving, the Jamaican model I was talking about, believes that they should get along. I wholeheartedly agree.)



Last night, before I did this look, I took sections of my hair and made them into a bunch of little braids. Although they came out badly in the back, I should say they came out really good in the front. :) I put the headband at the front to keep stray hairs out.





After foundation and concealer were put on, I got the Pro Palette and chose the matte dark red shadow and put it on the inner corner of only the top lid. Then, I got the bright matte yellow and put it all throughout the middle. The secret for getting the most color out of the shadows was to jab the bristles into the shadow while I dipped the brush in and dab the colors onto the lids. I did have to do blending when the colors meshed, but then I dabbed more color back on. Then, I did the same with a dark matte green on the outer edged of the eyelids. I lined the entire eye with e.l.f black liquid liner and made "wings" on both the inner corners and outer corners of the eye. I finished the eyes off with mascara (and unfortunately, forgot to do my eyebrows. -_-) Then, I applied some Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick in "Alarm" straight from the tube and dabbed off the excess with tissue. These super bright colors probably look wonderful on darker skin. :)





Yeah, I'm definitely feeling a tropical vibration here. ;)

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." -Bob Marley



Sexy Librarian

What with all the reading I've been doing for school, this look was pretty much inevitable. It's simple, it's professional, and best of all, it can be sultry if you want it to be. If you're a dorky bibliophile like me, then put on your most prim and proper skirt and shhhhhh! *whispers* Let's do some makeup so that we don't disturb the other readers.





After I put on some foundation and concealer (which I am needing increasingly, everyday), I narrowed my cheekbones with some Shisheido gradient blush. After all, such proper ladies need to look stuck up and holier-than-thou, don't they? xD

I used the shimmery sandy tan color from the Pro Palette all over the eyelids. Then, I blended in shimmery copper in the outer corners. I used Revlon Diamond Lust in "Pillow Talk" for the highlight and lined the eyes with e.l.f black liquid liner. (Don't forget to, as the vernacular term goes, "wing it"!) I finished the look off with Maybelline Lash Stiletto in "Very Black" and L'oreal Infallible longwear lipstick in "Crimson". (Perfect for a day of work, where I must constantly hold my finger up to lips to shush these noisy ruffians!)

Don't forget that we must pin our hair up properly and read quietly while we work.

Oh my...I guess I broke the rules! Well, let me put everything where it was before anyone notices. :x (You ever wonder why librarians are so quiet?)

Well, I suppose that will be all for today, ducklings! Please remember to return your books on time and SHHHHHHHHHH!