A Brow Lesson

Greetings minions!

I apologize for my hiatus, life has been a bit of a whirlwind the last couple of months but now I'm back with my first post of the year!

So if anyone should know something about me, it's that I LOVE eyebrows! I'm a firm believer in a polish set of brows. Your mug is a work of art, it needs a proper frame! I always get tons of compliments on my brows, which I love since I (usually) do them myself. I'm always asked about how I do them so I decided to whip up a tutorial for you!

First up, my products!

(From the top)

~Anastasia Beverly Hills tweezers

~NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Charcoal

~Anastasia Beverly Hills angled brow brush

~NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Black/Gray

(Disclaimer: I don't want to hear about my brows being dark. I fancy myself a strong brow and plus a have fricken black hair! Deal with it!)

Ok, now to start off with, my naked (eep!) but freshly waxed eyebrow! I try! I did my own wax, which I NEVER recommend unless you are a beauty professional! The odds of messing them up are too great. Do yourself a favor and pay $10 to get yours done in a salon. It's worth it, I promise.

Next, tweeze away any stray hairs. Hair has to be a certain length for the wax to grab, so I use this time to clean up any little buggers that may have stayed behind.

First, I take my pencil and fill in the tail end of my brow, starting at my arch. I then connect the inner corner to the arch in a line, as seen below. I try never to use a heavy hand because it makes them look extremely harsh, especially since my brows are already dark.

Once the bottom is established, I feather that pencil in my arch a bit more. Be sure to get it in there and fill out any sparse areas you may have. Be careful to stay away from the inner top part of the brow. Since this spot is naturally lighter than the rest, we don't really want to create a harsh line.

Next, I take my angle brush and dip it into the gray side of the cake powder. I gently press this into the top of the brow near the arch, bringing it in. Do this a couple times until your brow has reached a depth you prefer. 

I then dip the same brush into the black side of the powder and fill in the tail and the bottom of the brow. Then go ahead and flip that brush around, or take a spoolie if you have one, and just give your brows a nice brush. This combs them so they lay nice and it also removes any excess product!

And this is my finished brow! Some days, when I'm in the mood, I run a brow gel through them to keep them in place. Other days, I skip the pencil entirely and just use the shadow. It's more than dark enough but it gives a softer look. 

I have found this to be a good product combo for me but you can use whatever tickles your fancy. I have just had A LOT of trouble finding brow products that are dark enough, and the tone is cool enough for my blue black hair. I think I look odd with brown eyebrows, but that's just my opinion. 

Anywho, that's it for the tutorial, I hope this answered any questions you guys may have about eyebrows! Thanks for reading and don't forget to head over to Facebook and like my page! 

Stay spooky, kids!

^v^

Currently listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhZTNgAs4Fc

This Is Halloween

Hello, hello, hello!

Well, I hope everyone had an exciting and safe All Hallow's, I know I did! It's my favorite holiday! I've always felt the need to get dolled up for holidays and All Hallow's is no different! 

For this look, I used only my 120 palette from Coastal Scents! I'm gonna add that to my list of product reviews because I'm super amped on CS right now! Anyway, this look was so much fun! Plus, I got to really experiment wish false lashes for once. I'm allergic to latex and I was having a hard time finding a glue that was latex free (lame right?). Luckily, I found one from Revlon and my little world is changed! Yay! Now, on to the look!

1) As usual, I started with my ELF eyelid primer and I use Nyx Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Milk' as a base. Blend that base with your finger

2) I used a small blending brush to pack a matte black shadow onto my outer v and blended.

3) Next, I put a matte orange shadow on the middle of my lid and feathered it over the black.

4) I put a matte yellow shadow on my inner corner and feathered that over the orange.

5) I went back and repeated steps 3 & 4 with a shimmery orange and yellow.

6) Blend it!

7) After wiping off the black, I used that same blending brush to sweep some matte red into the crease. Make sure it's really blended.

8) I applied Urban Decay's 'Skimp' to my brow bone for a highlight.

9) I used Sephora's Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner and lined my eyes in my usual wing.

10) Clean up and fallout and eyeliner mistakes before going through the usual foundation and eyebrow routine.

11) Once again, I applied 'Milk' to my lower lid and waterline. I (gently!) patted my lower lid to blend.

12) I took that same black on an angle brush and applied it to just the outer v of my lower lid and blended.

13) With the same brush, I used the same red on my lower lid, taking that from the inner third of the eye and feathered it over the black.

14) I took a tiny domed brush and applied that sparkly yellow to my inner corner and what's left bare on the lower lid. 

15) Carefully pat that matte orange onto your waterline, be careful not to get it in your eye

16) Curl your natural lashes and apply mascara! This can be the end of your look, or you can apply falsies like I did!

17) I topped off this look with a nice apple lip color, for this I used Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butter in 'Candy Apple'

I loved this look, the pictures just don't do the colors justice! 

I hope you enjoyed this look! Feel free to leave any comments below and don't forget to like my Facebook Page! 

https://www.facebook.com/autumnthestrangemakeup

Have a spooktacular week, minions!

^v^

Currently listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU6iP0WLsU8

Lavish

I'm back, minions!

Sorry for my brief hiatus, I've been so busy! A close friend of mine just got married so I was really caught up in being a bridesmaid and helping my girl on her big day. I did her hair and makeup so I'll have some pictures posted on my facebook page once I get copies of them!

My awesome man (Boyfriend the Strange) hooked me up for my birthday, he bought me an amazing train case for my supplies AND a $50 gift card to Sephora to help fill said case. I, naturally, spent the whole gift card in one sitting and I purchased the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lavish Palette! Now, this thing has received rave reviews from all the makeup bloggers that I follow so of course I had to have it. Once I believe I've thoroughly broken in my palette, I'll whip up a review for you. That being said, onward to the look!

1) So first, as always, I primed my eyes using Elf's Eyelid Primer and Nyx's eyeshadow base in 'Natural'

2) I took the shade 'Orange Soda' on a fluffy brush and buffed that into the crease up to the browbone. Buff this out as much as possible

3) On a clean, fluffy brush I took 'Truffle' and patted that onto the outer corner, trying to blend as I went

4) On another clean brush, I used 'Rum Cake' on the inner corner, feathering it a bit as I got closer to the middle. Try not to connect this color into the 'Truffle'

5) Take 'Antique' and pat that onto the center and blend the three colors together

6) Take 'Sienna' on a small eyeshadow brush and run that through the crease and then blend some more!

7) Use 'Cream' right under your brow for the highlight

8)I used Sephora's Liquid Eyeliner to create my usual wing.

9) After I cleaned up any fallout, I applied my foundation and filled in my eyebrows

10) I used an angle brush to apply 'Truffle' to the outer half of my bottom lid and then 'Rum Cake' to the inner half

11) Blend it!

12) To finish this look, I applied Covergirl's Clump Crusher mascara to my top and bottom lashes

And that's it! I also used Nyx's Round Lipstick in 'Herdes' to complete the look. I should have a lot of fun things coming soon for you guys! I'm thinking of doing a big mascara review, I've been trying a lot of different kinds in search of a drugstore mascara that's actually worth it. 

I hope you enjoyed this look, if you have any questions or requests please leave me a comment! Oh and check out my facebook page if you haven't yet!

https://www.facebook.com/autumnthestrangemakeup

Have a spooktacular day! 

^v^

Currently listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mty9O8WUiVs

A Very Merry Unbirthday

So yesterday was super exciting for me because it was MY BIRTHDAY!!! 

I love my birthday! My friends and family make me feel really special and yesterday was no exception!

Since it was my birthday, I wanted to try and look extra pretty. I felt pretty, which is what matters =)

I decided to go for a neutral-ish eye, the blue on my dress and the red lips are enough color for me haha. Here's how I got this look, using Urban Decay's Naked palette!

1) After I primed my eyes, I used Nyx's eyeshadow base in 'Skin Tone' and patted that on my lid with my finger.

2) I used a fluffy brush to buff 'Naked' into my crease. Really blend it in there!

3) I patted 'Buck' onto my lid as a base and blended it into the 'Naked'

4) On another fluffy brush, I took 'Darkhorse' and patted that onto the outer v area and blended using circular motions. 

5) On that same brush, I applied 'Hustle' over the 'Darkhorse' 

6) I applied 'Toasted' to the inner lid with a flat eyeshadow brush and feathered it over the 'Hustle'

7) I patted 'Smog' over where 'Hustle' and 'Toasted' met to create a more seamless blend.

8) I used 'Virgin' to highlight my brow

9) I used Sephora's Long Lasting Liquid Eyeliner to create my wing

10) Clean up any fallout and apply your foundation and brow routine

11) On an angle brush, I applied 'Gunmetal' to my lower lid. Bring it about 3/4 of the way in and blend

12) I took 'Half Baked' on a small domed brush and applied that on the inner corner and on the rest of the 1/4 on the lower lash. Blend it with 'Gunmetal'

13) Since yesterday was a special day, I busted out my Benefit One Hot Minute bronzer and applied that as a contour. I used that under my cheekbone and along my jaw, making sure to blend well.

14) I popped Benefit's Thrrrob blush onto my cheeks with a nice fluffy brush.

15) I dabbed Benefit's Watt's Up highlighter at the top of my cheekbones and at the highest point of my brow and bleneded.

16) I used Benefit's They're Real mascara 

17) Last was lips and for this look I used Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm stain in the shade 'Romantic'

And that's it! Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave any questions in the comments!

Have a spooktacular day!

Currently listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly-jMFFjIbM

P.S.

BIRTHDAY ICE CREAM!!!!

^v^

Violet

Hello again, everyone! 

Sorry, I feel like I've been slacking lately, been a busy bee.

So for today's look, I decided to incorporate some of my favorite things: purple and sparkle!

Yay! 

I had a lot of fun on this look, even though it's super simple! With that, let's jump right in!

1) Ok, so after I applied ELF's Eyelid Primer, I used Nyx's Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Milk' and blended that all over my lid to create a base.

2) The purple is Makeup Forever in 'No. 92' and I used a domed brush to concentrate that on the inner and outer corners of the lid....like this...

(Ignore my messy brows hehe)

3) Now blend that crease!

4) On a flat shadow brush, I used UD's 'Half Baked' and patted that onto the bare center. Pack that on and then feather it a little into the purple. Be careful not to bring it too far over.

5) Gently blend the gold into the purple

6) I used UD's 'Skimp' as a highlight. A matte or very slight shimmery highlight works best for this look, that keeps all the focus on that pretty gold. (I like 'Skimp' because it has a super subtle shimmer and it's almost the same color as my skin)

7) I created my usual wing with Sephora's Long Lasting Liquid Liner

8) Clean up any fallout using a makeup and do your usual foundation and eyebrow routine.

9) I used a gold pencil from Rimmel to line my waterline, then I (carefully!) patted 'Half Baked' on top of that with an angle brush.

10) I lined the lower lid with another Rimmel pencil in purple and applied the 'No.92' on top on that with an angle brush. I took the purple and lined it up below my wing. This part is optional.

11) Last is mascara, which was Sephora's Lash Stretcher 

And that's it! Easy enough! The thing I love the most about this kind of look is that you can switch it up, use different colors and it still looks pretty!

Personally, I paired this with a more muted lip color, but you could very well use a pink or anything you wanted.

Thank you all so much for reading! Have a spooktacular day!

^v^

Currently listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NNv1VZMrNw

It Ain't Easy Being Green

Hello again, minions!

 I usually qualify my UD Naked Palette as one of the best makeup purchases I've ever made but I have been glued to it pretty much ever since. The rest of my makeup feels neglected, so I've been trying hard to incorporate other colors in to my looks. I have them, but when I'm in a hurry, I turn to Naked. 

Here's my look from Wednesday...

I used my Naked palette for most of this look.
I can't help it...I love this damn palette!

This look was fairly simple, and I wasn't planning on doing a tutorial for it, but since a few people on facebook asked...here it is!

1) Ok, so after I primed my eyes with ELF's eyelid primer, I used my finger to apply Nyx's Eye Shadow Base in 'Skin Tone' and blended it up to my brow bone.
2) Using a fluffy brush, I applied UD's 'Naked' to my lid and blended it into the crease.
3) Next, I took 'Buck' onto an eye shadow brush and applied it into my outer corner and into my crease. I went in with a clean brush and blended.
4) Taking a sort of stiff, domed brush, I picked up 'Darkhorse' and put that onto the outer v. Be careful not to bring this color in too far, we want most of the focus for this look on the bottom.
5) Blend, blend, blend!
6) Now, I took 'Smog' on a clean eye shadow brush and applied that over the 'Busk' and 'Darkhorse', this is to help blend all those neutrals together even better.
7) Go back with your clean, fluffy brush and blend the edges of 'Smog' ("blend and blend and blend....blending it the secret")
8) To highlight, I used 'Virgin' on the brush that came with the Naked palette, and popped that right under my brow.
9) I used Sephora's Long Lasting Liquid Eyeliner to create my usual winged liner.
10) Use a makeup wipe to clean up and shadow fallout and/or liner mistakes then apply foundation, eyebrows, etc.
11) I wanted a LOT of attention on the bottom so to really make the color pop, I first applied Nyx's Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Milk' to my lower lash like and blended (gently!) with my finger.
12) I used another stiff, domed brush and took the shade 'Pagan' from MAC and put that right over the 'Milk' and blended.
13) Taking that same brush, I used 'Swimming', also from MAC, and put that right on top of 'Pagan' for added depth and sparkle.
14) Unfortunately, I have no idea what the next two colors are, they're in a giant Sephora palette I have. Sorry 'bout it =/
Anyway, I took another shimmery green on an angle brush and put that on the outer corner; heavier on the outside and feather it in. Make sure this stay concentrated on the outer corners.
15) I used 'Milk' to line my waterline to create a base for the next green. I took a different, slightly lighter green on the same angle brush and carefully patted that over the 'Milk'
Be careful doing this because it sucks getting eyeshadow in your eye. Don't want to mess up all that pretty work!
16) Final step is mascara and I used Sephora's Lash Stretcher, and that's it!

I hate not knowing the names of the colors I use, but hopefully this will help give you an idea of that the colors look like. The picture doesn't really do them justice...

I had a lot of fun with this look, it was something different with me since I use greens almost as often as I use blue. It's all about expanding your horizons and trying new looks, I like to challenge myself.
Oh btw, I paired this look with a clear gloss to make sure the focus stayed on the fun lower lash!

Thank you so much for reading! Have a spooky day!
^v^



Currently listening to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yud6TmNJWhY&list=PL856B0E9497EBCC96

Nocturnal Blues

Ahoy again, Minions! 

Today brings another makeup look! Yay!

I recently reorganized my makeup collection and I realized two things:

First: I almost have too much lipstick (emphasis on almost)

Second: It has been much, much too long since I messed around with my True Blood palette from Tarte!

The fact that I was getting caught up on True Blood last week probably doesn't hurt either, but still. I was looking for something creative and different to do today when I finally decided on a blue look. Doesn't sound like much, but I rarely use blue in my day to day makeup routine, so I figured 'what the hell?'. 

Here's what I came up with.....

I had a bit of fun with this one today, AND I got a compliment on my eye makeup from a girl at Starbucks (yay!). Anyway, onward to the tutorial!

1) Okay so after my ELF eyelid primer, I applied Nyx's Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in 'Milk' and blended it all over my lid with my finger (I like to use my ring finger as it's your weakest finger, so it tugs on that delicate eye skin less)

2) Taking a big, fluffy brush, I applied the shade 'Nocturnal' from the True Blood palette on the outer corner of my lid (usually referred to as the "outer v"). I pressed the shadow on to reduce fallout.

3) I wiped the excess 'Nocturnal' off my brush then used a bright blue shade from a little Tokidoki 24 Karat palette, and applied that on the middle of my lid and on top of the 'Nocturnal'. Sorry, I don't know the name of this shade, but any bright blue will do.

4) Blend the crease a bit with a clean, fluffy brush

5) Going back to my True Blood palette, I added 'The True Death' on the inner portion of the lid and blended it a bit on to the bright blue.

6) Blend some more!

7) Next, I used the shade 'The Light' (also True Blood) to highlight my brow

8) For this look, I used my Sephora Long Lasting Eyeliner in black to create my usual winged liner

9) Clean up any fallout or other mistakes with a makeup wipe

10) After I applied my foundation, I filled in my brows with BrowZings by Benefit in 'Dark'

Again, my apologies for the barely visible lower lid, but here's what I did anyway...

11) I applied 'Nocturnal' on my lower lid with an angle brush and took it about half way in

12) With the same angle brush, pick up your bright blue shade again and take that from the inner corner and a little over 'Nocturnal'

13) Blend the two with your fluffy brush

14) I went in again with 'The True Death' and put that in my inner corner with a very small, domed brush. Make sure you overlap your bright blue and blend a little so it looks cohesive.

15) I used Sephora's Lash Stretcher Maximum Extension mascara on my upper and lower lashes.

16) Now, you can stop here if you want to, but since I'm a drag queen at heart, I wanted some extra sparkle. I took that small dome brush again and added a little of 'The True Death' underneath the wing of my liner.

17) Last is lips and again, I wanted to go subtle because the eyes are dark and smoky. So I used Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in 'Sugar Violet'

That's it! Pretty simple, huh? 

This gloss looks a little scary in the tube( it's extremely bright!) but it goes on quite sheer. It has enough sparkle to make me happy and I like this sort of cool pink it comes out, I felt it complimented the look.

So that's it, I hope you enjoyed this look!

<3

P.S. Unfortunately, the True Blood palette was limited addition when I bought it *cry* 

However! You may be able to find one on Amazon or Ebay, those site are great for this sort of stuff =)

Listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZDgOo4prlo