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Red has been the color of the season this year, & now I’m taking it to the eyes!
It’s no surprise that I love red eyeshadow. In fact I love it so much I would probably walk around wearing big red raccoon eyes all year if I could.
Unfortunately, sometimes you just have to adhere to the “status quo” and wear appropriate holiday makeup. One such time happens to be my partner’s office holiday party.
This is the look I’ve perfected as an easy go-to for holiday parties, weekend gift shopping, mid-afternoon Costco runs, you know, whatever.
Oh, and stay tuned till the end of the post to see me do something I’ve never done before. Expanding my horizons, here!
Now, on with the tutorial.
The products I use
NYX Micro Brow in Ash Brown >> AMAZON
Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base >> SEPHORA
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette >> SEPHORA
Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof >> SEPHORA
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara >> SEPHORA
Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer >> SEPHORA
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation >> SEPHORA
Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer >> SEPHORA
Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer >> SEPHORA
Jordana Sculpt N’ Go Creamy Contour Stick >> AMAZON
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent >> AMAZON
Benefit Hoola Bronzer >> SEPHORA
Nars Orgasm Blush >> SEPHORA
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Incandescent Light >> SEPHORA
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Beetroot >> SEPHORA
the EYES
Fill in your eyebrows & prime your eyelids // Filling in your eyebrows first thing helps frame your eyes, so you know exactly where eyeshadow should end. Second, apply eyeshadow primer from lash line to brow bone. I find that applying eyeshadow primer before doing my eyebrows makes my brow product smudge everywhere, making it difficult to get a clean line.
BURNT ORANGE in your crease // Sweep this warm transition shade all over your crease. I like to bring it up moderately high and create a nice rounded shape for the rest of the shadows to follow.
VERMEER all over your lids // Recently I’ve been applying my lid color before building up my crease, and it’s been working much better than when I used to do it the other way around. I have somewhat hooded eyes, so I bring my lid shade up onto the hood to open up my eyes.
RED OCHRE in the outer corner // Using a small fluffy brush, gently pat on this rusty red shade to deepen the outer corner. Drag slightly upward into the crease to add definition. Blend well to make sure there are no harsh edges.
VENETIAN RED over top // With the same brush, blend this brighter red shade over Red Ochre. Blend this shade upward and outward so that you end up with the final eyeshadow shade that you want. You can give it a round shape, or wing it out at an angle. It’s up to you.
CYPRUS UMBER on you upper lash line // Use small brush to drag a bit of dark brown across your upper lash line, stopping about 3/4 of the way in. This adds definition without the harshness or hassle of eyeliner.
Black eyeliner in your waterline // Line your lower waterline using your favorite black eyeliner. If you want, you can line your tightline too, but I’m not up for that kind of torture very often.
CYPRUS UMBER & ANTIQUE BRONZE down below // Use Cyprus Umber on the same small brush to blend out the black eyeliner. Finally, wipe the excess color off the brush and use it to blend a small amount of Antique Bronze beneath the darker brown to help everything look smoky and seamless.
Blend the edges + add highlights // Go around the edges using Burnt Orange on a fluffy blending brush to finalize the shape and make sure everything is blended. Add your favorite highlight to your brow bone and inner corners.
Finish with mascara // You can totally add false lashes here if you want, but I tend to just stick with my favorite mascara.
the FACE
Urban Decay Optical Illusion Primer // This is a new discovery for me thanks to my Sephora Play Box. I was surprised at the thick consistency, but that makes it work very well at filling in pores and smoothing down any dry patches. As a bonus, the light pink shade helps brighten your skin and reduce that winter dullness. I apply this all over my face because I can use all the help I can get!
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation // One of my favorites. Review coming soon. I dot the shade Y245 all over with my finger and blend with a dampened Real Techniques sponge. This is a reasonably full coverage foundation, so I only apply a very thin layer. I’m not a heavy foundation person, and I’d rather add coverage just where I need it using concealer.
Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer // Speaking of concealer, Urban Decay Naked Skin is still my favorite. (Still haven’t tried Tarte Shape Tape mainly because it is exclusive to Ulta which doesn’t exist on my island, and I refuse to pay for shipping.) Apply generously under your eyes, around your nose, on your chin, on your forehead, and anywhere else you want to disguise. I like to first spread the product using a fluffy brush, and then bump it into the skin using my sponge. I find this technique gives me the most even finish and wastes the least amount of product.
Jordana Sculpt N’ Go Contour Stick // Cream contouring is very rare for me, but I enjoy it when I’m feeling “extra” during the holidays! Since I don’t contour often, I simply add a small amount in the hollows of my cheeks and around the perimeter of my forehead. Blend using your same sponge.
Sephora Collection Bright Future Concealer (highlight) // I like to balance my cream contour with a cream highlight so I don’t end up looking dingy. You know what I mean. This gel-like concealer doesn’t provide too much coverage, so it’s perfect for layering on top of my regular concealer without looking too heavy. I add just a couple of dots on my cheekbones, down my nose, on my chin, and between my eyebrows. The formula plays nicely with my other products and adds a very pretty non-shimmery highlighting aspect.
Rimmel Stay Matte Transparent Powder // Again, one of my favorites. Even when my skin is dry when I’m applying my makeup, that doesn’t mean it won’t ramp up the oil production later in the day. I dust this mattifying powder all over my face and use it to set my under eye concealer. It keeps shine away all day!
Benefit Hoola Bronzer // Now that fall is giving way to winter, I like using a slightly deeper, more “contour-y” bronzer than my fall staple Chocolate Soleil. Hoola is the perfect matte bronzer that gives shadow definition but doesn’t look crazy when applied all over like a regular bronzer. Since the eyes and lips are the stars, I keep the bronzer light. I grab a big fluffy brush and dust the bronzer all over the areas I just contoured, and then a little more.
Nars Orgasm Blush // When I want a blush that doesn’t scream “HI, I’M BLUSH” yet doesn’t leave my cheeks looking totally naked either, I reach for Orgasm. The peachy shade is the perfect natural flush on my warm skin, and the hint of sparkle adds a little something festive. Blend this on the apples of your cheeks and blend back toward the top of your ears for extra definition.
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Light in Incandescent //
With all the layers I have on, and not to mention the liquid highlight, Hourglass highlighter adds the perfect finishing touch. Honestly, it is one of the most subtle highlights I own, and it will not give you a blinding shine. But if you’re after a subtle glow that will make people wonder if you even have highlighter on at all, or if you’re just naturally radiant, this is what you need. Dust lightly over the usual areas using a fan brush. It’s very difficult to go overboard with this product, so feel free to go to town!
on my LIPS
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Beetroot // Beetroot is one of my favorite shades of red in my HOLY GRAIL lipstick formula. Seriously, if you haven’t tried Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche, you’re MUST! Beetroot is just verging on a berry shade, but it’s still plenty bright enough to count as a gorgeous holiday red. Plus, the blue base looks amazing on pretty much all skin tones and makes your teeth look super white.
Wait, there’s more!
So, I’ve been itching to expand into video tutorials for a while now. But if I’m being completely honest, the thought of doing that scared the daylights out of me. I didn’t know how to film, and I had no idea how to edit video. Not to mention the idea of not being able to hide my awkwardness behind a still photo freaked me out, to say the least.
I don’t know what came over me, but I decided that despite all my fears of the unknown, I was just going to do it. And I did.
Perhaps a full YouTube channel is in my future, but for now I am breaking into the video world via mini Instagram tutorials. If you want a new perspective on my tutorials, head over to my Instagram @themmaven to see them in action!
That’s all for today!
Love the color red? You have to see this >> Selena Gomez x Coach Collection — The Selena ‘Grace’ Bag Review
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Till next time. ♥︎
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FTC- Not sponsored by any brands mentioned. I purchase all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.
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