Out of the Rut

Usually, my go-to makeup look is one medium to dark color on the lid and crease and a light color on the browbone.

It's easy to get stuck in a rut, and forget that there's so much variety in the world. So, for this look, I used the blue, hot pink and shimmer colors from the Avon's 12-in-1 Shimmering Eye Palette. I blended out the two darker colors above the crease to add some depth.

For the eyeliner, I used just a tad of Big and Bright Eyeliner in Black Coffee from Bare Escentuals. I combined this with the eyeshadow itself to line my eyes, following the same pattern I used on my lids: light color, medium color, dark color. But I wanted to keep it bright in the inner corner, so I just used eye shadow for that one.

May you never get permanently stuck in a rut.

This Seems Familiar

Over winter break, I said to myself, "I finally have time to blog!"

But . . . I was wrong.

And there's no excuse but time. Every time I did my makeup, there was no light to take a picture, no time to do so, not that special of a look, etc. etc. etc.

That's why today was a miracle. I had nice makeup on and there was still some decent light left outside.

I used pink eyeshadow on the lid and crease and blended it on the browbone with some white. Both colors were from the Avon Go Glam Color Palette. The eyeliner is Avon Glow Eye Liner in Desert Gold. On the bottom lashline, I have on Avon's Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Black smudged with a glittery black from the Go Glame Color Palette.

The reason this look is called Familiar Territory is that it's safe. I've used the same colors together. I've done the whole light-eyeliner-on-top, dark-eyeliner-on-bottom thing. I've used one color on the crease and lid.

With one job, two classes, one volunteer job, and lots and lots of books to read, I've been really busy.

Every few years since I was ten, I've gone through an I-have-to-organize-my-life phase where I try to categorize all the things I want to do and set up times and days to do them. I'm in another one right now, but I'm trying to be more flexible than in the past. Part of this means knowing when I want to do something but recognizing that things get in the way. I may want to do some homework at 3 p.m. but that may be when I'll have a really cool conversation with my coworkers. I may want to read but a cool/educational/interesting YouTube video will distract me, which isn't always a bad thing. In fact, I should be doing homework as I write this.

Tuesday is the day then: new post day. However, it may or may not be each Tuesday. But it will be at least one Tuesday each month. And as mentioned in my last post, each post will also have a story or lesson or interesting thing I learned that week. I'll try to tie it into the makeup if possible.

For now, the story is that I have some homework to do.

Makeup for a Night Out

I've only been bowling three times in my life. That's enough to discover that my bowling skill are extremely bipolar. I do really great--get spares and maybe even a strike. Then it's completely downhill from there. Or I get lots of gutters and suddenly get a spare.

What's strange is that I'll bowl the ball and it goes in this beautiful straight line toward the pins and I start feeling a little happy. Then, seconds before it hits the ball, it veers. I don't understand. If an object in motion is supposed to stay in motion unless acted upon by a force, what force is takes that ball out of its straight path?

I'll never know. What I do know is that I wore this makeup to bowling recently. It was a fun night and I thought it deserved fun makeup.

Except for the mascara, I only used the Coastal Scents Metal Mania Palette.

The blue is the color on the fourth column, seventh row. As the night wore on, the house lights came down and the blue neon lights came on along the lanes, making the place look more like a club than a family-friendly bowling alley.

The color in the outer edge is the one on the third column, sixth row. The bowling balls were brightly colored and looked like giant marbles. They would get stuck behind the pins and sometimes take a while to come back to us. They never felt quite right either. My thumb would get stuck and I could never get a good grip on it.

The red around my eyes in the one on the ninth column, eighth row. Red was the anger in my bowling mates' eyes as a girl came around offering them vodka shots over and over after they said no. After all, they had to drive home somehow.

That was the dichotomy. There were children having a good times with their families. But the music wasn't family-friendly and the alcohol roamed so freely that one would think that the bar had been closed so everyone had been forced to take the alcohol to the lanes.

The pink on the inner corner of the lower lashline and the browbone is the color on the sixth column, first row.

When the music is loud and the lights low, people start to loosen up as they let go of the stress of the week. But there's a tightness, too--tightness in the vocal chords because of all the yelling, tightness in the muscles because the legs are working harder to avoid slipping on the refurbished floors, and the tightness of competition as the mind races to tell the hand how to throw the ball and win the game.

I think going to a bowling alley during the day wouldn't present as many dichotomies. The question then becomes, would it be as fun?

Depends on what you prefer, so here's hoping you have a week filled with what you prefer.

Lying on the Grass and Looking at the Clouds

For this look, I used a lovely green from the Coastal Scents Metal Mania Palette (fourth column, third to last row) all over the lid except the browbone where I put a lighter color to highlight (third column, first row).

For the eyeliner, I used the black color from Avon's 12-in-1 Shimmering Eye Palette.

I put some Avon Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Black on the lower lashline as well.

I'll admit this isn't my favorite look. I think I've blended better near the browbone, but I didn't see that until I saw the photos. But we make mistakes sometimes, and we can't stop learning from them. Interesting that applying makeup can teach that lesson sometimes.

And now for a few words about what this blog is all about. I started this blog as an outlet for my makeup hobby. I'm not an expert and I don't want to do makeup for a living (though I'd love to take a professional makeup course someday). Makeup is a way of expression my artistic side and keeping my life fun. I don't wear it to feel beautiful. I wear it to have fun.

So although I started this blog for myself, I want to give something to whoever is reading out there. And the only way I know how to do that is to tell stories. Over the past year, I rediscovered not only my love for makeup but my love for stories as well. So somehow or other, I'm going to try to tell a story in each post. It's what will set this blog apart from a few of the others and it's going to make it a bit more personal for me.

What kinds of stories? Perhaps a few will be things that have happened to me. A lot will be reflections about the books I'm reading or movies I've watched. And some might just be reflections on something I've been thinking about or the inspirations behind my looks. I'll find out as I go along. :)

Pink Metal

I love it when I go somewhere casual and I can wear some really fun makeup. I had that chance at a university event. I decided that it was a good time to use the Coastal Scents Metal Mania Palette.

For this look I used three colors in a basic three-shade look: on the lid is a pink (last column, third to last row) and a brown (last column, second to last row) with another pink (ninth column, first row) to highlight the browbone.

I used the brown color to line my lower lashline then went over the upper and lower  lashlines with Avon's Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liner in Sugar Plum, which magically became purple on the upper lashline. :)

Another look from this palette is coming up. And a new twist that I'm thinking of making to this blog.

Red and Gold Ablaze

The first day of school for me was yesterday but I didn't have any class. Instead I had two meetings and a social for my program. I wanted to make an impression but not with a meeting and a social. 

I used three colors from the Coastal Scents Ultra Shimmer Palette, which I fall in love with more each time I use it.

I loved this red colors. It was pigmented enough to give some drama, but light enough so that it wouldn't yell, "RED!"

I used the red (second column, last row on the palette) as an accent color for the outer corner and crease and blended it up past my outer corner toward the browbone. Across the browbone is a white color (first column, second row on the palette). The gold is first column, seventh row on the palette.

To define my eyes, I used Avon's Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Dark Brown.

What I love about this eyeliner is that when I use it on my upper lashline, it's very subtle. Sure sometimes, I want some intense liner. But usually, I just want the color to be the focus without it washing out my eyes. This liner gives me just enough definition but also enough softness so that the look isn't too harsh.

Makeup is about the subtleties. Getting them right is challenging and one of the funnest parts of makeup.

Pink and Gold

So, I'm back after an extended break. I didn't know it was going to take so long. In fact, I had planned a look, but it didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I have been wearing makeup but only neutrals as that's what I've had time for while preparing to go to grad school.

Yesterday, I again didn't have much time, but I forced myself to perk up and create some kind of decent look. Here's what I got.

I used the pink and gold from the Avon Go Glam Color Palette, Avon's Mega Impact Eye Liner in Black Flash, and Avon's Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Black. In retrospect, I could've made the liner on the upper lashline neater, but I was in a hurry, and now that I look back, I quite like the line.

To enhance the gold in the inner corner a little and add some color to the lower lashline, I used three colors from the Coastal Scents Metal Mania Palette. I recently bought this palette and Ultra Shimmer Palette in a fantastic sale: All the Coastal Scents 88 palettes for $8.88 for only 8 hours on 8/8/12. The sale was extended to 8:00 a.m. the next morning because it was so popular. The site was so sluggish that I had three computers on, trying to see which one would get me to checkout the fastest. I'm really looking forward to using these colors in the future. :)

A lady looked at my makeup and told me, "I love your eyes! Do you do makeup for a living? Are those MAC?" Thank you, no, and Avon. "Avon?! I didn't know Avon made those colors!" Indeed they do, and I can testify to the awesomeness of Avon. They have great-quality products at great prices. I love their eyeliners and am falling in love with their eyeshadows as I become more familiar with them.

Now that I'm starting grad school, I'm not sure how much time I'll have on my hands for this blog (though, ironically, I'll be wearing makeup more often), so there may be some gaps in between posts. But for the most  part, I'll try my hardest to post a look at least once a week. I love makeup too much to stop doing it, and I love talking about it on this blog.

Stay tuned. :)