The Smoking Gun

I've started recently adoring the idea of a bold, smoky eye as a daytime look. Whether it be plain black or gun metal grey it never serves me wrong. Most of the time I stay away from multiple bold colors because it makes blending faster and easier to accomplish, but when I have the time to mess with it, I will spend the extra time to add a bold colorful tone to the mix.

My go-to look look for a smoky eye is to first line the lid in black liquid liner. Then cut the crease with a solid matte black shadow. Finally finish it off by filling in the lid with a shiny black or dark grey.

To add color simply put it in place of one of the two colors already used. Use a matte color for the crease and either a matte or a shine for the lid.

Make sure to blend the lid colors if you plan to use more than one (which can be a really cool look if you like rainbows), but don't blend them into your crease color so you can keep the sharper edge.

Be a Little Mouthy

I recently came across a lipstick that I would have loved to own. I never thought I would look good with a pair of blatantly teal-green pair of lips on my face, but upon further investigation into the idea I found that I have a certain unexplainable love for random colored lipsticks.

You might be wondering why I said I would have loved to own it.
That's right, I did not buy it.

I found a way to make my own, much cheaper, and more convenient one with things I already had in my makeup box. (It's overflowing with all sorts of goodies, and I will probably never be able to use them all up.)

Don't get me wrong, if you can convince yourself that spending $26 on a single tube of lipstick is a valuable investment, by all means go ahead and buy it. Everyone I have spoken to has been happy with the brand (Illamasqua), but I simply cannot fathom spending that much money on any one item. Maybe it's the bargain shopper in me, but that seems like an investment better made into a new pair of shoes or something else that can become a staple item in any wardrobe.

But while the bargain hunter refuses to release her hold on my wallet, I found a way around the price. This idea is not for the traditionalist, so beware that some of you may want to slap me for what I have just done.  My way around this whole problem was to break out my ELF 144 piece palette and find a teal-green eyeshadow. I then applied Burt's Bee's chapstick as a base to give the powder something to adhere to. Apply the green as a liner first, and then fill it in after you have drawn the shape you want. It's a bit difficult to cover the edges the first time you try, but you just have to mess with it until there is no green showing. If you have darker lips or have a hard time covering everything, it may be easier for you to cover your lips first with a concealer stick first, then begin with the chapstick and the green powder.

This is also possible for almost any color you can imagine. Just remember, the lighter the color is that you intend to use the more you have to lighten your lips with concealer first.

And as always, Be a little mouthy, and Have a little fun. Stick out and Get noticed.
BNB

A Clean Sweep

I ran out of makeup remover towelettes, and desperate for something cheaper and more efficient I ran to the drug store to see what I could find. I came across a bottle of Wet and Wild's liquid Eye Makeup Remover. I was a little off-put by the smell at first, but it works ten times better than my old towelettes and there's no risk of drying out and no waste. You only squeeze out as much as you need and you can use any type of cotton ball type applicator you choose. I use the flattened pads that you use for nail polish for big areas, but I have used Q-tips for just fixing a smudged line or a mascara mistake. I've used a lot of weird products when in a pinch to get my makeup off, some I will never tell anyone else about. But this will always be my first choice from now on.

One Big Color-Changing Mess

I recently dyed my best friends hair with a bright red dye. She chose to use Feria by Loreal. We used the Rich Auburn color. This was one of the brands I told myself I would never use based on my feeling that it was too good to be true. Turns out, I was right.

First thing, the dye is in three parts, one of which is a little tube of bright red stain. Upon opening it, it immediately stained my hands and dripped onto a table which is now stained as well. Next, the bottle tip clogged and when I finally got it to come out of the bottle it shot everywhere. My carpet now has bright red dye in it. Finally, her color faded almost completely out in about a week. I don't know if this was due to improper care or if the dye did not take to her hair, but it seems a bit messed up that if faded that fast as it says on the box it is a permanent color.

If I had to make a recommendation I would say to stay away from this brand, and I would also say that my hair has never gone wrong with the Garnier Nutrisse line. I've used a wide array of these colors over the years and have never been happier. The colors are true to the box, are easy to put in and as mess free as possible.

If you decide to go the bleaching route, which is rough on your hair so I don't recommend it, you should use the Clairol Born Blonde bleach. I have also used this many times, and have successfully bleached brown hair to platinum blonde in about an hour. Don't be afraid of the purple color in the dye, your hair will not be purple at the end.