The holiday season is coming to a close and with it 2015, but before we say a fond farewell to this crazy year, we have one more opportunity to celebrate! New Year’s Eve!
I love makeup and I love glitter and for me no holiday look would be complete without them both. Even better why not combine the two! No matter your plans, going to dinner with friends, a fancy party, or just staying in, this look should do the trick!
The Smokey Eye
Before getting started I give my face a once over with MAC makeup remover wipes. They are great for picking up any excess dirt or oil that may be on your skin. Next up is moisturizer and I can’t stress this enough, not only is it good for your skin, but it helps give your makeup a smooth more natural appearance. My favorites which I apply in the following order are: Chanel Le Lift eye cream, Dr. Brandt Infinite Moisture, and for daytime events, Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion which is an oil free sunscreen.
To give my skin a more even tone I apply Chanel CC Cream all over and then use a small amount of the Chanel Correcteur Perfection Concealer under my eyes and around the edges of my nose.
Next I apply the powder and blush. I really like MAC Studio Fix and use it everyday. When doing a heavy eye I go a little lighter with blush and for this look I used the Bobby Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose.
Now its time to focus on my eyes. My first step is to apply an eyeshadow paint as a base. My current party favorite is Chanel Fantasme which provides a nice shimmer! I bring the Fantasme all the way to my brow line. Next, my entire lower lid is “painted” with a dark blue Chanel shadow called Swing. To achieve an even darker look and also maintain better control of the shadow I wet the brush before applying. A little water goes a long way.
At this point my lower lid is dark blue and my upper lid is a shimmering white and I’ll need to blend them. To do this I used MAC Gesso Matte which is a white shadow with no shimmer and applied it to the middle area of my lid. I used MAC Pigment Powder in Vanilla to highlight the corner of my eye.
Applying dark shadow can be tricky and it makes perfect sense to do your eyes before completing the steps above. If you do experience a little powder fallout, a q-tip works great to sweep up any excess!
To finish my eyes I applied eyeliner to my upper lid using the Chanel eyeliner pen in Noir. If you’re not sure about using liquid liner this is the one for you! It’s just like drawing with a felt tip marker! For the lower lid and waterline I used a MAC eyeliner pencil in Black Swan which has a tiny bit of shimmer to it. I use a brush to smudge the shadow under my eyes.
Recently I discovered mascara primer and I love not only the length it gives to my lashes, but how easily the mascara goes on after using it. I am using Chanel, but MAC also has one available! The final touch to my eyes is Chanel Inimitable mascara in Noir.
Last but not least, lips! It’s the holiday season, so I felt red was in order, but again because I went with such a dark shadow I didn’t want it to be too over powering, so I toned it down with a gloss. I used MAC Luster in Cockney and a MAC lip gloss from the Cinderella line.
The Finished Look
Here is my finished look! I hope you like it and whatever your plans I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!
My older son recently turned 13 and because it’s a milestone birthday something extra special was in order! Of course now he’s a teenager and planning something he and his friends would consider “cool” did present something of a challenge. I was up for the task!
Twice a year I make an elaborate cake, one for each boy’s birthday. They get to pick the design. In keeping with our retro video game theme Simon asked that I make replicas of the controller from the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). I enjoy baking, but what I love more is the challenge of decorating the cake! Game on!
Living in California means that even when the calendar says fall we still have pretty warm days, so layering is a good idea. Basic t-shirts in black and white go with everything, but its fun to add a little interest with a graphic of some sort, that way if you do peel off some layers it won’t be boring! I also like choices so I’ve got a jean jacket which goes with everything and for those days when it’s nice to have something a little heavier I recently picked up a utility style jacket in a camo print. The latter is turning out to be just the right weight, especially when paired with a cardigan or an open front shirt. I tend to gravitate toward black, white, and grey because everything matches, but I like a pop of color too!
