Everyday Smoked Out EyeLiner / Makeup Look

Friday, January 30, 2015

Hey guys! Sorry for the spotty posting as of late, but I had a bit of computer mishap and a very busy schedule so I'm finally back in the swing of posting! Today's post comes to you in the form of a makeup look. I've been loving doing this smoky, smudged out eyeliner look and thought I'd share how I do it with you! 


1. I want to keep my skin free of an exorbitant amount of products so I'm forgoing foundation because this is an everyday look! I'm starting out with Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Concealer to cover up all and any blemishes I have and to really brighten my under-eye area. 
2. To fully conceal my terribly dark under-eyes, I'm going in with a second concealer, Tarte's Creaseless Concealer. This just adds a bit more coverage. 
3. To set the concealer and keep it from moving throughout the day, I'm using Rimmel's Stay Matte powder. This is an absolute favorite and it just helps to keep your makeup staying all day and mattify everything. 
4. For my everyday look, I want to bring some color back to my face. I use NYC's Sunny Bronzer along my cheekbones and around my face to just get that sunkissed glow back to my complexion.


5. Again, I want to continue to bring color back to my face so I'll use Benefit's Rockateur Blush on the apples of my cheek.
6. I can't go without a highlight and this one by The Balm, the Mary-Lou Manizer is perfect for an everyday look. 
7. Brows time! An absolute favorite, Anastasia's Brow Wiz is my preferred method to fill in and shape my brows. 
8. For eyeshadow, I'm using only shades from the Lorac Pro 2 Palette. I'll start with a mixture of 'Nectar' and 'Light Brown' on a big fluffy brush and blend that into the crease until I have enough build up. Next, I'll use a mixture of 'Beige' and 'Rose' on the lid to give a bit of shimmer to the look. To darken everything up, I go back into the crease with 'Cocoa'. 
9. Here's where the 'Smoked Out Eyeliner' comes in. First, I go in with L'Oreal's Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner and line my top lashline, adding a medium sized cat eye. Once this is done, I go in with a black eyeshadow, 'Black' from the Lorac Palette. Taking a pencil brush and that shadow, all I did was brush along where I had already placed eyeliner, smudging it out to create that smoky look. I also brought the shadow down to my lower lash line to balance the look.
10. To finish the eyes I used Maybelline's Miss Manga mascara which gives incredible length to my lashes.
11. For my lips, I used one of Rimmel's Exagerrate Lip Pencils in the color 'Addiction'. This is such a great dupe for Mac's 'Spice' and 'Whirl' liners. It's that perfect 'Your Lips But Better' lip shade!
12. The last step is to keep your face all set and matte. To do this, I spray a bit of NYX's Matte Finish Spray on my face!


I really love how this turned out!

xo Emily

Caped Crusader

Saturday, January 24, 2015

I've been having a cape moment. AKA I've been sort of obsessing over these gorgeous capes from Topshop. I put together two cute outfits to go with my favorite capes from Topshop. I love that you can dress them up or down and they're just so easy to throw on over jeans!

Are you feeling the cape obsession too?

Cape 1
Cape 2



xo Emily

Have you met Matt(e)?

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

The word matte is pretty bizarre. For the longest time, I wasn't even aware that being 'matte' was a thing you could be. I didn't really know that 'matte' was apparently a way of life in the beauty world (my friend referred to it as that once, it makes me laugh still). When I finally understood the meaning behind being matte, or met Matt(e) as a I refer to it, I kind of understood.

If you're not aware, 'matte' refers to when something is "dull and flat, without a shine." Which sounds uber gross and not fun and not a way of life. I guess the better way to describe it, when referring to makeup and beauty, is that being matte means you are without shine and oil and your skin looks flawless and clean. 

Leaving my skin matte is often one of my favorite ways to finish off my makeup look (the other is leaving it more glowy and shiny and then the final one is the look where I don't put any effort in whatsoever, the standard look). It leaves you looking put together and pretty darn flawless.

To get that matte skin that you might sometimes see in my blog posts, I rely on two pretty important products. 

One of these products comes at the beginning of my makeup routine and then the other product is the very last step.

Matte Me Up!


After I've finished putting on foundation and using concealer, I take a big fluffy powder brush and swish that around in Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder in 'Transparent'. I'll either place it across my whole face or concentrate it on my T-Zone to really cut down on shine. I absolutely adore this product. If you read my blog I'm sure you're aware of this fact. Not only is this powder affordable ($4), it'll last you more than a year. I've had my same powder for about 10 months now, and I'm not done yet! Plus, it really is the best product for cutting down on shine and making you all 'matte'. I love that it has a 'Transparent' shade because that means I'm not adding any extra color or thick powder that I really don't want on my face. I would take it over any high end product any day.

Once I've finished all my makeup, I use a second product to matte everything. That product is NYX's Matte Finish Setting Spray. After everything is done, I spray my face with this product and it makes it completely matte and without shine (if you want glowy skin, they also have a glowy setting spray!). Again, this is affordable ($7) and is just the easiest, fastest step if you want to matte up your face!

I hope you guys enjoyed these suggestions to 'Stay Matte', I really love them and think they work wonders!


xo Emily

Currently Coveting: Makeup

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Currently Coveting: Makeup


                                      

I've got my nails done up....

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Hello everyone! Today's post is nail polish themed, which is so fun because I absolutely love painting my nails. There's not a day when I've got bare nails and it's always fun to spend time experimenting with color and design!  

My nails today are inspired by this "Winterize Your Nails" color swatch from Julep. My favorite two shades were 'Shari' and 'Kiki' so I decided to do a bit of an inspired look using my own nail polishes. 


To get this nail look, I started by painting all my nails with a light pink shade and then once they dried, I cut out bits of tape and then put them on my nails to make the shapes I wanted (triangles for the top of the nails, and a small strip of tape at the bottom to get that little band of turquoise) and then painted the non-taped parts using a pretty blue/turquoise polish. 


To add some extra protection, I used a topcoat once everything dried. I find using a topcoat in winter helps to keep your nails lasting longer, especially as our nails will crack and be more damaged in frigid temperatures. 


And if you live any place where it's cold right now, you'll know that we're having record setting low temperatures. It's incredibly important protect your skin and body against the cold. If you liked my winter friendly makeup tips, then these tips for 'Winterizing' your nails will also come in handy.


Did you like my nail polish look today? I think I might do more of these, they're super fun and gives me an excuse to buy more polish (sorry bank account!). I keep creeping on all of Julep's pretty new colors, someone stop me! 


xo Emily

Currently Craving

Monday, January 12, 2015

Currently Craving


                        

Silver Smoke

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Hey guys! Today I'm showing you a look i've titled 'Silver Smoke' because it's silvery and has just the faintest bit of smoky eye element to it. It's mild enough to wear everyday but also has enough smoke and glam for a night out!


I'm using the Lorac Pro 2 Palette for today's look and I love how it turned out!


To Create This Look: 

1. Prime your eyes. I used the Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer that came with the palette. 
2. Take 'Light Brown' and begin to blend it into your crease. This will be a base for the darker crease colors later.
3. Pat 'Snow' across the entire lid. This shimmery white shadow will look beautiful paired with the silver shadow we'll use on top of it.
4. Blend 'Cool Gray' into your crease, adding up the color so we get a really defined smoky eye.


5. Pat 'Silver' across your whole lid, focusing on placing the most color on the inner and middle of your lid.
6. To get that added definition that we want and to really live up to the 'Silver Smoke' name, we'll take 'Charcoal' and blend that into our crease. It'll make it more defined and will look wonderful with the silver shadow on our lid.
7. Using a small brush, bring 'Charcoal' down to your lower lash line. Line the lash line nearest to your tear duct area with 'Silver', which will help balance out the look. 
8. If you choose, line your upper lash line with either a liquid, pencil, or gel liner. I used Maybelline's Gel Liner today and flicked it out for a cat-eye.
9. Finish off with the mascara of your choosing. I used Too Faced's 'Better Than Sex' mascara. 



I've got Benefit's 'Rockateur' on my cheeks with a bit of highlight courtesy of Too Faced's 'Inner Light' and my lips are full and pretty due to MAC's 'Whirl' Lip Pencil. I really love how the eyes turned out and I think it's going to be one of my go-to looks from now on. 

I also loved experimenting with the Lorac Pro 2 Palette, which I absolutely adore. It's really such an amazing product and the shadows are so well-made, pigmented, and blendable. I'll do a full review post on it soon, but (spoilers!) it's a winner so far!



Hope you're having a wonderful day!

xo Emily

Best of Beauty: 2014

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Hey guys! Here are my top 14 Beauty Products of 2014. These are the products I've been using non-stop this year and have left such a huge impression on me. In my opinion they're the absolute best and my favorites! Best of Beauty: 2014




L'Oreal Magic Lumi Primer 
My favorite primer of 2014 and one of my most-used products is this primer from L'Oreal. It's incredibly hydrating and leaves your skin glowing and dewy. It's great for under your foundation and concealer but also works well to blend together with your foundation. It's only $12 and will last you such a long time.

NYC Liquid Liner 
This is one of my favorite liquid liners of all time. It's insanely pigmented and applies evenly and easily. It also stays put all day long, you don't have to touch it up ever. Plus, it's under $3 so it's affordable and the best bargain for your buck!

Tarte Creaseless Concealer 
I've mentioned this a bunch on my blog because I love it so much. I had been searching for a concealer that didn't crease into the fine lines under my eyes for ages and found it in this Tarte product. As the name might suggest, it doesn't crease and also gives incredibly coverage. It fills in the dark circles under your eyes and leaves the area hydrated! (plus it's waterproof!)

Lorac Pro Palette 2
This might be a bit of cheat since I only recently bought this product, but it impressed me so much that I had to put it on my Best of Beauty 2014 list! This palette has such a wonderful range of cool-toned colors that vary from matte to shimmer shades. I honestly don't need anything but this palette to create beautiful eye looks. It's super pigmented and blendable and I love it!

E.L.F. Studio Blush in 'Tickled Pink'
This was my most used blush other than Benefit's 'Rockateur' this year. It's the perfect peachy, soft pink shade that works well for absolutely any makeup look, any skin tone, at any time of the year! And it's super affordable at $3!

Too Faced 'Everything Nice' Palette
This limited edition holiday palette from Too Faced is incredible. If you read my blog, you'll notice I use the products from it in almost every single makeup related blog post. The shadows are so beautiful and pigmented and have made for such amazing makeup looks for me lately. My favorite eyeshadow was 'Mauvelous'. The palette also comes with two blushes, a bronzer, and a highlight shade that I have been obsessed with as well. At $56 it was a huge bargain, especially since all of that would have cost me upwards of $400!

E.L.F. Concealer Brush
I put this on my December Favorites post as well, and it's well-deserving of 'Best of 2014' as well. This brush is affordable, high-quality, and perfect for blending in concealer and setting concealer using powder. I use this brush everyday and I honestly can't live without it now.

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara
I go through countless mascaras because I'm always searching for my absolute favorite. I still haven't found 'The One' but this mascara from L'Oreal comes pretty close. It's perfect for separating your lashes and making them look long and beautiful. It doesn't smudge and drop those annoying fibers on your under-eye area either. It's a pretty fantastic all around mascara!

Too Faced Highlighter in 'Inner Light'
This highlight shade also comes in the 'Everything Nice' palette I mentioned and has become my #1 highlight shade since I bought the palette a few months ago. I have honestly only used this highlighter for the past two months, exclusively, because it's so good. It's a bit gold toned with just the right amount of shimmer to make your face just a bit more beautiful, really working to highlight the best parts of your face!

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in 'Cava' and 'Musk'
I know this is two lipsticks in one, but I had to mention them both. These two lipsticks have been on my lips atleast every other day for all of 2014 because they're the best! They're both berry-toned, but subtle enough to wear everyday. They look great with my skin tone and are so creamy and lovely! 

MAC Lip Liner in 'Whirl'
Another heavily mentioned product on my blog this year; this lip liner is the perfect 'Your Lips But Better' shade. It's a berry/plum shade and I love using this on my lips whenever I want a bit more 'umph' and color on my lips! A definite winner this year!

OPI Nail Polish in 'Big Apple Red'
I adore red nail polish and this has been on my nails more often than any other color this year. I wear it on my toenails everyday and it's that perfect red for your nails. Plus, it's fun to wear this shade because I live in New York and it makes me feel extra festive!

Marc Jacobs 'Daisy' Perfume
This has been my signature scent of 2014. I first got a rollerball of this about a year ago and kept getting rollerballs until finally my mom was kind enough to give me the big bottle as a present. It's feminine, elegant, and fruity and is really perfect for me at this point in my life!

Uniq One Hair Treatment
Again, this was a frequent addition to my blog this year because it's amazing. I love this product because it quite honestly does everything. I can't sing it's praises more than I already have!


There you have it, my Top 14 Beauty Products of 2014! I hope you all enjoyed this and I'm curious to know what your favorites of 2014 were!

xo Emily

December Favorites

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

December Favorites

1. E.L.F. Concealer Brush {I picked this up in mid-December and I've been using it every single day since. It's the perfect brush to blend in concealer and it's also perfect to set your under-eye area with powder, as it fits perfectly in the space below your eyes. Plus, it's only $3}
2. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer {this is my #1 favorite concealer at the moment. I've heard a whole ton about this from UK beauty bloggers, and I decided to try it out and test the hype. I was absolutely floored with how much I loved this product. It covers up all your blemishes and is fantastic for brightening up your face}
3. Remington Diamond Shine Slim Wand {ever since I picked this up, I've been using it almost every day. I love the barrel size and it allows you to make super tight ringlets, or gorgeous bouncy waves. I cannot stop using it!}
4. H&M Circle Scarf {it's incredibly freezing right now and I've been using this scarf non-stop. It's super affordable and goes with everything}
5. Broadchurch {I watched the entirety of the first season of Broadchurch in honestly one day because it's so fantastic. Starring one of my favorites, David Tennant, it follows him and his partner investigating a murder in a small town in England. The eight episode season follows the murder and the town, who are rocked by the investigation and murder. It's so enthralling and dramatic and fantastic, and it's a really smart crime show that isn't overly graphic and really goes deep into the individuals in the town. OBSESSED!}

Sunday Style: Sleek and Black

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Happy New Year! Here's my first outfit post of 2015 - a sleek black outfit that is perfect for a night out.



I've paired this amazing top and skirt comobo from Warehouse and then some black tights and black high heels along with a black cardigan. I wanted to go for the super black and sleek look, with bits of color showing up on my lips and on my earrings!


I love this outfit because the skirt and top aren't connected, so you can wear them separately or together, like I did here. It's really flattering and pretty as well!



Top: Warehouse (similar style) | Skirt: Warehouse (similar style) | Cardigan: J. Crew | Tights: Uniqlo Shoes: Macy's (similar style)LipstickYSL Rouge Volupte 'Nude Beige'  | Earrings: From my Sister


xo Emily

2014 Favorites: Movies

Friday, January 2, 2015

Hey guys! I thought I'd start off my 2015 posts by doing some 'Favorites' of certain things throughout 2014. My first list is my favorite movies of 2014! With the Oscar's coming up, I thought it'd be appropriate!

Favorite Movies of 2014


1. Guardians of the Galaxy {fantastic - Chris Pratt was in his element}
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past {another great film, I love that they could combine the new and old characters without making it cheesy and campy}
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier {I loved this more than the original, especially because the relationship between the Captain and Natasha}
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel {Wes Anderson has done it again. This film had so much heart and intelligence, plus it was hilarious}
5. The Lego Movie {this movie is awesome (get it?) and really enjoyable}
6. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies {sad to see the LOTR/Tolkien films over, but it was such an enjoyable film}
7. 22 Jump Street {hilarious. so hilarious}
8. Gone Girl {loved the book and the movie adaptation was wonderful}
9. Snowpiercer {crazy, twisted, awesome}
10. Obvious Child {so intelligent and funny}

New Year

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Happy New Year. 

It's 2015 and I'm so very excited to start this New Year.

2014 was a year of a few ups and a few downs. I'm thankful it was mostly ups though. As I finish my 2014, I'm excited at the prospect of a year full of different experiences, love, and friendship. I start out the year with new resolutions (don't we all) and a renewed sense of responsibility and excitement. 2015 will be the year I turn 21, the year I begin my final year of college. The year things are changing.

I hope everyone has a wonderful year and had a wonderful end to 2014

xo Emily