HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: The Best Makeup Value Sets (High-End)

Hey guys! I wanted to share with you the first of a series of Holiday Gift Idea posts. I decided to do this one early because some of these value sets and holiday sets will go out of stock soon! These are 7 great value sets and palettes that are perfect for gifts (or a splurge for yourself). These can mostly be found at Sephora or Ulta (Lorac is exclusive to Ulta and some of the other value sets are exclusive to Sephora). 

Unfortunately, they're on the high-end side of the scale, so they're a bit more expensive, but I'll be doing another holiday gift guide with more affordable value sets. That being said, you can really find some value from these - especially if you're looking to find the perfect gift!

1. Too Faced 'Le Grand Chateau' $49 (A $215 Value) - I love this because it comes with three mini palettes. There are 18 shadows total with two bronzers and a blush, plus a mini 'Better Than Sex' Mascara. I love this because the three mini palettes are great for just you or to give out individually or as a set! I love this for a gift. I got one of the holiday palettes from Too Faced last year and have used it religiously. 
2. NARS X Steven Klein 'One Shocking Moment' Cheek Palette  $69 (A $165 Value) - I love this as a gift because it combines some of the best NARS products in an awesome palette. First off, you get a Laguna bronzer (which I love) and then 4 blushes and 2 contouring shades. This is such a good deal and it's an awesome collaboration.
3. Becca X Jaclyn Hill 'Champagne Glow' Palette $34 - I love this palette because I love Becca highlighters and I really love the Jaclyn Hill collaboration of 'Champagne Pop' which is such a beautiful shimmery soft white gold. This combines that lovely highlight with two more pressed shades.
4. Tarte 'Light of the Party' Collector's Makeup Case $59 (A $394 Value) - Okay, I've been talking about this for awhile now and it's because it's amazing. It comes with 30 eyeshadows (24 of which are new) and a blush, bronzer, and highlight - plus a mini 'Better Than Sex' mascara. This is a palette that's worth $394 dollars and I think it's a steal at $59! This is such a great gift idea or something to splurge on for yourself.
5. Lorac Mega Pro Palette 2 $59 - This blog is no stranger to love for the Lorac Pro Palettes because they're such great quality and I continue to go back to using those shadows over and over again
6. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit $80 (A $132 Value) - I put this on the list because it's something I desperately want. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders are expensive, but so beautiful. A palette with 6 different shades is the dream.
7. Marc Jacobs 'The Sofia: Five Piece Lip Creme Collection' $45 - I love this set of lipsticks because not only are Marc Jacobs lipsticks amazing, but this is a great deal for five of them. You can even separate the 5 and give them out as gifts!

What are your favorite Holiday value sets? 

xo Emily

Sunday Style: Winter Outerwear Picks

1. Zara Wool Coat - $189
2. Urban Outfitters Quilted Bomber Jacket (This is a men's coat, but I love it) - $89
3. Topshop Faux Fur Patchwork Coat - $160
4. Uniqlo Cashmere Robe Coat - ON SALE $100
5. Topshop Slim Pocket Coat - $110
6. Topshop Wool Blend Faux Fur Hybrid Coat - $170


What are your picks for Winter outerwear?

xo Emily

Autumn Glam

Hey guys! I have a Autumn Makeup look for you today - something I like to fittingly call 'Autumn Glam'. I call it that because it's a bit more elevated than my everyday look, I added some drama and flash, but it also has those beautiful Autumnal shades to make it seasonal!

To get this look:

1. I decided to go all out with makeup today so I started with one of my favorite moisturizing primers, the Clinique Universal Superprimer. 

2. I used a Real Techniques Sponge to apply my L'Oreal True Match Magic Lumi Foundation all over my face.

3. To conceal, I used NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer under my eyes and on blemishes.

4. Next I set my t-zone with the Rimmel Stay Matte powder.

5. Time to add color back to the face! I bronzed my cheekbones, temples, nose, and chin with Tarte's 'Social Butterfly' and then used their 'Amazed' blush on the apples of my cheek. For a highlight, I used 'Pink Champagne'. All of these face products came from Tarte's Holidaze Light of the Party palette.

6. Next up are eyebrows - which I shaped and filled in with my all time favorite, the Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil.

7. For my eyes, I'm again using the Tarte Holidaze palette to create an Autumnal look. To start, I blended 'Yule Be Surprised' (a deep brown) and 'Mulberry and Bright' (a deep burgundy) into the crease, adding color and dimension. Next up, I patted the most gorgeous Autumn shade, 'Fireside Chat' all over my lid. It's a sparkly burgundy/brown shadow and look lovely when blended out with a matte brown or matte deep burgundy.

8. Instead of harsh liquid liner, which still would have added more glam, I decided to use 'Mulberry and Bright' to define my upper and lower lash lid. I also added a bit of 'Fireside Chat' to my lower lash line to bring the look together. 

9. Next, I coated my lashes with the Tarte 'Lights Camera Lashes' mascara - one of my favorites. It's lengthening and volumizing, making your lashes look magnificent.

10. To add extra glam, I popped on some Ardell fake lashes - the 'Demi Wisipies'. They look natural, but add lots of volume and glamour.

11. To finish the look, I used an Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tar 'Queen' for the finishing touch of glam. 

I absolutley love how this turned out. It's beautiful and luxurious and a perfect way to bring the colors of the season into your makeup!

xo Emily

Halloween Makeup Tutorial: Bitten by a Vampire

Hey guys! I have another Halloween makeup tutorial for you today and this one is probably the most simple of them all. I call this look 'Bitten by a Vampire' but you can honestly be anything creepy using this look. 

To start, do you regular base routine - except use a foundation that is about two or three shades lighter then your normal skin so you have that pale, dead, and gloomy look. 

Set your face with a powder - dead things usually aren't so shiny - and do your brows as you would normally. 

Next, line your upper water line and your lower water and lash line. Then, give yourself a black smoky eye. All I did was take a black matte shadow and slowly begin to blend it onto my lid - bringing the color into a cat eye shape, building its intensity as I went. 

Next, I lined my upper lash line with a liquid liner, giving myself a dramatic cat eye. 

  

Be sure to add generous coats of mascara!

Next, I went in with a black gel liner (you can usue a liquid liner, paint, or lipstick if you have it) to fill in my lips. I wanted to look dark and creepy and have the black in my eye and on my lips contrast with the white of my skin and the red of the "blood".

Finally, I added the "blood". I just used a red lipstick I had and smeared it out near my lip (as if I just fed for the first time) and created little bite marks on my neck. Feel free to use fake blood for this as well - it would actually look a lot more realistic than my lipstick.

I hope you guys liked this easy tutorial! 

xo Emily

Autumn Lip Favorites

Here are some of my picks for Autumn Lip colors. They're all perfect for the Fall months and cold weather!

1. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Bette - Dark Red

2. MAC Lipstick in Dark Side - Deep Burgundy

3. YSL Rouge Per Couture Kiss and Love Collection Lipstick in Le Rouge - Perfect Deep Red

4. Colour Pop Lip Pencil in Grunge - Cool Toned Plum Brown

5. YSL  Rouge Per Couture Glossy Stain in Le Nu - Deep Nude

6. MAC Lip Pencil in Spice - Plum, Nude

7. Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Berry Punch - Bright Berry

8. Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Pencil in Innocent - Brown, Nude 

What are your picks?

xo Emily

Halloween Makeup Tutorial: Deer

Hey everyone! I have another Halloween makeup tutorial for you today. This look is for a deer and it's so easy (and cute!)

To get this look:

1. Use a bronzer to darken your temples, forehead and cheekbones. I used Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. It looks a bit silly as is, but once we put other shadows and products on top of it, it'll come together.

2. Using a brown gel liner, (I used L'Oreal's Infallible Lacquer Liner in 'Espresso') fill in your brows and from them, draw a line down your nose on both sides. Fill your nose/nostrils in a heart shape, creating the nose of a deer. You can google the shape and style online and draw off that.

2. Using a white shimmery shadow, fill under your eyes. Bring that shadow down until it naturally fades out. Bring the shadow up to you forehead as well. This is where we will place our dots. I used 'Snow' from the Lorac Pro Palette 2 to do this, but any white/silver/cream shimmery shadow works. 

3. Place this color up your nose between the two brown lines as well, as well as a bit on your chin and cupid's bow.

4. Using a white eyeliner, draw white spots on the places we already put white shimmery shadow - the temple, forehead, and cheeks. I used the Jumbo Eyeliner Stick from NYX.

5. Add your own makeup to your eyes to finish it all off. I did a brown smoky eye with the Stila Cosmetics Liquid Liner and Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. 

To finish off this look, it's easy to add accessories. Buy or create your own antlers and wear a nude leotard, using the same white spots to adorn it! Or, just wear a brown shirt and jeans and you're all set!

xo Emily

Halloween Makeup Tutorial: Harley Quinn

Hey everybody! Halloween is fast approaching so I thought I'd show you some easy and fun makeup looks for Halloween. Today's is Harley Quinn - a la Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad. I think this is such a fun and easy makeup look to achieve and extremely timely considering how close the movie is to coming out.

1. Apply a foundation that is 1-2 shades lighter than your skin, so that you get that pale complexion that Harley has. I used Rimmel's Match Perfection Foundation, applying it with a Real Techniques Foundation Brush. (I'm aware I look scary, but it's the price to pay to be Harley Quinn)

2. Set your foundation - Harley is very matte, not shiny - make sure you're using a pressed powder that is the same shade or a lighter shade than your foundation. I used Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 'Transparent' so that the color stays.

3. Next, fill in our brows however you prefer. Per usual, I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Chocolate.

4. Next, take a black kohl/pencil liner and messily apply it to both of your lids. I used L'Oreal's Silkissime Eyeliner. Then, you can either use your fingers or a brush to blend it in, again messily. You want it to look really messy - extending how smudgy it is beyond your lid.

5. Now, use a blue eyeshadow and apply it messily on your left eyelid. I used a blue shadow from the Too Faced 'Everything Nice' Palette, but any shade will do. Again, extend the color and smudging past where your eyelid is, dropping a bit of color onto your cheekbone as well. 

6. For the right eyelid, we want it to be the same as the left, except red. I didn't have a red eyeshadow so I used NARS Velvet Lip Pencil in 'Mysterious Red', smudging it out.

7. Now, apply mascara and your eyes are done! I put on Benefit's They're Real Liner.

8. Apply a red lipstick to your lips. I used the same lipstick I used for my right eyelid. Once applied, take two fingers and make a smudge mark on the right lower lip, bringing it down towards your chin.

9. Time to make Harley Quinn's heart. Using a black liner, draw and fill in a small heart on the top of your right cheekbone. I just used NYX's Liquid Liner. 

10. To finish everything off, I used NYX's Matte Finishing Spray. 

And voila, there's my Harley Quinn makeup look. It's really incredibly easy to do and all you need to finish the look are two high ponytails, a baseball tee, and black booty shorts.

xo Emily