Tag Archives: bold

The In Between

What do you do when you can’t decide between going bold and going soft? Somedays I sit down in front of my makeup collection and I am unsure of exactly what I want. I’m not looking to go with a subtle look, but I also don’t really want to be totally in your face. I want to be the in between. I want to find the delicate balance between calm and loud. Now maybe at first glance you can’t see the balance to which I am referring. A dark blue lip after all, is a pretty loud statement. But when pairing it with a slightly warmer toned eye and face makeup which isn’t overly dramatic, it is not quite the slap in the face some of my looks can create.

I’ve always been instructed not to pair warm and cool toned makeup together in the same look. Believe me, I understand why. They aren’t designed to marry together smoothly. Typically the tones grate on one another and create a harsh look which is not quite right when you look at it. But if you do it just right, sometimes it can work out quite elegantly. The warmer tones in the look are cooled by the cool tones and vice versa.

Take this look for example. The eye look is made up of oranges and golds from my Anastasiia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette. The overall effect is rather sunset like in nature. I intentionally did not go overboard with the pigmentation though, not wanting to overweight the warmth of the look. The face was done with the more neutral colors in my collection. Yes, my contour was still a dark shadow meant to create definition on my face. But I kept the shade as neutral as possible instead of choosing a warmer or cooler one. The same goes for my choice of bronzer. Bronzer by nature will always run warmer because, as the name implies, the whole point is to bronze up the look like a tan. But there is still a wide variety of shade options in the realm of bronzers. I found one which wouldn’t be overly warm in nature and went with that. The same process held true for my highlight as well.

The lip is what took this look from subtle to an in between. It is a cool toned shade and it’s quite aggressive upon first glance. But when pairing it with a look like this, it falls into place shockingly well. The tone warms up a little, and it elevates the look out of a purely subtle realm. It also adds an element of surprise to the look. I never like to do the same thing twice. I enjoy surprising people, both with who I am and with my makeup. This is an expression of complexity, of experimentation, of challenging the norms. Not every challenge has to be aggressive. Some rules you can break by pairing together tones which aren’t supposed to work together. I like to challenge people and the norms they ascribe to me. This look is just another way of doing so.

How do you challenge the norms people place on you? Leave a comment below!

Yours Truly,

Meera C.

 

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A First Impression Is A Chance For A Challenge

Bold orange lookIf you want to get someones attention, slap some intense color on there and you’re bound to succeed. One way or another, you’ll be noticed. Oranges are some of my favorite shades to work with because my eye color always pops when I throw orange on my lid. Most people want to make a good first impression no matter the situation. I’ve realized that is not my goal. Like I’ve said before, I challenge people. I utilize all methods at my disposal to test people and see if they have what it takes to stick with me in the long run. I guess makeup is part of that for me now. Going bold with my makeup on a first impression challenges many people. It’s like wearing armor. Are you the sort of person who will see through it? Or will you make assumptions about me?

To create a look like this I have to have a full coverage foundation to start with. For a bold look to come across correctly the intensity has to be consistent across the board. I’ve never felt good about bold eye looks when wearing a light coverage foundation because the rest of the look won’t have the same intensity. Contour won’t be as strong, highlight is more dull, and there is a lack of cohesiveness to the face. So, to create the perfect base for this bold look, I employ my best primer, full coverage, and translucent powder. Then, as per usual, I have to do up my brows with my tinted brow gel. I’m considering making the switch to a brow pencil here soon just to play with shape and fullness, but as of now I’m sticking with my gel.

Now, for some color. Eyes are the best way to get a bold flair introduced to your look. For this look, I grabbed my modern renaissance paletteBold orange look looking down to play with. To be honest I didn’t entirely have a plan this go around. But I knew I wanted to use the orange. It was just calling to me. So I started with some dark brown up through my crease and my outer corner to create some definition. I took the brown shade in pretty far to give myself some room for experimentation then grabbed the orange with a flat shader brush. I took the orange over almost all of my lid, leaving only the inner quarter of my eye exposed. I also packed on more then one layer of orange to ensure the color payoff was intense. Then I decided to try a new technique which I know everyone else has been using: the foil.

I snagged some of my friends setting spray, which I typically do not use, and sprayed a detailing brush with it lightly. Then I picked up a shimmery gold shade and took it into my inner corner and up through the inner quarter of my eye. It definitely was effective in increasing the intensity of the color payoff with the shimmer. Something felt like it was missing though. There just wasn’t enough dimension to make me happy. So I took some black from another palette into my outer V and that tied it together. All that was left was highlighting the brow bone.

I go through my typical face routine. A nice, classy contour paired with bronzer, blush, and a matte highlight. The final touch of the look is the lips. The most important part of making the lips last is using my lip primer. When using a liquid lip in winter, you have to keep your lips moisturized under a liquid formula. So I use my primer then throw on my tarte liquid lip.

And that’s how I put together this bold look! How do you make a first impression? Comment below!

Yours Truly,

Meera C.

The post A First Impression Is A Chance For A Challenge appeared first on Beauty As Art.

New Years Eve Inspired Makeup Look

New Years Eve selfieNew Years Eve is the perfect way to say goodbye to the old and look forward to the new. And what better way to honor the year than with a great face of makeup? This year I made my eyes the focus: contoured, bold, and dark. A statement you could say. The face was kept matte and the lips neutral. But on the eyes, I did not hold back one bit.

I chose to stay true to my style as well. I prefer the slightly more edgy style of makeup. I like contour, I like sharp eyeliner, I thoroughly enjoy my darker color palettes. A pop of color here and dash of sparkle here to glitz this looks up for New Years and we were ready to go!

After going through my skin care routine a while before, I primed my skin with my moisturizing primer. Then I relaxed and let the primer settle so I could achieve a smoother application of my lovely foundation. After the appropriate period of waiting, I applied my foundation with my angled kabuki brush. Once my face had successfully been coated in foundation, I used a fluffy powder brush to apply my translucent powder. With my face set, it was time to add eye primer to my eyelids. Then, while the primer settled I brushed my tinted brow gel through my brows.

For the eye look, I took a domed detailing brush to apply black shadow in my outer v and up through my crease. After each layer of shadow I blended with a pointed blending brush. When working with a dark, messy shadow like black, it’s important to have a light touch. Building your shadow is infinitely simpler then trying to take it off. Once I had created a contoured shape and sharp outer edges with the black, I used a pointed blending brush to blend some dark brown shadow into the black shadow and the outer corner to transition the dark colors. For a pop of color, I again used the pointed blending brush to blend a thin layer of deep pink onto the center of my lid. Then, I took my shader brush to pack on a bright, shimmery shade to the inner third of the lid. I highlighted my brow bone and inner corner with a matte white shade.

With the shadow finally complete, I moved on to eyeliner. I used liquid liner to create a thick wing and thin line. But to give it something extra, I added some silver glitter eyeliner along my eyeline. To finish off the eyes I coated my lashes with mascara. With the eyes done, I finished my face with my typical contour, bronzer, blush, and highlight. As the finishing touch, I applied my lipstick. To keep the focus on my eyes as well as to create contrast in the look, I kept the lips very neutral. And New Years Eve was spectacular!

To shop the products of this look keep your eyes out for a post later this week! I hope you enjoyed this New Years Eve inspired look. What were your NYE looks like? Comment below!

Your Truly,

Meera C.

The post New Years Eve Inspired Makeup Look appeared first on Beauty As Art.

Invincible.

Somedays you wake up feeling ready to take on the world. You feel invincible. On those days I go for dramatic color. I experiment with the rules surrounding which colors should and shouldn’t go together. Sometimes it goes awry, but other days it comes off well. This look reflects feeling like I can fight any dragon or climb any mountain. It is loud and proud. Unapologetically bold. The product of trusting my gut. I didn’t have to look to anyone else for the inspiration to create this look. No one had to tell me it was okay. I just took a brush to the colors and let myself create it.

I often look to other beauty bloggers or youtubers for inspiration when getting bored of my everyday looks. I rarely take the initiative to just do it myself because I’m afraid of what my face will look like at the end. However, over the last two years, I’ve learned so much about how to apply makeup well and what just really doesn’t work. Until recently I haven’t had the faith in myself to trust the combination of my creativity and skills. But this is a look I am exceptionally proud of.

Of course, as always there is room for improvement. Namely, I would have liked to deepen the outer v of the eyes a bit to create more depth. Additionally I would have liked to leave a bit more room for vermeer to shine on the inner third of the lid. And my lips could have been a bit more clean. But those small critics won’t stop me from posting this look with pride. I’ll do this look again someday and attempt these changes. I will royally mess up many a makeup look. I’m not perfect. But who cares?

To learn more about how I created this look you can see a list of products and read a bit about the process below:

The Products

-The Base:

Primer: Makeup Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer in Redness Correcting

Applied with my hands

Foundation: Estée Launder Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1C1 Cool Bone

Applied with my Sigma F88 Flat Angled Kabuki Brush

Powder: Makeup Forever Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose Powder in Color 1 Translucent

Applied with a Makeup Forever 130 Large Powder Brush

-The Eyes and Brows

Primer: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original with some loose powder to set (from the base)

Applied with Fingers

Eyebrows: Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel in Color 03 Medium

Applied with Product Applicator

Eyeshadows (in the order applied): Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette

-Warm Taupe in the Crease

Applied with Sephora Collection Pro Blending Brush #27

-Red Ochre in the Outer V

Applied with Zoeva 231 Luxe Petite Crease Brush

Blended with Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush

-Venetian Red across the Outer Third of the Lid

Applied with Zoeva 225 Luxe Eye Blender

-Love Letter across the Middle Third of the Lid

Applied with Zoeva 225 Luxe Eye Blender

Blended with Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush

-Vermeer across the Inner Third of the Lid

Applied with Zoeva 232 Luxe Classic Shader

-Tempera in the Inner Corner and to Highlight the Brow Bone

Applied with Sigma E25 Blending Brush

Upper Eyeliner: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper

Applied with Product Applicator

Lower Eyeliner: Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon Eyeliner in Blacquer 42

Mascara: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara in Black

Applied with Product Applicator

-The Face

Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit in Light/Medium

-Contour

Applied with Zoeva 127 Sheer Cheek Brush

-Bronzer

Applied with Sephora Collection Pro Contour Brush #79

-Highlight

Applied with Sigma F03 High Cheekbone Highlighter Brush

Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette

-Blush: Unleashed

Applied with Sigma F50 Duo Fibre Brush

-The Lips

Primer: Bite Beauty Line and Define Primer

Applied with Product Applicator

Lipstick: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Dagger

Applied with Product Applicator

 

A Bit About The Process

Before I apply any of these products to my face I always go through my morning skincare routine. Let’s be honest, makeup isn’t the best for your skin, so taking care of it before and after application is extremely important. I usually give my moisturizer at least 30 minutes to set into my skin before beginning makeup application because my foundation doesn’t sit as well if applied straight after moisturizer. Primer is an essential step to long lasting makeup looks and, as an added benefit, protects your skin from your foundation. Again, I tend to let my primer settle before slathering my foundation on. Next I use an angled brush to apply my foundation all over my face, also fading it down my neck. Then, using my giant, fluffy powder brush, I apply my loose translucent powder. I find my foundation does enough for coverage, so I don’t need any further pigmentation with my powder. It’s there to set the foundation, keep my makeup from getting shiny throughout the day, and create a powder base for applying my powder face products later down the line.

Next come the eyes and eyebrow portion. I do this step before completing the face because in my experience, it’s easy to correct any errors or wipe away fallout if it’s just the base, but can be much more challenging to rectify when blush, bronzer, highlight, and contour come into play. First I apply my eyeshadow primer, and top it with a touch of translucent powder to set, so it can set while I do my brows. My father gifted me with his bushy brows, so while I have to wax them every two weeks, they are quite easy to do. I just brush some colored brow gel through them like mascara and I’m done!

Then comes one of favorite bits: the eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is where I get to have the most fun with colors and experimentation. For this look I took warm taupe from the modern renaissance palette through my crease, accounting for the asymmetrical nature of my eyes of course. Then I applied red ochre to my outer v. Working shadows into my outer v took me a long time to learn, but if you start with a small amount of product and build it you will be much more successful with it. Also remember to use a light hand and to feather your strokes so it blends easier. Then I used a sigma brush to blend warm taupe and red ochre together a bit more seamlessly. Changing brushes, I then sweep venetian red across the outer third of my eyelid, and blended the shadows again. I repeat this process with love letter on the middle third. Using a shader brush, I pack vermeer into the inner third of my lid, adding some light to the look. To finish off the shadow, I highlight the brow bone and inner corner of my eye with tempera.

With the shadow complete, it’s time to apply liner. For my upper lid I almost exclusively use liquid liner because of the crisp application and appearance. With this look I also utilized the oh so magical winged liner. To perfect this look, I draw the wing on first. Following my lower lash line, I draw the bottom line outwards to my desired length. Then, I reverse the liner pen and draw on the upper line towards my eye. If all has gone smoothly I color in the wing and line the rest of the eye. It’s important to match the thickness of the line to the thickness of the wing and to make sure they are connected. This is the most successful method I have found for mastering the art of winged liner. Once my liquid liner eyeliner is done, I take my eyeliner pencil and line my waterline. Some people say you shouldn’t do this because it closes off your eye shape, but it looks great on me so I do it anyway. Last but not least, is mascara. I coat both my upper and lower lashes because nothing ties the eyes together quite like mascara.

Now onto the face! At this point I sort of resemble the moon as the foundation has wiped out all color from my face. First thing is first: contour. The world may be obsessed with highlight right now but I will never lose my love for contour. I use a slightly fluffy, angled brush to apply my contour because my contour tends to be pretty subtle in the daytime. I apply contour just under my cheekbones, to the outside edges of my forehead, and under my jaw. Next is bronzer. I am a fan of bronzer! I think it adds nice color to the face. I bronze my forehead, the outer half of my cheekbones, very lightly along my jawline, my chin, and to my nose. As with eyeshadow, a good rule of thumb is too apply a little and build it up so you don’t look like to you have a bad fake tan. Then comes highlight. I haven’t quite climbed abroad the ‘shiny unicorn’ highlight train yet, however I am a fan of a nice matte highlight. I think it can add more dimension to your features which is always fun. I tend to take my highlight shade across the top of my cheekbones around my temples, and a bit above my brows. To complete the face, it is time for blush. I use my sigma duo fibre brush to apply my blush because I’ve found the best method for applying blush to be stippling. Basically instead of brushing the product across your skin in a sweeping motion, you dab it on like you’re using a beauty blender. So I lightly swirl my brush in the blush then pay it onto my cheeks for a seamless finish.

Last but certainly not least, is the lips. Part of my skincare routine involves putting on lip balm which by now has entirely sunk in. So first I apply my lip primer all over my lips and let it set. Then comes the lipstick! I’m lucky because my lips have a nice full shape, so I don’t over line my lips. First I apply to my lower lip, following the lip line and coloring in the whole lip. When doing the upper lip, I start by drawing a small X from either side of my cupids bow, so I know how high to make both sides. Then I draw on either side of the lipstick and color in. If all has gone well I have two sides of my lips which match!

And thats how I created this look! If you have any questions or comments feel free to write them below! I’ll see you with another look next week!

Yours Truly,

Meera C.