How To: Rock a Bold Lip

Maybe you want to make it feel summer with a neon pink liptstick, maybe you're just opening your eyes to the beautiful – and slightly unconventional – colour range offered by indie brands, or maybe you're still not over the fall/winter vampy lip trend (I know I'm not)  There are a lot of reasons to rock a bold lip this time of year.

Step one is prep.

Bold colours draw a lot of attention to your lips, so I recommend a lip exfoliator or scrub. You can make your own scrub at home or buy one like from Lush or Bite Beauty. My product of choice is the elf Lip Exfoliator (as pictured above), because it's so easy and mess free to use.

I also recommend a primer or a balm, to keep your lips hydrated and the lipstick on.

Step two is a little harder: confidence. I hear it from my friends all the time:

"I could never wear that colour!"
"Green lipstick would look terrible on me!"
"You're so much braver than I am!"

And okay, maybe when it comes to makeup, the last one is true, but it hasn't always been that way. I used to be afraid to wear red lipstick. I would put it on and then take it straight off. It felt like a lie, like I wasn't allowed to wear it because I wasn't cool enough or sophisticated enough. I wore it sometimes for special occasions, but I was more comfortable in pinks.

Then someone taught me a trick: if you put on lipstick and you don't like it immediately, give it a few minutes. I don't know what the science or logic behind it is, but it helped me a lot. For the first time, I was giving myself the chance to be a little more out there, if only a small one. And from there I was less and less afraid to try new colours.

Soon I was buying more and more "adventurous" lip colours, and feeling good about it. I bought a lot of dark colours and I felt like that was the peak for me, the wildest lip colours I would ever own.

And then I watched an ItsMyRayeReye video called Bright Spring Lip Colours and not only did she show off some amazing, exciting colours, she also opened up a whole new world to me: eye products as lip products. Within a few days I was walking through Sally Beauty and saw the most beautiful blue cream eyeshadow for under a dollar.

And that led to this:

Which led to buying this:

Which led to getting two green lipsticks for Christmas:

But wearing bright lipstick is more than just feeling good enough to buy it and put it on. It's about standing up straighter, putting on a smile, and being prepared to face the day with just an extra little bit of self expression on your face. 

And as the wise lady at Inglot said to me: "I don't know why people are so afraid of bright makeup, it's not plastic surgery if you don't like it you can just wipe it off." So try something new, and if you don't like it, just wipe it off and try something else. And prepare for compliments from strangers, people are always impressed when you wear out of the ordinary makeup. 

Get The Look: Jupiter Ascending

So last night Jupiter Ascending. I absolutely loved the film (for rather than in spite of it's sillyness) and one of the things that stuck out to me the most was Jupiter's makeup. It was literally flawless in every scene. The most impressive look in the movie is her wedding look. From the impressive head piece to the gorgeous dress to—of course her makeup. And being a beauty blogger, my first instinct was to recreate the look ASAP.

I may not have the dress or the headpiece (I did try though!), but I think I got the makeup pretty close. I mean I don't exactly have Mila Kunis' excellent bone structure, but I worked with what I have.

To create this look I used the following products:

Face: MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NW15, Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in Fair, Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer in Light 18

Brows: Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown

Eyes: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Punk Pomegranate, all the red shades in my 88 palette, Bellapierre Excite, Kat Von D Tattoo Liner, Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara, Kiss Lashes in Au Naturale 02

Cheeks: Benefit Coralista, Tarte Park Avenue Princess, Lovely me:ex I Make You Brighter in 01 Pink Glow

Lips: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella with a little Bellapierre Excite dusted on top

What's your favourite movie makeup look?

6 Colours for Spring: Lips + Nails

I know spring isn't technically here yet, but it's getting to that part of winter where we're all dying for a little warm weather. I'm ready to switch out my big winter coat for my leather jacket any day now, but with the current forecast, it might be a few more weeks. But just because the weather outside is still frightful, doesn't mean you're makeup can't be delightful. Here are some shades to get you into that springtime mood. 

Lips

(left to right: MAC Dodgy Girl, Too Faced Melted Violet, NYX Summer Breeze, Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Berlin, Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never)

Dodgy Girl: If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how much I love purple lipstick. It's just a little bit different, but not so out there that you feel like it can't be part of an every day look. This was a part of the Kelly Osbourne Collection and is no longer available. You can get it on eBay, but it's much more expensive and it's hard to be sure you're getting the real thing. But do not fear! Colourpop Brills is an excellent dupe and it only costs $5, so you can get lovely lavender lips at a fraction of the cost of a MAC lipstick. 

Melted Violet: Another purple, this one is less matte and a thinner formula than Dodgy Girl. And it doesn't show well in the swatches, but it dries slightly darker (it takes forever but it does eventually set) It's also a more pink kind of purple, perfect for those who want to give the colour a go but don't want to commit to a full blown purple. 

Summer Breeze: I picked this up a few weeks ago and I'm a little in love. It's the perfect medium pink for summer, but it's not too punchy that it feels inappropriate a little earlier in the year. 

Berlin: Sephora describes this as a "warm rose" but it feels a little more like a dark coral to me. Perfectly matte and long lasting, this shade is perfect for long days (getting longer! thank you sun!)

Never Say Never: A dark, blue toned, sort of purple pink. This one is great for pale girls like me, it's not exactly a neutral, but it's a great grab when you want to look polished and sophisticated without having to commit to the maintenance of a brighter or darker colour. 

Nails

(left to right: China Glaze For Audrey, OPI Do You Lilac It?, 

Gosh Bubblegum, Essie Plumberry, Essie Mademoiselle, Kit Grey Pearling)

I'm always a fan of pastel nails, but now is the perfect time for them. Whether you want to go the classic neutral route with a pale pink like Mademoiselle, or you want to go for something a little brighter. I also included Plumberry which, while not exactly a pastel, just screams spring to me, maybe because it reminds me of tulips. 

My Makeup Wishlist: Products I Want to Try

I have a lot of makeup, but there are so many products I haven't tried yet that I'd love to. And yes they are mostly lipsticks because they're my favourite, but hey, I know what I like.

Inglot Duraline

This hasn't been on my radar for too long, but it caught my eye when I saw someone on Instagram use Duraline to turn the burgundy shade from Melt's Dark Matter Eye Shadow Stack into a beautiful eyeliner. Since then I've tried to pick it up twice from the (semi) local Inglot store, but both times I've come in to see the dreaded red sold out sticker next to the bottle. I'll get you someday Duraline. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks

Ever since swatches from this product were first released I've really wanted to try it. I'm particularly interested in trying Potion and Sad Girl, because I love purple lipstick so much.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

Everyone's getting in on the contour craze. Out of all the recently released contour kits, I think this is one of the only ones that has colours light enough for my skin tone, though the Kat Von D one seems to lean a little more toward the cool on the contour shades, so I have my eye on that one too.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain

I've been looking at these every time I go into Sephora. I like a lot of the colours so at this point it's just a matter of deciding which shades are most different from what I currently have in my collection.

Prada Candy

I've been looking for a new perfume and this one is literally called candy, and y'all know that's my jam. Also it comes in a rollerball for $30 so I could give it an extended test run without breaking the bank too hard.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Everyone talks about this. Constantly. And if that many people love it, I assume it's pretty good. I considered getting this with the gift card I got for Christmas, but I figured I should try not to spend it all in one go.

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks

Lauren of Lipstick + Lacquer got a set of these when they were first released for preorder on Black Friday. I was intrigued, but it was her swatches that sold me. They just look so pigmented and the colours are so great. I really want to try them, maybe next time they restock.

Melt Space Cake

Gosh. I've wanted this lipstick for so long. I feel like when I get this lipstick I will ascend. I will reach a new plane of existence. I will become the intergalactic princess I've always dreamed of being. Sadly it's constantly sold out. And the one and only time I've seen it available I hesitated too long and it was gone. But someday Space Cake, someday.

What's on your wishlist?

Review: CoverGirl Colorlicious Lip Gloss in Craving Cranberries

I have a lot of bad habits. One of them is rewarding myself for menial tasks. So when I stopped at Wal-mart to buy toilet paper, I decided to treat myself. I'm not really a lip gloss person, but I'm a big fan of dark red lips, and these are new, so I grabbed one on a whim.

(left: one swipe right: four swipes)

The colour is very sheer, slightly buildable, and surprisingly not very glossy.  It also has a slight iridescent shimmer. The sign claimed "rich true-to-tube color", so I assumed the product would have a similar amount of pigmentation to the Maybelline Color Elixirs, so I was a little disappointed.

It did however, prove true to it's claims of minimal stickiness. 

The texture is gritty, but it doesn't feel like it's because of the glitter, but rather because of the formula. The colour is also leans more toward purple than red.  

I decided to also try it on top of lipstick, and it paired quite well with my Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never Say Never, but I think I prefer that shade matte.  (testing ceased due to bloody lip)

Overall I'm somewhat disappointed with this product, more due to the sign's claim than anything. I'd give it a 4/10 because while the colour is kind of nice, it's not what I expected or what I was looking for, and the formula leaves much to be desired. 

Valentine's Day: Part Two

Cupcakes and macarons weren't the only thing this weekend had in store for me. For Christmas my parents got us tickets to see Once on the 15th, so in lieu of going out and celebrating on the 14th, we had a quiet dinner in and decided to make the trip into the city our Big Valentine's Day Date.

Now the show was a matinee, which in the theatre world means a less formal dress code, but we don't get excuses to get all dressed up too often, so we decided to go all out... or at least as fancy as our student budget wardrobes can get.

My dress is Forever 21 + and is not currently available. My cardigan is from Bootlegger. Emily's dress is from Garage and her jacket is from Bluenotes.

I decided to go for one of my usual looks— dark lip, neutral eye, but I decided to spice it up a little with a bit of extra sparkle. I mean you can't wear a dress that screams "flower fairy" (or as more than one of my friends said, A Midsummer Night's Dream) this loudly without a little glitter, right? So both my eyeshadows and both my cheek products have glitter in them.

Products Used

Courtney:

Face: MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NW15, Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in Fair, Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer in Light 18

Brows: Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown

Eyes: elf Eyelid Primer, Kat Von D Tattoo Liner, Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara, Pacifica Treasure, Bellapierre Excite

Cheeks: Sweetpea and Fay Mineral Blush in Lady Slipper, Lovely me:ex I Make You Brighter in 01 Pink Glow

Lips: NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Espresso, MAC Lipstick in Film Noir 

Emily:

Face: The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream

Brows: Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown

Eyes: Ardell Natural Lashes and Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner

Cheeks: Wet n Wild Blush in Pearlescent Pink, Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle, NYX Blush in Taupe

Lips: Wet n Wild lipstick in Cherry Bomb

Valentine's Day: Part One

This is the second Valentine's Day of my life that I've been in a relationship, and the first one on my home turf. Last year we spent the 14th at my girlfriend's place, and since we don't get to see each other very often, we also exchanged Christmas gifts. This year we got to spend Christmas together (!!!) and so this Valentine's Day is reserved exclusively for pink things covered in hearts.

Okay I'm trying a little harder than that. So I baked red velvet cupcakes in little tea cup cupcake holders. For the cupcakes I used this recipe from Divas Can Cook which is honestly the greatest red velvet recipe ever. Instead of cream cheese icing (because sharing a fridge with three other people doesn't really leave room for cupcakes) I used the frosting recipe from Tasty Kitchen found here.

Now we also got fancy and went to our favourite bakery for macarons. If you want to make macarons at home I like this recipe from Your Home Based Mom, because I keep forgetting to buy new batteries for my kitchen scale (and I know a lot of people don't have one) and this recipe uses cups rather than weights and still turns out just fine every time.

(left to right: lavender caramel, pistachio, espresso, salted caramel, chocolate, oreo)

I also recommend freezing them if you plan to make them in advance, as they freeze very well and they're best at peak freshness, which only really lasts a day or two.  They're definitely still yummy after, but your valentine (or you!) deserves the best.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! I hope you have a great day!