I was watching Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance Music Video yesterday, and I felt a little inspired by the bold makeup she’s wearing around the four minute mark. At first, I thought she was wearing this look while dancing a bit, but I think the looks are different–the one she wears while dancing (also around the four minute mark) seems cleaner, not quite as dark, though the lips seem really similar.

Anyway, this is inspired by and not so much as an exact replica. If you wanted to be more on target, I’d say to go for a slightly messier smoky eye, add a little bit of gloss to make it look wet and have a sheen, and then go for a very dramatic cheek contour. The shape of the black portion on the eye also goes up quite close to the inner brow bone and then comes down.  The lashes should also be bigger and flair out more on the outer lash line.

Also, this look is actually REALLY easy. No, seriously! It’s pretty much any cream black base all over the lid. I used the same technique I did back in 2007 to create this black smoky eye tutorial. The lashes took me infinitely longer and still didn’t adhere correctly–but it was good enough to fake it in photos (and my eyes were burning from upper lash line irritation, so it was a hurry-up-and-finish situation).

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Blacktrack fluidline (black), Carbon eyeshadow (matte black), Vex eyeshadow (duochrome white-purple), Bisque eyeshadow (matte highlighter), Feline kohl power (black), false eyelashes (anything big and dramatic), Zoom Fast Black Mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Sculpt sculpting powder (dark shadow), Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer (bronzy highlighter)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (#140)
• Lips: Red No. 5 lipstick (deep red), Violetta lipstick (bright purple), Vino lip pencil (dark red)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Red No. 5 = New York Apple

Directions: Apply Blacktrack fluidline all over the lid as the base with the 249. With the 239, pack Carbon eyeshadow on all over the lid. Using the 226 brush, lightly blend the crease with Vex eyeshadow. Sweep Bisque eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Feline Kohl Power on lower lash line, and apply false lashes to upper lash line, then lightly apply Zoom Fast Black mascara on lashes. Sweep hollows of cheeks with Sculpt sculpting powder using the 168, then highlight with Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer with the 165. Apply Red No. 5 lipstick to lips, and then top with Violetta for color and shine.

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I did this look yesterday :) Just trying to use Bright Future from Style Warrior & make it work for me! It’s better than the last round, but in truth, it doesn’t top Going Bananas or Bright Sunshine — I’d prefer both of those over Bright Future. I find Chrome Yellow to be hard to wear, because it is so yellow, and I think the same issue is here with Bright Future.

What’s everyone doing for the long weekend?

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Soft Ochre paint pot (neutral beige base), Quick Frost pigment (whitish-gold), Bright Future eyeshdaow (bright yellow), Rule eyeshadow (matte orange), Coppering eyeshadow (orange-red), Firespot eyeshadow (orange), Texture eyeshadow (brownish-red), Soft Force eyeshadow (highlighter) Urban Decay Lucky 24/7 Liner (copper), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Eversun beauty powder blush (coral-pink), Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer (bronzy highlighter)
• Lips: Brave New Bronze lipstick (pinky nude), Tartlette lipglass (coral)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Quick Frost = Frost; Bright Future = Bright Sunshine/Chrome Yellow; Firespot = Goldmine+Coppering; Soft Force = Nylon; Eversun = Springsheen; Brave New Bronze = Honeylove; Tartlette = Lychee Luxe

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base with the 249. With the 239, apply Quick Frost pigment with water-based mixing medium on the lower lid. On the inner lid, pack Bright Future eyeshadow on using the 239. Apply Firespot eyeshadow to the middle and outer portions of the lid. Overlay outer lid with Coppering eyeshadow. Darken crease with Rule eyeshadow using the 226, then deepen with Texture eyeshadow with the 219. Sweep Soft Force eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Urban Decay Lucky Liner on lower lash line. Apply Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Eversun blush using the 129, then highlight with Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer with the 188. Apply Brave New Bronze lipstick to lips, and then top with Tartlette lipglass for color and shine.

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Remember I told you I attempted a look on Saturday, and how it came out SO similar to the last look I posted? Here it is, LOL! It’s not quite the same; it’s obviously kicked up a few notches in brightness/boldness, but the color scheme is still kind of similar, yeah? Not really a bad thing all around, I just like to vary it up between looks that I post so you don’t all get too bored, LOL!

P.S. – I did use Prep + Prime Line Filler underneath my eyes and along my “smile” wrinkles. I find I like it best in my smile lines, because helps reduce any foundation creasing in that area. Around the eyes is fine, but I just don’t notice that area throughout the day so much, so it’s not such a big deal to correct any issues there!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Gold Dusk pigment (soft gold), Going Bananas eyeshadow (bright yellow), Fab & Flashy eyeshadow (medium orange), Firespot eyeshadow (fiery orange), Coppering eyeshadow (dark red), Antiqued eyeshadow (brown with red), Rose Blanc eyeshadow (soft white gold), Urban Decay Lucky 24/7 Liner (copper penny), Eve Pearl Liquid Liner (black), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Enough Said blush (bronze), Dior Coral Riviera blush (soft coral)
• Lips: Gentle Simmer slimshine lipstick (soft coral-neutral), Tartlette lipglass (coral-pink)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Gold Dusk = Baselight; Going Bananas = Bright Sunshine; Fab & Flashy = Juiced; Firespot = Amber Lights; Rose Blanc = Nylon; Enough Said = Refined Golden; Gentle Simmer = Sandy B; Tartlette = Lychee Luxe

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Gold Dusk pigment all over the lid as the base. On the inner lid, apply Going Bananas eyeshadow using the 239. Apply Fab & Flashy eyeshadow to the middle of the lid. Darken the outer lid using Firespot eyeshadow using the 239. Darken crease with Coppering eyeshadow using the 226, then overlay the top half of the crease with Antiqued eyeshadow. Sweep Rose Blanc eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Eve Pearl Liquid Liner on upper lash line, Urban Decay Lucky Liner on lower lash line, and Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Enough Said blush using the 129, then highlight with Dior Coral Riviera blush with the 188. Apply Gentle Simmer slimshine lipstick to lips, and then top with Tartlette lipglass for color and shine.

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Pretty simple look today! I had about five minutes to do eyeshadow, and this is what I came up with :) I really, really wanted to use Henna somehow! Still not liking 100 Strokes :(

And a quick, poor quality video of Mellan awaits you, too :P

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Soft Ochre paint pot (nude base), Goldmine eyeshadow (gold), Henna eyeshadow (antique gold), 100 Strokes eyeshadow (burgundy), Cranberry eyeshadow (cranberry-burgundy), Femme-fi eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Urban Decay Bourbon 24/7 Liner (brown), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Springsheen (soft peach), Redhead mineralize skinfinish (copper-peach)
• Lips: Blow Dry lipstick (sheer coral), Red Devil lipglass (red-coral)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Henna = Sumptuous Olive; 100 Strokes = Sketch; Redhead = Soft & Gentle

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the lower lid, apply Goldmine eyeshadow using the 239. Apply Henna eyeshadow to the crease, overlapping with the lid. Darken the area just above the crease using 100 Strokes eyeshadow using the 239. Overlay 100 Strokes with Cranberry eyeshadow to increase color depth using the 226. Sweep Femme-fi underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Urban Decay Honey Liner on lower lash line and Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Springsheen blush using the 129, then highlight with Redhead MSF using the 165 brush. Apply Blow Dry lipstick to lips, and then top with Red Devil lipglass for color and shine.

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Look for Christmas! :) I actually ended up removing the lips and going for something more muted, only because I didn’t want that much attention on my lips in pictures/video (yep! my parents still videotape every Christmas morning!).

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Golden Lemon pigment (gold), Goldmine eyeshadow (gold), Danger Zone mineralize eyeshadow (red side), Cranberry eyeshadow (berry), Nylon eyeshadow (gold-toned highlighter), Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner (gold), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Margin blush (dirty pink)
• Lips: Queen’s Sin lipstick (red), Cult of Cherry lipglass (red)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Danger Zone = Coppering; Queen’s Sin = Russian Red; Cult of Cherry = Russian Red

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Golden Lemon pigment all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the lid, apply Goldmine eyeshadow using the 239. Darken the outer lid using Danger Zone (red side) and drag into crease using the 239. Darken crease with Cranberry eyeshadow using the 239. Sweep Nylon underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner on lower lash line, and Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Margin blush using the 129. Apply Queen’s Sin lipstick to lips, and then top with Cult of Cherry lipglass for color and shine.

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Christmas Eve look :)� Supposed to be a little OTT for those wondering about bold eyes and bold lips.� Tis the season to be festive!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Your Ladyship pigment (neutral beige base), Lucky Green eyeshadow (medium gold-green), Goldmine eyeshadow (gold), Danger Zone mineralize eyeshadow (red side), Cranberry eyeshadow (berry), Nylon eyeshadow (gold-toned highlighter), Urban Decay Stash 24/7 Liner (antique gold), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Enough Said blush (soft peach)
• Lips: Red No. 5 lipstick (raspberry red), Prestigious lipglass (berry)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Your Ladyship = Vanilla; Lucky Green = Swimming; Danger Zone = Coppering; Red No. 5 = New York Apple; Prestigious = Star Nova

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Your Ladyship pigment all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the inner lid, apply Lucky Green eyeshadow using the 239. Apply Goldmine eyeshadow to the middle of the lid. Darken the outer lid using Danger Zone (red side) and drag into crease using the 239. Darken crease with Cranberry eyeshadow using the 239. Sweep Nylon underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Urban Decay Stash 24/7 Liner on lower lash line, and Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Enough Said blush using the 129. Apply Red No. 5 lipstick to lips, and then top with Prestigious lipglass for color and shine.

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Today’s hair is brought to you by FHI Heat’s 1 1/4″ Curling Iron (review will come later). I really do need to practice sooo much more with a curling iron. I just get the crimped look with it! Not that I don’t like how it turned out, it’s just not what I was aiming for, LOL. I also just got several shades of YSL’s new Rouge Volupte lipsticks, and I am sooo in love. I have to go and check out some more next Thursday (since MAC has some launches coming out) for sure :) I did lip swatches earlier, and I’ll probably post ‘em tomorrow. Now, time to eat an early dinner and head off to my first day of MBA classes!

P.S. – A berry lip would have suited this sooo much better, and I will probably switch it/add a darker gloss on top.Â� But I just loved the combo too much to change it right away :(Â� It’s like the perfect pink!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Blonde’s Gold pigment (light gold), Rose Blanc eyeshadow (white gold), Going Bananas eyeshadow (yellow), Goldmine eyeshadow (gold), Cranberry eyeshadow (cranberry), Sweet Chestnut eyeshadow (dark burgundy), Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner (gold), Chanel Exceptionnel mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Peachykeen blush (soft peachy pink)
• Lips: YSL Peach Passion rouge volupte (bright peachy coral), Givenchy Pop Gloss in Plum by Night (subtle raspberry)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Blonde’s Gold = Tan; Rose Blanc = Nylon; Going Bananas = Sour Lemon; Sweet Chestnut = Antiqued (for this look only);

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Blonde’s Gold pigment all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the inner lid, apply Rose Blanc eyeshadow with the 239 brush. On the middle portion of the lid, apply Going Bananas eyeshadow with the 239. Apply Goldmine eyeshadow to the outer third of the lid using the 239. Darken the outer lid using Sweet Chestnut eyeshadow and drag into crease using the 239. Gently sweep Cranberry eyeshadow directly in the crease with the 222 brush. Sweep Rose Blanc eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner on lower lash line, and Chanel Exceptionnel mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Peachykeen blush using the 129. Apply YSL Peach Passion rouge volupte to lips, and then top with Givenchy Plum by Night pop gloss for color and shine.

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You know, this combo got quite muddy, so I wouldn’t really say this worked out well. It took a LOT of work to get it to be “presentable,” you know? It was like, as soon as you put the colors on, it was mud-central. Really weird experience for me (I don’t think I have ever had anything turn muddy on me before!). I don’t know if it’s me or the quint, but one of us needs to improve STAT! On another note, though, all of the colors are incredibly pigmented. Has anyone picked up this quint yet?

It’s Saturday morning, the sky is lookin’ gray, but I’m pretty sure it’ll clear up and the temps will start to soar.

I used Dior’s Earth Tones Quint for this particular look. I used the center shadow (goldish) for the inner lid, the bottom left (the reddish color) shadow on the middle lid, the bottom right (brownish color) on the outer lid and crease, and the upper right shadow (softest) to highlight my brow. I wore Dior Impression Cuir on my cheeks. I had Dior Pink Drama Lip Color and Dior Delicious Plum Creme de Gloss on my lips.

You can check out pictures and swatches (plus my review) of these Dior products here.

** These are recommendations for dupes based on permanent colors available — may not necessarily be identical; they are the closest I can think of!

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Headin’ to Vegas this weekend! Don’t think that means I won’t be bloggin’! Trust me, there is no such thing as a pure vacation for me. The idea of not blogging is blasphemy!! So here’s a quick look for you from this morning. (Yes, I should have left for the airport about 3 minutes ago!)

Happy 4th! Safe & happy weekend :D

I used Blonde’s Gold pigment (LE) on lid, Goin’ Bananas eyeshadow (LE) on inner lid, Beautyburst eyeshadow (LE) on middle of lid, Coppering eyeshadow on outer lid, Antiqued eyeshadow in outer crease, Femme-fi eyeshadow (LE) on brow to highlight, Goin’ Bananas eyeshadow (LE) on lower lash line, Firespot eyeshadow (LE) on outer lower lash line, Graphblack technakohl on lower lash line, and Kanebo 38*C mascara on lashes (my Plushlash was packed, LOL). I had Margin blush on cheeks with Dior Amber Diamond SkinShimmer. I wore Sci Fi Delity lipstick (LE) with Pink Grapefruit lipglass (LE) on my lips.

** These are recommendations for dupes based on permanent colors available — may not necessarily be identical; they are the closest I can think of!

Blonde’s Gold = Tan; Goin’ Bananas = Bright Sunshine; Beautyburst = Folie; Femme-fi = Shroom; Firespot = Amber Lights; Sci Fi Delity = New York Raspberry (lightly); Pink Grapefruit = Lychee Luxe

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I used Copper Sparkle pigment on lid, Firespot eyeshadow (LE) on inner lid, Goldmine eyeshadow on middle of lid, Coppering eyeshadow on outer lid, Cranberry eyeshadow on outer crease, Goldmine eyeshadow above crease and brow, Femme-fi eyeshadow (LE) on brow, Goldmine eyeshadow on lower lash line, Feline kohl power (LE) on lower lash line, and Plushlash mascara on lashes. I had Other Worldly (LE) blush on cheeks with Dior Amber Diamond SkinShimmer to highlight. I wore Antiquitease lipstick (LE) with Dejarose lipglass (LE) and She-Gold lipglass (LE).

** These are recommendations for dupes based on permanent colors available — may not necessarily be identical; they are the closest I can think of!

Firespot = Amber Lights (not a great dupe); Femme-fi = Shroom; Feline = Graphblack; Other Worldly = Honour; Antiquitease = Siss (maybe); Dejarose = Pink Poodle + Venetian; She-Gold = Instant Gold

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