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Softly Smoky: Drama, but Not Too Much

Softly Smoky: Drama, but Not Too Much

Quickie look I did before I took my midterm to test out the wear of some new products I’m trying out! 🙂 I will say I refuse to use Urban Decay’s Maui Wowie eyeshadow again. I’m through with it! It is fallout city, and even when I use it with a sticky base, it refuses to cooperate. Such a pretty shade, so it’s a shame, but no thank you!

You will need the following…

For eyes, start by applying Lemon Sugar eyeshadow as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Maui Wowie eyeshadow all over the lid. Next, apply Concrete eyeshadow into the outer crease and lid with th 226. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Ricepaper eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Velvet Black eyeliner on the lower lash line and NC15/NW20 pencil lightly patted below the lower lash line and smudged with the 219 brush. Finish by sweeping lashes with Opulash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Springsheen blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply T3 lipstick first, and then layer #10 lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

151 Comments

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Mariah Avatar

This is really beautiful! I remember seeing your tweets yesterday about it! 😀 I hate fallout too! There’s a gorgeous Too Faced shadow I love that’s the same way, it’s a pretty champagne, but it has this ridiculous silver glitter that about 2% stays on the lid, and the rest falls under my eye. And glitter? Can’t get that shiz off once it’s on your skin. It’s like Dimitri Martin says, “Glitter is the herpes of the craft world”. LOL!

daphne Avatar

That is so sophisticated – and the lip is especially amazing! I agree with you about Maui Wowie, sadly 🙁 I’ve got it in my Alice in Wonderland palette and I adore the color, but the glitter is so stupid. And it’s a shame, because glitter aside I like it better than MAC’s Patina, which has more of a greenish cast, and I can’t think of any other colors that are really similar.

LuvJ Avatar

I love this.. great for daytime smokey. I’m hoping that I can find a dupe for maui wowie.. love the color, just not crazy about the texture of the shadow. I also noticed that you have been wearing tinted moisturizers in your FOTD’s.. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the ones you’ve tried so far. I’m looking into picking one up for the summer. Gorgeous as always Christine 🙂

StellarStace Avatar

Hi Christine! Is there a MAC shadow you’d suggest using instead of Maui Wowie? From looking at the photos I’m thinking maybe patina or retro-speck?

Marta Fernandes Avatar

Simply gorgeous!
Could you please tell me why you used the YSL Black Velvet Dessin du Regard Eyeliner instead of some other eyeliner?

Dusty Avatar

Ah! You’re so pretty! 🙂 I love the Chromagraphic pencils! So good for so many things 🙂 Have you tried them as a brow highlight/pencil yet? They’re great for that (depending on the skin tone of course). I also love them for outlining dark lips for a dramatic, crisp line 🙂 Wee! 🙂

Christine Avatar

Hey Dusty!

Thank you! I actually did, but I wasn’t feeling it. I only tried it once, though… It seemed like it was a little too light or not quite as creamy as I’d like for under the brow bone. I’m digging it under the lash line, though – not sure if you’re supposed to do that – but it’s an interesting way to kind of lighten the area and make the liner pop a little more!

starr Avatar

pretty! Christine what would you say is a very good sticky base for eyeshadows because my asian friend wears this tape on her eyes and she can never get eyeshadow to stick to it so she was looking for a base to use first.

Michelle M Avatar

Gorgeous look! I agree with you about Maui Wowie. It and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again are two of my favorite UD shades, but who wants to wear them all over their face?

Meghann Avatar

I wish I had known about that before I bought MCRA. Swatched it at Ulta and loved it. Put it on, glitter all over my face. Haven’t worn it since, it just sits up in my drawer collecting dust. =(

Michelle M Avatar

Oh, I hear you! I looooove how it looks in the pan, but I can’t do it. Every time I wear it I leave a trail of pixie dust in my wake. Cute when you’re 13, not so much when you’re 30, LOL!

Anitacska Avatar

This is very pretty. I’m actually wearing a very similar look (but with blue eyeliner) created with the new Rimmel Colour Mousse eyeshadows (review on my blog, nudge nudge). 😉

Ally_D Avatar

I’m gonna try this tomorrow. Am going to try doing my eyes first then my foundation to mitigate the fallout. Here’s hoping I can find a way to use maui wowie without looking like I’ve doing crafts with a five year old who sneezed into the glitter 😀

Ally_D Avatar

So I did this look today and now I keep finding bits of glitter all over my face. I tapped the brush off, held tissue under my eye to catch fall out and did my eyes before my foundation but none of that seemed to help.

Oh well, it’s Friday and I’m alone in the office so no biggie.

Going to try the Patina and Retrospeck combo you mentioned insted next time. Thanks

Jillian Avatar

Beautiful!

I have a quick question for you, if you don’t mind. Any favorite self tanners? Especially the kind that is a lotion that builds a more ‘permanent’ tan?

thanks!

Christine Avatar

Thanks, Jillian!

I like Dior & Clarins a lot! 🙂 I don’t know about “permanent” tans, since it’s hard to do so as the tan wears off as your skin sloughs off. You can prolong by using a self-tanner and then a gradual everyday tanning lotion.

strawberry Avatar

i used maui wowie today as well and experienced major fallout 🙁
i did see a new brush at sephora made out of silicone that claims to eliminate fallout.

Michelle Avatar

Pretty look — love the colors!! I agree about the Urban Decay shadows. I had heard so many raves — I ended up buying the Alice In Wonderland palette — and I end up with sparkles all over my face — ugggh, not attractive at all. I will probably only use them for my daughter’s dance recitals — sigh!

Roxanne Avatar

Ahh, I love this kind of look on you 🙂 You taught me how to do a smokey eye like this! I especially like it paired with those lips <3

You seem to be loving those Chromagraphic pencils… A MUA told me today you could also use them as a concealer. They seem versatile so am probably going to pick one up after all 🙂 Good luck on your midterm!!

margot Avatar

I love the look, it’s gorgeous and I really like the tinted moisturizer you are wearing, your skin looks perfect but not overly made up !

aradhana Avatar

very pretty look christine.
i’m in total agreement regarding mauie wowie…i was really looking forward to that shade and mushroom in the aiw palette, but their texture was very disappointing!
you’ve made it look effortless, however!

RedWeatherTigerD Avatar

The goldy-brown eyes are absolutely beautiful. I’ve only been reading along here for about a month, but this is the most grogeous overall look I’ve seen you do–it looks great on you AND it looks great just generally. Thanks!

Hannah Avatar

love the look and i LOVE maui wowie…the colour but I agree it does fall out LOADS…
I use it with a flatter brush (sigma 252) but I tap off the colour well so most of the glitter falls off, then I use it over a really pale simmering gold base (barry m shimmering eye crayon 1) and the gold behing it shows through really well and you dont have fallout city!
I think cuddle shadestick would be a good dupe since you said it was a straight up gold…but I dont own it :/ please try it out because I love this colour SO MUCH 😀

Shanzelizey Avatar

Hi Christine,

Love the look! I want to start my own collection of Mac Eyeshadows –yes… I still don’t own any 🙁 I’m confused as to spend around 200 dollars on the 15 eyeshadows palette or to just buy each of them seperately? Don’t you think I’ll get more product that way and my money’s worth?

Christine Avatar

Hi Shanzelizey,

I’m not sure what you mean… When you buy an eyeshadow palette, you can buy it empty and just buy a few to go inside, you don’t have to buy them all at once. It is, however, cheaper to purchase the eyeshadows that go straight into the palette than to buy the little individual pots of eyeshadow — I believe pan eyeshadows are $11 and pot eyeshadows are $14.50. The size of the eyeshadow is exactly the same… you just pay $3.50 more per eyeshadow for the individual packaging.

Shanzelizey Avatar

Thanks for the help Christine but I’m just a little confused… isn’t there more product in the individual eyeshadow? As in wont they last me longer then the palette ones?

LB Avatar

Yep, the pans and the pots are exactly the same size. The plastic pots are just the same eyeshadow pans surrounded by plastic. You can even “depot” the shadows in the pans (get the pans out of the plastic) and stick them a palette.

Alexis Avatar

Agreed with what you said about the Maui Wowee shade but I love it much more when i use it with my Fyrinnae pixie epoxy. But even after doing that combo i still find a bit of fallout on my cheeks. Needless to say, I don’t reach for this shade too often.

ella Avatar

I love your lips in this look! It’s the exact replica of your natural lip color.
I was just wondering though, why don’t you put your hair down more? It looks great when it’s down! It really helps to frame the face. Just a friendly request!

Christine Avatar

Thanks, Kali!

I like it, but I don’t love it — my lashes need more thickening, which is why I still love Plushlash over Opulash. But I love the length Opulash gives!

I see myself wearing Opulash for a more natural look or for more natural lashes that still stand out.

Crystal Avatar

I switch between this tinted moisterizer & Estee Lauder Idealist Tinted Moisterizer. How did you like it? Love the look by the way! 🙂

LB Avatar

I love, love, love the color of Maui Wowie, but don’t love the fallout. I usually end up just using a bit in the middle of my eyes over other shadows after tapping the brush off; no issues there. However, I don’t find Maui Wowie anywhere near as bad as Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (shudder) or even Polyester Bride. I tend to stay away from UD’s glittery shadows. It’s just too much hassle!

Meheen Avatar

I love Maui Wowie and I find if my brush is either wet or I give it a couple taps the largest glitter falls off, and the rest of the fallout is no problem to sweep away with a powder brush, or just hold a tissue under my eye.
I love Maui Wowie enough to fight with it until it listens 🙂 Looks beautiful on you! I love your looks because we have similar coloring. Will HAVE to try this.

Saira Avatar

Gorgeous! It’s funny – I have Maui Wowie on today as well :o) . I’m wearing it with Tempting in the crease, Shroom to highlight and UD Zero on the upper lashline. I agree with you about the fall-out – even when I flicked off the brush and patted it on, I still got glitter under my eyes.

Dana Avatar

I love this look, it’s so pretty. I’m a big fan of cool-toned browns. I really like how you used the Chromographic pencil under your waterline, I’m going to try that too 🙂 Have you tried using Fix Plus on your brush before dipping it into the Maui Wowie? That helps a little with the fall out, then I blend it out really well with a 224.

Millie Avatar

Love it when you do browns and smoky eyes. Gives me inspiration on how to do my makeup. You’re using Lancome’s AquaFusion! It’s my fave TM. How do you like it? Have a great weekend, Christine

Carolina Avatar

I just wanted to say your lashes look really good in this look. Plus, the lipstick always looks so smooth and glossy in your photos. Do you have a tutorial of how to apply lipstick? No lipstick in particular, just a general one. Do you use a brush? Do you contour your lips? What’s your secret? 🙂

Carolina Avatar

Well, I can tell you that when I apply my Chanel Mademoiselle (or any other lipstick) it looks NOTHING like it does in your lips. It doesn’t go on homogeneously and it just makes my lips look dry and cracked. 🙁

Sara Avatar

soo pretty!
i just wanna say THANK YOU for making this website and for posting all your eye looks/reviews/swatches!
btw i graduated from irvine too! haha
good luck studying!

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