New Year's Eve Makeup with Chanel Vamp Attitude

Hi, everyone! I realize I'm stating the obvious, but it's New Year's Eve today- how the heck did that happen!? Despite time flying at a beyond rapid pace, looking back, I am able to say that 2015 was a wonderfully full year for me. It was a year of several exciting milestones- I defended my PhD and graduated, my first-ever niece was born- and of countless enriching experiences- I visited New York City with my parents and developed friendships with so many fellow bloggers. Indeed, 2015 will go down as pretty unforgettable!

While the year has been epic, my plans for New Year's Eve will be more subdued, but that's just how I like it. A small gathering at our place full of nerdy board games, healthy(ish) snacks, and a touch (ok, maybe more than a touch) of festive drinking. But just because the evening will be on the quiet side, it doesn't mean my makeup has to follow suit. When planning my look for the night (yes, I plan my makeup even when I'm staying in!), I quickly gravitated towards the goodies I picked up from Chanel's Vamp Attitude Holiday 2015 collection. They pay homage to Chanel's iconic Vamp nail polish in all of its rich, sultry glory. 

The first item I picked up was one of my most exciting makeup finds of the year. The star of the Vamp Attitude collection was their Le Top Coat Lame Rouge Noir Gold Sparkle Nail Coat, perhaps the most beautiful, unique top coat I've seen. It comes in a sheer, plummy base and is filled with golden glitter. When you shake the bottle, it's like the most luxurious snow globe imaginable. Seriously! Check it:

I label this find as thrilling because this was one of the items that sold out pretty much before the collection was even released at counters. I had come to terms with the fact that I had missed out on this beauty gem. But when Kaitlyn, Liz, and I were chatting with our favourite sales associate at Shoppers Drug Mart Eaton Centre (she knew us all separately and it tripped her out to see us all together), a light bulb went off and she let us know that she had one sad top coat left behind, pre-ordered and abandoned. I think I shrieked with joy when she told us this and I eagerly raised my hand to claim the polish. A pre-Christmas miracle! 

Here is a peek at the Le Top Coat lame Rouge Noir on my nails, layered over Chanel's Le Vernis Nail Colour in Orage, a deep navy:

The second item I selected from the collection is also all kinds of awesome. I love an eyeliner that's deep and rich, yet not your typical black, so Le Crayon Kohl in Rouge Noir fit the bill perfectly! It's a deep reddish plummy black that is ultra creamy and smudgy, yet wears amazingly well. Here's a swatch of Rouge Noir on the back of my hand:

And here is my completed makeup look, centering around the Chanel Vamp Attitude vibe:

In addition to Rouge Noir liner, I reached for Chanel's Les Quatres Ombres eye shadow palette in Tisse Rivoli (its mix of beiges and plums complement Rouge Noir perfectly) and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy, a killer near-nude to balance the smokier eye. For the cheeks, I kept the blush on the neutral side, reaching for MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty, a muted peachy pink, and I added some mandatory NYE glow courtesy of BeneFit Watts Up highlighter. I finished my face with a few spritzes of Tatcha's Luminous Dewy Skin Mist for some extra luminosity and bulked up my tresses with Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray. 

Here are a couple more shots of the look:

Long story short- makeup miracles do happen and even the most low-key of New Year's deserves a bit of glam!

I want to extend a huge thank you for all of your love and support during 2015. It is beyond appreciated! I hope you all have an incredible celebration tonight and I want to wish all the best to you in 2016. Happy New Year! xo

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Spoiled with Christmas Gifts of Beauty

Hi, everyone! Hope you're all getting to catch your breath after the hectic holiday season... I'm back in Toronto now after just over a week in my hometown. Always bittersweet to leave my family behind, but also very happy to be home with my boyfriend and kitty. I missed those little buggers! ;) As part of my unpacking process, I gathered all of the beauty-related gifts I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas and thought I'd share with you these new goodies in my collection! 

Here are some lovely gifts that I received from my parents and my sister: 

Sephora Favourites Beauty Sleep Set

This was tops on my wishlist as I've been dying to try Sunday Riley's Luna Sleeping Night Oil for ages but didn't want to take the plunge before sampling it. The kit also includes minis of Korres Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial, Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Treatment, and Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins, all of which sound perfectly great, so I could not pass this up!

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

I've heard great things about Opal's universally flattering shade, and after falling smitten with the Pressed version of the Shimmering Skin Perfectors, I'm eager to give the fluid version a go!

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Walk of Shame

I've been lusting after these since their release and I finally have one in my collection! Walk of Shame is the most beautiful muted berry red that could not be more flattering. Plus, the formula is ultra lightweight and comfortable while being very pigmented. Win! You can see me wearing it in my latest look of the day, here.

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eye Palette in The Uptown Girl

I already own The Dolce Vita palette and am beyond smitten, so I was eager to finally select another from the range. I got a makeover with The Uptown Girl when the Charlotte Tilbury counter first opened and was super impressed with the flattering silvery taupe-purples in the quad. So happy to have this in my stash! 

Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Hydrangea

I am never disappointed with a Revlon lipstick and was super impressed with the other Ultra HD lippie in my stash. Hydrangea is a stunning vivid mid-tone pink that I cannot wait to wear. The shade is completely up my alley! 

Revlon ColourStay Moisture Stain in India Intrigue

I really like the texture of these, so was thrilled to receive this gorgeous cool-toned berry fuchsia shade. Love the name too! 

... and some generous gifts from two of my bestest friends:

Innisfree Tea Tree It's Real Squeeze Mask

I've heard great things about Innisfree, but it's way hard to find in Toronto. A friend of mine discovered the brand in an NYC shop recently and instantly thought of me. I wonder why? ;) I love a good sheet mask and am excited that this one aims to clear the skin while soothing and hydrating.

Jezebel Soap Tart Handmade Soap

I love to try unique soaps and the cheeky, vintage inspired packaging is totally up my alley. The fresh, invigorating scent will be perfect for mornings! 

Innisfree Tangerine Hand Cream

My hands need all the care they can get in the wintertime, so this will no doubt be a staple in my purse. The packaging is adorable too :)

Innisfree Canola Honey Lip Balm

As with my hands, ditto for my lips. Winter ravages them. Appreciate the handy tube packaging and it has a great honey scent! 

e.l.f. Moisturizing Lipsticks in Bordeaux Beauty, Rosy Go-Round, Coral Cutie, Pink Minx, and Red Carpet

I have yet to try an e.l.f. lipstick so am so eager to use these! The hydrating formula will be perfect for the colder months and the range of shades I received is amazing! 

Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm in Roly Posy Rosy

I tend to wear more cream blushes in wintertime, as to add more moisture and luminosity to my cheeks, so I'll be sure to keep this in my regular rotation over the coming months. The rosy shade is so flattering too! 

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Oversized Orchid

These have one of my favourite cream shadow formulas and since I've added more cool-toned purple and silver shadows to my collection lately, this will act as an amazing base.

Sandalwood Tea Company Spicy Orange Green Tea

So this isn't technically beauty-related, but I've included it here because, tea! If there were ever a perfect tea for me, this is it! A bit zesty, a lot spicy, with a balanced green tea base. So, so good and- again- perfect for Winter! 

Pineapple Print Makeup Bag

I love a good colourful fruity print (specific, but true) and the current makeup bag in my purse is pretty beat. This cute little guy will take its place nicely! 

Overall, I could not be happier with the incredible gifts I received this year. My face, body, and tummy will be feeling beyond pampered for the months to come. A huge thank you once again to the friends and family who passed these little treasures my way :)

Do you own any of the products I featured here today? What did you get for Christmas this year?

Have a fantastic day! xo

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Look of the Day: This Year's Christmas Makeup

Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday! Mine was filled with family, friends, and food- just how I wanted it to be. It was my niece Lily's first Christmas, which made the day especially adorable and special! Today I'm heading a couple hours north to spend Boxing Day with my Dad's family, including a huge group of cousins that I don't get to see nearly often enough. Pretty pumped! Whether you're spending your Boxing Day braving the malls or digesting in your jammies, I hope it's just as nice for you :)

Before the afterglow starts to fade, I thought I'd share with you the makeup I wore yesterday on Christmas. Since we were mainly spending it relaxing at my parents' house, I didn't want to go full-out glam, yet still wanted the look to be festive. I opted for sparkly silvery eyes and a muted, matte red lip. And I got to use a couple new makeup goodies in the process! 

The eyes were all about my brand new Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eye Palette in The Uptown Girl (thanks, Santa!), which is a gorgeous mix of cool-toned silvery-grey-purple taupes. I have so few cooler eye shadows in my stash, so it is much welcomed! I first applied the pale silvery taupe "Prime" shade all over my lid, blending up to the brow, and on the inner corners of my eye as a highlight. I then swept the mid-tone purple taupe "Enhance" shade along the socket and smudged it into my lower lash lines for some subtle definition. Next, I blended the darker purple grey "Smoke" shade on the outer corner of the eye and along the upper lash line and finished by patting the sparkly silver "Pop" shade on my lid. Then to line the eyes, I reached for my new Chanel Kohl Liner in Rouge Noir, a stunning smudgy plummy black, creating a thin, slightly winged line.

For the cheeks and lips, I opted for some festive, muted reds and paired them with some glowing highlights. I chose my much-worn H&M Beauty Imperial Red Powder Blush and then highlighted my skin with another well-loved item, Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop on my cheek bones, down the bridge of my nose, and on the cupid's bow. Finally, I painted my lips with another gift from Santa- Charlotte Tilbury's Matte Revolution Lipstick in Walk of Shame. It's the most beautiful muted berry red with fantastic pigmentation and an ultra comfortable feel on the lips. 

The Breakdown:

Foundation: Make Up For Ever HD Ultra Fluid Foundation in Y225 Marble
Concealer: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in Light
Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Long-Wearing Pressed Powder in 011 Creamy Natural (on t-zone) and Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko (lightly all over)
Blush: H&M Beauty Powder Blush in Imperial Red
Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair Matte
Highlighter: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop

Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe and Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel
Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion Original formula
Eye Shadow: Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eye Palette in The Uptown Girl (pale taupe Prime shade all over lid, blended up to brow bone and on inner corners of the eye, mid-tone silver taupe Enhance shade in the crease and smudged along lower lash line, deeper purple grey Smoke shade to define the crease and smudged along upper lash line and silver glittery Pop shade packed on the eyelid)
Eyeliner: Chanel Kohl Liner in Rouge Noir
Mascara: The HotShop Long Lash Mascara (from the Born Pretty Store)

Lipstick: Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Walk of Shame
 

And a few more shots of the look:

It's no surprise that I'm completely smitten with my new Charlotte Tilbury goodies- The Uptown Girl is fantastic for creating a subtle, yet festive eye and Walk of Shame could not be a more flattering berry red. I felt perfectly Christmasy without being over-the-top (though really, on Christmas, no one can be blamed for going all-out glam!) and the makeup wore perfectly for the full 12 hours I wore it. Couldn't have asked for any more in the beauty department!

How did you spend your Christmas yesterday? What's your go-to holiday makeup look? What are your plans for the rest of the holiday season?

Have a fantastic day! xo

My Home for the Holidays Makeup Bag!

Hi, everyone! I absolutely cannot believe that today is Christmas Eve! The weather here in Ontario has been incredibly warm for the season (yesterday was almost 60F/15C), so it hasn't felt like Christmas outside. Luckily, my parents' house is decorated to the nines, so there's definitely been a festive feel inside. I'm lucky enough this year to be spending a full nine days with my family in my hometown, which has so far been brimming with baby snuggles and baked goods. Can't ask for much more! Given that I'd be away for over a week, I did pack a pretty epic makeup bag this year, so I thought I'd share with you what I brought along! 

Base

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Flawless Wear Concealer in 01 Light

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 011 Creamy Natural

Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair Matte

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Fluid Foundation in Y225 Marble

Blush and Highlight

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta

Becca Champagne Glow Palette

H&M Beauty Powder Blush in Imperial Red

MAC Satin Blush in Modern Mandarin

Clinique Cheek Pop in Cola Pop

MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty 

Eye Shadow

Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No.7 Eye Shadow Palette in The Night Owl

Chanel Les Quatres Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Tisse Rivoli

MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque

H&M Cream Eyeshadow in Dauphine Truffle

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in the Dolce Vita

Clarins Ombre Matte Eye Shadow in Rosewood

NARS Eye Shadow Duo in Isolde 

Liner, Lashes, and Brows

Josie Maran Black Oil Mascara

Urban Decay Primer Potion

The Hot Shop Long Lash Mascara

Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel

NYX Wonder Pencil in Light

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe

Chanel Kohl Liner in Rouge Noir

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon

Brushes

Sigma E25 Blending Brush

Real Techniques Contour Brush

Shu Uemura Natural Blush Brush #20

Real Techniques Blush Brush 

Real Techniques Multi-Task Brush

Real Techniques Setting Brush

Quo All Over Shadow Brush x2

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush

Sigma E30 Pencil Brush

Anastasia Mini Angled/Spooly Duo Brush

Lips

Bite Beauty Maple Agave Lip Mask

Chanel  Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Zephyr

Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in Wild Child

MAC Matte Lipstick in Viva Glam I

MAC Satin Lipstick in Brave

Bare Escentuals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Plumberry Pop

Too Faced Melted Liquefied Liquid Lipstick in Melted Berry

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Brink

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Bumble

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Creature

Yeah, so as you can see, I didn't really pack light this year. But if there's a time to be a little colourful and frivolous, it's the holidays!!

How do you pack for the holidays? Are your suitcase and makeup bag packed to the brim or do you travel light? What are your plans for the holidays?

I want to extend a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of my friends and readers. I hope your festive season is filled with everything wonderful that you've been wishing for! xoxox

Mother Daughter Makeup: Revlon Goldpearl Plum Lipstick

Hi, everyone! I have an exciting post for you today, as it features an extra special guest- my Mom! I think this is the first time she's made an official appearance on the blog, so it's definitely about time. My Mom is not as much of a makeup nerd as I am (few people are, I suppose), but she wears makeup daily and is a sucker for a good lipstick. When I spotted some lipstick duos from Revlon the other day, I decided to snag one with the purpose of sharing: one for me, one for my Mom!

The makeup section in Wal-Mart was offering several Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Duos, featuring doubles of the same lipstick for the price of one. 

We perused the selections and chose Goldpearl Plum, a mid-tone warm plummy shade with a golden pearl finish (as the name suggests!). 

In my opinion, Goldpearl Plum is such a universally flattering shade. It's not too pale or too deep, is warm, but not orange, and the shimmer is soft and pretty, rather than frosty. And the formula is ultra creamy!

Here are my Mom and I sporting Goldpearl Plum, demonstrating just how lovely and universal it is! 

I couldn't have been happier with having my mother in this post- she is such a wonderful woman and has done much to teach me about real beauty. Featuring her here (and gifting her with this lipstick) was the very least I could do!

Do you share a love of makeup with your mother or any other special women in your life?

Have a beautiful day! xo

Vibrant Beauty Blog is Now on Instagram!

Hi, everyone! I'm bringing you this epic photo of a phone taking a photo (how meta!) to announce that Vibrant Beauty Blog is now on Instagram! I got a new phone yesterday, so thought it was about time to join the rest of the world and sign up. Can't wait to connect with all of you- I'd love to see you there! 

You can find my page here and follow me @vibrantvvbeauty. I only have a few photos at the moment, but I'm sure that will be changing swiftly! 

A huge thanks to all of my friends and readers. Your continued support means so much! Onward and upward! xo

Festive Look of the Day #3: Golden Olive/Wild Child

Hi, everyone! It's the weekend and I'm on vacation! Not to gloat, but I'm pretty freakin' excited that I'm heading to my hometown today to spend 9 days with family essentially in my pj's eating delicious foods the whole time (and playing with my adorable niece). What's not to love!? In that spirit, we're continuing with another Festive Look of the Day today, with a pretty simple premise. When you think of Christmas colours, red and green are the classic standouts. So today's look is all about sporting shades of red and green, but in a totally wearable way. Let's get to it! 

For the green-hued eye makeup, I reached for some of my favourite shades from MAC. I started by applying Sumptuous Olive, a mid-tone olive green with gold shimmer, all over the lid, blending up to the crease. For some extra depth and a pop of colour, I swept Humid eye shadow along the upper lash line, blending upwards and smudged along the lower lash line. It's such a gorgeous deep jewel-toned green! I then applied Patina, a neutral grey-brown with subtle green undertones, in my crease as a transition shade, and then used Retrospeck, a shimmery champagne, as a highlight on my brow bones and inner corners of the eye. For liner, I chose MAC's Pearglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Line, a creamy black with golden green shimmer. It complemented the shadows perfectly! 

In contrast the eyes, the lips and cheeks were all about shades of red. I grabbed my new favourite bold blush, H&M Beauty's Powder Blush in Imperial Red (a killer coral red with a soft gold sheen), applying it to the apples of my cheeks, blending up to the temples. To add some extra glow to the skin, I brushed some of Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Pearl to the high points of my face. It's magical stuff! Finally, to maintain this look as balanced and wearable, I chose a red lip shade with a sheer, slightly shiny texture. My pick was Ilia's Tinted Lip Conditioner in Wild Child, a beautiful warm, hydrating tomato red. And voila! 

The Breakdown:

Foundation: YSL Fusion Ink Foundation in BR20 Pinky Beige
Concealer: Inglot Under Eye Concealer in Shade #95 (on dark circles) and Estee Laduer Double Wear Stay in Place Flawless Wear Concealer in 01 Light (on redness and blemishes)
Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Long-Wearing Pressed Powder in 011 Creamy Natural  (on t-zone) and Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko
Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair Matte
Blush: H&M Beauty Powder Blush in Imperial Red
Highlighter: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Pearl

Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe and Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel
Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion Original formula
Eye Shadows: MAC Eye Shadows in Sumptuous Olive (all over the lid, blended up to the crease), Humid (smudged along upper lash line and into lower lash line), Patina (as a transition in the crease), and Retrospeck (as a highlight on the brow bone and inner corners of the eye)
Eyeliner: Mac Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Line
Mascara: The HotShop Long Lash Mascara (from the Born Pretty Store)

Lipstick: Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in Wild Child

 

And a few more shots of the look:

I will keep this conclusion brief because I am leaving Toronto momentarily, but I want to wish everyone an incredible Holiday break and I hope you all have a wonderful season full of family, friends, food... and colourful makeup! I will do my best to keep up with regular posts leading up to Christmastime, so for now I will sign off by wishing you all a lovely weekend! xo

Festive Look of the Day #2: Misty Rock/Plumberry Pop

Hi, everyone! For many of you who have attempted winged eyeliner, you likely have experienced the phenomenon of "oops, I made this side thicker than I wanted, I'd better even things out". Sometimes this game can go on eternally until the liner is even, but it's also intense. Kind of like this. This was most definitely the case with today's makeup look, but luckily I was going for a bolder, festive look, so the epic liner wasn't totally uncalled for. I decided to embrace it! So me and my eyeliner went to dinner with a friend and felt pretty fabulous :)

Eyeliner aside, this second installment of my Festive Look of the Day series is also about shimmery silvery purple eyes and cool-toned cherry cheeks and lips. 

For the festive eyes, I first primed my lids with a cooler-toned brown shadow, Clarins Ombre Matte Eye Shadow in Rosewood. To build up shimmer and dimension, I then reached for By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock, a metallic purple silver, sweeping it all over my lid, blending up to the crease, and along the lower lash lines. For a touch of extra drama and sparkle, I popped Inglot Shine #152 Eye Shadow in the middle of my lid. It's such a pretty silver! For the liner, I chose my favourite liquid formula, Revlon's ColourStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black. The felt tip pen is a pleasure to use, even when I get a bit carried away! 

For the cheeks, I layered cream and powder products to create a rosy glow. I first applied Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Colour in Oleander, a cool pink, and then topped it with Pur Minerals Rosebud Blush, a cheery cotton candy pink. I chose a lip colour that finished off the cooler silver and berry theme. I opted for Bare Escentuals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Plumberry Pop, a mid-tone fuchsia berry. I got it as a 100-pt Perk from Sephora and I'm glad I picked it up! The formula is nice and hydrating and the shade, super flattering! 

The Breakdown:

Foundation: Make Up For Ever HD Ultra Fluid Foundation in Y225 Marble
Concealer: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in Light
Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Long-Wearing Pressed Powder in 011 Creamy Natural (on t-zone) and Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko (lightly all over)
Blush: Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Colour in Oleander topped with Pur Minerals Rosebud Blush
Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair Matte
Highlighter: RMS Living Luminizer topped with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe and Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel
Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion Original formula
Eye Shadow: Clarins Ombre Matte Eye Shadow in Rosewood (all over the lid, up to the crease), By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock (over top of Rosewood, blended up and out and along lower lash line), Inglot Eye Shadow Shine #152 (on centre of lid for shimmer)
Eyeliner: Revlon ColourStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black (along upper lash line, winged up and out) and NYX Wonder Pencil in Light (along lower waterline)
Mascara: The HotShop Long Lash Mascara (from the Born Pretty Store)

Lipstick: Bare Escentuals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Plumberry Pop
 

And a few more shots of the look (in full colour!):

While I came *this* close to wiping off my eye makeup and starting again, I'm so glad I didn't. The bold eyeliner was actually such a fun look to wear and I think it complemented the rosy lips and cheeks perfectly! When I wear a cat eye, I'm usually tempted to go for a full-on '60s look with nude cheeks and lips, but opting for shades of pink and silver instead are a great way to take the look from mod to merry :)

Any fun liquid eyeliner stories to share? Is this a look you would wear? What's your favourite silver eye shadow? Fave black eyeliner?

Have a fantastic day! xo

Festive Look of the Day #1: The Night Owl

Hi, everyone! If you saw my last post, you'll know that I'm properly obsessed with the Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con Eyeshadow Palette in The Night Owl. I loved the unique colour combination so much at first use that it's inspired me to start a "Festive Look of the Day" series that features not-so-typical but totally holiday appropriate makeup looks. I'm a sucker for a red lip and sparkly gold eyes as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's fun to mix things up a bit this time of year! So the first look in this series revolves around The Night Owl's mix of rich gold, browns, plums, and greens. 

The eye look is all about The Night Owl- I used all seven shades from the palette to combine pops of colour with dimension and depth. I first applied perhaps the most striking colour from the palette, the metallic olive gold, all over  my lid. I then defined the crease with the chocolate brown shade and added depth to the outer corners of the eye with the matte eggplant shadow. I then took the turquoise shade and popped it on the inner third of my crease (blending up towards the brow) and along my lower lash line. To brighten the eye, I swept the matte cream shade along my brow bone and the glittery champagne on the inner corners of the eye. I finished by lining the eyes with the deep cool brown from the palette and then coating my lashes with lengthening mascara. 

To let the colourful eyes remain the star of the show, I balanced the look with peachy nude cheeks and lips. I first warmed up and added some glow to the complexion with Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfectors in Blushed Copper (along my cheekbones up to the temples) and Champagne Pop (on the high points of my face), then painted the apples of my cheeks with my favourite glowy pale peach blush, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra. I then lined and filled in my lips with the best versatile lip liner out there, MAC Subculture, and added some gloss with Chanel's Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Zephyr. 

The Breakdown:

Foundation: Make Up For Ever HD Ultra Fluid Foundation in Y225 Marble
Concealer: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in Light
Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Long-Wearing Pressed Powder in 011 Creamy Natural (on t-zone) and Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko (lightly all over)
Blush: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Blushed Copper (along cheekbones and temples) and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra (on apples of cheeks, blended upwards)
Highlighter: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop

Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe and Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel
Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion Original formula
Eye Shadow: (all from The Night Owl palette): gold shade (all over the lid), warm brown (in the crease), eggplant shade (on outer corners), turquoise shade (along lower lash line and on inner third of the crease, blended up), matte cream (on brow bone), glittery champagne (on inner corners of the eye) and dark cool brown (along upper lash line as an eyeliner)
Mascara: The HotShop Long Lash Mascara (from the Born Pretty Store)

Lip Gloss: Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Zephyr
Lipliner: MAC Lipliner in Subculture
 

And a few more shots of the look:

While gold and turquoise eyes might not be your go-to holiday party staple, I hope this look inspires you to play around with a bit of colour this year. Because really, there are few things more festive than a healthy, vibrant, playful spirit! 

Look out for more Festive Looks of the Day to come!

Have an amazing week :)