Halloween Look of the Day: Butterfly in the Sky

Hi, everyone! I know I said something similar about IMATS, but there really are few things like Halloween to inspire my creativity and get me blogging! I apologize for the extended absence recently. I'll be able to share soon what's been going on in my life that has made blogging tougher (good things, I promise!), but for now, can we bask in the Halloween spirit?

Though I didn't have any Halloween events to attend this year, I didn't want to miss the chance to create an extra special look for the season. My Halloween makeup inspirations vary wildly (from creepy dolls, to fierce devils, pop art, sirens, surreal fairies,  Egyptian goddesses, and ice queens) and this year I was drawn to the beauty of nature. I'd had chance sightings of several monarch butterflies lately and am always completely in awe of the unique patterns and vivid colours. Transforming my face into one of these fascinating creatures was a challenge I was willing to accept! 

For the look, I wanted to accurately emulate the colours and patterns of a monarch butterfly, but also didn't want to makeup to look completely literal (didn't want it to look like I'd had my face painted at a fair). To do this, I found makeup shades that were totally fitting and studied monarchs' typical appearance. For a bit of abstraction, I created a shape that was one part butterfly wings and one part masquerade mask, for a bit of drama and flirtiness. I also opted for forego the antenna and butterfly body. 

I started by outlining the general shape of the wings with a pale eyeliner, so that I could have a guide but so any initial mistakes wouldn't be so obvious. Once I achieved a shape I was happy with, I reached for the ever-amazing Kat von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Palette, which features an eye shadow from every hue of the rainbow. I used three main shadows for the colouring- Harpsichord (a bronze-tinged shimmery burnt orange), Analogue (a true matte orange), and Fran (a bright matte butter yellow). I outlined the edges with the deepest of the shades, Harpsichord, for some shimmer and depth, and then blended in Analogue for that classic vivid monarch orange. For further dimension and light, I applied Fran all over my lids and underneath my eyes. 

Then it was time for black liner! I outlined the edges of the wings as well as created the monarch pattern with Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes eyeliner in 0L, a true black. I made the outer lines thicker for added definition (and to make room for the white dots!) and the inner lines more subtle. I also lined my upper and lower lashes with the black liner for added drama. Next was the extra special touch! I reached for my trusty Illamasqua Precision Ink Liquid Eyeliner in Scribe, a true, matte, milky white. It's come in handy for several Halloween looks in the past and this was no exception! I used Scribe to add a random smattering of dots around the outer edges and thicker black veins of colour to complete the monarch effect. 

The final touches were loads of mascara (my current fave- Essence Cosmetics Forbidden Volume Mascara) and some killer orange lips. I started with a base of Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Iberico, a bold matte tomato orange. It then topped this lip pencil with Kat Von D Harpsichord and Analogue shadows to unify the face paint and lip colour. I added a very soft contouring of the lips with Kat von D Lemmy eye shadow, a deep metallic grassy green. For a subtle pattern on the lips, I added a few dots of Scribe and 0L liners. And that's it! 

Here is a close-up of the look: 

And a couple shots of the look in sunlight: 

I had so much fun with this look and was super pleased with how it turned out. It was relatively simple to create and yet packed a powerful punch! I know I've said this about other looks in the past, but I really did not want to wash it off.

And as a side note: once I decided on a title for this post, I have not been able to get the theme song for Reading Rainbow out of my head. But I digress ;)

What are you wearing for Halloween this year? Any fun Halloween traditions?

Thanks so much for stopping by! xo

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