My Beauty Life Lately: Pictures

Long time no write! Once again, I've broken a promise on here. I have so many ideas for posts (eyebrows, beauty resolutions, tutorials for all sorts of eye shadow, fashion, etc.), but laziness always wins. I have been newly inspired lately by Pinterest, a virtual "pinboard" of sorts, where users can post inspiration for a variety of things.
Some of the makeup and nails are truly gorgeous and they push me to try new things. I've recently made a big change hair wise as well- I stopped washing my hair every day, and now only shampoo every other. Though it was hard at first, my hair adjusted within a few weeks, and it saves a lot of time. Now if only my hair would start growing more quickly... I do notice changes in terms of health though, which I'm happy for. We're on Christmas break now, which will hopefully translate into some new posts- I have a lot to say, but often can't be bothered to take the accompanying pictures. I know, that's no excuse. Anyway, here are a few of the more recent things that I've managed to photograph. Enjoy! :)


Nothing super special, just sort of a new technique: using brown eyeliner as a base and mainly dark colors on the lid. Brown on brown eyes is underrated :)


My Thanksgiving makeup! I didn't go anywhere, but I still wanted to do my makeup sort of holiday-ish, hence the fall colors.


Tonight's project, galaxy nails! Excuse my horrid edges- and that's after cleaning it up. These really do look so cool, and aren't as time consuming as a lot of other detailed nails. It takes a lot of nail polish, and a sponge (I use clean makeup applicators, available for purchase at most stores), but other than that, nothing special work wise. I've got to stop picking my nail polish off- I like doing things like this, but it's usually wasted because of how quickly I pick it off.
Anyway, I really do hope to write more this week. I've let my other blog go as well; the past few months have been rough, but things are getting a lot better. Hope everyone is having a good almost Christmas :)

-Rhiana

Tutorial: Let's Wing It

Though today's didn't turn out the best that it ever has, winged eyeliner has become one of my newer, more favorite ways to wear my makeup. Though it looks simple, it took me a while to get the hang of, because the shape can be surprisingly difficult to master. I attempted a tutorial for it, in the hopes that maybe the few tips I've learned can help someone else. Enjoy :)


You'll want to start off with some gel or liquid eyeliner (mine is Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Blackest Black), and a brush to apply the liner; I also suggest a black eyeshadow (not pictured here) and a thin brush to apply that with.


Here's a close up of the brush I used to line my eyes- Mac 210. It's a very small brush that allows for a lot of control. An angled brush would also work well.


To begin, I dipped a brush in some black eyeshadow (Carbon from Mac) using a Loew-Cornell #8 brush (meant for painting, great for makeup, and pretty cheap)...


...In order to sketch myself a basic line that would determine the shape and length of my wing. This is one of the most important steps for me. I make a stright line up from the edge of my lower lashline, like in the next picture. Here I had already put a nude base over my eye (Eden Primer Potion from Urban Decay), and applied mascara to my upper lashes. I do that anyway before applying any of my makeup, but I actually think it makes it easier with winged eyeliner- the lashes are much harder and easier to line over, if that makes sense.


Doing the black line then makes it much simpler to fill in the rest of the liner.


I then just connect the liner to my lashline by going straight down from the top of the black line. Make sure to fill in the gaps well; I've missed the spot right in my outer lashline a few times, and it's frustrating. Mine looks a little bumpy, I guess I was just having an off day? I also go over my eyeliner with the same black
eyeshadow used before. I like to do mine fairly thick, and have the wing extend sort of far, but that's just what I think looks best with my eye shape. Obviously, adjust accordingly with width and length for your personal preference.


I couldn't get a good picture of my eyes open for the life of me, so I cropped a candid one taken later that night.

This look is easy once you get the hang of it, and quick. It's dramatic without being over the top, and it lasts all day.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend,

Rhiana

outfit of the day!

So this was sort of a failure because I don't know how to pose or open my eyes wide :) but I wanted to show an outfit. There's not a ton of variety within brands here but if I do more of these, I'll try to show different styles/brands/price points/etc. Enjoy and try not to judge my cranky expressions! :)







Shirt- cropped from American Eagle- got it on clearance last summer
High-waisted white shorts- American Eagle- around $36 I believe
white undershirt- Aeropostale- buy two for $16 or something cheap :)
Belt- American Eagle, online- also around $36
Sandals- can you guess? American Eagle, it was buy one get one half off, my mom got the other pair. This pair was originally $24.50.
Cat necklace- it was a gift :)
If I could do this outfit over, I would pick a different shirt. It needs to be tucked in or shorter, but at the current length, it does not compliment the outfit like I hoped it would.
Everything except the shirt should still be available.
I did my makeup with the Naked Palette- Hustle all over lid, Buck and Toasted in Crease (Creep to define), Naked as a brow highlight, Virgin as my inner corner highlight. UD eyeliner in Rockstar for above lashline. NYX Mocha for my cheeks and Revlon lipgloss in Coral Reef for my lips. Not that it's very apparent in the pictures, but I like the way it turned out. I might do a picture tutorial soon for something similar.
Thanks to my brother Seth for taking these! Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll try to post before the end of the month- June hasn't been a great month for this blog.

-Rhiana

Side note: I don't fake tan, ever. Like Naomi, I'm against that. Going outside provides a better effect for free! :D

recent makeup & a latest obsession

First, just some pictures of makeup within the last month or so (I know, I've been so bad about taking pictures and updating... :/) The green is my most recent, and in my defense, I haven't been doing my makeup often at all. I really liked it for the color- I've been in such a neutral block that it was nice to experiment. I feel like it's this way for a lot of girls- getting so into makeup and wild color and then starting to only wear browns. I got the Naked palette by Urban Decay recently, and I love it :) post on that coming up soon, but I was tired of doing product reviews. The three different looks pictured are a cranberry shimmer look (Mac's Cranberry was the star of this show), which was the longest ago; a brown neutral (CS matte palette- I was a fan of this look) and the green summer-y look (mix of CS matte/shimmer palettes and the colors Virgin and Darkhorse from the UD palette.) Be warned, there's a lot of pictures, mostly of my eyes way up close, since I rarely get a good shot of my whole face. Lip colors were either Viva Glam Gaga II or Rimmel Kiss, blush in the green look was NYX Mocha. Whew, that was a lot of boring typing.
Onto pictures. . .

cranberry eyes



brown neutral eyes



and the one with the most pictures- green eyes




My forehead looks so big here, and in most pictures. Pretty sure this isn't a real life thing. I hope.



So there you have it, my most recent makeup pictures. I miss doing my makeup, I'm going to try to get more into it.
And for the mini latest obsession- toe rings! I should take some pictures of my cheap but super cute finds :) they make even my pudgy little toes bearable. I love them! I think on my list of posts-I-really-need-to-do is a fashion post- something I have been getting way more in to.
I'll try to post again, soon! :)
Hope everyone had a great Monday,

-Rhiana

My Latest Obsession: Neutral Eyes

When I first got into makeup, I was really into bright colors for an everday basis. And while that's fun sometimes, I think a more toned down look is better for the daytime. (Read: no varying shades of lime green all over the lid. Because I've done that... never again) Here are some of my favorite ways to wear a neutral eye: (my very favorite way doesn't have a picture... I wonder why?)


The first way: barely there. I used to never do this, but I'm glad I tried it. It's a great way to achieve a natural sort of look and still wear makeup.






The second is one I've really liked recently. In the pictures Naomi posted from the dance, this is makeup similar to what I was wearing. It's a light color on the lid, with a more defined, dark brown crease. I use my coastal scents matte palette for this. I also have been loving liquid eyeliner with this look- I'm not the greatest, but I still like the way it turns out.

And the last, for an example of a more toned down way to wear color:

A look of greens, a color I don't wear often. Even though it has color, it was pretty neutral. I used a basic technique: light color on the lid, darker in crease and outer corner.

What are some of your favorite ways to wear a neutral eye?
More posts coming soon, sorry for the slacking. When we're on summer break, it should be much easier to update more regularly.

-Rhiana

My Excessive Collection of Nail Polishes

(and I still don't have all the colors I want ahah.)

Well as the the title of this post says, I have purchased myself quite a large collection of nail polishes. I bought three over spring break, and my mom bought me five over the weekend (instead of getting a manicure for prom.) On to pictures :)

These are the ones I got over break. In order: No Spain No Gain from OPI, Mauve just from Forever 21, and Don't Mess With OPI from OPI, obviously.

And these: Fifth Avenue from China Glaze, Watermelon Watercolor from Finger Paints, Pretty as a Portrait from Finger Paints, Ancient Jade from Orly (This is my first polish from that brand. They spelled "ancient" wrong on the bottle. WOW.), and China Rouge from China Glaze.

They are all so pretty. So far I've only used Fifth Avenue but sadly forgot to take pictures before I started chipping them off... I'll paint them again tonight. I'm feeling Ancient Jade.

More pictures of pretty things I bought over the weekend.

Nail brushes from Sally Beauty, setting spray from Makeup Forever and two eyeliners. The blueish one is Flashy Green and the purple one is Wild Spirit. How pretty.

K time to be done. :)

Naomi

Makeup and Hair for the Dance

Last weekend we went to a dance and didn't get many great pictures but there were a few where you can see our makeup and hair pretty well. Rhi pinned up my hair and it looked way pretty. Hope she doesn't get mad at these pictures. They aren't even bad, ha.

Rhihee. Her makeup looks sooo pretty!

Ahahaha I think this picture is so funny. Its the only one of me with my eyes closed and the only time my makeup looked cool that night... Sigh.

Ahaha best friends! I love that girl. That's all for now. Hope Rhi doesn't call me and scold me for the pictures. Have a good weekend everyone.

Naomi

Product Reviews on My First Mac Purchases!

Over Spring Break me and Rhiana went to Flatirons Mall and they have a Mac counter there. I had always heard from Rhi and from beauty blogs that I'm always reading that Mac is really nice. Rhi convinced me to buy something beautiful while we were there (although the prices are outrageous!) and this is what I decided on:

I know this picture is bad, it was getting dark and still needed a picture. The brush is number 217. Me and Rhi talked about this brush for a little while (during gym. Our teacher wasn't happy that we were talking about the different functions of makeup brushes instead of practicing our backhands in tennis AHAHAHA) and we think it is meant to be a crease brush. The lady at the Mac counter said it was a really good brush and that you could pretty much use it for the whole eyelid. I've been using it for about a week and I like it a lot. It works well and holds a good amount of eyeshadow to work with. Its really big and soft too so it applies the shadow more evenly than my other brush. I like it. The eyeshadow is Fig. Its a matte purple. It is so pretty. The above picture is not really true to color :(. Here is a picture of one of the days I used it last week:
I dont like this picture of me (what is going on with my bangs?!) but it shows how pretty the purple is. Love it :). Here are some other looks I wore these last two weeks. I used my new brush for both of them.

Blue, black, and gray shadows from Coastal Scents. Ugh my skin. WOW it looks bad. You can see the improvement from this picture to the next one which was taken about a week after. I'm using a basic acne spot treatment and its working pretty well on my forehead and cheeks.

And this picture is from Sunday. I used purple, black, and silver from the Coastal Scents shimmer palette. I did my hair all fancy too. I'm thinking about doing this with my hair for the dance tomorrow. Should be fun.
Naomi

A Month of Beauty...

First post in a while. I'm just going to put up pictures from the last month or so...

I did my hair for church one day and these were all the pins I used to do it. It took forever, ha.



My mom bought me this Shea Butter soap. Its supposed to help with dry skin. It is helping on my arms but not much on my legs. It smells wonderful! I love it. Its a good product.


I bought three colors of this Crackle Glaze from China Glaze. I bought it in Crushed Candy which the blue above. It is very similar to For Audrey from the same brand. I also bought Black Mesh and Cracked Concrete (I love the names, ha.) I have only tried Crushed Candy so far. Its really pretty. It needs to be applied quickly because it dries fast but its cool stuff. I did larger cracks here(over Rock Star from Sonia Kashuk), but you can also do small cracks if it is applied thin. It looks really cool!

Purple and gold from the Coastal Scents Metal Mania Palette. Love it.

Ok so I didn't actually have much to put up, but at least its something. Me and Rhiana will put up a video in the next few days and I'm hoping I'll be able to write a post about "accent nails" tomorrow.

Naomi

face & (temporary) nail of the day

I tried painting my nails and doing glitter as an accent, and... I loved it :D I totally stole this idea from makeupbytiffanyd, who is amazing at pretty much anything girly. Anyway, tonight's post is just going to be a short one of pictures. In honor of St. Patrick's Day (I almost always forget it, not this year), I did my makeup green and even wore a mostly green dress. I want to sort of get away from doing these sorts of makeup picture posts all the time, they're just the easiest and take the least time. Soon, I'll do one of a makeup collection. I'm hesitant about doing that because I don't really feel like I have all that much makeup- I only have one blush and I don't wear foundation or anything. I still also want to try doing picture tutorials that are helpful, as opposed to simple face of the days.
For eyeshadow, I used Coastal scents darker matte green and black, Mildew by Urban Decay and Woodwinked by Mac. Vanilla by Mac as a light high light.
For eyeliner, I used Rockstar and Zero from Urban Decay and a lime green from the CS Shimmer Palette. I also used a bit of Woodwinked on the inner half.
My lipstick choice wasn't the best- Kiss by Rimmel. It just made for sort of a sickly combination with my eyes- ah well.
OH! For nails, I applied three coats of Mini How High by Essie onto every nail except the ring fingers; I only applied two to them. On the ring fingers, I applied Gone Wishin' by Nicole by OPI. I really need a better glitter polish- this one is pretty, but so goopy.
Onto pictures... :)






...And one picture from before I cut my hair- this was actually the day of. -sigh-


-Rhiana