My Costume is my Face! Black Swan Makeup

For my final installment of 'My Costume is my Face!' I decided to go with the simple and crowd-pleasing Black Swan makeup. And let me tell you... I felt it.

For this makeup look all I used was some gel eyeliner, my NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencil in Milk, and MAC Chili lipstick. Here's how I created this Black Swan look:

First I used the liner to outline the eyes. The line circles right around the bottom of the eye and extends straight outward toward the hairline. The inner line extends out toward the nose. From the nose I drew the line straight up toward the tip of my eyebrow and extended the line above my eyebrow and out toward my hairline. I also colored in all of my eyelid and eyebrows black. Then I took my Milk pencil and colored in the rest of the area.  Then I took my black gel liner again and did small strokes around my eyes all in the outward direction to make the feathery flicks Natalie Portman is sporting in the movie. Going over the white once makes a gray effect and then going over the white again creates a darker near black effect. Mix up how dark your strokes are! Keep the lowest V part mostly white and work hard to feather out the outer edge near the hairline. Then I put on my deep red lipstick and was done!

The one thing I was missing to complete this look was a beautiful crown so I went ahead and drew this one in :) The best thing about this look is that you don't even need the crown to be obvious! This makeup look is so easily identifiable that you can wear all black and put your hair up and everyone who has been awake for the past few years will know who you are. 

Happy Haunting everyone! Just know that when you wear this look...you have to be PERFECT. 

Check out my other posts from this Halloween makeup series!
Split Face
Owl
Shattered Doll
Lion

How-To: Make Your Own Festive Halloween Banner!

Happy Halloween everyone! If you want to spice up your Halloween by adding some festive decorations, here's how you can make your very own Halloween banner!

You will need:

Themed scrapbook paper in 6x6 inch squares

scissors

a gluestick

twine

a hole punch

pencil

optional: an exacto knife

First you're going to want to choose the paper you want your flag to be then cut a diagonal line from the corner of one side to the center of the opposite sides. This will create a little penant shaped triangle. 

Then pick out complementary paper to go on your flag and stencil out the letter you need. I used an exacto knife to cut out the letter to waste the least amount of paper as possible. Scrapbook paper can be expensive!

Next, glue the letter down to the center of your flag! You can also add scraps of other paper to your flag to make it look a bit more patchwork-y and cute!

As you write out your festive sentence, try and alternate the colors you are using to mix things up a bit and make your flags more eye-catching!

When you're all done with your flags its time to hole-punch! I punched two holes at the top of the flags and weaved my long string of twine in and out to ensure the flags would stay flat against my wall. 

And voila! My sign turned out to be about 5 feet long and was hung up in the kitchen for all visitors to see and feel the festive spirit!

Happy Halloween everyone!
xxSJ

NOTD: OPI 'DS Indulgence'

Looking for a bewitchingly beautiful orange to wear on this All Hallow's Eve??? Look no further than today's nail of the day, OPI's Designer Series polish in 'Indulgence.'
This orange shade is gorgeous and such an easy formula to work with. Two thin coats was all I needed to achieve opacity, and as you can see the end result is amazing.
This color is an orange-red base with yellow, red, and gold glitters mixed through out. The glitter manages to stay smooth and almost 3-D looking rather than chunky or metallic. I always get compliments when I wear this polish!

This polish looks amazing under any lighting but is particularly stunning when it catches the sun!
OPI polishes can be found at Target, Ulta, some drugstores and department stores for about $8 a bottle.
What's your favorite orange?

xxSJ

My Costume is My Face! Split Face Makeup

Symmetry is beauty, so that means this costume look is beautiful, right??? Well, not according to anyone I showed this to because this creeped people out!! Here's how I pulled off this split face makeup look:

I used my BH cosmetics 88 color palette, a red lipliner, a black liquid liner and my NYX Jumbo eyeshadow pencil. 

First I started by drawing the outline of the split with the red lipliner. I chose to go with this symmetrical cone shape down my whole face. Then I filled in and blended with my fingers. I went over the lipliner with red eyeshadow from my 88 color palette. All the shadows in this palette have shimmer in them which I think works to make this look shiny and wet like blood would look. I also added some purple and black in some areas for dimension. I used my NYX Shadow pencil in Milk to outline the red split lightly to make it stand out for. Then I used my black liquid eyeliner to draw some circles up my the sides of the split, parallel to each other. Then I 'laced' the liner up my face. I added some brown smokiness to my eyemakeup and some red lipstick to glamorize this otherwise creepy look!

Overall I love the way this look turned out. I think it turned out realistic and creepy yet still quite glamorous and pretty looking! From start to finish this look took me about 30 minutes, mostly because doing the lines lacing up my face needed to be done with a steady hand to look nice and neat.

Feel free to use this for an easy costume on Halloween using some simple makeup you might already have in your stash!

xxSJ

Check out my other posts from this Halloween makeup series!
Owl
Shattered Doll
Lion

My Costume is My Face! Feminine Owl Makeup

My next makeup look in my 'My Face Is My Costume' series is this owl look! It took me about 30 minutes to do this realistic yet soft and feminine owl look. Read on to see how I achieved this! 

Above are the products I used! Makeup Geek eyeshadows in Creme Brulee, Beaches & Cream, and Cocoa Bear, my Stila 'Mind' palette, liquid eyeliner, UD eyeliners in 'Smog' and 'Demolition' and my trusty NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk.'

First I defined my brows with a dark brown and extended the outer ends straight out toward my hair line and the inner corner down the sides of my nose and then forming the little beak tip in the center. from there I used my Milk eye pencil in Milk to draw the two big circles around my eyes

I used Demolition (a dark brown) eye pencil to outline the white circles using feathering motions. Then I used lighter colored liners to make smaller circles around my eyes to give a feathered effect. Finally I used a liquid eyeliner to extend my liner inter a thick wing as well as extending it inward to a point at my tear duct. I used a brown lipstick for my lipstick.

Overall I really like the way this cute owl look turned out! It took me about 20 minutes to complete all with makeup I had in my stash. No feathers or special effects needed to create an adorable yet feminine look! Hoot Hoot!

Check out my other posts from this Halloween makeup series!
Shattered Doll
Lion

NOTD: OPI 'DS Extravagance'

This nail polish is by far one of my favorites in my collection and it shouldn't be a mystery why. Just look at it! This Designer Series by OPI polish is in the shade Extravagance and it is one of the most complex, gorgeous colors I've ever seen. It looks like there is a little galaxy on my fingers!

This polish is a magenta purple creamy base with purple, gold, red, and silver sparkles mixed through out.  The formula is one of the best polishes I've used as it is opaque in just one coat and the glitter adds no chunk or difficult in application whatsoever.

Just look at it!!! When this polish reflects in the light, you are sure to get some oohs and aahs! This color is also so pretty for the fall since it has a darker base and festive fall colors in the glitter!

You can find OPI nail polish for about $8 a bottle at Ulta, some drugstores, department stores, and some Targets.

xxSJ

My Costume is My Face!! Simple Lion Makeup

For my second installment of My Costume is My Face, I did a really simple yet effective lion makeup that I'm pretty sure ANYONE has the artistic capacity to do! Here's how you can be the queen of the jungle:

I used a simple black liquid eyeliner, Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Smog and Demolition, and Revlon lipstick in 'Champagne on Ice.'

First I darkened and shaped my brows a little more intensely than usual to get that intense cat look. Then I drew on pretty large and dramatic wings for that 'cat-eye' effect. For the adorable little nose, I drew a triangle on the tip of my nose with black eyeliner and then drew a line straight down connecting my nose and upper lip.  I outlined my upper lip to be a little rounder than usual and then filled in with black liner.

For the bronzey lower lip, I lined it with Smog eyeliner (a bronzey gold) and then used Champagne on Ice lipstick to fill in.  For my little whisker freckles, I used Demolition eyeliner (a super dark brown).

I tousled my hair a little bit for a lioness effect and that's it! This look is oh so simple but oh so cute. You can be as fierce of a lion as you want to be while you're wearing this out, or you can be like me and think you're super fierce but really just look like this:

It's all good!

I hope you enjoyed this post and get inspired for the upcoming holiday!

xxSJ

Check out my other posts in this series!

Steph Reads: 'Something Borrowed'

      I found this book for a buck at my local thrift store before I made the move to NYC.  I had seen and enjoyed the movie based on this novel and thought it would be fun to read a book set in the Big Apple as a newcomer to this city! 

This story is about Rachel White, who is a smart and spunky attorney at a prestigious law firm. She is also the long time best friend and maid-of-honor to Darcy Rhone,  a confident, gorgeous girl who seems to always get what she wants. The story follows Rachel after having one too many drinks at her 30th birthday party and ending up in bed with Dex, Darcy's fiance. The story takes many twists and turns as good girl Rachel attempts to get what she wants while having an epic internal battle between what's right and wrong.  Can Rachel really betray Darcy in order to be with the man she loves? Or will Rachel let Darcy win, yet again, and stand at the altar as Dex takes Darcy's hand in marriage? 

     Overall, I enjoyed this book for what it was. It was an easy read that I used to get my mind off of Anatomy and exams.  I will say, though, that at some points it was really hard to care about the characters and their outcomes. At its core, this book is about cheating, which isn't exactly admirable or likable.  Rachel, our leading lady who we are supposed to be rooting for, can be a bit whiny and immature at points which made me not care what happened to her by the end of the story.  I'm not even going to go into detail about Dex, the man that as a reader I should be swooning over along with Rachel rather than going 'ummmm your best friend is WAY better, go with him instead!' The most relatable character in the story was actually Darcy as I am positive that everyone has known or is currently friends with a Darcy. She's that girl that everyone desperately wants to be friends with but also secretly kind of hates. Darcy's character is what kept me reading this book because I found it so fascinating when I realized everyone has their own version of Darcy. 

     I would recommend this book if you are looking for an easy chick-lit read and don't mind less than stellar characters to get involved with.  This book was well written and I finished it in a relatively short amount of time, but I was never rushing to pick it up again after putting it down.  

xxSJ

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The Husband's Secret by Lianne Moriarty
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

My Face is My Costume!! Shattered Doll Makeup

Last minute halloween plans can be stressful...where are you supposed to pick up a costume you like in the 11th hour when you know everything worth wearing will already be sold out??? That's why I enjoy making my face be my costume by applying some clever makeup! Here is a shattered doll look I did in under an hour over makeup I already had on during the day. 

Here are the products I used:

 First I used a black eyeliner and created a bit of a dramatic winged liner look to round out my eyes a bit. Then I used my NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk and drew a thick line under my lower lash line and then lined under that with my eyeliner to make my eyes look bigger and more doll like. I then drew in a little white reflection mark with my Milk pencil on my lips and then colored my lips in with my Revlon Matte Balm in Unapologetic. I then used my black liner to make ventriloquist lines down the sides of my mouth and then filled in between my lips slightly for a plastic doll like effect.  I popped some super bright blush on my cheeks as well.  For the shattered glass, I pulled up a picture of broken glass on google and just went to town using black liner! It's as simple as that. To amp up this look, I would use some false eyelashes as well!

Happy haunting!
xxSJ

Covergirl Queen Collection Lipstick 'Penelope Pink'

I think I may have a new lipstick obsession you guys... I have seen this lipstick raved about by Amarixe on Youtube so I finally found it on Amazon to give it a shot. This lipstick is from the Covergirl Queen Collection which is a permanent line by Covergirl. The only difference in this Queen collection is that the packaging is a pretty bronze color rather than the normal pewter Covergirl lipsticks.

This lipstick is a gorgeous soft pink color and what I love about it is that it is really warm-toned instead of cool-toned.  This makes it ultra soft and wearable! The lipstick is also the perfect amount of sheer. It is pigmented enough to show up plenty on the lips, but it is sheer enough that it isn't cakey or too thick looking.

Here is 'Penelope Pink' swatched next to some of my favorite pink hues.  As you can see, it is really close in tone to MAC Angel and Cremecup. It is really similar in consistency as well as it is fairly creamy and lasts for a couple hours of wear on the lips. The main difference is that it lacks that sweet vanilla scent MAC lip products are famous for. If you can do with out that though, check this lippie out!

Overall I'm loving this  new lipstick. It is really easy to wear and I think will be complimentary year round! It was also only $7.00 on Amazon.com!

This is just a fantastic lipstick and product. All I can say is bravo, Covergirl. Nailed it!

xxSJ

NOTD: NYC 'Skyline Blue'

I am seriously feelin' the NYC makeup line after my great success with the eyeshadow quad and the brown nail polish and now THIS! This nail polish was also a boyfriend pick (he picked out Columbia colors for me!) and is NYC's long wearing polish formula. The polish was a great consistency and easy to apply and lasted for a couple days chip free on my nails.  

I think this polish is a great option if you're looking for a sky blue color. It is inexpensive and easy to work with!

xxSJ

Life on a Budget: How To Clean Your Brushes Using Olive Oil and Dish Soap!

The past couple of months I have discovered a new, budget friendly way to clean my dirty makeup brushes using items the majority of people are sure to have in their home! Using just cool water, olive oil, and dish soap, your makeup brushes can look good as new! Here's how:

In a bowl, put in one part olive oil and two parts dish soap.  The olive oil works great to break down your makeup built up on your brushes and the dish soap cleans the brush.  Get your brushes wet first and then dip them in the olive oil and swirl!

You'll see makeup product immediately start breaking down and coming off your brush! Swirl your brush toward the dish soap and then swirl your brush on the back of your hand which will release even more makeup.  Rinse your brush with cool water (not hot! It can make the glue holding your brush together melt or loosen!), and squeeze your bristles dry. The water coming off your bristles should be clean, otherwise dip your brushes back in the olive oil and soap. 

Set your brushes on a towel to dry overnight and make sure they are at a tilt, bristles side down.  This way water won't settle into the handle and loosen the glue up.  Your brushes should dry in 12 hours time.  If they feel or look oily, it means you need to rinse them once more with soap and water to get the oil off of the bristles.

Now your brushes are good as new! This method is gentle and highly effective which is perfect for prolonging the life of your potentially super expensive brushes. I love easy life hacks like this that just make everything a little easier.

xxSJ

Monday Funday! Feelin' that NY vibe....

Instead of my normal Sunday Funday post, today I'm doing a Monday Funday! Monday's can be fun too, am I right???? 

This weekend the beau visited and we went on a pizza tour of the local spots by my apartment. We visited Como Pizza and Koronet's and the ballots are in... Como wins for taste, but Koronet's wins for shear quantity. Just look at that slice!

I also experienced one of my first NY bagels this past week.... turns out all the hype was valid. This bagel was amazing and it's a true travesty to my waistline that I've discovered this inexpensive deliciousness a mere two blocks away from my apartment.

Moving on from waistlines can we talk about skylines for a sec? Just LOOK at this sunset from my bedroom window. Seriously stunning.

Life's been pretty sweet in the Big Apple! I'm looking forward to reporting more of my adventures in the future as I explore the millions of things this city has to offer!

xxSJ