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