I love a good colourful look to celebrate summer.  Today I was inspired by Lisa Eldridge’s new video Beach Brights to take my bright eyeshadows for a spin.  At first I thought I’d just do a bright eyeliner, but as you can see, I kinda went colour crazy.  It’s the first time I’m trying a teal and purple combo, and I think it works well.  I also wanted to show off Chanel Rouge Coco in Jersey Rose (thanks H. of 25fLONDON!), which is my go-to lipstick this summer.  Enjoy the look!

Swatches (from left): Sleek Chaos i-Divine Palette Eyeshadows in Teal, Sea Green, Medium Brown, Dark Brown, Auraline Bright Violet, MAC Arena

Get the Look

For the eyes, build up the colour by patting on a bright teal (Sleek Chaos i-Divine Palette) all over the lid and on the lower lash line. Blend the colour into the crease, then apply a medium brown on the crease. Deepen the outer crease by adding a dark brown. On the outer lid, blend in a vibrant purple (Auraline Bright Violet) and the outer third of the lower lash line.  Highlight the brow bone and inner corners with a light peach (MAC Arena).

Line the upper lash line with a black gel liner (MAC Blacktrack), and the waterlines with a black pencil liner (Giorgio Armani waterproof).  Apply your favourite mascara (CoverGirl Lash Blast).

For the cheeks, lightly bronze all over the high points of the face with a peachy pink bronzer (Dior Aurora).  Then, on the apples of the cheeks, apply a light dusting of a shimmery peachy pink blush (NARS Deep Throat).

For the lips, apply a warm rosy pink lipstick (Chanel Jersey Rose). Add a shimmery lip gloss on top (Chanel Maline).

Keep reading to see more pictures!

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Read the rest of FOTD: Craving Colour. (311 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 40 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Auraline, Chanel, CoverGirl, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Looks, MAC, Makeup, NARS, Sleek, Swatches | Tags: fotd

This week I’ve been thinking about a pretty look that’ll be perfect for Valentine’s Day.  I didn’t want to be too theme-y with the makeup, so instead of pulling out all my pink stuff from my vanity, I chose pretty colours that are reminiscent of Spring. Unfortunately, there are no signs of Spring yet here in Toronto, but maybe if we all put our Spring looks on, Mother Nature will give us what we want. What do you think?

Swatches (from left): MAC All That Glitters, MAC Smoke ‘n Diamonds (LE), MAC Coquette, Auraline Bright Violet, MAC Brun, Annabelle Golden Shine, Urban Decay Virgin

Get the Look

For the eyes, pat a shimmery beige (MAC All That Glitters) all over the lid.  Apply a shimmery taupe grey (MAC Smoke ‘n Diamonds) on the outer third of the lid for a subtle contrast.  Using a pointed crease brush, apply a matte taupe (MAC Coquette) on the crease to add depth.  Then, add a pop of violet (Auraline Bright Violet) to the outer V and outer crease.  Deepen the colour with a little bit of a cool dark brown (MAC Brun).  Smudge the violet over the lower lash line and extend past the eye to create a winged shape.  Blend the violet into the top lid colours.  Smudge black eyeliner (Urban Decay Zero) into the top lash line and lower waterline.  Highlight the inner corner with a gold eyeshadow (Annabelle Golden Shine), and a shimmery champagne (Urban Decay Virgin).  Finish off with lots of mascara (L’Oreal Voluminous + CoverGirl Lashblast Waterproof) to the top and bottom lashes.

For the cheeks, blend a rosy cream blush (Mary Kay Cranberry) on the apples of the cheeks.

For the lips, pat a berry lipstick (MAC Party Line) on the lips as a sheer stain.

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Read the rest of Signs of Spring: Pretty Colours and Berry Stained Lips. (355 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Annabelle, Auraline, CoverGirl, L'Oreal, Looks, MAC, Makeup, Mary Kay, Swatches, Urban Decay | Tags: fotd

As much as I love wearing my bright eyeshadows and bold lipsticks, my boyfriend doesn’t appreciate the look as much as my beauty blogger friends do.  The terms “clownish” and “’80s” have been thrown around a few times.  Hrmph.  I’m not bitter.  Anyways.

Source: Style.com

Lucky for us, the no makeup look is so on trend this Spring (and forever).  It is a versatile look that can take you through your day in school or the office without scaring the boys.  While I wish that I naturally look this good without makeup, there is work to be done before I get there.  It really isn’t that difficult to do, and it only takes five steps from being scary to looking cute.

#1 — Tame the Brow Beast, or Fill In Your Non-Existent (air quotes) Brows.

If you have sparse or very light brows, fill them in with a pencil or brow powder.  I still love my MAC Brun eyeshadow and MAC Spiked Eye Brows.  If you have a lot of brow hairs (me), use a brow gel to keep the beast in place and fill in any bald spots.  You are trying to get natural looking brows, so go in with a light hand.

#2 — Fake a Good Complexion the Right Way.

Unless you’re a model who doesn’t have a single imperfection or dark circles (and in that case, stay far far away from me!), then grab your favourite concealer now.  I like theBalm Time Balm and MAC Pro Longwear concealer.  Apply it under the eyes, all over the lids, and around the nose to conceal darkness and red areas.

If you want to, you can also apply a little bit of foundation mixed with a highlighter like NARS Orgasm Illuminator or MAC Gold Studio Finish Powder to get a glow all over.  Again, minimal foundation is key to fake good skin.  You might want to invest in a good brush like the Sigma F80 or F82 brushes to buff in that foundation.

#3 — Go Forth and Glow Like Edward Cullen.

Just kidding.  You want to glow like JLo, and not like that vampire.  Blush is another thing that’ll depend on your skin’s undertones.  Pick pink if you have more pink in your skin, and choose peach if you are more yellow.  On my skin (NC35 – NC40), I use either MAC Peaches or MAC Cantaloupe (PRO) blush, and top it with a sheer highlighter with a low amount of shimmer.  A satin (translation: skin like) finish is what we’re after.  If you have a cream blush, that’s even better.  Apply to the apples of the cheeks to achieve the most natural look.

#4 — You Can Always Have More Lashes.

There’s nothing like a clumpy mascara to ruin a minimal makeup look.  Apply a great non-clumping mascara to your top and bottom lashes.  Rimmel Glam’Eyes and CoverGirl Volume Exact mascaras are my drugstore picks.  Apply brown eyeliner to the upper waterline to make it look like you have more lashes at the root.

#5 — Wear a “Your Lips But Better” Colour.

Finish off the look with a very sheer lip product (lipstick, balm, gloss, or stain) that mimics your natural lip colour.  I used Revlon Life’s A Peach lipgloss all over my lips.

Aaaand you’re done!  Easy, right?  Now step out of the house and tell everyone: “Why yes, I woke up this morning looking this fabulous, thank you!”

Wearing My “No Makeup” Look

I really like this fresh face and I might start doing it more often.  Do you wear the no makeup look?  Doesn’t it make you want Spring to arrive now, pleez can haz nao?

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: CoverGirl, Looks, MAC, Makeup, NARS, Revlon, Rimmel, Sigma, theBalm | Tags: fotd

Today I decided to do sort of a Mad Men inspired look for a special occasion.  BF and I are celebrating our 6th anniversary together and I wanted to glam it up with the hair and makeup.  I have to say that this is one of my favourite looks that I’ve showcased on this blog so far.  I really liked this look, or shall I say, these looks, since I am showing two different options for lip colour.  I ended up wearing the rosy lips out to our dinner date because BF doesn’t like bold lips.

Swatches (from left): MAC All That Glitters, Urban Decay Buck, MAC Coquette, Revlon Soft Rose Lipstick, MAC Party Line Lipstick

Get the Look

For the eyes, fill in your brows with powder or a pencil (MAC Spiked Eye Brows).  Then, pat a shimmery beige eyeshadow to the lid (MAC All That Glitters).  Using a pointed crease brush (MAC 226), apply a medium matte brown eyeshadow (Urban Decay Buck) to the natural crease and lightly blend.  Using a small detail brush, pick up a matte taupe (MAC Coquette) and trace along the lower edge of the crease to deepen the colour.  Using the same colour, apply to the lower lash line to add a subtle shadow.

Start lining the eyes with a creamy black pencil (Urban Decay Zero) but do not wing out the colour.  Before the pencil has had a chance to set, drag the pencil to create a wing and also to soften the line.  This will give the winged eyeliner a softer look, and at the same time, create a guideline for the gel eyeliner.  Line again with a black gel eyeliner (MAC Blacktrack).  Apply black waterproof mascara (CoverGirl Lashblast) to the top and bottom lashes.  If desired, add false lashes (Ardell 110).

For the cheeks, lightly dust with a low shimmer bronzer (Annabelle Haute Gold) to get an over all glow (on forehead and chin, too).  Contour the hollows of the cheeks with a dark matte brown (MAKE UP FOR EVER #17 Espresso).  Finish with a rose blush (Chanel Rose Temptation Joues Contraste Blush).

For version 1 of the lips, first line with a berry lip liner (Annabelle Burgundy).  Fill in the lips with a berry lipstick (MAC Party Line).

For version 2 of the lips, apply a rose lipstick (Revlon Soft Rose).  Easy, right?

Read on for more pictures!

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Read the rest of Mad Men Inspired Look (with Two Different Lip Colours)! (484 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Annabelle, Ardell, Chanel, CoverGirl, Looks, MAC, Makeup, Revlon, Swatches, Urban Decay | Tags: fotd, inspiration

Whew!  I’m back with another FOTD.  I attended a friend’s wedding yesterday and this is the look I wore.  Thank goodness the hair was also cooperative.  Those are flat iron waves created by yours truly, thankyouverymuch!  I haven’t used my MAC Smoke & Diamonds (LE) eyeshadow in any FOTDs so I thought I’d pull it out of hiding for this look.  I just kind of winged it, but I really like how it turned out.

Don’t let the finished face fool you; this look was actually quick and easy!

Swatches (from left): MAC Smoke & Diamonds (LE), Annabelle B-Ray (LE), MAC Carbon, MAC Soft Brown, MAC Arena

Get the Look

For the eyes, fill in any sparse areas on your brows (Benefit Medium Brow Zings).  After priming your eyes (Too Faced Shadow Insurance), apply a light shimmery peach (MAC Arena) on the inner corners and under the brows.  Then, take a shimmery grey taupe (MAC Smoke & Diamonds, LE) all over the lid.  Take a matte navy (Annabelle B-Ray, LE) to the outer crease and outer V with a crease brush, and go over it slightly with a matte black (MAC Carbon).  Lightly blend above the crease with a matte warm brown (MAC Soft Brown).  Smudge the matte navy to the outer two-thirds of the lower lash line.  Line the upper lash line (MAC Blacktrack Fluidline) with a slight wing.  Line the upper and lower waterlines with a pencil dipped in gel liner (Urban Decay Zero dipped in MAC Blacktrack) for maximum staying power.  Apply mascara (CoverGirl LashBlast waterproof) to both upper and lower lashes.

For the face and cheeks, start by priming with a mattifying primer (CoverFX ClearPrep FX).  Apply foundation (FACE atelier Foundation #6 Honey), concealer (theBalm TimeBalm Medium), and powder (Marcelle Translucent Medium).  Sculpt the cheeks, temples, and jawline with a dark matte brown powder (MAKE UP FOR EVER #17 Espresso).  Then, add a pop of matte peachy pink to the apples of your cheeks (Pink Beauty Object of Affection).

For the lips, get your favourite neutral pink lipstick (MAC Viva Glam V) and top it off with a golden pink gloss (Smashbox Candid).

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Read the rest of FOTD: Subtle Smoky Eyes with Steely Blues. (387 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Annabelle, Benefit, Cover FX, CoverGirl, FACE atelier, Looks, MAC, MAKE UP FOR EVER, Makeup, Marcelle, Smashbox, Swatches, theBalm, Too Faced, Urban Decay | Tags: fotd

We had a nice sunny afternoon in Toronto, and so after @soveryfabulous suggested that it might be a great day for swatching, here I am putting my face on for FOTD!

Today’s FOTD consists of browns for the eyes, and two different options for the lips: one for a day look, another to vamp it up a little bit.  For details on how to get it, read on.

Get the Look

Line the upper lash line with a glittery brown pencil.  Smudge out with a pencil brush.  Using a flat shader brush, pack on the shimmery gold beige all over the lid.  Using a fluffy blending brush, apply a matte camel into the crease to create depth.  For even more depth, take a tapered crease brush and apply espresso to the outer lid and outer crease.  Touch up the upper lash line with the glittery brown, and line the lower lash line and waterline.  Apply espresso eye shadow on the outer 1/3 of the lower lash line.  Highlight with a shimmery ivory under the brow and inner corners of the eyes. Finish off with a swipe of mascara.  Smile! and apply pink blush to the apples of your cheeks.

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Read the rest of Brown Eyes: FOTD (2 lip versions!). (318 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: CARGO, CoverGirl, FACE atelier, Looks, MAC, MAKE UP FOR EVER, Smashbox, theBalm, Urban Decay | Tags: fotd, red lips

I turned 23 this boxing day, and so for my birthday I decided on a glitter, and lashes! I looooved this look so much. Probably one of my favourite looks. It was inspired by MissChievous’ Christmas Green and Gold Makeup.  So for step-by-step instructions, just head on over to the linked video.

Products Used

Ugh sorry about the lashes in the corners!  Grr!

Eyes

• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• NARS Night Porter eyeshadow (dark green)
• Unnamed Quo antique gold/copper eyeshadow
• Highlight shade from CARGO Venice Quad Palette (shimmery light neutral)
• NYX Glitter Mania in Gold + mixed with clear mascara
• Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Zero (creamy black)
• Covergirl LashBlast Waterproof mascara
• shu uemura Smoky Layers false lashes

Face and Cheeks

• FACE atelier Ultra Foundation #5
• theBalm Time Balm concealer in Medium
• MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural in Medium Dark
• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil matte bronzing powder
• MAC Peaches blush

Lips

• MAC Shy Girl Lipstick

More pictures…

A better look at the crazy shu uemura lashes
Me, to my sister: “Come take a picture of my makeup… no, closer… ”
Then *crazy bigass clown smile* LOL.

My ladies!

Me and my man <3

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: CARGO, CoverGirl, FACE atelier, Looks, MAC, Makeup, NARS, Quo, shu uemura, theBalm, Too Faced, Urban Decay | Tags: false lashes, fotd

Kinda random, but I felt like doing it.

1. Ferrero Rondnoir. Anyone else try this dark chocolatey goodness from the makers of Ferrero Rocher? Dare I say it, but I actually love these more than the original. Yummy.
2. theBalm BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer in Medium, $31. More coverage than your usual tinted moisturizer. Looks like your own skin. The only problem is the colour selection. Apparently theBalm thinks no one is darker than Medium.
3. CoverGirl VolumeExact Waterproof Mascara in Very Black. I have about 5 mascaras in rotation and this one gets the go most of the time. It never ever clumps.
4. CARGO Color Eyeshadow Palette in Vienna, $28. Stunning neutrals with a pop of blue. I usually use the camel brown shade in my contour only if I’m running late. Works amazing.
5. Alexis Bledel’s Orange Red Lips. I am obsessed with that lip colour! Alexis Bledel pulls off the bold lips beautifully, and I know I’ll be too chicken to wear it out.

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: CARGO, CoverGirl, Food, Makeup, Reviews, theBalm | Tags: chocolate, eyeshadow, looks i'm loving, mascara, tinted moisturizer

My blog has been lacking girly content recently. And so I decided that today will be the day that will turn things around. I would like to present Exhibit A.

From top-left to right:

• MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
• Covergirl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor in Always Rosy (thanks Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint!)
• Quo Crease Shadow Brush
• Quo Bronzing Powder Brush (a.k.a. Skunk Brush)

The Fluidline becomes my first MAC product ever(!) This makes me super excited to try it out, as well as a little nervous about what’s to come if I do like it. lol! Uh-ohs.

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: CoverGirl, MAC, Makeup, Quo | Tags: brushes, eyeliner, lipstick

Hey cool! I won a Cover Girl Outlast Lip Color from Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint. These days I have been spending so much money that it’s really such a treat to get something for free.

I am waiting on chocolates to review from ChickAdvisor. Aren’t I supposed to be watching my weight? I suppose I have to work extra hard at the gym this week.

The long weekend is upon us, and I am heading out early tomorrow for another snowboarding day trip to Blue Mountain. It’s the Valentines celebration for me and my love. I know. Romantic eh? My idea of Valentines is spending time with your partner doing something that you both enjoy. And it just happened that this year we discovered snowboarding.

How are you spending your long weekend? Apparently there will be another snowstorm here in Toronto. This is such perfect snowboarding weather… but sucks royally for driving conditions. Be safe, bundle up, and stay warm!

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: CoverGirl, Makeup | Tags: date, lipstick