Hello Beautiful people! I had a request for a Smokin Smokey Eye tutorial. This is a look that a lot of people request-online and when I worked at MAC. I was going to take this opportunity to do my first video tutorial. I was a little nervous putting my voice and face out there like that but I was excited to do it none the less. By voice I mean....how country and kiddish I think I sound (but maybe you all would have been able to understand my "I write as if I am talking to you" and could have had a voice with the blog! Well.....about half way through the look (which was filming really well and I was happy with) my camera dies!

Massive FAIL Amelia!

Not only did it die, but I can't get it to come back on. :( I didn't want to wait any longer to get this tutorial up and running so I had to redo the look and take pictures with my phones camera. As soon as I can get a video tutorial up and running I will do a video for you all.

This smokey eye is the quick and easy version. I wanted to make sure it was easy and basic because not everyone who tries this look is going to be an expert or have a million eyeshadows. I could sit in front of a mirror and go to town on a smokey eye that would use a million shadows and pigments but that might not be feasible for everyone. So here it is. The Smokin Eye:

This is what you will need

• 1 good black eyeliner (preferably waterproof or water resistant)- you should be able to have some play time with your eyeliner before it "sets" to waterproof. Usually 60 seconds or less. If you don't have one I would get MAC's Engraved or MAC's Smolder (it is not waterproof but works really well.)  Or use the one I used for this look. I used my new Tarte smolderEyes pencil in Onyx. If you need a drug store brand, go with L'Oreal.

• 3 Eyeshadows- Dark, Medium, and Light. In the same color family. I used MAC Club, Texture, and Vanilla

• Mascara and some brushes!

First let me define a smokey eye. WAY back in the day when I was a young budding makeup artist. HaHa. The "Smokey Eye" was pretty simple. All it is is graduated color starting with the darkest all the way across the lash line and lid and then gradually getting lighter as you work your way to the brow. The dark shadow also is smudged under the eye and blended with your eyeliner. It basically encased the top and bottom lash line in smokey smudged darkness.

 

Remember It does NOT always have to be black, brown, grey.....the "Smokey Eye" is a technique and it can be used with any color.

 

Flash forward a few years and the smokey eye had morphed into a wide range of techniques and colors. It still keeps true to the idea of darkness around the lash line but can cover the whole lid, the outer corner, or the inner corner and outer corner but keeping center of the lid light, all while applying shadow to the lower lash line for "smokiness"

 

This tutorial is the basic smokey eye which is a good place to start. With this look you can build, change, and add different colors and techniques.

A little collage of the placement and the colors and brushes I used

 

Also, remember if you want your smokey eye to be darker and more dramatic all you need to do is bring the darkest color higher on your lid and into the crease so when your eyes are open you see the dark shadow. For the look I did I kept it simple and used only the medium shade in my crease (that is what you see when my eyes are open.) This is a good daytime smokey look and if you want to add more drama for evening just go back in the crease and add the darkest color to it and add a thicker bottom line under the eyes. You'll see what I mean in the pictures below!

 

1. Start with a clean primed eye. You can prime with foundation and powder like I did you with a neutral colored primer.

 

 

2. Take your black eyeliner and start lining your upper lash line as if you were applying your normal eyeliner. Continue making the liner thicker and thicker until almost your entire lid is lined with black liner.

 

 

3. Take your finger or a firm eyeshadow brush (I used MAC #252) and spread/thin the eyeliner out all across your lid and crease. It's ok if it looks messy just make sure you at least have a decent curve at the crease and it's not super blotchy. If you need to add more eyeliner and blend it out in certain spots then do so now. This creates your eyeshadow base.I am using black because it allows you to get the dark smokey look quickly and shadow really stands out and pops when applied over black.

Notice it isn't perfect and that's ok but it's not blotchy and it has a nice shape

 

4. Once you have your decently smudged out eyeliner looking the way you want (remember, if you want it more dramatic make it darker in the crease) you can now start to add your first eyeshadow (you can use the same brush, you may need to wipe it off with a tissue though.)

 

5. Use a small amount of your darkest shadow and pat it on your lid. I used MAC's Club. It is a reddish brown green grey. I know, sounds like the color of mud but it is so pretty over black eyeliner and has a little shimmer to it. I normally only use it over black liner. If used alone it does look a little muddy.

 

 

6. Now here is a cool trick. Turn your brush upside down so the top bristles lie on top of your lash line and make sure you pack that color as close to the lash line as you can. This is a good way to make sure it stays darkest at the lash line. Apply and blend the darkest color onto the crease but not above the crease (unless you're going for more drama)

This is what it should look like once you've applied the dark color

7. With a fluffy brush (mine-MAC #217) apply your medium tone shadow. I used MAC's Texture which is a tan red brown. Now BLEND BLEND BLEND in the crease. Do circular swirls and/or back and forth like a rainbows arch from inner corner to outer corner. Once you start doing this you will start to see your look come to life. This is an important part and can make or break your look, this is what most people see when your eyes are open. You can never blend too much. Also, if you want it a little darker dab a little of the dark shadow and a little of the medium shadow and blend some more.

This is what it should look like once you've blended in the medium color (notice that blob of black eyeliner base is gone:)

 

8. With a soft flat brush (mine-MAC's #239) use your lightest color, I used Vanilla by MAC, as your brow highlight. I like to sort of wiggle the brush under my brow as I move it around. Then pull down just a little to meet and blend with the medium colored shadow.

 

9. If you need to go back and forth between step 7 and 8 to make sure the graduated color is well blended please do. That's what I do. It's almost as if you want to blend so you can't tell where one shadow ends and the other begins. This can easily be achieved by repeating the steps till it looks the way you want.

 

10. Apply your liner to the lower water line and lower lash line then use a pencil brush (MAC's #219) to go back over the eyeliner and smudge it out. This should create a smudgey smokey look. Then if you would like, line your top lid (like you would normally.)

The line does not have to be too thick (see above) because it will thicken as you smudge it with your pencil brush

See how it thickened a little. It will softly thicken as you do step 11 below

 

 

 

 

11. Next using your pencil brush use a little of your darkest color mixed with your medium color and go over the eyeliner and thicken the blurry smudgey line to your desired thickness. The thicker it is the more dramatic is will look.

Yes, I had to use the same picture as above...but you get the idea :)

12. Apply mascara.

YOU'RE  DONE!

The finished product

I know it seems like a lot of steps but it's not- I just talk A LOT. I really like to break it down for you. That is why I need to get my video stuff straightened out ASAP. It's a lot shorter that way(and FUN.) Once you get this down you'll be doing it in no time and switching out the colors to have a blue, purple, green, or whatever color you desire smokin smokey eye.

 

OPTIONAL STEP- This last step is optional but I highly recommend it if it doesn't bother you. Line the water line of your upper lashes. This is called "tight lining" It makes the lashes look thicker and you won't see any lightness from your skin which can make all your hard work look "unfinished." All you need to do is gently lift the lid a lid a little or tilt your head back while looking in the mirror and run your pencil along the area where your lashes grow. It's just like lining your waterline on the bottom. Some people have a hard time with it because it tickles.

 

I do this all the time. It's a great way to thicken the appearance of the lashes (and then apply mascara) when  you want a defined eye but don't want to wear eyeliner on the top part of your lash line.

Alert- Eyeball close up! This shows you where I am referring to when I talk about "tight lining"

On a side note- Don't be afraid to use your fingers to help blend and blur your eyeshadow. Just don't press too hard or drag your finger across your skin. The warmth of your fingers can help move product around but make sure you do it ever so lightly!

 

I hope this tutorial is helpful to you. If you have any questions please feel free to comment!

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Thanks again and have a Beautiful day!

 

-A

I hope you all have enjoyed my favorite things so far. Like I said, when I started taking pictures of my favorite makeup it sort of turned into my favorite things/what I can't live without. Maybe some of you use the same things! Are they your favorite things too? Enjoy the final installment of my favorite things!

My 31 bag that has my business name on it (sorry it's hard to see) This is great to help me haul my makeup bags to and from work sites. Its black pinstripe and pink handles and writing! It is very helpful.

I will put a Louis Vuitton bag to the ultimate test! This was my Christmas present from my lovely boyfriend a while back. It's the Artsy MM. The smaller is what I use as my wallet. It's called the Pouchette. I love both of these. The wallet is big enough to hold everything that I need and it is also used as my clutch when I don't want to take the BIG Artsy with me. My son no longer needs a diaper bag but boy do his belongings seem to find their way in here! LV bags are more expensive but they hold up so well. Ill carry this bag for a long time and won't need to spend money every year on handbags. As you can tell, I carry it a lot, the handle has conformed to my shoulder.

 

The simple and classic ballet flat. I have them in every color under the sun and wear the heck out of them. I LOVE these. I love shoes in general but I especially love the ease and classic look of the ballet flat. I wish I could show you every color I have but that would be embarrassing. I mostly buy them from Old Navy, they always have a great selection online. These happen to be J.Crew. I caved and purchased them because I couldn't find a Kelly Green anywhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

Hair Stuff

 

My Chi Iron (upper left) has been with me forever. Well worth the $100 I spent years and years go! It straightens my natrually wavy hair in no time!

Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo (upper middle) is a life saver. This is great to use in between washes. It absorbs the oil that may have surfaced, doesn't dull your hair, and leaves it smelling super clean! I buy mine at Sephora. This is the travel bottle ($11) but they have a large bottle ($21?) and it last forever!

I recently bought this Remington Curl Wand at Target ($25) and I am in love! I am not good at curling my hair but this thing makes it super easy. I did some research and read great reviews about this particular brand. I feel like the trick is that the wand doesn't move around your hair, you move your hair around the wand (if that makes sense) and for me, it's a lot easier to curl that way!

 

I'm not very good at painting my nails and I don't really have time to sit and let them dry like they should. Problem solved with these. I got them at Walgreens ($10) They have lots of different colors and prints. They say its enough for 1-2 uses but I don't just use one strip per finger, I will use one strip for 3 fingers if I can!! I can get about 3-4 uses out of one box. They really don't chip until about week 2. They seriously last that long and they are way easier for me to apply and NO dry time!!!! Thank you Sally!

 

 

 

 

Yes, I know this is Pleasures for Men and no I don't wear it. It's my boyfriends and I love it. Ladies, if you haven't smelled this please find a bottle and take a big whiff! It smells awesome. I love it on him and I wouldn't want him to wear anything else. It is the perfect blend of cool, sweet, and spicy - A great balance. My personal favorite for myself is Ralph Lauren Romance (no photo.) It's a cool floral. It's the only thing I wear.

 

 

 

Speaking of things that smell good: This "Leaves" Oil from Bath and Body Works is awesome. I put it in my little oil burner and light it with a tea light candle. It makes my whole house smell like I have been baking on a fall day! It's a good balance of cinnamon and apples and fall. Truly indescribable. I wish I had a scratch and sniff for you :( These are $5 and last a long time. I have been really impressed with  Bath and Body Works candles and oils. They make my entire house smell great. A lot of times I don't even need to light them and they still have a good strong smell.

 

 

 

 

It so funny how many things I used when my son was a baby that I can't seem to stop using now that he is older. Seriously, the Dreft Stain Remover will get ANYTHING out. I have never seen anything like it. Even stubborn stains - Just let it sit for a little bit and it will literally vanish when you wipe it away. The Dreft Fabric Refresher smells like a baby in a bottle. I use it like Febreeze. Who doesn't love the sweet smell of a baby? (with a clean diaper of course)

 

 

 

 

My boyfriend is the best gift giver ever! (Or is it that he is a great listener? Probably both!) This is my Dyson vacuum cleaner. (I can't remember what the number is, 35 maybe? It's the one right under the Dyson Animal.) This was my Valentine's Day present. Some people made fun of the fact that I got a vacuum for Valentine's Day. "That's not romantic" they would say. Um, yes it is! It's romantic that he pays attention to my needs, to what I love, to the things on my wish list, and pays attention to the fact that I was really struggling with my old vacuum. He knew exactly what I needed and wanted and that's why it's SUPER ROMANTIC! I am in love with not only my boyfriend but also my Dyson. It is worth the extra money. The first few times I used it I was in awe. There really is NO loss of suction (just like the commercial says) and it is so easy to turn and move around. It's like it's dancing on the floor all while cleaning ANYTHING off of it! I wanted to go outside and vacuum and would have but feared my neighbors would have me committed! I believe you get what you pay for and if it is something you use every day (and I do use this almost everyday thanks to my golden retriever Jack) then pay the extra money and get a good quality product that will last for years- just like with makeup :)

 

 

 

 

My boyfriend and I LOVE coffee...LOVE coffee. I bought the Keurig Mini Plus for him for his birthday and we use it every day. They are about $100 but I bought mine at Kohls and used a bunch of coupons and they had a special on appliances so this thing was dirt cheap by the time I was done. I chose the 'Mini Plus' because it was the only one in white. We wanted it to match my appliances and the larger Keurigs only come in black. I have used the larger one at my family's houses and I honestly can't tell a difference. The only thing that is different is you have to put water in each time you use it and it may take 30 seconds longer to brew. I am fine with putting water in each time since I know it's fresh. If you haven't seen a Keurig yet, they don't use typical filters and it brews one cup at a time. You insert these little pods called K-Cups which have the coffee and filter all built in. You can then choose the brew strength. It's super easy and fast and they make all differnt kinds of flavors, even tea and hot chocolate! We have cut back on Starbucks a lot since having this! Speaking of Starbucks....

 

 

This is one of my favorite things. A Grande Iced Coffee with 3 pumps of vanilla, 3 ounces of cream, whip cream and chocolate drizzle on top (do you all like this awful picture of a half empty cup!-Sorry, I should have taken a prettier one!) I always have a sleeve of course. I don't like when my cup gets all wet on the outside the sleeve makes that problem disappear and my hands don't get cold when I'm holding the cup. Normally I use my reusable cup and sleeve but not the day I took this photo. I used to work at Starbucks so you can imagine how addicted I am. Try this combo! It's a great balance of coffee, cream, and sweetness! (even if you don't get the whip and drizzle.)

 

 

 

 

These are my secret guilty pleasure. I can only find them aaround Easter at Target (oh, I have even gone as far as to call the Peeps Customer Service to see what stores will be carrying them and when) They are chocolate mousse Peeps with the bottoms dipped in dark chocolate. YUMMO! Between my boyfriend, son, and me this package is great for each of us to have a little sweetness. I seriously will buy out my local Target just so I have enough to last me all year. Crazy? Maybe....But that's what we do for our favorite things.

 

 

 

 

This gum will kill anyone's {bad breath just ate a bunch of garlic and then Mexican with coffee to drink} in about 3 seconds. That's why I love it. No one wants a makeup artist in there face with bad breath. No one!

 

 

 

 

Q-Tips. Random I know. I use these things for so many things. I don't know what I'd do without them. I know some doctors say you shouldn't clean your ears with Q-Tips but I do. But I also use this to clean up my makeup, arts and crafts and so much more. They are an ingenious little invention.

 

 

 

Ive gotta know what time it is and this big bad boy will tell me! Another gift from the bf (I'm spoiled) and it's funny how all his gifts end up on my favorite things/can't live without list :) This is the Michael Kors Oversized Tortoise Watch. It goes with everything. It's the first watch that I've owned that I want to wear all the time. This watch has made me a watch lover, especially a Micheal Kors watch lover!

 

A couple of other favorite things that I can't live without that I don't have pictures of: My IPhone (I don't think I need to explain that one!) My digital camera because I can never have too many photos of the thing I love the most......my family and friends! They are for sure my favorite thing-Especially my son!

 

 

 

Well, I guess that wraps it up! I am sure I could keep going but Ill stop here. Three blogs about my favorite things is enough!

 

Thanks for stopping by. What are your all's favorite things? I'd love to know, maybe they could become someone else's favorite thing too!!

 

And as always, please check out my other site:

 

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Don't forget to subscribe and share so you can always be up to date on all the FUN we have around here!!

 

 

Thanks again and have a beautiful day!!

 

-A

 



 

 

Hey Everyone! I hope you like the new look of the blog. It got a makeover!!

Since there was too much FUN going on with my last post I had to break up "A Few of my Favorite Things" in to 3 posts! This is part 2. It covers the rest of my favorite/can't live without makeup products -eyes/lips- the fun stuff!. The 3rd post will be about all of the other random things in my life that are my "Favorites"

 

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack. Most of the time I wear my liner winged out and most always it's black. For those two reasons I love this product. I apply it with MAC's 266 angled brush (left). For me its better than a liquid. Far easier to use and I like the look of it. It's also waterproof and last forever!

Tarte Skinny SmolderEyes in Black. This is new to my "favorite things" and I just blogged about it. I bought a set the other day at Sephora and this liner was in it. I really didn't even care about the eyeliner because I have plenty of black liners but I was so impressed with the other items in the set that I gave this a try and I was floored by how awesome it is. The best pencil liner I have used. It is the blackest black and stays ALL DAY! It goes on super smooth. You have about 60 seconds to work with it then it sets to a waterproof liner. I really want to go back to Sephora and get more Tarte products to try them out. I was very impressed by the whole set that I bought (read here) and now I want to try more from this brand. I always passed by it at Sephora and thought the packaging was kind of silly so I assumed the product would be too. I have mentioned before that I like simple packaging and sometimes I feel like companies spend a lot on packaging to disguise a mediocre product. AHH that's the marketing degree in me! Boy was I wrong with this one and I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Lesson learned and I am happy about it!

Mascara. I have two favorites. DiorShow in black and MAC's Haute and Naughty in black. These two mascaras feel totally different and by that I mean that Dior is a very dry mascara and MAC's is wet. They both dry down and don't flake but you have to work with a dry mascara differently than a wet mascara. DiorShow is great to achieve thick full soft lashes. You can build and build and build without having to wait for it to dry because it is a drier mascara. MAC's is great because it has 1 brush but 2 tops. (see right picture) When you unscrew it from the purple top you get a lot more mascara on your brush and when you open it from the pink top that same brush goes through a skinner opening so the brush comes off really clean for a natural look or as I like to use it, to comb through my lashes after applying it with the purple top. This mascara build and lengthens and basically has 2 different functitons in one tube. Its blacker than the Dior. I like to wear the Dior when I am just wearing mascara and no liner and I want my lashes to be big and fat and I wear the MAC when I need length and separation. Plus the MAC costs half as much so I use that one a lot more!! DiorShow is like $35 which I cant justify all the time but it's nice to buy every now and then. Even though I don't use the Dior everyday it's still a favorite.

Eyeshadows. Besides the Dazzlelight which is technically an eyeshadow but I use it for so much more there are a few that I just love and couldn't imagine living without:

1. MAC's Carbon is a matte black that I use over liner or to darker any eye look.

2. Bark by MAC is a grey brown with a hint of purple to it. Basically its the color of smoke which is why I like it for a, you guessed it, smokey look. It will go with just about anything and lasts forever.

3. Texture by MAC is a red brown and I like to use it in the crease and under my eyes when I do a neutral smokey look. I a red brown under the eye because unlike a grey I don't have any chance of looking like I have any dark circles or looking tired. Ill do a blog on some of my favorite shadows one day. There are so many "must haves" but these are the three that I can create a lot of different looks with.

Lipliners. Of course they are going to be MAC. Most of this is.

I love lipliners. I probably have about 100 but there are a few that I just love and go through faster than others:

1. Sublime Culture- It's a very light neutral fleshy pink. Its water resistant and is great to define the lips and fill them in (to neutralize your natural lip color and to make your lipstick stay longer) without adding a lot of color. For very tan skin this color may even lighten your lip color.

2. Oak- This is about as light as Sublime Culture but is a neutral brown with no pink in it. It has a yellow undertone which is nice for nude lips.

3. Staunchly Stylish- This is a great all around go to lipliner. A good staple to have. Its not too pink, not too brown, and it stays all day!

3. Auburn- I love to wear a nice red lipstick and I like my lipliner to be a red with a hint of brown to keep the lips defined and warm. Even if I wear a bright red or a red with a hint of orange I don't want my entire mouth to be that bright so I add depth and warmth with the Auburn lipliner.

Lipstick. Unless I am wearing a bright bold color or a dark berry or red (all of which I typically like more of a texture to and really pigmented) I like my lipstick to feel thin and smooth like it melted on to my lips. My favorite texture- yes lipsticks have textures: matte, cream, frost, lustre, glaze, satin, velvet.....anyway, my favorite texture is a lustre or glaze. Which basically means it looks like a lipstick but melts onto your lips and had a slight sheen like a gloss would but does not have as much shine as a gloss. They are also typically sheerer in color and just give you a wash of color and a little shine. My favorites:

MAC-Hue(glaze)-light peachy nude (pictured left)

and

MAC-Plink (lustre)- sheer light baby pink (pictured right)

(neither of these have a pearly or frosty look to them.)

Revlon- Colorburst Lip Butter- How great does that sound. And it lives up to its name. Its basically a lip butter with a hint of color. I have a lot of these (and am planning on doing a post about lipstick soon) but I like to keep the Creme Brulee in my purse at all times. It is a very sheer caramel. This is one of the only color I don't wear lipliner with. I use it for moisture and to tone down the natural pink in my lips.

Nivea Lip Balm with Milk and Honey. Ok so there are 3 things that make it into my wallet that don't pertain to "wallet stuff" (the wallet it the most important thing in my purse and the one thing I never am without) and they are Fling brow pencil, a lipliner, and my Nivea Milk and Honey lip balm. Goodness forbid I be without my brow pencil and Nivea lip balm. I LOVE this. Ill wear it with a lipliner and blend really well and make my own lipstick. It is so soft on my lips and is not like some "chapsticks" that just dry your lips out. There is nothing worse than no brows and dry lips and that's why they are in my wallet- because I always have my wallet and know that Ill never have dry lips or bad brows!

These are staples in my makeup collection. These are tried and true products that can't be beat!

Are any of these your favorite things? If not then what is. I would love to hear about them and I ALWAYS like to try new things that come highly recommended! I think it's safe to say we all do!

PS: Sorry for any typos. I wanted to get this out to you all and my proof reader is at work:)

Check back soon for part 3! In the meantime check out my other sites:

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Thanks again and have a beautiful day!!

-A