Bad Blood

Last weekend before we were self-isolating and before I spent the week sick in bed I created this look  that was inspired by something a bit unusual. I've said here before many times that inspiration can come from anywhere and last Saturday I was inspired to use shades based on the colour of blood, both wet and dry (this is down to a couple of nose bleeds I had during the week).  I understand that it seems gross but I thought the colours were both different and complimentary and I wanted to create a look that included both. 

If you image search the colour of dried blood you'll understand, it's like an earthy, reddish brown. I had a look at my palettes to find similar shades for my eyes and I came up with the Urban Decay shade 'Punk' and the Anastasia Beverly Hills shade 'Red Ochre'. I used both of these on my lids and under my eyes in a more circular shape and just used mascara to define my eyes for more of an imperfect, grungy feel. I tried it with two different lip pairings- a pink/nude gloss, Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in the shade Fussy and then a more bold blood red, Urban Decay Rock Steady Vice Lipstick.

I wore a medium coverage foundation, Bite Beauty Changemaker, as I wanted to cover any redness in my skin since I knew I'd be wearing reddish tones on my eyes and my lips. This foundation evened out my skin and gave coverage without being too full on. I used a more neutral colour blush, Glossier Dusk, with a slight amount of Storm mixed in to again avoid my cheeks looking too pink or red. I finished my skin with the Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face as there is very little pigment, it's more about texture and brings the skin to life if your base happens to look too dry or flat. 

I really love how both versions of this look turned out and I hope no one was too grossed out by my inspiration. Which version do you prefer?

*Glossier Futuredew Oil Serum Hybrid
Bite Beauty Changemaker Supercharged Micellar Foundation (L15)
Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer (Baked)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer (Light/Fair)
Soapbrows
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler
*Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette (Skimp and Punk. This palette is sold out but Punk is in the Born to Run palette too
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (Red Ochre)
Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Dusk and Storm)
Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face (Prism Rose)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Pixi Glow Mist
NYX Professional Makeup Suede Matte Lip Liner (Lavender & Lace)
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer (Fu$$y)
*Urban Decay Vice Lipstick (Rock Steady, this shade seems to be discontinued by the UD shade Gash is quite similar).

*PR Samples
** I bought Dusk, Storm is a PR sample

***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour

I'm no stranger to a blue eye makeup, see here, here, here, here and here. As you can see I've worn it time and time again in various shades and in various ways. The one shade I have yet to find is the perfect cornflower or powder blue, which I'm hoping Glossier Skywash shade Pool will be. I love how blue can look both modern and retro. The powdery blues of the sixties into the electric blues of the seventies and eighties. I'm well aware it's not to everyones taste, but I think whether done in a subtle way as a liner or an all out bright blue shadow like below, it's definitely an eye-catching statement and a bit of fun which is exactly what I want from my makeup sometimes. 

If you do an image search for blue eyeshadow looks, most of them are these elaborate cut crease looks with precise blending and liner and huge false eyelashes, but that's a bit too much for me so I wanted to create my own version with a bit of a nod to the sixties and seventies. I used three shades of blue from two different palettes, the BPerfect Carnival Palette and the new Fenty Beauty Snap Shadows Pastel Frost palette. I added the frosted blue from the Fenty palette on top of Sky from the Carnival palette because I wanted it to be vibrant but somewhat muted too. I added some elongated winged liner and individual lashes on the outer half of my eyes for some extra drama. 

As always with a statement eye look (and in general) I kept everything else looking minimal and fresh. My skin has been very dry lately and I don't know whether it's weather or pregnancy related so I've been using the Clarins Plant Gold oil emulsion to prep my skin after exfoliating, it's such a great product to use before makeup as it's a bi-phase liquid with the Clarins Blue Orchid oil and a melting emulsion which makes it hydrating and lightweight. I used the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer as it both adds hydration and helps foundation last longer. I then applied one of my absolute favourite base products, the IT Cosmetics CC Cream as it helps to colour correct and cover any redness. I wanted my skin to be as even toned as possible with this eye look, the CC Cream is full coverage but to me it doesn't look or feel like it. You can build it up if you want to cover more but I just use one pump all over my face and it covers what I want it to.

I used some cream bronzer and contour for dimension, something I find is definitely a necessity for me when I'm using a more full coverage base. I loved the idea of mixing blue and pink so I mixed Glossier Puff and Storm Cloud Paints on my cheeks and the Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face in Prism Rose on the high points of my face. I then finished the look with one of my favourite lip products, the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. I've had many of these in various shades since they launched years ago, it's a product that I always have in my collection. They look, smell and feel amazing. It added just the right amount of shine and colour to my lips to not compete with the eyes and has that sixties feel I was going for. 

You could do the same look with any bright colour eyeshadow or a neutral if you're not into wearing bright colours on your eyes. I think the elongated liner transforms any eye look and I love how different it makes the shape of my eyes. I felt amazing wearing this makeup and isn't that the whole point of it!

Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer
*IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream (Fair)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Touche Éclat (Rose Lumière)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter (02 Golden Peach)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
Soapbrows Kit
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
*Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
*BPerfect Cosmetics Stacey Marie Carnival Palette (Sky, Recharge)
Fenty Beauty Snap Shadows 8 Pastel Frost (Muva's Boy)
*Glossier Pro Tip
Chanel Beauty Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Storm and Puff)
Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face (Prism Rose)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Pixi Glow Mist
Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector (05 Candy Shimmer)
Ardell Individuals Knot-Free Naturals (Short and Medium)

Have you tried blue eyeshadow or would you?

Emma x



*PR Samples
**I bought Puff myself, Storm is a PR sample
***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.