Happy Hump Day!

Y'all.

Finals are almost over.

I have one final left, in God forsaken Spanish, and then I am done for the spring semester, and my summer can begin! Three cheers for not driving across the city every day!

Anyway, today was one of my few (daytime) days off, so I decided to try messing around with a little makeup again. I blew the dust off of my makeup folder and unearthed this:

Photo and look by @makeupbyalinna

I went sifting through my drawers and whatnot and came across that Rimmel pencil and the L'Oreal single that I bought way back when and I thought, hey, why not?

This is what ended up happening:

A closeup on the eyes:

A comparison shot:

And a video.

Clearly, it's not as fanciful as the source of inspiration, but, in my defense, it looked much better before I tried to darken my outer V like she did; that's where it got muddy on me. But that's what I get for trying to exactly duplicate the look; I should've finessed it and let it be. But I still liked it! So, here's the details!

FACE:

Primer:

• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• E.L.F. Mineral Infused Primer on the rest of my face

 Concealer:

• Mouth: L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector with the Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown under the foundation, and L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn over the foundation
• Nose, Chin, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown
• Under Eye: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn; Ruby Kisses Pure Mineral Concealer in Chocolate Brown

Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Foundation in 340 Cappuccino

Face Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Golden Cashews

Bronzing Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Warm Hazelnut

Setting Powder: Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder in Neutral Light

 

BROWS:

Filler: L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer in Dark Brunette

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn

 

EYES:

Primer: LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows:

• Transition: #5, in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 1
• Crease: #12, in the Morphe 12NB Palette, with #8, in the E.L.F. Mad for Matte Palette as a crease definer
• Lid: the Rimmel London ScandalEyes Eyeshadow Stick in Blamed Blue, with the L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Eyeshadow in Teal Couture over top
• Outer Third: #12, in the Morphe 12NB Palette, and #8, in the E.L.F. Mad for Matte Palette over top
• Inner Corner: E.L.F. Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Toast, diffused a little with the KIKO Milano Water Eyeshadow in #208
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from Outer to Inner): 
• #8, in the E.L.F. Mad for Matte Palette
• #12, in the Morphe 12NB Palette
• E.L.F. Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Toast

Eyeliner:

• Top Lid: NYC Big Bold & Precise Eyeliner
• Wing: MUA Professional Dual Ended Cat Eye Liner in Midnight Black

Mascara: L'Oreal Paris Butterfly Intenza Midnight Black on the top lashes; Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

 

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

#7, in the Makeup Revolution Golden Sugar Ultra Blush Palette, with #4 in the palette over top, and a little of #1 over that, just in the center

 

BLUSH:

#4, in the E.L.F. Studio Blush Palette in Dark

 
LIPS:

Lipstick: Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Gorgeous, with Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lacquer in Vamp

Liner: Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner Eyeliner in Coffee Bean

 

Let me leave you with a little piece of advice: DO NOT PUT ON TWO SUPER DRYING MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICKS. DON'T FUCKING DO IT. SWEAR TO ME THAT YOU WILL NOT DO IT. I got the color that I was looking for, but my lips now feel like shit, so take this with you: Milani lippies + MUR lippies = shitty lips. That is all. Carry on.

x Ashlan

Assault with a deadly weapon.

Today was supposed to be a chill day.

I had it all planned out. I had work this morning, and then an early Mothers Day dinner with my mom, grandmother and uncle, because he wouldn't be able to treat them to dinner on the actual Mothers Day weekend. We were supposed to meet at 5:30 to eat; I was going to do my hair around two, and then beat my face around 4 or 4:30, so that we would have ample time to pick up my grandmother and get to the restaurant.

That was, of course, until my mother strolled her happy butt over to my side of the house to tell me, at 4:15 (bare faced, contact-less me), that we were leaving at 4:30.

Fifteen minutes? Fifteen minutes? To get dressed and beat my face and find an actual complete pair of shoes in my tornado site of a room? I honestly didn't even know what I was going to wear, but I didn't have a choice but to leave it to God and haul ass. I left my contacts behind and opted to just attempt to do a little something from behind my spectacles, so I sped through a quick application of makeup (a rosy toned smoky eye that I was actually quite pleased with), and then I got to the mascara.

Reader, dear reader...if you're prone to accidents, do not buy the Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! mascara. You will lose an eye. No, I'm not kidding. I'm very serious. You will blind yourself. I'm talking Oedipus blinding here. You will inevitably jam that son of a bitch right into your eye, and you will lose your sight. Have you seen the brush for the TR! mascara?

 

Image from emmabydesign.com

Let me get you a close up.

 Image from amazon.com

I shit you not: YOU WILL BLIND YOURSELF.

I got to the mascara and, for the second time since I purchased the damn thing, stabbed myself in the eye, and for a split second lost a complete grip on all that is reality. When I came to, there was mascara on my under eye area, mascara on my lid, mascara in my eye; everywhere but the damn lashes. I only had enough time to fix the foolishness on my actual face before I had to leave, which left me with this:

SOME BULLSHIT.

I couldn't do anything but stick my glasses on my face and keep it moving. Luckily for me, you can't see a thing from behind my frames, so it was safely hidden, but I was still thoroughly pissed. Here's the rest of the face.

 #vivalacrochetbraid #returnofthecrochetbraid

I didn't have time to finesse in my room or in the car, so I was left with the yellowish light in the bathroom. Here's some flash photography:

And with the glasses:

If I didn't have time to fix the mark on my eyeball, then you already know I didn't have time to do a video. Let's move on to the details.

FACE:

Primer:

• Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Matte Rescue Mattifying Gel on my T-Zone
• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• E.L.F. Mineral Infused Primer on the rest of my face

 Concealer:

• Mouth: L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector with the Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fallow under the foundation, and L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn over the foundation
• Nose, Chin, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fallow
• Under Eye: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn; Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Fallow

Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Foundation in 340 Cappuccino

Face Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Golden Cashews

Bronzing Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Warm Hazelnut

Setting Powder: Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder in Neutral Light

 

BROWS:

Filler: ColourPop Brow Pencil in Black 'n Brown

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn
Brow Gel: Milani Brow Shaping Gel

 

EYES:

Primer: LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows:

• Transition: #9, in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 2
• Crease: #10, in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 2
• Lid:
• Overall: #7, in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 2
• Inner Third: #4, in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 1
• Inner Corner: E.L.F. Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Toast
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from Outer to Inner): 
• #10, in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 2
• #9, in the L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 2
• E.L.F. Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Soiree
  

Eyeliner: Rimmel London ScandalEyes Gel Liner in Black

Mascara: The perilous Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Mascara on the top lashes; Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

 

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

#7, in the Makeup Revolution Golden Sugar 2 Rose Gold Ultra Blush Palette, with #6 in the palette over top

 

BLUSH:

#4, in the Makeup Revolution Golden Sugar 2 Rose Gold Ultra Blush Palette

 
LIPS:

Lipstick: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Untainted Spice

Liner: Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner Eyeliner in Coffee Bean

 

Besides almost losing my already poor eyesight, I was really really pleased with this look. I was able to put on a full face of makeup without having my family look at me like "where do you think you're going?", so the subtlety was a success. I think I'm just going to get rid of the Benefit mascara, though; it doesn't work nearly as well as my L'Oreal mascaras, and for the full sized tube to cost thirty dollars, I need it to work, and not injure me. Yeah, bye.

Okay, that's it! I almost didn't do this blog because I'm lazy, so be proud of me! I'll see you later!

x Ashlan

My Sincerest Apologies

I know, I didn't do a blog post for you guys yesterday, and I've apparently spoiled you rotten with daily shenanigans, so I'm sorry for throwing a monkey wrench in your routine. 

But see, what had happened was, I had to wash my hair, right. Like, the month for my crochet braids was up and it was time to give some serious attention to my head, so makeup had to take a back seat for once! One day, just one day - get off my ass!

Anyway, I'm back. And I had some new makeup to play with, and a new hairstyle to deal with for the week, so I went sifting through my makeup folder again and unearthed this:

Photo and look by @mariahjbarnum

By one of my favorite makeup artists to recreate from, and I was like...I just got some of the new ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows what would match this, so why not? Here's my recreation

Along with some daylight pictures:

Peep the highlight:

A closeup on the eyes:

 Somewhat of a comparison shot:

And a video! This time posted on Photobucket, so hopefully it'll actually work.

Can you tell I was feeling this one??? Of course, it's not an exact recreation, but I thin I came decently close; at least in the same ballpark, I think. I loved it! And even though you can see all of my fat head with this hairstyle, you can also see all of my highlight, so that's a plus and a minus! Details!

FACE:

Primer:

• L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base Primer on my cheeks
• E.L.F. Mineral Infused Primer on the rest of my face

 Concealer:

• Mouth: L.A. Girl HD Pro Orange Corrector with the Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee under the foundation, and L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn over the foundation
• Nose, Chin, and Uneven Skintone on Cheeks: Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee
• Under Eye: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn; Nicka K New York HD Concealer in Coffee

Foundation: CoverGirl Queen All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation in Q825 Golden Honey

Face Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Golden Cashews

Bronzing Powder: Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Warm Hazelnut

Setting Powder: Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder in Neutral Light

 

BROWS:

Filler: ColourPop Brow Pencil in Black 'N Brown

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn
Brow Gel: Milani Brow Shaping Gel

 

EYES:

Primer: LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows:

• Transition: #8, in the Morphe 35T Palette, followed by #31
• Crease: #6, in the L'Oreal La Palette Nude 1, and #9, in the BH Cosmetics Shaaanxo Palette
• Lid: 
• Overall: the ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow in Flower Shop
• Inner and Outer Thirds: #10, in the Makeup Revolution Unicorns Unite Palette
  
• Outer V: the ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow in Coconut
• Inner Corner: #3, in the Makeup Revolution All About Bronzed Ultra Bronze Palette, with the Wet 'N Wild ColorIcon Single Eyeshadow in Brass over top
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from darkest [outer corner] to lightest [inner corner]):
• #31, in the Morphe 35T Palette
• with #6, in the L'Oreal La Palette Nude 1
• and #9, in the BH Cosmetics Shaaanxo Palette at the corners

Mascara: L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Carbon Black on the top lashes; Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

CONTOUR:

Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

 

HIGHLIGHT:

Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Bronzer in Rock On World, with #3, in the Makeup Revolution All About Bronzed Ultra Blush Palette over top

 

BLUSH:

#4, in the E.L.F. Studio Blush Palette in Dark

LIPS:

Lipstick: Milani Amore Matte Lip Cream in Covet, with a little of NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London in the center

Liner: Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner Eyeliner in Coffee Bean

 

I was going to rave some more about the beatness of my face, but I'm getting irritated with trying to sell this last LORAC palette, because everyone hates gold, for some reason. If you're interested in a LORAC palette, let me know! You'll be the only one lol okay I'm going to go buy a sandwich bye!

 

x Ashlan 

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor.

...I think that's how it goes.

Okay, show of hands: how many of us have read/seen the Hunger Games books/movies? I got on the bandwagon a little late (I didn't even realize that there were books until the first movie showed up), but I've read and seen everything. If you have as well (or have at least seen the movies), then you know a little something about the Capitol, and you know a little something about the Capitol's fashion sense.

The Capitol is a hot ass mess.

It's like old school Nicki Minaj, George Clinton and the Jetsons rolled into one, if you can imagine that. Everything is colorful, asymmetrical and oddly shaped, and just about nothing matches. That included the tributes for the Hunger Games; well, except for District 12, of course; Cinna wasn't going to let it go down like that, and I wouldn't either. I mean, you're already going to your death, hypothetically speaking; I'm going to need you to not look like Boo Boo the Fool whilst you do it.

Anyway, when I started playing around with makeup today, making use of the new Ruby Kisses Customizable palette I put together (Firefox keeps telling me that Customizable isn't a word, but we're just going to roll with it; y'all know what I mean), and when I finished the look, the first thing I thought of was that damn Capitol. But not, you know, the hot ass mess half; I mean the Cinna-Portia-Katniss-Peeta corner of the Capitol, where things matched and actually looked good. 

And a video, of course.

Can't you hear the anthem playing? Doesn't it give you the willies? Those people in the Capitol needed help. Anyway, here's what I used!

BROWS:

Filler: Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner Eyeliner in Lavish Brown

Browbone Highlight: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn

 

EYES:

Primer: LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

Base: The Sculpt powder in the Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette in Medium to Dark

Shadows:

• Transition: #3, in the L'Oreal La Palette Nude 1, followed by #5, in the BH Cosmetics Missy Lynn Palette
• Crease: #6, in the BH Cosmetics Missy Lynn Palette
• Lid (Gradient from outer corners to the center of the lid, on both sides):
• Midnight Howling, in my Ruby Kisses Luxe Colour Customizable Palette
• #13, in the Makeup Revolution Mermaids Forever Palette
• Tropical Paradise, in my Ruby Kisses Luxe Colour Customizable Palette, with a little bit of Ice Cloud, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette over top
• Inner Corner: the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in Bella Chiffon, with a little it of Ice Cloud, in the Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette over top
• Lower Lash Line (Gradient from darkest [outer corner] to lightest [inner corner]):
• the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in Bella Copper
• the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in Bella Gold
• the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in Bella Chiffon

Eyeliner:  

• Water Line:  Jordana Cosmetics Easyliner Eyeliner in Blue Devine

Mascara: L'Oreal Paris Butterfly Intenza Midnight Black on the top lashes; Ruby Kisses Very Sexy Mascara on the bottom lashes

 

Alright, there you have it! The first original look that I've done in about a week or so, I think. I'm really feeling these RK eyeshadows, and considering the price (FIFTY NINE CENTS EACH) I think they're phenomenal. Okay, that's it! It's pretty early in the evening, so I'm going to make the most of it and write my butt off! Later!

x Ashlan