A year of makeup.

Hi Guys,

No look or review for you today. But I saw a really interesting video that I wanted to share with you guys. They applied a year's worth of makeup onto a model in one session and filmed it. It's fascinating to see how unnatural and grotesque it is when worn all at once. It's definitely made me think a little bit about what I put on my face!

You can read a little bit about the making of the video and the inspiration here. Isn't that crazy?

I'm curious what you guys think of that! Does it make you re-think wearing makeup every day or inspire you to wear less makeup? I don't know that it will change how often I apply makeup, but it does make me think a little bit harder about whether or not I really need to be putting so much unnatural stuff on my face every single day. And not that any of us would apply this much makeup in one sitting, but it also re-frames makeup as something that masks your real face; it helps me see where people who criticize makeup as something people hide behind are coming from, since it really does look like the model is wearing a mask at a certain point in the video. If nothing else, it's fascinating to see what happens if you layer that much makeup on top of itself! It's kind of horrifying.

Vintage NYE Look

Hi Guys,

I know it's a little late to be showing you my New Year's Eve look, but I've been so busy with work I haven't had much time to do fun faces for you all, so I figured I'd post photos of this since it's already been photographed. I won't give you the complete run-down of products used, mostly because I don't remember them all, but I know I did use a lot of my basics; MUFE Face & Body Make Up for the foundation, Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara, etc...  I was inspired by a kind of 1940's/ 1950's look for this; I know you can't see my outfit, but I was wearing skinny black pencil capri pants and a faux-wrap leopard print top with a mandarin collar and little cap sleeves with my hair in curls and pearl drop earrings. I did a variation on a cat-eye and red lip to match.

The stars of the show are Meow Cosmetics eyeshadow in Ra used wet on the bottom lash line and above Urban Decay's liquid liner in Revolver on the upper lash line, and NARS lipstick in Rouge Basque.  I was going to a friend's family party, so I didn't want to do a look that was too over the top, but I still wanted to look celebratory and festive, so I gravitated towards warm golds and reds. I can't say for certain what I used on my cheeks, but I suspect it was a combination of Hard Candy blush in Pin Up, Illamasqua blush in Beg, and NARS blush in Douceur...

Yes, my barrette matches my shirt. Don't judge!

And here's one where you can really see Ra glowing on the lower lash line. Enlarge for the full effect:

Using Ra wet on the lower lash line is my new favorite thing to draw attention to eyes; it's unexpected and glows like crazy, but because it's gold it's still something that works for lots of occasions.

I know it's a bit late for a NYE look, but I'm not supposed to wear crazy makeup to work so we don't detract attention from the brides, and I am too nervous wearing lipstick around all of those expensive white dresses that I have to get all up in all day long. It's been rough guys! I love my neutrals, but it gets boring day after day when I can't pair them with a bright lip! My days off are week days, so I'm generally not doing anything too exciting then, and I've been sick on and off, too... I'm not trying to throw myself a pity party here, but part of why I've been posting less frequently (aside from being really busy) is that I don't have as much to post; I can't just take photos of my everyday manicures and looks because I'm not allowed to wear much color to work, and I've been too busy with work to have a lot of makeup play-time on the side! Oh well, once I get settled into a routine I'm sure I'll find ways to make it work. Just be patient with me until then!

Do you guys have jobs where you are required to wear understated makeup or nail colors? Do you feel like you go crazier with makeup on your days off, or that it stifles creativity even when you aren't working with those restrictions?