Purples are Gray-t!

It was just another boring day in Maggie's room but then she decided to put makeup on!

I wanted to do a darker eye/fall-into-winter look, so by default I turned to purple eyeshadows. And well, I thought purple would be a good color for this kind of look anyway. Plus, I wanted to use my MAC Moth Brown that I got from Dovey, hehe.

In addition to Moth Brown, I also used a L'Oreal Infallible in Sahara Treasure that I got from Jian a while back. Next to Moth Brown, it turned into this lovely grayish-brown as opposed to its usual gold-bronze nature. Such an unexpected, but pleasant turn of events!

Even though my eyes were a little bit more dramatic, I thought red lips would still go well with the look. I really didn't want to do nude lips. That weird expressionless picture of me on the right was supposed to show off the perfect flush my Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine gives me!

Why yes, I do have weird bottom dimples.

To intensify the look, I used Urban Decay's Frigid to deepen the outer v, and to balance all the darkness, I popped on L'Oreal Iced Latte in the inner corners. Products used:

• Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Birthday Suit
• L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure & Iced Latte
• MAC Eyeshadow in Moth Brown
• Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Frigid
• Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Vintage Lace
• L'Oreal HiP Color Chrome Eyeliner in Violet Volt
• Max Factor 2000 Calorie Dramatic Look Mascara in Black (thanks Jian!)
• Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine
• NARS lipstick in Flamenco

Alas! Maggie would have been all dolled up with nowhere to go...but she did have somewhere to go. And she had forgotten that she'd run out of makeup wipes, so she ended up going out to dinner with her parents with all of that on (well, sans red lips)!? It was a lot more makeup than she was used to, but her parents said it was pretty (for once), so perhaps it won't be too bad if she were to wear something like this more often?

Yeah, I don't know why I'm speaking in the third person either.

Colors Around the House

So today I would like to introduce to you a new series on my blog, Colors Around the House. Basically, it's like my Color Play and Theme Play posts, except these posts will be inspired by things around my house. The objects in our houses can become forgotten, mundane, and everyday, so in an effort to rediscover the gems and lovely things around my house, I thought I'd take them and relate them to makeup -- something I forget about sometimes as well.

Also, it'll be a nice little activity for me to point out the things that make up my house before I leave for college next year. I'll start this off with three things around my house that aren't necessarily forgotten, but it'll do for now (because the things I might find later on could potentially be a little weird): my taupe circle scarf, blue denim shirt, and red heart-shaped sunglasses.

The knit/texture of the scarf really comes through here, doesn't it?

My love for taupes has spread from makeup to clothes and accessories. My knit circle scarf being one of them, I wanted to see if I had any makeup colors like it. Calvin Klein's Sensuous Taupe (line now discontinued) was the first to come to mind. Similar to my scarf, it's a warmer, browner taupe but with a satin finish. Next was Essie's Mochachino nail polish. It has the similar depth as my scarf, but just a little cooler. I wanted to show how taupes are often very purple, so I took out a neglected KATE trio in PU-2 as well. It's a very gray-toned purple color palette, so I thought it fit in pretty nicely.

Just sittin' cozily in the pocket.

Another item I pulled from my house is this much-loved denim shirt. It was actually my mom's from the 90's, but now it's mine since she doesn't wear it anymore. It's faded and worn so well -- it goes well with everything! Inspired by the more masculine look and fit of the shirt, I took out the Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in Lemon & Chamomile. I also picked out Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Le Bleu de Jim and L'Oreal HiP Pigment in Valiant to show the variations of blue in a denim shirt.

My window shades look kinda scary in the reflection.

My heart-shaped sunglasses have just been sitting around since summer ended, but every time I see them, I instantly smile. Just the sight of the sunnies are so cheerful, so I thought I'd pick out some cheerful reds. As NARS Flamenco lipstick is my only red lipstick, it had to go in. It's a juicy red that can be sheer or built up. The other two are deep, but bright colors: Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint in Enchanted and Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine. Enchanted applies like a balm as a reddish-pink, but stains to be a light red color. Plum Wine is a deep plummy red, but is still very vibrant and lively.

So, what do you think about this new series? The idea struck me this morning when I looked at those sunglasses above. I can't wait to show you some of the other knick-knacks I find in my home. It's really interesting to see how the things we're attached to can be right next to things we're not. What are some objects in your house that strikes up inspiration? 

Fall, I heart.

Goin' all Yoda on the tag title. ;)

Why yes! I am giving in and doing the I Heart Fall tag that is taking Youtubeland/the blogosphere by storm right now (like Hurricane Sandy, eh?). You may have noticed my love for the season already, if you've been following my blog, but I thought I might as well partake in this fun little tag anyway.

First, let's put some toasty music on to warm us up before we read this tag. Let it simmer in the background while we read, shall we?

The song is Tourist by Yuna, a Malaysian singer-songwriter. Her voice is just like silk, isn't it?

1. Favorite Fall lip product? I don't know 'bout y'all, just being practical here, but it would have to be my Burt's Bees lip balm. It gets mighty cold up here, especially in the morning when I have to wait outside for the bus to get to school, so keeping my lips moisturized is my favorite thing to do (hah!).




2. Favorite Fall Nail Polish? I only recently got into nail polishes, but I think from the four I own, Essie's Mochachino would be the best fall nail polish. It is a lovely taupe with silver shimmers. See my full post here.

3. Favorite Starbucks Fall Drink? I used to be addicted to Starbucks, but thank goodness I curbed that. I still treat myself to their yearly holiday drinks, though. But before that comes around, I'd probably get a hot chocolate here and there. 
Perhaps I need to give that Pumpkin Spice Latte a go first?

4. Favorite Fall Candle?
 Not really a candle person, but I really like the smells of mint or cinnamon.

 

5. Favorite Fall Scarf or accessory: This taupe-colored knit circle scarf I got at Banana Republic last year. It was pretty reasonably priced, and it keeps my neck so warm! It matches with almost everything too, which is awesome. Another favorite fall accessory would have to be my beanies!

6. Haunted house, haunted hay ride, or haunted corn maze?
 I'm a bit of a scaredy cat, so I'd probably go with the haunted hay ride. You get to stay in a moving vehicle, right?

 

7. Favorite Halloween movie? 
Definitely definitely It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Hands down, the best. So adorable and timeless.

8. Favorite candy to eat on Halloween? 
Mmm, probably the leftover candy that I don't pass out, haha! I like Twix, Reese's, and Skittles. All candy is my weakness actually.

9. What are you dressing up as for Halloween?!
 Well, that passed already...and it's still fall so I'll answer anyway?! I dressed up as a hipster panda for Halloween. I was rather satisfied with my costume actually, go see it here if you haven't already.

10. What is your Favorite thing about Fall? I'm pretty sure y'all know that I favor a lot of things about fall. The warm, vibrant colors in the trees warm me up on any cold day. It's the season where hot drinks finally feel right. I get to bundle up in layers (I really enjoy this actually). The brisk air. And of course, it's the wonderful precursor to winter, my favorite season of them all. See some of my fall posts here and here.

What's your favorite thing about fall? If you haven't already, you should totally do this tag! (That is if you like fall, though.) (And also if it's fall in your neck of the woods right now.) (Too many parantheses.) Speaking of winter, WE JUST GOT OUR FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON HERE TODAY! Exciting, I know. :D

Overcast Blues

The past two weeks here in Boston have been gray and rainy. The ever-present clouds made me appreciate the little peeks of blue sky even more than usual. Clouds really do have their own kind of beauty. Their different shapes, sizes, and intensities can really make a day feel gloomy or cheery. They could be an eerie sign of forthcoming rain. Or they could just be stray clouds wandering the bright blue sky.

Another snap from last week's little hike.

It was a beautifully, clear, cloudless sky today, though, which made me miss them a little bit. I thought I'd put together some colors to remind me of the skies of yesterday.

I pulled together a few dark, cool-toned eyeshadows. They consisted of blues, grays, taupes, and a few other muted colors. There was nothing too loud in the colors I picked out. There's always this fragile serenity to clouds, so I used that conceptualize my colors.

1. Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Bluesmoke: Like the name suggests, this is a nice, deep navy blue with this gray smokiness to it. I think this would create the perfect navy blue smokey eye along with Revlon's Matte eyeshadow in Riviera Blue (3).
2. MAC Pigment in Deep Blue Green: This is one heck of a pigment. It has a rich, deep bluish-charcoal base, but then it also has this gorgeous teal duochrome that makes it just so pretty.
3. Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Riviera Blue: I remember I thought these eyeshadows were the bomb when they came out. Oh silly young, makeup noob me. It's a nice, deep gray-blue color in the pan, but applies so unevely.
4. Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Frigid: In the pan, Frigid looks like a very promising, unique indigo color. However, it applies more purple rather than indigo. I still quite like it, though, because it's still a really different color. 
5. MAC Eyeshadow in Moth Brown: I received this from Dovey this past week. I've never had much luck with giveaways, so this was such a pleasant surprise! Moth Brown definitely did not disappoint. It's this complex purple-gray-taupe that's so darn pretty, she explains it better here.
6. MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe: Between the two cooler taupes, Satin Taupe looks so much more brown. It adds a layer of complexity to the colors I gathered.
7. Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Quad in Sandstorm (the last shade): This is a deep, almost completely gray taupe. This really reminds me of dark rain clouds.
8. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit: I thought the group needed a little light, and this was the best fit. As a champagne color, though, it's not too bright nor too dark, which was perfect here.
9. Rimmel Lipstick in Airy Fairy: This is a cool-toned, mauve-pink with a gold sheen. It's such a unique shade because the color itself is very cool, but the gold sheen warms it up and creates a lovely lip color.
10. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle: What's a fall/cloudy color palette without a deep lip color? This is like my beloved Revlon Soft Rose's younger sister! It's a browny-rose pink that I just adore.

Is it just me, or would 5, 6, 7, and 8 make a lovely quad? I'd totally buy it.

Some close-ups of the swatches.

(I was too lazy to swatch it on my nails.)

Also, befitting with the theme is this Essie nail polish in Power Clutch. It's a rich, charcoal color -- totally reminiscent of smoke and dark clouds. 

The other goodies she packed into the package.

I really want to thank Dovey for hosting such an awesome giveaway and for being so generous with the samples! As you can tell already, I'm lovin' Moth Brown. I hope you guys enjoyed this post. It's been a while since I last played with some colors, huh? Have a great rest of the weekend! :)

Rawr, I'm a...

Happy Halloween, ladies! For those of you who celebrate it, that is. :D

I just wanted to share with you my costume this year. It's my last "kiddy" Halloween, so I decided to go out with a mature and tasteful bang. I put together the costume myself...can you guess what I am?

The red strap's a backpack by the way.

What's black, white, yellow and sips lattes at cafe-bookstore hybrids? Did you get it now? I'm a HIPSTER PANDA! I knew I wanted to be a panda, but I wanted to give it a little twist too. A clever twist, hehe. 

First, I bought a white men's v-neck from H&M. Then I painted the sleeves black. I cut up an old black shirt, filled them with cotton balls, and sewed them onto a black headband as my panda ears. I was so proud of myself because I am not a sewer. Lastly, I slapped on some black skinnies, hung my faux wayfarers on my collar, et voila! A contemporary (hipster) panda. Whaddya think? :D

Loafers from this post.

It was definitely a step up from last year, when I dressed up as Senor Chang (played by Ken Jeong) from my favorite TV show, Community. To the say the least...I was pretty damn attractive that day. I don't know what I was thinking.

Though I do still have that mischievous state of mind?

If you didn't notice already, I parted my hair in the middle (strange!!!) for a more hipster-y look. I dare say, I don't think I look too bad with a middle part. I also curled it myself for the first time ever! I borrowed a curling iron from my friend. These pictures were all taken at the end of the day, so they'd become waves by then, but I still like it! Need to invest in a curling iron/straightener now, I'm hooked.

For extra panda-ness, I put on a ton of eyeliner. I used the Dollywink liquid liner and patted on some black eyeshadow to set it. I don't own a plain black eyeshadow, so I had to use one with gold glitter, which gave a pretty cool effect.

This was taken at the end of the day, held up pretty well!

And so, I bid my last kiddy Halloween farewell. Peace! 

(Yes, this post would not have been complete without a .gif :D)

Horror-ish, Halloween effect? Eh, I tried.

How was your Halloween? What did you dress up as? Or do you not like Halloween or was too lazy to dress up? Do tell me in the comments! I'd love to hear.