Gilded Lily Beauties- Goth/Alternative Bridal Make-up

Every bride wants to look perfect for her special day. For some women, that means soft pastels, French manicures, and a warm glow. Some ladies, however, prefer an alternative approach that, while unconventional, is no less beautiful.

When my friend, Jeaneth, approached me on doing the make-up for her wedding day, I was thrilled for the opportunity to help the bride realize her vision. She was going for an edgy, colorful look with a touch of goth. The following is a recreation of the look created for her on my own face (we tried to take pictures for this on the actual day, but turns out these wedding things are hectic, yeah?) but don’t forget to check out the pictures of the bride in action at the end.

Tools for face:

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 3.5

Estee Lauder loose powder

Concealer

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin

Tools for eyes:

Inglot Duraline

Nars Eye Shadow Primer

Angled brush, shadow brush, and blender brush

Yves Saint Laurent Eye Pencil in Velvet Black

Physician’s Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner and Serum

Ulta mascara

NYX Single eye shadow in Cherry

NYX Eye shadow trio in Cherry/Cool Blue/Hot Pink

LA Splash Diamond Dust Eye Shadow in Tampered

Tools for lips:

MAC Lip Stick in Show Orchid

MAC Lip Stick in Black Knight

Lip Brush

Part 1: Face

Step 1-

You’ll want to look flawless so go ahead and apply a matte, HD foundation and use your concealer on any blemishes or under eye circles as necessary.

Step 2-

Apply your blush. I like the Dream Bouncy line because of its unique texture that leaves your skin with a soft glow without being overpowering. You apply this brand with your fingers and tap the color in.

Part 2: Eyes

Step 1-

Use your shadow primer on your lids and apply a coat of light blue.

Step 2-

Use a vibrant red shadow with your blending brush and apply it on your crease, reaching up to your brow.

Step 3-

Use Duraline (a mixing medium that allows you to turn loose powders into a gel liner) by dabbing some onto a mixing palette if you have one or the back of your hand.

Step 4-

Mix some of your loose, red shadow into the Duraline until its consistency allows you to paint it on with an angled brush like a liner.

Step 5-

Apply the red liner starting from half-way through your lid, forming a wing line that extends to the corner of your eyebrows. Thicken the line.

Step 6-

When you feel the liner dry, use a black, felt tip liner to carefully create a line against the red. Bring it across your entire lid.

Step 7-

With the same liner, add two extra lines under your red and black one, in decreasing length. Keep these looking curved and playful.

Step 8-

With the felt tip liner, line your bottom lid.

Step 9-

Form two little dots in between the three lines (a total of four dots on each side.)

Step 10-

Use your felt tip liner to draw in three little “lashes” to the outer corner of your bottom lid.

Step 11-

Paint a stripe right above your crease. Take care that it is far away enough that it doesn’t smear when your eyes are open.

Step 12-

Add a little, curved branch to the stripe.

Step 13-

At the corner of each eye, make a little star by first creating a triangle with elongated bottom corners, then filling it in. Finish the star by drawing a stripe through the triangle.

Step 14-

Fill in your waterline with pencil liner and apply mascara.

Part 3: Lips

Step 1-

Apply your bright magenta lipstick.

Step 2-

With a lip brush, dab some of the black lipstick on, blending it with the magenta until you have a unique shade.

Your look is finally complete!

So how did our bride fare on her special day? See for yourself!

Wishing you both the best!

Monochrome Madness- Beautiful Blue

A fun blending technique I like to use for my eye make-up is using one color in varying shades to create a look. It’s dramatic and over the top, but you need not worry about color coordination. For this particular tutorial I’ll be using blue.

What you’ll need:

Eye shadow base/primer (Urban Decay’s Primer Potion)

Periwinkle blue shadow

Navy blue shadow

Turquoise shadow

Baby blue shadow (make sure this is lighter than your periwinkle)

Navy liner

Royal blue liner

Blue mascara (not pictured, d’oh!)

Step 1-

Apply some eye shadow base to your lid only.

Step 2-

Cover your lid with the periwinkle blue.

Step 3-

Apply your base in a thick diagonal stripe starting from the corner of your eye.

Step 4-

Fill the stripe with the navy blue.

Step 5-

Fill in the rest of your area (crease to brow) with base.

Step 6-

Fill it in with the turquoise.

Step 7-

Dab some baby blue in the inner corners of your eyes.

Step 8-

Line your bottom lid and waterline with the navy liner.

Step 9-

Line the top lid with your royal blue liner, then bring it back around to the inner corner of the lower lid, to bring the look together.

Step 10-

Sweep some blue mascara on to finish!

Dior Lip Glow

Sometimes lipstick is too much for a certain look. Lip gloss or lip balm are the solution, of course, but they aren’t always perfect. They can be a little too colorful, when you want something natural or a little too sheer when you want to stand out.

That’s why I absolutely love Dior’s Lip Glow. Though it looks like a light pink, its unique chemistry will cause it to react differently to everyone’s unique skin color, yet still look very natural and not overdone.

As you can see, it gives my lips a soft pink tone. Depending on your skin tone, you can get this result or a more berry-like shade, but whichever it is, the color is sure to match you perfectly.

This product (which comes in a chic little package) also goes on silky-soft and carries a little spf 10 to protect your beautiful lips from the sun.

Final Verdict: Love it! 

How to Clean Make-up Brushes

If you recall my Beauty Commandments, you’ll know that keeping clean make-up brushes will help lead you to healthy, clear skin. I personally like using a special brush cleanser, such as this one from Bare Minerals.

Not only does it clean them thoroughly, but the conditioning factor keeps them soft on my skin. Others swear by baby shampoo, mild dish detergent, and oily-skin face wash, but these might be too harsh on your brushes, leading to shedding and a decrease in quality.

So what’s the best way to wash them? Well, here’s what I do:

Step 1:

Get your dirty brushes wet.

Step 2:

Add a little dollop of soap to the bristles.

Step 3:

Gently massage the soap into the brush. Little by little, you’ll start to see the left-over make-up beginning to lift. Aren’t you glad you’re not gonna get all that oil and dirt on your face???

Step 4:

This is a little trick that helps me remove some of the more stubborn layers of grime. I add a little more soap and I use the brush as if I were applying make-up to the palm of my hand. You’ll see more and more stuff come out.

Step 5:

Rinse your brushes.

Step 6:

If you press them against a surface and the water doesn’t run clear, repeat the above steps until it does.

Step 7:

Leave your brushes to dry, facing down. This will keep water from collecting in the metal part and causing rusting and weakening of the glue that holds the bristles. If this is not possible for whatever reason, at least lay them horizontally, never with the brush part facing upward. Allow them to air-dry and try to put something under them to absorb the moisture, like the paper towel I’m using. Keep in mind that you should replace it with a fresh, dry one every so often, especially if you’re drying much thicker tools, like body powder or kabuki brushes.  

Notes:

- This tutorial works just fine on sponge-tip applicators, sponges, and powder puffs.

- While I want to say that you should do this every time you use your brushes, let’s be realistic. Try to do it no less than three times a week, if you’re a make-up-everyday kinda gal. If not, adjust accordingly. If you find yourself unable to do it more than once a week, invest in a spray cleanser or baby wipes, along with your brush shampoo. These won’t get them as thoroughly clean as an actual soap would, but you can quickly use them after every make-up application to stave off some of the dirt. Just don’t forget to give them a thorough wash when you can!

Stay beautiful. 

The Body Shop’s Earth Lovers Shower Gels

Sulphate-free. Paraben-free. Colorant-free. I’m sure you’re aware by now that hearing your beauty products described as such is a good thing. You’ll be happy, then, to know that all three apply to The Body Shop’s Earth Lovers Shower Gels. These eco-friendly cleansers are designed to be entirely biodegradable (bottle included!) and are made from natural ingredients that won’t harm the environment, even when washed down the drain. They also come in delicious and creative fruit and herb fragrance combinations, although don’t expect to smell too much of the latter in any of them. The lather they produce is luxurious and rich and they’ll leave your skin feeling hydrated and fresh.

Here are my thoughts on the individual products of the line:

Apricot and Basil:

I’m gonna be honest, I’m a little sad that this smelled all apricot, with little to no basil involved. However, said apricot was very juicy and sweet, so I can’t be too unhappy with it.

Pear and Lemongrass:

Ripe, refreshing pear with a hint of fresh lemongrass.

Watermelon and Eucalyptus:

I was very sad that I couldn’t find any eucalyptus (which I love) in this. However, like with the apricot and basil, the watermelon was still very nice, saving the gel from being a letdown.

Cucumber and Mint:

This wasn’t as minty as I wanted, but it was as tingly and refreshing as one would imagine anything involving these two ingredients would be.

Fig and Rosemary:

Out of the bunch, this was the one where the “herb” ingredient was most noticeable and I gotta say, the combination was delightful. My favorite.

Lemon and Thyme: (Not Pictured)

I didn’t buy this one, but I did whiff it in the store. It was a little too “floor-cleaner” for me.

Final Verdict: Like it! 

PS- In case anyone's wondering why I post so many things from The Body Shop, I actually used to work for the company, plus I've been following the brand since I was a little girl. What can I say, I'm a  fan.