This is one of my go-to looks for days when i'm feeling a little under-the-weather - nothing serious, just a little Autoimmune flare-up, but i find that on days like today my skin can be a little (a lot) pale and peaked, and my eyes a little tired.
This look, using a nude palette, will help to open up the eyes and add a bit of much-needed healthy, natural-looking colour without being complicated or overdone.
A nude lip adds the finishing touch. Check it out:
This was actually about 7 hours after i originally made up - the only thing i had to touch up was my lipstick and face powder, because i'm an oil slick and it's balls-hot outside today. Thank you, Chicago summer...
I began with the eyes - as i always do, even before foundation so i don't have to go back and clean-up/reapply under the eyes. Total waste of time, and i don't like extra effort. Because LAZY.
I began with my brows, because it sets the "frame" of the eyes. I find i may overdo it un-necessarily on the rest of my eyes if i don't have a strong brow in place. Because dude - look at my natural brows on the right, here:
Indeed. On the left (obviously) I used Chanel's brow pencil in Blond Clair, which i'm finding works just fine when my hair is a bit on the more golden side, but right now i toned it to this 1960's neutral-ash deal, and i'm finding it's a bit too warm (this will become apparent on some of the other pics below). Other than that, i find it's a great pencil because it seriously does not budge all day. It comes with a handy little spoolie on the end, and also, it's HUGE. One pencil will last you a good long while.
Moving on from my beautiful eyebrows *coughs* -
The shadows i am using for this look are:
NARS eyeshadow duo in Tzarine
Inglot single shadow #463.
I begin by applying Urban Decay's ubiquitous Eyeshadow Primer, which is definitely a must if you want your eyes to stay on. And who doesn't want that?
Next, i apply the Inglot #463 all the way from lashline to brow. I love this shadow which is a lovely pale beige-y, peachy-golden shade with what i like to call Grown-Up Glitter, meaning it's not obvious or chunky and won't emphasize any crepey or lined skin you may have.
I adore Inglot shadows across the board, by the way. They're intensely pigmented, smooth, high quality shadows for $6 USD a pot. I mean, seriously.
Inglot #463 over entire lid. I seriously have transparent eyelashes, too. Good grief.
Next, i apply the lighter shade in the NARS Tzarine duo up to the crease - basically using the orbital bone as a guide. The colour is just about a shade-and-a-half darker than the Inglot shadow, but, subtle as it is, it adds a bit of depth and complexity to the look.
Then, using a small dome brush (because my smudge brush, which i'd normally use at the lashline, is officially a piece of crap [don't buy Sephora's brush kits. They feel like porcupine quills on the lids]. I have a new MAC one on it's way to me as i write this. So i'm making-do. The indignities i suffer for you...), um...what was i saying?
Right - using a small dome brush, i smudge the darker shade in the duo into the outer 1/3 corner of my upper-lashline only, and up into the V, taking it about 1/3 of the way up into the crease.
Then, BLEND. For the love of God, people. Please.
I do this using a larger fluffy domed brush, which works beautifully.
A bit about this duo - it's bleedin' gorgeous, i'm telling you. That grey - my crappy photo does not do it justice. It's a nice, cool, pigmented grey. It's got teensy flecks of glitter that match the lighter shade in the duo. Again, this is Grown-Up-Glitter - it's subtle enough for day but adds just the right amount of interest and makes your eyes look all glowy.
Next, i apply a deep black gel-liner. The one i used here is a Korean brand, which i am addicted to now - the SOLONE GEL-LIKE SMOODY PENCIL in Silver-Black. You can find it on Ebay if you're in the USA for around $12. They are SUPER-pigmented, glide on smoothly (smoody?) and, if you pick up the waterproof version, it will last all day.
I tried to capture the little flecks of silver sparklies, here:
And the entire lid:
Then i finished up with a Victoria's Secret Voluptuous Volume mascara in black i picked up for $5 the other day, which is pretty nice, i am rather surprised to say. As you can see, i kept the lower-lashine clean-looking, with a peachy (NOT white) liner on the waterline and lower-lashline - the reason being that i personally find it opens up the eyes and makes them appear brighter and more awake. The one i'm using here is a light peach/beige liner from Chanel in Clair, which i'm honestly not too pleased with as i find it lacks in pigment and is actually a bit too subtle. I'm currently in the market for a better one!
Anyway - when i'm not feeling my best, i've found that putting anything dark on that area can make me look a bit squinty and tired (because i am, in point of fact, squinty and tired...). And, as it's a weekend-y daytime look, it suits well enough.
Next, it's time for foundation! Today, since my skin's looking a little haggard, i am using my trusty Guerlain Parure de Lumiere (in shade Beige Pale 01). I love this stuff because it sort of adds a nice diffuse glow to my skin and doesn't emphasize any lines or flakiness. You may need a bit of concealer around the nose and under the eyes if you have redness/dark circles like i do - but i've gotten away without it using this foundation. This stuff's pricey at $59 USD a pop, no doubt - but the bottle is pretty big and a little bit goes a very long way. Just three pumps will cover your face and into the neckline. It's certainly not the most expensive foundation out there, to be sure - and i find it worth it because my skin can look very pale and sallow with under-eye circles and redness around my nose when i'm not at my best - and this takes care of that as well as lasting me about a year (i do rotate other foundations, but this is one of my favourites at the moment). I've had this bottle for about six months and it's not even half-gone. So worth it!
And on the face, no concealer:
Guerlain Parure de Lumiere foundation, RBR Delicata blush, NARS lipstick in Belle du Jour
Next is a bit of blush applied to the apples of the cheeks - here i used RBR (Rouge Bunny Rouge for the uninitiated) Delicata - a beautiful neutral-peach shade that is just perfect for a natural glow without looking obvious. I use this in lieu of bronzer, which i can't wear without looking ridiculous because i am just so bloody PALE.
Next, I set my face with a bit of Trish McEvoy translucent powder, which kinda takes away from the "luminous" effect of the foundation - but as i mentioned it is HOT out and i will be shining like a greased-pig if i don't use powder.
Finally, i lined my lips with Chanel Lip Pencil in Praline, filling my lips in a bit to make the lipstick last longer. For the lipstick, i went with a nude-lip with peachy undertones using NARS' Belle du Jour. This is a nice, creamy, pigmented nude that won't give you the dreaded "concealer-lips" look - i've used this on much darker skin-tones as well, back when i worked for NARS in Honolulu and it's freakin' gorgeous on pretty much everybody.
And there you have it, folks! My easy daytime look using minimal products. This look lasted me about 4 hours before i needed to reapply lipstick and powder - the eyes are still going strong!
I hope you all enjoyed this little FOTD post - please feel free to leave any comments below :). Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, where i'll be using some Indie products like Detrivore and Black Rose Minerals for my look!
*kickass semi-precious stone necklace by Lush Boutique on Etsy
xo
The Painted
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