FOTD: Leopard Print Masquerade And I Finally Got Naked!

It's been a while, but I'm back with a bang!

I have a new job that I'm still adjusting to, but I've missed you lovely people, 

so I needed to come back with something special.

I received my Naked Palette through post the other day, 

after buying it in a BuyaPowa Bargain Bonanza for only £25. 

See here.

I realise I'm about two years too late for the Naked Palette Party, 

but I believe it really is a must have palette to own. 

I've had a look at the newly released Naked2 Palette, 

and decided I don't need to purchase it, there are too many dupes, 

and only a couple of original colours. 

Swatches and comparisons of Naked2 can be see here on Temptalia.

So what did I try first? A soft neutral eye? A smokey-brown?

Nope, I jumped straight in and decided to be a leopard.

I was heading to a Masquerade Party on Saturday, and being too stingy to fork out for a mask, 

I decided to try something a bit different and paint my own in make-up.

Of course this look isn't for everyone, but you can tone it down to just the eyelids for a night out.

As I was in such a rush, and to be honest, wasn't too sure whether it would work or not, 

I didn't take step by step pictures, but it is extremely easy to do.

Products Used:

- Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Shade 100, Ivory

- Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer in Shade 010, Ivory

- Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Ecro

- Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder in 021, Transparent

Contour:

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4

- L'Oreal Paris True Match Blush in Innocent Flush

- Benefit Blush Coralista

- Benefit Highbeam

Leopard Print + Eyes:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion

- HD Brows Kit in Vamp

- Urban Decay Naked Palette, Most Shades

- Unnamed Black Liquid Eyeliner

- Benefit They're Real Mascara

- No7 Lash Adapt Mascara

Lips:

- Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in 024, Red Diva

- Rimmel Kate Moss Collection, Lasting Finish Lipstick in 01

Method:

- Apply your base, (foundation, concealer, powder), as normal.

- Put eye primer on any areas you would like to to paint.

- Apply a gold-toned brown to the area you want to add your spots to.

- Take an array of darker browns from the palette and apply in small strokes. I used a small concealer brush to apply, sweep the tip of the brush over my face in short motions.

- Using the same method, apply the golden colours to your face.

- Line your eyes with black liquid eyeliner, in a cat-like flick.

- Now, onto lining your leopard marks, go round any spots you've made in a controlled yet messy looking fashion. Aim for an unorganised, disjointed circle.

- Curl your lashes, and coats with lashings of mascara.

- Finish with a bold red lip, line your lips with red lip liner and fill. Then go over with red lipstick, straight from the bullet. The new Rimmel Kate Moss Collection Lipstick in 01 is my new favourite red, it's matte, and packs a hell of a punch.

I love this look, it's not very often you get a chance to go all out and embrace your wild side!

It's out-there, but it's also very classy and sexy, with a hint of danger.

Will you be daring enough to try this look?

And, do you think the Naked2 Palette is worth buying?

M x

P.S, My new giveaway prize has arrived, and will be announced as soon as I reach 150 followers. 

I have 148 Followers at the moment, and I'm being really OCD and waiting for those extra 2 lovelies to follow. 

So if you're hovering over the follow button then, 

what are you waiting for? 

Click it :)

Also, Don't forget to enter my Christmas Giveaway, bundle of prizes include Bourjois, Eyeko, MUA and Forever 21.

Halloween Make-Up Tutorial: Owl/Bird of Prey

Happy Halloween! 

Today is my last Halloween Tutorial until next year, and I've loved doing them. It's helped kick my blog off with a bang, and when else do you get the chance to be creative and go wild? 

Speaking of being wild, today's tutorial is an Owl, yes, A OWL BRUV! 

(Anybody else seen Phoneshop? Don't click if easily offended).

My friend Katherine phoned me up on Friday night, stressed to tears, because she had yet to find a Halloween costume for a party we were going to on Saturday. 

She didn't have any money to spend, and limited supplies, so being the lovely friend I am, (that and she promised to buy me a drink), I offered to do her make-up. 

Like I said, Katherine didn't really have a costume, so the make-up had to be the main attraction. 

Katherine, with her love of all things owly, decided to throw me right out of my comfort zone and asked to be an Owl. I'm not a make-up artist by any means, but wanting to help out a desperate friend, I uneasily agreed.

Here is the result:

Isn't she stunning?

Whadd'ya think? Not too shabby, even if I do say so myself. And Katherine loved it! 

If you want to recreate this look then here is a step by step tutorial and all the products used.

Products Used:

Base: 

- 17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer

- Classic Colours Snazaroo Face and Body Paint in White
- Loreal Paris Infallible Foundation Matte Finish in Porcelain

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 1

- Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4

Feathered Flecks:

- MUA Heaven and Earth Pallette, Most Shades

Eyes:

- No7 Mini Teal Eyeliner

- Black Liquid Eyeliner

- Golden Browns Palette (Bought From A Euro Store in Spain)

- MUA Single Eyeshadow, Pearl Shades 12 and 9 (The Most Gorgeous Purple Duochrome)

- Sleek I-Divine Palette in Storm, Shades 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12

- Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in 021 Red Dynamite

- Benefit "They're Real" Mascara

Lips:

- Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in 021 Red Dynamite

- NYX Lip Cream in Amsterdam 

- Sleek I-Divine Palette in Storm, Shade 12

Technique:

- Firstly, (after applying primer) using a foundation brush I mixed Snazaroo Face Paint in white and Loreal Infalliable Foundation in Porcelain and applied all over the face, setting with Loose Powder.
- Katherine requested the eyes had a touch of Black Swan about them, so using my Rimmel lip liner in Red Dynamite I underlined the eyes and smudged. I then drew around the eyes in black eyeliner, taking a line from the side of the nose to above the eyebrow and into the hairline. 
- Next I filled in the outlined eyeliner using a matte black eyeshadow, then went over with MUA Shade 12. After that, I started to add flecks of colour using a flat lip/eyeshadow brush. I used my Sleek Storm Pallette as detailed above, and also added MUA Shade 9 and No7 Teal eyeliner.
- To create a softer, feathered effect to the eye, I blended the shape outwards with gold eyeshadow. Then using an array of browns and golds from the products above the gently flicked the eyeshadows towards the temples.
- To add a fluttery look, I used Benefit's They're Real Mascara.

- To make the face look feathery, I used my lip brush again, and softly stroked various colours from MUA Heaven and Earth Palette. Moving in outward in different directions, as seen above.
- To give a strong beak, I covered the lips using foundation and pressed powder then drew the desired shape with red lipliner. I then filled the beak shape with NYX Matte Lip Cream in Amsterdam, outlining with matte black eyeshadow to give a strong line.
- To finish, Katherine's hair was loosely curled and teased, adding feather hair accessories.

I think this look provides the perfect balance between theatrical and pretty, and am I the only one who thinks this would be a killer look for a Masquerade Ball?

I've been out the past two nights (Corpse Bride, fyi) and can't physically move from the sofa afford to go out tonight, so let me be nosey and live vicariously through you, 

what are your plans for Halloween?

And just to embarrass Kaffie, here is a very flattering picture of her mid-yawn. 

Sleepy Owl.

M x

Halloween Make-Up Tutorial: Twilight and True Blood Inspired Modern Vampire

Hiya, 
Today I've got another Halloween Tutorial, (are you sick of them yet?). 
Both the Halloween tutorials I've made before (Zombie/Corpse Bride and Lady Gaga Skull Face) have been very dramatic and scary looks, so I thought I would try a "prettier" Halloween look. 

I've called this look Modern Vampire as it's not your traditional coffin-dwelling, garlic-fearing, dodgy Transylvanian accent-bearing Vamp, (Sozza Dracula). 

Let me start by saying, I am a huge fan of Vampires, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (cheesy, I know), was, and is still my favourite TV Show. Although recently, thanks to the Twilight Saga and TV shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, there has been a Vampire explosion in modern culture. These Vampires or, Glampires, are sexy and sultry. 
Modern vampires have a timeless beauty. As Edward Cullen says in Twilight, 

"Everything about me invites you in — my voice, my face, even my smell". 

The Modern Vampire is designed to lure you in, they need to be sexy and straddle the line between innocence and danger. 

Apparently becoming a vampire means you get insanely glossy hair, a clear ivory complexion and impossibly chiseled cheekbones (must be the blood diet). Unfortunately not many of us are blessed with those striking features, so what's a girl to do, but fake it? 

My inspiration for this look is Jessica and Queen Sophie Anne from True Blood, (both fellow pale red heads) and Rosalie Hale/Cullen from the Twilight Saga. 

So here it is :)

To enlarge just click.

Products Used:

Base: 

- 17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer
- Loreal Paris Infallible Foundation Matte Finish in Porcelain

- MUA Brush-On Concealer Pen

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 1

- Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent

Contouring:

- MeMeMe Blush in Coral

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4

- Benefit Highbeam

Eyes:

- HD Brows Kit in Vamp (HarHarHar, no pun intended)
- MUA Mascara Shade 1 Clear (Used as Brow Gel)

- Sleek I-Divine Palette in Storm, Shades 2, 6, 11 and 12

- Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in 021 Red Dynamite

- Benefit "They're Real" Mascara

- Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Black

Lips:

- Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in 021 Red Dynamite

- MUA Lipstick Shade 13

Technique:

- I applied my base using the products stated, I used the palest foundation I had (Loreal Paris Infallible Foundation Matte Finish in Porcelain), which is the lightest colour in the range. 

- Vampires have killer cheekbones, I do not. So I applied my MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4 underneath the cheeks and applied Benefit High Beam aboves my cheekbones and on the browbone. There is a reason High Beam is nicknamed "Super Model in A Bottle".

- I used Blush solely for the purposes of contouring, the Blush I used (MeMeMe Blush in Coral) is a very light and peachy colour, I applied it softly as the blush has to be barely noticible, vampires do not get flushed. 

- Vampires are cold, they are not sweaty or shiny therefore, I set my face with Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent.

- As you can see from my inspiration collage all the Vampy lady's have perfectly defined brows, to achieve this I combed my brows, made sure they were no stray hairs and filled them in with my HD Brow kit, mixing the black and brown to get a dark brown. I then fixed my Brows with MUA Clear Mascara.

- Now, on to the eyes, I drew red lip liner underneath my eyes and in the waterline, I then blended outwards, applying a little matte black to the outer corner, and a little golden white in the inner eye.

- I then applied matte brown along the top line of my eye and blended, adding some golden white.

- Next, I took my Maybelline Gel Liner and lined my top eyelid, ending in a soft flick.

- To give a fluttery look I curled my lashes and applied 2-3 coats of Benefit's "They're Real" Mascara. I was going to add false lashes at this point, but I was more than happy with the effect the mascara gave, however if you wanted to add extra drama, go ahead.
- Lastly I lined and filled my lips with my red lip liner (Rimmel Red Dynamite), and put a slick of MUA Lipstick in Shade 13 over the top. I cannot praise this lipstick enough, its the perfect shade of bright blood red and is only £1!
- To finish, I lightly curled my hair with staighteners and used Neal & Wolf Glow Super Shine Spray to give my hair make my hair glossy (dead for over a hundred years yet I still have shiny hair?). 

I love this look, it's combines a sultry retro feel with a little bit of danger. 

And is it just me, or does the red eyeliner look pretty good? 

I think this is definitely a look which can be worn again and again. 

It's my new favourite night out make-up.
Go forth, Vamp up, and have a lovely weekend.

M x

Halloween Make-Up Tutorial Part 2: Zombie Corpse Bride. Grrr. Arrrg.

Seeing as it's nearly Halloween I thought I might treat you to another Spooky tutorial, 

treat, d'ya geddit? No, oh, I give up. 

I love Zombie Films, they are the perfect amount of cheese and horror, and a Zombie is such an easy yet scary Halloween costume, (scroll down to the bottom to see my past Halloween Costumes).

You can wear your old clothes, and using this tutorial you don't need a lot of make-up products. Here is a Zombie/Corpse Bride make-up tutorial. I've tried to keep it fairly easy to follow and used basic products.

You will need:
- White Face Paint, (if you are stuck just use a creamy moisturiser).
- Flour, any type, (you can use white face powder but it's not as easy to find).
- Black Liquid Eyeliner, best to use a cheap or old eyeliner as it may get damaged.
- Black, Brown, Green and Blue/Purple Eyeshadow, preferably matte.
- A red eyeliner/lip liner.
- Red/Dark Pink and Purple Lipsticks.
- Brushes for applying and blending.
- An optional extra would be a good primer, to help your look last all night.

Excuse the bemused faces I'm pulling, I would like to say I was channeling Zombie, but I'm still getting used to this posing malarkey. As always, just click on the photos to enlarge them.

- I started with a cleansed and moisturised face, this is very important as most face paints are oil based, meaning that if you already have oily skin, like me, you could breakout. The Base is very similar to my Skull tutorial. An extra option for this look would be to use a primer before you start, this will ensure an even base, and help your make-up last longer.
- First, I applied "Classic Colours Snazaroo Face and Body Paint" in white all over my face, it can be quite hard to work with so I used an old foundation brush.
- Next, I set the base with flour, yes flour! Just your everyday self-raising flour. Of course you can use white powder if you have any, but who does? Just lightly dust the flour around the face until your base no longer feels tacky. I used an old blusher brush, but any brush with soft bristles will do.
- Now you have your base you can start with the detail. I shaded one of my eyes with black eyeshadow. I wanted my Zombie face to be quite haphazard so I only shaded one eye, I find that the look is best when it is not symmetrical. I also took my black eyeshadow onto my temple and under my cheeks.- I then took my liquid eyeliner and drew a line underneath each eye, at this point I also drew cracks in my skin.
- To give a bruised and bloody feel I took a purple lipstick (Rimmel 124 Bordeaux) and a deep pink/purple (Barry M 141) and applied it over the lips, down from my nostril and under my eyes, then smudged and wiped. Dotting with a little black eyeshadow. You do not have to be precise at all, the messier, the better.
- I then took my red lip liner and applied under the eyes and in the waterline to give a bleeding eye look. 
- The next stage was adding some depth to the look. I took my eyeliner and drew 2 lines rising from my inner eye to my temple, to give the impression I was angry. I then blended these lines outwards using black eyeshadow. 
- To make the cuts and cracks more realistic I outlined 1 side of each cut/crack with a red lipstick (MUA Shade 1), and traced a little purple lipstick in the corner.

- Next I took my green eyeshadow and blended the lines on my forehead a little more, at this point I also smudged brown onto my nose and cheek. This was to act as mud/dirt on my face. 
- I then took my lipstick under one of eyes and blended outwards to make a bloody eye. In addition, I drew a red line on my cheek to make a cut, then smudged it downwards. Adding black eyeshadow underneath, to give a gaunt and sunken look.
- Finally I added some blue to my cuts and cracks to make them appear more veiny and protruding, then finished off with a lashing of mascara.
- An added option I have taken is to put red lipstick on my teeth, mimicking dried blood, I also filled in some of my teeth with black eyeliner. Although this makes the look more realistic, it's not something that would really be viable or lasting at a party because, as soon as you drink or eat, it will come straight off. It is however, great for pics.

Grrr. Arrrg. Who wouldn't want to marry me? Just casually chomping on an a tibia.
That is one face you would not wanna leave at the alter.

So there you go! That is your Zombie/Corpse Bride Make-Up tutorial, you don't need to be perfect with it. The messier you are, the more disheveled it will look, and the more realistic it will seem. To finish off the look backcomb your hair plenty, backcombing will work better on unwashed hair, (Zombies don't have clean hair!).

To add to the look I gave my hair a liberal spraying of dry shampoo (Batiste) and weaved through some old twigs and leaves from my garden (check for creepy crawlies, euugh). To complete my Corpse Bride look I added a net veil I bought from a Charity/Vintage Shop, you could however use some old net or lace curtains.

I hope this helped or gave a little inspiration, if there are any looks you would like me to recreate just comment below. 


As promised, here are some of the some of the Halloween looks I've had fun with before.

My lovely boyfriend James and I as Sonny and Cher. And yes, that is his real hair! Unfortunately, I can't say the same about my chest wig...

My best friends Katherine and Sarah, and I dressed as Zombie School Girl, Zombie Bride and Zombie Gaga. This was actually for my 19th Birthday Party, yes I had a Zombie Birthday Party, told you I was obsessed.

James and I, 2 years ago as Zombie Girl and Captain Jack Sparrow.

Cheers for dropping by and have a Happy Halloween!

M x

Halloween Make-Up Tutorial: Lady Gaga and Rick Genest Inspired Skull Face

Hey Again, 

Something a bit different today, I was recently watching this video, and thought what a great look this would be for Halloween. I am a huge fan of Lady Gaga, and Rick Genest features in her “Born This Way” video, in which Lady Gaga recreates his look. 

So enough rambling, here is my Lady Gaga and Rick Genest Skull inspired look. It’s really simple when you know how, this was my first attempt. I’ve tried to use minimal products that are easily available, good luck!

You will need:

- White Face Paint, (if you are stuck just use a creamy moisturiser).

- Flour, any type, (you can use white face powder but it's not as easy to find).

- Black Liquid Eyeliner, best to use a cheap or old eyeliner as it may get damaged.
- Black Eyeshadow, preferably matte.

- Brushes for applying and blending.

Just click to enlarge any of the pictures if you need a closer look :)

- I started with a cleansed and moisturised face, this is very important as most face paints are oil based, meaning that if you already have oily skin, like me, you could breakout. 
- I then applied "Classic Colours Snazaroo Face and Body Paint" in white all over my face, it can be quite hard to work with so I used an old foundation brush.
- Next I set the base with flour, yes flour! Just your everyday self-raising flour. Of course you can use white powder if you have any, but who does? Just lightly dust the flour around the face until your base no longer feels tacky. I used an old blusher brush, but any brush with soft bristles will do.
- Now, take your liquid eyeliner and draw a large circle around your eye. I took the circle over and just beyond my eyebrow, end your circle in a point on your cheeks.
- Then take your liquid eyeliner and draw two equal triangles on your nose, fill them in taking the line to just above the nostrils and tip of nose. Don't worry if the eyeliner doesn't look opaque enough, this can be filled in later with eyeshadow.
- On the the cheeks, fill in small squares below your cheeks, this will be later filled in to give a gaunt appearance.

 - Next, start adding detail with your liquid eyeliner, firstly take two lines from each eye and raise them to almost your hairline.
- Then trace a line from each lower cheek square you have drawn earlier. Take this across the mouth and lips.
- To give the appearance of teeth draw short thin lines about a centimetre apart along your mouth. At this point I also added some cracks along the jaw and made a more defined chin.
- Now you can start to fill in and blend with your eyeshadow. Take an eyeshadow applicator and pat your black eyeshadow over the areas where you have applied your eyeliner. This will make these areas more opaque and hide any gaps.
- Use your eyeshadow and applicator to elongate your forehead and mouth lines.
- Start to blend your forehead lines, but always blend outwords. In Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" video she has prosthetic horns, unfortunately this is not realistic for most of us, but by blending outwards this will give the appearance of depth.
- Take your black eyeshadow and apply below the eyes, and cheeks to give a sunken hollow effect. Then apply and blend along the hairlines and chin. 
- Finally, apply a little eyeliner across the top of the nose and in the centre of the mouth and blend. At this point you can also add a lashing of mascara to cover any white marks.

Now pull silly faces, and scare your boyfriend/family/flatmates. It really is quite easy when you know how, this was the first time I'd ever tried it and I'm very happy with the results. 

You don't need many products and it looks really shocking and effective, rock it up with some backcombed hair or a side pony and suit a la Lady Gaga.

Happy Halloween!

M x