Red Lip Classic

Red lips and cat eyes are a staple, like mac and cheese or pecan pie in the south. I love doing a sleek winged liner, but also have a soft spot for all different variations of it. For this look, I chose a darker red lip that I got from a friend years ago by OPI called Suzi Loves Sydney. Instead of regular eyeliner, I chose to use an angled brush and sweep some black MAC eyeshadow on to keep it really dark and soft. For shadow, I used light, natural colors without much shimmer (also by MAC) because I wanted the liner and lips to do most of the work. Pair it with a cozy sweater, and this is the perfect fall look!

When Black Cats Prowl and Pumpkins Gleam...

My husband and I are lucky enough to go to an extremely fun Halloween party hosted by his cousin every year. The costumes are always really intense so we have to be sure to put on our A-game for it. This year he won the prize for Scariest Costume (2 years in a row, thank you very much). Last year we were a skeleton couple, and I loved it so much that you get to see another picture of it below.
This year we decided to dress up as an angel and demon. I wish I could say that I made his horns from my own latex, but I was a slacker and ordered them. I used mostly Ben Nye products for his makeup. I was introduced to Ben Nye during a stage makeup course, and have loved it ever since. It is amazing at lasting all night, which is exactly what you need on Halloween! A great little detail that I loved was some Decay tooth color by Ben Nye for his teeth. They looked utterly disgusting. I unfortunately didn't get many good quality pictures of our faces close up, but I used golds and purples around my eyes and made sure to highlight excessively and top everything off with oodles of glitter for myself. If you know me, you know that eyelashes are one of my favorite things, and these white lashes made me so giddy to wear.
... May luck be yours this Halloween!

2014 Halloween costumes - winners of Scariest Costume

2014 Halloween costume - winner of Scariest Costume

2014 Halloween costumes - winners of Scariest Costume

Bryan's costume - winner of 2015 Scariest Costume

And So It Begins

I love this season. Have I mentioned that before? Halloween is such a joy for me. I adore coming up with new creatures to bring to life as well as reenvisioning familiar costumes for something fresh. My adorable mom had a neighborhood party tonight and needed a low-key costume in a pinch so here's what we came up with! To really capture the autumn feel of a scarecrow, I used golds in her eyeshadows and kept it mostly neutral there, and used purples and oranges in the patches on her face.
I love how a unique makeup can really make a costume extraordinary. Let me know and I would love to help you put your own ensemble over-the-top for your party this year! (insert jack-o-lantern emoji here)

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Fall is my favorite season. I love the crisp air, yummy autumn scents, and gorgeous colors associated with it. So I decided to do a little bit of a fall look with oranges and deep browns for yesterday's makeup. Mary Kay foundation, MAC and another unknown brand's shadows, Mary Kay lip gloss, and MAC contour and blush are the base of this look. Two big players were Make Up Forever's "Aqua Cream" color in orange (Lot 10 I believe) and Benefit's "Watt's Up" highlighter. The biggest thing for me when doing a mix of bright and deep colors like this is blending. Everyone knows that blending is key with most makeup, but I love when the colors mix together just so and you can't see lines of where they end.
So, Happy Fall Y'all!

May Flowers

Today's look is mostly neutral colors which I love. It can be dressed up with a bold lip color or stay a little more casual with a light gloss which is what I opted for - plus who doesn't love a nice, defined cat eye. Also, if you did want to go bold, a darker neutral eye like this is great because it would be gorgeous with so many different colors and shades! I used mostly Mary Kay and MAC products for this look.

Easter Sunday

I haven't been very big on posting the different techniques, colors, and new products I experiment with daily - partially because I have terrible lighting in my house, partially because I feel a little too narcissitic when I take a thousand selfies in a row. But I've decided to start updating this site with the new things I try and today seemed like a good day to start!
This look is great for spring because it's so light. The lips are a Covergirl chapstick that just have a tidbit of color in them which I love because it seems so natural. My eyes in this look are a combination of MAC and Clinique shadows and a no-name pallette from years ago. The part that I love most is the shimmery blue that lines the bottom lashline. Putting a lighter color underneath or in the corners of your eyes will open them up wonderfully. Instead of a harsh line, I used a brown MAC pencil for eyeliner and topped it off with Dior mascara (that I'm obsessed with). The blush/contour I decided to keep light as well and is from Clinique.

Oh, and Happy Easter!

Halloween 2014

I love experimenting with fun designs for Halloween each year! This year, my husband and I went to a party as a skeleton couple and I had a ball decorating our faces like skulls! For work, I wanted something a little less dramatic and got all dolled up - literally...

Brittany & Bryan - Wedding Day

I am now a cheesy newlywed who can say she's married her best friend. I had such a ball on my wedding day! It's only been a short while, but Bryan is a wonderful husband and I am so glad he's mine! Here are some pictures of our special day showing off my handsome groom and my fairytale makeup! I love a neutral lip and pink cheeks so I kept it soft that way with a little gold around my eyes to liven things up.

Photography by Ashley Shippen at ashleyelizaphotography.blogspot.com

My beautiful mother was such a huge help in preparing for the wedding. I really couldn't have done it without her!