NEW YEAR’S EVE Emerald Smokey Eye

I always have so much fun getting all dolled up for New Year’s Eve, which also happens to be my birthday, and this look is great for an evening out or a festive house party with friends and family! Because the eyes are so intense, I decided to go with a nude lip. Also, red lips can be a hassle to maintain with all the eating that goes on!

First I applied Too Faced Shadow Insurance all over the lid as a primer, and then I applied Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Tough as Taupe in the outer corner and crease of my eyes. From my Lancome Colour Design eyeshadow quad I applied “Designer”, a deep shimmery emerald colour,  over the centre of the lid, and then I applied “Volcano”, a deep shimmery taupe colour, in the outer corners and crease. Over top of Volcano I applied “IT List” in the very outer corners and took it just lightly through the outer crease. Above my crease line I applied the darkest shade from my Clinique Colour Surge eyeshadow duo Chocolate Kiss, and blended it out. To highlight the brow bone, I applied “Latte” just below the arch in my brow. I lined my outer lower lash line with “Volcano”, and then in the centre of the lower lash line I applied “Designer” and blended the two colours together. To finish, I applied a thin line of black eyeliner on my top lash line and smudged it out to increase the smoky effect, and then finished with several coats of mascara.

Have fun recreating the look, and happy New Year!

x B

Products used:

FACE

Too Faced Primed & Poreless Pure Oil Free Skin Smoothing Face Primer for Sensitive Skin

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation

Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation ( to spot conceal)

Rimmel Stay-Matte Pressed Powder

NARS Laguna Bronzer

Clinique Blush in Smoldering Plum

Benefit Watt’s Up! Highlighting Stick

ELF Studio Makeup Mist & Set Spray

EYES

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Tough as Taupe

Lancome Eyeshadow quad (Latte, Designer, Volcano, “It” List)

Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow duo in Chocolate Kiss (the darker shade)

Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in Jet Black

Sephora Outrageous Volume Dramatic Volume Mascara

LIPS

ELF Matte Lip Colour in Natural

Revlon lip gloss in Bellini

VIDEO: ELF Haul Review

YAY for a new video!

In this one I share my thoughts on some ELF products that I ordered online. Give it a watch =)

x B

WARNING: This post may contain traces of gluten.

Due to an allergy I’ve been on a strict gluten free diet for over 2 years, but only just now have I realized that applying gluten on my skin or lips could also give me reactions. Lipstick is an obvious no-brainer, since a small amount always gets in your mouth. But in my research I found that gluten in face products can cause breakouts and other unwanted reactions on the skin, even if the product is not ingested.

I began researching brands and products to try, and came across a number of sites and blogs saying that ELF (Eyes Lips Face) Cosmetics are gluten free. This brand is extremely affordable, with most products priced in the $1-$3 range. So I thought I would give it a go and try out a bunch of their products. The website said the shipping could take up to a month, but it only took 4 days, so that was very impressive to me. When the package arrived I could barely contain my excitement. It was all fun and games until, much to my utter horror,  I read the back of an eyelash primer and it said the words “wheat protein”. Somehow coating my lashes with gluten, my biggest kryptonite, does not sound appealing to me.

I quickly emailed the company, and this was their response:

We apologize for any confusion regarding our ingredients. We have researched our products to ensure that they are gluten-free. According to our production department the wheat protein found does not actually contain gluten due to the processing.

So they claim it IS gluten free. Though, I don’t see how wheat protein in any shape or form could be 100% free of gluten. Because the product is just an eyelash primer I don’t see the harm in using it. However, if it was a lipstick or face product in question, I would be a lot more reluctant.

Keep an eye out for ELF product reviews!

x B