Girl on Fire Week - FotD - The Parade

Katniss in her Parade costume. Scanned from the Illustrated Movie Companion.

I have been ramping up for The Hunger Games for almost a year now. I've read the first book twice already and I am preparing to read it for a third time next week in preparation for the movie.  I thought I would do Girl on Fire Week in order to lead up to the premiere of the movie this Friday.

Today, I have a look inspired by the above costume and makeup. This is the outfit that Katniss wears during the initial parade of tributes and where she earns the nickname "The Girl on Fire". The look is so simple, that I wanted to give some suggestions on how to do this look at home. It is subtle enough for every day wear as well as able to be spiced up for evening.

No flash...

List of items used:
Eyes:

• Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen
• tokidoki 24k eye shadow palette - Sabbia
• tokidoki Cromatico eye shadow - Adios Star
• Shiro Cosmetics eye shadow - Thinking With Portals
• Maybelline Falsies Flared Mascara - Blackest Black

Lips:

• Geek Chic Cosmetics Geek Gloss - Happy Ending

Cheeks:

• Wet n' Wild ColorIcon Bronzer

First, I put a dab of Laura Mercier Eye Basics on each eyelid and spread with my fingertips until smooth. This helps the eye shadow to wear longer as well as hide any imperfections on the lid. Then, I took Sabbia which is a pale off-white color (More info can be found here at Musings of a Muse). I chose this color because it's neutral and doesn't really stick out that much. The key to a lot of Katniss' looks outside of the interview and the parade are that they are very natural and they stay that way even when she's dolled up. Due to the nature of the Laura Mercier base though, you can choose to wear just that, I just felt that when it came to adding the orange flare, it was easier to blend.

Next, I took a flat liner brush and used Adios Star to tightline my upper lash line and add the tiniest flare that follows my lower lash line at the outer edge. This color is a glitter packed black, which I love. After lining, I used Maybelline Falsies Flared mascara in Blackest Black to further enhance my lashes and give them that luxurious and fuller look.

Onto the cheeks, this was the hardest as my skin isn't the best right now but I tapped my brush once in my bronzer and swept it across my cheekbones. No more than that. Also, for my lips, it looks as though she is wearing a clear gloss and my favorite is Geek Chic Cosmetics' Happy Ending. It is a glitter packed clear gloss and my go to for everyday.

Well, that's it for this intallment...

And may the odds be ever in your favor!

LotD: Bejeweled and Bedazzled

Okay, with all of the buzz lately about Win or Die from Geek Chic Cosmetics, I knew I wanted to experiment with two of the darker colors in the set. These are also the two colors that I received as full sizes from a friend of mine. Across the Narrow Sea and Born in Fire are two amazing jewel tones that go amazingly well together and with a color such as The Imp also in the same set, you really can't go wrong looking like a bejeweled beauty the next time you go out.

I didn't use The Imp in this look but it still remains one of my favorite colors.

Although the focus is on my eyes in this photo, there's a lot more to this look than just the eye color. First I used Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Porcelain from Laura Mercier. It's not too heavy but gives me some of the coverage I need.

For the eyes, I used a multi-layered technique. First, I primed my eyes with Too-Faced Shadow Insurance and then I went over that with the Caviar Creme Eye Colour from Laura Mercier in Amethyst. Over the creme color, which is a warm taupe, I patted Clinique Color Surge Eye Shadow Trio in the base Lilac color over the base to wash out the color a bit. Then, I took Born in Fire from Geek Chic Cosmetics and blended it into the crease. That's the smoky purple that you see on my eyes. Then, I wet my brush and patted Across the Narrow Sea on just a little of the inner corner of my eye and blended it out.

That's it for the colors on the eye. I lined it in Wet n' Wild Mega Liner in black and just slightly winged it up at the outer edge. I tried to make sure that the wing followed my lower lash line. Then I finished with Full Blown Mascara from Laura Mercier in black and as I applied, I brushed my lashes toward the outer edge of my eye.

For my cheeks, I just barely touched my blush brush into Kingslayer from Geek Chic Cosmetics (which is also from the Win or Die set) and tapped it on each cheek and blended. I didn't want too much as that would wash me out a bit. This just added a little bit of warmth and sparkle.

For my lips, I just used a few swipes of Tokidoki Lip Balm Stain in Pink Martini. It enhances my natural lip color to look more pink and it's not as dramatic as straight up hot pink lipstick.

Product List:
For the Face:

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Porcelain

For the Eyes:

• Too-Faced Shadow Insurance
• Laura Mercier Caviar Creme Eye Color - Amethyst
• Geek Chic Cosmetics - Born in Fire
• Geek Chic Cosmetics - Across the Narrow Sea
• Wet n' Wild Mega Liner - Black
• Laura Mercier Full Blown Mascara - Black

For the Cheeks:

• Geek Chic Cosmetics - Kingslayer

For the Lips:

• Tokidoki Lip Balm Stain - Pink Martini

FOTD: MJOLNIR Mark VI

Okay so as some of you know, I follow Major League Gaming and while they represent a few different competitive video games, I'm the most familiar with Halo. I've been wanting to do some looks based off of some of the characters but I just didn't have quite the right eyeshadows to be satisfied with a look. Well, after my appointment with Laura Mercier as well as looking through the four sample eyeshadows that were sent to me for review by Geek Chic Cosmetics, I think I finally have at least one look.

Introducing Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Master Chief is the main hero of the Halo franchise and probably the most iconic of the series. This is a picture of him in his MJOLNIR Mark VI armor which as you can see is mostly an olive/khaki brown with a golden yellow reflective visor in the helmet. There's also the black in between the joints of the armor.

On my face:

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Porcelain

On my eyes:

• Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Cotton
• Geek Chic Cosmetics eyeshadow in Viking King
• Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Amethyst
• Laura Mercier Full Blown Mascara in Black

On my lips:

• MAC Lip Liner in Brick
• Laura Mercier Lipstick in Espresso
• Bath and Body Works Liplicious Lipgloss in Princess in Training

After applying the tinted moisturizer all over my face and blending, I primed my lids with Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Cotton. You don't need much of it so I just barely tap the doe foot applicator on each lid and then I use a concealer brush to blend it. Then, I took the Caviar Stick Eye Color, also from Laura Mercier, in Amethyst and applied it to the main part of my lid and in the crease. Using an angled eyeshadow brush, I took just a little bit of Viking King from Geek Chic Cosmetics and placed it on the outer corner of the eye and inside the crease. Then I put on one coat of Full Blown Mascara. Yet again, a Laura Mercier product and this is in Black.

My lips are simple three step lips:

• Use the side of the lip liner pencil (This one is MAC in Brick) to line and fill your lips.
• Apply Espresso lipstick from Laura Mercier and blot.
• Apply lipgloss to the center of your lower lip and rub your lips together.

I decided to go a little redder and glossier with my lipstick since the eyes were predominantly brown and gold. The Amethyst creme eye color does have hints of copper and reddish glitter to it which I also think is brought out by the lips. I've always been one to go dramatic eyes or lips but never both.

A Little More on Eye Basics

I wasn't able to give you guys any photos last night due to not having access to my laptop but now, I thought I would show you the difference between my eyelids with and without Laura Mercier Eye Basics. I use Cotton but your mileage may vary.

Left eye in the photo has Eye Basics and the other is just my bare lid. See how big of a difference this is? Shadow Insurance by TooFaced is great as a primer but I never really felt that it looked this good on its own.

Review: Laura Mercier Eye Basics

So I went recently to an eyebrow event at Saks Fifth Avenue and got a lot of amazing tips from the traveling artist who did my makeup. One of the things she suggested as a must have for me was their Eye Basics. It's an eye shadow primer but to me, this seems like it has a bit more coverage than Too Faced Shadow Insurance. This is something that has made this product stick out a bit to me because my eyelids do have some discoloration to them. While some people have suggested to use Shadow Insurance on it's own as well it doesn't have the coverage that allows me to feel comfortable enough to wear it without putting an eyeshadow of some sort over it.

Eye Basics does the same thing that most eye primers do as well which is to lengthen the wear of your eyeshadow. I actually found that I had less creasing than with Shadow Insurance and it wore quite a bit longer. I didn't feel like my makeup was melting in the heat and that is amazing considering the heat wave that we're in the middle of here. I felt very comfortable and didn't feel like I was wearing too much makeup. Another plus in my opinion.

The packaging is a tube similar to lipgloss and some concealers with a doe foot applicator. The way I apply it is that I tap the doe foot on my eye lightly and then I spread it across my eyelid with a concealer brush. Pretty easy and great coverage.

Bottom Line: 3/5

EOTD: Rippin' Str8 to Your Heart

This eye of the day was inspired by the members of Str8 Rippin'. Another pro team in the MLG, these guys took 2nd place at MLG Columbus. 

This is their logo which inspired the look through their team colors. All of the eye colors came from the Sephora Color Play 5-in-1 Palette. First though, I made sure my eyelids were properly primed with Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Then I patted on a shimmery bright blue. I took a flat, stiff brush and used a dark navy blue from the palette to line my lash line. At the outer corners, I used a shimmery black and patted it on to build up some color but kept it to a very small area. Then, I put Pro Longwear Mascara from MAC in Burnt Umber on my upper lashes only.

I think this look is a great casual eye that still has some pop to it. You can wear it with jeans or with something a little bit dressier.

On the Face:

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude

On the Eyes:

• Sephora Color Play 5-in-1 Palette:
• Bright Shimmery Blue - all over
• Shimmery Black - outer corner
• Deep Navy Blue - liner
• MAC Pro Longwear Mascara - Burnt Umber

FOTD: Simply Steampunk

Okay, so now, I thought I would move into creating some of my own looks. I'm still very new at this so please excuse the photos being at weird angles. I didn't have anyone to assist me in taking photos today.

This look is one that I wanted to create for both everyday as well as when I wear my Steampunk outfits. It's pretty simple and natural looking.

Items used:
Face:

• Smashbox Foundation Primer
• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Nude
• MAC Iridescent Powder

Eyes:

• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer (used as a primer/base on the eyelids)
• MAC Eyeshadow - Omega
• Laura Mercier Eye Liner - Mahogany Brown (It's a potted brown powder liner)
• Rockeresque Cosmetics - Loose Eyeshadow - Beating Heart
• MAC Pro Longlash Mascara - Burnt Umber

Lips:

• Laura Mercier Lipstick - Violet
• Rockeresque Cosmetics - Beating Heart

Above is a photo of the completed look. I'm really pleased how this turned out since this was my first time putting a look together. It's very natural but also has a wow factor in certain light. My mom commented on how the copper of Beating Heart stood out when we were outdoors in broad daylight.

Now for the look I started off with Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20. I use this because it doesn't go on too heavy but it definitely helps to even out my skintone for applying makeup. To finish off the foundation I lightly dusted it with MAC Iridescent Powder. A relatively simple start for an awesomely simple look.

For the eye, I started off by patting on some Laura Mercier Secret Concealer. I actually borrowed my mom's because since we're using it as a primer, it doesn't need to match your skintone exactly. Then, I patted on some MAC Eyeshadow in Omega. This goes all over the lid. Next, I take my detail brush and go into the crease with Rockeresque Cosmetics Loose Eyeshadow in Beating Heart. This color isn't due out until later this summer but I know that Rockeresque loves to send out samples of upcoming colors so you may luck out with your next order. ;) For the lashes, I put on two layers of MAC Pro Longlash mascara in Burnt Umber. I also went along the lashline with Laura Mercier Eye Liner in Mahogany Brown. I tried to keep the liner dramatic but still somewhat subtle.

For my lips, I put on a single layer of Laura Mercier Lipstick in Violet. I kept it nice and sheer but added some Beating Heart for some subtle shimmer.

And that's it for this look!