My secret hair weapon-Pssssst Dry shampoo 
I will admit it-I am not the best hair person. Maybe it is because I wasn’t graced with long, full, flowing locks…so I never tried to do that much with it in terms of curling or a little updo here and there-but I am trying to do better!!! Which is why I had to introduce you to my secret weapon in hair styling…..Pssssst Dry Shampoo. I have to tell you that I have tried sooo many different dry shampoos…and I actually feel like the others make my hair feel more dirty and gunked up. Somehow, Pssssst can soak up the oil without making it feel like I have a bunch of product gunked up in it. If I don’t use this dry shampoo, it is hard for me to even go two days without washing my hair-and that is wearing it up on day two not down!!! It’s not because it is super oily but because it is just so so so thin that it gets dirty so fast! So, here it is:
This can is between 5-7 bucks depending on where you go and it is totally worth the small investment! Not only do I use it to get second day hair, but it is also great to “dirty” your hair up a bit if it is just washed and you need some extra texture to style it!
Erin
Guest post!–Fall smokey eye!
Happy Halloween!!! I have something a little different for you guys today! I was so honored when I was asked to do a guest post over at “the3f’s” about the perfect smokey eye for fall and I am so excited to share it with you today! Head on over to the3f’s and check it out!
Erin
Vampire Makeup Tutorial for Halloween
I have only done the creepy Halloween looks thus far so I thought I should do a nice, simple, latex and blood-free look for all of you that aren’t into the Halloween gore! I didn’t get them but I think that those fake vampire teeth would be all you would need to add on to this look. Maybe if you wanted to add some neck bite marks??–Sorry, I had to slip some gore options in there somewhere! Anyway-this truly is an easy, easy way to get a good vampy-esque look this Halloween without having to invest in anything too crazy!!! I also get to introduce the tape trick to get a straight line with your shadow…
PREP:
Apply concealer all over the eyelid, around the eye and underneath the eye. Set with powder. Apply your primer.
Step 1:
Remember our tape trick for perfect winged liner?–This is how you do it to get perfect shadow! Apply a piece of scotch tape diagonally starting underneath your lashline and aiming it at the end of your eyebrow. Using a stiff brush, apply black eyeshadw (I used MAC’s “Carbon”) to the lid of the eye and out to your tape. The reason this is such a fast eye look is because you can literally just slap these shadows on and go–you don’t have to do any shaping on the outer corner because you have the tape there doing it for you…. It should look something like this:
Step 2:
Using your stiff brush, apply some kind of reddish/burgundy shaddow where your black ends and up..stopping at the brow. I used Makeupgeek’s “Bitten”-as I felt it was appropriate for the occasion 
It should look something like this:
Step 3:
Using a stiff brush, apply your highlight and blend, blend, blend. Apply gel liner to the upper lash line. Wing it out at the end-this will be exceptionally easy because all you do is follow the line of your tape! Apply gel liner to the waterline. I also took a bullet brush and applied some more “Bitten” to the inner corner. It should look something like this:
Step 4:
Using a bullet brush, apply some more “Bitten” to your lower lash line . Apply your false lashes. Go over any excess glue with gel liner. Add some red blush (don’t be stingy) and some highlighter above it to get that perfect vampire skin. Your final product should look something like this:
Now, you may be asking yourself “What the heck do glitter lips have to do with vampires?”–That,my friend, I cannot answer-What I can tell you is that 1. I love glitter like nobody’s business 2. I happened to have a can of Martha Stewart pink glitter sitting on my table taunting me and 3. I had to add some kid of pizazz to this look and the words “it might be too much” have rarely graced these lips.
Erin
Ultimate bullet brush-Mac 219
Even though waaaaaay back I did a post on the basic breakdown of my favorite brushes, I still get a lot of questions about what brushes I am referring to in my posts. Last time, I posted about my must have MAC 215 brush….which is just fabulous. Today, I want to introduce my favorite bullet brush out there….the MAC 219. I invested in this brush after going through tons of different bullet brushes that just didn’t cut it…and I have used it ever since and ignored all of my others. Here it is:
If you have read my blog, you know I am big on always applying shadow on the lower lash line. I am also a big fan of utilizing the “Outer V”. This is how I do it. This brush has the precision to do it all. Because the bristles are shorter and more dense than most other bullet brushes, you can pick up a lot of color and apply it evenly. Also, because it is so tiny, I can get a nice sharp or rounded side without having to switch brushes. So there you have it! When I am referring to a “bullet brush” rest assured that this is the one I am using! I would recommend stopping by your local MAC counter to try it out (see how the bristles look and feel) before you buy it!
Erin
Zombie makeup tutorial
I have appropriately done this tutorial right after this season’s premier of “The Walking Dead” for all of you zombie lovers looking to transform yourself this Halloween!! While the transformation is no where near as epic as the amazing transformations done on the show..it will allow you to easily transform yourself to zombie perfection using just a few items you can find at home and at your local Halloween store! I had many plans for this tutorial….some of them happened and some of them didn’t-such is life. First, this look would be awesome with an “exposed teeth” latex piece…It is actually what I had planned to go in this look (I am still upset about it) but my local Halloween store didn’t have anything even close and yesterday is the only free day I had to do this tutorial so I had to move forward. However, if you have time to order one…it would fit in perfectly with this look!!!! Additionally, some zombie-esque contact lenses would really top it off….but I don’t have those either.
Step 1:
Apply your latex and/or prosthetics. There are a couple of different things going on in my zombie look…I wanted my zombie to have been through some stuff if ya know what I mean….being the living dead is no walk in the park. First, I applied 2-3 layers of latex to a large area of my forehead and part of my nose. Second, I applied a pre-made latex bullet hole to my cheek and shoulder (everyone knows only a shot to the brain will kill a zombie). Third, I applied a few layers of latex to the other side of my cheek and to an area of my neck. Now, grab a cup and mix up some oatmeal and latex…apply that in a jagged circular pattern to the areas where you applied the latex to your neck and cheek. Just so you can visualize-these will be our rotted flesh areas where we have been bitten. I also applied a couple of layers of latex over the oatmeal concoction. It should look something like this (mine was still drying):
Step 2:
Open up your wounds on your cheek, forehead, nose and neck. Using a pair of tweezers, make a hole in the center parts of your latex. Peel and pick away pieces of latex to get your desired shape. You can really peel and pick it away so that you are left with different kinds of shapes-you just have to play with it. It should look something like this:
Step 3:
Get that “un-dead” coloring. I mixed some foundation with some black and white greasepaint…the result was a a kind of greyish foundation. I applied this all over so that I would get that nice “sick” and “lifeless” look. Don’t be afraid to play around with the color..we are going to layer and layer so as long as it is a little bit of an unnatural and sickly color you should be good. It should look something like this:
Step 4:
Color in your wounds. I used a lip brush and red grease paint to color each of my wounds in…Don’t forget your bullet holes! It should look something like this:
Step 5:
Add in your shading to look more gaunt. My zombie look isn’t one that has been dead for a while..I like to think of it as a “newer” zombie..so I still wanted first signs of infection. In going for that look, I decided to give the skin around my eyes a more irritated look–I rimmed them in a burgundy eyeshadow all the way around. Then I went in with a grey to give that more sunken/sleep deprived appearance..I kept the grey in the front half of the underneath of the eye. I also shaded grey around my nostrils and cupids bow. You can also shade underneath your cheekbones (unless your latex or prosthetic is in your way), around your forehead and around the jaw line. I also did another layer of foundation with more grey in it and only applied it to certain areas…I then did the same with some brown–layering is what keeps this looking real. It should look something like this:
Step 6:
Ok this is actually a few steps. First, you want to concentrate on making your wounds look real. I grabbed some black greasepaint (purple or black eyeshadow will work too) and darken up the center of your wounds…we want them to look damaged. Now, fill them in with some gel blood (available at your Halloween store or numerous recipes online). Mix some gel blood with foundation in a little container. Using a lip brush, apply your gel blood/foundation mixture to the area around your wound (your torn away flesh)..you are basically trying to cover all of the areas of excess latex surrounding your wound so that it looks more realistic. We are using blood with foundation so that it is a different color from the actual wound. Next, go a little crazy with the blood. Smear it all around your mouth,,,,drip it from all of your wounds…dab some excess in random places……drip even more from your wounds. Just go crazy-you are a zombie. You may take a couple of passes with it..I did. Now that you are perfectly bloody,it is time to get dirty…and maybe just a BIT more bloody Shave of some bronzer or brown eyeshadow into a dish and mix some water in. –You want to have some strongly pigmented brown water. Dip a toothbrush (that you clearly never want to use again) into the mixture. Using your thumb, flick the bristles (while aiming at your face) so that you get a splattering of “dirt”. Do this allllllllll over. You may have to take a couple of passes. Do the same thing with your gel blood..you may also have to take a couple of passes. Layer, Layer, Layer…it makes such a difference to create texture in your skin..err dying flesh! I also added some Aquaphor under my eyes to enhance the “sick” look. Your final product should look something like this:
and this:
Whew! As I said, there are soooo many options with your zombie makeup!! You can do whatever you want with tons of different types of wounds and you can go even further with prosthetics or contacts! I hope this helped some for all of you zombie lovers out there…it makes a super easy Halloween costume!! PS: If you are wearing your hair down, add a TON of conditioner to dirty it up so it gets that lifeless look!
Erin
