Bronzy plum day look-request 
I got an email this past weekend requesting an eye look that is similar to the one seen here that Scarlett Johansson is sporting. Pretty right? The lovely gal that requested this look wanted a little bit more light bronze and plum thrown in but wanted the look to be daytime friendly and very soft. The key to her softer look is not having harsh liner lines. Honestly, I am not a fan of not lining the waterline on myself…I think that it creates a disconnect in the makeup and that drives me crazy….but I do understand the appeal of it for a soft look and there are certainly tons of people that can gracefully pull it off! Now, I clearly do not have blonde hair, green eyes or the movie star appeal of the lovely Scarjo -so bear with me… but I did come up with a great MAC friendly option for the look! Remember that on you green eyed ladies this look is going to really pop your color!
Products Used:
MAC Eyeshadows in “”All That Glitters”, ‘Haux”, “Shale” and “Sketch”, MAC Paint Pot in “Soft Ochre” Revlon Just Bitten Kissable in “Darling”
PREP:
Conceal the entire lid, all around the eye and underneath the eye. Set with powder. Apply your eyeshadow primer, I used MAC’s Paitn Pot in “Soft Ochre”.
Step 1:
Using your stiff fluffy, apply “All that glitters” to the front half of the eye…it should look something like this:
Step 2:
Using your fluffy brush (I used my 217), apply “Haux” to the outer half of the eye…it should look something like this:
Step 3:
Using your bullet brush, apply “Haux” to the outer half of the lower lash line..It should look something like this:
Step 4:
Using your bullet brush, apply “Sketch” the the crease and the outer V of the ENTIRE eye. Meaning, apply it to the crease and outer corner of the eye and in the outer lash line..It should look something like this:
Step 5:
Using your stiff or big fluffy, blend blend blend your “Sketch” into your “Haux”. Using a stiff brush, apply your highlight from the brow bone down into the inner corner. Go heavy on the highlight in the inner corner! Blend it out a bit. Apply your fake lashes if you choose to wear them (I chose very very tiny ones because I was practicing restraint in keeping this to most peoples daytime standards) Go over any excess glue with gel liner. Apply a coat of mascara. Your final product should look like this:
and this:
I applied some Revlon Just Kissable Balm in “Darling” on my lips and then put a gloss over it to add some purple to the look. Johansson’s was a bit more pink but I use so much pink lipstick I thought you would enjoy a change! And this one suits the look! Cherish looks pretty scary purple in the tube but goes on nicely and turns into a lovely color once on the lips! I also used a more plum blush for this look!
Erin
My #1 Brush-MAC 217
I get a lot of questions about what I mean when I say “stiff fluffy” and “soft fluffy” and my own little weird brush language. I don’t mean for it to be vague, I just try and describe the brush the best I can because not everyone has the same kind of brush that I can refer to by name or number. But, for future reference, this is the brush I am referring to when I say “stiff fluffy”.
I think everybody has that “go-to” brush that they would be lost without…It is that one brush that can do it all if if need be….Mine is the MAC 217. Don’t get me wrong, there are other fluffy brushes that I adore and that are excellent for blending ….but this one just takes the cake when it comes to versatility. What you can’t see so great in this picture is the side of the brush. It isn’t the typical dome shape of a blending brush. Instead, it is about 50/50 fluffy and flat. This allows it to not only apply shadow on the lid and blend well but the thinness means it can also get in the crease when contouring with dark shadows!!! A huuuuuuge pet peeve I have with brushes is that the bristles are too long or too loose to actually blend shadows nicely. Fluffy/blending brushes like that are more useful to me for applying powder under the eyes and such….things that don’t require much strength ,so to speak. This brush is tough–and I love that! It will blend to your heart’s content. The other pet peeve I have with blending brushes is when they are freaking huge!!! How am I supposed to use a brush like that on someone with small eyes, or when doing detailed work (which I like to think all of my work is detailed)? Yet another reason why I love this brush–it is the perfect size, not too big, not too small but juuuuust right and works comfortably with any eye size. Go to a MAC counter and ask them for a trial run before you buy!!
Erin
Fall Copper eye look
All of this great fall (ish) weather has had me in the mood for some great fall colors….which is why I pulled these babies out for today’s tutorial! I have spent the past few days obsessed with pumpkin….pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin biscuits..heck I even made some pumpkin bread pudding the other day (it was dangerous..). So I looked through my kit and found the closest pumpkin color–MAC’s Coppering. Coppering is such a gorgeous, gorgeous color on blue (and green) eyed babes…just a little bit of it goes a long way to make your eyes pop! For us brown eyed girls, it is a great warm color to pick up the gold flecks in your eyes! I paired it with “Amber Lights”–a gold and “Deep Damson”-which looks burgundy in the pan but tends to swatch more purpley than red.
Products Used:
MAC Eyeshadows in “Amber Lights”, “Coppering” and “Deep Damson”, MAC Lipstick in “Fan-Fare”, MAC Paint pot in “Soft Ochre”, Maybelline Gel liner in “Blackest Black”
PREP:
Apply concealer to the entire eyelid, all around the eye and underneath the eye. Set with powder. Apply your eyeshadow primer…I swear by MAC’s Paint Pot in “Soft Ochre”
Step 1:
Using a flat, stiff brush, apply “Coppering” to the entire eye lid and up…stopping right before the brow bone. It should look something like this:
Step 2:
Using your bullet brush, apply “Deep Damson” into the crease and outer V…It should look something like this:
Step 3:
Using your stiff brush, apply “Amber Lights” right above where “Coppering” ends…stopping at the brow bone. It will look something like this unblended:
Step 4:
Apply your highlight from your brow bone down into the inner corner. Using your big fluffy, blend blend blend your “Deep Damson” into your “Coppering” and then your “Coppering” into your “Amber Lights”. Then blend your highlight out a bit. Apply your fake eyelashes. Cover any excess glue with gel liner and then apply gel liner to the waterline. Using your bullet brush, apply “Coppering” to the lower lashline. Your final product should look something like this:
and this:
I applied MAC’s “Fan-Fare” to finish off this look….it is a great subtle peachy color with some pink…very pretty! I love this look on brown eyes and I wear peach colors often but I definitely suggest you gals with blue eyes to try this look….you won’t believe how the color pops!
Erin
Revive your Mascara!
Don’t you just hate spending mega-bucks on that mascara you can’t live without only to have it dry out halfway through??? There is a solution…and it is super easy. This is also great for your gel liner!!! Here is what you need:
So basically only one ingredient–Visine….and then your dried up mascara. Excuse the state that my Visine is in…I am not an avid Visine user so it has been kicked around a bit….Anyway-below is a picture of the current state of my mascara when I brushed some on the back of my hand:
Not the luxurious mascara I first purchased….So-Screw the cap off of your mascara, load a drop or two of Visine in (how much you need depends on how dried up it is…start with a little then add more as needed), then *Stir* NOT *Pump* your wand around to loosen up the mascara on the sides and mix it into the Visine. Now look at it:
Ta-da! Brand new mascara!! Now, I do not know how or even if this affects the effectiveness of waterproof brands so I don’ use it on mascara that I use on clients…just my personal stash that doesn’t get used up fast enough….but I would think it would be fine. The best part about using Visine instead of some of the other methods out there is that you know it is safe and good for your eyes!
Erin
Out the Door topcoat-review
Just wanted to do a quick post today to introduce my wonderful topcoat that allows me to change my nail polish on a whim with little drying time!! Seriously, before I had this topcoat I hated doing my nails….I would wait and wait and wait for my beloved Essie to dry and then an hour later I would accidentally hit a nail on something and it would be all smudged and all would be lost. I dreaded having to do my nails because it was going to take so much time out of my day. I just don’t know how people survive without a quick dry topcoat…it makes all the difference. Now, there are many great quick dry topcoats out there (Orly makes another one that I love that is similar) but this happens to be my current favorite:
After I do my two coats of polish, I wait two minutes and apply a generous coat of this to my nails. I love it because if I accidentally apply too much you can never tell….it just dries perfectly. I say this because some topcoats become all goopy, globby and look thick on your nail and then they make it take even longer for your polish to dry….Not the case with this one 
Anyway..within just a couple of minutes my nails are safe to the (soft) touch and then they continue to dry soooo much faster than just using a plain topcoat. I get mine at Sally Beauty Supply but I have also seen this at Walgreens. It is around $6 a bottle (I am rounding up) but totally worth it to resume life faster!!!
Erin
