Showing posts with label silver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silver. Show all posts

Friday, February 1, 2013

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roullier! Glam Mardi Gras Ball Nails

Tonight, Thomas and I are going to a Mardi Gras ball! I'll be working as a narrator for the tableaux, so I'm even more excited than usual. Normally, the local news anchors and radio personalities take on those roles, so It's a huge honor for little ol' me to get to do this. It's also a really nerve-wracking, because instead of throwing on a gown from a couple of years ago, hoping my hair only frizzes half as much as it normally does, and just trying to blend in with the crowd, I'm going to have a spotlight on me. Oh. Dear. God. No complaints, but I've had to kick "gettin' purty" into high gear.

I have an awesome dress that I hope to God I can squeeze into. It's not Spanx-friendly, so I'm on my own, and already formulating a backup plan. I have fake-baked, exfoliated, moisturized, exfoliated some more, face-masked, moisturized some more, and broken in my heels. Last night, I bit the bullet and did my mani-pedi. I'm never sure of the best time to do those. I chip my nails just thinking about chipping my nails. Anyhoo, I wanted something super glam with just a little bit of silver bling. My dress has silver and, well, it's Mardi Gras. You have to be just a little over-the-top. Here's what I came up with:


Sorry for the slightly fuzzy picture. I can not take a picture of my hand without my other hand shaking. I've even tried propping the camera up on something. I need a tripod. And a better camera. And talent.

The base coat is Femme Fatale by Ulta. Once that dried, I used LA Colors Art Deco silver glitter to draw on the half moon and fill it in. This is not easy to do, and can be very frustrating, so don't get discouraged. Just take your time and remember to breathe. Once that's dried, dot a holographic top coat (mine's discontinued, sadly, but here's a great option) on top of the silver for a little extra dimension. Finish with a clear topcoat.

That's my fancy-schmancy manicure for the fancy-schmancy ball tonight. Tomorrow, the coach turns back into a pumpkin, and the pumpkin into a...carpet cleaner, actually. I have Krampus tracks all over my living room. Glamorous, no?

Friday, September 14, 2012

Inspiration: Zombie! Pre-Halloween "Going Out" Look

Tonight, Thomas and I are hitting the local Art Walk. It's a monthly event where different visual artists, performers, and arts organizations more or less take over the downtown area. Handmade items are sold from sidewalk vendors, opera is sung on street corners, movies are shown in the middle of a Square, and wine and cheese flow forth from gallery receptions. All in all, it's a good time. We'll be there representing Fighting Owl Films, so I had to get a little more dolled-up than usual, and in a way that helped make it clear what our organization does. So, I pulled out my zombie headband. That should do it.

The zombie headband, in case you're wondering, is this absolutely, freakishly adorable handmade piece I picked up at another Art Walk last December. The artist doesn't have a website, or I'd be hawking it like mad because she's insanely talented. When I saw that she had sweet purple zombies for sale, and I had a movie out that featured sweet purple zombies, I knew we were a perfect match. Here's the piece:
 
I love the dangling little button eye!!!! Squee!!!

Once I knew that I was going to have purple and red in my hair (and the rest of the outfit consists of a black shirt and blue jeans), I decided to incorporate those colors into my makeup for a dramatic, artsy, but still classy look. God, help me. Here's what I came up with:


Products Used:
Touch In Sol Feels Like Honey Moon primer
MAC Studio Sculpt foundation
Maybelline Age Rewind concealer
Benefit Creaseless Cream eye shadow in Silver (lid/primer)
Stila eye shadow in Moxie (crease)
Urban Decay eye shadow in Grifter (blending)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero
Buxom Lash mascara
E.L.F. Brow Kit in Medium
MAC Cream Color Base in Virgin Isle (blush)
Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Transparent
Benefit Watt's Up highlighter
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Cherry Tart



They eyes took zero time. Seriously. Silver for the primer/lid color, then add Moxie to the crease and outer V-area, and blend it up with Grifter (which is full of pretty silver glitter that shows up in person, but not in this picture. Of course). Run Grifter under the lower lashes, then run Moxie over that line to the halfway point. Line upper lashes with Zero and wing out slightly, then run it under the lash line about a quarter of the way across. Add Watt's Up to the inner corner and under brow bone. Done.

If you're curious about how I wore a cutesy headband after age 30, here's how, and it could not have been easier. I started with wet hair and spritzed in a good leave-in conditioner. Then, I added a volumizing mousse to the roots and gave it a rough blow-dry. When the hair was just slightly damp, I sprayed down the ends with a sea spray for texture, and continued to rough blow-dry the rest of the way, scrunching the ends as I went along. Once the hair was completely dry, I pulled it up into a messy, high ponytail, with a little volume at the crown. I didn't tease the crown, but left room for it to pouf up a little when I pinned in the bun later. To create the bun, I used a teasing comb to tease the entire ponytail in one-inch chunks. Then I twisted the chunks together loosely and formed a circular ballerina bun, poufed up the crown, and pinned. The headband went on after, and I tucked the ends into the hair behind my ears. I finished the look by lightly spraying with anti-humidity (ha!) hairspray, just to knock down any frizzies that shouldn't be there. Messy is one thing. Frizzy is something entirely different.


See, the band is pretty far back on the head, which makes it more like an fashion accent, and less like something a schoolgirl would use to keep her hair back during P.E.


This shows how it looks from the front, as well as a close-up of the bun. Added bonus: Erin looking like a goober. You're welcome...
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