#aubreebee

If you are more than annoyed with the circular limbo of applying red lipstick, half-assed applications throughout the night, and then waking up with red-stained lips that necessitate a good scrub or another day of red lipstick, join the club. Just because it is the holidays does not mean you have to confine yourself to a bold, but sometimes high maintenance, look for going out. I took this sentiment to heart this weekend when I attended our annual family Christmas party. This event requires me to talk to 100+ people in one night, giving me a slight case of lock-jaw and no time to keep checking on or reapplying a bold lip color.

That is why I decided to celebrate my inner Hanukkah and wear a sparkly, beautiful blue smokey eye this year. Unfortunately, and I’m going to be real with you here, the pictures are not great. Here I am telling my boyfriend “The pics are not great.” 

If you want to recreate this look, (which I’m sure you might not considering the photographic evidence), keep reading. 

I first started with a big navy blue jumbo eye pencil (Cobalt NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil) on my eyelid, below the crease, and then added a gorgeous blue (occupy) that shows a bit of a slate color and glitter from the Urban Decay Vice palette. I then blended a light brown and a warm almost orange- toned brown into my crease to create a bit of warmth in the look. Then, I blended a dark navy blue into my crease and moved the color upward and outward with small circular motions to create some depth.

 To finish the eyes, I lined my upper and lower lash lines with black liner, added a dark shimmery brown color over the liner on my lower lash line, and packed on the mascara. A peachy blush was the perfect compliment to the cool blues on my eyes, and I stayed neutral with the lips. 

I love this look because it is very festive without being outwardly Christmas-y, and is perfect for a holiday party or just a winter night out. 

Love you, mean it. 

Hello lovely readers! I would apologize for not posting for you at Thanksgiving, but I am not sorry that I was clearly enjoying stuffing my face and watching football in familial solitude. I even spent some time at my favorite place in the world...the cosmetics department of Nordstroms.

While I started out with generous intentions of shopping for others, I abandoned the effort when a lovely make-up artist from Trish McEvoy made my face her canvas for 20 minutes. I loved a few products that she used on me (I got a sample of the BB cream that I am currently loving and using up), but the product I walked away with was the 24-hour Eyeshadow and Liner in Smokey Quartz. I loved how easy it was to apply with just the tube (it is in a stick form) or to smudge with your fingers and the color is unbelievably gorgeous! It is a sparkly taupe with very light hints of purple in it, and is festive enough for a holiday party and subtle enough for the office when you smudge it. It stays on all day which is impressive with the amount I rub my eyes, and my new friend at the counter swore it was waterproof. So when you're crying because of an insensitive relative at your family gathering this holiday season, you'll still look like a billion dollars. Speaking of a billion dollars, I was a little shocked when it rang up for over $30! But at that point I was already sold, so I went on my merry way and am pretty pleased, since I haven't looked at my bank statement. 

My recommendation: It is definitely an awesome investment for the girl who only wants one step a day for your eyes as well as some simple glamour. It is so easy to slip into your purse on the go, and the colors, especially this one, are gorgeous and highly pigmented, as you can see in the picture above. If you love the look but do not want to pay that much, there's another option. And his name is Santa. 

Love you, mean it. 

People get really wigged out about finding the "right color" of blush, which should not be a huge concern because people look good in all kinds of colors, and it is more about the other elements of blush (like formula and application, which you will learn about verrrrry soon!) If you want to be well rounded for in your blush selection, I think everybody needs at least a pink and a peach shade of blush in your arsenal to fit every look.

To find the "best" colors for you, we look at two things: your skin shade (lighter colored blushes for fair skin, deep tones for dark skin), which is the most important, and your undertones (warm or cool), which is not as crucial. There are many other things that go into the right blush color than your undertones, and by sticking to your cool or warm tone stigma, you are missing out on some wonderful blushes. If you are still set on figuring out your undertones, the best way/explanation I've encountered so far is from DailyMakeover.com: if your veins in your wrists look blue, you are cool toned, and if they look green, you are warm toned. Bam. 

Examples: Blushes 1,3, 9, and 10 are cool, Blushes 2, 4, 7, and 8 are warm. 5 is debatable. It's hard. Just have someone do it for you, or forget this whole warm cool BS and do what you want to like Miley!

No matter what skin tone you have, do not be intimidated by shades that seem too bright or possibly clownish. Test them out! I love the subtle pop of a hot pink blush on a fair face, or an apricot cheek on an olive skin tone, but they will never make you look like a goddess BAMF if you don’t try the product out! It is about formula, and how you put it on. 

I hear you ladies who are saying, but I have pink/reddish skin, why do I want to add more pink on top of it to bring it out? I understand your concerns, but by using a foundation to even skin tone and picking a cool-toned blush that is more of a tan/brown based color, you will come out looking flawlessly blushed. 

Get ready for tomorrow my beauty minions for some of the most important tips - applying the actual stuff! 

Love you, mean it.

1. You are never too young to start wearing eyeliner. 

Gosh, if the 5 year old version of myself could see this, she would be outrageously jealous! As a girl who asked her Kindergarden teacher why it was not acceptable to wear lipstick to elementary school, I am particularly envious of the smokey eyeliner and henna hands these girls are rocking. These children are most likely wearing this eye-defining look to ward off the evil eye, a tradition in certain Indian cultures. I am in full support of any evil eye warding, and will likely continue this tradition for myself almost every day from here on out. 

2. Taking photos of your hands is hard. 

You can't imagine how difficult it is getting a shot, of your entire hand, that doesn't look like a salute of the third reich or an air high-five to absolutely NO-one. I did have to capture the amazing henna going on in some capacity so hope you do not mind looking at the floor of the Taj Mahal instead of the actual structure. The floor is almost as amazing as you might think the Taj Mahal is. Almost. 

On a different note, henna is absolutely beautiful and intricate art that definitely mirrored the intricate beauty seen all over India. Once I stopped getting peripheral glances and thinking that my hands were dirty, it was so fun and had me wishing it was not as temporary as I had planned. 

3. Flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. 

One thing I noticed all over this country is the amazing number of flower and flower vendors. Petals were strewn all over, all the hotels had amazing arrangements in every crevice. Although I'm not sure I could afford to re-create the effect at home, the vibrant oranges of the marigolds, the smell of plumeria (I thought these were only in Hawaii!) and the lovely lilies inspired me to embrace florals in all ways. On my budget, that probably means a spritz of Gardenia perfume and farmer's market flowers for special occasions. 

4. If you are having a bad hair day, throw on a scarf. 

Just kidding. But it would be nice if cultural norms in the US let you just walk around with a scarf on your head? Obviously, many around the world cover their heads for religious purposes, and as long as you do it of your own free will, and not due to gender oppressive regimes, I’m down with it.  Not to mention how this woman is absolutely rocking all those bright colors. I love love love it. 

5. Inspiration is everywhere. 

Our tour leader's wife was one of the most beautiful women I've ever met, and if I lived in India, she would seriously have been my shopping guru because her style was effortless and elegant. On the first night I met her she was wearing this amazing teal eyeliner. So what did I do the next morning? Copy her. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and I am sincerely obsessed with how beautiful this woman is! 

Another woman I met was a flight attendant on one of our flights. She had just gotten married and her photos from her wedding day were so stunning, I wish I had had whipped out my phone to take a picture of the picture on her phone. Despite not capturing her wedding look, she had already intrigued me and inspired me with her makeup she was wearing. Her eyelids were literally the color of marigolds and her orange-red lipstick complimented her skin tone perfectly. (Sorry about the lighting, these were taken in the 2 seconds I had between getting off the plane and onto a bus)

6. Be bold. 

This is a group of pilgrims visiting Varanasi, the holiest city for Hindus, to bathe in the river Ganges. There are many reasons these ladies are bold. One, it was literally the butt-crack of dawn, and they had to have traveled from far and wide to bathe in a river that contains holy properties as well and a lot of mysterious properties (think chemical pollution from upstream and pieces of people's partially cremated bodies). Two, just look at their outfits! These women choose to dress in these amazing bold colors pretty much every day. Three, if you look around at the male company they are keeping, I would say that's pretty bold. Especially the man up the stairs...talk about getting caught with you pants down! But, all worth it for the pilgrimage. 

Empties!

This week, I thought I would enlighten you all with the products that I have run out of, because nothing says I love you more than squeezing the absolute last possible life out of product in despair. I'm going to keep this as brief as is sincerely possible for me since there are a fair amount of products. 

Perfekt Body Perfection Gel in Exotic: I first bought this in NYC about 4 years ago. It makes your skin pretty much feel flawless (and as in so many other instances in beauty, we have silicone to thank). Unfortunately this shade was bought by mistake, and I would highly recommend to those fair-faced beauties to pick a lighter shade since this shade of Beyonce is not entirely believable on me. 

NARS Bronzer in Laguna: It's a classic. Not too much shimmer, no orange tint, and a glow that will make you go wow. 

MAC Dazzleglass lipgloss in Baby Sparks: MAC lipglosses tend to have a polarizing effect...you either love the sticky sweet vanilla concoction, or you would rather just not feel like you stuck your lips into a bowl of honey. Either way, this stuff is a girly girl's dream. Pink? Check. Glitter? Check. Shiny stuff on yo face? Check. 

MakeUp Forever Full Cover Concealer: This is just a step below in coverage to the Kat Von D Tattoo concealer. It is not super creamy, but can cover like no other (partially because of its no-slide texture) and will be in my makeup bag for the foreseeable future. If you want to make it a little easier to blend or a little more malleable, try mixing it with primer, or eye cream, but don't expect it to wear as long as it normally would.

Frederik Fekkai Perfectly Luscious Curls Shampoo and Conditioner:  Oh boy, is this luscious! The softest my hair has ever been is when I was using this shampoo/conditioner combo. It is a home run on pretty much all fronts. It gives your hair that perfect texture for an amazing curl, without compromising softness (which I prefer over the crunchy curl). Tied for first is the insanely gorgeous grapefruit scent. Curly girls rejoice. Wavy girls too. 

MAC Fix + Finishing Spray: If I could make the scent of this product a perfume, I would. There is just something entirely alluring yet refreshing about this smell, and although I'm not entirely sure that the spray makes my makeup last any longer, I will continue to spritz to my heart's desire. 

Supergoop Antioxidant Sunscreen: If you don't already know my thoughts on this, continue to explore the blog to find out. 

Sun Beam by Benefit: This is the perfect color of highlighter. I find it to be the most natural because it has a golden/beige tint that goes quite well with light/medium shades all the way to deep skin tones. It is shimmery but not too frosty, if you catch my drift (ie you won't accidentally turn into the sugar-plum fairy after using it).