wearing on her face.
Francesca created such a nice makeup look for herself this morning, and looks so good, she must share it with you! (Squee! as our readers say.)
Context: Today Francesca is sitting in a coffee shop with her computer, working on the various assignments. She is wearing a knit sweater in a light purple, and wanted to look finished but not overdone. She has blue eyes, very fair skin, and red hair.
You will see that Francesca has a few of the high-end brands, but mostly sticks with the oldie-but-goody name of Maybelline, to which Francesca developed a loyalty years ago when she discovered it is the only brand of mascara that does not make her cry (literally). She does not know why this is the case, but there it is. Some good things come in cheaper packages, which is the good thing because we spend all the monies on shoes!
Foundations: Laura Mercier powder foundation applied with a large brush; Maybelline Mineral Power concealer blended with a concealer brush; Laura Mercier brow powder duo in Soft Blonde, applied with a small brush. The darker color goes all along upper part of the brow, and the lighter color goes just beneath it. Having two colors makes it look more natural, since our hair is not naturally all one color.
Francesca has pretty good skin (so no need for liquid foundation every time) and rarely wears blush during the day, so this was it for the basic prep before the colors.
Eyes: From the Lauren Luke My Smoky Classics collection, Francesca applied eyelid primer, and then the Cashmere Cream eyeshadow –a cream color with some copper tones — onto the inner half of the lid and just under the brow. Then she applied the gorgeous Antique Pewter — a grey-blue that picked up the purple a bit from Francesca’s sweater –onto the outer half and into the crease. Then she used the tip of the same brush to pull a bit of the blue color under her lower lid, just a teeny bit of the way in. For eyeliner she used Maybelline Define-A-Line in Slate Grey, just on the outside half of the lids, and used the little sponge at the tip of the pencil to blend the color on top and bottom, creating a slightly smokey look. And the finishing touch: A dab of pure white eyeshadow (Francesca used Maybelline’s Shadow Stylist in Contemporary White) and blended toward the eye. This makes one look more “awake” and adds a bit of drama. Mascara: Maybelline Intense Volume XXL in Brownish-Black, which Francesca likes because it comes with a primer at one end and the mascara on the other. The primer helps to make Francesca’s woefully short lashes look longer.
Lips:L’Oreal Endless in Fawn Fatale, a fall/winter mauve shade that complemented the purple sweater. This is Francesca’s favorite color ever, and if they ever discontinue it, she will cry as if she is wearing non-Maybelline mascara.
Francesca feels so pretty!
Pretty! Love the eyeshadow here.
Comment by Lisa — December 16, 2009 @ 3:43 pm
Thank you! I’m a redhead with identical-sounding coloring. I can never buy a decent color. Now I have a shopping list. Thank you!
Comment by Lucy — December 16, 2009 @ 5:37 pm
Love the Lauren Luke palette! I’m thinking that I might need to hunt that down.
Comment by Christy — December 16, 2009 @ 6:23 pm
So here was my day in the make up realm:
I just finished a huge project and so I gave myself the day off, which means I spent a large portion of the day watching fashionface tv. Which means I was then lead to do something overly ambitious and beyond my all-thumbs-self.
I’ve been aspiring to a smokey eye for ages, without any real success. So I am layering on some color–going lighter, and then I break out some of the charcoal from my new Sephora pallette. I grab one of the charcoals there, and it’s not just charcoal, it’s WHOA LOOKING INTO A BOTTOMLESS PIT DARK charcoal. And I have really smudgied it on both eyes. HELLLLLLOOOO Raccoon. So in disgust I take out my makeup remover and just say I’m going to start over…and after a few big-ish swipes…I can’t get rid of it….but it’s like the best smoky eye I’ve ever done, and entirely by accident, and only Moses knows if I am ever going to be able to make this work again.
So I had rather a brilliant case of smokey eye all day while I cleaned out my fridge, rearranged my closet, and cleaned the kitty box.
Comment by Lisa — December 16, 2009 @ 8:55 pm
Wow, I too have very fair skin and am a redhead. Sadly, I do not have beautiful blue eyes, but hazel/green eyes
I have to try your Maybelline mascara. It sounds great, and will indeed save money required for shoes!
Comment by Christine — December 16, 2009 @ 9:15 pm
The Christy does not have to hunt! Just click on the link! xoxo
Comment by Francesca — December 17, 2009 @ 1:42 am
Lisa-
Francesca laughs out loud
xoxo
Comment by Francesca — December 17, 2009 @ 1:48 am
My colouring is similar as well. The only thing is that La Petite Acadienne does not have eyes of blue OR of green, but of aqua. She is perplexed as to what shades will best enhance this.
Comment by La Petite Acadienne — December 17, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
Acadienne–depending on your hair coloring and what you are wearing, I’d bet you would be a good candidate for charcoals, violets–these of various tones and intensities–and dark blues and darker neutrals. I have a beautiful charcoal-y denim blue from Mac that looks lovely on my friend with bright blue eyes. It would look stunning on my blue-eyed husband but he won’t let me put any on him.
Comment by Lisa — December 17, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
Lisa: Is there really a fashionface TV channel? And if so, WHY AM I NOT GETTING IT?!
Francesca: I would strongly suggest that if you truly love that lipstick, buy a dozen of it NOW. Better yet, TWO dozen. Because I promise you that it will disappear, and you will be like me, endlessly searching for Max Factor # ___, scrounging for it on Ebay. And I DID buy a dozen boxes through my wonderful, family-owned pharmacy. Goshdarnit.
HAAATE: When I find something I love, I am, apparently, the Kiss Of Death for it. Foundation, perfume, lipstick, blush, bra styles – I can kill ANYTHING. I killed a perfume that was sold in this country BEFORE IT WAS A COUNTRY. Dead, dead, dead. And I’ve killed off a few other long-lived classics, as well. Stock up now, while you can.
Comment by La BellaDonna — December 17, 2009 @ 6:45 pm
I posted the URL to fashion face tv and it got deleted, perhaps by a spam check. Just look for it on Google, LaBellaDonna.
Comment by Lisa — December 18, 2009 @ 2:28 pm