Shine bright like a diamond...

Kim K is famous for a lot of things, but when I think of her makeup I think of smokey eye, nude lips, and an extremely contoured and highlighted face. Emilee and I were inspired by this look, so we went with a nude eye with really bright lids, and a bold eyeliner paired with extra long lashes, and really bright underneath the eyes. 

To start to get this "light" look, I used a light concealer (two shades lighter than what she would normally wear) and put that all under her eyes and about a half inch below that. I also put it along her lids to create a nice bright base for the eyeshadow we used. Key word: blend. I blended the concealer into her foundation that was already on with a stippling brush. Once that was done, I set it with a light foundation powder. I then put a highlighter powder along the high points of her cheek bones. I went over and added some bronzer to contour and added a light pink blush along the apples of her cheeks. 

For her eyes, I put a light eyeshadow all over her lid up until the brow bone, and beneath her eye. Pretty simple! For the big lash look, we added mascara, some thick cat eyeliner, black liner on the waterline, and some falsies that were already on. So fun! 

Last but not least, the lips! We just put a nude pink viva glam lipstick on to compliment the bright nude face. I didn't want it to look overpowering with a bright lip, and I think the nude pink worked out great. 

What do you think about this look?! It's always SO fun to have a beautiful best friend who can test out new looks and be your model ;) 

Makeup/Photo by Claire Houston 

XOXO,

Claire 

Sultry Smokey Eyes

Many girls dreams of having a sexy sultry smokey eye look that we see everyone wearing on the red carpet. Kim K was known for her signature smokey eye look with a nude lip, and still today I get compliments and questions on how the heck do I do that myself?!

So you're not sure where to start? It's simple! SO many people get the idea that a smokey eye has to consist of heavy dark black eyeshadow, and that's not always the case! You can create a smokey eye look with browns, blacks, purples, blue hues, greens, deep reds and bronzes.

For a more natural smokey look I usually choose a bronzy-brown tone. Whichever you prefer, there's a few components that you should keep in mind. What you'll need: a blending brush, a brush to apply and pack on more color with (I use a Mac 239 or my Sigma Beauty E55 brush), a dark colored eyeshadow, your favorite highlight eyeshadow, an eyeshadow color used for the base of your lid, eyeshadow primer (optional), a dark eyeliner pencil, and liquid or gel eyeliner (if you prefer the top eyeliner look).

If you're not sure where to start with the color choices... there are so many drugstore brands that create smokey eye quads or eyeshadow palettes :) One of my favorites is Maybelline's: Stylish Smokes in 02 Natural Smokes (it even has a photo describing where to place the eyeshadow on the back).

Let's Get Started:  Step 0- If you're using an eyeshadow primer apply that to your eyelid first. Step 1- Take your brush that you're going to apply your color with. I start by taking my highlight color and applying it all over my lid, focusing on the inner corner near my tear duct and underneath my eyebrow on the brow bone. Step 2- After you've applied that, take the same brush and apply the color you chose for your base. We're going to apply this to the lid of your eye, until it hits the crease. Take your blending brush and blend the edges until there are no harsh lines and the color becomes diffused with the highlight color.  Step 3- Now we're going to take the darkest color for your crease and use your first brush to sweep a dark hue in the crease of your eyelid. Create an outer "V" of your eye and place the color. Take your blending brush and blend the color until there are no more harsh lines and creating the illusion of a smokey eye. If your color fades a little, add more eyeshadow and repeat this process for darker pigmentation.  Step 4- Once you are happy with the results, you can apply your eyeliner pencil to your waterline (I tight line my top waterline as well).  Step 5- Next, curl your eyelashes.  Step 6- If you want top liner using liquid or gel I suggest doing this before you apply your mascara. Step 7- Once you are done applying this, apply your mascara. Sometimes if I want a really smokey look, I sweep a little bit of dark eyeshadow along my lower lash line under the water line and smoke it out! I hope this helps you out!

If anyone was wondering what colors I use, I usually use "vanilla", "naked lunch" or "shroom" by Mac for a highlight. For a dark color, I use "carbon" or "graphology" by Mac. There are so many dupes to those colors though, I just happen to love Mac eyeshadows for their pigmentation :)

XOXO,
Claire

Here is a diagram if you're not sure where to

 apply your eyeshadow. 

Smokey Eye... get the look! 

Rebel Lips

My absolute favorite lipstick colors for winter time are deep berry red colors... and my newest addition is Mac's "Rebel". This lipstick has a satin sheen and looks great plain or with a gloss over it for a flirty look! This lipstick is very pigmented, so if you want to opt for a lighter look you can dab a little over your lips for a sheer berry look, or apply with a heavy hand to get a deep dark berry color. For a more precise application, apply with a lip brush and clean up around the edges of your lips with your concealer to create a defined lip. You can buy online at www.maccosmetics.com Let me know what you think of this color!

XOXO,
Claire

Here is Rebel photographed.. gorgeous!