Thursday, October 10, 2013

Pride and Pretty

So, Modcloth is doing this contest called Be The Stylist. For this competition you put together an outfit built around your "signature" or favorite handbag. I decided to participate because I knew exactly which bag I wanted to use. My Pride & Prejudice clutch from Kate Spade. It's my favorite clutch that I've ever owned and I wouldn't own it if Kate Spade didn't do these amazing surprise sales at the end of every season. 

I decided to go with soft colors and blacks and whites to match it. I love this cream colored dress from Charlotte Russe. I bought it when I lived in Florida back in 2010 so I've had for a few years now and it still looks as good as it did the day I bought it. The tights are from Modcloth. They're called the "Wild You Were Out Tights" and they're adorable. The leopard print is subtle and really trendy. The shoes are also from Modcloth. They're the "Follow My Lede Flat in Postage" and I adore them. They go with everything and they vintage stamp print on them gives them a beautifully nostalgic feel. They're perfect for work. The cardigan came from Forever21 last year. It's a great addition to my work wardrobe. It's appropriate and cute and allows me to add something a bit trendier to my usual staple of tailored slacks and button down shirts.

Another part of this ensemble that you can't really see that well in these photos is my make up. I am a huge cosmetic junkie. I practically hoard Urban Decay eyeliners and eye shadows like they're going out of style (which they are not and never will). Here is a close up of the make up.


I mean---wait, oh man, this photo looks a lot different here than it did on my camera. 

Okay, so I don't have any great photos of my make up. But I'll tell you what I used anyway. 

I used Clinique Superbalanced foundation with Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer underneath. Hourglass's Veil Mineral Primer amazes me every time I use it. I wore it to an outdoor concert this summer and my foundation didn't budge a bit. And let me tell you I was sweating up a storm (or glistening if I wanted to be a polite lady). On my cheeks I used Urban Decay's Glide On Cheek tint in Bang (which I ordered from their site on sale and it was completely worth it) with Benefit's BeneTint (Rose).

I also used Nars concealer on my blemishes and bumps. It covers really well and I love that it's in a stick form. It comes in a ton of shades too which is great for me because I have extremely fair skin (ivory to the extreme.) However, I don't know if all of those advantages are worth the price you pay for the Nars brand. I then highlighted just above the apples of my cheeks with Benefit's High Beam.

Moving on to my eyes. I used Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Eden on my lids and Benefit's Erase Paste in medium underneath my eyes. You can't really tell it here but I used 3 Urban Decay eyeshadow shades on my lid: Sin, Zephyr, and Scratch. It created a warm but natural tone on my eye lid. I put Zephyr (iridescent white) on the inside corner of my upper and lower lid, Sin (champagne) on the whole lid, and Scratch (a peachy-pink) in the crease and outer corner. I completed it with El Dorado (Gold) 24/7 liner on the outside of my lower lid and Perversion (dark black) 24/7 liner along the length of my upper lid. I used a combination Eyeko Skinny brush mascara and Lancome's Hypnose Star mascara on my lashes. I highlighted my brows with with Urban Decay's Sin shade as well. I use this eye look a lot. I love how subtle yet eye catching it is. 

On my lips I used a Nars lip pencil. Unlike the concealer, Nars lip pencils are totally worth the money. I love the pigmentation and the texture. For this outfit I wanted to go soft (normally I'm all about the bold lip) so I used Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Roman Holiday and then used Bite Beauty's Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Currant. It tastes really good and it's gloss with staying power, which is rare. Bite Beauty is a new brand for me but so far I really love them. Their products are made from food-grade ingredients and are extremely hydrating. Plus they have some outstanding shades.

Wow, that was a lot. It sounds like a lot of work, but honestly it takes me about 15 minutes to do most of this. I'll admit my eyes take a little longer since I'm very picky about how my eyeliner looks but typically I can get all of this done in 15 minutes.

I hope this was interesting to all of you. I'm not used to talking about myself this much so I feel like this is a bit strange, but if you like fashion and make up and enjoy discovering new products like I do then hopefully this entertained you for a bit. I highly recommend checking out Modcloth.com and their super adorable selection of vintage and retro inspired clothes. I'm addicted to that website. Also, the best way to learn how to apply make up is to practice. Set aside some time to just take your brushes and your make up and play. That's how you find out what you like and what you don't. 

Let me know if this was helpful to you! I'd be happy to do a few more posts about fashion and cosmetics! I love both of those things very much! Also, feel free to follow me on tumblr and ask me any questions you'd like! I'll be happy to answer them!  



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