Smokey Eye ft. Burberry shadows

Hello darlings!

I, after many months of doing very simple makeup, was inspired yesterday to do a bit of a smokey eye. Every now and then you just need to switch it up, ya know? This is a fairly easy eye to accomplish and I'll walk you through it step by step. All you'll need is:

A black eye pencil (I use YSL's waterproof liner)
A black eyeshadow (I used Illamasqua's Zeitgeist pigment)
A deep brown shadow with shimmer (I used Burberry's Midnight Brown)
A warm taupe shadow with shimmer (I used Burberry's Pale Barley)

Firstly, I laid down a rough base with the pencil, smudging it all over my lid just up to the crease. It did not have to be precise- I immediately smudged the entirety with a shadow brush (RBR's shader brush) in order to soften the edges and blend it slightly into my crease.

Next, I packed a black eyeshadow all over the lid to intensify the inky black color and aid in blending with the next couple of shadows.

As a means to soften the harshness of the black, as well as to continue blending the eye into the crease, I used Burberry's Midnight Brown on a MAC 224 brush right into my socket line. This started to create a nice fade of color that allowed the black to transition nicely into the brown. I also smudged a bit of Midnight Brown under my lower lashline using the side of a MAC 239 brush to give a haze of sexy, dirty, smokiness around the eye.

The last shadow I used was Burberry's Pale Barley. Using my MAC 224, I used Pale Barley on top of Midnight Brown to fade the color towards my brow bone. The key to a smokey eye is just layering colors- light and dark. This creates a watercolor effect sans any harsh lines which should be avoided at all costs. Pale Barley was also used under the lower lash line as well as in the tear duct to highlight.

Lastly, line the eyes with your black pencil of choice and finish off with a few coats of black mascara (I used Tom Ford's Extreme mascara)

I like this smokey eye because it's both easy, effective, and looks more difficult than it actually is to create. All in all this took me about ten minutes for both eyes, making it the perfect night out look for when you're in a rush!

Hope you enjoyed!

The finished look

L-R: Illamasqua Zeitgeist, Burberry Pale Barley, Burberry Midnight Brown 

xo Seth

By Terry Or de Rose Blush Prestige

Good morning all!

When I first caught wind that By Terry's winter 2012 collection would be created off of the beauty of rose gold my breath literally stopped. I am obsessed with all things rose gold. Some may say it looks tacky and/or cheap but I find it lacks the brassiness of regular gold nor the cold austerity of silver- it seems to truly illuminate the skin of anyone who wears it. What could be more appropriate in the dead of winter than products that contain real flecks of this gorgeous metal?! 

The collection (Fascination Or Rose, Christmas 2012) contains four products, two of which I purchased. 

- Or de Rose Blush Prestige (check)

- Or de Rose Baume Precieux (check)

- Or de Rose Huile Absolue (wishlist)

- Crayon Kohl Terrybly in Opaline Flash (wishlist)

Today we will focus on the Blush Prestige.

Look at that gold leaf!

Per the ByTerry website:

With generating 24-carat Pink Gold and nutri-rejuvenating Natural Roses Extracts, this precious "multi-touch" all-over fluid blush diffuses its luminous halo on the face reshaping and adorning the skin with a healthy "rosy sun" glow.

Its intensive, regenerating and youthful-lift formula, melt-away "stretch-powered" texture and rare multi-reflective prisms, reveal a smooth and radiant complexion for ultra-chic effect and absolute seduction.v

I DIE.

This blush illuminates the skin in the most beautiful way- it flawlessly does double duty as blush and highlighter, making it the perfect product for when I'm in a rush (i.e. most days). I have used this every single day without fail for the past two weeks and I couldn't be happier with its performance. The gel texture melts into the skin and blends effortlessly, it lasts twelve hours or more without fading, it never looks greasy, and it gives my light skin tone the perfect amount of a summer glow as the days grow shorter and the wind starts to chill. The color can be described as a rose gold, obviously, but also has a hint of apricot bronze that allows it to work in synergy with any other bronzer on the skin. Swatches below, both on the cheek and on the hand, showcase its gorgeous transparent texture and ethereal glow.

The only con is the price. $79.00. No, unfortunately that is not a typo. This is an insanely indulgent and luxurious product, but I do not regret the purchase at all- I can see myself using this until the very end of the bottle. 

Blush Prestige on the cheeks

Highly blendable gel texture 

ByTerry can be purchased at Barneys.com or Spacenk.com. I highly recommend either of these sites.

*All products were purchased with my own money for purposes of review.