dark lips

Some pictures in this post were lost. I apologize if that makes this post difficult to understand, however I didn't want to delete it so you would still be able to refer to it.

I have seen the purple/deep red lipstick really come into fashion this holiday season and the more dark lips I was seeing, the more I wanted to try it. You may already know that I like to stick to my baby pinks and nudes, but this was something I did want to take a shot at. I wanted to go for a drugstore lipstick first since I didn't really know if I was going to like it.

The lipstick I used was Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry. The picture doesn't really show the true color. It is a bit darker and has more red than the picture shows. (Lately, the weather has been pretty crappy so I am not really able to use natural light.)

I applied it very quickly- and then ended up taking it off- so I didn't follow all the steps I usually would with a dark lip color. I would first scrub my lips, either with a lip exfoliator or toothbrush, and then apply lip balm to moisturize the lips. After about 5 minutes, or longer if possible, I would wipe away the lip balm and then line my lips. I don't think you have to use a liner in the same color as your lipstick, just something to create a frame for the lips. I would then slowly apply the lipstick since dark shades usually stain the skin.

I really enjoyed how the color looked, especially since I had a very light eye. I was wearing a lot of black though, which made me look somewhat gothic. Once I find an outfit I am comfortable wearing this lipstick in, I will definitely rock it because the color is beautiful!

What dark lip colors have y'all been sporting lately? What are you favorite lip colors? Let me know in the comment section!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

dark smokey eye

Some pictures in this post were lost. I apologize if that makes this post difficult to understand, however I didn't want to delete it so you would still be able to refer to it.

Lately I have been loving combining my Lorac Pro Palette along with Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette to create a perfect smokey eye. I wore this dark smokey eye last week when I cheered at Madison Square Garden. It did require some time, but I really liked how it came out.

First I started with an eye primer, which is a necessity to me. I then took the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk and put that on the first half of my eye- to brighten this area. I then blended that in and added the shade White from the Pro Palette over the area where I applied the jumbo eye pencil. I have found this method in particular makes the lightest areas of a smokey eye stand out more.

Next, I took a piece of tape (removed some of the tackyness) and placed it from the outer corner of my eye to the edge of my eyebrow, so it layed somewhat on my cheek bone. This is to create a more defined line. I then took the shade Verve from the Naked 2 Palette and applied that in the center of the lid and then took Pistol to the outer corner and under the eyelid. Lastly, I took Blackout from that same palette in the outer corner and under the eye. I also blended this into the crease.

Lastly, I needed something to blend out the black, so I took YDK and blended that at the edges of the black. You then can add any highlight shade to the inner corner and brow bone to highlight those areas. I used Bootycall from the Naked 2 Palette since it was handy.

Then I removed the tape and had a much harsher line than I wanted, so I used a clean shadow brush to fade it out a bit and then added concealer to areas that needed touching up. You can add lashes and liner- which I did- however you like it best.

I hope you enjoyed this look, I know I did. I feel like I sometimes use a lot of eyeshadows at once, but that's what gives my looks dimension! Let me know if you tried this look and share your pics in the comment section below!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina

make green eyes pop!

Some pictures in this post were lost. I apologize if that makes this post difficult to understand, however I didn't want to delete it so you would still be able to refer to it.

I personally love looking for shades of eye shadows that make my eyes pop! I would say I have a mixture between green and blue eyes that are more on the dark than light side. I was trying to use up the rest of my Stila In the Lights Palette sample to see if this would be worth buying. I'll talk you through the look first and then let you know my thoughts on the palette.

This look was so easy, just required a bit of blending. It is highly shimmery so it might not be for everyone. I started off with one of the light shades, Kitten, and applied that all over the lid up to the crease and also on the inner corner and under the eyebrow- to highlight those areas. I then took the matte mid-brown shade, Bliss, and applied that in the crease and a bit higher to give the next shade something to lie on. I also applied this on the lower lid, about half way in.

Next I took the shade Sandstone and applied that to the exact crease line. I blended it up a bit, which created a flawless blend since we already had that Bliss shade blended above the crease line. I also took Sandstone about a third of the way in on the lower lash line.

Finally I took some black liquid liner and created a small wing, along with lots of mascara- as usual! I think because the shades all have a gold undertone, it works really well with green eyes. I also really like how shimmery it is (I have somewhat of an obsession with shimmery shadows).

Now, on to what I think of the actual palette...I would say, for me personally, it is not worth it. I really only liked that one light shade- I feel the rest I would be able to find in other palettes. Maybe I can buy it as a single eye shadow, but to buy the whole palette for just one or two shades is not worth it.

Hopefully this was helpful for anyone thinking about buying this palette! Let me know if you have other ideas for posts you want to see in the comments below!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina

similarities between Pro and Naked?

As I was doing some looks that combined both the Urban Decay Naked and Naked 2 Palettes along with the Lorac Pro Palette I saw some similarities between the shadows of these three. I wanted to do a quick post comparing some of the colors that looked similar for anyone that thought they all looked too close to purchase separately. I did swatches of the colors I thought may be dupes for each other:

So, as you can see, some of the colors do look fairly similar to each other but there are no exact dupes. Starting at the top, left there is Mauve from Pro and Tease from Naked 2. I did think at firs these were going to be definite dupes of each other, but swatched you can see that Tease is a bit darker and less lilac than Mauve.

Next, I swatched all the light shimmery shades: Nude from Pro, Sin from Naked, Champagne from Pro, Virgin from Naked and Bootycall from Naked 2. Again, all very similar but none of them are exactly the same color as the other.

Then going to the bottom, left there is Black from Pro and Blackout from Naked 2. The black from the Naked 2 is actually deeper than the Lorac Pro Palette but both go on very nicely and pigmented.

In the middle you can see Gold from Pro and Chopper from Naked 2. The gold in the Pro Palette is much more orange based whereas Chopper has some more brown shades.

Lastly, there is Slate from Pro and Gunmetal from Naked. I think these are the closest shades to each other. Gunmetal is a bit more metallic than Slate, but they both have the same blue-gray concept going on. I don't necessarily enjoy this shade because I like my grays to be silver and not blue based.

So even though some of the shades in all of these palettes are the same, they aren't exact. If I really had to make a choice about which one to purchase I would probably chose the Lorac Pro Palette since it has the whole row of matte shadows, but all the palettes are great for anyone who loves neutrals! I hope you enjoyed this post, it isn't something I would usually do but I did enjoy comparing some of my favorite palettes!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina