12 Day Blogger Challenge - Tutorial-ish: Glam Evening Look

I've identified this look at glam. I really, really hope it actually is glam. For me, this look is fool-proof: I've done it several times when going out, not just at night but during the day, too. It's gorgeous, it's super easy and I always get compliments when I do this! It might seem kinda basic given my skillset (or inherent lack thereof), but if you're also a Beauty Padawan then I'm sure you'll find it very achievable!

It's amazing what a dodgy camera can do for your complexion.

I last wore this look at Armageddon a couple of weeks ago, both at the cocktail party on the Friday evening as well as the Saturday, the first official day of the convention. I apologise in advance for not taking photos of the products as I used them -- the synapses in my brain clearly weren't firing when I had my camera out!

 First you want to start off with a plain, clean face. Here's one I prepared earlier:


It's true, I wake up this dazzling.

I did my foundation routine as normal. For me, that's the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer with MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in "NW20" -- I like this combination because I find that it usually lasts me all day without fail, if I apply just the right amount. From there, I used Benefit Stay Don't Stray eye shadow primer, which I think is a good, solid primer that gives a nice amount of coverage over the lids. I feel like you want that with a look like this, to really make the colours stand out!

For my eyes I used the MAC Maleficent Eye Shadow Quad. Obviously this isn't available unless you want to plumb the depths of eBay and stretch deep into your bank account, but the good news is that you can actually buy the colours separately from MAC', if you're into buying individual shadows. If you're not, see which shades are comparable in your collection, you'll probably be able to knock something together that's really close!

To start, I packed "Goldmine" all over my inner corner and two-thirds of my lid. This colour can be a little sheerer than what's in the pan, but it's buildable so you should be able to get a really strong colour out of it. Then you take "Ground Brown" and pack that onto the outer v. I believe this colour has been discontinued, but any deep, almost dirty brown will work.

Next you take "Concrete", which is a kind of dark cement grey colour, and blend it into the crease with whichever blending brush you fancy. I really favouring the Real Techniques brushes, but I'm always looking for suggestions to expand my brush collection! If you've got a keeper, let me know!

You might find that you lose some of the "Goldmine" colour when blending in "Concrete", in which case, you solution is easy: pack some more on!

 

Next, take your favourite black liquid liner -- mine is the Maybelline Hyper Glossy -- and wing it out. It should look something like this:



 

I then took the MAC 215 Medium Shader Brush and smudged "Carbon" along my lower lashline. A lot of people have issues with the quality of this particular shadow; I've heard that it's often chalky with a poor colour payoff. The quality in the Maleficent quad is actually, so I've heard, one of the best released MAC has ever done of it, so I've obviously lucked out. If you don't wish to poke "Carbon" with a ten-foot stick, use your favourite smokey black shadow instead.

 

I followed this with a few coats of L'Oreal Paris Volume Million Mascara, which I like because while it isn't the most voluminising mascara I have, it adds a decent amount of length. In a shocking, daring twist, I filled in my eyebrows with "Triple Fudge" from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. I also lined my waterlines with Estee Lauder Automatic Eye Pencil Duo in "Jet Black" -- this is an expensive eyeliner at $44 (and cartridge refills at $23) but I honestly believe it's one of the best liners I've ever used. It dispenses easily, it isn't wasteful and it lasts a long time. Eyeliner doesn't normally last a long time on my lower waterline, but I find that this does a really decent job.

 

Now my face looks like this.

I'm ready for my close-up!

After that, it was onto the rest of my face. I applied Manicare Glam Eyes Selena Lashes -- I really like them, but I'm a little unsure about the strip the lashes are on, if that makes sense. If has a slight little wing at the end, and it's curved to the extent that I currently find them slightly difficult to apply well. I'm pretty sure that you can pull it off without damaging the lashes, but I'm a tad scared to do that at the moment.

 

I set my foundation with the usual MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Powder in "Medium", contoured my cheeks and temples with MAC Bronzing Powder in "Matte Bronze", then applied "Incandescent Light" from the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette instead of a blush along my cheekbones, as well as on my forehead, mixed with a little "Dim Light". I'm not quite sure what it is, but I feel like doing this instead of applying blush makes my skin look a lot smoother, especially in dim light.

 

Notice how I've now changed from my jumper to my dress.

At this stage, I haven't yet applied my lipstick -- it's the thing I like to leave until last! I never know if I'll suddenly get hungry or thirsty, and it's just easier to not worry about getting lipstick all over the place. So, instead, I move onto my hair.

 

I recently invested -- "invested", I love the word -- in a hair curler. If you know me, you know that I normally cannot curl my hair to save my life. Yet, with the magic that is BaByliss Pro Ceramic Conical Curler, I somehow managed to achieve the following:

 

CUUUUURRRRLS!

Yes, curls! It's a springtime miracle! I heat up the iron rather hot (way hotter than I should) and curl it so it looks something like in the picture above. I gather the front parts and tie in the back with a really dark hair tie, which I then cover with a fancy claw clip. My hair is more or less twinned with Hermione Granger's, so I usually can't get any clip to hold back this much hair on its own. If your hair isn't quite so thick or bushy, you may be able to get away with a claw just fine!

 

From there, I like to give my hair a little time for the curls to settle and look slightly more natural -- this basically happens by my hair doing its natural Hermione Granger frizz thing. You may want to spritz your hair with hairspray to prevent that from happening.

 

A few minutes before I leave, I apply my lipstick. For making an impression, I wanted to go with a really bold red, so I reached for my favourite: MAC Viva Glam Rihanna 1! I find that it lasts well, even with light eating and drinking. I do touch it up during the night, but that's more to top up the vibrancy than to colour in that dastardly "ring of colour" we all hate.

 

And that's the final look, which I managed to snap thanks to quickly remembering that my mum has a phone camera that works! Just glam it up further with your favourite jewellery -- my favourite special piece are these ear cuffs by Maria Black. I've got two, one with the chains (which you can see) and one without. I'm not sure if the cuff with the chains is still available, as I bought these well over six months ago, but I'm pretty sure can still get the one without. Just a word of caution: Maria Black do not usually sell cuffs in pairs, they sell them separately. They do say this on their website, but it's worth knowing beforehand.

 

What do you think of this look? What's your go-to evening look? Let me know!

 

Sarah xo