War Paint

So, this happened this weekend:

{personal photo}

That's right- I splurged.  Oh boy did I splurge.  There's always one item you go a little overboard with when wedding planning, and I decided make-up was an acceptable item for a bit of ridiculousness, for several reasons- I'm doing my own make-up on The Big Day, meaning I need the best quality equipment to ensure a good job; I've never owned real make-up brushes before, so I might as well grab some of the best; and make-up is something that I can actually use after the wedding day is over, so I'm looking at it as more of an investment, not just a splurge.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

{personal photo}

So here's my fresh face.  Well, sorta.  My fresh face with some awesome airbrush face paint at Busch Gardens!  I have mild-ish acne which really only flares up around that time of the month, but otherwise I have your typical combination skin- oily T-zone, dry cheeks.  Make-up tends to look shiny on me by the end of the day, and eye make-up typically gets all creased and nasty.

Lately I've been using Maybelline Fit Me! concealer, blush, and powder (I don't use foundation typically).

Maybelline products // image via Miss Makeup Lover

To solve the creased eyeshadow problem, I've been using Revlon Colorstay shadow and IT REALLY WORKS, Y'ALL- especially when I use a dab of concealer as a primer.

Revlon products // image via Vampy Varnish

My everyday look is a bit of concealer (mainly on my crazy eye-bags), all-over powder, and enough blush to give some color to my vampirish pale skin.  Most of the time, the only color that goes on my lips is a Chapstik with a subtle sparkle to it- but sometimes I go with a nude or pink lipstick.

{personal photo}

For fancy-times, I add the eyeshadow- I use the pink and black palette and apply it exactly like the directions say on the back.  (I'm no artist, but I can follow directions!)  I really dig the retro look, so I only line my top lid, and I go for volume as opposed to length with mascara.

{personal photo}

So, Sunday afternoon, I had an appointment at Sephora for a complete consultation which lasted a good hour.  The consultation was free, but I had to purchase at least $50 in products or gift cards- which was obviously not difficult to hit.  I described what I was looking for in the make-up itself- something that wouldn't make my oily skin too shiny, something that would last a good 8 hours, mascara that gives volume (as I'm not confident in my ability to apply false lashes myself)- and what look I was going for- something that channels the '40s with a cat eye and a bold, red lip, but otherwise a subtle color palette because it's a daytime event.

Here's what I got:

{personal photo} // outside, in the shade, with flash

That is a RED lip if I ever did see one.  AND I LOVE IT.  I also love what the foundation does to my skin tone- it's beautifully even, no pores, no shine.

{personal photo} // outside, in the shade, with flash

Here you can see how very painted on that lip is.  I do like the definition that the lip liner gives, and I like how big and pouty it makes my lips, but I think on The Big Day I'm going to stick to the natural shape of my lips instead of exaggerating them quite so much.  My top lip does tend to disappear when I smile, so I'll probably define the bow like it is here, but I won't make the bottom lip this full.  This is a beautiful stain that all the sales ladies were crazy about- I believe the brand is called Hourglass, and the liner is Urban Decay- with no gloss.  Should I add a gloss, do you think?  I kind of like the matte color.  I also really like how this picture shows the way the blush makes my cheeks look like they're glowing, and not like I'm wearing blush.

{personal photo} // outside, in the shade, with flash

Although the concealer and highlighter make my skin tone beautifully even, it was applied a little heavy-handed.  She told me I don't need to use quite this much for everyday wear, but that a crazy amount is necessary to look good in pictures.  It certainly didn't feel like a lot of make-up- this stuff is light as a feather- but in the mirror I thought it looked like an awful lot.  I can't decide now, looking at the pictures.  My gut reaction was to go lighter for the big day, but now I'm thinking it doesn't look quite so thick on camera.  What do you think?

{personal photo} // inside, with flash

(We went back to my place after the appointment, I changed, and we went to dinner and a movie.  I figured I should use this face for a proper date night!)

The eye make-up though...

I like the subtlety of the shadow- it's all browns and creams, and I only ever use greys and whites, so that's a nice difference- but the liner is a little intense.  I'll probably skip the bottom line- or at least go not-so-dark- and while I absolutely adore the cat eye, I think I'll make it thinner.  Mind you, my attempt at a cat eye with a pencil liner looked like crap in our e-photos:

{photo courtesy Emile Frey Photography}

so it's going to take some practice to get to something this professional looking, but I still think I'm going to go for a thinner stroke to lighten things up a bit.

Finally, here's the end-of-the-night shot, after a good 8 hours or so (and a delicious turkey burger at The Counter and Argo which was a FANTASTIC movie, you should all go see it!)

{personal photo} // inside with flash

So, I got a little shiny.  The eyeshadow stayed put and didn't run at all, though.  The biggest disappointment was the lip stain- it started wiping off the moment I took a bite of my burger.  That will definitely need to be re-applied throughout the festivities!  It didn't get all dry and cracked like other stains do, so I appreciate that.

All in all I'd say this make-up trial was a success!  Now I'm just going to need to practice a few things before The Big Day...

Did you do your own wedding make-up?  Did you let a professional teach you how?  Are you more of a bronzer or blush kind of gal?  How do you feel about bold red lips?