Happy New Year, fellows and floozies, I hope you all enjoyed the slew of parties and general insanity (and the fashion show!) on Wednesday. On a related note, my ONTHATTIP resolution for 2009 is to start bringing you better and more frequent style content. I'm going to start it off with a new series on the blog, Deconstructed, which will provide step-by-step how-to's on hair, makeup, simple clothing alterations, or anything else that fucking rules, so you can do it yourself.
I took these photos the day before the New Year's eve runway show, when I was deciding on a makeup concept. I didn't want to forget what my steps were if I liked the end result, so I took these photos, which gave me the idea of deconstructing the process for you. So here it is, my inaugural Deconstructed post, breaking down the New Year's Eve runway makeup (if you missed it, we'll be posting Lara's photos soon)! I used asterisks so I could also tell you the products I used if you want to recreate the look or part of it.
1. Starting with a clean, dry face, rub a drop or two of liquid foundation* into a dime-sized blob of aloe vera gel** until evenly mixed. Starting at the jawline and moving up, apply liberally all over the face, blending as needed. (*L'Oreal truematch super-blendable makeup in Soft Ivory; **Aloe vera gel can be found in any drugstore. Buy as close to 100% pure as possible. It forms a perfect base mixed with foundation that stays put, has a completely natural texture, and also soothes the skin.)
2. Apply concealer* as needed, paying particular attention to redness around the nose and darkness around the eye area. (*bareMinerals powder foundation SPF15 doubles as a concealer and foundation, and for around $25 is arguably the best beauty investment I've ever made)
3. Apply eyeshadow primer* from lid to brow. (*Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion)
4. For the show (but not in the pictures you see here) I lightened the girls' temple-to-cheekbone area dramatically with white shadow*. (*from Maybelline ExpertWear shadow trio in Impeccable Greys)
5. Apply bold golden yellow matte shadow* evenly from lid to brow. (*L'Oreal High Intensity Pigments shadow duo in Flamboyant and Chanel Joues Contraste powder blush in Eldorado)
6. Define brows with dark brown brow pencil*, and spike brows slightly upward with a clear brow gel**. (*Maybelline Define-A-Line in brownish black; **Cover Girl Natural Lash mascara in Clear)
7. Apply shimmery white highlighting powder* to inside corner of eyes, under the inside corner of the brow, and along the underside of the brow from the arch to the outside corner. This will add dimension to both the color and the bone structure. (*NARS Body Shimmer highlighting powder)
8. Apply black eyeliner* in a winged shape from about one quarter of the way from the inner corner of the eye, extending out and slightly up from the outer corner. (*L'Oreal High Intensity Pigments Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Black, applied with angled brush)
9. Apply multiple coats of black mascara* to the upper and lower lashes. (*L'Oreal Double Extend mascara in Carbon Black)
10. Apply hilighting powder to cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the bow of the lip, and around the temples.
11. Sweep a light-colored bronzer* up underneath the cheekbones to define. Apply a neutral peach blush** to the apples of the cheeks. (*Physician's Formula Magic Mosaic in Watm Beige/Light Bronzer; **Cover Girl TruBlend Naturally Luminous Blush in Shimmering Sands)
12. Warm a bit of liquid foundation between the fingers, and dab it onto the lips, covering completely without over-applying. Powder* to set. (*bareMinerals foundation SPF15)
13. Apply a warm berry lipcolor* to only the center of the top and bottom lip. The color should be smudged outwards slightly, but not all the way to the outer corners of the lip, for a popsicle-stained, doll-like effect. (*Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Suitably Ruby)
Enjoy playing with this look! I hope to see you all at Circus later tonight. I'm feeling pretty low-key following last night's trainwreck, which started with champagne-and-blackberry-brandy cocktails and left me waking up this morning still tipsy and fully dressed on top of my covers. Something's definitely in the air in Boston right now, and I predict some happening shit in 2009....
xo
The Fashist Dictator