posts tagged ‘video’
“girl next door” look
[ part one ]
Oh my, oh my, oh my! You all are so fantastic–I have spent a good chunk of time this morning going through all your lovely blogs you posted here! Do be sure to check them out, if you haven’t already. Links galore! Thank you for responding to my little request with such enthusiasm!. Now on to the purpose of this post…
I recently received an email from a lovely gal who had a question about creating a healthy vintage look. She explained that she does the “classic vintage” makeup: black eyeliner, red lips, neutral eye shadow, etc. While this look is very striking (and certainly the most recognizable of the vintage looks!), she said she that sometimes when she sported the look, it was too severe for her coloring: she felt that it pulled all the natural blush from her face!
Which got me thinking that it would be good to share some of the tips I emailed her, with you all! I definitely love the look that classic 1940s makeup tends towards, but like some, I’ve struggled with balancing the high contrast colors with my naturally pale skin. So here are a handful of tips that I hope will be helpful!
[ part 2 ]
- Powder: Like many fair gals, I tended towards using a light setting powder over my foundation–usually a translucent or similarly light shade. The downside is that over an already pale foundation (I am usually one of the first couple of lightest shades), it makes me look even paler–sometimes freakishly so! I have started using a setting powder that is a shade or two darker–usually somewhere in the medium range. It still sets my powder, doesn’t make my face unmatched to the rest of me, but keeps from washing my coloring out. I still keep a translucent powder on hand for things other than my face (like setting foundation/concealer over scars).
- Bronzer: Bronzer has become my BFF in the past six months! It sometimes has gotten a bad rap in the vintage community (for good reason: it tends to be very dark and looks too modern with many vintage looks), but I think if you find the correct shade for your skin tone and use it properly, it can add a lovely, healthy glow to your face! Currently, I’m using a generic bronzer I found at Ulta last year; it’s very light and has a bit of shimmer to it. I have also spied some fantastic shades in Wet ‘n Wild’s line up, and of course a trip to your favorite makeup counter (or a recon mission to Sephora!) would be a good bet too. It blends well with my natural color, but adds a sunkissed look. I apply it with an angled blush brush right underneath my check bones, contouring my face a bit, and blending up to the hairline. A smidgen applied to the temples and forehead with a fluffy blush brush, and a dab underneath my lower lip (for an added pouty-mouth look), usually does the job! The trick is applying it where the sun would naturally add some color to your face, and using a light touch.
- Blush: I always use blush when I use a medium to full coverage foundation, or a vintage look. Everyone needs a blush with a different undertone; I usually go for ones that are a light, peachy pink. Applied to the apples of the cheeks (and blended into the bronzer, if used), it adds another little bit of a “natural glow”.
- Eye Shadow: One of the most popular 1940s or 50s looks uses a pale base (white or slightly off whites seem to be the most used), a dark neutral (usually taupe or browns) in the crease, with a highlight color below the brow. I use this as a basic guideline for my daily look, but have found a few things that help warm the look up. For a base, I use a warm cream or a very pale pink matte; currently this is M.A.C.’s Yogurt shadow. Over that, I will use a bit of a medium pink, mauve, or rose in the crease before the taupe/brown. Layered underneath, this really looks quite like a natural, rosy blush to your eyes–very flattering! Then the darker crease color is applied and blended well with the pink/rose/mauve. For the highlight, I always use a cream or pale pink-based highlight. White just doesn’t work on me! My favorites are Rimmel’s Moonstone and M.A.C.’s Naked Lunch. These shadows have a bit more color to them, and thus don’t pull as much out of my face!
- Lips: You know I love a good, red lip! But some days–especially if I feel my makeup contrasts a bit too much to suit a strong lip. So I’ll tone it down a bit with a lighter red or dark pink pencil layered under red lipstick. This won’t work on every shade of red, but I’ve found with many of the blue-based lip colors, it is a great way to add some pink or soften the red.
I know many of these tips are probably old hat for some, but I hope they were helpful for others!


50s style faux bang tutorial
A little something quick and fun for this beautiful (albeit a bit overcast here… hehe!) spring day! This sweet, 50s style ‘do is quickly becoming one of my favorite looks this season. The faux bang is actually far easier than it looks, and it’s also a great style for “next day” curled hair! I hope you enjoy this video–and I’d love to see your version if you try it!


beautiful day

Hello dear friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We just relaxed, watched some movies we picked up at the library, we hung out with our own Easter Bunny, I knit, and Sailor Husband cooked up the most delicious pork ribs on the grill! I do have to admit that it didn’t feel quite like Easter yesterday–the weather was far too warm (I’m used to it being quite cool over this holiday). But the warmth afforded me some time to sit on the patio and knit something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time!
I recently started working on a backlog of YouTube video requests, including one on how I do my eyeliner. My video is below, but I’ve also linked to several other videos that are super helpful! I’ve picked up a couple new tips from just watching them! I daresay that eyeliner is my favorite cosmetics (besides mascara and lipgloss) because it really transforms a look with just a swipe of color!
So, I’m terribly curious: if you wear eyeliner (even just occasionally), what is your favorite brand and why? Mine is definitely the Mary Kay liquid liner (although I used a gel liner from Coastal Scents in the video). That one has always served me well through the heat of summer!


personal picks: red lipstick
I’ve had many people ask me what my favorite red lipstick is, and the answer really isn’t easy because I don’t have just one! I did a video for my YouTube channel going over my favorites, but just in case you can’t view it, here’s a breakdown of the red lipsticks I’ve used; many of which are quite affordable for those of us on a beauty budget.
( click for larger view and sources.)
- NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in “Hot Red”
- M.A.C. Lipstick in “Russian Red”
- M.A.C. Cremesheen Lipstick in “Dare You”
- M.A.C. Cremestick Liner in “Red Enriched”
- N.Y. Color Liquid Lip Shine in #556
- N.Y. Color Lipstick in “Retro Red”
- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in “Certainly Red”
I have also heard good things about Bésame Cosmetics red lip color, but have yet to try them–anyone have any experience? I’m thinking of a few of their lipsticks as splurge sometime around my birthday in May. lol!
( click for larger view and sources.)
A word about technique… I have found that two things can increase the longevity of bright reds (since they like to transfer very easily!): wearing a liner all over my lips and lightly blotting the lip color after applying it (before using a gloss). Taking off a bit of the excess really helps! I have tried some of the long-wearing lipsticks in the past, and haven’t been terribly pleased with their staying power or the fact that my lips become horribly dry after a few uses. So I make do with keeping a tube of my favorite red and a cute compact mirror in my purse at all times for quick touch-ups!
So, I’m interested: do you have a favorite red lipstick? Do share!


:: a real update! ::
No, I have not disappeared into the abyss, just been sucked into the vortex of pre-wedding crazy! Between all the little loose ends we’re scrambling to tie up and excitement, I’ve been very negligent about updating (and even checking my email–bad Casey!). But! I have finally finished editing the hairstyle tutorial I recorded a couple weekends ago. It’s a bit more condensed than the last one (finally figured out how to work this movie editing software that was bundled with the web camera!), so if you’re not familiar with some of the techniques in part 1 of my first tutorial, I’d recommend reviewing that.
I’m super excited about this hair tutorial–it’s a bit more streamlined than the other, and I really am smitten with how to fix the back hair. lol! I hope you all enjoy it! Please do let me know if you try it out for yourself–I’d love to see hear how it works for you.
Anyhow, now I will go crawl back into my wedding-hole. I promise to emerge at least once more! haha! Thank you all for your lovely, and thoughtful emails of late as well. They have really brightened my days! Have a lovely evening, my dears!


Next Entries »







