purple smokey eye tutorial

1. Prep eyes with a primer. I used Urban Decay Primer Potion. My friend Nancy convinced me that it's essential to holding the shadow in place. I think it really makes a difference when you blend. It's easier to get a gradient since the shadow stays put.







I put the primer up to the top of my eyeball, near the socket. Some women apply all the way to the browbone.

2. Apply a silver shadow all over the eye. This will be the base color.





3. Darken the outer corner using a black shadow



I used shadow color #1 from Smashbox's Beauty A Go Go palette. It's a matte black (no shimmer).



I stopped about a third of the way in. I used a fluffy brush and made circular motions starting at the outer corner of my eye. I started at the crease line (not the lashline) and worked my way inwards.

4. Add purple eyeshadow. I chose a matte plum from the same palette (shadow #2). I used the same brush and started at the lashline and worked my way inward, using circular motions. I stopped at the inner corner of the lid.





5. Highlight at the crease. I used a shimmery pearl pigment from Laura Mercier. It looks peachy but on the skin, it looks like an iridescent purple.



I used a big fluffy brush to add a little bit of pigment. Be careful to not overblend! You want a gradient.





6. Line eyes with a gel liner. (Pencil is okay too.) I used MAC's Blacktrack gel liner. Sorry the pot is SO gross. I've had it for almost 2 years now.



Start from the outer corner and work your way inward, using small strokes. Get as close to the lashline as possible.



Without dipping the brush back into the gel, line your lower lashline about halfway in. You can line all the way into the inner corners if you want. I'm still trying to figure out which technique I prefer.



7. Curl your lashes and apply mascara. I always heat up my lash curler with a hair dryer to get a longer lasting curl. I also use a waterproof mascara (either CG Lashblast or Diorshow) to keep the curl. If you're going to use falsies, this part isn't that important.



Don't forget to apply mascara to your lower lashes!!

8. Line the lower waterline with a white eyeliner. This brightens the eye.



9. Finally, I brushed a pink shimmer stick on the inner corner and near the top of the crease. I used Maybelline Cool Effect Shadow Liner in Ice Princess.



(I have the actual product pictured below, but there's not that much left.)



From right to left: pink shimmer stick, gray brow pencil, white eyeliner

10. Done!





Optional:





Cargo foundation, Too Faced blush in Agent Provocateur and Stila convertible lip color in Lillium

shopping in my closet

Dug up an old shirt and pair of patterned tights. I resisted tights and leggings for so long---it's about time I get with the times. Eff pants. The skirt is from F21 and necklace is from AE.




Two-toned shadows. Resurrecting another old make-up technique. Wear one color on top and one on the bottom. The purple gives an unexpected touch.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me

A couple of days, a lot of SATC episodes, a vexing question--does sex devalue a woman? I answered no. I'm sure SATC would say no too, but my friend Annie pointed out that I may think this way, but the rest of the world may not. Don't I think it's true that it's better to hold off on sleeping with someone? I try to deconstruct this question. There has to be a systematic way. Let's start with the premise. Men may not want women who are “easy” or sexually available. We have to assume that men divide women into two categories: the hook up and the relationship. Does having sex with someone right away immediately propel you into the former category? Is it an irreversible trajectory?


Think of all the relationships you see around you. How many of them started because the two parties hooked up one night? How many times have you hooked up with someone to have it turn into something substantial? Personally, I know of quite a few instances where two people hook up and then eventually start dating. Why then do we keep repeating to ourselves that hooking up will destroy any chance of a meaningful relationship?


There’s virtue in recognizing that relationships work best when both people genuinely enjoy being with each other, when our judgment isn’t clouded by the surging hormones and post-coital bliss. We want to be sure that he likes us for us and that we like him for him---not because of some oxytocin-induced attachment. But there will never be a prophylactic for heartbreak. I say this to my friends again and again. What Samantha (from SATC) said was true, “A guy can easily dump you if you have sex with him on the first date as he could if you had sex with him on the tenth date.” If you are who you are, (smart, funny, genuine, beautiful) why would you all of a sudden turn into a swamp creature as soon as you have sex?


Whether you decide to hold off or do it right away, each decision is personal and dictated by the circumstances. If you're holding off because you're afraid that the guy won't respect you, you need to ask yourself why your "purity" is the only thing worth respecting about you. Who says that particular attribute is so desirable? Do you have a career that you’re proud of? Are you sure of yourself and what you want out of life? Believe it or not, people respect that and if any man believes that you have to be “pure” or sexually unavailable in order for him to respect you, he is the wrong kind of man---one that I certainly don’t respect.

fresh start

New phone. Lots of casualties. I like the idea of starting over, taking the numbers I want with me, and leaving some in the past.

2009 wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. There were the gut punches of mediocre grades and contraction of the job market. I'm anxious, but I'm hopeful. I keep thinking of Marjorie's quote. I'm anxious about all these loose threads of my life. I'm unsettled by all the questions to which I can't seem to find the answer. But maybe the answer isn't ready for me yet and before I know it, I'll live my way into the answer. So here's hoping that 2010 takes me one step closer.

New Year's resolution: be punctual. I know it's a tough one, but I think I can do it.

I'm trying to figure out how to get comments on this new layout. Agh.