Cult Nails Blog: October 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Cult Nails Announces the Behind Closed Doors Collection

Our last collection of 2012 will release with Preview Pricing on Friday November 9th - Thursday November 15th, 2012. Preview pricing allows you to purchase the entire collection at a reduced price of $40 for all 5 colors. The polishes will be available individually starting on Nov 16th for $10 per bottle.

Behind Closed Doors - features 5 colors; After Glow - a copper infused with a subtle pink shimmer; Bitten - a raspberry glass flecked polish; Disciplined - a sheer but buildable soft grey with purple, pink and blue shimmer; Flushed - a true Blurple (blue/purple) buildable sheer with an intense purple/pink shimmer effect that appears to glow through the polish and Coveted - a jelly deep green with metallic green flakes and subtle green shimmer.

After Glow

Bitten

Disciplined

Flushed

Coveted

Now for the collection story and swatches! You know there is always a story behind each collection, so for those of you who like to hear the back story here it is. I receive requests from friends, family, strangers and Culties all the time with what polish they would like to see make its way into a Cult Nails collection. Unfortunately it isn't as easy as someone would think to make a polish, and collections are worked on about a year in advance and things always come into play that can change things up throughout the year. Well these colors all originated from the requests of someone else, that didn't turn out exactly how they wanted. Well one didn't start as a request by someone else, but there's a story there too. I'll share the story of each color with the swatches below. The swatches are provided by Pretty Little Bottles, who kindly came over and let me take pictures of here sporting each color. I am in the process of growing my nails back to the stilleto nail shape and since it's not the "desired commercial shape" I opted to use Alyssa's nails. I'll work on swatches too, just not for the official release. :)

After Glow - A friend of mine is always asking me for a copper colored polish. Actually I have 3 friends who always ask for a copper polish now that I think of it. But what could I add to copper to make it different? Glitter? These are not glitter girls (OK one is a glitter girl). They are more traditional. So that meant something a bit more commercial. So I added pink glass fleck to the copper. Talk about frustrating, the copper kept eating the pink and making it disappear, or the pink would take over and make the copper disappear. Finally, we got it just right. The pink makes a nice soft appearance in the polish. LOVE!

Bitten - Ah Bitten! I made this polish for release last December. But then I thought it was just way to simple. I didn't think anyone would want this one. But it was one of those haunting colors, I always wanted to wear it. So I decided I would release it and had the lab work on an updated sample for me. Then it arrived and I thought this is just not what people want. So I planned on putting it aside again, then Kari from Once Bitten Blog walked into the office, spotted it and exclaimed That's Bitten, my namesake polish! Instantly it became hers and how could I not release it! (Little fact - Kari actually helped name this entire collection that day!)

Disciplined - In talking to someone on Twitter one night I received a request for a grey jelly with purple and blue shimmer and green flakes. I'm totally going to butcher this, but there are these rocks in Scotland maybe, that are a grey color that lean purple/blue depending on the light and have green moss. Well I had to nix the green flakes, it just wouldn't work out. And unfortunately I lost touch with her and I can't remember who it is. I feel like such a jerk, but it was last year! I'm hoping she'll know when she sees the polish. In the end the sheer grey with shimmer was too nice to add flakes that ruined the effect.

Flushed - I met DM on Makeup Alley way before Cult Nails was even an idea. We bonded over our love over another polish brand. We were both huge fans. We became friends on Facebook and still to this day talk over there. I haven't shown her this yet, but I hope she flips when she sees it. See one day in the mail, I received 3 little frankens from DM. I knew I had to make one a Cult Nails color. I chose one and started frankening and accidently came out with Flushed. It is close to what she sent, but there was no glowing effect like this. But since our polish tastes are so close, I know she's going to love this!

Coveted - Another request from a Twitter chat. I can't remember who asked for this one either. But she wanted a green version of Iconic. I opted for a green shimmer vs gold, to keep it a green on green on green polish. Now if I could just come up with something to make me remember who wanted this color along with Disciplined.

So what do you think? Are you loving it as much as I am?

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Want to Come to the Makeup Show With Me?

Sometimes being a blogger pays off in a big way. Who knew a simple lunch meeting some other polish addicts would one day turn into a Beauty Collaborative between some of the best Central FL beauty and polish bloggers! Thanks to our joining forces together and some hard work (Specifically Brittany of Clumps of Mascara who put this opportunity together for us), we have been invited to The Makeup Show in Orlando. This is the first time The Makeup Show is coming to Orlando. It is a big industry must attend event for anyone who is a makeup artist, hair stylist, face/body painter, photographer, model, stylist, beauty, fashion or hair students, and anyone else in the beauty or fashion industry. The goal is for continued education and the opportunity to meet some of the top makeup artists, stylists and brand founders and representatives. There is also opportunity to purchase some amazing makeup at a deeply discounted price. It is an industry only event. I am honored to be able to attend and bring you all a first hand look at what I learn. I am most looking forward to the opportunity to check out and meet with Makeup Forever, OCC and Inglot.

L to Right: Alyssa from Pretty Little Bottles, Safia Makeup Artist and founder of Lipstick Mixtapes, Kimberly from Libby's Pink Vanity, Courtney from Phyrra and me(Check out those shiny leggings!)

Last night I was invited to dinner along with my fellow Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida and meet celebrity makeup artists James Vincent and Orlando Santiago. If you are not in the industry, you may not know who these men are. I admit, until recently I did not know them either. I have heard of James from a friend before, but I guess as an amateur makeup enthusiast, I wasn't really in the know. Thanks to this blog and Cult Nails, I am learning more and more about the industry and the amazing people in it.

With Su Laing, Founder of Chronicle Stones and Nail Veils

James Vincent is not just a celebrity makeup artist, he is also the Director of Artistry for The Makeup Show. I left dinner last night wanting to be a Makeup Artist, that is how inspiring he was. He has a list of accolades that you can read about on his website. (Be warned it plays music, so turn down your volume if you're not into that.) He spoke so highly of the community of artists he has had the pleasure to work with, and I loved hearing that there is no room for negativity or rudeness in his life. It is a philosophy I believe in and to hear it echoed by someone so entrenched in the industry is great to hear. He was so open about his passion. You can't help but be impressed and inspired upon meeting such a legend. He is also very humble and funny. What is not to love!

With James Vincent

Orlando Santiago, makeup artist extraordinaire, firmly believes in continued education for makeup artists and from what I understand is the master when it comes to contouring with makeup. He splits his time between NYC and FL and will be holding some education sessions during The Makeup Show. I want to attend his contouring class so bad! According to James, Orlando is the one to go to for education.

With Orlando Santiago

I had a great time last night and can't wait to see them both again on Sunday at The Makeup Show. And if you are in the Orlando area, you too have a chance to meet these amazing men and attend The Makeup Show! For the 1st time ever, since it is The Makeup Shows 1st time in Orlando, they are going to allow industry outsiders to attend the show on ONE CONDITION! You must buy your ticket in advance online AND for your credentials, where it asks how you heard of the event click "OTHER" and you must state your are a follower of one of the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida and list which blog. So you can put Cult Nails down and you are in! The show will be this Sunday November One day admission is $35 and both days is $50. If that isn't enough, every one who purchases a ticket to attend the show and puts one of the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida as how they heard about the show will be entered to win a Makeup Show Gift Bag with a selective set from The Makeup Show limited edition brush line! I am so excited that I can share this event with you guys and hope to see some of you there! If you buy a ticket to attend, please make sure to let me know so we can try to meet up too! Hope to see you there, but if not, I will be live Instagraming and Tweeting from the show, so you can feel like you're there!

With Safia Pullman, Makeup Artist and founder of Lipstick Mixtapes

*A special thank you to Courtney of Phyrra for all the photos. Her new Samsung note 2 has me swooning with it's picture capabilities! you can check out her review of the phone here.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Weekly Budget Update

So far so good on the budget. Well sort of. It is all I can think of while I am violently assaulted by sale texts and emails! OMG did every one of my favorite stores and brands hear about my new budget and decide to tempt me with amazing sales? Where were these sales when I wasn't budget planning?

Just some of the mail and text sale offers. You don't even want to know how many more and emails I received!

But staying strong. Well sort of. There was the dress fun, that so many of you got into on FB! That made my night to see everyone weighing in! LOVE IT! In the end we decided that the Bow and Drape dresses would not count against my budget since it is technically a donation with a gift of dresses, and since I am getting dresses for Cult Nails events even though there would be a cost difference, since this whole thing was supposed to happen before the budget and it is for work only events, we made an exception. Yikes, one week in and already with exceptions! But besides the NM/Target fun there are no more exceptions. I did build in the NM/Target as an exception from the start and I am planning on buying one item and one item only. But it actually may end up going in the budget after all. Let's see.

If you haven't been following on FB and all that made no sense to you, real quick recap here: I donated to Bow and Drape via Kickstarter since I really believe in the business they are trying to build. I want to see them succeed. As a gift for donating I received a credit to their store once it launched and so of course I went to work on spending my credit as I have a Cult Nails event in November and one of the dresses will be perfect for it! I was deciding between 4 dresses and the varying additional costs or loss associated with each. If you are in the market for a new dress and they are in your budget, I urge you to support this small independent company who wants to bring the business of clothes making back to the U.S.

As for the dresses, it turns out that the peplum is a removable belt! What? Whoa - now that makes all the difference in the world! So I ordered the one with the peplum, so it's like getting two dresses in one! SWEET!

I also ordered the long sleeve mini dress, which I think will be perfect for the November event. I can't wait to receive the dresses, but it will be mid November before I see them. Since each dress is custom made upon order. So it's not like when you normally order something and it arrives a few days later.

Now I get to anxiously await my dresses! WAHOO!

So now on to the real budget. $150 a month. So roughly $37.50 each week. I'm thinking I should have made the budget $50 each week, but I'm going to try to make this work and then if it just isn't going to work, then I will re-assess.

First purchase was two bottles of L'Oreal Ever Creme Cleansing Conditioner. It is a Sulfate Free hair cleaning and conditioner in one. I have never tried it before, but CVS had beauty bucks buy 2 get a $5 CVS Buck. Well I was pretty sure there was a coupon sitting in my house for L'Oreal hair care, but frankly my hair was dirty, and I was out of shampoo. I need to plan better next time. On top of that I bought 2 of a shampoo I never tried. So scared it would suck! I did a Insta Review on Instagram. (Is that even a thing? Who knows but I like the Insta Reviews, so I think I will do more.) Basically what it boiled down to is that Sulfate Free is better for your hair and also suds free. I was not a fan of the suds free wash. I always think of myself as a person open to change, but here I found myself thinking, I want suds damn it! But I bought it, so I needed to give it a go. So even though it felt like I was washing my hair with oily conditioner and I already have an oily scalp, I pushed forward and washed my hair with it. It smells amazing! I think it is hands down my favorite smelling hair care product in a long time. It is kind of coconuty but not really. Maybe like a hint of coconut? I can't really place the smell, it is warm and inviting and kind of sexy. It lingers well but it isn't perfumey or strong. I just absolutely love it. (Coco on the other hand who has hair down to her waist decided she was not a fan of the smell because she likes fruity girly smells and would not go with a shampoo that offered no suds, so she gave up mid shampoo and grabbed her Herbal Essence and re-washed her hair.) Once I finished washing my hair, I blow dried it and it came out amazing. I have had nothing but good hair days with little to no product on SHORT HAIR since! I'm sold! I will use up my to bottles. Budget impact: $14.82 and I scored $5 in CVS bucks for a later purchase.

The next purchase was two sports bras at Old Navy. I have been needing some new sports bras, and I was in Old Navy picking up flip flops for the girls and they had them on sale for 2 or more for $10 each. I had a 20% off text coupon, but the local Old Navy FB page had a 30% off sale that I missed by a day, but they gave it to me! When does that ever happen at Old Navy? I was seriously stoked she gave it to me! So with tax the budget impact was $14.84

The last item I bought was a NYX lipstick. I have a few NYX items and I LOVE them all. The price is amazing on their products and the ones I have tried are as good as high end makeup I have purchased. My only issue with NYX is that everyone else seems to know this too and there is hardly a good stock at my ULTA whenever I go. I had to go to ULTA to pick up some makeup and polishes for a Cultie in Singapore and was checking out the NYX display and sure enough the choices were seriously limited due to sell out. The ULTA rep did tell me they were expecting a restock in that afternoon, unfortunately it wasn't my local ULTA, so I wouldn't be able to go back. :( That meant no NYX for my Singapore friend since they really only had a good selection of lip products and she's not a fan of lip products. Anyway, I have been wanting to try the burgundy lip trend, but a bit lighter. I'm not quite ready to go back to the dark lips I loved so much as a teenager in the 90's. (Revlon Black Cherry anyone?) I found NYX Violet Ray, which I will be posting an Insta Review on soon. I had an Ulta coupon for 20% off my purchase, so my budget impact was $2.87!! Seriously!

Total spend for week one was: $32.53! Talk about cutting it close! That means I came in $4.97 under budget for the week. Which means I get $4.97 more for next week! LOL!

As I sat here typing this post I received two more text sale alerts. Man they really want me to go shopping! I am staying strong, I will not break! But it could be because purchases I made online prior to doing this are arriving this week. So it's still like getting new stuff. What will happen now? On to week 2. Wish me luck!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Cultoberfest Continues - Instagram Contest!

Wow this month is flying by! I can't believe we're already on the last Give away of the month!

We still have our blog give away going on, so if you haven't entered, do it now! You can enter to win one of two prizes! 1st prize is $100 worth of Cult Nails products and the second prize is $50 worth of Cult Nails products! You can enter here.

Now on to the Instagram contest! If you're on Instagram then here is your chance! To enter, Instagram a picture using Cult Nails polishes for a mani or nail art or create a meme and post that. Make sure you tag us by using in your comments and the hashtag #jointhecult. You can enter starting now all the way through Sunday October 28th and I will pick a winner on Monday! I'm Cult Nails on Instagram.

And while that is going on, check out Fashion Polish's blog! She is getting in on the action and hosting our last blogger give away! Her pictures are divine! I want to buy everything she posts! So go enter over there for a shot at $50 worth of Cult Nails products! WAHOO!

The Makeup Show Comes to Orlando!!!

Below is the official press release for the Makeup Show coming to Orlando this November. If you are a professional makeup artist, this is a must attend event! As an added bonus there will be a blogger panel discussion featuring some of our amazing Florida blogging talent! Brittany from Clumps of Mascara, Courtney from Phyrra and Cristina from Let Them Have Polish. I can't wait to see them and on the panel! I am attending as a blogger and hoping to learn lots of amazing things I can share with you guys! I am hoping to be able to share about some great makeup as the brands attending are amazing, but more importantly I want to be able to learn some new tips and tricks we can all use and perhaps when to know when you should hire a professional makeup artist for your own makeup application. Lastly I hope to meet some amazing makeup artists in our area that I can share their talent with you! I am super excited for this amazing event that I will be able to share with you! Be sure to follow along on and Instagram (Cult Nails on Instagram) as I will be live posting from the show! Now on to the Press Release!

BEAUTY, INSPIRATION, AND EDUCATION IS LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY AT

THE MAKEUP SHOW ORLANDO

Beauty brands and top makeup artists are standing by to share their newest products and beauty secrets on November 4 and 5

NEW YORK, NY (October 2012) - The Makeup Show Orlando is excited to bring beauty, inspiration and education to the Sunshine State in less than one month on November 4 and 5. Top beauty brands will congregate under one roof for two days to launch new products and offer exclusive pro-only discounts. Amongst these brands are Diamond Sponsor MAKE UP FOR EVER, Platinum Sponsor Crown Brush and TEMPTU PRO, Supporting Sponsors INGLOT, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Cosmix School of Makeup Artistry, On Makeup Magazine, and The Powder Group. Other brands include Stila Cosmetics, Embryolisse USA, Kissable Couture, Kevyn Aucoin, Senna Cosmetics, Cinema Secrets, and Graftobian Makeup Co (to name a few). In addition, many of these brands will be hosting seminars and sharing their secrets on the main stage and in the Keynote & Business Forum. A few of the Keynotes you will not want to miss include:

A Career in Makeup with AJ Crimson

From celebrity clients including Fergie, Estelle, Hillary Duff, Keyshia Cole, and Missy Elliot to his lip gloss brand Kissable Couture, and his own eponymous AJ Crimson brand, AJ has managed to make a name for himself in multiple areas of makeup artistry. In his first time as a featured keynote at The Makeup Show, AJ tells us the truth about building your own name, branding yourself as an artist in diverse areas. AJ will take you through his techniques for flawless application and reveal his secrets for success for the red carpet, for real women and everyoccasion in between.

The Journey of Special Effects Makeup with The Wolfe Brothers – Brian and Nick Wolfe (sponsored by Graftobian)

Identical twins, Brian and Nick Wolfe, take to the stage and show you the artistry they have become internationally recognized for while sharing their story about how two young men made a name for themselves in Florida theme parks. Watch and learn as these masters show you what you need to know about body art.

Also, taking the Main Floor to educate on the trends of the industry from bridal to airbrush include INGLOT Cosmetics, Stila Cosmetics, MAKE UP FOR EVER, Naked Cosmetics, Crown Brush, Mehron, Senna Cosmetics, TEMPTU PRO, Alcone Company to name a few. For a complete list of Main Floor Seminars and times, visit the schedule here.

The Makeup Show Orlando is held on Sunday, November 4, 2012 from 9am to 6pm and on Monday, November 5, 2012 from 9am to 5pm at The Peabody Hotel Orlando, 9801 International Drive. For a complete list of participating brands, educational speakers, schedule of events and prices, please visit www.themakeupshow.com.

About The Makeup Show

The Makeup Show is owned and produced by Metropolitan Event & Production and travels internationally from LA, NYC, Chicago, Europe, and Orlando. Bringing each destination over 60 beauty brands, and unique convergence of artists and community, where beauty professionals are sure to find an artistic energy that will inspire any beauty buff, from the passionate beginner to the seasoned professional. Each show offers an unparalleled lineup of education and appearances from top beauty professionals and focuses on career building and networking within the makeup community. The show provides a unique experience for the makeup professional to network directly from the best in the business.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Time for a Budget

I've been toying with a few budgeting ideas lately. As you may have guessed, I love clothes, beauty and accessories. I love getting new things and playing dress up every day. But the down side to that is that all these things cost money. Having a house with 3 teenage daughters, that adds up quick! Juan and I have been talking about whether or not we want to buy a house when he gets out of the military, what he will do for a job, where we will live and the reality of all that is just 2 years away! With so many changes in the economy, we just don't know that we will be able to stay here in a place we love because of the job market. I know 2 years can change everything, but I am a planner and a worrier. I hate surprises, I want to know what is going to happen now! But obviously that just isn't possible. So I feel like the time has come to squirrel away as much as possible for that day. In order to do that, I need to create a budget. Juan and I have a soft budget, we have an idea of what we have to save and spend and we get it all done. We are fortunate enough to not live pay check to pay check. When something needs taken care of, we can manage. But now it's just time to take it to the next level.

Oncebitten's Birthday with some amazing blogger friends - I'm wearing a dress from Target

Initially I thought about doing a blog where I just wore Target clothes for an entire year and only spent what the average woman spends on clothes in a year. I mean it seems anytime someone asks where I bought something, I say Target, so why not! But I am so super picky about purses and shoes and have invested years on my tiny purse collection and moderately(ok large) shoe collection, as well as my clothes, that I am just not willing to put all these items away for a year to take a challenge like this. So then I researched what the average woman spends on clothes per year. The figures ranged from $1200 - 4000 and from 2 - 5% of their income. Well, these are all different figures, so Juan and I sat down and broke it down to what I spend for a pair of pants, shirt, swimsuit, shoes, etc... and what would be a fair amount for a year. Then I went on and did the beauty products. Can you believe I spend an estimated $2,000 on beauty and beauty care items each year? OMG! WHAT!! $20 shampoo adds up fast! LOL!

Out for drinks with friends - dress from Target

I thought about just not spending money on clothes, because the reality is I don't NEED any clothes right now and my closet is over filled as it is. But if I am being honest, I am just not that person.
I grew up in a culture where my mom always looked amazing and perfectly styled as did her mom. It has to be genetic because I see it in my daughter's too! And please don't bash me for this, but I am going to say it. I like looking good not just for me, but for my husband. I know he loves me for what is inside, and that's all well and good, but come on, let's be honest, he didn't start talking to me over 18 years ago because of what an amazing person I am! He didn't know that yet. :) He saw me and thought, yup she's a hottie, I want to date her! So I do it as much for how it makes me feel but also a little for him too! As a result, I know that the no shopping thing is not an option and so doesn't Juan. So we sat down and went over everything, clothes, shoes, purses, underwear, PJ's, workout gear, socks, event clothing like weddings, makeup, hair care, face care, body care. Man there are just so many things!! It is crazy the things we need in our lives, never mind the wants! I live in a world of excess and I love/hate it!

Formal event - surprise, surprise, the dress is from Target!

So what Juan and I came up with is $3,900 annually for all clothing and beauty related items per year. That is $75 per week! That sounds like a lot, but that includes everything including shampoos, bath soaps, hairspray, socks and underwear - you name it and it is in this budget!! Considering I just went to Target and spent $109 on hairspray, shampoo, conditioner, makeup remover wipes etc for me and 3 girls, I'd say this is going to be a challenge. But the girls beauty needs are not in this budget, they are going to be in a totally separate budget.

Today - excuse the pic quality, I am just overly tired today. But the top is from none other than Target!

Anyway, we have a free checking account with a local bank that we don't use much, so I am going to move my budget there every time I get paid and that will be the only account I am allowed to use for any of these "ME" related purchases. I'll post my OOTD's (Outfit of the Days) about 3 - 4 times each week on my Instagram and then I'll recap here once a week on that's weeks spending and what I wore that week. What do you think?

I'm also going to be cleaning out my closet and selling a lot of what I don't wear on Ebay. So I will post a related link when that happens in case anyone wants them. :) I'll probably do some items individually and then a few lots with multiple items.

So here is the dealio, I get $75 each week. That's it! (I say that's it - but it sounds like a lot! Right?)

Man so many things to consider here! YIKES! But I am putting it all out there! This will start this Friday since it is my pay day. So effective Friday Oct 19th I am on a budget! Thank goodness I just ordered some Sephora and Loft before coming up with this idea! LOL! So there you have it! Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions! I can so do this!

On a side note: I had to throw in some pics from just the last few weeks, notice a trend? I mean, seriously, I LOVE Target!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Facebook Contest Time!!

It's week three of Cultoberfest!! WAHOO! So far we have given away prizes on Pinterest, Twitter and on Polishgalore's blog and Polishaddict's blog!

We also still have our blog give away here! So make sure to check that out and enter the contest if you haven't already!

This week is our Facebook giveaway! Post your Cult Nails mani pics, Nail art pics, Cult Nails related Meme or get creative and post a picture advertisement on our Cult Nails FaceBook page! I will pick a one lucky person as the winner of $100 worth of Cult Nails products!

As an added bonus this week's featured blogger is Chit Chat Nails and she will pick an additional winner of all the Facebook entries for a prize of $30 worth of Cult Nails products! And if that isn't enough, keep an eye out on her blog for a Cult Nails giveaway worth $50 of Cult Nails products! We "met" Chit Chat Nails on Twitter one night long ago and a an instant friendship was born. Marta's pictures are to die for, she is super sweet as is her family and many of the photo's on our site are either hers or taken by her hubby of Warmuz Photography. They are one talented family and we hope to continue working with them for a long time and even more so, we hope we can meet them in person one day and hang out! I think that is probably one of the best thing about Cult Nails, I have met so many amazing ladies (and men) on line and in person. I feel so lucky! My kids give me a hard time because I am always telling them the dangers of online, and yes we should be careful, but without Cult Nails I wouldn't have met so many of you! I hope we can do more traveling and meet many more!

I hope you are all enjoying Cultoberfest as much as we are!

Oh and just a reminder buy 2 or more polishes and receive 20% off your polish purchase! (Base & top coat, nail art, nail files and clothing are not included in the sale) The sale runs through 10/19 so act fast as a few colors are already running low and about to sell out!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Smokey Eye Tutorial Enhanced With Pink

Last Saturday I attended the Book Release party. This event was a formal event for a new book that was created by a local photographer. When his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, he came up with an idea of photographing women who were in the middle of the fight against breast cancer or survivors. He added bits of advice or the story of each of these women and created a book to give hope to other women diagnosed with breast cancer. You can learn more about the book on their Facebook page . A friend of mine who is a survivor is one of the models featured in the book, so of course I was going to get dolled up to celebrate the fact that she kicked breast cancer's ass and her modeling in this amazing book! I am so proud of her.

Due to a wardrobe issue, where the formal dress I rented made me look about 15 lbs heavier and boxy as hell because it was too big, I had to figure something out at the last minute! I ended up wearing a Target dress with gold accents, and besides my Devious Nature mani, I had no pink on, so I thought about a pink eyeshadow look. But pink eyeshadow and me do not get along, so I thought perhaps I could do a pink smokey eye and use some colors close to pink that work with my skin tone that would still give an overall pink effect. Several Youtube video's later, I thought I could pull this off. Mixing different techniques and ideas from these makeup mavens, I came up with something that I think ended up working out quite nicely. I keep getting asked about how I did the look, so I figured why not attempt a tutorial post on it.

I preface this by saying, I am not a makeup guru, maven, or artist. The steps on the face chart below are not even close to professional! I just highlighted the areas so you could see where I applied what. With that being said, here we go...

Step 1: I primed my eyelids up to the brow bone with Urban Decay eyeshadow primer in Original. I was a bit nervous about this since any time I have used this in the past, I ended up with the primer settling into the fine lines in my eyes. But one Youtuber said let it sit a minute. AHA! So that's what I am doing wrong! I always applied and then immediately moved on to applying my shadow. So this time, I applied it and then got my supplies together and after it was dry I moved on. What a difference that made!

Step 2: I applied a hot pink eye shadow on just the lid of my eye up to the crease.

In case you care, I used the hot pink eyeshadow in the Wet N Wild Eye Shadow Trio in Spoiled Brat pictured here. I applied it using the base shadow brush in the Real Techniques Eyes Starter Set.

Step 3: I applied a pure black matte eyeshadow in a V shape to the outer 1/3 of my lid. The V shape I did following the shape of my eye at a slight angle to enhance the cat eye look a bit. I used Urban Decay Black Out. (If there is one eyeshadow you should have in a full size it is a good matte black. Regardless of brand, it truly is the most versatile eye shadow you will ever own. IMO) The picture below is for illustration only. I tap on the eyeshadow in this area with a crease brush, it makes it easier for me to apply accurately as the crease brush is a bit smaller. Then I grab a blending brush (I use the MAC 217 blending brush for blending) and blend the black into the pink and back and forth until they are blended nicely, but don't go more than to the middle of your eye lid while blending and try to keep it below the crease. I have to say at this point, I thought this look was going to be a fail, it looked so intense, I almost took it off and scrapped the idea, but decided to just finish it to see what would happen.

Step 4: Using a base shadow brush I applied a purple/pink to the middle third of my eye lid. and then I grabbed the same blending brush and blended it into the black shadow on one side and the pink shadow on the other. for this one I used one side of the brush that came with my Urban Decay Naked Palette, but the brush can be purchased separately on UrbanDecay.com. (Note: when applying the base colors, I use clean brushes, so you need to have about 3 or 4 base brushes and maybe 2 blending brushes.)

Step 5: I used a maroon color and applied it to my crease using the other side of my Urban Decay brush that I just used for the purple/pink above. And then I grabbed the same blending brush I had been using and blended it all in.

For the purple/pink and maroon eyeshadow I used the Smashbox Master Class palette pictured here. The purple/pink is the 2nd color on the left of the second row and the maroon color is the last shadow in the 2nd row.

Step 6: I combined the purple/pink color and maroon color and lightly lined all around my eye using the eyeliner brush in the Real Techniques Eyes Starter Set.

Step 7 Using the same liner brush, I lined around my eyes with MAC Paint Pot in Blackground. Then I used the same brush again and lined a bit to blend it out with a combo of the purple/pink mixed with the black eyeshadow.

Step 8: Using an almost white eyeshadow, I highlighted the inner corner of my eye and just under the eyebrow on my brow bone. I used the deluxe crease brush in the Real Techniques Eyes Starter Set and Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eye Shadow. I then grabbed my original shadow base brush and dipped it in the Wet N Wild hot pink and touched up any areas I felt needed a bit more pink and on top of the maroon crease and then grabbed my blending brush and blended some more. (phew! lots of blending!) I applied false lashes, a bit more black eyeshadow wear the false lashes meet my eyelid. A touch of mascara on my real lashes to blend them into the false lashes and some mascara to my bottom lashes.

And finally, I am done! PHEW! Here is the final look.

I hope I explained this well. I was trying to explain it how I would want it explained to me. I have to say I really like the way this came out. I actually didn't want to wash it off at the end of the night. Which means I need more night outings so I can play with some dramatic eye looks more often! I am almost tempted to do a video tutorial on this. What do you think? Was this tutorial too much info? Too little? Would you like to see me take a stab at doing this on video?

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