EOTD: Smashbox Orange, Green & Taupe...

Another fave combination of colours - this works equally well in any season, it's fun but not over the top, and particularly flattering if you have green eyes and warm-toned skin (I'm a bit biased lol) :-)

Orange can be quite scary if it's not the right orange, and this #9 from the Smashbox Click You're It palette is a darling. It's warm and shimmery, and the perfect partner for the #15 green...

In Winter I would most likely apply a brown gel or MNY Tattoo like Fierce and Tangy as a base, but because we're now well into the warmer months, I kept things light and airy by using, yes, you guessed it, essence white kajal...

#11 is a rich taupey brown, relatively matte with just a few sparkles, so that's what I chose for the crease. And on the waterline, I went for essence Longlasting Eye Pencil in I Have a Green - I must be getting close to the end of this propelling pencil, and I'll definitely be buying another, one of my most used (and loved) products ♥

Woefully grainy face pic, but you get the idea. Lips are Sleek Lip Pencil in #188 (Bare Essential), Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Peach Me, and Napoleon Perdis Luxe Lip Gloss in Shimmer Pink over the top. Cheeks are essence blush up in Heat Wave...

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Smashbox Autumn mix...

Well last Wednesday was an interesting day - I woke up with a severe case of Autumn-itis, and was compelled to create something earthy...

Sure I've done quite a few Autumnal looks of late, but I don't believe I've EVER used brown on my waterline before - I'd kind of categorised it along with grey as a totally unsuitable shade to apply here due to it not being bright and bold, but I kinda like this muddy touch...

This Smashbox Click You're It palette is getting heaps of use - it's just so perfect for the season, and as you can see I've combined shades from two different columns again, but I reckon they partner well together...

For my base I used MNY Color Tattoo in Bold Gold, and blended #15, #10 & #11 from inner to outer corner, and continued on with #11 underneath...

On the waterline is brown Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel liner from the blue stack - the formula of this range lasts the longest of any liner I've ever used on my waterline, so I'm officially declaring it the best in my kit!

And here's the complete browny look - I chose gold toned accessories to give the deep chocolate a lift...

I really love these shades of nature, and the tinge of green on the inner corner stops it being boring lol... 

Do you have a favourite palette for creating an earthy eye look?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Smashbox Olive and Gold...

Back in November last year I did an EOTD using this fabulous Smashbox "Click You're It" palette - I combined the soft olivey green (#15) with the silver (#3), and promised to do another, but substituting with the gold (#10) instead, and here it is. Of course it's a much warmer look, and also just the ticket for our fast approaching Autumn,,,

For comparison, here is the earlier combo. Of course the shadows are placed differently, and I lined the waterline of today's one with green instead of white, so it's actually not that good a comparison, but you get the idea. The one below is cooler and crisper, and I think it still works, but I do prefer the two warm shades together...

The guide that came with this palette suggested pairing the colours that are arranged vertically in the box, and I'm keen to try the pink ones next, but I've also got a hankering to see what happens when I combine the hues horizontally - that #7 pink and #8 grey are calling me, as are #13 blue, #14 bronze & #15 olive...

At some stage too, you can be sure I'll give diagonal combinations a shot ha ha. I reckon I'll have fun putting the deep pink and blue together, and maybe even the blue and orange - can't help myself, I'm a fiend for experimentation :-)

But back to today's creation, I used Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bold Gold for my base, pressed the gold and olive over the top, and then blended the join from the outside in.  On the waterline is Mirenesse Face Gel Colour in Emerald - a cooler green than the  shadow, but I wanted to perk things up a bit, and it ties in with my iris colour more closely than the olive...

I used the same olive green along the lower lashline, over the top of MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner, dipping the brush in some water...

And here's my whole face (just for you Arty!) - I was so hot I brushed my fringe mop out of the way. Interestingly I was wearing black and cream, but for a change I couldn't bring myself to match my eyes to the outfit - way too boring lol. The necklace is the one the gorgeous Kate from Seduced by Beauty gave me last year for being her first guest blogger - just adore it hon!

Take care of you,
kats xxx

EOTD: Smashbox Olive & Silver...

If you're wondering how I choose what colours to put together, my general rule is to pair similar undertones - warm with warm, cool with cool. For example, if I'm going with an olive green, I'll often combine it with a gold, bronze, or orangey shade. Similarly, if I choose a cool blue, then I'll enhance it with a silver or tealy green.

Consequently this was an interesting experiment - just for a change I thought I'd try a warm green with a cool silver from my Smashbox Click You're It palette. This is a terrific box of colours by the way - the shades are all grouped into columns of what-goes-with-what, which makes it super easy if you're not sure which to choose. In the pic below, you can see that #5, #10, #15 & #20 are the ideal partners, so I was kinda pushing the boundaries to combine #15 & #3. But then again, I'm a firm believer that some makeup rules are made to be broken, if for nothing else other than to determine if they're valid or not ha ha!

I also had a hunch that this particular combo might just be ok because my eyes are a cool green colour, and I kept the silver close to the lashline

 

My verdict? I reckon the warm/cool rule is a pretty valid one - I think I scraped through with a "pass" on this particular combination, probably because of my cool tealy eyes. But I think this particular green will totally come alive when I combine it with shade #10, and I'll do that in the next few weeks for comparison.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this look though :-) Do you follow traditional makeup rules/guidelines, or do you make up your own?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

EOTD: Smashbox Apricot...

I've been hammering the greens and a few blues since I started blogging, so high time for a change...

A few months ago, I hit the jackpot when I miraculously won the first blog giveaway run by my darling friend (and one of my greatest enablers) Hissycat Krissy - the amazing Click You're It Holiday palette by Smashbox. Couldn't believe my luck, or her generosity! There are 15 fabulous powder shadows and 5 creams in this glam and glossy red box. Here's a pic of the shades taken shortly after arrival, and before I did too much damage with my brushes...

Such beautiful colours, soft and elegant, very little fallout, easy to blend, and the creams make terrific bases :-)

For this APRICOT look, I began by tightlining my top lid with Mirenesse Inside Out Kohl liner in Amun, a deep reddish brown, and took it underneath as well.

Next I patted on a base of MNY Tattoo in Fierce & Tangy, and applied Smashbox #9 all over the top lid. For a bit of extra sparkle & contrast, I added #10 along the top lashline.

I finished with MNY Master Precise Liquid liner on the lower lashline, waterlined with essence white kajal, dusted MUA matte beige on the hood, and gave my lashes a severe going over with MNY The Falsies mascara.

I have quite a few oranges in my collection - most of them are rather intense, so I'm thrilled to have this far softer fruity apricot to play with.  I can guarantee there'll be more looks coming up using this stunning palette :-)

Do you wear orangey shades?  Have you tried any Smashbox shadows?

Take care of you,

kats xxx