spring smokey eye

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I'm a sucker for a good smokey eye, but with all the florals and pastels and general prettiness of spring, it would be amiss not to update my makeup along with my wardrobe.  Using purple and bold liner gives it a 60s mod look that I'm digging.

What I used: Merle Norman eyeshadow palette in Wistful, Merle Norman Pro Pen liquid liner, Merle Norman Lash Primer and Wicked Lash, Merle Norman eyeshadow primer and eyeshadow in Bare Necessity

For this look, here's what shadow goes where:


Prep your eyes with primer and a neutral colored shadow.  Primer keeps your shadow put all day and prevents creasing, and a neutral shadow covers up veins and redness so that you have a blank canvas to work on.

For starters, use the white shadow around the inner corner of your eye, extending it on your bottom lash line from the inner corner to about the center.  This will brighten up your eye and make you look awake.  The white shadow in the MN palette has a matte finish, which I like because it brightens more subtly than a shimmery shadow does.

Then, use the lumious brown shadow on the outer half of your lid.  This adds depth and gives some dimension to your eyes.

The purple is the fun part.  Using a fluffy eyeshadow brush, use the purple shadow in the "V" of your outer eye lid - in the crease and over the outer half of your upper and lower lash line.  Using a fluffy brush keeps your lines soft, but you can use a regular eyeshadow applicator if you want to be more dramatic.

White shadow:


White shadow + brown shadow:


The whole shadow shebang:


Once you have your shadow on, then comes the liner.  I like to use a liquid and wing it out a little bit.  After that, use a lash primer to make your lashes as big as possible, followed by black mascara on the top and bottom.  The MN lash primer + Wicked Lash mascara gives me the best lashes ever, and I've pretty much tried every mascara on the market.  This one beats them all.  




If you're in the area, you can get all the products at Beauty Queens Boutique, or come by and see us and we can do your makeup for you! 











luminizers for dummies

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I just started using a luminizer, mostly because as a makeup simpleton, they kind of intimidated me.  But I sat down, made myself figure out what worked, and now I don't know how I got by with not using one.  My skin can be dull, especially in winter, but luminizers make you look pretty and glowy regardless.

So for all the makeup dummies like me, here's how to use one:



Pick a formula that isn't stark white - that's difficult to blend and looks weirdo on your face. Find one that has a similar undertone to your skin - pink or gold works best.  I have the ELF shimmer palette which has a bunch of different colors for different uses, but I usually stick to the gold-toned one.  I also use a gold powder eye shadow (like this one) for the inner corners of my eyes because creams seem to crease more.

Luminizer goes on your brow bones, cheek bones, down the bridge of your nose, in your cupid's bow, and in the center of your chin.  Reference my badly edited photo above.  I'm still learning, folks.


I put on powder foundation (I like Mary Kay), then luminizer, then cream blush (keeps it glowy, where powder can be dull) and eye makeup.


Using a luminizer has done wonders for how my skin looks. even after late nights and long work weeks.  I love it.





date night makeup

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Happy Valentine's Day folks!
Even if it's not a holiday you particularly enjoy, it's certainly a good excuse to dress up and play with your makeup.  This is an eyes makeup look I use a lot when I want something more dramatic than my usual eyeliner/mascara combo.  It looks fancy, but it's really easy.


What you need: mascara (waterproof stays all day), eyeliner (I prefer liquid), and a 3-color eyeshadow palette.

1. Apply concealer around your eye.  It covers up your veins and keeps shadow in place.


2. Eyeshadow/Eyeliner.  The lightest shade goes in the inner corner and on your browbone, the medium color goes on your eyelid and extended a little bit past (to make your eyes look bigger), and the darkest goes in your crease.  Draw the crease on a little higher than where it is naturally to help widen your eyes.

Eyeliner shouldn't be too heavy since you're wearing a lot of eye shadow.  I just put a thin line next to my lash line.


3. Mascara should go on thick!  If you want some extra lash oomph, use Japonesque Fast Lash to extend them (If you wanna know what I'm talking about and how to use it click here. It'll change your life.)


Finish up with rosy cheeks and a pink lip gloss, and you're good to go!