The smokey eye kit I would suggest to start out with would be the kit I have by Glo Minerals, it’s perfect for beginners or those who simply love metallic shadows. Good news for you also, because they are having a sale on this kit right now! 10% Off All Orders + Free Shipping, with the code LOVE10A. The kit comes with 4 eye shadows, all designed with the smokey eye effect in mind. This one is a bit more natural than I do my smokey eye, but it’s a great kit to start out with, you can always add darker colors once you get the technique down.

gloMinerals gloMetallic Smoky Eye Kit $36.00

(10% Off All Orders + Free Shipping, code: LOVE10A)

This kit comes with a base shadow, a lid shadow, a crease shadow and a liner shadow and what’s nice about this kit is it tells you what color goes wear so all you really need are your brushes and a little patience! The colors included are shimmering shades of: champagne, neutral beige, teak wood and milk chocolate.

** I also would suggest using a good eye shadow primer before ever wearing any shadow, otherwise it just never goes on right. I use MAC’s Paint Tube in Bare Canvas. I put it on the entire lid before. Happy blending!

We made the best of the weekend of course tho, we actually stayed in Friday night sleepy from travelling, but then spent the following Saturday shopping and exploring the bars. I swear if I day drink, I can nottttt drink at night but somehow I rallied and made it til I thiiiiink 12:30am? My friends tell me I have “Grandma Disease” haha I want to go to sleep every night by 12. Oh well, nothing good can possibly come from being out so late or drinking that much so I like going home early. I am obsessed with washing my face and putting on night creams, I actually get excited to go home and wash off my clown face. Anyway…

We went to some club called PCL it was cool, similar to a Sidebar type of place I guess… my girlfriend knew the owner’s who were super nice and made sure we had a fun night. I finally saw the Dom P glowing bottle, I have no idea when these came out, but I love the bottle it’s so bright and fun!

Sunday we slept in and decided to head home semi early around 2, we ate 58 fattening meals per usual and I paid for it in the gym just now. Overall a quick but fun weekend, Scottsdale is cool but eh not really worth going to unless you have a real reason to

A few of you asked about my dress in the pictures, it’s from Bebe of course, my go to dress store in case of an emergency. I packed a suitcase fulllllllll of clothes to last me a month and didn’t even open it. I am over every piece of clothing I own I bought this dress on a whim at the mall in Scottsdale, it’s ok, nothing super fab but it worked, I guess. I took the belt off and used one of my own, wasn’t feeling the thin blue one it came with.

Nautical Stripe Belted Dress $119.00

The red lipstick I wore literally lasted all night. It’s Revlon Colorstay in “Forever Scarlet“. I prepped my lip with the red lip stain, re-coated it with a regular Revlon red lipstick “Really Red” and then finished it off with the ColorStay clear coat. I woke up the next morning with perfectly plump, still verrrrry red lips.

The best part of Arizona is the desert scenery, so pretty, especially during sunset of course.

Until the next adventure… xoxo

“Can you write about how many fake things are appropriate? For example: I want extensions, colored contacts, sometimes long nails like Rhianna, sometimes extra long eyelashes… if I ever got surgery (Which I wouldn’t) I’d want a nose job, an ass job, and ummm a tummy tuck! Lol but obviously that’s way too much so what’s the appropriate amount of fakeness at one time?”

I died at this text because if you saw her you’d be like huh? She’s sooo cute and naturally beautiful so I was caught off guard by her even asking all that BUT, here is my reply. Of course all of me wants to say natural is the best way to go, however I’d be a hypocrite if I said that. Being a girly girl, it’s inevitable … we’re going to want to play around with some fake things here and there, and in my opinion, a little extra help is fine as long as you still appear pretty natural. Key word being pretty. You can look done up a bit, but don’t over do it.

Lets break it down further:

1. Extensions: So you want extensions? Fine. But people shouldn’t be able to tell right away that you have a head full of fake hair. Girls with that long, fresh outta the package, pin straight hair? No. I love extensions, but get your hair cut professionally after getting them. Your extensions should look natural. Always buy real human hair, and be sure that your real hair and the extensions blend perfectly. (Color and length)

2. Color contacts: Never. Too tacky, too fake, too weird. You’re not a celebrity at an award show, it’s just weird to me unless it’s for a themed party/ event. Brit has brown eyes and I remember her wearing blue contacts to an award show one year and wondering why. Idk just not my thing.

3. Fake Eyelashes: I obviously love fake lashes, but again like the hair extension rule, people should only be able to tell if they are 1inch from your face. Anything too long or dramatic? No. And girls that wear the drug store eyelashes? Please make sure they fit your eyelid, so over seeing improper eyelash application. Cut them to fit your natural eyelash line if they are too long, and go easy on the mascara. The fake lash is dark enough, use the mascara to blend in your real lashes with the fake ones.

4. Fake nails. I think fake nails are fine, to me they are a form of an accessory rather than a “she’s insecure” type of thing. Nails like Rhianna’s are a way to express your style and are seen as a fashion statement to many. Although I do not like the long pointy nails for myself, I think some girls like Cassie look cute with them. As long as you’re not sporting flared pink and whites or super square nails, you’re good

5. Fake body parts. I am super against body altering(For now at least) I just think it’s so wild how girls break their faces to feel prettier but hey, to each their own. I do understand that some people are miserable with how they look so if you MUST get a surgery, please just have it appear natural instead of perfect. People shouldn’t look at your face and think wow, she just glued on a new nose. I see soooo many nose jobs that are cookie cutter, perfect little nose jobs. They look awful when they look super fake. And fake lips? Sooo many girls have such bad lips, if people can tell they’re fake it’s ugly and you need to stop.

Kim’s second nose job looked fairly natural on the right, but the one she just recently got is sooo bad.

6. Fake butt, tummy tuck. Never. I am sorry but I have never seen a good one of either of these, and even if I did, I would convince myself it wasn’t. Some things should be simply solved in a gym. Fake ass? Never! I can only imagine how many things could go wrong. I understand having no butt really sucks but… having a leaky or infected ass would suck much, much more. Invest in a trainer and tell him your goals. It might not be as instant BUT it will be all yours and infection free.

The second you start looking like a clown is when it starts to be a problem. Long extensions + too much make up + bad hair dye + bad spray tan + huge boob job + too small of dress+ long nails + fake blue eyes, fake teeth= MESS.

Sometimes Holly can look cute, but overall she’s too fake. It’s just too much.

So, the real question is, how many fake things can you pull off at once? As long as all of the things listed above look natural, who’s counting? Natural looking extensions + natural eyelashes + fun nails and clothing/make up to match the venue you’re at and you will be just fine. Point is, avoid anything that screams out FAKE. Everything in moderation.

** Side note: Please don’t email me some annoying email saying me and my friends are all fake bla bla.

MAC Cream Cup $14.50

 Earrings are by Shop Belina

Must have products for a flawless smokey eye:

1. MAC Paint Tube in “Bare Canvas”

2. Smashbox Cream Liner in “Caviar” Jet Black

3. MAC “Carbon”

4. Sephora’s Long Lasting Liquid Eyeliner in Black

5. L’Oreal Paris Double Extend Mascara, Jet Black

6. Lighter colored highlighting shadow, MAC’s “Nylon”

7. Nude Lipstick, MAC’s “Honeylove” is a favorite.

And now for the steps & tips to remember:

1. Do your eye shadow BEFORE the rest of your face.

2. Prime eyelids with your regular face foundation.

3. Powder the lid with mineral powder, just a tad to set the foundation.

4. Apply Bare Canvas Paint Tube to the entire lid, eyelashes to eyebrows.

5. Apply Smashbox Cream Liner  in Black from eyelash line to crease line.

6. Apply the lighter shadow from under your brows down to the black line. Do not blend these two.

7. Apply MAC’s Carbon over the cream liner. The cream liner is what makes the black BLACK. Apply the shadow a bit higher than the original cream liner, blend into the lighter color.

8. Blend, blend, blend. Smokey eyes are mastered with the blending. Take your time and blend thoroughly.

9. Make sure to leave NO blank spaces in the black areas. Double check and fill in.

10. Once your shadow is dark and full, apply liquid liner to the top of the lid only for extra darkness.

11. Apply the 2 step mascara and finish off with a false lash. Coat the entire lash with a THIN layer of glue and allow it to dry for 30 seconds before applying. Less glue is MORE when it comes to lashes.

12. Wipe up excess black shadow and eyelash glue with a face wipe.

13. I line the bottom of the eye with a thin angle brush and the same MAC Carbon shadow, add mascara.

14. Keep lips simple. NO bold colors. Nudes, pinks, peaches…

15. Fill brows in accordingly. The focus however should be on the dark shadow.

And there you have it! Fool proof smokey eye how to! If you have specific questions, just ask amandajo@helloamanda.com

xoxo

A few tips to remember when trying out a red lip?

* Keep your eye make up simple. The focus should be on your lips.

* Keep your outfit colors simple as well. Blacks, whites, or any black and white patterns are my favorite to add red lips to.

* Forget about what you think you look like in red lips, no one likes themselves in red lipstick at first, everyone else will think it’s cute and you will get used to it.

* Keep the shine to a minimum, matte or a tiny bit of shine look best. Super glossy red lips aren’t as in style at the moment.

* Make sure you have the right shade of red. You want a fire engine/cherry red. Avoid orangey/marroon lips unless that of course is the look you are going for.

* Check your teeth often, as we all know red lipstick likes to smear onto your teeth.

Please forgive my yellow glow, the iPhone flash has me lookin weird…

 @SheilaPSmith and her sassy red pout.

 @JoannaSadaka lookin ravishing in a Winter White beanie & Red Lips

I told her I didn’t like using a primer over my foundation, because you could see the primer, but she solved that quick by introducing me to Stila’s Primer Pot, a foundation colored, waterproof eye shadow/liner primer.

All I can say is wowwwwww, what a difference! My eyeliner does not smudge at all, I am so thankful to have found this. So if you are running into the same problem, have no fear Stila’s Prime Pot is here to save the day. As far as a liquid liner goes, I think you could try any liner after using this sturdy primer, however I know that Sephora’s Long Lasting Eyeliner with High Precision Brush is great!

**Side note, I did not like this under actual eyeshadow, MAC’s paint tubes are much better for dark shadow primers. I would use this for eyeliner only.

Stila Prime Pot in “Carmel” $20.00

For Eyeliner I use Sephora’s Long Lasting Eyeliner $10.00

Happy painting.

STEP 1: KOURTNEY’S SKIN

DON’T FORGET GIRLS!! It’s very Important to keep up on your skincare regimen to keep its glamour & to help you have a clean smooth look. On Kourt I apply PerfectSkin & PerfectSkin eye cream. To condition lips I used Clarks Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip Balm. *Don’t be lazy, this also goes for using a cleanser on your pretty little face at night as well! If ONE night you happen to be too tired, use makeup remover wipes.

STEP 2: PRIMER

I used ALL NIGHTER LONG-LASTING MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY by Urban Decay to prep Kourtney’s skin. *This is a FAB primer/setter in a spray bottle.

Spray clean face before you start applying foundation and then again after you have finished creating your glam makeup look. Just 4-6 sprays is all you need for long lasting makeup! (Can’t waittt to try this, I love setting sprays, they work wonders!)

STEP 3: FOUNDATION

For this look I used Dior Skin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup SPF 25 by Dior Beauty. *I like using this foundation because of its hydra-gel moisture-stabilizing system, giving the skin the moisture it needs for long shoot days taking it to a smoother wear and comfort that’s non-transferable and waterproof. (I can’t wait to try this also, my make up now is ugly in pictures )

STEP 4: UNDER EYES

I use Erase Paste in Medium by Benefit Cosmetics.  *A brightening and camouflaging concealer for under eyes or to cover unruly blemishes for a flawless look. (Need this as well!)

STEP 5: SET

Finally I set Kourtney’s entire face with Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder by Urban Decay. *REMEMBER don’t go cray with this stuff, just a fine coat is all you need. This is a high-tech translucent powder that gives off a stunning soft-focus effect, even under unforgiving light. However, when too much is applied it can look powdery and not cute so start with the tiniest amount and work from there. It’s always better to start with too little and add then to start with too much! (Sounds interesting, knowing me I would ruin my make up, but I do want to try!)

STEP 6: BROWS

I filled them in with The Perfect Brow Pencil by Anastasia Beverly Hills. *This pencil comes equipt with a brow brush at end opposite to the pencil to help shape brows.  Try bending the brush at an angle for an easier hold while shaping brows. (One of my faves!)

STEP 7: KOURTNEY’S EYES

We wanted to keep Kourtney’s eyes dramatic yet subtle for this look as I was using such a bright lip that I wanted to pop with the white sourroundings.  I used Eyeshadow in Rain by Stila Cosmetica to cover the lid.  I then blended in Baked Eye Colour- Wet/Dry in Black Karat by Laura Mercier into the crease of the lid. Loving that this shadow has two colours mixed into one adding more depth to the eye when blended into the crease.

Along the eyelid, close to the lash line I used Crayon Eyeliner by Dior to draw on a very simple thin line, then smudged it out for a blended look with a smudging brush; Also try using the brush provided on the pencil. I added some false lashes Flirt-It Lash Duo by The Sephora Collection to Kourtney’s upper lash line (this Lash Duo set comes with a half-strip of lashes for a light flirty daytime look as well as a full strip of lashes, in this case I used the full strip, these lashes give off a feathery Individual Lash look without having to apply a full set of individuals) and coated her lashes with Buxom Lash Mascara by Buxom to lengthen lashes then added Dior Show 360 Mascara by Dior to add volume. I curl her lashes using Shu Uemura eyelash curler.

STEP 8: KOURTNEY’S CHEEKS

On the hollow of her cheeks I applied Peach Leopard Brightening & Perfecting Bronzer by Two Faced. To give Kourt a warm touch of color I applied Dior Skin Shimmer Star Blush by Dior to the apples of her cheeks. Although this has a shimmer to it, it is not the 12 year old shimmer that is ultra sparkle, it gives off a light glow making cheekbones pop!

STEP 9: KOURTNEY’S LUMINOUS GLOW

Right above the apples of Kourtney’s cheeks I applied The Supernatural Moonlight Natural Illuminating Powder by Philosophy to highlight her cheekbones.

STEP 10: KOURTNEY’S LIPS

To keep Kourt’s gorgeous red lipstick to keep from feathering, I first lined her lips with Borderline Smoothing, Anti-Feathering Lip Pencil by Too Faced. Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 42 Satin Vermilion Red by Make Up For Ever is what I used to fill in the lip. I finished her lips with Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pop by SMASHBOX Cosmetics to brighten the lip with a glossy finish.

XO,

Joyce Bonelli

I also included a printable Sephora shopping list, just click, print and go!

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She makes me want to go blonde again… such cute blonde hair and contrasting, bright, Summery make up! What are your thoughts on bright teal liner/shadow? I don’t think just anyone can toss it on, I think it requires planning, the right hair, lip shade, outfit style, etc. but definitely do able with practice.

Looking for some fun liners to play with to get these looks?

24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil spring shades ($18) – teal, purple, gold, yellow, silver, tons to choose from!

Or try out a simple bright blue shadow. MAC’s Electric Eel is a pretty bright royal blue, perfect for this trial.

Some tips if you do make the teal eyeliner plunge?

* Wear with any variety of a pink lip

* Looks nice against bronzed skin to see the contrast, but can be worn on all shades!

Have fun playing around, send me some pics!

The products used for this look are:

Basic instructions on how to try out this look:

1. Start with Smashbox as a concealer/primer for your eye lids. This helps the shadow stick!

2. Dust MAC’s mineralize powder over the Smashbox concealer with a big fluffy brush to leave you with a dry work area.

3. Apply a thin layer of MAC’s paint over your entire eye lid. This helps the shadow to not crease or smudge.

4. Start with MAC’s Coppering eyeshadow in your crease, blend upward towards eyebrow, but not all the way up. I didn’t use any white shadow here, I just let the MAC paint serve as one. (Only put Coppering in the crease and above, do not put on actual lid where the black is.)

5. Once you have a nice Coppering base in your crease, apply MAC’s Carbon onto your entire lid. This means from eyelashes to crease. Blend the Carbon slightly into Coppering.

6. I finish with a liquid black eyeliner across the top lash line only, followed then by mascara of course.

7. I line the underneath of my eye with a thin shadow brush and Carbon eye shadow again. The key to not making eyes appear smaller is to only line a bit of the underneath. When you line the entire underneath, it closes off the eye, making it look smaller than it is!

I know these aren’t amazing instructions, (Too lazy to make a video) but you should be able to give it a go and practice this look at home! Leave a comment with any questions and I will reply here!