FOTD: Ox Blood Lashes

Today's look is on a slight twist to an easy every day eye. Over the last couple months this has become my go to look when I'm in need of something flattering, fresh, and work appropriate. The star of the show is YSL's Faux Cils Mascara in No.5 Deep Burgundy. This beautiful mascara not only lengthens and thickens, but gives a slight burgundy tint to lashes. As you can see form the photos below, from certain angles, the color can be seen.

As much as I love this luxury product, the focus is on the color, which can be found on the drugstore market as well. For dark brown eyes, I truly recommend trying this slight variation out. For the rest of the face, I used one of my favorite foundations, the Liole Triple the Solution BB Cream and the Maybeline Dream Lumi Concealer in Radiant under the eyes. As always, I set my under eye concealer with Laura Mercier's Secret Brightening Powder. 

 I did a typical combination of neutrals on the eyes: Maybeline's Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze all as a base, Sigma Command all over the lid, Sigma Publicize on the brow bone and inner corner, and Urban Decay Tease in the crease. I also dusted a little of Sigma Surrender in the outer "V" of the eye. This little Sigma trio that you see above is a free gift with purchase that came with a brush set a couple years ago. I also lined my waterline and lower lash line with the Rimmel ScandalEyes in Brown.

After completing the eyelook, I went back to the face and set my foundation with Burberry's Sheer Powder in Porcelain No. 2, bronzed and contoured with Burberry's Warm Glow in Nude Glow No. 03, and highlighted with Dior Amber Diamond. Finally I dusted MAC's Lured to Love on the cheeks and MAC Viva Glam II on the lips.

Hope you enjoyed!
Love,
Claire

FOTD 7.28.13

This Face of the Day post highlights what I've been wearing the majority of the time over the last month. I've rediscovered my Chanel Lift Lumiere Foundation in combination with my MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder. As you can tell the coverage isn't full, which is actually something that I like. Foundation for me is to even out my skin tone and let my skin also shine through, giving a much more natural look. Combined with MAC Springsheen, a shimmery coral blush, I have created a neutral base for a slightly more dramatic eye. 

First off, I always need to cancel out the dark veining on my eyelids with MAC Painterly Paint Pot. I then go all over the lid with MAC Blanc Type, in the crease with MAC Wedge, and on the inner corner and brow bone with MAC Nylon...can we all tell that I love MAC?

I have fallen back in love with winged eyeliner. Using products like the Lorac Front of The Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner makes it so easy to flick a little wing and add some drama to your eyes. I love my gel liners, but there is nothing easier than a really fine felt tip pen. This one specifically has stayed saturated and very black for almost a year; definitely a thumbs up from me. 

With a little brown eyeliner in the waterline and smudged on the lower lash line, and a coral combo on the lips, this is one of my favorite ways to wear black eyeliner in the summer. I feel as though it adds a little drama while still being fresh and light for those hot summer months. Of course, for me, a look can never be complete without highlighter, so a slap of Dior Amber Diamond finalizes the FOTD that I've been enjoying wearing to work and out on date nights with the boo. 

Hope you enjoyed!

Love, 

Claire

FOTD 3-13-13

I thought I would start a new series here on the blog. Face of the Days aren't new friends with blogs, but definitely new to The Makeup Architect. I think they are great ways for me to share the makeup that I'm using, and a way for me to share mini reviews on the products I'm trying out. Let me know what you guys think and if I should continue with these kinds of posts. Hopefully yes, because I thought it was so fun to do!

For the look I first started out by smoothing the Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum all over my face. I'm enjoying this product sample, but not enough to shell out the money, it's good, but not life changing. After letting that set and sink in, I used my trusty Chanel Lift Lumiere Foundation in Ivoire (14). This is one of my favorite (and most expensive) foundations. It gives a beautiful satin finish and the medium coverage, buildable foundation lasts all day (the plastic packaging is obviously not very durable).

To cover the dark circles under my eyes and the redness around my nose I used my MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW 20. This is a full coverage and very blendable long-lasting product. My only complaints are the smell and the over zealous pump dispenser, otherwise its perfect for those of us with those genetic deep purple under eyes. To ensure that there would be no creasing and migrating into the fine lines under my eyes, I used the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil to set the concealer. To cover my blemishes and scars, my favorite is the MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW 20, it doesn't budge all day once it's been set with powder; this time was my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

MAC's Bare Study Paint Pot served as the perfect base for the star of the show, my new Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Rosewood. This is THE ultimate in luxury eyeshadows. There is no going back now that I've tried this shadow, it has reset my standards for the possibilities of makeup; over dramatic much? I placed rosewood all over the lid, into the crease, and took it under the eye. I used The Balm shadows from the Nudetude Palette; Sultry to blend out the crease and Sassy on the brow bone as as inner corner highlight. Finally, a little brown eyeliner, Nars Laguna as a contour, Tarte Magic on the cheeks, Revlon Coral Reef on the lips, and Covergirl Clump Crusher Waterproof on the lashes.

This has been my go-to-lookfor a while now and I am absolutely in love with it!

Hope you guys enjoyed!
Love,
Claire