Acing your Holiday Glam Look: Smokey eye & red lip makeup tutorial

There is nothing that excites us more than the sparkle, shimmer and glitter, that is the backbone of the holiday season. We find it in our clothes, in our homes and most certainly in our makeup. But it’s easy to get overwhelmed with choices or get a little trigger-happy when we have so many options to choose from.

Whether you’re a newbie at makeup, or a pro who wants to get inspired with new techniques, this easy smokey eye & red lip combo makeup tutorial will be your ammunition for party season!

Usually, I wouldn’t combine a bold lip and dark eye, but the subtle green tint in this eye shadow palette perfectly balances the red tones on the lips. There’s a reason why we naturally gravitate to green and red, they are contrasting colours that look great together! If you don’t believe me, ask Christmas!

I love the convenience of a perfectly curated eye shadow palette. They provide loads of options and colour combinations to choose from. And when you’re feeling bold and inspired, you can use them all (just like I did in the tutorial)!

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For this look, I used the following products:

    1. Mac Cosmetics new Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in Greenluxe
    2. Mac Select Lip Palette (Lady Danger mixed with Ruby woo)
    3. Mac Skin base (face primer)
    4. Select Cover-Up (N20)
    5. Studio moisture tint (tinted moisturizer with SPF)
    6. Mac Paint (Untitled)
    7. Blush (Mac Shy beauty)
    8.  Mascara
    9. Eyebrow pencil

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If you’re more visual, you can watch the entire makeup tutorial 

5 Tips for makeup newbies

  • Invest in a good set of brushes; you’ll thank me later!
  • Practice makes perfect. Smokey eye can be a more difficult look to achieve, so start with lighter colours and get used to your technique and application.
  • Invest in high quality makeup. You’ll be amazed at the pigments, coverage and how easy they are to work with.
  • Light colours open up the eyes, and dark colours will make them smaller. Use this advice wisely depending on what look you are going for.
  • If nothing else start your makeup routine with mascara, blush and lipstick. Add more as you see fit!

 

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Word of mouth: M.A.C. Select Lip Palette and Nutcracker Sweet Red Lip Gloss Kit

Have you been to MAC Cosmetics lately? They keep releasing gorgeous limited edition collections, and I got my hands on some pretty awesome goods.

I went to MAC a few weeks ago to replenish my boring essentials ( Select Cover-up NW20) and the lovely sales person was telling me all about their new Select rewards program. First, you get a good size sample with every purchase (I got the Prep + Prime Skin), and you all know how much I love freebies.

The MAC Select program comes in 3 levels: Seduced, Devoted and Obsessed. Each category comes with its own perks. After you spend a certain amount of money, you graduate to the next level. I wonder if they will release a “Rehab” level, you know, for folks like me who have spent every paycheque there since high school! Sadly, it does not include past purchases (I asked… haha).

One of the things that I love most about MAC is their “Back to MAC” recycling program. Bring 6 empties and get a free lipstick or eyeshadow. Now with the new Select program, you can bring your empties as you go, and they will record it in your file. No more holding on to garbage.. unless you’re doing an “Empties” vlog of course! I have to thank all my essentials for getting me hooked up in the lipstick department!

MAC Select Lip Palette x6 ($48)

Speaking of lipsticks, MAC sent over a few gorgeous products for me to try out and share the love with you. I received the Select Lip Palette (which is this month’s feature product under the Select program). It’s a perfect combination of 6 popular shades of lipstick in matte finishes:

  • Kinda Sexy : Neutral Pinky Rose (Matte)
  • All Fired Up : Bright fuschia matte (Retro Matte)
  • Lady Danger : Vivid bright coralred (Matte)
  • Candy Yum Yum : Neon pink (Matte)
  • Ruby Woo : Very matte vivid blue red (Retro Matte)
  • Flat Out Fabulous : Bright plum matte (Retro Matte)

I love the bright tones in this palette, and you can tell all the shades were thoughtfully selected. The 6-in-1 palette is perfect to pack away with you for the holidays or a vacation, and helps you pick the right colours, if you have a hard time deciding on what to bring. Because it runs a bit larger and requires a brush to apply, it isn’t something I would carry in my purse.

I always use any lipstick with Prep + Prime Lip, a base coat lip balm that helps keep the lipstick intact, and reduces feathering. I also typically use a lipliner when applying lipstick, but with a brush, I get the same precision.

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Holiday Collection- Nutcracker Sweet Red Lip Gloss Mini Kit ($42)

Every year, MAC releases a holiday collection that make perfect gifts. I was given the Lip Gloss Mini Kit, a coordinated candy cane red kit of mini Cremesheen Glass and Dazzleglass in a stylish little box. These holiday kits are always a steal, which is why they don’t last very long (value $88). I love the brush kits that are released too, it’s great way to get your collection started, and at a crazy cheap price!

Think of this as a box of fat-free chocolates you can offer any girly girl as a gift, she will adore it and you! This kit includes a combination of 4 creamsheen glosses. Creamsheen gloss is a lip finish that fuses the creamy texture of a lipstick with the high shine of a gloss. It has a sweet vanilla scent and the classic honey-like texture MAC is known for. I love the combination of sparkle and red/pink tones in this kit.

  • Galaxy Rose: Midtone Violet Pink (Cremesheen)
  • Gumdrop: Intense cheery red (Cremesheen)
  • Courting Chic : Deep berry red w/gold sparkles (Cremesheen)
  • Phiff! : Sheer yellow peach (Dazzleglass)

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I was playing around with the kit one evening and decided to paint my face with it! I used the Dazzlesheen on my cheeks as a highlighter and the Gumdrop pink/red on my lips.

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Ottawa Street Style: Spring Boho fashion in Off-The-Shoulder top

My style goal this spring and summer is to embrace the boho fashion trend, and I think these photos taken at The Tech Wall (a.k.a dog park!) prove that Emma and I nailed it!

I met Emma online, through the Rising Tide Society (Ottawa Chapter). It’s a collaborative group for creatives. We organized this shoot in a few days and made some magic happen! Emma primarily does Ottawa wedding photography, but she’s obviously skilled in street style… wouldn’t you say? These photos came out perfect, and the shoot only lasted 20 min! Now that is talent! She has a great eye and I love the way she makes colours so bright and vibrant!

Now, about the outfit!
I bought my off-the-shoulder top last summer inside Fashion Truck Canada during Bluesfest last year. It was a great investment! I’ve worn it many times and the fact that it’s long and flowy means versatility! I’m wearing Paige jeans from Fashion United,  a vintage Fendi purse, my new Emu Australia mules, sunnies from Ardene (I know!right?) and my hat from Aritzia.

Get Social with Emma!

www.photographybyemma.ca
www.facebook.com/photosbyemmah
www.instagram.com/photosbyemmah
www.twitter.com/photosbyemmah
Pinterest @photosbyemmah
Tumblr @emzhdr
Snapchat @photosbyemmah

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Easy breezy in a white pleated skirt and blush top

This Sunday, I signed up for a major impromptu photoshoot with the most talented creative powerhouse I know: Brittany Frid, Owner and Creative Director of Satin & Snow, Ottawa’s leading fine art wedding planning and designing company.

Yes. This woman of many talents, is also picking up photography on her not-so-spare time. I’ve been following Brittany over the last two years online and I truly admire her self-made success. Like me, she works hard, non-stop, round-the-clock. That’s what it takes to make it, and my friends, she has made it.

I love her fresh romantic style and her creative eye. She has photographed me in ways that I have never seen myself. It’s remarkable. I am so in love with these photos and feel privileged to have worked with her. You know that I ALWAYS smile in my pictures, it’s my security blanket. I usually hate my serious face, and this woman captured it bang on! Or “BINGO” as she would say! She admitted that she was weary of shooting in the sunlight, and would also be going out of her comfort zone. But I have to say that the light and gentle breeze are what made these pictures come alive.

When I asked what “mood” she wanted to shoot, she told me “light, white and airy”. With only a few minutes to get ready for the photo shoot, I knew only one skirt could pull this look together: my white pleated skirt from Melanie Lynn, circa 2012. I can’t believe I have had it for that long. In fact, I wore it to my best friend’s wedding when I just found out I was pregnant with Victor. Lots of great memories in that skirt! So glad the style has come back. You can pick up a similar pleated skirt at Aritzia (I recently bought the black one!). I paired it with my blush Academy knit tank which I purchased after my Spring Lookbook photoshoot with Smithery and my grey hat (also from Artizia). On my lips, I am wearing Stila’s liquid lipstick in Baci.

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