For Beautifully Blended Eye Looks, It Takes Two (or More) to Tango

Wearing the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

Here’s a hump day (yes…I actually forgot what day of the week it was and only just now realized it two hours after publishing this post, LOL!) morning makeup tip for easier, more blended eye looks… Use multiple transition colors, instead of just one transition color or none at all.

Two of my favorite transition colors: MAC Soft Brown (top) and MAC Saddle (bottom)

For instance, for a smoothly blended brown smokey eye, use the darkest shadow color on your lid (MAC Ground Brown), then a slightly lighter color in your crease (MAC Saddle), and a slightly lighter color than that moving up the crease (MAC Soft Brown), so that you have a smooth gradient that goes from darkest to lightest.

Smokey eye ’til I die! Wearing theBalm’s Balmsai palette

Wearing the MAC Alluring Aquatic collection

STORM WATCH 2014! And other schtuff…

OK, so, first, the big stuff.

It is storming! I’ve seen two emergency flash-flood alerts on TV so far this morning, and I’m watching a torrent of water in the storm drain on the hill outside. There’s a major storm hitting Northern California right now, and it’s supposed to be a bad one.

Tabs, El Hub and I live on a hill, so we’re hopefully safe from the flooding, for now. There’s also the possibility of our place just sliding down the hill in a mudslide, which makes me kind of nervous…

I think we’ll be fine. Electricity might go out soon though.

I’ve been trying to distract myself by watching makeup videos, and I found a crop of fab one-minute vids on the MAC website called Instant Artistry.

They’re just quick, little blurbs. Each one covers a single topic, like two-tone lips or ombre eyeshadow.

The looks are mostly accessible and not outrageously cray-cray, which makes me think, “Hey! I can do that.”

Assuming the power stays on, and I’m able to actually see what I’m doing, I’m going try the look in the colored eyeliner video today.

I guess if I were to attempt it in the dark…that might also be kind of fun, haha!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen