makeup – Mirriam Neal

once upon a dream

November 8, 2014 Mirriam6 Comments

Last night we rented Maleficent. It was just as good as it was in theaters. The storytelling is beautiful, every frame lush and artistic, the costume designs gorgeous – and the makeup. I am always in awe of the look they gave Maleficent; an appearance both monstrous and beautiful. As the credits rolled, I remembered that I had received five or six requests for a Maleficent makeup tutorial when the movie first came out. I had forgotten, and unfortunately, this being the month of nonstop novelling, I knew I didn’t have five hours to spend filming, editing, and uploading. So I took a shortcut – I did the makeup, and I will tell you about the process so you can replicate it. Naturally you don’t need to follow my steps exactly – feel free to play around and have fun!

THE PROCESS

/apply foundation/use dark eye shadow or the e.l.f. eyebrow kit to shape your eyebrows with sharp angles and color them in/ apply primer from your eyelid all the way up to your eyebrow/ apply a light gray/purple to the entire area/ apply black to the inner and outer corners of your crease, and blend mightily/ use a dark gray or deep purple and brush from the inner and outer corners / use a black eyeliner pencil around your lashline and smudge (carefully! you don’t want to look too goth.) / curl your eyelashes, then apply generous coating of mascara to the upper and lower lashes / take e.l.f. shimmer n’ shine (DO NOT USE BLUSH! I repeat, DO NOT USE BLUSH! it will ruin the pale, fey look) and rub it across the tops of your cheekbones / take a bronzer and sweep it underneath your cheekbones, then blend lightly, stroking the brush downward/ apply lots of red lipstick! My perfect red is Burt’s Bee’s lip crayon in Napa Vineyard. Voila! You’re all through. You can do something fun with your hair or, like me, do nothing with it and if anyone asks, tell them faeries don’t do their hair.

kiss and tell, a post by request

October 13, 2014October 13, 2014 Mirriam10 Comments

Lip colors are fun. Sure, many of them don’t exactly look natural, but there’s no denying that lips are an important part of your face – and they’re fun to color up! The right color can make your whole look pop, or give it dramatic elegance, or a subtle sheen. Lips are an important part of your appearance, so it’s a good thing there are a lot of ways to play them up. I’m not talking about anything fancy here – I’m giving you a few of my favorite lipstick colors in pinks, reds, and oranges, basic colors you can mix and match with any outfit.

Left to Right: Burt’s Bees lip crayon in Carolina Coast, Bare Minerals lipstick in Sweet Apricot, Bare minerals lipstick in Berry Glace, Burt’s Bees lip crayon in Napa Vineyard, and Revlon lipstick in Cherries in the Snow.

Tip: While I didn’t use any lip liners for this post since I was wiping off each color directly after I put it on, I would highly recommend them if you have vague lip lines (like I do). I use Bare Minerals lip liners; find a couple shades to match the basic lipstick colors, and a neutral. It will also help keep your lipstick from bleeding out, and will give you a good area to work in.

I really love this orange, as it works with my pale skin tone and doesn’t make my teeth look yellow – two wins!

This is the one cheap lipstick that I’ve kept, because I love the really dramatic, neon pink color. However, once I find a natural lipstick in a hot pink shade, I’ll be chucking this one in the trash.

I know a lot of women who are afraid to wear red lipstick for fear it’s ‘too much.’ Don’t believe it. Red lipstick is the ultimate confidence boost, and I get compliments on it literally every time I wear red lipstick out of the house. If Peggy Carter can do it, so can you.

Tip: My lips are shaped so that when I wear lipstick, I generally get lipstick on my teeth. To prevent this, just put your lips around your index finger and pull it out – voila! Problem solved.

Tip: Many lipsticks can be very drying, so I generally put a layer of lip balm underneath my coat of lipstick.

I know I didn’t cover anything fancy – no ombre lips or foiled lips or lip glosses – but hopefully this will be helpful in some way. Remember, having full lips doesn’t mean you can’t wear red lipstick – I’ve become a huge advocate for it. You can do this thing. Stay classy!

Makeup Tutorial: Cirque du Soleil

August 27, 2014 Mirriam9 Comments

I took a kind of casual poll yesterday, asking what style makeup tutorial you would prefer – subtle, dramatic, or weird. The answer was generally ‘dramatically weird!’ or ‘subtly dramatic!’ but weird was the most popular answer. I wanted to do a wearable weird (and have proved how wearable it is by keeping it on all day) but something that was also elegant. So, with a ten-minute tutorial, I hope you get some ideas or a good party look.

I will give you a couple disclaimers – I have discovered, in editing this video, that I say ‘alrighty’ a lot when vlogging, and also that I need to find a better angle for my camera, because I lean entirely out of the frame half the time. I did my best to remedy this, but the most I can promise you is that I’ll find a better angle next time. Also, the lighting in my room isn’t exactly makeup-condusive, but I hope you have a fun time watching anyway.

Also, if you end up doing this style, I’d love to see a picture of it! Next time, I’m going to tutorial my everyday look.

Note: I forgot to mention that I start off using Covergirl Tru Magic Skin Perfector. (It’s a nice base, but to be honest I’m not sure it’s worth the money; I’ll probably try a different brand next time.)

Go HERE to view the video on Vimeo!

a touch of filigree

August 22, 2014 Mirriam10 Comments

To date, my favorite female character of Jenny’s is Filigree. Is it because her name is so adorable? Because of her spunky, flirtatious, intelligent nature? I haven’t got a proper answer for you. I simply love her. Therefore, my makeup today was inspired by this lovely whirlwind of a girl, and as I’ve had quite a lot of requests for more makeup posts, here you are!

Now, this is a rather ‘done up’ look for Filigree. This look would be suited for a party or a fancy-dress affair, when she wants to look both pretty in pink and as if she’s ready to stab someone.

I use Covergirl TruMagic Skin Perfector in 100 as a base. Then I apply Covergirl TruBlend liquid makeup base in #1 ivory, and my blush is Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in peach satin. On my eyes, I used e.l.f. primer and then I used Halo Profusion Palatte eyeshadow in glittery pale pink and deep orange, blended well. I then applied used Maybelline Master Precise eyeliner pen in black, and Covergirl Flamed Out mascara in black. In most of these shots I had clear lip balm on my lips, but in a few of them I used a dark, berry red to up the drama. I also used e.l.f. eyebrow mascara to keep them in place and, to darken them, used a tiny eye shadow brush and the dark brown in Maybelline’s Hushed Tints palate #30.

I find that when I color in my entire lip surface I look like a scheming Disney villainess. Particularly when I bare my teeth. This is surprisingly okay with me on some occasions.

And finally, my most Filigree expression. I hope you enjoyed this! I’ll do more in the future, from my own novels (there’s quite a lot of room for this in Kenna) and Jenny’s. Be sure to keep an eye out for Plenilune when it comes out in print – you’ll be glad you did!