Although fall ushers in winter (booooo!), it does come with a really awesome color palette. Autumn’s all about rusty reds, deep browns and awesome metallic orange and gold. And that means all new makeup looks.

That’s why I created the Autumn Leaves makeup tutorial.

This fall-inspired look pairs drama and metallic shimmer with the colors of the season.

What You Need

Although I use very specific products for Autumn Leaves, you don’t need to follow the brands exactly. Just look for similar colors and you can create this look with just about anything. You’ll need…

• Mixing medium or other sticky pre-shadow medium to help you create a bold, foiled look. I used Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy.
• 5 super shimmery eye shadow colors: light beige, orange, rusty red, black and white. I used these colors from my Lanmei 24 Color Eye Shadow Palette.
• Brown eyeliner, preferably in a self-retracting gel liner. I used the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Lionfish.
• Brown mascara, though dark brown is best. I used Almay Intense I-Color Volumizing Mascara in Raisin Quartz.
• Reddish brown lipstick or gloss. I used Luzier Lipstick in Merry Cherry as a base with MAC Lustreglass in Ornamental over it.
• Face makeup to complete the look. I used Pixi Wakeup Concealer in Cream under my eyes and L’Oreal Bare Naturale All-Over Mineral Glow in Rose Glow on my cheeks.

Autumn Leaves, Step by Step

Start by spreading a sticky pre-shadow medium, like Pixie Epoxy on your eyes. If you use mixing medium, apply it as you use each eye shadow color, as normal.

Apply the light beige eye shadow at the corner of the eye. Spread it upward and out just below the brow following the line of the eyebrow. Smooth a little bit on the lower lid as well.

Blend the orange eye shadow on to your lid, from the lash line to the crease. Apply some on the middle two-thirds of your lower lid as well.

Blend the rusty red eye shadow around the outer corner of the eye and up into the crease. Blend it upward from he crease to about a centimeter below your eyebrow. Apply it to the outer one-third of your lower lid.

For finishing touches on your eye shadow, bust out the black and white. By lightening and darkening certain parts, you’ll add dimension to the look.

Blend a dab of white shimmer shadow at the inside corner of the eye and sweep it lightly under the arch of your eyebrow for some highlight.

Darken the crease with a bit of black eye shadow for some depth.

Line all around your eyes with brown eyeliner. The line should be thicker near the outside corner of the eye, and super thin at the inner corner. To line the bottom, spread the brown liner on your water line.

Apply brown mascara to both the top and bottom lashes.

Apply your favorite brownish-red lip color.

Finish the look by cleaning up your face. Remove any fallout from the shadow and use powder or concealer as needed. I filled in my eyebrows, used concealer under my eyes, blotted out my skin with powder and warmed myself up with some blush.

Autumn Leaves in Action

I felt pretty in this look. Even though I’d rather it still be summer, I don’t mind strutting around town with this fall-inspired makeup.

What about you? I hope you’re enjoying the season-change!

Today, I’m going to do something a bit more work appropriate. I’ll be using Smog, Chopper, Sin and Polyester Bride from this makeup palette, plus some other beauty products to finish off the look.

Let’s get started.

You know the drill. Before you start using shadow, you need to get your face ready. Today I used some translucent powder to smooth out the skin around my eyes and nose. Learn more here: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup.

Once your face is ready, it’s time for some shimmery eye shadow.

I started with Smog eye shadow moving in an arch from just under the outside corner of my eye (on the bottom lid) up and into the crease of my top lid.

Blending with a bristled eye shadow brush will help make it smoky and well-blended.

Now, you use Chopper in the middle part of the lid. Blend this to the outer edge a bit and up into the crease.

Next is Sin. I seem to use this shadow in every tutorial. It’s my favorite in the makeup palette.

Smooth this from the inside corner and blend it into Chopper. Also, blend it in at the top edge of Smog to soften it a bit.

Finally, use Polyester Bride as a highlighter. Put a dab right at the inside corner of your eye as well as right underneath your eyebrow arch.

Now that you are done with eye shadow, you can finish up your entire look.

For the eyes, I used Incolor FabuLiner Liquid Eyeliner in Brown on the top lid. Then, I used Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara in Very Black on the top and bottom lashes.

For the lips, I used MAC Lustreglass in Ornamental.

Here’s a look at the final results:

It turned out pretty nice. It’s a classy, shimmery look that’s subtle enough to be work appropriate. Plus, since it uses brown shades, it can go with a lot of different outfits.

Soft Rust?

Today, I’ll be teaching you how to get a beautiful rusty colored makeup look on your eyes, as well as a soft rust color on your lips.  This look is going to be a bit more subtle than what you are expecting, I’m sure.

Where you wear this look depends on how comfortable you are with makeup on.  I could wear this anywhere, including work and on a date.  Those who aren’t used to a lot of makeup may want to limit this look only for special occasions.

So, get ready for the Soft Rust makeup tutorial.

First, as always, we start with a bare, naked face. Sounds dirty, doesn’t it?

Here I am!  No makeup – so sad.

Since foundation, powder and the like are very dependent on your own preferences, and really repetitive, I won’t detail that here.  You can learn a bit more about the subject, though: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup.

After that, you need to gather your supplies.

You can see what I used in the picture above.  If you have something else that gives you a similar look, feel free to use that instead.

Here’s what I used, in order:

1. Cupcake Cult Eye Primer
2. Luzier Eye Shadow
3. e.l.f. Brightening Eye Liner in Black
4. Loreal FeatherLash Water-Resistant Mascara in Black
5. Mary Kay MK Signature NouriShine Lip Gloss in Sweet Raisin

That’s all you need.  The first step is primer.

I use Cupcake Cult Eye Primer to get a smooth and vibrant look.  If I would have skipped this step, the overall look of this eye makeup would look much softer in the end.  You may want to keep that in mind.

These are the eye shadows I used, Luzier Eye Shadow.  I used them in the order based on the numbers in the picture.  I used:

1. Penny
2. Burgundy Ice
3. Honey

You’ll do fine if you use colors that are similar, since these will be hard to find.

With the first color, Penny, sweep it along the crease of your lid, starting at the outer corner of your eye and working it into an arch.  This is a rusty, shimmer color.  The color should be densest and darkest on the outside of this arch.

I use a medium shadow brush (as you can see in my equipment picture) as opposed to a sponge tipped applicator, as it’s just better.

Next you’ll use the second color, Burgundy Ice.  This is a mixture of yellow and burgundy shadows.  Sweep this on the main part of your lid and into the crease, blending it with the first color.  You should also put it just above your crease as well.  You can already see the first color mellowing out.

You will then use the third color, Honey on the rest of the lid.  Blend this into the inside corner of your lid.  You should also blend it on your brow bone just under your eyebrow for a little highlight.

That’s it for eye shadow!  It was just that easy.  Next, it’s eyeliner.

Normally, I will line the entire top lid.  Not today.  Instead, for this makeup look, you should start at the outer corner and draw a line only to about halfway across your upper lid.  The line will be thick at the corner and thinner as you draw inward.  Don’t line the bottom lid.  I used e.l.f. Brightening Eye Liner in Black.

Ahh, mascara, one of the most important parts of any look.  Today, I used Loreal FeatherLash Water-Resistant Mascara in Black on both the top and bottom lashes.  Be careful not to get it all over your eyelids and face.

Finally, the lips.  I chose a lip gloss, Mary Kay MK Signature NouriShine Lip Gloss in Sweet Raisin, that has the same sort of rusty color as the makeup on my eyes.  It’s a tinted gloss so I completely forewent the lipstick.

And…we’re done!  Time for the after shots:

Clicking on any of the pictures in this makeup tutorial will give you a bigger view.

I ended up really liking this look, and I plan to wear it often.  Soft Rust goes well with a lot of clothing, since it tends to be pretty neutral.

Next week, I’ll have a makeup tutorial using MAC Cosmetics, since my shipment should be coming sometime today.

Until next time!

What did you think?  Would you be comfortable wearing Soft Rust to work, or is it too much?

• To work.
• To school.
• On a date.
• To a family gathering.
• For a hike in the woods.
• During the day.
• At night.
• Even to a night club.

I call this look Simple and Clean because it has a freshness about it. You’ll look amazing while not having that much makeup on. At least it will seem that way anyway.

I actually got some of the idea for this look from the steps in the Vintage Pinup Girl Video, although I changed some things around.

Get ready, because we’re about to learn the Simple and Clean makeup tutorial.

You’ll be starting with a naked face:

Oh how unhappy I am without makeup on.

Before you do anything else, you’ll need to get your face ready for all of this. Since we’re going light and breezy today, you’ll want to avoid any heavy foundations and powders. I only used some translucent powder for this one. Less is more!

You can learn more about this step here: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup.

Now you can start the look. Here’s everything you’ll need:

As always, you can find similar products that can do just as good of a job, so if you don’t have one of these exact items, don’t worry. You should be able to get the same look with something else that looks similarly. Here’s what I used:

1. Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet
2. Luzier Eye Shadow in Burgundy Ice
3. Loreal Pencil Perfect Eyeliner in Black
4. Mary Kay MK Signature® Waterproof Mascara in Black
5. Loreal Bare Naturale All Over Mineral Glow
6. Cover Girl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers Lip Gloss in Raspberry Splash

Once you’ve got everything ready, it’s time to start the makeup tutorial.

You’ll be using three different colors of eye shadow today. I’ll be using them in the order seen in the picture. The first, second and fourth colors are from the Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet. The third is Luzier Eye Shadow in Burgundy Ice.

Take the first color, a shimmery medium pink, and blend it into your crease and brow bone. When you’re eyes are open, you should see this color poking out above your crease. The color should be in an arched shape.

The second color you’ll use is a very muted brown. It should only be a little bit darker than you’re natural skin color. Blend into your crease only. By putting it in the crease, you’ll also be blending it with the first pink color a bit.

The third color is by Luzier and is a mixture of pink and gold shimmer eye shadow. Spread this over your lid. This won’t look too much different than your regular skin, which is what we want.

The final color is strictly for highlights. You should choose an almost-white cream color. Either matte or shimmer is good. I used a matte color. Put this just below the arch of your eyebrow, above the pink line. Also put this in the inside corner of your eye.

Super Makeup Trick: Highlighting like this makes your eyes look brighter, larger, and more awake.

After all that super subtle eye shadow, it’s time for some eyeliner. Normally, people put liner on their top lid and only sometimes on the bottom. For this look, you’re going to put it only on the bottom, on the inside of the lid. I used Loreal Pencil Perfect Eyeliner in Black.

Super Makeup Trick: Lining just the lower lid makes your eyes look bigger and interesting without looking like you have a lot of makeup on. You’ll also notice that the irises of your eye (the colored part) will be more pronounced and noticeable.

Then, it’s time for mascara:

The mascara part of the Simple and Clean look is pretty straight forward. You should mascara both the top and bottom lashes. Be careful not to get mascara on your top lid. I have a hard time with that myself. I used Mary Kay MK Signature® Waterproof Mascara in Black.

I don’t always use blush, but I used it today:

Make sure you choose the right blush for this. You’ll want it to look as realistic as possible. I used Loreal Bare Naturale All Over Mineral Glow, as it’s my favorite. As you can see in the picture above, I didn’t just put it on the apples of my cheeks. Instead, I started at the apples and worked in small circles up around the temple and onto a bit of the forehead, following the line that I illustrated.

For the lips, I wanted to add very little color. We are being Simple and Clean, you know. So I used Cover Girl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers Lip Gloss in Raspberry Splash to add a bit of shine and shimmer with barely any color. That’s it!

We’re done. That was easy, wasn’t it? Now for the after photos:

It’s a pretty simple look. You’ll be wearing very little makeup, yet will be obviously much prettier than you were before (unless you’re one of those people who look amazing without makeup.) Since it’s so simple, and clean, you can wear it just about anywhere.

What did you think of the Simple and Clean look? Would you wear this?

Up until now, I’ve been doing some bold looks for the Tutorial Tuesdays. Most people aren’t going to wear this kind of makeup on a regular basis (unless you’re me.) Instead, you may want something a bit more subtle. Something you can wear to work.

Hence, Umber Eyes.

This is an eye makeup tutorial using a brown shadow pallet. Brown makeup can go with a lot of things and blends in well with most people’s coloring.

While it may not be suitable for a night of hardcore partying, it’s still good for most other everyday uses.

So commences Umber Eyes!

First, you need to have a totally flat, naked face:

Don’t I look like a sad little kitten? I’m so much happier with makeup on. And we all know that the ‘before’ picture has to have a sad, terrible face. It makes the ‘after’ look so much better.

The next step, as always, is all about your face. You’ll likely need foundation and powder and such. Instead of explaining that here, you can check it out a previous post I made that explains all about it: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup.

After that, it’s all about the makeup. This is what I used:

You can click to have a closer look. These are the products that I used. You can find something equivalent if you don’t have what I have.

1. Cover Girl Eye Enhancers #260 Coffee Shop
2. Milani Easyliner Retractable Pencil in Brazilian Brown
3. Mary Kay MK Signature® Waterproof Mascara
4. Prestige CL-42A: Rosewood
5. Sephora Gloss Repulpant

There you have it! You’ll see more about all of these products as we move down the line.

We’ll be using these colors in the Cover Girl Eye Enhancers compact. The numbers will help you know what colors I’m using. They’ll go in order.

First, color number one:

This is a dark chocolate brown eye shadow, matte. I only used a little bit of this, as you can see. To match my look, sweep the shadow around the outer corner of your eye. Bring it a third of the way into both your upper and lower eyelid. Then, sweep it out toward the eyebrow. It may look gaudy, but it’ll look better as you blend the other colors.

Next is the number two color, a shimmy bronze. Blend this into the first color, and then bring it into your crease in an arch shape. You don’t have to be too careful of what it looks like since it will all blend together in the end.

And now, for the final color:

Here’s where you use the shimmery, gold. Fill in the blank spot on your eyelid. Also sweep the color on the rest of the lid so that it blends with the other colors. Keep blending until there are now noticeable separation lines between the colors.

It should look like this when the eyes are closed:

See? The second, bronze color no longer looks like some terrible gaudy mess. That’s the power of blending, folks!

Now for the eyeliner. As you can see, I used brown (Milani Easyliner Retractable Pencil in Brazilian Brown). That’s so unlike me! Normally, I’m a black liner junky. Brown eyeliner is good when you want a subtle, natural-ish look. Apply it only to the top lid.

Finally, the mascara. Although I could forgo black eyeliner, I still used black mascara. I can’t help myself! To keep up with the natural, low-maintenance look, apply your mascara to the upper lashes only. Mary Kay MK Signature Waterproof Mascara, here I come.

Almost done!

I decided to use a lip stick that is very close to my natural shade (Prestige CL-42A: Rosewood). Instead of changing the color of my lips, it makes the shade more refined and even. Over that, I added Sephora Gloss Repulpant. This is a lip gloss that has that extra tingly bite. Although it is slightly tinted brown and has a bit of sparkle, all it really does is adds a bit of shine. Just what I wanted!

Ta-da! All done! Have a look at the after shots:

Pretty, no? This seems more than respectful and delicate for an office job. You can wear a good amount of makeup without looking like a harlot. I promise. This brown eye makeup tutorial, affectionately called Umber Eyes, shows what we can really do with the brown family of colors.

Thinking of trying this look? Let me know! I want to see pictures!