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 decided to show you how to use red and pink eye shadow to create an adorable look. All eye shadow colors were matte. I’ve dubbed it Candycane. And, as luck would have it, it’s a video makeup tutorial!

View the tutorial below:

Here are the products I used in this tutorial:

• L’Oreal Bare Naturale Soft-Focus Mineral Finish in Translucent
• Cupcake Cult Eye Shadow is a red, matte tone
• Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Palette in a pale, matte pink
• Revlon Matte Eye Shadow in Vintage Lace
• Maybelline Define-A-Line Eyeliner in Soft Black
• Max Factor Volume Couture Mascara in Black Brown

After watching this, have you changed your mind about red and pink? Go ahead and try it out.

We want the attention on our lips!

I’m calling this makeup tutorial Daily Lipstick Look.  Because, frankly, I couldn’t think of anything better.

And it is replacing the daily look for today.

In today’s look, you’ll also learn a bit of a cat eye using liquid eyeliner.

Let’s get started!

We always start with a bare face:

Yeah, lovely…

I used just a bit of translucent powder today.  You can use whatever right here, whether it’s foundation or whatever.  You can learn more about this step here: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup.

Also, you may want to beautify your eyebrows in this step.  I used eyebrow powder.

Now you’ll need your supplies.  Although you can use whatever you want (as long as it gets a similar look) here’s what I used:

1. Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet
2. N.Y.C. Liquid Eyeliner in Jet Black
3. Maybelline the Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara in Glam Black
4. Loreal Color Riche Lipstick in Penelope’s Red

Now that we have everything, it’s time to really start.

Now, the colors you do for your eyes are completely up to you.  This look can change because the colors you choose are going to be subtle anyway.

Since I’m wearing pink, I chose pink.  See?

First, I picked a bright, hot pink from the Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet.  I swept just a little bit from the middle of my lip out to the outside corner.

Then I used a lighter, softer pink.  I blended this into the first color and used it across the lid, leaving the innermost inch empty.

Finally, I used a light white/beige color at the inside corner, blending it into the light pink.

Such a soft, subdued look.  Just what I wanted!

Now, eyeliner.  I swear that line looked straighter in person.  I swear!

I used N.Y.C. Liquid Eyeliner.  I swept it from the outside corner inward.  To make the cat eye, I took small, slow strokes so that I had the most control.

You can see the desired shape in the picture above.

Then, mascara.  I used Maybelline the Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara. I used it liberally on both the top and bottom lashes.

Lips!  Here’s the boldest part of the whole look.  I used a red lipstick because it stands out the most.  I used Loreal Color Riche Lipstick in Penelope’s Red.

I didn’t use lip liner, because I didn’t want it to look harsh.  Instead, I just took the lipstick and applied it straight from the tube.  No lip brushes for me!

Blotting is important.  It gets rid of excess lipstick and can help set the color.

Now, it’s time for the after shots:

Tah dah!

I’d say it’s pretty.  And super bold where the lips are concerned.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Daily Lipstick Look makeup tutorial.

This look is called Fire Season.  I live in a state that has a yearly fire season (no, not California.  Montana).  In fact, just about a week ago, or most important mountain was on fire.  While it looked neat at night, it’s serious business.

Anyway, the classic fire colors are red, orange, yellow and white.  Of course, the fire is hottest when it’s white.  Right?

Using these three colors, I created the Fire Season makeup tutorial, which is so scorching hot!

Read on, ladies.

First thing’s first, you’ll start completely nude.  In the face anyway.

Look at my nakedness.

Then, you need to get your face ready so that the makeup blends well.  I only used powder.  It is summer after all.  Learn more here: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup.

Now, get your materials.

Here’s all the makeup that I used.  You can use something else if it looks similarly.

1. Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet
2. MAC Eye Shadow in Orange
3. MAC Eye Shadow in Chrome Yellow
4. Loreal Pencil Perfect Eyeliner in Carbon Black
5. Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara in Glam Black
6. Cover Girl WetSlicks Fruit Spritzers Lip Gloss in Raspberry Splash

Now, it’s time to get eye shadow’d.  The first color is red.  I used a darker red color from my Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet.

Apply this to the outside corner and up to the crease as shown in the picture above.

Next is orange.  I used MAC Eye Shadow for this color.  Apply it from lash line to crease, blending it into the red color.  Don’t go much farther than halfway across your lid.

For easy blending, you should use a medium eye shadow brush, like I did.

Here’s another MAC Eye Shadow in yellow.  Blend this in with the orange and start it about one centimeter from the inside corner of your eye.  Don’t put the yellow in the corner.  There’s still one more color left.

The final eye shadow color is from the Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet again.  This time, use a very light, almost-white beige color.

Apply this to the inside corner of the eye, blending it into the yellow.  Also put this under your brow, blending it into the crease a bit.  This will soften up the overall look.

We’re not done, though.  Now we need to use the eye shadow on the lower lid.  Using a thin, angled eye shadow brush with soft, stiff bristles, fill in the lower lid.

Start at the outside corner with orange and go underneath the lash line almost all the way to the inside corner.  Then take yellow and go over the orange starting in the middle of the lower lid and work till almost the inside corner.  Next, take the light beige and blend it on the lower lid starting at the inside corner and working into some of the yellow.

You can see the outcome in the picture above.

After shadow, we need liner.  Today, I am only lining the lower lid on the inside of the lash line.  I used Loreal Pencil Perfect Eyeliner in Carbon Black.

Then, mascara.  I used the new Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara in Glam Black.  You should use the mascara on both the top and bottom lashes.

Lips!  I wanted it to be subtle, since the eyes are so bright.  I used Cover Girl WetSlicks Fruit Spritzers Lip Gloss in Raspberry Splash.

Done!  Here’s the after pictures:

I ended up really liking the Fire Season look.  I’ve just started doing looks with white/beige in the inside corner (like last week’s Plum Smoke) and I’m loving the way it looks on me.

And of course, it really went well with that red halter dress I was wearing, too!

What do you think of the Fire Season makeup tutorial?

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?

I don’t always like to play it safe. In fact, I like to go crazy sometimes. Many people would avoid the look I’m going to teach you today, but whatever. I think it’s cute!

I think about the fact that I have nearly every color in the rainbow when it comes to eye shadow, so why not have a look that is…well…a rainbow?

So, that’s exactly what I’m doing. Be prepared for Rainbow Eyes! This is the most colorful makeup look I’ve ever done. And you’ll get to see how I did it here.

Buckle up, because this is going to be fun.

Before you do anything else, you should start with a completely empty, naked face, as shown:

Beautiful, right? So makeupless and pure. Let’s see how I clean up, shall we?

Before you break out the eye shadow, it’s time to get your face ready. This often involves foundation, powder and the like. If you want a good idea of the process, you can read up on it in a previous post: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup.

After that, you should gather up your supplies for the Rainbow Eyes makeup tutorial.

This is all that I used, numbered for your convenience. If you don’t have the exact product that I do, you should be able to achieve this look with something similar.

1. Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet
2. Revlon Diamond Lust in Champagne Buzz
3. Jordana Easyliner for Eyes Retractable Pencil in Bliss
4. Cover Girl CG Eyeslicks in Glistening Gold
5. Mary Kay MK Signature Waterproof Mascara in Black
6. L’Oreal HiP Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in Dreamer

Now that you have all of that settled, you should start with your eye shadow. Since I’m using such a huge pallet, I took pictures of each color and made an easy to understand chart:

These shadows are all from the Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Pallet. I used the classic Roy G Biv rainbow colors technique here, minus a step (Indigo). Except I’m doing it backward. You’ll understand in the next step. These are the colors in order:

1. Violet
2. Blue
3. Green
4. Yellow
5. Orange
6. Red

So, I started with violet at the outer corner of my eye. Here’s the rainbow progression:

It makes so much sense when you see it all in line like that. As you can see, I started at the outer corner and worked my way in. When you’re applying the eye shadow, make sure that you’re blending it in with the previous color as well, although not too much as we want the color progression to be obvious.

I used an eye shadow brush, like always.

Although I have the full rainbow now, I’m not done with eye shadow, I have one more step.

I used Revlon Diamond Lust in Champagne Buzz, a bright, shimmery shadow, and covered my whole lid. This softens the look. This way, I don’t look like I just stepped out of a nightclub. It is the middle of the day after all.

Now that you’re done with shadow, it’s on to eyeliner.

The first eyeliner I’m using is a bright blue eyeliner, Jordana Easyliner for Eyes Retractable Pencil in Bliss. This was really inexpensive at the drugstore.  The blue is supposed to signify the sky surrounding a rainbow, but it really is just used because it’s pretty.

But we’re not done.

I then used a fat, yellow liner on the bottom lid. I used Cover Girl CG Eyeslicks in Glistening Gold both above and below the lower lashes. It really brightens up the eye and the whole look in general.

No black eyeliner today!

For a finishing touch to the eyes, mascara is necessary. I used Mary Kay MK Signature Waterproof Mascara in Black on both the top and bottom lashes.

(For some reason I can never get the color in my lips pictures to match the eyes. Grrr.)

I got some new lip gloss yesterday that I had to try. So, today I used L’Oreal HiP Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in Dreamer on my lips. It’s pretty nice. Perhaps I’ll do a review soon.

We’re done! Rainbows aplenty with this makeup tutorial. Check out the after photos:

Pretty right? I showed my mom and she said that while I was masterful in my execution (I’m paraphrasing here) she would never wear it. I guess having rainbow makeup isn’t for everyone. It is for me, though.

How do you like Rainbow Eyes? Is it too bold for you, or just right? Now bold enough?

This makeup tutorial, for Sunrise Eyes, will show step by step what you need to do to achieve the look. You’ll understand why I call it Sunrise Eyes when you see the finished product. Click on the pictures to view a bigger view. For now, let’s get started!

First, you’ll need to start with a clean, empty face:

Yikes! No makeup! Don’t worry. This will get remedied.

Next, you’ll need to clean up and use foundation. You can read my how to guide for this here: Priming the Canvas: Getting Your Face Ready for Makeup. There, you’ll find everything you need to get your face ready for makeup. Don’t forget this step! If you do, your makeup won’t look so great in the end.

Here’s everything that I used to get this look:

I’ll mention each of these products as we go along.

The first real step toward getting the Sunrise Eyes look is to do the eyeshadow. Many people start with eyeliner. That’s not the case with this look. Sunrise Eyes are dramatic, so eyeliner goes on afterward.

Choose a reddish pink color to start out with. I used a large eyeshadow palette for my colors today. It’s by Elite Pro Cosmetics and I highly recommend it. There are 88 shades, so I can always match any outfit!

Now you will want to apply it to your lid:

As you can see, I am applying it from the outer corner, fanning out beyond the eye, to about one quarter of the way in. Blend it up to just above your crease. Make sure that the color is heavily saturated. It may look weird now, but with blending it will look amazing in the end.

Now for the second color:

Now I’m using an orange color. It isn’t any lighter or darker than the red, but it does have a bit of a sparkle.

Oops! It got a bit blurry. Even so, you can see what I did here. Blend the orange from the center of your eye out toward the red shadow you first applied. Blend, blend, blend! I use a brush instead of a different shadow applicator. This helps me blend a lot better than I would otherwise. I highly recommend using a brush. You can see the one I used in the equipment picture above.

Put this orange eyeshadow on your bottom lid as well. Do just a thin line from the outer corner to about a third of the way inside.

Now, for the final color:

Next I use a greenish yellow color. While the color is green by itself, it changes when it’s blended with the first two colors.

See? It doesn’t look so green now. Blend this starting at the inside corner of your eye. Work the shadow across the top of your lid and over the other two colors. Blend this until there is a seamless transition from red to orange to greenish yellow. You may need to coat your brush with the greenish yellow shadow several times in order to get this effect.

Now you’re done with the shadow! All that’s left is to complete the look. Now onto eyeliner:

Start at the outer corner and and sweep it down to the inside corner. Try to get as close to the lashes as possible. Also, make the line thicker on the outside, getting progressively thinner as you move in. I used Loreal Pencil Perfect Eyeliner in black.

Here you can see that I also swept the eyeliner on the bottom lid as well. I put it on the inside of the lid for a more dramatic effect.

Now I need some mascara:

Apply the mascara to both the bottom and top lids, from root to tip. Remember that we’re being dramatic! I used Mary Kay MK Signature Waterproof Mascara in black.

And here’s the finished eye look:

See! Very beautiful, just like a sunrise. But you’re not done yet. Now for the finishing touches:

Since the eyes are very dramatic for this makeup technique, you’ll want your lips to be subtle. That’s the general rule. If you have a lot of makeup on your eyes, then you shouldn’t have a lot on your lips, and vice versa. I used a light pink shimmery lip gloss from Claire’s. Oh yeah, and the lip ring is optional.

Now for some blush:

While you can use any type of blush, I used a mineral powder version today. I swept it from the apple of the cheeks up around my temple and up onto the side of my forehead. I used L’Oreal Bare Naturale All Over Mineral Glow.

Now we’re done! Let’s have a look at the results of our Sunrise Eyes makeup tutorial:

You just know that I had to throw in a goofy picture!

Anyway, you can really see a difference when you compare the first and last pictures. Makeup can really make someone look different and beautiful. I hope you liked this Sunrise Eyes makeup tutorial. What did you think?

Next week I’ll show you how to get Watermelon Eyes!

Want to see an outfit that would go well with this look?  Check out An Outfit to Match: Sunrise Eyes.