The Classic Smokey Eye.

I got this request a little while ago, and I'm just now getting to it!  Everyone should have a basic knowledge of the smokey eye, because it's so versatile.  It goes with everything and can go from day to night in seconds.

I'm going to primarily be using E.L.F. products for this tutorial, because it's inexpensive, and high quality.  E.L.F. is my obsession right now for sure.  You can order their products online or it's often sold at your local Target.

I start with a foundation-ed face.  For the sake of brevity, I won't go through my foundation routine in this post, but if you're interested, let me know, and I'll be sure to put it on my list. :)  Anyway, I start with my foundation, and once that's done, I prime my lids.

I'm using E.L.F.'s eyelid primer.  This is an inexpensive primer that works fine.  I definitely prefer Too Faced and Urban Decay, but for a couple of bucks, this one does the job just fine.  

I always apply my highlight first.  So I took E.L.F. creme eyeshadow, in Candlelight, and applied it to the corners of my eyes and right beneath my brow bone. If you have excess left over on your finger, apply it to the lids.  This will make the next shadows sparkle even more. 

I take a Simple C brush and dab it in the silvery color on my E.L.F. eyeshadow duo in Black Licorice.  After tapping off the excess, I dab the shadow all over my eyelid. 

If you have brown eyes, I recommend the regular black that comes in the Black Licorice duo.  I however, have green eyes, and gold happens to compliment green very well.  It is also very pretty with blue eyes because copper colors enhance blue eyes like nobody's business.  So I took a blending brush and a black color (above) with gold flakes in it.  This color was from a palette I got a long time ago from the Color Institute.  I believe you can get this palette at Kohl's.  After applying this inside my crease, and into the "v" of my eye, I applied a dark charcoal eyeliner to my upper lash line and tight line (the inside of my upper lid) and the lash line at the bottom. This eyeliner was a pencil from Avon. 

For the lips in a smokey eye, you can do pretty much anything you want.  Black goes with everything!  I think a red lip for a formal occasion is great, but just for everyday/night, I choose to pair this look with a nude-pink lip.  I used "Natural Nymph" from E.L.F. mineral lipsticks, and "Baby Lips" from their Luscious Liquid Lipsticks line.  I absolutely love Baby Lips, and use it all the time.  It's my favorite lipstick at the moment.

The completed look should look something like this...

This style's classic and simple.  Easy, and never goes out of style.  It goes with any outfit, any occasion, and can be darkened for a night out.  

Enjoy! <3

xoxo,

Emilyann

The Everyday Face

Hello lovely readers! It's Amanda. I've been planning to do a post like this for a while, but I kept forgetting. Or putting it off. Because I'm an expert procrastinator. Expert, I tell you.

Anyways. A lot of us don't have a lot of time to spend on makeup every day, or just don't feel like putting half an hour into our faces. So I'm going to show you a quick, basic, everyday look that's super easy but polished. It's what I wear a lot of the time, and it can be used as a base for almost any other look. Ready? :)

Make sure you start with a clean face. This is really important, or else your makeup won't go on as smoothly and dirt will get trapped underneath the makeup and sit there all day. So after you cleanse and moisturize, apply your foundation (or tinted moisturizer, whichever you use). You can use a makeup sponge to apply it, but sponges tend to soak up and waste a lot of the makeup. I prefer to use a foundation brush. MAC's 130 brush is amaaaazing; I would highly recommend it. So, I squeeze some foundation (I use MAC Studio Sculpt NC20) onto the back of my hand, swirl the brush in it, and brush it on my face. The important thing to remember is that less is more: you don't want to cake on foundation until it's super obvious. A little goes a long way.

Next, apply concealer. Under your eyes, on redness and blemishes....wherever you need a little more coverage. I recommend MAC Moisturecover NC20. To apply under-eye concealer, use a concealer brush (like these) to sweep concealer next to the inner corners of your eyes, and use your ring finger to blend it downward. Then use the concealer brush to apply concealer onto any other blemishes and use your finger to blend it in. You just don't want it to be cakey. Again, less is more.

Now I apply a highlighter. I just started using e.l.f Shimmering Facial Whip in Toasted. So far, I love it. Plus it's only a dollar and they carry it at most Targets. Blend a little highlighter under your eyebrows, on the inside corner of your eyes, and on top of your cheekbones using your ring finger. I also sometimes sweep some across my eyelid, instead of wearing eyeshadow. This step really brightens the eyes and face and gives it a fresh,

dewy look.

Next is eyeliner. First I smudge a brown eyeliner (MAC Technakohl Liner in Photogravure) into my lower lashes. I usually only apply eyeliner to the lashes, not to the water line (right above the lower lashes).

I don't always apply eyeliner to my upper lash line, but when I do, I usually use a brown cream eyeliner (try e.lf.'s) and then smudge it with a Q-tip so it's not such a heavy dark line.

Almost done! Now I apply mascara. I LOVE Covergirl's LashBlast Length Mascara. The easiest way to apply mascara is to tilt your head back slightly and look down so that you can see your roots easily against the whites of your eyes. Start at the roots and wiggle the wand back and forth a little bit (you want the most color there) and then sweep the brush out to the tips. Only apply one or two coats, or else it will start to clump. You can also put a little on your bottom lashes, just be aware of smudges.

The next step is blush. For powder blush, I would actually recommend using a face powder blush, not a blush brush, because it's bigger and will apply the blush more evenly. Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks (the round areas that stand out when you smile) and sweep it up towards your temples. But don't use too much.....you don't want to look like you got slapped. :P

And last but certainly not least, apply lip color. You can use a tinted lip balm, gloss, or lipstick. I've been using e.l.f.'s Super Glossy Lip Shine, because despite it's name, it's actually not over-the-top glossy or goopy, but provides nice color and shine.

And we're done! It's that simple. Once you figure out how to work this for your face, it's really fast. It usually doesn't take me more than ten minutes, tops. And if I want to do something a little extra, I can mix it up with some eyeshadow or a plum eyeliner. So have fun!! :)

A Very Southern Easter

Hello There!

I hope you all had a very wonderful blessed Easter! I know I did. And from the pictures it was definitely a day for lovely fashions. I love getting to see all the different styles and colors you all wore!
Before I show you mine though there's something you should know about the South. Down here in Tennessee... we really do Easter. I mean REALLY. Easter in the South in the most fancy thing you wear practically all year. Even over Christmas Eve. Pastels are mandatory. Pearls and Hats are recommended. And if anyone is caught wearing black shoes they are shamed eternally. ( O.k. not really, but seriously it just isn't done! :) Its also the one Sunday a year when everyone in the family is actually matching. Everyone. Actually though the guys are pretty cool about it. Wil even wore a pink tie this year Score!
All that said here is my new Easter ensemble. 

A little touch of Southern Spring Whimsy. 

                      

White Linen Ruffled Blouse: Talbots

Sky Blue 50s skirt: Talbots

NEW Eyelet flats: Target 

Pearl Headband: Gift from a friend

Pearl Earrings: Gift from Mother

Pearl Necklace: Hot Pink 

Straw Hat: Wooden Soldier 

(Same Make-up as wedding) 

Oh! AND I WORE NAIL POLISH!!!!!!!! Haha If you read my bio you would know what a rarity that is. So get this, I painted my fingers AND toes. Go. Me. I'm so proud of myself. Of course I only painted them really pale pink with a  clear finish so not exactly bold but its a start! :)

Laughter and Song,

~Elizabeth

Giveaway Winner!

Hey, It's Caroline, and we have a winner!

I posted an earrings giveaway a few weeks ago, and I'm so glad to announce that the winner is......

His Handmaiden!  (I found this using the random number generator, but I completely forgot to take a screenshot before I used it again for my giveaway on my other blog.  Scouts' honor.)

Congratulations!  Contact me at dressing-room-door(at)gmail(dot)com, and I'll get these sent out to you.  Please email me by Thursday, April 28.

Have a great day and congrats to our winner!

-Caroline

Happy Easter!

Hey Girls!

Thought I'd show you what I wore yesterday. :) Ironically enough, I had a bad hair day on Easter Sunday (of all days!). Don't judge...I did curl my pony tail, but they fell out within about 15 minutes. So I ended up fishtail braiding it later. Enjoy!

Outfit:

Sweater -- Delia's

Belt -- Forever 21

Skirt -- Forever 21

Shoes -- Forever 21

Cross Necklace -- Gift from my parent's trip to Greece

Hot Pink Nail Polish on toes -- I got them done ages ago. I don't know the name of the color :( (let me know if you have a good dupe!)

Light Pink fingernail polish -- Peach Petal by Revlon

Face:

-Arbonne's Sheer Finish Tinted Moisturizer (in Fair/Pale)

-Mac Concealer (in NW15)

-Mac Mineralize Skinfinish, Natural

-Mac blush, in Super Duper Natural

-Naked Lunch (Mac eyeshadow)

-Vanilla (Mac eyeshadow, highlight)

-Mac, Stubborn Brown eye pencil

-The Colossal Volume Express Mascara by Maybelline (waterproof)

-Sheerly Pink Lip Gloss by Palladio

That just about wraps it up! Hope you all had a fabulous Easter spending time with your families and celebrating Jesus' resurrection!

Love y'all.

Valentine

Easter OOTD

Hey, it's Amanda! Sorry this is a day late; I didn't have time to post it yesterday. I was too busy hiding 94 eggs. Yes. 94. I blame my mother.

Anyways. Here's what I wore.

(It was windy. Therefore my hair looks rather less than awesome.)

Cream T-shirt ~ Forever21

Sweater ~ Target

Belt ~ Nordstrom

Skirt ~ Forever21

Opaque Tights ~ Target (I think...)

Shoes ~ Marshall's

Pearl Necklace ~ Nordstrom

Earrings ~ gift

 Foundation ~ MAC Studio Sculpt NC20

Concealer ~ MAC Moisturecover NC20

Eye Shimmer ~ e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip

Eyeshadow ~ MAC Sable and MAC Trax

Eyeliner ~ MAC Technakohl Liner in Photogravure

Mascara ~ Covergirl lashblastlength

Blush ~ Clinique Blush Powder in Cupid

Lips ~ e.l.f Super Glossy Lip Shine in Watermelon

What did you wear yesterday? Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and Spring Break! 

He is Risen!!

He is Risen, indeed, Alleluia!

This is what echoes throughout the hallways and sanctuary of my church as the congregation begins to stuff the pews.  Easter's a big day around here, and a big day for me means dressing up, although, I kept it pretty simple this year.

Also, I'm so sorry for not posting all week!  I was gone for a last minute trip to see some friends this spring break and didn't want to spend my time on a computer, but I'm back now!

              

Shirt - Can't remember!

Skirt - H&M (Mall of America <3)

Shoes - Target

Bracelet - Charlotte Russe

Earrings - Charlotte Russe

Eyeshadow -  E.L.F. Mocha Swirl duo and E.L.F. Candlelight creme

Mascara - Covergirl Lash Exact Length (purple bottle)

Foundation -  Covergirl True Blend (Shade "Creamy Natural" 420)

Blush/Bronzer - E.L.F. Contouring Blush and Bronzer

Lipstick - E.L.F. Luscious Lips Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips

I hope you're having a great Easter with family and friends!  Make sure to crack open a Bible and read yourself some of the four Gospels.  :)  

What did you wear today? 

Emilyann

Christ the Lord is risen today, Hallelujah.

I love that ^ hymn. I played it in church today, along with a flutist, pianist, and vocalist. It was so gorgeous, and has been stuck in my head this whole day. What a great reminder of the wonderful purpose of this holiday. I hope all of you have a wonderful day celebrating Christ's ressurection. ♥

As you can see, my little sister has a very interesting sense of style. She is just barely eight years old, and completely brilliant. She astonishes me. :)

I wore this dress to church, today. It's a lovely dress, and I always get compliments on it. (Someone told me my dress was 'luverly'. Made my day.) It's generally my go-to dress. I wear it for everything. Christmas, Easter, dances, parties. It just works for everything, is wonderfully comfortable, and fits well. I bought it for Christmas at Macy's...the name is Jessica Howards.

The shoes are from DSW, brand is 'soft spots'. They are the most comfortable heels I own. Thus I wear them when I going to be climbing up and down stairs, slipping between music stands, and stomping out '1-2-3-4' counting music. :)

The dress coat I'm wearing in one of the photographs is Liz Claiborne. Suprisingly, I got it for 10$ at Salvation Army. Best find there EVER.

The other day I was inspired to do something ...different. Maiden braids! It was very simple, and actually did look semi-normal. Besides getting called Heidi.

I divided my hair in half, braided both sections, put pony tails on the ends, flipped them up onto the top of my head, bobby pinned into place, and hairsprayed!

Hoping you have a wonderful Easter, xoxo

Josie Hope

Buona Pasqua!

Translation = Happy Easter!

Hey, everyone!  It's Caroline. Per Elizabeth's request, I took some pictures (or should I say, my mom took some pictures) of my Easter dress.  And I apologize for being absent this week when I had such grand plans... spring break has a way of making me completely unmotivated in regards to blogging.

I spent the morning getting all dressed up with my hair and makeup and my bright dress and pearls.... and then I walked outside and remembered "OH HEY!  I'm in Italy."

Because, you see, contrary to popular belief, Italians do not dress up.  They are so trendy that they just live in jeans and the darkest black clothes they can find.  I can not even begin to tell you how many funny looks I got today.  In fact, while waiting for the metro to go home, someone across the way took a picture of me.

Yeah.

But you know what?  I've gotten over caring about the fact that it matters so much to them.  If I can inject a little color into dingy Italian trendiness, that's just perfectly fine with me.  And I personally believe that church is an occasion to dress up, and so, I did.  (In fact, I think every day is an occasion to dress up, but that's for another conversation entirely...)

On to the pictures:

See?  The outfit isn't extreme at all.  And yet, I was a sore thumb all day.  This goes to show how shocking bright colors are to Italians.

Pink dress = Steinmart

Cardigan = Steinmart

Clutch Purse = Aldo

Sling-back heels = I can't remember for the life of me.

I just put my hair in a messy bun (not pictured) and curled the front pieces.  Growing out my bangs is certainly an awkward process.

I hope you all had a lovely Easter!

He is risen!

So did everybody die....?

Um. O.k. So after watching the strange silence on the blog for over a....  week I have come to two conclusions. One everybody inexplicably died or went on long vacations during which they had no internet connections whatsoever. Or Two, everyone was awed by the amazingness of the guest post that they were too scared to break the silence. I think I'm counting myself among the second group... Sooo I've decided to crack the ice. Scary right? I'm a bit hesitant but I'm pushing forward. I suppose someone has too sometime. So here goes. I'm posting something really unimportant so if it pales in-comparison to other posts maybe everyone else won't notice. Shh! Its a secret! ;)

Just a simple outfit of last Wednesday. I told you my outfits would never actually be of the day. I was going for a really simple effortless schoolgirl blazer look so you judge whether I actually pulled it off. :)

Ruffled Navy Blazer: Talbots

Flutter Sleeve white button down: Japanese Designer ( Yes Style )

Seersucker Skirt: Delias

Eyelet Flats: Target

Pearl Ear Rings: Gift

Spoon Ring: Vintage I think

Oh and I vote that everyone posts what they wore for Easter Sometime this week. =)

Laughter and Song,

Elizabeth 

Guest Post: 'The Everyday Stage Face'

Friends, followers, lend me your ears....uhh...eyes.

I'm Anna from The Adventures of Quadropus, and the lovely ladies here at the Dressing Room Door were kind enough to let me be a guest blogger!

I don't know if you're like me, but I hate putting on makeup, it's a tedious process, and frankly, I don't like the feel of it on my face. But, I'm a thespian, or stage actress, if you will, so most of the time-I have to wear makeup. However, makeup for the stage is usually much more dramatic than your everyday wear, because the point of it is to keep you from looking washed out under the lights. But, I've really only learned how to put on my 'stage face'. So, I've altered it just a bit for my everyday wear, because well-it's all I know how to do, hehehe.

Today, I'm going to share with you all of my secrets. Okay, well not all of them. But here is my 'Everyday Stage Face', my pretties.

1. Start out with a clean, freshly washed face. Your skin is your canvas, and you always want to start out with a clean canvas.

2. I use Neutrogena SkinClearing (oil-free makeup) Blemish treatment as my foundation. It's awesome because instead of clogging your pores, it actually helps to clean them out, and when you take this off at the end of the day (or after curtain call), your skin feels silky smooth.

I put a little onto a sponge wedge (which you can buy at most any store.) And then I dab a little bit onto my "problem areas", mostly my chin, nose, top of my cheeks, and my forehead. Then I rub it into the rest of my face with my fingertips. Make sure it's all even, you don't want to look blotchy.

3. Add just a little more of the foundation to the sponge wedge and gently rub underneath your eyes and onto your eyelids, then smooth it out with your fingertips, gently, Please do not poke your eyes out. They come in handy, sometimes.

This will get rid of any bags (if you have them) and make your entire face one color.

4. Next, I use Mineral Wear Talc-Free Powder, but any powder will do. And using a small brush, I rub it all over my face and neck, so there aren't any lines where the make up stops. This will make you look very pale. But do not fret, you're not done yet! *Hehe...I guess I'm a poet too...*

5. Next I use a double-sided blush brush, with one side that is smaller.

Using the smaller side, I dot the blush across the tops of my cheeks, and then, I pull it down making a comma (or an apostrophe, if you prefer) from the apple of my cheeks down to my chin with blush. I like to use CoverGirl "cheekers" TRU PLM, but your favorite blush will do just fine. Make sure you don't get too much blush on the brush, or else you'll look like a clown. It's only meant to add a little bit of color.

6. Add a little eye-liner and mascara (and some eye shadow, if you wish) and you're good to go!

7. For a more dramatic look, like what I wear on stage, just make the blush and mascara a little heavier.

If you made it all the way through that without getting bored, and you survived all my lame jokes, I applaud you. Take a bow, my friends.

If you have any questions regarding this tutorial or anything theater related, or really anything at all, you can email me at thequadropus@gmail.com

Thank you, lovelies :)