Happy Birthday to Me/Le Look Du Jour - Classic & Professional

first off, can i say... happy birthday to me?!

as of midnight yesterday (or this morning, depending on how you look at it), i'm 22 years old!


i plan on celebrating by dancing the night away with my friends :)

now, to the main part of this post...

as some of you know, i graduated last week - this officially marks the end of my academic career (until further notice; as we know in this day and age a bachelor's isn't worth much). after much blood, sweat and tears, i now have a piece of paper in latin that states that i have qualifications in economics, psychology and behavioral science.

to mark the big day, i chose a neutral, structured, classic look that allowed me to look clean, polished and photogenic (because, as you know, parents are big on the whole pictures thing).

for this look you need:


EYES:

MAC eyeshadows - phloof! (frost), silverthorn (veluxe pearl)
bobbi brown eyeshadows - bone (shimmer), heather mauve (shimmer), gunmetal (metallic)
MAC fluidline - blacktrack
dior diorshow iconic l'extreme waterproof mascara - black
make up for ever waterproof eyebrow corrector - 04

LIPS:

lancome color design matte lipstick - corset
dior creme de gloss - beige silk satin (231)

FACE & CHEEKS:

MAC select cover up - NW20
bare escentuals i.d. bareminerals powder foundation spf 15 - fair
bobbi brown pot rouge for lips & cheeks - powder pink
bobbi brown powder blush - slopes
NARS the multiple - copacabana

to achieve this look:

1. start with a clean, well moisturized face. conceal where needed with MAC select cover up; set with a dusting of bareminerals.
2. apply a champagne-beige as a base, such as MAC phloof!, using a large shadow brush, all the way up to the brow bone.
3. apply a heathered grey-mauve to the lid, up to the crease, such as BB heather mauve, using a medium shadow brush.
4. pack on a medium silvery-grey on the lid, such as MAC silverthorn, using a medium shadow brush or pencil/crease brush.
5. contour the outer V and crease slightly with a charcoal, such as BB gunmetal, using a small shadow brush with tightly packed bristles. clean up any fallout using a fan brush and gentle blowing.
6. line the eyes, with a black eyeliner (MAC blacktrack)  following the natural contours of your eyes, extending a bit past the outer V in a slight cat eye shape. curl eyelashes and apply mascara (diorshow iconic).
7. fill in brows, if needed, with a shade corresponding your natural brow color (for me - MUFE waterproof brow corrector 04). your eyes are now done!
8. using a duofibre brush or a foundation brush, apply to the cheeks a light wash of a warm flesh-pink cream blush, such as BB powder pink. blend from the apples to the temples. dust a matte, flushed/neutral pink blush such as BB slopes,  to set the color. apply using fingers, a highlighter to your cheekbones, such as NARS copacabana. finish by blending away any lines of demarcation with a dense face blender/kabuki brush.
9. straight from the tube, apply a flushed coral-pink or warm pink, such as lancome corset, evenly to your lips, and top off with a beigey pink gloss, such as dior beige silk satin, that has more subtle shine (you want your lips to look polished, not pornstary).

the result: a structured, pretty but not overdone look that looks great in pictures!
the below picture is the finished look, with my best friend cheryl :)