Makeup for Black and White Photography

Hello my lovely readers! Today I was given the challenge of doing a BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY MAKEUP. This is one of my favourite looks to do. Unfortunately for me, I don't have a camera that shoots black and white so I just had to convert them on imgur. It really isn't the same. Some key differences between regular makeup and black and white makeup

1. Everything needs to be matte, the beautiful shimmery colors will really just show up as greasyness in black and white. That is HARDLY a pretty look.

2. You don't need to add in color because it won't show. It's also really hard to judge the intensity of colors when you start playing around. Black and white changes everything - a color that looks like a light blue to you might turn up dark grey on the camera. It's better to just stick with neutrals.

3. That fresh rosy glow you want on your cheeks every day? It will just look splotchy once you go  black and white. Having a uniform skin tone is one of the most important things in Black and White photographic makeup.

4. Your contouring WILL look ridiculous in real life.

Here is an example of a Black and White photographic makeup I did on someone else. Since not only is it harder for me to do my own makeup than others but ALSO I have a sucky camera - I thought this would be a nice touch.

NOW! On to the tutorial:

As usual, start with a clean and moisturized face. Mine isn't AS clean as it should be because this was actually my second makeup of the day.

Using my Real Techniques Expert Face brush (dense, round, good for blending) I buffed Revlon Photoready foundation in Ivory onto my skin.

Because I have permanent, genetic dark circles under my eyes I spend EXTRA time concealing them today. And you can STILL see them. I started by powdering over my foundation. I added a thin layer of a yellow concealer to correct the violet around my eyes, powedered, then added a thin layer of peach concealer in the darkest hollows of my eyes and powdered AGAIN.

Here's where it starts gtting a bit weird I took a cream foundation around 4-6 shades darker than my skin tone and put that anywhere I would normally contour. The hollows of my cheeks, my forehead/temples, under my jawline, and on the sides of my nose. I also highlighted the center of my nose, cheek bones, forehead, cupids bow, and chin using a cream shadow lighter than my skin tone. Please note this picture is BEFORE blending to show where color should be applied. I used the same foundation brush for this.

Bled that stuff all in and powder! Your skin should look matte, but still heatlhy.

Next, create a base for your eyeshadow. I personally used Lancome's Correcteur concealer mixed with my Too Face Shadow Insurance to achieve maximum hold AND a more uniform lid color. You can use any base you'd like though.

I took a sheer, matte white eyeshadow and brush it all over my lid using a MAC 217 eyeshadow brush. This will create a nice blending surface for our crease color as well as highlight you lid and brow bone.

Next, using a fluffy blending brush blend a matte medium brown into your crease and slightly above.Check out the foundation in my brows. HOT!

The finishing touches on my eye area: Filling in your brows. This is SUPER DUPER important in photographic makeup as your brows frame your face. Hopefully, your esthetician isn't your friend from highschool's cheating exgirlfriend and you have beautiful brows. I took a matte black eyeshadow and pressed it into my lash line and added a healthy coat of black mascara.

The last thing I did was take a color that I consider to my MLBB (My Lips But Better) and apply that to my lips. I also used my face powder to make it a matte finish. Resist the temptation to add blush. It won't look right!

Just imagine how nice this would look without my weird expression and with nice hair, wardrobe, and a really photographer!

I ALSO DECIDED I WANTED TO SHOW YOU A DARKER PHOTOGRAPHIC MAKEUP LOOK. I didn't have time to take pictures of every step, but I will walk you through what I did now that you've got the basics down.

Changing to the dramatic look was SUPER easy. I took the same matte black eyeshadow on a round contour crease brush and blended it into from the outer corner into and above the crease. I took the same dark brown eyeshadow from earlier and went over my cream foundation contour lines and a very light matte peach to go over the highlighted part of my face. I added black liner smudged with the contour crease brush into my  bottom lashes and opted for a darker matte lip.

As you can see, the contouring that looked frighteningly dark in color fades into a nice defined cheek bone. If only I had thought to do something else with my hair and take a real pretty picture.

TYPICAL JAYNE FACE. WHAAAT?

Violet Peach and Purple!

Today, I decided to do a "Forgery" makeup where you copy someone elses makeup. It didn't turn out anything like that picture so I am NOT going to show you that picture. But I will show you the look I created. I would like you to know that I may have hit my head very hard when a lamp I had sitting on top of the bathroom mirror to get even 1/4 decent lighting fell off. And now it hurts. And I feel weird. These things happen. I REALLY apologize for how crappy the lighting and pictures are. I don't currently have a real camera (yet!) and my new apartment has death lighting. I really want to get a mirror in the living room where I have good light.. it will make this easier. But for now, I hope these will do.

I am always telling you to start with a clean, moisturized face. This is not that. This is my face with foundation that's too orange on. Why am I starting like this? PROBABLY because I didn't take off last nights makeup and I didn't want you too see that. This is MAC Studio Fluid Fix in 

Take a neutral gold eyeshadow and pat it onto your lids from lashline to crease. I used an Elf Baked Eyeshadow from the NYC palette wet.

Take a peachy pink color and blend it into the outer corner and above the crease. I used theBalm Hot Mama. This is where the lighting problem becomes apparent!

Next I used a navy blue shadow and lined my eyes with it. It is from Clarins. And I don't know the color named because I peeled it off. They don't make many shadows though so I suppose it would be easy to find.

Then, which you can barely tell in this picture, I took MAC's Violet Pigment and blended that over the top liner to create a pop of color.

Then I filled in my brows using a dark brown eyeshadow on a wet angled brush. I also took a light gold color and highlighted my inner eye. It was from the Lancome Desert Sunset Palette. Also. The falsies mascara.

 The final step I did was to take the same theBalm Hot Mama shadow and use it as a blush. I also added a clear lipgloss.

It's me! All dolled up! The final look. Peach is.. probably not the best color for me! But if you have a warm skin tone or love peaches.. ROCK THIS LOOK!

Urban Decay Mariposa - A review

So recently, I was gifted an Urban Decay Mariposa palette.. (Summerxskin you have my heart)! I was really excited because I was finally going to get to try some of the Urban Decay colors that were bright and fun! I've made some swatches for you!

From left to right we have: Rockstar, Gunmetal, Skimp, Infamous, Wreckage, Haight, Mushroom, Money (yes, these two are swatched backwards!), Spotlight, and Limelight.

Everything is beautifully pigmented and easy to blend - like Urban Decay always is! Most impressive for me is the Haight which goes on true to the color in the palette! They have excellent staying power but you WILL need a base.

Here is a look, for my friend Heather, using the palette! She says I need to wear more color. I'm definitely not a pink and blue makeup type girl but here goes! I went like super crazy with the dark colors. My new bathroom lighting is REALLY hard to do makeup in. :( Also, it was like.. midnight.

I used the colors Infamous, Haight, Rockstar, Gunmetal, and Skimp!