Tutorial: 90's grunge inspired

So the 90's are all the rage lately, fashion- and makeup-wise. I was a kid in the 90's, I remember all the cool kids looking and dressing a certain way and my older sister was one of them. I decided to jump on the bandwagon after having asked on Facebook for some inspiration (thanks, Kimberley!) and do a 90's makeup, just the grunge version.

We start out, as per usual, with my bare face. I just moisturized using my usual Neutral moisturizer and used my Too Face Shadow Insurance Primer on my eyelids.

Grunge makeup was very not really meant to be beautifying and was all about the pale skin as well. No need for a full-coverage foundation or concealer really. But this is an inspired tutorial, so it's sort of my take on the era. For my face I used my Essence All About Matt primer and then applied my Max Factor Facefinity foundation in Light Ivory 40, which I blended into my skin using a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

I concealed under my eyes and around my nose. I also blended this in using the same Real Techniques sponge. I experimented with my brows a bit, since I went and coloured my hair bright red again. I used an old Catrice brow pencil and some random shadows from the palette you're about to see me use.

For the eyes, I started out with blending Maybellines Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe across my mobile lid and into the crease. I just used my finger for this. Along my lashline I smudged the Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Black Fever which I proceeded to blend out with a pencil brush.

For todays look I decided to break out my huge Boozy Cosmetics P117 palette. It has any colour I could ever need and was sure to get me the look I wanted.

With a large, fluffy blending brush I applied this very yellow/mustardy light brown throughout the top of my crease and almost on the browbone. This is to ease blending and help everything transition into my skin tone better. It also gives the look a very warm "glow" right off the bat.

With the same brush, I then applied a reddish medium brown into the crease itself, which again is just warming up the whole look. Ideally, to be proper grunge about it, you wouldn't blend it as much as I have, since that's very much not what the look was about. But this is my modern take on it.

With a flat shader brush I applied a warm, chocolatey brown over my mobile lid and blended it slightly into my crease. As you can see the liner looks a bit softer like this and a bit more "lived in". I also smudged the Essence Eye Pencil on my lower lash line.

With a pencil brush, I blended out the lower lashline with the very same chocolatey brown. This does not need to be neat or tidy in any way. Messy is good, and I have problems with messy when it comes to my makeup. So we'll stick to my modern take on this.

I lined my upper and lower waterline with the same black liner, curled my lashes with my Tweezerman lash curlers and applied mascara GENEROUSLY. To the point where your lashes are starting to clump, but aren't quite there yet. Good thing I like a lot of lash...

I powdered (a lot) using my Essence All About Matt pressed translucent powder. The 90's were ALL about that matte skin. I did this with a Real Techniques Powder Brush. I did my contour, also fairly heavily (for my doing), with Nyx Blush in Taupe and a Sigma SS109  brush (old numbering). I didn't apply any blush and would have actually preferred to get rid of some of my natural flush for this look, but alas.

We are going in to fall and as per usual lip trends are matte. THE lip trend of the moment is the brown-nude lip of the 90's which to me is one of the stars of the Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil collection. I have two of them and both will work for this look. Let me show you!

First up we have 630 Nude Perfection, which is BANG on trend for the moment. It's brown, it's warm, it's matte and it's gorgeous. Even on my pale skin, it works. Freshly applied, it looks like it has a sheen, but it sets VERY matte and will last for hours.

A kind of midway option is the berry colour, 310 Berry Much, applied very lightly and blending it in with a finger to make it more of a stain. This would probably be the most modern and wearable way to do this with a darker lip. It is matte, on trend and wears for a good amount of time.

And the last option I provide you with in this tutorial is a full-on application of Berry Much. It's dark, it's vampy, it's matte and I love it. It looks great with my very pale skin and even with my new red hair. Most people would probably wear this with a bit of a softer eyelook and a bit less mascara to keep it wearable, but I am loving the full-on everything of this.

If me in the 90's had known  that 27 year old me would wear makeup like this, she'd be so excited!

To go with the fashion trend of the moment, wear this look with a trashed band/black t-shirt, destroyed jeans and a flannel shirt tied around your waist. Pair with combat boots or Doc Martens and you're set!


Are you on board with the 90's trend for the moment? All matte err'thang? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!


Thank you for reading!

XXX

Tutorial: Dark smokey eye using the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette

I realised that I had never gotten around to doing a tutorial with the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette. The options are plentiful, but for today I went with a dark, satin smokey eye. I will most likely do some more with this palette, as the colours are very appropriate for fall.

Naked face alert! My skin is sort of behaving at the moment, so I didn't mind putting up a naked face picture. You can tell I have some hyper-pigmentation and some overall redness going on. Not to mention blotchiness and small impurities throughout. Oh well, that's what makeup is for!

Today we will start off a bit differently than I normally do my makeup, as we will be working with dark colours. I did my brows using a Catrice Eyebrow Pencil in Date With Ashton and Urban Decays Buck eyeshadow, from the first Naked Palette. I primed my eyelids with Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potioin in Eden.

Seeing as the eyeshadow will be very dark and intense, I started off doing my eyes first. I applied Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Dark Brown along my upper and lower lashline and blended it out with my finger. This helps create a dark base for the eyeshadow to layer upon, helping to create an even darker and more intense look.

I applied Habit from the Vice 2 palette with a fluffy blending brush throughout the socket of my eye and all the way up around my orbital bone. This helped warm up the skin a little and obviously also will help me blend out the darker colours. And we all know that blending is key!

I then went on to apply Rewind from the same palette with a slightly less fluffy blending brush throughout my crease, working down towards the lid. This is once again to help transition from dark to light. Always start with the lighter colours and work to dark and not the other way around, you will just end up with a messy un-blended mess on your eyes.

With a flat shader brush I applied Smokeout from Vice 2 on my entire moving lid. Make sure you apply, blend, apply and blend until you have to look/finish/blend that you want. But layers are certainly key, as well as blending.

Then it was time for foundation. Before applying my foundation I made sure to clean up under my eyes using a makeup wipe, as there was a little fall out. And this is exactly why I did my eyes first, dark eyeshadow is a BITCH to correct. The foundation I used was Catrice All Matt Plus 010 Light Beige. I applied this with a damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This is, for me, a step up from the Beauty Blender, and it only costs a fourth of the Beauty Blender!

Apply concealer where needed! I used a mix of Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 and Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer in 01. For blemishes and redness I only used the Fit Me and for everything else I mixed them on the back of my hand, applied them with the Fit Me applicator and blended everything in using the sponge I used for my foundation. After finishing the blending of the concealer, I applied Smokeout to my lower lashline and lightly blended it using Rewind.

For contouring I used Nyx Powder Blush in Taupe. I applied this underneath my cheekbones, underneath my chin and along my jawline with a Real Techniques Setting Brush. To warm up the skin, I applied my The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzer in 02 along my forehead, on my temples, under my cheek bones and along my jawline. I did countour a bit heavier than I normally do today, as I figured this is very much an evening look. I also applied Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Black Market to my upper and lower waterline.

Along my cheekbones I applied Nyx Powder Blush in Peach with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.

To finish off the skin I applied my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle on the tops of my cheekbones and on the inner corners of my eyes with the Real Techniques Setting Brush.

For my lips I used the new Maybelline Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in 630 Nude Perfection. (PHEW, what a mouthful!) These are a beautiful, smooth, matte formula. Check them out of you love a matte lip.

To finish off the eyes, I curled my lashes using my Tweezerman Lash Curlers and applied a generous amount of Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara. If using this for a special event or a night out, I would certainly pair this with some voluminous false lashes.

The finished result! I powdered my face off using the Essence Stay Matte Translucent Powder. This look is a little out of my comfort zone, but I do think I need to start wearing darker eye-looks more often. I like it! This might very well be the makeup I wear when I go to a Poets of the Fall concert next month.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, if you have any specific types of looks you'd like me to do, let me know!

Thank you for reading.

XXX