Progression Part II

I wanted to wear as much color and drama as I could on my face for this particular New Years Eve. I layered on blue and purple eyeshadow of various hues (all shimmery textures) and paired it with a strong, deep wine colored lip. I used a sheer, highly concentrated glitzy pink/purple powder on my cheeks. You can see the glow even in low light. This is a look!

New Years Eve 2002

It's not entirely fair to stack pictures of myself for the sake of comparison. For one thing, hair and makeup styles change dramatically from decade to decade, year to year. And for another, personal sense of style is fluid--as it should be. What I thought was a great look when I was 22 is quite different than what I think looks hot at 30. Our personal concept of beauty should always be evolving as we are as individuals (hopefully). I don't know about you, but I've fallen into serious style ruts at times. I'm talking about those times I've felt 100% uninspired and just reached for the same old combo of colors. For years (all of college) I loved to experiment with all kinds of colors and looks on others, but for my face it was gold eyeshadow, thick face powder and silver gloss, every single day. Getting the job at MAC blasted me out of that hole and into looks like you see above.

September 2010

Now when I go out it's not about packing on as much color and drama as possible (unless it is). Instead of a color-loaded smokey eye, wearing lashes is essential. I think they bring a lovely element of drama to the eye, and need not be overwhelming. I encourage all brides to wear them (they photograph beautifully) and personally wear them on all special occasions. A key piece to looking polished is beautiful skin. I do this with liberal use of highlighting powders and plenty of blush. When I was younger I experimented with wild and fun color combinations, always trying to push the envelope with a neon face. At this moment I'm more interested in exploring bone structure and subtle use of color, shading and highlighting to get maximum effects.