MOTD | Purpureus Smoke

MOTD | Purpureus Smoke

• Friday, 26 June 2015

She was born from purpureus smoke. Shrouded in pale dust and ash, she sits on a throne made of spikes and lifts a gentle hand. Sand and soot swirl around her fingertips, transforming into silhouettes of songs. Faceless figures arose, shadows that bent to her feet.

With a swat of her wrist, they vanished. They obeyed, they worshiped, they feared. They watched her burn in sweltering flames. Watch her rise from their screams.  

It has been ages since I've done a makeup look for the sake of doing a makeup look.

The funny thing about freelancing as a makeup artist, you rarely do looks on yourself. You're either too lazy or...too lazy. If I'm going out, I won't wear this. I've got an everyday look like everyone else. There are days though. When I take up a cattail brush and a blending sponge, and actually do the trade I'm trained in.

An indignation of mine is that I only wear it for half an hour to take photos then immediately remove it and take a shower. As much as I enjoy feeling fine as diamonds shine, I can't be bothered to dress up for long periods with nowhere to go.

This look is dark, smoldering and sultry thanks to dark neutrals and a pop of purple. It leans more into an avant-garde look, more suitable for the Met Gala than the Oscars. This strong eye look makes you look a little vampiric but heck, who cares?

So if you'd like a semi-makeup tutorial...

I applied my foundation base as usual. Then I thickened my brows using Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate. I brushed along with Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel. My general guideline when doing eye brows; thicker the eye shadow, thicker the brow. They are clear exceptions to this rule but this is germane for any occasion.

For the eyes, I used NYX HD Eye Shadow Base as a primer then patted Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Tough As Taupe on the lid as a base colour. I applied Urban Decay Naked Basics in Naked 2 over it while creating a cat eye shape, just reaching the crease. I wanted to further elongate my eyes, so I took Naked Basics again in Faint and Crave and darkened the crevices until blended. Repeat on the outer half of the under eye.

Using Urban Decay Electric Palette in Urban, I applied it in just the inner corner and underneath my eye. You can use any bright colour, but I felt purple working against the dark brown shades would be an eye-catcher.

I lined my upper and lower waterline with Essence Kajal Pencil in 01 Black. Then I used NYX Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner to create a wing. Curl lashes with Bare Minerals Lash Domination Mascara. To finish, I suggest using falsies like Essence Frame for Frame Lashes in 05 Natural Effect for bold looks like these.

A dark lip would overpower the eye, creating imbalance on the face. So finish with a nude lip. I applied Catrice Ultimate Stay Lip Liner in 070 Rosy Brown and Maybelline ColorSensational Lipcolor in 215 Totally Toffee. Top it with Essence XXL Nude Gloss in 03 Taste The Sweets, and you're done!

Can you consider this a makeup tutorial? Probably not.

It's more like a chatty friend telling you what to do but never showing how to. I would like to but my camera cannot pick up close up shots of my eye. Trust me, I've tried. This is why I'm saving for a new camera, one that could pick up close ups easier.

Anyway, I still hope you enjoy this look. It's a fun way to incorporate bright colours in otherwise plain smoky eyes that every Makeup Instagram seems to love so much. I'll be posting more makeup looks soon, since Eid is approaching in a few weeks. 

If you'd like to see them, please follow me on Instagram or Bloglovin!

So what do you think? Would you wear it out?