guest post: how to wear bold makeup

Today, I'm hitting the topic of wearing bold colored makeup. I know it can be EXTREMELY difficult for some girls. For myself, it is a bit difficult. I can't really wear bold blue eyeshadow because in my opinion, it makes me look trashy. But on other girls, it can look awesome. It honestly depends on your skin tone, eye shape, facial features etc.

With so many different factors that effect your final look, your best bet is to try a range of colors out, and see which works the best for you. In my opinion, girls with a tan to dark complexion look best in purples, royal blues, golds, and neutrals. Girls with a pale to medium complexions look best in neutrals, smoky colors (blacks, greys, midnight blue), and pastels (pinks, greens, yellows etc).

The best eyeshadows and palettes that I have used so far would be the Coastal Scents 252 Palette. which you can get here. Coastal Scents in general make GREAT eyeshadows. They have a multitude of palettes to choose from. But honestly, out of all the palettes that I have, these colors are the most pigmented. I was utterly shocked when I swatched some of the colors. I normally use a primer on my lids before I apply any shadow, but if the colors are too bold for your taste with primer, you can definitely opt out and just apply the eyeshadows alone. You'll see that they are just as bright and bold!

I tend to use a gradient effect with my makeup. I put the lightest color on the inside of my lid, and move outward with darker colors. I typically choose 3 colors either within the same color family, or two similar ones and one that is out of the ordinary. A different way to get a great marbling effect on your lids is to place a light color on your inner portion of the lid, then place a bright pop of color directly in the middle, then contour the outer corner with a dark color and blend it into the crease of your lid.

The trick is to blend well, and make sure you don't pair a bold lip with your bold eyeshadows, (you should always do one or the other!! Unless the look you are going for demands a bold lip as well), and most importantly, be confident!!

Yesterday I picked up a Shade Shifter eyeshadow from Kat Von D's makeup collection at Sephora. The 4 colors that she created have a pearly matte finish. Devotion is a bright orange-y copper color, Stockholm is a lapis blue color, Love Letter is an eggplant purple and finally On the Road is a greenish brown. Though they are water activated, you can still wear it dry. The colors themselves are a bit difficult to match with other eyeshadows so I thought that I would try my best to create a look featuring one of her eyeshadows. I picked up the shadow in On the Road. For myself, this was a tricky color to work with. I didn't want to take the easy way out and do an all neutral look with the pop of color at the end, so I worked with my Coastal Scents 252 Palette to create this look! Enjoy :)

Coastal Scents Palette that I used for this look. 

I used Fresh Chive (bright green), Slate Green (khaki green), Capri Blue (Bright blue), and Alpengeist (silver shimmer).

First, I primed my face by applying Loreal BB cream. I then set the BB cream with Revlon's Color Stay Aqua Powder. Then I lined my brows with a light brown pencil.

I primed my eyelids with NYX eyeshadow primer and then using Slate Green, I applied the shadow to the inner portion of my lid. Then using Fresh Chive mixed with Capri Blue, I applied both shadows together on the middle of my lid.  Then I took Kat Von D's Shade Shifter Shadow in On the Road, and applied it to the corner of my eye. Remember to blend blend blend!!!  I lost a little bit of the blue-green mix from the middle of my eye, so I went back and re-applied the color to the middle for that bright pop.

Then taking Alpengeist, I brightened the corner of my eyes. Finally, I lined my eyes using the MAC 210 brush and Makeup Forever's Aqua Cream Eyeshadow in Black. 

To define my nose, I ran NYX All Over Body Color down the bridge of my nose. I blended the highlighter in, then defined the sides of my nose with bronzer. In doing this, it gives the illusion that i have a high bridge on my nose. Then using my ELF bronzer brush, I applied bronzer to my cheeks, temples, jawline and forehead. To finish the look I applied Kat Von D's Liquid Lipstick in Lolita to my lips. This works for a Day look or if you're not looking for super bold makeup. 

For a night time look, I applied ELF's Matte Lip Pencil in Rich Red.

-Hyuns.

Hyun-Ha is a lovely soul and photographer based in the Philadelphia area. She has a really cute dog and is the sweetest girl you will ever meet. Follow her on Instagram for daily makeup inspiration, @hyunnybuns. She'll be posting a more here on lark&lace so look out!