Daytime Smoky Eye

I rarely deviate from my everyday makeup routine. Every once in a while though, I get the urge to change it up. Don't we all? I swear by a smoky eye. I know that it's usually reserved for romantic evening outings but I don't see why you can't rock it in the daytime hours. 

Begin by spreading the lightest color (I use an ivory) from the eyebrow all the way down to the crease. Brush the second lightest (I use a brownish light grey) over the lid. Then, add the darkest (I use black) around the edges and blend it into the crease. For the eyeliner, use liquid and bring it all the way from the tear duct to the little "swoop" on the edge. Smudge some pencil liner along the bottom lash line and add mascara as you usually would. 

Lovely, right? Once you get the hang of the smudging/blending, it's pretty simple. Practice makes perfect!

xo, e.m.

In the Makeup Chair: Contouring

A lot of you have been asking for makeup videos. Well, you got it dude! Here's how I contour. I exaggerated it in the video so it would be easy to see. Hopefully I'll get better at this video stuff because it's actually kinda fun!

What I used: Boots No. 7 foundation in Deeply Beige, Chanel Blush in Plum Attraction, Sonia Kashuk concealer, H&M Bronzer (and brush), Ultra Repair Cream. 

xo,
e.m.

How To: Dark Red Lip

What if I told you that you can indulge in a deep, dark, red lip without having to buy a new lipstick color? What if I also told you that this color would be multi-dimensional and go beyond your wildest dreams? I'm not kidding. I learned this little trick and I'd be a terrible person to keep it from you all.

For the perfect dark red lip, you'll need your normal red lipstick (my absolute favorite is "Passion" by Chanel) and a dark lip pencil. I used "Currant" by Mac. It's a very deep reddish-purple color. If you don't have lip liner on hand, you can use eyeliner. Either dark brown on black will work! Be sure to moisturize your lips beforehand because darker lipstick tends to accentuate dry and cracked lips. My lips are almost permanently chapped all winter long but Mac's Lip Conditioner works miracles.

Begin by moisturizing your lips. Let them dry a bit and then apply your favorite red to the top and bottom. Apply liberally so you'll have more to work with when it comes time to blend. Apply the liner and don't be afraid to make it thick! Rub your lips together and it should be blended perfectly. MWAH!

xo,

e.m.

Okay, okay, okay. If you follow me over on the twitter than you know that I'm a big fan of Game of Thrones. I didn't choose this life, it chose me. Thanks to my Star Wars fanboy father, I'm sort of predisposed to be into "nerdy" things. (For the record, I don't think that there is anything nerdy abut Game of Thrones but still all of my friends make fun of me for being so into it. Sigh.) This particular 'do is inspired by Daenerys. This is by no means the first time anyone has ever worn her hair like this but who cares? I thought it was cute. (And also very easy.)

Because this 'do involves twisting the hair, it's best done on second or third day hair. If not though, no need to fret. Just run some texture pomade through it and you should be set. I curled the bottoms of my hair because I think it adds a nice touch but you can do this style with straight or curly hair also.

Begin by taking and twisting a section of hair at the temple. I'm still trying to grow my bangs out so I just twisted them into the section of hair but you can leave your bangs out as well! The section should be about the size of a dime at the top and it'll probably get thinner as you twist it down. Clip it aside and grab another section, same size. Repeat the twist. Once you have two sections twisted separately, begin to twist them together, keeping the individual strands tight as you go. It should look like a rope. Repeat on the other side and fasten in the back with a medium claw clip.

There ya go! Simple yet elegant. I'll be rockin' this look a LOT this summer.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Between normal Philly shenanigans and a trip to New York, I should have a ton of pictures for you all on Monday! MWAH!

xo,

e.m.

how to make glitter text:

Ever since I came out with the current design for my photography website, I've been being asked nonstop how I created the glitter text. It's actually quite simple! Here are the few simple steps. I love the extra bit of texture that it adds and I can't wait to go crazy with this method for my Christmas cards!

To begin, you're going to need some glitter. Here is an excellent tutorial on how to do this! Once you have your glitter in the color that you want, open a new project in the desired dimensions. Switch from the new, blank project to your glitter and choose the Horizontal Type Mask Tool.

Once you create your text box, the glitter will turn red. Type in the word that you want and adjust the font and size to your liking.

Once you click out, there will be a marquee outlining your text. Copy that! (I like to use the good 'ole command + c but you can go up to the edit menu also.)

Paste your test into the new document. Resize, rotate, go crazy with it.

Use Curves to adjust your glitter to exactly how you would like it to look. As you can tell, I lightened mine up a bit. Play around and see what you like best!

Here it is in action! Have fun playing around and creating glittery works of art!

xo, 

e.m.

backlit photos

Backlighting is one of my favorite tricks to use. Sometimes the sun is too bright to be in front of your subject so you gotta put it behind! It creates this really cool halo of light and if you're lucky, a sunflare or two.

All that you need to do is to put your subject between you (the camera) and the source of light. It'll take a bit of practice to balance your ISO and your Shutter Speed just right (generally high Shutter Speed, low ISO but there are definitely exceptions!) but the result can be breathtaking. I think that it adds a lot of drama and romance to a photograph. 

Happy shooting!

xo, 

e.m.

lace as a filter

I've started a new weekly challenge with myself which is to find new ways to add a little spice to my photographs. Out of the ones that I've tried, this is a favorite of mine. It's lace! It gives the photo a soft, whimsical feel and the best part is that you don't even need photoshop!

Stretch the lace over the lens and snap! It's that easy. I love the haze that it leaves. Have fun playing around with different kinds and textures of lace!

xo, 

e.m.

makeup for any special occasion:

Hey all, today I have a look that is wearable for all special occasions. Whether it's a date night, Christmas, New Years or even Halloween which is around the corner! 

Materials Used:

Face: 

1. Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Medium (Sephora $42.00)

2. Revlon Colorstay Aqua Finishing Powder (Target $14.99)

3. Andy Warhol for Nars Illuminating Blush in Satellite of Love (Sephora $29.99)

4. Nars Blush in Super Orgasm (Sephora $29.99)

5. Revlon Eyebrow Pencil in Medium Brown (CVS $5.00)

6. Benefit's Watts Up Highlighter (Sephora $30.00)

Eyes:

1. NYX Cream Eye Primer in Pearl (Beauty Store $6.00)

2. Makeup Forever False Lashes in #156 (Sephora $16.00)

3. Eye Glitter Pot in Disco (Halloween Store $4.50)

4. Kat Von D Eyeshadow Palette (Sephora $20.00)

5. Kat Von D Eyeshadow in On the Road (Sephora $16.00)

6. Tara Tarantino Sparklicity Powder in Opal (Sephora $11.00)

7. Makeup Forever Aqua Shadow in Black (Sephora $20.00)

8. Sephora Jumbo Mascara (Sephora $12.00)

9. Urban Decay Heavy Metal Eyeliner in Spandex (Sephora $16.00)

Lips:

1. Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick in Lolita (Sephora $19.00)

2. Kat Von D Foiled Liquid Lipstick in Forever and Never ($19.00)

Don't be alarmed by the amount of materials! I happen to have a ton of makeup and just used whatever I had to my advantage. You can use any colors you want. 

First, I applied the Nars foundation and set it with the Revlon powder then lined my eyebrows.

Next, I applied Nyx cream eye primer all over my lid. Taking the eye glitter pot, I carefully applied the glitter to the inner portion of my lids. Be very cautious when applying glitter. It can fall into your eyes and cause a lot of pain! Pat it down firmly to make sure it doesn't flake off Then taking Kat Von D's True Romance Palette I used Hyper Ballad (Pearlized Silver) mixed with Scandinavian (Pearlized Taupe) in the center of my lid. Using Ville (Pearlized Eggplant Purple) I blended it into the other two eyeshadows.

Finally, I took Kat Von D's Eyeshadow in On the Road and applied it to the outer-most corner of my lids and blended it into the middle. To bring back the 'sparkle' effect, I took the eye glitter pot and with a small amount, I lightly dusted over my whole lid. Using Makeup Forever Aqua Shadow and an angled eyeliner brush, I lined my eyes. Taking Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Eyeliner, I lined the inner corners of my eyes, then using Tara Tarantino's Sparklicity powder i dabbed the opal powder on top of the wet eyeliner for a multi-dimensional sparkle.

I then applied my false eyelashes and a coat of mascara. To get a soft natural glow, I used Andy Warhol for Nars Highlighting blush all over my face. Focusing on my temples, the hollows of my cheeks and my forehead.

Then taking Nars Blush in "Super Orgasm," I defined my cheeks. Sometimes the color of the blush is too bold, so I went back and re-applied the highlighting blush all over for a more muted effect.

In Picture 13, I drew a line down the bridge of my nose with Benefit's Watts Up Highlighter. This will help give my nose a defined look. Then taking a medium brown shadow, I shaded the sides of my nose and blended.

To finish off the look, add any accessories and you're good to go!

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial and have fun!

- 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.

choosing lenses

Do you remember in the last Indiana Jones movie when the old man tells Indiana to "choose wisely" in a really epic way? Just picture me saying that to you throughout this post. I've been getting a lot of lens questions so I'm going to share a few basic and diverse ones with you. (Lucky for you guys too, as far as lenses go, the ones that I'm showing you here are pretty inexpensive!) I'd suggest any of these lenses to somebody who is just starting out with photography. The following photos were taken in a pretty dark room and I sat in the same exact place for every photo so that you would be able to see the differences.

30mm f/1.4: This lens is my absolute favorite. I'm actually the only photographer that I know of who shoots mostly with a 30mm, which I just don't understand because it is an incredibly versatile lens that I find is perfect for portraits. In fact, 90% of the photos on this blog were captured with this lens. This lens is fixed, which means that it doesn't zoom. If you're unfamiliar with that, it can take some getting used to but I've found that my eye for composition has improved exponentially since shooting with a fixed lens.

50mm f/1.8: This was one of my first lenses and I will always hold it close to my heart. It's another fixed lens but the depth of field is so dramatic, you won't miss the ability to zoom at all. Most of the photographers that I know rely heavily on a 50mm lens. I've heard good things about the 50mm 1.4 lenses but the 1.8 is perfect for beginners because it is extremely affordable. Like, under $120 affordable, and it's not a bad lens at all. 

70-300mm: This is a tough lens to shoot indoors with because it doesn't function very well in low light but it is really great for outdoors. In this photo, it's not zoomed in at all, it can zoom in pretty far. I call it my "stalker lens." I like using this one to take portraits of people in the woods. The person is really crisp and the background is barely distinguishable, so the leaves and the light look really cool. Just be sure that you have a lot of space to move around!

18-105mm: This is the "widest" lens that I have. It also has the ability zoom but it's much less dramatic, so in contrast to the last lens, is good for shooting in smaller spaces. I don't use it TOO much but I know a lot of photographers who make great use of it.

Holga: This lens is SO much fun to play around with! It's meant to look like a Holga camera. Doesn't do too bad of a job, in m opinion. It has a grainy'ness about it that I just love. I've even been finding ways to use it in weddings. This lens isn't very functional but I use it more than I thought I would. It mixes it up every once in a while!

Happy shooting!

xo, e.m.

diy lace mocs

It's moccasin weather, at last! However, I feel that every year, these adorable comfies get more and more popular and so this year, I decided that I'm going to need to set myself apart from the rest of the rather large moccasin-clad population. I saw this "Make Your Own Mocs" kit at my local craft store and decided that I had to do it. Add a doily detail and you'll have a one-of-a-kind footwear masterpiece to wear whilst prancing through crunchy leaves.

What you'll need: A "Make Your Own" moccasin kit, (these can be found at your local craft store and range from $15 - $22) two crochet doilies, fabric glue, one of those sponges on a stick (no idea what the real word for it is) and a pair of sharp scissors.

Start out by coating the toe piece with a thin layer of fabric glue. Place the doily wherever your heart desires and let the glue dry. Once it is firmly attached (a.k.a. when the glue is dry) trim the doily so there is 1/2" - 3/4" extra on all sides.

Follow the instructions for putting the shoe together. When you get to the toe portion, fold the extra pieces of doily under and string the lace through them, just for added strength and to make sure that the ends don't fray. Once the moccasin is put together, repeat with the other one!

I only had enough time this morning to finish one of them before running out but it doesn't look too bad! I'll share more pictures and an outfit with them once I finish the second one!

xo, e.m.