Halloween Makeup Tutorial: Glam Leopard

Hello my beauty babes, halloweenie is around the corner…more specifically on Monday, and I thought I would share one of the basic ideas but just with a kick to it. First I would love to say how extremely nervous but excited I am to share with you my FIRST make up look/ tutorial on here!!!!  I thought why not Halloween is the perfect icebreaker for me and since I can’t do anything this year for it, why not have some fun anyways.

This look is based around the typical/famous  cat & leopard costume that us girls usually fall back on. Now it’s completely a convenient costume as we tend to already have the making it as well as we know we are going to look super cute. I decided to take the normal makeup look of nose and whiskers one step further and made myself into a glam leopard. We all need a little glam and glitter in our lives (am I rite?)

So for all my sexy felines out there hitting up any parties or clubs (pls have a drink for me..or 2) this weekend for some Halloween festivites try this Instagram ready makeup look, or if you need a last minute idea. Here is my makeup look I tried out and the products used to create it.

 

FACE

1st Step: Started my make up normally, but when if came to the contouring and bronzing just amped it up a little bit more on the nose, cheek bones and around the mouth to create a full cheek

Foundation: Mac Prolong wear
Powder: MAC x Chris Chang transparent finishing powder
Contour: Anastasia Beverly Hills contour pallet Light to Medium
Concealer: Maybelline Fit me in 10 Light
Blush: MAC Extra Dimenson in Seduced At Sea
Highlight: Champagne pop by Becca x Jaclyn Hill
Bronzer: Esscence Sun Club bronzing powder in Lighter skin
Eyebrows: ABH dip brow pomade in blonde & Benefit Goof Proof Brow pencil in #1

EYES

2nd Step: I wanted a darker smokey eye to create mystery and to have a very exaggerated winged eyeliner to really bring the attention to the cat shaped eyes.

Eyeshadow: Bhcosmetics Shaanxo pallet, Sleek i-Divine in Storm, & Bhcosmetic Galaxy Chic
Eyeliner: Ciate Fierce Flicks
Mascara: Maybelline Great Lash in Blackest Black
Lashes: Velour Lashes mink natural line in “Flash it!”

LEOPARD FEATURES

3nd Step: Once I had everything else done I went in with the main feautres of the leopard focusing on the nose, whisker dots and their famous spots. I went the next level and added gold glitter to my spots to have that glam and colour differenciation.

Spots & Nose: Maybelline Eye studio in Blackest Black
Glitter: Eye Kandy loose glitter in Candy Coin

Hope you all enjoyed the look. What are you being for Halloween?! Please have a wonderful time and remember to be safe.

Until next time,

Love Steph

(Ps. I am so sorry for the horrible colour and quality of the pictures…clearly took them in a bathroom…typical)

Nailing Fall Manicure Trends

Let’s talk fall trends…shall we. We have seen blog posts on everything from day/night routines, to the must have clothing items, and of course the “need to have” of the make up world for this cuddly time. Although I have yet to see any about this seasons nail trends, or at least I haven’t come across any as of yet. If you were to ask my family and friends they would be quick to tell you that I love getting my nails done. It’s the only way for me not to commit the awful habit of biting my nails. So I am all into what is the current cool gotta do trends for my claws. That’s why I thought why not put a trend post out there just in case anyone hasn’t seen one yet. Here are my picks for this year’s fall-winter 2016 manicure trends.

CHROME
If you haven’t seen this then where have you been hiding, I’m just joking, but seriously. Everyone from the Instagram baddies to some of the hottest YT make up gurus such as Jeffree Star or Nikkie Tutorials and even one of my favourite girls to follow Pia Mia have been rocking these nails. When the chrome trend hit the scene many people were wondering about this beautiful nail Art. It was the rose gold colour (and obsession) that put the trend out there, then followed with every possible colour going and even now with a holographic option. For those who do not know how to achieve the chrome look I will explain. It starts off with a regular shellac nail polish as an ex. a coral pink, after they put all the top coats on. With an eye shadow makeup sponge they go in with the corresponding sparkle powder. In this case they take the silver powder and rub it onto the nail turning the coral into the gorgeous rose gold. Finish off with your top coats and voila. I tried it out and I might admit that I am just slightly, maybe completely obsessed with it. I have gotten the most compliments with this colour and it really has that wow factor.
(Rose Gold nails are my own, all others are from Pinterest)

MARBLE
Now we have all realized and probably have fallen for the obsession of marble whether it’s from beautiful flat lay photos, to phone cases. Well now it has hit the manicure world, and I must admit the marble nails are completely bad ass (excuse my french) and look pretty legit. I have seen this trend floating around on my Instagram feed from a couple of my favourite Canadian gurus Samantha Ravndahl  and Gina. It is absolutely stunning with the beautiful neutrals of grays, whites and blacks all mixed together. Most use the marble nail as their accent and then do a regular polish for the rest. Either which way I need to find a place that knows how to do this!

 

MATTE POLISH
Now the matte finish is by all means not new to the mani world, but makes a huge appearance during the fall/winter time period. You can find some polish that is already a matte formula that when it gets painted onto the nail it automatically dries to that finish. As well, as you can find a Matte top coat by many brands such as Essie or OPI that can turn any colour into a matte polish. Although matte can be worn through out the whole year it is mostly associated with the darker range of colours compared to lighter pastels. My favourite matte colours are royal blues, beautiful burgundy, and forest greens.

 

MULTI TECHNIQUE NAILS

 

Although I love to follow the trends I do like to opt for a cute design during the appropriate seasons or holidays.
Are you into keeping your paws polished? What are your go to colours or patterns?

Until next time,
Love Steph

*I do not own any of these pictures. All pictures are from my pinterest, except the one of my actual nails. All pictures and names mentioned have links embedded to show original content*

IMATS Toronto ’16: Was it worth going??

*WARNING: LONG READ*
** SPOILER ALERT: Scroll down to cheat and see what products I picked up hehe**

IMATS Toronto was here at the Metro Toronto Convention center last weekend and girl was it ever a zoo! Now for those who do not know what IMATS is, it is the International Make-up Artist Trade Show. It’s basically a giant make up convention for all beauty babes to come together and share the love of make-up by purchasing some of their fave brands and checking out professional artists. One characteristic is that it only travels to London, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, LA and New York. I’ve been wanting to go for the past few years but never did and this year I said screw it I am going. I was supposed to go with one of my close girlfriends but when she went to go by her ticket, the day I was going was sold out. So SOLO adventures for Steph it was. If you would like to continue to hear how the show was then grab a drink & a snack, get comfy and lets gooooo….!

Still super excited the day of I woke up early and put the best full face of makeup on I could possibly do and I was off. Mike dropped me off at the subway because no way was I going to drive downtown on a Saturday (all you Torontonians out there…you feel me). When I arrived at the convention center, all I had to do was show my ticket, receive my wrist band and I was in. After having a venti Caramel Machiatto in me, I was prepared to do this….then I saw all of the people! TONS!!! EVERYWHERE!! Now I knew it was going to be busy but 11 am and there were massive lines for basically every booth going. Taking deep breaths I managed to locate the reason I came.. MORPHE…I thought I would suck up the wait…its worth it right? No crazy shipping price.. no taxes…. until I saw how long the line up was, and were told that it was going to be a 3 hour wait. I felt so overwhelmed and defeated, I called Mike thinking that its I’m done throwing the white towel in. But I decided to walk around a little and check out the places that didn’t have lines before going home. My mood instantly changed (still overwhelmed, just not defeated) got into my groove and I picked up some things.

 (This was only half of the line for Morphe)
I am pleased with the items I picked up as I would not have thought to order them online although I have admired them. My over all impression of IMATS was it is a cool experience, but without a fellow buddy to go with it can become overwhelming quickly. At least with a friend you can tackle things together as well as switch off during line waits. As for benefits there are not many perks besides no taxes or no shipping costs. UNLESS you are a pro card holder, then there were special booths and discounts dedicated to just them. *I must say, ordering online is so much easier…darn them shipping fees though*

Some vendors included: Kat Von D, Limecrime, Benefit Cosmetics, MAC Pro, Morphe, NYX Cosmetics, NARS, Make Up Forever and Velour Lashes. (See why there were so many lines).

For those thinking of attending next year, here’s a couple of recommendations:
1) Have a friend join you (for reasons stated previously)
2) Rise & Shine…get there first thing when it’s just opened to avoid long waits and first serve
3). Save or Budget money out…going in with a list of desired product or prepped budget. There’s lots of beautiful things and money will go quickly so if you are savy or watching what you spend this is a major tip for you.
4) Pack light… its gets hot quickly in venues with many people, avoid heavy jackets if possible & Bring Cash…..you will get checked out faster than those with card payments.

I hope you enjoyed my IMATs story…the ride home on the subway is a whole different chapter (Typical subway crazies). If you attended this year I would love to hear your opinion of it. What did you pick up?

Scroll down after this blurb to see what I managed to pick up from my trip.
Until next time,
Love Steph xo