Pinterest Inspiration #4: Glowy Nudes

I'm no stranger to a cateye, though over the years, I've been doing them less and less. I am, however, the kind of person who:

1. avoids eyeliner under my eyes,
2. dislikes most nude lipsticks, and
3. refuses to put highlighter on her T-zone.

This Pinterest photo inspired me to break my own rules. And while the end result is definitely not something I'd wear outside of my house, I can safely say that I don't totally hate the thicker eyeliner look. If I want to wear it in the future, I'll go easier on my skin.

Original Pinterest Link

The inspiration image clearly features contouring and a swatch of foundation across the lips. I never use contour, so of course I skipped that, but I DID try using my foundation across my lips. Uh, no, not happening, absolutely hideous. So I went with the next best thing: Bite Madeira. I also tried to concentrate the majority of my blush towards the back of my cheekbones and most of the cheek highlight on the apples, but I'm not sure how successful that was.

As for the absolute slew of products I had to use for this seemingly simple look...

...yeah, it's a mess. Sorry about it.

I primed with the Hourglass Mineral Veil primer and used YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation as my base, bounced on with a damp Beauty Blender sponge. The liner required 3 different products to get the perfect intensity and shape: a liquid (Wet n' Wild Mega Liner), a pencil (Milani Liquid Eyes), and a powder (NYX eyeshadow). Copious amounts of Bare Minerals Lash Demolition mascara gave me that super-thick, chunky lash look. I also used more than one product on my brows, layering MAC Lingering twist-up over the Shu Uemura Hard Formula pencil in Seal Brown to try and get a darker look. I was definitely too light-handed, though. The color cosmetics are Bite High Pigment Pencil in Madeira and Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow in Tansoleil. For that in-your-face glow, I used Becca Shimmering Skin Perfect in Pearl on my cheekbones, under my eyes, in the center of my chin and cupid's bow, and down the middle of my forehead/nose. I also sprayed some Skindinavia setting spray on at the very end.