Earlier today I needed a little help getting over the hump day blues, so I pointed my browser in the direction of Urban Decay’s big friends and family sale.

From now through August 20, get 30% off online orders with coupon code FNFF1 at checkout.

I was looking at the online fall catalog when I felt a sudden urge to play.

This was my inspiration for the eyes…

…and then I tried a version of these nude lips here:

LOL, pardon the fan action. I couldn’t resist.

I was actually sweating bullets in these pics because it was like hot soup in my apartment today.

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G’morning, ladies!

A few of you asked to see details of the Bobbi Brown Ivy League look I tried on Monday.

Nicole and Nancy wanted a breakdown of the eyes. They took about eight steps. If you were comfortable trying any of my 4-step eye makeup looks, I think you could easily do this look as well.

My Bobbi Brown Ivy League eyes

Oh, if you’d like to tone down the look, swap the black pencil liner for a brown one or omit the lining along the lower lash line entirely.

1. I start by applying Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Forest Shimmer Ink (a dark green with golden flecks) on my lid and just up into the crease with a Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Concealer Brush, smoothing away any harsh lines with a fingertip.
2. Then, using a MAC 217 Blending Brush, I pat Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Bash (a shimmery forest green) over the lid and just barely into the crease.
3. Next, with a MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush, I sweep MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow Quad in Assemblage (a shimmery gold) into the crease.
4. Applying a light color under the brow bone can add definition to eye makeup, so I pat on some MAC Eyeshadow in Arena (a shimmery golden peach) with a MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush.
5. For a slightly smokey eye, I line my upper lash line with Bobbi Brown Creamy Eye Pencil in Jet (a matte black) and diffuse/fade the edges by running the pencil’s attached sponge along them. Then, still with the same pencil, I line my upper and lower waterlines.
6. To emphasize my lower lash line while still keeping it soft, I draw a line along it (ideally, getting between the roots of each lash) with Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Forest Shimmer Ink.
7. Then, I soften the lined lower lash by gently swiping Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Bash along the outer half (toward the ear) with a MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush.
8. Finally, still with the MAC 226, I swipe MAC Arena along the inner half of the line (toward the nose).

All done.

Possible alternatives for Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Bash

Swatches from left to right: Bash, MAC Humid, the light and dark green shades from the Chanel Murano quad

Thanks for suggesting so many alternatives to Bash in an earlier post. I think MAC Humid comes pretty close, and the two darker green shades in the new Chanel Murano quad should also work.

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Bobbi Brown’s makeup doesn’t always knock my socks off, but her new Ivy League collection is frickin’ OFF THE CHAIN! For serious.

Click here to see an eye map and the list of products I used for this look.

Eyes and lips

This morning I tried a back-to-school face of the day using the Ivy League items I talked about here.

Bobbi done me so right with these colors, particularly the forest green, deep black and gold shades for eyes and those high-gloss pink lips.

Some non-Bobbi stuff up in my mix

Most of the makeup I used for this look is Bobbi’s, but I also popped some of the gold shade from the MAC Assemblage Mineralize Eye Shadow Quad in the crease and swept Neutrogena Soft Color Bush in Divine Wine on the apples of my cheeks.

The Ivy League collection makes me want to cheer for Bobbi Brown, yea!

I can’t wait to wear this look in the fall.

How do you feel about Ivy League? Do you like it as much as I do, or do you think you might pass?

A potentially weird observation about people…

At the grocery store last night (aka my home away from home), I was loading up on cans of wet food for Tabs when I spied a woman sniffing different bottles of detergent to decide which one to buy.

Apparently I’m not the only person who does that, LOL!

How’s it going today?

I’m feeling the urge to see a movie tonight… I know it’s a weeknight, but here’s what I’d like to see: 500 Days of Summer. It stars Zooey Deschanel (love her).

I dunno… We’ll see how adventurous I feel come 6 o’clock.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

While channel surfing yesterday, I stopped on a random show on Bravo called NYC Prep. Have you seen it? It’s a reality show about New York prep school teenagers.

I’m not sure how much of the show is real, but the kids sure don’t act like the teenagers I knew back in the day.

I had to turn when PC, one of the characters/actors, while sitting on his therapist’s couch, started waxing philosophic about his years of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll (he’s like 17).

Forget reality…

I’d rather play with Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Freakshow ($18).

Deluxe Eyeshadow in Freakshow

Freakshow swatch

Freakshow, a shimmery purple with reddish hints, is one of three Deluxe Eyeshadows from Urban Decay’s fall 2009 collection.

I used it and some MAC products for this pink, purple and bronze eye:

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This year’s fall makeup collections have begun to trickle in, and the one I’m spending quality time with today is Smashbox’s new Reign ($19-48/item).

Inspired by England’s Tudor period (circa 1485-1603), a time that encompassed Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, the eight pieces feature shades of berry, peach, plum, black and champagne.

Smashbox Reign Eyeshadow Palette in Majesty ($42), Lip Gloss in Crowned ($22)

For today’s 4-step eye makeup look, I grabbed the Smashbox Reign Majesty Eye Shadow Palette ($42), one of three eye palettes in the collection. It comes with three baked eyeshadows (a champagne, a reddish plum and a black), each with a dollop of matte shadow surrounded by a shimmery version of the same shade.

Top row: shimmery shadows. Bottom row: matte shadows.

I was in the mood to wear something soft today but wasn’t sure if I could make the red shade work for a daytime look — that is, until I discovered that with enough blending the shade looks somewhat reddish brown (!).

Smashbox Reign 4-Step Eye Makeup

1. First things first. I grab my MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush and wet the head with a spritz of MAC Fix+ Rose. Applying shadows with a wet brush like this intensifies their color. I load the brush with the shimmery champagne shadow from the Smashbox Reign Magesty Palette and apply it over the entire eyelid and along my lower lash line.
2. Next, with a Sonia Kashuk Crease Brush, I apply the red eyeshadow (mixing the matte with the shimmer) from the same palette into my crease, concentrating more of the color toward the outside (closer to the ear), and use a MAC 217 Blending Brush to soften the edges.
3. Then, to make the whole look really pop, I apply a mix of the shimmery black and shimmery red shadows with a Sonia Kashuk Angled Eyeshadow Brush, drawing a thick line along the upper lash line and smoothing out the edges with a MAC 217.
4. Finally, with the same brush and a mix of the shimmery and matte black shadows, I line the lower line.

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