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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Hiya, ladies. I had fun with this week’s Benefit 4-Step Eye Look, so I decided to try another one — this time using products from the UK’s rising makeup star, Illamasqua.

More on the Illamasqua brand…

• Illamasqua Lip Look: Thinking Outside the Box
• Illamasqua: Makeup for Your Alter Ego
• Let Illamasqua Sirens Seduce You with Color
• Illamasqua, I Think I’ve Met My Matte

It’s a shimmery and smokey black, gray and bronze eye, and it makes heavy use of Liquid Metal in Enrapture (a shimmery bronze cream) and Powder Eye Shadow in Lestat (a matte black).

Blend till you can’t blend no more!

Like the Benefit look from a few days ago, this look involves just four steps, but it can still take a while to complete, thanks to the amount of blending required. Seamlessly transitioning the black matte into the bronze cream shadow isn’t something I’d try if I only had a couple minutes to get ready, so if you’re gonna give this one a try, consider budgeting a few extra minutes to blend.

I had to restart this look twice, wiping everything off each time, and had to remind myself not to get frustrated. If you end up with black eyeshadow all over your face, no worries! Wipe it off and start over again. That’s the beauty of makeup, right? You can always start with a clean slate.

Illamasqua 4-Step Eye Makeup Look

1. I start the look with Liquid Metal in Enrapture applied over my entire eyelid and along the lower lash line with a MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush. I take care to concentrate most of the color on the lid, gradually decreasing the saturation of color as it moves toward the brow bone.
2. Next, I use a MAC 217 Blending Brush to apply a light layer of Lestat into the crease, diffusing the edges and blending into the the bronze shadow.
3. For a smokey effect, I pat several layers of Lestat onto the outer half of the eye, concentrating most of the color in the outer corner (the side closest to my ear), and blend away any harsh lines with my trusty MAC 217 brush.
4. To finish the eye portion of the look, I load a MAC 219 Pencil Brush with Lestat, smudge it along the outer half of my lower lash line, and use my MAC 217 to gently diffuse the edge.

Illamasqua Sirens for Lips and Cheeks

For the rest of my makeup, I went with a hot pink and gold lip with shimmery golden peach cheeks. Illamasqua’s new Sirens collection helped.

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I love crazy, complicated eye looks as much as the next makeup junkie, but some mornings I just can’t get it together — I’m either running late or just plain lazy as all hell.

I’ve been wanting to do something with my eye makeup for a few days but haven’t wanted to do anything *too* complicated, so I limited myself to four steps.

Why four steps? I guess it’s my happy medium. Five steps feel like too many; three not enough.

Oh — I’m not counting curling my lashes or applying mascara as individual steps… I probably should, but I don’t like the sound of six steps as much as four.

Benefit four-step eye look

The look is a shimmery neutral eye with a bit of gray, and I think it’s a great look for beginners.

Here’s how I get the look…

1. To start, I apply Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Samba-dy Loves Me (a shimmery peachy gold) on the lids and just up into the crease with my fingers, smoothing away any harsh lines.
2. Next, using a Sonia Kashuk Large Eyeshadow Brush, I sweep Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Leggy (a shimmery peachy pink) over the entire eye.
3. With the same brush, I pat Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There’s Smoke (a shimmery blackish gray) onto the lid and into the crease.
4. To finish, I line my upper and lower lash lines with Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner (a true black) and smudge out both with a MAC 219 Pencil Brush and Where There’s Smoke Eyeshadow.

Cheeks and lips

You could pretty easily dress up this look with bold pink or red lips, but since I’m not really going anywhere special today, I shot for light and breezy with Benefit Posie Tint (a semi-matte peachy pink) on my cheeks and Benefit Full Finish Lipstick in Thrillin’ Brazilian (a shimmery golden peach) on my lips.

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Happy Thursday, ladies! How’s your day coming along? This morning I wanted to play with the Chanel Les Naturels de Chanel Eyeshadows and Smashbox Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss in Nonstop (hot pink in the hizz!), so I grabbed both and put them to use in this face of the day.

That’s Lotus, Lily, Mahogany and Slate on my eyes, layered beneath Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit.

To balance out the blinged-out lips, I went with a neutral cheek and applied Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Orchid Rose ($42, also from the Les Naturels de Chanel collection), a pinkish brown blush with a touch of shimmer, onto the apples of both cheeks.

And for added glow, I swept Clarins Instant Sun Light Summer Glow Palette on the upper cheek bones.

It’s easy to turn a look like this into something more wearable for work by switching the hot pink lip for a beige, brown or light pink one.

Swapping Nonstop for Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in Curious (a creamy toasted almond) and Chanel Glossimer in Unity (a shimmery pinkish brown) takes the look from “I’m ready for a mojito” to “I’m ready to fill out those TPS reports.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen