And now for something completely different (not), if I had a nickel for every time I watched a YouTube makeup video and thought, “Oh, I can handle that. That’s gonna be easy.” And then I tried it and was like, “What the hell just happened?” — I’d be a rich girl.
Yeesh, I’m so out of practice with eyeshadow… It is definitely a perishable skill, at least for me. It’s not like riding a bike, where you can take years off, then hop back on and be like, “Lalala! So easy! This is great!”
As you know, I’ve been wanting to do a little more with my makeup lately — not necessarily to put more makeup on, but to, ya know, do something more ambitious than one or two lid shades and some tightlining, so I’ve been watching a lot of videos, like this one by Sephora for hooded lids, which was actually VERY helpful for explaining proper placement (a.k.a “where to put the lighter and darker colors”).
If you have a hooded lid situation, definitely check it out.
Thing is…it assumes you have rudimentary blending skills down pat, which I thought I had, but I guess they were tucked away somewhere because… Well, it’s not that I’m unhappy with how this eye look turned out, but I can see a few things I could have done better.
I like it from straight on, and from the side, with my eyes open. I think it’s pretty decently blended in the crease, and I like the way the gradient is feathering, but when I look at the pics of myself with my eyes closed…WHOA.
And this could just be me being hyper-critical of myself, because I do that, but I can see that one eye is darker than the other, and they aren’t perfectly symmetrical, and I know that I do these things because I’ve made these same mistakes 1,342,521 times before.
I also know that my eyes aren’t identical. They’re naturally asymmetrical. One is slightly larger than the other, and my smaller eye is set a little deeper the the other. Also, I’m right-handed, and I tend to press harder when I’m applying shadow on my right lid than I do on my left, making that eye’s makeup look darker if I don’t pay close attention.
Basically, these are just lessons I have to re-learn from time to time… While not rocket science, makeup is definitely a perishable skill. If you don’t use it, you freakin’ lose it.
Anywho, today’s makeup gave me a chance to get to know the new Chanel Les Beiges Deep eyeshadow palette, and girl, the browns are beautiful! They are SO pretty.
Like the wide buttery golden pan at the top? No, it isn’t MAC Soba, but it is Chanel’s version. If I just stopped trying new makeup and wore this satiny mid-toned brown daily for the rest of my life, I’d be a happy camper.
The darker browns in the palette, by the way, look really warm, almost red, but they look cooler-toned on skin. They also look darker on the skin than they do in the pans, which surprised me. This is probably also why I had some difficulty with the darker areas in the outer corners of this look, because I didn’t expect those deep browns to be so rich!
There are also two shimmery, sparkly (and silly) golds in the palette… I wish Chanel had gone with something more useful, like a less shimmery taupe and/or peach, but alas… I’ll probably skip them most of the time and stick to the three workhorse browns. Yup, that’s the ticket.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Thanks for reposting that video, it’s really helpful!
You’re welcome, Ewa.
I was wondering the same thing: Why two golden shadows in one palette?
If you hadn´t mentioned the issues you saw with your blending, I wouldn´t have noticed. Probably really too harsh there with yourself, but I assume that if you had blending down to perfection once, these little things matter more. You´ll be back to old skills in a heartbeat though, you don´t loose that completely.
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Ahh, thanks!
Beautiful, as always. Though, I agree that it’s strange to have 2 mega golds in the palette.
I want you to sit down for this. You MIGHT be SLIGHTLY over-critical about your blending skills. HAHA! Even after you noted the “issues” and I looked really hard, I have a very difficult time seeing what you mean. I’m going to trust you that there are some slight differences between your eyes, but there’s not a chance I’d have noticed. 🙂
You’re the sweetest, Kim. 🙂
You’re totally right! If you don’t use it you lose it. I notice it even when it’s something as little as two days since I last wore make up. My blending skills have left me I fear. I can’t blend multiple colors in my crease anymore. Every attempt turns horrible and I used to wear my make up like that for years! Now I just think it ages me. I do a lid color, a light crease color and inner corner and brow highlight. I do like to blend a warm and cool toned and darker brown shade along my lower lash line but that’s it. I can’t believe how much eyeliner I used to wear. I cringe because now I realize it did not look very good after all. You are gorgeous! I’m so envious of the finish of your skin. It’s perfect!
Hi Savannah,
Definitely a perishable skill! I can’t believe I used to wear everything and the kitchen sink on my lids, either. So many eyeshadows and so many layers upon layers of product, LOL! It’s fun but dang… anything with a frosty finish is not my friend.
Wow that Sephora video was super helpful! Thanks so much for sharing, Karen. I love the look you created with this palette. 🙂
Hi Nancy,
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found it useful. If you do a look please send me a pic; I’d love to see.