Spring In The Winter: Purlple and Green Makeup Tutorial

 The weather might be cold and the sky dark, but my eyes will always stay bright.
  If you feel the same way, try this easy and pretty look.

You need:

• Eyeshadow base. I used Art Deco's mineral base. A good option is Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion or some of MAC's paint pots.
• Smashbox Muse Palette or your favourite purple(e.g. MAC Fig), light purple(e.g. MAC Stars ‘n Rockets), shimmery green( e.g. MAC One Off or Juxt) and light green or shimmery white eyeshadows. 
• Dark purple / eggplant eyeliner. I used Smashbox Muse Cream Eyeliner in Imperial.
• Your Favourite mascara for volume. I used Bourjois Volume Glamour in Ultra Black.
• Tools: an angled shading brush (I used Sigma E70), a large fluffy brush (Sigma E50).

Steps:

1. Apply a thin layer of your base all over you upper lids and put a little on the lower lids.
2. Put a drop of water-based mixing medium (or water) on your angled brush and apply Dark Celery Green from the Muse Palette or your green in the inner corners of your eyes, continuing  a little up towards the inner end of the brow. Apply some more green close to your lower lashline on it'd inner half. 
3.  Using the same green, cover the inner half of your upper lid till you reach the crease.
4. Now with your brush cleaned up from the green and freshly wetted, apply Deep Orchid from the Muse Palette or another deep purple in the outter half of your upper lid, going slightly above the crease and going in the crease,above the green, stopping a little before the inner end of it. If you arent't pleased with the color's intensity try applying another layer.
5. Use the same purple to continue the green line on the lower lid.
6. Blend slightly the purple and green on the upper lid with your fluffy brush.
7. Using the fluffy brush and Sheer Lilac from the Muse Palette or another light purple, wash out slightly the puple in the crease, going almost till the brow bone.
8. Now dip the shading brush in Soft Green from the palette or your highlighting green/white/gold and apply it below the brow bone, blending it with the light purple.
9. Use the eggplant eyeliner/pencil to draw a thin line above your upper lashline and on the waterline of the lower lid.
10. Finish with a coat or two of mascara for voume.

Now smile and you're done :)

Smashbox Muse Collection: Review and Swatches

"Muse" is the Spring 2009 Smashbox Collection. It contains  Artist Eye Palette ,Cream Eyeliner Artist Pencil Set, Lip Paints and a blush. I am reviewing the palette and the pencil set.

MUSE Artist Eye Palette: 

Applied wet, no base.

• Price: Retail is $48, I got it on eBay for $20 last year, now you can find better offers.
• Packing: it looks like watercolor palette so I find it pretty, but because it's white every  accidential smear of color is noticed. It includes a decent brush, which is a little too stiff.
• Colors: There are two rows with 5 eyeshadows each. The upper one has the lighter colors and the lower one is like a darker version of the upper. The colors are (left to right): 
• First Row: Biscuit - slightly shimmery and almost invisible light gold ; Soft Green - shimmery light minty green with good pigmentation ; Light Silver - nice light bluish silver with shimmer ; Sheer Lilac - my favourite, it's soft purple, more on the pink side, with pretty bluish shimmer ; Rose Copper - the name pretty such sums it up; it is one one of the most pigmented colors. 
• Second Row : Chocolate - it is the darkest color, but it's not really chocolatey; the brown is more on the green\blue side ;  Drak Celery Green - it's bright apple green with nice pigmentation and shimmer ;  Dark Bule - it's not really dark and it is more gray than blue ;  Deep Orchid - bright purple shade, almost matte ;  Coffee - very pigmented brown on the warm side.   
• Texture: buttery and smooth
• Overall:  I like the texture and the colors, but most of them are not very well-pigmented so I have to apply them wet and the shades are pretty similar so there aren't much different looks to create. This is why I think $48 if definately not worth it, but $20 is just right.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

MUSE Cream Eyeliner Artist Pencil Set

• Price: retail is $36, I got it for $16 on eBay.
• Colors: Imperial - dark eggplant, almost dark borwn; Lapis - dark navy blue with shimmer; Antique Gold -  dark old gold;  Slate - plain black 
• Texture: very smooth and soft, but not too much.                                                                                                    
• Overall: I really like these - the colors are very pigmented, they are soft so the application is easy and I often smudge them when I opt for smoky look. Used alone, they smudge quickly but with base the color stays. All in all, here I think the retail price is more reasonable - $9 per pencil, but I  would still recommend you to check them out on eBay.