Well guys, my favorite holiday of the year has come and gone once more. Except for the fact that when you're a makeup geek like me, Halloween is whenever you want it to be!! Haha. I know Halloween isn't technically until tomorrow but all the big parties were this past weekend so it's over for the big kids at least. After my costume panic post I received so many amazing costume suggestions, but there could only be one winner. So the winning suggestion/entry was ...

User Badtz suggested a Halloween makeup tutorial from Nikki Tutorials at the last minute that I saw and had to try out immediately. I don't know what to call it really so I've settled on Glamazombie. Or Drag Queen Dementor. Or Zombie Ke$ha. Either way, it was so much fun to do and to wear out and I got lots of compliments on it so congrats to Badtz, they will be receiving a Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow of their choice! Now, on to the good stuff, the pictures!!

 

I saw lots of awesome costumes out on the streets of Toronto - lots of Katy Perrys and Lady Gagas. If you guys have pictures from your night out (if you celebrated it) I would LOVE to see them so post them in the comments below!

I want to say thank you again to everyone who made suggestions, they were so creative and they've given me so much inspiration for new looks to do. I certainly won't be running out of creative makeup ideas for a while now, so thank you thank you thank you! Happy Halloween!!

Makeup Emergency!

Okay guys. I'm in DESPERATE need of your help! Halloween Party is less than 24 hours away and I have NO COSTUME!!!
I need your amazing collective brainpower to think of something awesome! Post suggestions, pictures, video tutorials, ANYTHING to inspire me! Pretty please!!

In the past I have gone as: Angel, Devil, Warrior Geisha, Gothic Lady of the Night, Bird of Paradise


WHOEVER COMES UP WITH THE WINNING SUGGESTION WINS A PRIZE!!

Hey gals & ghouls - I'm really excited to be bringing you the culminating efforts of weeks of planning and the talents of three of my fave makeup artists. I was able to do a special Halloween collaboration with Ronnie (Bows & Curtseys) , Kassie (Unique-Desire) & Dawn (Makeup By Siryn). It was Dawn's amazing idea to do looks inspired by the webseries Monster High. 

I'd never heard of it before but I was instantly drawn to the Northern New Ghoul at School - Abbey Bominable, seeing as I'm from 'Up North' too. She's a no-nonsense snow queen and I love her ridiculous accent. Plus, how could I not get behind a character that rocks pink and purple eyeshadow. I mean, c'mon. She be frozen & fierce!

Anyways, so I set to work trying to emulate her icy blue skin, precious snowflake freckles, purple brows and amazing eyeshadow. Here's what I came up with!

 

You can see looks by the other girls here, or by visiting their individual blogs - which I highly recommend!

I was contacted a while back by Kristie, the author of Blushing Basics. She approached me about doing a Guest Blog swap and I thought it might be fun to try since I've never done it before. Kristie is a lover of all things artistic and makeup just happens to be one of her favorite mediums. While working as a makeup artist she had several requests on this topic so she began posting video tutorials. Included in her blog are also tips, product reviews, and of course a little frugal fashion advice. 

Kristie and I share a common love for fake lashes and with Halloween just around the corner I thought - this is the perfect time for Kristie to give you a run down of all the different brands that are available to you. Whether you're looking for a one-time purchase for Halloween or wanting to invest in a high-quality pair that will stand the test of time, Kristie has a great selection of mini reviews for all kinds of lashes. Click on the cut to read more!

Okay, so remember the time that I said I was only going to do one post a week. OOPS I LIED! I totally forgot about this awesome collaboration that I had planned with Ronnie of Bows & Curtseys and Dawn of Makeup By Siryn. My candy of choice was the Halloween classic Reeses Pieces. I love those chocolatey little bastards. Every year I scoff like six boxes worth in one sitting and immediately regret the decision right after. Anyways - like I said - I totally forgot that I was supposed to have this posted so I did this look in like 15 minutes - RECORD TIME!! . It's kind of sloppy ( I may redo it at a later date) and not my best work but what the hell - Happy Halloween!!!

 

 Sorry for the crappy quality - I usually take my pictures outside with no flash - but these I had to take inside at night, by the light of a shatty little halogen desk lamp.

Here are the looks by my fellow beauty bloggers and I MUST say, they are tremendous and make me super hungry for Halloween Candy!! Click the links to go to the full post!

Dawn - Candy Corn

Ronnie - Pop Rocks

My beautiful Piggie Pals! How are you all? I've missed you terribly. I hate that I'm on a one-post-a-week schedule (thanks to school) but I'm going to make the most of it. I have a BIG post for you today - two looks and a review! Let's get started.

So - I recently received two packages of Violent Lips Lip Tattoos in the mail thanks to Violent Lips & MakeupBee. I had to create two makeup looks inspired the designs that I chose. The two I selected were "Silver Gliterati & The Red Cheetah". 

I have to be totally honest with you - I was really skeptical about how these would turn out/look. I'm going to reserve my full judgement until the end of the post though. First I want you to see the looks & the lips! First off: "Silver Gliteratti"

The first thing I thought of when I saw these lips was "Oh my god, I look like I made out with a disco ball." So, go big or go home right? I call this look "Discoballin' out of control".

I slapped a crapload of glitter on my eyes to match the lips and glued approximately a thousand mini mirrorballs all over my body. It ended up looking more like glamorous chicken pox than tons of tiny discoballs, but whatever. It could still be a fun, last minute Halloween look. Or just go as "Bling Barbie" or something, I don't know. Moving on!

The next lips were The Red Cheetah - which, don't get me started on. These are leopard spots, not cheetah spots BUT ANYWAYS! Here's how The Red Cheetah lips turned out.

Hahahaha. Sorry, those are my boyfriend's lips. Okay, for real this time.

I had to do something ferociously feline on my face to match this pretty kitty kisser - here's what I came up with.

Meow!! This look is Cheshire Cat meets Sigfried and Roy and I LOVE IT. If you wanted to make this look extra dramatic you could draw leopard spots all over your eyes/face. However, being artistically challenged I was pleased with the twenty I managed to do successfully and wasn't about to start pushing my luck by trying any more. Super fun look, really pleased with this one.

THE REVIEW 

Welcome to the October installment of my blogger of the month series. Each month I will be recognizing and featuring someone who I believe to be a true talent in the beauty blogging world by displaying their work for you guys to see. I have included a interview as well as a gallery of their best work for the feature. And as a special treat, I commissioned an exclusive look for the monthly 'Pigments & Palettes Challenge'. The next blogger I've decided to feature is:

Maryam of 'Fix Your Face'

Maryam is an absolute delight to know and behold. Her posts are so well crafted, personable and genuinely enjoyable to read. Confession! I also have a huge girl crush on her (but don't tell). In all seriousness though, shes a doll. She has that certain 'Je ne sais quoi' about her blog that catches your attention and the personality to keep it. I must say that Maryam is different from past BOTMs in the sense that she isn't as focused on high drama looks but the looks she does create are SO stunning and beautifully put together as well - I've never seen a look that doesn't look phenomenal on her. If you're searching for pretty day looks or an exquisite evening makeup ensemble then her blog is an absolute must see. Read on to get to know a little bit more about Mademoiselle Maryam.

Hello my Piggie Pals! This post is a long time overdue, but better late than never, right? So, a while ago Makeupbee & Velour Lashes approached me to do a look inspired by one of the lashes in the Velour Lashes line. Being from Toronto, I chose the T Dot ... Ohhh! Lashes, as they are named after this great city. However, the lashes are also inspired by Taylor Swift's signature look and are designed to emulate her beautiful feline eyes. 

"Unique and special like our hometown Toronto, this lash has a personality of its own. Its funky style produces a two tone effect, with the inner section being more dramatic than the ends. This semi dramatic lash is designed with a pattern that gradually gets longer towards the ends giving you the Taylor Swift wing at the corner of the eye. These can be worn for multiple purposes whether it is for a rockin’ concert, drinks with the ladies, or a casual day out. Toronto- first class city, first class lashes." - Mabel & Angela, Velour Lashes

Naturally, I wanted to do a look directly inspired by the beautiful Ms. Swift herself. I found this gorgeous smokey blue eye she wore to an awards show and instantly fell in love.

I knew the lashes would work wonderfully with this look so I was really excited to recreate it. You can see my version of it here. The silvery blue tones are so soft and romantic, and the smokey cat-eye effect gives it the perfect amount of sultry allure. To sum it up: amazing date makeup - sexy and sweet, the perfect blend. I toned down Taylor's Cherry Pink lips to a softer nude pink to make the look more wearable but it would look pretty either way. Have a look below.

This look is so soft & romantic, but the lashes give it the perfect amount of eye-catching drama. Here is a picture of the lashes on their own so you can get the clearest view of them possible.

REVIEW: I'll start out right away by saying this - these lashes aren't cheap. They are on sale right now from $59.00 to $29.00, but even at half-price these puppies are going to cost you a pretty penny. The reason for the high price tag is partially because the lashes are made from mink (cruelty free). There are definite benefits to luxury lashes though. For starters, they go on SO nicely, they contour beautifully to your lid and they look so realistic. Even these high drama lashes are made to look as authentic as possible when you've got them on. You can also wear them up to 25 times which is a lot of mileage for falsies. Most of my other fake lashes are garbage after about five wears. If you're put off by the price, you might want to invest in one pair and save them for special occasions, they'll last years. The only major con I experienced is that the lashes are very long and this can be a bit annoying. For example, these lashes touch my brows when my eyes are open, they are THAT long. And I don't have low arched brows either. However, having spoken to Mabel & Angela I know they are thinking of shortening the lashes so this shouldn't be a problem for long.

RATING: 4.5/5 - Honestly, if I had the money I would probably invest in the entire line, they are that nice. Everyone who has worn my pair has fallen in love, myself included. However, the price is a bit high for most wallets and the super long lashes can be a big distracting.

RECOMMENDATION: I've literally worked with every single pair of lashes in the collection, upper and lower, and it's impossible for me to pick a favorite, but I highly recommend "Are Those Real" and "You Complete Me" which are some of their best sellers for their high impact, but natural look. I also really like "Oops Naughty Me" for a slightly sexier stare. Check out the site and see which pair best suit you.

Finally, I leave you with a short YouTube tutorial on how you can get this Taylor Swift look using Velour Lashes. Enjoy and have an awesome weekend!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH - BECAUSE YOUTUBE WON'T LET ME EMBED IT!

Hi everyone! I know I've been an awful blogger lately and haven't been around much to comment or post (school is really, really, really intense right now) but I've missed you all dearly! But, to make it up to you, I'm coming back in a big way. First, an update - and then a look & tutorial!!

Okay - so - HUGE news. Last Sunday I had the immense privilege of being the makeup artist for Velour Lashes new product line shoot. I got to meet the company founders (Mabel & Angela) and they couldn't have been any nicer. We had a full day of makeup & photos, 11 hours! I did makeup on the model Jeny, who was such a pro and had the most gorgeous features. Basically a dream come true for any makeup artist. The makeup I did will be available to view on their website, in their upcoming magazine editorial, as well as on their banner for the Toronto IMATS convention. Un. Real! What an opportunity! I don't have the pictures to show you yet but I am so excited to finally see them once they come back from editing. Also - Velour Lashes are on sale right now for HALF.OFF! I'm going to say that one more time in case you didn't quite catch that. VELOUR LASHES ARE HALF OFF! I have a pair and they blow all my other falsies out of the water. I use them on photoshoots all the time and models go NUTS for them. Okay. Enough gushing! On to the makeup!

A good friend of mine, Liana, is going as the Queen of Hearts for Halloween this year and she was really sweet and asked me to come up with a look for her to wear with her costume. It was tricky trying to come up with some original ideas because she's such a popular character but I think in the end what I came up with will definitely turn heads at a Halloween party.

You can either wear this look as the eye makeup alone, or go full tilt with the heart mask outline  - depending on your comfort level. All you need is a little patience and a lot of rhinestones. I got mine at the Dollarstore, but Michael's and other craft stores are great resources as well.

 

Off with their heads!!

Also, as a favor to Liana, I went ahead and filmed a tutorial for this look. So ,if anyone else out there is going as the Queen of Hearts, or if you're just undecided and looking for inspiration, check it out! I hope you guys enjoy and please - as always - any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. Love you guys, Happy October!