I'm feeling inspired by the night sky lately. Sometime this week, I'm going to do some galaxy-inspired eyes; for today, I stuck to some simple starry skies.



I started, as usual, with my favorite base: Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer (Sephora, $20). On my lids, I used three shimmer shades from the Second Edition Manly Palette (Manly Cosmetics, $27.95). To make the stars, I dotted on some NYX Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Silver (NYX, $4.50) over my lids. To line, I used my Lorac Front of the Line PRO in black (Sephora, $23) on the top lashline and the top waterline, then drew it across the bottom waterline only. I drew a thin line with Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Azure (Sephora, $5), then drew another thin line beneath that with my Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Lagoon (Sephora, $5). For the finishing touch, I layered two coats of Urban Decay's Lush Lash Mascara (Urban Decay, $20) on my top lashes, and lightly coated the bottom ones.

Chime in: Has anything in nature ever inspired you to create a makeup look? Do you have any sky-inspired ideas for me to try?

Along with my regular job as a beauty consultant, I do some work as a makeup artist. I've done a few weddings, but most of my work is for local photographers. Sometimes, this requires me to create some crazy and bright looks.

Since my summer was packed full with other responsibilities, I haven't booked any jobs over the last few months. Now that I have a few lined up for late summer/early autumn, I decided to break out my kit and experiment.

The result:

Without a professional retouch, of course.

Complexion: I started out with my favorite primer, Lorac AquaPrime (Sephora, $31), and covered all discoloration with Revlon Age Defying Moisturizing Concealer in the Light shade (Target, $8). Despite the fact that it's a drugstore brand concealer, I find that it does just as good of a job as Cargo's OneBase (Ulta, $26). Then I used my all-time favorite foundation, Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation in E20 (Sephora, $42). I wanted to make my skin incredibly light, so I added a generous layer of Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation in 10 Watts (Sephora, $28) and buffed a bit of BareMinerals Original Mineral Veil (Sephora, $20) over the top. For daily wear, of course, I would never layer this many products; while doing makeup for print, however, we can throw wearable practicality out the window.

Eyes: To prime, I used my go-to primer, Lorac Behind the Scenes (Sephora, $20). Then came one of my all-time favorite products: Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream (Sephora, $22). I started in the center with the red (#8), using my fingertip to apply, and blended it out with a sponge brush. To draw the top black line, I used my Almay Liquid Eyeliner in Black (Target, $5.04). It may be a drugstore eyeliner, but it's one of the best drugstore products you can buy. While I prefer other products for daily wear, I love using this eyeliner for photoshoots; the felt-tip applicator lets me use it like a pen, and since it's not self-loading, I can control the amount I'm putting on. Then, I used my pinky finger to apply the Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in gold (#11) all over my lid.

Once I had my base of color, I wanted to tone down the shine of the gold, and also create some smoke. I tapped Urban Decay's Deluxe Eyeshadow in Honey (Sephora, $18) all over the lid in order to even out the shimmer, and covered the outer 1/4 of the lid, from lash to crease, with Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow in matte black #4 (Sephora, $19). I blended with my fingertips, taking care to blend up and out.

To line, I grabbed my Lorac Front of the Line PRO (Sephora, $23) and pressed it right against the top lash line, creating an incredibly thin line, then lined the top waterline. I wanted to create some definition without adding a thick line to disrupt the thick lines of color on the eye. On the bottom, I used the same Lorac liner on my waterline, then used a liner brush to sweep Buxom Lashliner in Leatherette (Sephora, $16) along the lower lid. I finished off the eyes with Urban Decay's Lush Lash Mascara (Sephora, $20).

After all the makeup was applied, I held a makeup brush to my face and lined up the outer corner of my eye with the outer tip of my brow, which is where eyeshadow should stop. To make the nice straight line, I kept the brush in place, dipped a Q-Tip in makeup remover, and followed the side of the brush to erase any makeup that had gone over the line.

For my brows, I chose Smashbox's Brow Tech Trio in Auburn (Sephora, $24), filling the inner part of my brows with the lighter color and the outer part with the darker color.

Lips: For the lips, I used the same two Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream colors I used on my eyes, and lined them with the Almay eyeliner.

Chime in: what colors/looks should I play with next?

Left to Right: Bobby Dazzle, Sabbath, El Dorado, Woodstock, Retrograde, Demolition, Radium, Smog, Perversion, Siren, Revolver

I love new products! This eyeliner is very true to its name. The swatches you see above had been on my hand for six hours when I photographed them; they stayed put through a long day of hand sanitizing and handwashing and didn't budge. However, you'll want to make sure you have a fabulous waterproof makeup remover, because otherwise they're not going to come off too easily. I tried using Philosophy's Purity foam, and still had to scrub pretty hard. It wasn't until I grabbed my Make Up For Ever SensEyes (which removes anything with just a swipe) that it came off easily.

My only complaint is that they go on a little thick and heavy. If you're looking to create a very fine line, have shaky hands, or aren't comfortable with using liquid liners, these liners may not be for you. Make sure to shake them well before applying, otherwise they will clump.

Verdict: Fabulous for the waterline, in, heat and humidity, and for active people. Not for first-time liquid liner users.

Chime in: What's your all-time favorite liquid liner?

My beautiful mother!

My mom's been wanting a new look for a while, and I finally got the time to put her in my chair and give her a fresh face. She's got naturally bronze skin that girls would kill for (not to mention that she looks MUCH younger than her age of 54), so I decided to emphasize that fabulous glow she has.

First, I applied a dime-sized amount of Cover FX SkinPrep FX Nourishing Foundation Primer & Anti-Aging Serum (Sephora, $45). It does double duty as a primer and skin treatment, and is formulated with Vitamin A to fight wrinkles.

Next, I used Lorac Breakthrough Performance Foundation (Sephora, $38). This, too, is an anti-aging product, formulated with ingredients to boost cell turnover. It has an SPF of 14, which will keep skin looking younger for longer. What my mom and I liked about this one is that it provided medium coverage while looking natural and leaving a glowing finish.

To complement her beautiful complexion, I swept Lorac Baked Blush in Hollywood (Sephora, $24) onto her cheekbones and contoured her face with Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Bronzer (Sephora, $39), wanting to balance the shimmer of her blush with a matte bronzer. Then I dabbed Stila's Smudge Pot in Kitten (Stila, $20) on her cheekbones and blended, creating a hint of glow on her cheeks. To set her complexion, I ended with a dust of Bare Minerals Mineral Veil (Sephora, $20).

I started her eyes off with a tiny amount of Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer (Sephora, $20) to help her colors stay put throughout the day. For her eyeshadow, I turned to my all-time favorite brand: Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow, (Sephora, $19). I swept #164 (light brown) from her brows down to her lids, then used #163 (brown) on the outside 3/4 of her lids, blending up into her crease. To lift up her eyes, I blended a bit of #162 (dark brown) into her upper and lower lashline, then added #3 (taupe) just under the highest point of her brow in order to add some height. My goal with her eyes was to draw attention to the top; I used Buxom Insider Eyeliner in Topaz (Sephora, $14) to rim her eyes (only going 1/4 of the way in on the bottom) and then coated her lashes with my latest mascara addiction, Benefit's They're Real! Mascara (Sephora, $22). To frame her eyes, I filled her brows in with Anastasia's Brow Powder Duo in Medium Ash/Medium Brown (Sephora, $22).

On her lips, I used Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in #26 (Sephora, $19), which is a lovely brown-beige with just a hint of rose. Finally, I added a pop of gloss in the center to create the illusion of fuller lips.

What do you think? If I can look as young as she does when I reach fifty, I'll be a happy woman!

It's hot and sticky in my neck of the woods, and the weather's making me itch for autumn-- and the palette to match. I pulled out the plums today, and opted to try a new eyeliner: Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner (Sephora, $18).

Left to Right: Perfect Peacock, Perfect Purple, Perfect Black Orchid, Perfect Storm, Perfect Brown, Perfect Black

Eyeshadow: Currant Couture Trio, Lancomé Eyeliner: Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Orchid Mascara: Urban Decay