Miss Lady Mo & the Beauty Beat: Simple Glam For Fall

I could have named this something like "Back to Cool" or "Spring Into Fall", but I didn't want to take the easy way out. I want everyone to have a go-to look to polish up your work day and add the good kind of drama to a night out.

One thing about makeup is there really aren't any hard and fast rules, only personal preference. More often than not, I don't like to combine a dramatic eye look with a deep lip color, but there are ways to make that look werk*.

*For you who don't know why I spelled it that way, first, hit up Urban Dictionary or watch RuPaul's Drag Race and second, burn your Crocs as penance for not knowing it in the first place.

SUPPLIES

For this look you're going to be constructing a strong eye and there will be lots of smudging so you will need a creamy eye liner like Jo Mouselli Xtreme Lashes Black Pencil. The best pencil for smudging, it's the blackest black that blends like a dream.

If you buy anything new this season, the absolute best set that needs to be in everyone's train case is Chella's Brow Kit. I use this each time I do my makeup, but also every time I paint someone else's face. You get scissors, tweezers, a small razor for cleaning up stray hairs, the best brow pencil and brow gel, but the grande poobah is my favorite jumbo pencil: Ivory Lace. It's meant for highlighting the brow bone, but I love using it as a shadow base for brighter colors and using it on the inner corners of the eye for a more "awake" look. Just call it the hangovers best friend ;)

For this look I combine a satiny brownish pewter and pale silvery grey with a matte peachy rose. The best combo is using from Gunmetal and Ashen from Coastal Scents with Rose de Mai from Chanel.

I've had a lot of people ask about a good starter set of brushes. I really like the shadow brushes from RealTechniques, but it's their stippling foundation brush that's the true steal. It stands up perfectly to the high end stippling brushes, I cannot recommend this more!

LETS DO IT TO IT

Take your Xtreme Lashes eye liner and starting at the center of the lash line, draw a U shape that curls up at the outer corner and is sketched under the brow bone, stopping 3/4 of the way to the inner corner.

Using a firm eye liner brush, smudge the line you just made. Taking your fluffy shadow brush, blend Gunmetal along the smudged U.

You don't want to see definite and precise lines, so make sure to really blend the shiz out of it.

With a clean shadow brush, apply Rose de Mai from the inner corner, across the lid and softly blend into the inner edges of the Gunmetal shadow.

Using a small, firm shadow brush, pat Ashen above the brow bone. Follow with a clean blending brush and blend that shadow evenly above the brow bone. You don't want a solid mass of color above the brow bone, it really needs to be blended and softened so that the greys blend into a nice ombré look.

For the lower lash line , I sweep ashen from inner corner to outer corner with firm shadow brush. Do not worry about making this a defined thin line.

Using a fine lining brush, apply Gunmetal to the outer lashline, brushing into the root of the lashes.

Take a clean blending brush and blend the two colors together.

For darker, smokier eye looks, be prepared for the dreaded shadow fallout. Make cleansing wipes your friend! I like Burts Bee's cleansing wipes.

After clearing away the black eye you just gave yourself, apply a couple dabs of eye cream and then using a concealer brush, pat concealer around the orbital bone. Pat! Do not rub or pull or drag!

I love the whole Loreal True Match line and have found the quality to be better than the high end brands. The concealer, specifically, is way better than any other I've used. It also translates well in photos as opposed to giving the lovely raccoon look.

I just wrapped up a BB Creme comparison, of which I'll post results, and have found my favorite! Marcelle has such a comfortable light weight feel and gives quite a bit of coverage for a BB Creme. I apply with a stippling brush to get the most perfect and airbrushed look. I love how beautiful and natural my skin looks. It literally glows.

To keep this glow, I used Hard Candy's Pillow Talk cream blush. Their Hide and Go Cheek dual cream blushes give you more bang for your buck as the colors compliment each other when worn together, but stands on their own when used separately.

You can apply directly, but I prefer applying with a clean stippling brush. That will keep the BB Creme or foundation from smearing and give a natural look.

To set it all, Be A Bombshells loose translucent setting powder applied with a fluffy powder brush does the trick. For best results I apply it to the T zone area and under the eyes.

If you want an extra boost, Kryolan makes a great cream highlighting cream that looks gorgeous when applied to the high points of the face. Pixi's light bronzer can be used on cheek bones, and temples. It's more of a skin enhancer than a bronzer and can be used in place of your blush. It's great even for oilier skin types as it's not a heavy shimmer or glitter.

I love MAC pencils! A cheap dupe is Jordana, but there are some colors found only at the Mothership: From top to bottom: Stripdown, Whirl and Currant.

All 3 work like a charm with this Fall's lip picks!