Fall Fashion Trend: Peplums, A Brief History

Ahh! Oh no!!!! I just realized I'd never published this post, which was originally supposed to go out early last week. Well lucky you guys just got two fashion posts in one day! Congrats!

Hello again!
 I'm here to talk about a trend we've all seen throughout the year: peplums*!
I don't know about you guys but I absolutely loooove peplums. I even love saying the word (though I never know if I'm pronouncing it right). I think they make a woman's silhouette more feminine and sultry, though you have to know what to wear for your body shape (see link at end of article). For me, peplums (the ones that are currently in style at least) are the perfect blend of the overly abundant, almost dominating use of feminine figures of the past and the sleek and sexy styles that pervade today's fashion markets . But enough about my feelings, let's talk a bit about what peplums are.

*For those of you who don't know- peplums are sections of fabric added to dresses, skirts, and blouses/jackets (usually around waist/hip region) that can expand just beyond the silhouette of the clothes and create a curvier effect. They can be flared, gathered, or pleated. 

Statue of Goddess Artemis

Statue of goddess Athena

So what can be said about them? First, I think a bit of history is needed; the word "peplum" actually originates from the ancient Greek work peplos which was actually an article of female clothing with a style/decorative aspect similar to what we see today. Though, in ancient Greece, peplums weren't added to clothes, but were in fact the extra fabric from a long tunic/shawl that had been gathered or tied above the hemline. In fact, if you've ever seen images of ancient Greek goddesses, you'll notice that many of them are wearing dresses with peplums, though they're considerably looser than what we're seeing today.


  

40s peplum dress.

80s peplum dress. What a difference!

 VS

So this trend is considerably older than we'd thought. Now for those of you who are saying "who cares? That was thousands of years ago" here's a little more back story: peplums were all the rage back in the 40s, though they were rather straight and downplayed and didn't call much attention to the hips. They fell out of the public for a while and reemerged in the 80s as a different style altogether. Gone were the straight, plain jane peplums of the 40s; now there were dramatic cuts and flowing fabric that grabbed a man's eyes and glued them to a woman's hips. But, alas, even those could not stay in style forever and peplums were once again packed up and tucked away in the very backs of American closets.

And so...we've returned to today where the peplums have once again made a drastic revival in 2012, starting off with light fabric and cute patterns for spring and gradually moving into heavier, more textured ones for the cooler weather. And, of course, the bigger the better ;)

Etro F/W 2012 Leather peplum Belt

Question of the Day:
Which style of peplum do you prefer? Are you more of a retro gal or do you love the more modern peplums?

Until tomorrow,
xxxTwistedxxx

Fall 2012: Makeup Trends

Hey all!
As promised, I am here and ready to give you a post that will change your lives. Well...maybe not. But I am here to entertain and perhaps inform you with my own personal brand of straight forward fashion advice (is it really advice? Seems more like a discussion blog). The subject of today? Makeup.

Makeup is, arguably, the most essential fashion accessory any woman can have. Change the way you apply your makeup, the colors you use, or even do none altogether, and you can look like a completely different person! And so, today's blog will focus on that important, but less often talked about, aspect of fashion. With that said, let's begin!

Taupe Shadow Trend 2012

It's difficult to discuss makeup trends without talking about the trending colors, since the two are intrinsically tied. So I'm going to give you just a small blurb of the more popular colors this fall, which will be expanded on in a later post. So a few of the colors we'll see more of during the upcoming months are taupe (pictured above), burgundy (very popular for a splash of attention to the eyes or lips), metallics, and earthy tones. Keep in mind that certain items may fall into more than one of these categories, but that just means you're twice as fashionable ;)

Now on to some of the trends:
Rather than describing them, I'm going to try something new and just show images with slight descriptions in the captions. More visual usually means more enjoyable, right? Let me know how you like it!

Mixed metallics trend. Add an extra oomph to that metallic smoky eye by mixing your steels with champagnes, bronzes with silvers and golds, and throwing a bit of platinum into the mix

Barefaced Trend. Make your makeup pop by wearing less. For this look, neutrals are key- beiges, taupes, soft golds, etc. Keep your lips a soft, neutral color and add just a hint of color to the cheeks. You want to go for that "emerging crush" rosiness. But...don't forget to go big on the lashes! That's one thing that's super popular this fall!

Nail fashion trends for this fall. This fall, the nails are all about the key colors listed above: anything kind of earthy and dark will work (I'll be trying a look soon and might post a couple pics ;)) but the trend is very stuck on metallics and red shades ranging from chartreuse to deep plums. Bordeaux is included, of course.

Red lip trend. I may have done a little blurb on this in a previous post, but the main feature for this fall is redish purples. Putting a bit of a darker spin on the classic red lips, this trend plays with colors like plum, chartreuse (I just really love that word), and burgundy to play up a more gothic, sexy look. Also popular, neutral lips-anything from your skin tone to a just kissed pink.

And so, that's the end of my little picture show. Hope you guys learned something, or at least enjoyed it! Now go make yourselves up!

Question of the Day:
What's your favorite makeup trends this fall? Is there anything you've been seeing that I've missed? What did you think about my new format for showcasing trends? Do you like it more/less than the previous conversation-like format?

Byes!
xxxTwistedxxx

Busy Busy Busy- Short Notice

Hey guys,
It's been a real long time, I know, but my life has been hell since last Monday. I also know that that's no excuse but...I've had exam after exam and paper after paper and it's just been a veritable cluster fuck of school life and extra-curriculars. I even had to give up my raw food diet because I just didn't have enough energy to keep me going from 8am to 2am every day.

But...I'm kind of sort of back now and am looking to get back on track with my diet and my blogging (I've found that, without the blog, the diet is much harder to maintain) and trying to get my life in order. It's not going to be that easy, mind you; I have two more exams in the next week, and fully booked weekends between now and...mid-November. Sounds fun, right?

Anyway, this was just a short post to give you an idea of where my life is, plus I felt that I owed you all an explanation for not being around for a week and a half (or was it two weeks?). I'll be posting again tomorrow with material that's actually related to the blog title. I might do something related to makeup since it's been a while since I covered that. And, as always, if you have any topic suggestions, leave it as a message and I'll see what I can do.

Question of the Day:
Am I the only one who's been bombarded with obligations out the ass in the past and upcoming few weeks? How do you deal with super stressful/busy times? Any tips on maintaining a diet when everything seems to go to shit?

Mata ashita,
xxxTwistedxxx

Fall Fashion Trends: Hairdos

Bonsoir!!!

I thought I'd shake things up just a bit today and veer away from clothes for a moment. What's one area of fashion that, while its trends change just as often as the seasons do, isn't as noticeable? That's right- hair. The reason for this is pretty simple: if you try out a new clothing trend and it doesn't work, you just change clothes. But if you get a jacked-up hairdo, it's there to stay for much longer than it takes you to open your closet and find a new outfit. Plus, so many of us have a favorite haitstyle/ a look that works for us, and it's hard to think of taking that away. Nowadays, the ponytails are lower, bangs are stringier, and the layers are cut edgier than we've seen in a while.I guess we just have to face it people; the times are always changing and what was on top last winter isn't necessarily still there. So let's take a look at one of the more popular hairstyles to emerge for this season.

I'd like to take this time to discuss a hairstyle that we've seen donned by many women, famous and infamous. That hairstyle is this:

The Dreaded Topknot

That's right, ladies- the topknot. I have a feeling I'm the minority when I say this, but I abhor this season's topknot. That's not to say I dislike topknots in general: when done correctly, they can add either a sleek touch of elegance or a cute burst of casual freshness to your look. My problem, however, is when people sport looks like the one above. I mean, it's an appropriate hairstyle if you're just getting out of the gym, but doesn't really work otherwise.

Vanessa Hudgens with braided topknot

And that's where the problem lies: it seems people only do the messy topknot look at the least inappropriate times. DO NOT, under any circumstances, wear that hairstyle to a conference, or any occasion where the dress code doesn't specify t-shirts and basketball shorts. Even if you're doing a casual topknot, you can still put in a little effort to make it look a little more organized. Look at V.H. in this pic. Even though she's clearly going for a casual/cutesy look, she's still took the time out to braid it, tuck most of those wispy little strands in, and even gave herself some cute bangs to complete the look. Cute, simple, but doesn't scream "I got into a fight with my comb this morning and the comb won"







Question of the Day:
How do you feel about topknots? Do you love them, hate them, or not really care? Are there any other hair trends you've seen recently that caught your eye (in a good or bad way)? Let me know!


Bonne journée
Twisted

More Fall Denim Trends/Layout of the Future Posts

First, I'd like to start off by apologizing to all of you for being so far behind. This summer was horrible and hectic and I didn't post anywhere near as much as I should have, so I'd like to apologize for that as well.

Giorgio Armani at MFW 2012. Love the hair!

For those of you who are more aware of what's going on in the world of high-fashion, I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't cover NYFW that ended nearly two weeks ago or LFW/MFW which are both currently underway. And the reason for that is that all of these events are showcasing spring/summer fashion for 2013. While it's important to know the trend before seasons change, I still haven't had a chance to discuss the trends for this autumn/winter. And, since we're currently in those seasons, I'd like to take a chance and run through those before I jump on the spring/summer trends for next year. To prove that my apology is sincere, I'm giving you guys a little preview of MFW:

I'm going to try and get everything done as fast as possible so I can move on but I don't want to do FW's until January or so. I do intend to take my time with the fashion week coverages, however, I think doing a different event each week should be a good time frame to go over everything. And, of course, I'll be touching on other little fun/fashion-y things I come across in my daily life, or someone might suggest to me.

So...now that that's out of the way, I want to quickly touch on another fall trend that's been emerging for months now: denim. And, I don't mean just jeans. I mean all denim EVERYTHING. Denim shoes, shirts, jackets, and other clothing items are everywhere at the moment. And I'm not really sure how I feel about it.

Yikes! No wonder they broke up!

 I love the concept- it gives more depth to denim as a fabric since there are so many different textures and styles to play with. The only problem is, some people don't know when to stop. I mean, jeans, a cute top, and a denim jacket (different wash/texture fro jeans please) is a cute outfit; not too over the top, and showcases the trend without being too...couture. The problem is when someone dons denim from head to toe IN THE SAME WASH (use this pic of JT and Brit as reference). Can you say one-toning*? It brings the 80s back, but not in a cute-cause-it's-retro way, more like a which-musty-closet-did-you-pull-that-outfit-from kind of way.




Though I guess this is the problem with all fashion trends; there are always those people who overdo it and scare you away. I think, though, that denim is something that is more easily overdone than a lot of other trends we've seen in the past some odd years. It's just the basic rule of life: too much of anything is never a good thing.


*one-toning: slang term used for someone who is wearing only one color or colors similar enough to be seen as the same color.



Questions of the Day:
How do you feel about the all over denim trend? Have you ever seen it misused in a way that made you cringe? Would you prefer to talk about the spring/summer trends now, or during the New Year?

Besos!

Raw Food (Kind of) Diet Days 1 and 2!!!

Tag! Wie geht's?

I know, I know; you're probably wondering why I didn't post yesterday, right? Well, I'll tell you why: I was so hungry that looking at a computer screen gave me a headache and so I ended up going to bed at 9pm. For those of you who don't know, I didn't wake up till about 1 o'clock. Yeah, now it's scary, huh? My meals yesterday consisted of a large amount of sunflower seeds, thermos upon thermosfulls of green tea, and a large salad consisting of lettuce, spinach, several handfuls of craisins, and a boiled egg. It was fantastic! Though I don't know whether it's my own opinion or just induced by the insane hunger I was feeling yesterday evening. That's how my first day went.

Today wasn't much better to be honest- I woke up half an hour earlier than yesterday, but I've only been drinking tea all day (though it's only been about 5 hours since I woke). I am currently munching on a gigantic salad much like the one from yesterday, but with less craisins, more eggs, and chicken. And I gotta say, I am really loving this salad! I also packed some carrot sticks for later tonight when I really get into studying. I might stop by the market and pick up some fruit too. I'm sure I can get through today incident free, but still cheer me on. You never know when I might crack!

And for those of you who are worried I'm starving myself/not consuming enough calories, I assure you, I'm pretty worried myself. Yesterday was an exception to this rule, but I'm trying to use juice/drinks to supply whatever calories I may be missing. And I know that it's healthier to just eat large quantities of healthy food, but this diet isn't really about being healthy. This diet is really about two things: 1. shocking my system away from processed food (which is why I try to stick to natural juice and tea but sometimes sweeter drinks are unavoidable) and 2. Forcing my stomach to become smaller by reducing the amount I eat at one time and in general. Well, I guess there's a secret third reason for doing this diet and that's to kick my addiction to carby sweets/breads (I'm not including fruit in this), though this ties into the second reason pretty easily. I'm hoping that, but avoiding them in general, I won't want them as much + my stomach will shrink since those foods expand in the stomach and I eat them way too much.

Well, that's basically a rundown of everything I'm doing and how it's all been going so far. I've never been able to make it past the first 3 days of a diet, so I feel that tomorrow will determine whether this is something I ride through to the end, or if I'll just quit and try something else.

Question of the Day:
Do you fail with diets like me? Is there a magic number of days you can't seem to get past? Or do you have enough willpower to stick to a diet for long periods of time? What are your feelings on my diet/diets in general?

Raw Food Diet

So...this post isn't so much fashion centric as it is me-centric. I was taking a quiz online about eating habits, when I stumbled across a question asking my weight. Now I'd weighed myself about two weeks ago and was shocked to see the numbers 1, 7, and 6 (in that order) flashing on my scale. Today, however, I stepped back on the scale and almost fell off in shock when I saw 179 sliding across my display. I'm so depressed right now :(...

And so, I've decided it's time to make a change. A drastic one. Which leads me to the subject of this blog post: I am starting a raw food diet from here on. That's right! As of 33 minutes ago, I am only allowed to eat foods that are uncooked -basically fruits and vegetables until I've shed 25 pounds. I've also decided to include lean protein like chicken breast and fish, but absolutely no carbs or fats. Now I'm hoping I won't have to keep this up for more than 2 weeks, because I don't think I'll be able to handle it for much longer. Don't get me wrong, I love salads and fruit and everything but...it's not 3 meals worth of love. By the end of the first day, I'll probably look like this ^ lol. I'll also be drinking copious amounts of green tea (which I love) to help curb my hunger.

The hardest part of all this will definitely be overcoming my intense sugar cravings. But, I've already devised a plan to deal with that; anytime I feel like I need sugar to live, I'll go buy a bottle of peach mango fuse and chug it until I feel better. I hope it works!

This is going to be a difficult journey but I hope you guys can cheer me on! Or join me!!!!

Question of the Day:
Have you ever imposed an super strict diet on yourself? Did it work out well? Or was it just too impossible? Do you think I could do it?

COLORED JEANS

Two-a-days whoo!!!
Hey hey hey! This is my second post today! Amazing isn't it?
Well since my last post had nothing to do with the subject of the blog, I decided I'd give you a real post to make up for it.

This one features what is probably my favorite fashion trend since last autumn/winter and especially during the spring:

Colored Jeans!!!

First, let me start off by saying: I love love love colored jeans. Always have, and probably always will. They were super popular during spring/summer (those sometimes soft, sometimes electric colors were everywhere this year) and that trend has carried over into the autumn/winter fashion season as well, though in a bit of a different form.

During spring/summer, it was all about solid pretty colors. They were bright or soft and always fun, but typically only one color was the focal point. There were a couple exceptions to this rule as the different colored leg jeans/leggings also got a bit of attention in 2012 but, for the most part, people kept it simple with one great color. Now, for fall, we do have a bit of single colored jeans floating around- the colors are a bit darker; shades like plum, olive, burnt orange, and other earthy tones are the main focus of this season's funky colored leg covers.

BUT (and this is a big but) one thing that has been flying around is patterned jeans. Granted, this is something that's been shifting from one form to the other for years now but I feel like it has a pretty decent foothold in fall of this year. So take those dark colored jeans and add a bit of a pattern to them, whether it's a lace design, something floral, or gingham, just add a bit of depth to your jeans by providing even more to look at. And if you can rip them on top of all that, you've managed to incorporate three of the biggest trends in denim this fall!

That's all I really have to say on the topic of colored jeans for the fall/winter fashion season this year, but I will probably have to publish another two or three posts talking about the other denim trends this year since there are so many!

Question of the day:
How do you feel about colored jeans? Were you like me and jumped into the style headfirst? Or did you prefer to hang back and ride it out with good old trusty blue jeans? Any other denim trends you're caught up in this fall? Anything in particular you'd like me to talk about?

Off-Topic: Acting Class

Hey all! I'm baaaaaaaaaaacck!
Been a long time hasn't it?
And, to make matters worse, my first post in several months isn't even going to feature any fashion/makeup info but, rather, I'll be talking about an acting class I'm currently that's helped me to become more aware of the way I use my body and how others perceive that movement.
So, basically, this class has been emphasizing using breath to ease into motion and using motion to cause breath (the interplay between the two is extremely interesting) and how we can control both to express certain emotions.

 Honestly, I love this class. When I first started, I couldn't help thinking things like "what a load of artsy-fartsy bullcrap" among other things. But I couldn't help it; I'm an engineering major! Now, however, I am finally becoming more aware of how my body both responds to and influences my emotions and physical well-being. It's such a curious feeling when you finally start to notice something you'd always taken for granted. I'd never noticed before this class how restricted my movements become when I'm sick. And I'm not talking 'I'm about to die if I don't drug myself' sick but more of a light cough, minor sore throat sick. Now, I can see just how limited my breath is, and can feel the lethargy in my body both from that lack of air, and my sadness over being sick (I'm the sort of person who gets super depressed when I get sick). It's so much fun to explore and expand the limits of what I can do.

By the end of the semester, I'll be a whole new, more graceful and artistic me!

Question of the day:
Have you ever taken an acting class or any other artsy class that got you thinking in a new way? How did you feel about it? 

Slipped My Mind and Winged Liner CHALLENGE!!!

I am so sorry that I haven't update my blog in 5 days! Things have just been ridiculously busy at work, plus one of my good friends came to visit me from out of town and so whenever I'm not working, I'm doing something with him. It's just been a hectic week for me. But, that's still no excuse for skipping out on 5 entries.

So to make up for my oversight, I will be giving you guys a product review post within the net few hours. My new shadow palette arrived and I've been dying to show it off! So wait another five hours or so (until I get off work) and I'll start up posting again.

Just so this isn't a pointless post of me talking about dumb things, I'm going to post a link to an article I read recently about different types of winged liner styles and how they add to the overall look of the face. It's short, but I find it rather interesting. This article lists 5 styles, so my goal for next week is to wear one per day. Some of them are a little too intense for daytime, though, so I'll only wear them when I go out at night.

So here's the link to the article (it even comes with instructions):
 http://www.lovelyish.com/757757102/5-alternative-winged-eyeliner-looks/

I love, love, love all of these looks!

Eyeliner Series Day 5: Shadow as Eyeliner LAST DAY!!!

Yes, you read that right- this will be the final post in my eyeliner series. So, for the final day, I decided to talk about an unexpected type of eyeliner: shadow. This includes pressed shadow, loose shadow, pigment pots, and the like. Anything meant to be used as a color on the lids.

Many people are aware that eyeshadow can be used for several things, but they never really think to tap into its abilities just on the eye. If you're looking for a pop of color on your lids but don't have a colored liner, eyeshadow can make a great substitute. It works if you want a more subtle line or maybe even if you want to blend the lid color into the lash line and then put an actual liner on top (I like doing this to soften the impact of my liner).

 

 

The best part, you can use different mixing mediums to create different liner effects. (MAC has fantastic mixing media). Note that this works best with loose shadow and pigment pots. Different media can cause the shadow to go on in different ways. Don't believe me? Grab a brush, wet it with some water, dip it in your shadow, and put some on. You can see a definite difference between the wet and dry applications. Using the different mixing media, you can control the way your liner looks.

Essentially, you can create your own versions of the other four liners in the series using only shadow. Cool, huh?

 

How to Apply Shadow as Liner:
Grab a liner brush, dip it in your mixing media (if using one) and dip it in your eyeshadow. Now, you want to apply this similar to how you apply a crème liner. Just a note: if you're not using a mixing media, then you can avoid any shadow fallout by pressing or packing on the shadow with your brush. To do this, you simply press your brush against your lid without swiping. Think of it as stamping on your shadow.

That's pretty much all I have to say about using shadow as a liner. During the summer, I like to use a bright, shimmery shadow to line my lower waterline. I simply use a normal pencil liner as my base and pack my shadow on top of it. I have to be very careful when I'm using it since it's hard to keep the loose shadow from falling in my eye. There are plenty of other ways to use shadows, though, so enjoy coming up with them!

Besos,

Twisted

Questions of the day:

Have you ever used eyeshadow as a liner? Or even as something else? Have you ever heard of/used mixing media? What are your thoughts? Now that I've finished the eyeliner series, is there anything you'd like me to blog about? Any suggestions are welcome!

 

Eyeliner Series Day 4: Crème Eyeliner

Now I know that I already introduced the cat eye concept yesterday with my liquid liner spiel but…crème liner is my absolute favorite type of liner for cat eye. You can easily create the look with either of the two liners but I just love the way crème liner looks. To me, it’s the most dramatic type of liner; it’s always so intense. Even better, colored crème liner also looks great as a substitute shadow or shadow base. It’s great for any dark and intense/smoky and can be used to line the waterlines as well since it doesn’t get into the eye as much as liquid and, if you can avoid blinking until it dries, it doesn’t smudge too much either.  

This is going to be a short post because I’ve pretty much talked about everything I wanted to concerning crème liner. That being said, let’s learn how to apply it, shall we?

How to apply crème liner:

      What you’ll need:

• Liner
• Brush (I recommend any sort of flat or angled liner or thin brush though the liners usually come with their own)

Same as with the liquid, crème liner is extremely easy to fudge up, so you’ll need to keep your application arm anchored. I prefer to do this by resting my elbow on a table or some other surface while facing a mirror. If applying to the lid, hold the brush slightly above the eye and angle it downward so that it touches your lid. This helps you avoid catching the lashes with your liner and not only reduces the possibility of mess, but also can prevent the award gaps you get in your liner when an eyelash gets in the way.

Once you’ve got the proper position, it’s time to begin. Either dip your brush into or swipe it across your liner to get some on the brush and apply it to your lid. At this point, it’s more like a pencil liner than anything else, so feel free to apply it using whatever method makes you the most comfortable. A word of warning, however, the brush can move in a direction you don’t want it to, so be sure to keep your body as still as possible and try to pile thinner lines on top of each other rather than going for a thick line in one go. This will reduce the possibility of any huge flubs and prevent you from having to start over as often. Now, you just have to make sure not to touch the liner before it dries fully (10-15 seconds)

If you’re using the liner as a shadow, I find that using a finger is best, but brushes are also a great option. I prefer using my fingers because the heat from my hands softens the crème a bit and allows it to spread more easily. Feel free to use whichever you want, however. To put it on, just take some of the liner and rub/swipe/pat/stipple it over your eyelid (the one you do depends on how you want the shadow to go on). If I’m using the liner as a base, I prefer to swipe it one and rub it with my finger so I can blend the color out into my skin a bit better. If I’m using it as a solitary shadow, I rub a bit on (for the blending) and then pat a bit more on top of it. I really only stipple if I’m using a brush and that helps it blend fantastically.  

A fun tip: the liner looks different when applied with a wet or dry brush so try them both out and see which one you like best!

Besos,

Twisted

Questions of the Day:

Do you love, love, love crème liner as much as I do? Or am I just crazy? How do you like to use your crème? As an intense liner? A subtle liner? Or maybe you’re like me and use it as an eye shadow/blush/lip base?

Eyeliner Series Day 3: Liquid Liner and Cat Eyes

This is probably my favorite type of eyeliner to use, and my least favorite to apply. It’s extremely important to maintain and steady hand and, be conscious of everything you’re body is doing. You don’t know how many times I’ve been almost done applying my liquid liner just to have an unexpected sneeze jostle my hand and ruin everything. At the same time though, liquid liner is amazing when you want any sort of precision and/or dramatic flare. Because the brushes are so thin, you can go from a thin, barely noticeable line to something that draws attention like wings or a cat eye. Really, liquid liner is definitely a go to for a hot night out, along with crème liner (which will be the subject of tomorrow’s post).

Since I’ve already talked about the most important pros and cons of liquid liner in my intro, I’m going to arrange this post a little differently. Instead of prattling on for another couple of paragraphs, I’m going to post pictures of some of my favorite uses of liquid liner and then give a basic summary of how to apply it.

*I apologize for the strange formatting in the pics, I couldn't get them to upload any better*

How to apply liquid liner:

The first thing to do when applying liquid eyeliner is steady the application hand. This can be done on a table or some other surface if you’re sitting down. If you apply it standing up, like I usually do, you can steady it against whatever flat, vertical surface you’re facing (I usually use the wall or my full length mirror) or with your other hand (I find this rather difficult). At this point, there are a lot of different methods for actually putting on the liner. 

There’s the dash method where you make dashes/dots along your lid to serve as a map for your line. Then you just go back over and connect the dots in a continuous line. Pretty simple. 

OR

There’s the method I use, which is just applying the liner in 2 sections. First, I start in the middle of my eyelid and draw a relatively thin line (in the shape I want) to the outer corner of my eyelid. Then, I move to the inner corner of my eye and draw a line from there to the center of my eyelid, meeting the first line, and carry it through to the end. I like using this method because my inner corners are always a problem spot when applying eyeliner- I find that the line can easily get too thick or too thin and then it throws off the way the rest of my eye looks. When I do it this way, I can establish the curve I want and then use my inner corner liner to dictate the thickness of the rest of the liner. That way, I can control the balance in thicknesses (I’m really particular about this, if you couldn’t tell).

If you’re new to liquid liner, I’d recommend starting off with the dot-line method and, once you’re comfortable making lines with a brush, try out my method or devise your own. I know some people who apply liquid liner in one smooth line and they like the way it looks. There are a lot of ways to do it, just make sure you do something you’re comfortable with. A word of warning: thicker lines tend to look more dramatic so, if you mess up and you’re going for a more subtle look, don’t just keep painting more liner on until you get the curve you want. The most important things liquid liner teaches you are patience, balance, how to match your makeup with the event you want it for, and that,  it can be easier to start fresh rather than trying to cover up your mistakes.

Well, that's all for this post, really. Hope it taught something, or, at the very least, entertained you!

Besos,

Twisted

Questions of the day:

Do you typically find liquid liner to be worth the hassle? How do you apply your liquid liner? Do you have a favorite type of liquid liner applicator (ex: brush vs felt tip)?

Eyeliner Series Day 2: Twist Top Liners

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. Thou art as easy to apply as any pencil liner
2. Thy twist-top design helps me avoid breaking and controls how much product I want
3. Thou doth not smudge as much as pencils
4. Yet Thou possesses the color definition and versatility of a pencil (almost)

Sorry, I’ve had Shakespeare on the brain all day and wanted to do something in tribute. I know it sucks, but, hey, I’m a blogger, not a writer. In all seriousness, though, I absolutely LOVE twist-top pencil liners. I know what some of you are thinking. If you love them so much, why can’t you let go of plain pencil liners? And, to be honest, I don’t really have an answer for that. Maybe it’s because pencil liners are the first liners I’ve ever used, or that I prefer to tightline with plain pencils but…I just have an attachment to plain pencil liners that I can’t sever. Not that it really matters, though, since I love and use both. In fact, right at this moment, I have 2 twist top liners in my purse (in emerald green and deep ocean blue). 

As for application of this type of liner, what I said before with the pencil liner thing can apply with these as well. Just one note, however, you have to be careful how you turn and twist your liner as you’re applying it; you could accidentally twist it closed. Trust me, it happens. I use this liner just above my lash line, and I love it! I’m also currently using it for tightlining as well, as I’m in the market for a new plain pencil liner that stays. I’m thinking I’ll try out the waterproof liner from bhcosmetics.com. I absolutely love the site; their products are easy on the pocketbook but really high quality. I’ve ordered 4 different 120 color shadow palettes, a lip palette, and brushes, and I can’t say a bad word about the company. Anyway, this isn’t a plug for the website (I’ll be doing that some time in the future) so I’ll get back to the subject at hand: twist-top liners.

The downsides:

As far as I’m concerned, twist-top liners don’t have any serious downsides. Sure, the retraction can get annoying, but it’s a mistake you’ll only make once in a blue moon, if that often. The only other negative I can consider is that this liner doesn’t last as long as liquid. It still lasts longer than pencil, though, and I don’t like using liquid to tightline so I don’t really have a choice. It’s the lesser of two evils, so to speak. Ah well, I don’t really mind touching up my liner every few hours or so. It’s a smile price to pay to look fabulous!

Just one more thing: my favorite twist top eyeliners are from Rimmel (pictured above); their Deep Ocean and Emerald colors are to die for! I love using funky eyeliner colors in summer!

Besos,

Twisted

Questions of the day:

Do you prefer normal pencil liners or the ones that twist up? If you use both, do you prefer to use one for something special, or do you just grab the first one you see and use it for anything? What’s your favorite brand/color?

Eyeliner Series Day 1: Pencil Eyeliner and How to Tightline!

Let me just start by saying that I have a severe love-hate relationship with pencil liner. I consider it the easiest and most convenient liner to carry around. Just for clarification, when I say pencil liner, I mean a made-of-wood, you need an eraser to sharpen it pencil liner, not one of those twist tops (I'll be talking about those tomorrow). Also, for those of you who want to skip my boring narrative and get straight to the application instructions, just scroll down to the passage underneath the image.

Seriously, a good color liner can do everything- brow touchups, lip touchups (as a liner or base), and it even makes a decent contour base in dark brown. Oh, and don't forget lining the eyes. You can use it for that, too. I especially love pencil liner for tightlining (lining the water lines). It doesn't run into my eyes like other types of liners and I find that I have more control over the amount of color I put on with pencil.

I think pencil liner is one of the most versatile beauty tools out there. Problem is, it never stays on my skin as long as other liners. Maybe it's because I have oily skin why the liner seems to rub off so quickly but, even with a primer and foundation, I lose my liner within two or three hours. I refuse to give up on it, however, pencil liners have too much possibility for me to swear off them forever. Maybe next time I'll try an anti-shine serum, primer, AND foundation and see how that works. Wish me luck!

How to apply pencil liner:
Eyelid:
A great way to apply this liner involves both hands. Use one to pull the edges of the lid slightly outwards and the other to run the pencil back and forth over the lid, making sure to stay close to the last line. The reason this is one of my favorite methods is because pencils tend to go on lighter than other liners I've used, so I find that I have to run back and forth to get a sufficient amount of color on my eye. The straight line method is quick, easy, and great for thicker lines, which is mostly what I use pencil liners for anyway.

Tightlining:
My absolute favorite thing to do with pencil liner is tightlining (definition above), it can make your look more dramatic, colorful, seductive, or whatever you're going for.  Here's a video I love that teaches you about tightlining; it's by Petrilude who is one of my favorite youtube makeup gurus.

Basically, you want to keep your lining hand steady and you can use the other hand to tug on your eye to make it easier to apply. I'm a super multitasker so I hate using two hands for something I only need one for. So, anyway, keep your lining hand steady and run the side of the pencil back and forth over your waterline, being careful not to come into contact with your actual eye.
Tip: I've found it a bit easier to look in the opposite direction of where I tightline. This means looking up if you're lining the bottom and up if you're lining the top.

That's all I have for this post. Check back tomorrow for my post on twist-top pencil liners, and maybe another if the post is too short!

Besos,
Twisted

Questions of the Day:
1. How do you feel about pencil liners? Do you use them for multiple things like me?
2. Do you like tightlining?
3. And, finally, did this post teach you anything or rehash anything you may have learned before? Answer in the comments, please :).