Looks I am Loving: Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl

Spotted: Serena getting off the train at Grand Central

I decided to do this Gossip Girl post because I have been re-watching the entire series as prep for New York. Yes, I admit it is totally unrealistic, soap opera-ish, and ultra glam prep but sue me. This post is a little late in the game but I still really want to look like Blake Lively, aka Serena van der Woodsen circa 2008. This being not nearly as cool as doing a re-creation of a look from some obscure cult classic from the 80's or a classic hollywood film I realize, but it is my blog and I will blog about what I want! I still want to live out my Gossip Girl fantasies in New York, unrealistic as they may be, gallivanting on the Upper East side (which turns out is kind of boring really, who'da thunk).

Looks I am Loving: Orange Lips!

J Crew Sprig 2013
Double colour! but pretty no?

When summer comes.... I am lazy. Hot weather to me equals less makeup and more time spent outside walking, bike riding, sitting on patios... mostly sitting on patios; enjoying what little summer we get in Canada. And I want to look cute but not wear a ton of makeup that is going to slide off my face. Or affect my sunscreen reapplication. So giant smoky eye is out of the question. But deep red lips? in the middle of summer? no I want cheer, bright happy, sunny! That's where orange come is. I love orange, its like pink's older, punker, neglected sister. I don't want to look like a Barbie all the time, I want to look cool and fashion-y. What's more fashion-y I ask you then a funky lip colour, a bareface and some big "sunnies"? Nothing. Nothing I say! So here is three levels of orange intensity from dip your toe, to full on.

Looks I am Loving: Oscars 2013!

The Oscars (just imagine Oprah saying it)

So I know the whole internet is talking about the Oscars, but I just did a short bit about my favourites. Bear in mind I am talking about the makeup! I am not rating in any way the fashion because we don't have all night. And most of the makeup I liked came with the dresses I hated so that's an issue. I am not going to dis anyone either because I am trying to keep it positive and we have the entirety of Twitter and Perez Hilton for that. My favourites in no particular order:

How to: Apply Blush

Anna Sui Spring 2012

I saved the best for the last, after bronzer and highlighter, because I think blush is my favourite cosmetic product ever and I wanted to do it justice. To me, it looks good on everyone and makes everyone look better; more alert, healthier. Isn't that what makeup is in theory supposed to do anyway  make us look like a better version of ourselves?

Looks I am Loving: Coloured Eye Shadow SS 2013

Peter Som Spring 2013

So I feel like I have been talking about a lot of heavy stuff lately, and I still am getting a feel of what you guys do and don’t like so I thought I would talk about something fun and leave all the talk of moisturising  and exfoliating behind for a minute and talk about stuff that give us instant satisfaction- Pretty, sparkly eye shadow. I somewhat talked about spring being about natural face + bold something with my last looks I am loving post about the Jessa look. Looking at more pictures from SS 2013 I have discovered another thing I love; the amazing natural face + coloured shadow. Again super simple and you could actually walk down the street without feeling super weird. It has surpassed its junior high school roots and in this other picture from Peter Som, looks down right edgy:

Looks I am Loving: Dick Page for Michael Kors Fall 2012

Rosy prettiness!

So I am going to talk about this even though it’s a bit old. Gasp! It’s from last season! I do really like it and now that I have a blog I can talk about it. They showed it at a recent Shiseido school and I remembered how much I loved it. If you haven’t guessed yet Dick Page is my makeup artistry hero. And it feels appropriate now that the weather has gone frigid and our cheeks have taken on a naturally rosy glow. Nothing perks me up like a good dose of blush.

How to: Apply Nail Polish (+ SS 2013)

From Rag & Bone SS 2013 (same show as I have pictures from on my BB cream post)
I stole this picture from a great Aussie site that has pictures of most of the nails coming down the SS 2013 runway

So I was looking at a bunch of pictures coming off the runways and I came to three conclusions: a) designers are really nutty b) nail art is still going strong and c) that it is high up keep nail season. Not only is there crazy nail art, but also a lot of pastels and whites which are always high maintenance even if they are seemingly not. The problem with whites (and pastels) is that the formulas are generally thick, they require several coats, and show flaws easily. Funky nails also draw attention to the flaky, lizard hands that Canadians have a tendency to get in the winter time, and we are too impatient to wait until July to wear the spring trends. So dig out your hand cream, cuticle balm and buffing sticks. Here is some inspiration from the SS 2013 shows:

Looks I am Loving: Jessa from HBO’s Girls

Jessa bold lip + barely and eye = Awesome

Yes I am not the first person to be raving about this show. It’s a bit much in the sex department for my taste but one thing that has gotten my attention is the makeup. If it is supposed to be a real depiction of women, they are doing a fairly good job, most people don’t wear gobs of makeup. But their characters wear barely any! It is sort of refreshing in a way to see women looking good with just hints of it.

How to: Apply Lipstick like a Hollywood Maven

Lauren Bacall rocking a red lip

                I love lipstick; probably more than is reasonable or rational. It comes in so many different ways and colours and nothing makes me feel like I have myself more together. I think a lot of women are missing out on the fabulousness that is lipstick because they are afraid of it. They blow it out of proportion, into something that is beyond them. This seems to come around a lot at Christmas when everyone out of the blue seems to want to wear lipstick because they think they should but they are lost lambs in a world filled with lip gloss. Lipstick, even applying it in great detail like I have explained here is way easier than any smoky eye I have ever heard of. ­­­­­In the world of makeup, anything goes so don’t be afraid to be wrong, it always washes off. I guess you could go and watch some chirpy, peppy, skinny internet girl do her lipstick but I will offer up my methods of application in hopes that women everywhere will go confidently forth with lipstick: