I was popping in and out of the XO offices all last week. Even though I was on vacation, it’s like I can’t stop working; but I also don’t really want to, because I love writing so much and how can I NOT be inspired hanging out in New York with all my favourite people?
So when I came into the office on Monday, Marci had a challenge for me.
“Do you think it’s possible to wear red and green makeup together and make it look good?” she asked. “Not like a Christmas tree?”
And I was all, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Because I’m traveling (and therefore without my massive makeup case), I raided the xoVain makeup stash. Colour is key when it comes to clashing tricky shades, so I was looking for a sheer olive-green eyeshadow.
Flower
Eyes on the Prize Eyeshadow Chubby$7.98
I found it in Flower's Eyes on the Prize Eyeshadow Chubby in Olive My Love.
I am all about things that come in adorable pencil form, so this made me pretty happy.
Revlon
ColorBurst Matte Balm$6.49
To accompany this shadow, I thought that a really bright but rich red would be perfect. You guys told me that I should get my hands on the Revlon Matte Balm in Standout because you knew I’d be obsessed with it, and you were absolutely right.
I started off by scribbling the green shadow all over my mobile eyelid, then blending it with my finger. The Flower shadow blended super-easily without getting creasy and gave me a beautiful, subtle olive-green colour.
M.A.C.
Iridescent Powder$24.00
I set the shadow with a very light veil of MAC Iridescent Powder in Silver Dusk, which as you guys know, is one of my cannot-be-beaten products. This further cut the colour and gave it some additional shimmer that is very holiday-appropriate.
It’s especially important for me to be able to blend yellow-green eyeshadows because my eyes are blue-green. You know how I feel about near-miss colour clashes!
I decided that a smoky eye was better with this than a cat eye, because I want to change it up a bit. Coloured smoky eyes sound like they should be really tricky, but are actually very simple and pretty.
I lined my lower lash line with the olive green eyeshadow all the way to the tear duct, then blended it slightly with a q-tip. Q-tips are not the greatest things to blend makeup with, but if you’ve got the skills, you can use almost anything and get good results.
I lined my upper lash line with black pencil liner, going about ¾ of the way across my lid, then blended it well with black shadow.
I did the same thing under my eyes: lined under my lashes with black pencil, then blended it well with matte black shadow.
I finished it up by lining my upper and lower lash lines with black liquid liner in short, feathery strokes to fill in any weird skin-coloured gaps in my makeup.
I highlighted the inner corners of my eyes and the space under my brow arch with shimmery white shadow, curled my eyelashes and applied two coats of mascara to my top and bottom lashes, then defined my brows with dark brown eyeshadow and an angled brush.
M.A.C.
Powder Blush$23.00
I kept my blush very minimal so that there isn’t too much colour competing all over my face. A light touch of MAC Pink Swoon on the apples of my cheeks was all that I needed, and then I was ready to apply my lipstick.
These Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm Stains are super-easy to apply, and now that it is REALLY COLD, I am especially glad for how nice and hydrating they are on my lips. I don’t even need to use lip liner; I just outline the natural shape of my mouth, then fill it in and it's perfect!
Want to see how it all turned out?
I like it! And I don’t look like a Christmas tree threw up on me!
This is pretty fantastic! Why don't I do smoky eyes more often again? They look so good!
What do you guys think? Are you into the colourful smoky eyes? Would you ever mix red and green together? What are some other colour combinations you’re not too sure about when it comes to makeup?