Category: Make up

Sultry Nude tones: a flirty Make-up look for Valentines

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

Over the years, I’ve sported a lot of make up looks…but for Valentines this year, I was feeling that nothing is more adorable and feminine than a nude palette with a bit of shine, topped off with a matte red lip. It’s romantic, doesn’t appear formal or done up, but looks fashionable and right, with jeans or with a dress. I’m not in a relationship and for those who are at the moment, I am envious of them. I’ve always loved the idea of a holiday for loving, and remember the little cards we’d send to everyone in class in elementary school. As adults, it’s now something so exclusive to couples, something that single people can’t celebrate, but as a single gal, I still want to have fun during this time. So I’ve concocted another makeup look for all the dates that are being enjoyed during this time. I can only imagine.

I have posted a valentines make-up look several years before, and if that is of interest, the link is here. It’s got smoky plums as the theme. But this year, I wanted to do something a little bit racier. I was actually inspired by the playboy bunny’s make up. Subtle nude tones, very glam black liquid liner and mascara, red matte lip. Ultra flirty and feminine. Bedroom eyes. As I was creating this year’s Valentines make-up look, I also realized this is a version of the cat eye, French girl, retro pin up look. It’s just a classic. So here goes.

This is the start of any good make-up, and flawless base. Highlighting can be a great way to make the face look more luminous in photos.
  1. Apply a good foundation on lightly moisturized face. Medium to heavy coverage is best for photos. Then apply and highlighting concealer in certain spots: forehead triangle, under eye bags, nose bridge, chin etc…then blend with a beauty sponge, powder to finish and set.
  2. Next, define the eyebrows with a pencil or powder or gel. Put on the eyeshadow base. I like to use a slight shimmer on my bottom lids for more cute glow. A skin coloured shadow for the top lids work great as a base. Next add a shimmery taupe shade all over the lid. Take a dark tan colour shadow for the crease and outer edges of the lid. blend with a fluffy eyeshadow brush.
  3. Draw in a cat eye line with liquid liner on the top lid. I like to use felt tip pens for control and thinner lines. The line should not be too thick or too thin. It should also extend past the corner of the lid lifting up ever so slightly on a slant.
The eye make up is almost complete. Notice the subtle tan and nude tones. Use a slight shimmer shadow for a romantic sheen.

Finish with a good 1 or 2 coats of volumizing mascara, and ample amount of blush just on the tops of the cheeks. Do not over blush, keep the colour in the area of just the tops of cheeks. And voila, the finished look should be polished, flirty, elegant, and fun. Perfect for any Valentines Day date night.

Do I scream flirty or what? I feel pretty classy in this make-up, and that’s the beauty of it. It just works for any occassion, really.

A tattoo is a skin wound that takes 3 weeks to heal…

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

I recently added some new designs and details to an existing tattoo. Working with a trusted tattoo artist, I let her carve into me some extra sea imagery to my Venus goddess tattoo. For those not familiar with the process, a tattoo is thousands of little holes punched into the inner layer of the skin with an electric needle tool. The holes are filled with pigment and allowed to heal. As a result, it will hold whatever image is placed under the skin permanently. It’s an artform that is truly transformative and meaningful. But it requires the skin to be broken, hurt and maimed. But after some time, it’s an art piece that is painless and wonderful to look at. There are no scars but for the colourful pigments left behind.

This is the original tattoo. Simple and pretty, but not reminiscent of the way Venus was “born of the sea”. I wanted some more water imagery. The artist preps me by shaving the area.

There are other physically painful things that take time for the body to physically recover but the outcomes are so amazing. Childbirth for example. A woman’s body is pushed and stretched beyond comfortable proportions. Labour is very traumatic to experience. Intense contractions, and a human being having to exit a small space, it’s actually pretty violent. But the rewards are very real. A tiny bundle of joy awaits, and it makes the ordeal all worth it. My own experience giving birth to my son had taken me a year to heal before I felt physically like myself again. Ballet dancers are another example. They put their bodies and feet into demanding, often debilitating routines. And the outcome is an artful elegant dance that looks effortless…

My finished creation: I love how the artist made the water so flowy and fluid looking. She looks like a goddess born of the sea now!

During my most recent tattoo session, I was personally going through a break-up of immense emotional pain, walking out of a one sided relationship scenario. I confided this to my tattoo artist and she was sympathetic. She advised me that I should and would find somebody better. I’m always skeptical about the idea that I will find true emotional/spiritual recovery after a break-up, since my heart is actually wounded and it doesn’t seem to have a heal date confirmed. A injured heart doesn’t seem to have a simple, or guaranteed healing timeline the way a new tattoo does. But I figure I will have to take care of my wounds during this time, and believe it can pass. It can be and opportunity for transformation. Skin that has been tattooed on takes 3 weeks to fully heal, my tattoo artist said….but I’m wondering now how long will it take for my heart to heal? I don’t know, but I’m hoping it will also be in 3 weeks time.

Yay, I’m loving it…this is week one of healing this tattoo. Can’t wait till it’s done. Still sensitive.

May is month to celebrate the coming of summer…

~ Emmie ~ 2 Comments

I’d like to think I am pretty spiritual. I find happiness in rituals, I believe in things that can’t be seen, just felt. I like to think about Mother Earth and how she changes the seasons. May 2021 is especially wonderful, because after a winter of lock down in Toronto, Canada, any brightness and colour would easily excite me beyond words. It had been a cold, grey winter lockdown, but with spring finally warming up in this very Northern city, it’s sunny enough to get greenery growing all about. I see flowers blooming, cherry blossoms are on trees, the rains of April have stopped and nature is alive again. A rebirth. Very meaningful to me and joyful.

This particular winter has been very difficult on my mental health as I have posted about in my previous post about weight-loss and gain during the pandemic. Being trapped at home was dark and sunless, as are all winters in Canada…I struggled daily with anxiety and depression. Even now with the change of seasons, I still suffer a bit from a lower mood sometimes, but much less so. I wanted to do a post about celebrating and being thankful for this current pre-summer loveliness that is working hard to cheer me up. Being thankful for connections that can now be made as the weather allows people to go outside and just see, experience, maybe even frolic? I must admit I’ve never frolicked before, but this Spring going into Summer is more a good time than ever to start!

How I Celebrated this May-time Wonder:

I love flowers. I think they always look so beautiful. Flowers add elegance and happiness to anything and/or anyone they decorate and touch. See their work on Mother’s Day, at weddings, funerals, as table decor, patient gifts. Their magic is undeniable. So to celebrate their floral vibrancy I decided to make a simple flower crown and then go outside to model it in photos. I found some cherry blossom trees and could not resist using them as a backdrop for enjoying being in nature and being thankful.

So this is me, modeling my crown. Also modeling this white blouse with ruffle-y sleeves. I think it fit the general mood of May, and it’s themes of rebirth, freedom and enjoyment.

How I Made my Flower Crown:

The crown itself is actually pretty simple to make, First buy some flowers with stems that are delicate enough to wrap. Then grab some floral tape. I got mine from a craft store. Also find a base for the crown. I used a thin headband, but a circular wire, etc…could also work! Then clip off the individual flowers from the bouquet, leaving a stem 1-3 inches long. Then arrange the flowers by colour and shape on the headband, wrapping each stem with the floral tape to the head band in a spiral motion. And Voila; a gorgeous, simple crown that shines with the glory of nature awaits to be worn!

My flowers were a few days old when I made the crown, but a slight wilt makes them look more real. For my eye make-up I wore a vibrant violet shadow, as I was inspired by nature’s colourful florals…

What are some other ways to celebrate the outdoor nature around this time of year? Let me know in the comment section below….