Brown Smoky Eye Tutorial

Hey everyone! It's the weekend again. I'm experiencing major DOMS right now since I've been working out everyday following my monthly calendar and even inserting some pole training after my workout (gotta take advantage of being warm!) today is rest and recovery day and I thought of doing  a makeup tutorial. I haven't done one for so long so I'm like, why not, right? So here I go.

This look is pretty easy and doesn't use a lot of loud or crazy colors. I thought I'd go classic this time. It can be used by anyone and can be worn if you're going to prom or attending a wedding or even just going out to meet friends. This is called the brown smoky eye, which, obviously uses a lot of browns and here, I made browns look not boring. When I was starting out with makeup, I used to hate browns because I found it so boring and blah and reserved only for the lolas. But really, browns are amazing because they go with any color. And yes, browns can be made smoky and sexy too. So let's start.

As always, I want a clean face so do your skincare and let your moisturizer sit a bit before applying primer. When the primer has settled, go ahead and do your foundation base and brows. I pulled my hair back into a bun for this look but feel free to do curls or volume or set your hair or whatever. I just want to make things neat for today.

I contoured my face. Again, my objective for contouring is to not give me a super supermodelish bone structure but slight dimension so I don't flatten out in photos and to give my face an all-over warmth. It actually kinda enhanced my skin color  because I've been swimming a lot again once more since it's been sunny again so I've been less pasty and pale. Yay!

Before I do eye makeup, I dab a good amount of loose powder under my eyes. This is to catch any eyeshadow fallout when I do my eye makeup since I don't want to be having flecks of eyeshadow on my cheeks and the hassle of cleanup. Some use eyeshadow guards which can be bought at makeup supply stores, it's up to you.

Most of my products are from the Lorac Pro Palette, which I purchased at Tupped Boutique.

 It's got a lot of very wearable colors which can make a lot of looks, from day to night. What I like about it is that it has a very good selection of matte colors. This is very pigmented though so when using this, use little product first and then add on as you go.  I also applied eye primer on the lids. This will help my eyeshadow stay put. For this look, I used NARS Pro-Prime Instant Line and Pore Perfector on my eyes.

I start with my brow highlight and I used this color called Cream, which is a nice skintone color that doesn't look too harsh. I like that this makes my browbone pop.

Using a fluffy blending brush (I used MAC 217 here), apply Taupe on the crease creating a contour. Now for the crease contour color to look natural, I want you to blend the life out of it and make it blend seamlessly with the Cream.

Time for the lid color. I used a warm, matte brown color such as Make Up Store eyeshadow in Khaki.

I used a paddle brush to deposit the color on my lids and blended this with my crease color. If I want to deepen my crease, I add a bit more Taupe.

Now just for a tad of shimmer and to make this makeup look less flat, take a clean flat brush and dab it on a satiny, shimmery brown color (not too glittery). I used Pewter here from my Lorac Pro Palette. You can also use a shimmery loose powder eyeshadow.

My lids should look somewhat like this by now.

Smoky is not smoky without eyeliner so I lined my eyes with a nice, smudgy black eyeliner like Urban Decay in Perversion. Don't worry about getting this too perfect because we would be smudging this anyway with a smudger brush or a cotton bud.

To make the black stay, set this with matte black eyeshadow (I used Black from the Lorac Pro Palette).

Blend a bit of Pewter along with the black on the lower lashline.

For more definition, you can use some of the black eyeshadow on the outer V of the eye. You can also add more warmth by blending a bit of reddish brown (such as Garnet) on the crease. Don't put too much!

Curl your lashes and apply mascara. Lashes make a lot of difference in opening up the eyes so go ahead and apply false lashes. But if you prefer just your natural lashes, it's okay too.

For this look, I skipped the falsies and went for a super volumizing mascara such as L'Oreal Miss Manga, which is also waterproof.

Brush away the loose powder and you have these eyes.

Blush and lipstick are next. Since brown goes with almost anything, feel free to use your favorite blush and lip color. I wanted this look to be more on the warm, coral-y look, so I used a coral blush like Benefit Coralista on my cheeks.

I got my Coralista in this awesome Holiday set I got last Christmas. It's so great I got like six blushes from Benefit in one palette plus a bonus highlight and teensy travel sizes of mascara and eyeliner.

To match my cheeks, I went for a neutral peach-y lip color like MAC Please Me. I use this color a lot at work and my clients really love this color. It's a favorite on most bridal works.

My smoky eyes are done and ready to go.

I admit the look really did take some time since there were a lot of steps, not my usual go-go-go tutorials but it used super basic colors and turned it into an awesome look. If you have all these browns and want to go beyond your sweep of shadow for a special occasion like date night or if you're heading off to an event and you don't have a makeup artist with you, go ahead and try this. It's actually one of my go-to looks if I need to be made up for work and I don't really want to think of what color to use to match my dress or whatever.

Let me know as well if you've tried this look for yourself and where you tried it. Take a photo of yourself and tag me (IG: @bambikitty) so I can see!

Have fun! Stay awesome.

How to Make the Most Out Of A Buffet While Keeping Healthy

I love food. I used to write a food blog along with a beauty blog but when I got healthy, I decided to turn my makeup blog to a makeup with fitness blog, which features food and all things fun, because that makes a healthy life right? I like healthy people who don't deprive themselves of food, who eat as well as train. In my posts, I never mention to starve yourself, especially if you work out. Food is fuel and you need it for energy and to build your muscles and keep your systems in check. Think of your body as a car. You give it bad fuel, it won't run as good. You give your car good high quality fuel, there is a difference. So it's really not punishing you. It's finding food that's good for you, and believe me, there are so many ways to prepare food without sacrificing flavor. Food is also yummy even without a lot of salt and grease.

And in the talk of food, let's talk about buffets. Who doesn't love buffets? They are a treat for the senses! In our country, buffets are unavoidable in restos, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and even events. But when we think that this is a time to throw our clean eating off the window, I got you covered with tips on how to make the most of a buffet (of course! Buffets aren't cheap!) while not stressing the gut.

Don't Order Drinks

Juices, iced tea, and soda just fill you up, taking up space in the gut. Just have water, better if water is warm or lukewarm, which is very good for the digestive system.

Have a Plan

Before getting a plate, take a look at the buffet table first. That way, you can already plan what to eat and which food to get seconds.

Sit away from the buffet table

Aside from a mini-exercise, this will also allow you to avoid unnecessary temptation while eating, making you stick to your food choices better. If your table is preassigned, try to sit with your back to the food, so you don't get tempted when you see the lechon being carved or the pizza being served.

Go for quality and variety instead of quantity

This will help prevent you from binge eating and give you your money's worth. Skip the things you usually have  like bread or rice (it can actually make you feel full faster, so you won't be able to maximize the buffet as much). Go for seafood or fine cuts of meat, which are the more expensive choices than say something you can have every day. Go have prawns, lobster, shelfish, and lamb. You don't get to have that all the time right?  Pick small portions of food instead of heaping servings, so you can get to taste a variety of dishes. If you have a particular favorite, just go back for that.

Make healthier choices

Choose broiled or grilled over fried or deep fried. Choose oil-based dressings over creamy ones, Limit the condiments if the meat or dish is flavorful enough. Try sashimi instead of sushi or maki (which again, has rice). If you can, try the fruit platter and one or two of your favorite dessert choices, (like cake or pastry. You can have ice cream anytime!)  so as not to deprive yourself so much.

Eat slowly and Listen to your body

It's a meal, not an eating contest. Eating slowly will allow your body to process your food more. Your gut would be less stressed too. Just like in a workout, pace yourself. Stuffing yourself with so much food and the bloated heavy feeling is not worth it, believe me. Also when you're full already, don't go for another serving. Listen to your body.

Don't have buffets everyday!

Save the smorgasbord for special occasions and don't run to another one come dinner time. Again, don't overwork the gut.

Love food, but don't gorge on it that it can hurt you. Be kind to your body still. Follow these tips and hopefully you would enjoy the next buffet experience and get your money's worth. Leave the buffet table satisfied instead of bloated. Enjoy life loves!


Buffet image source: pexels.com