distraction: bold blush

I scroll through so many made-up faces in the course of my style and beauty browsing, online or in magazines, that I rarely give a look much attention. Perhaps I note liking a certain color that is used (probably the shade of lipstick), or thinking that there is something appealing about the peculiarity of the model’s face, but it’s extremely uncommon that I pause, am arrested. Am interested.

Stumbled across this image in a more or less unrelated marie-claire article about pro make-up tips, wherein this image was a sort of useless illustration of a category heading in the piece. [Because you can’t have an article without pictures!] I forgive it this superfluity, however. This is a stunning, strange look. The kind of look that makes me want to sit down and play around with make-up.

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The pale pastel eyes and lips seem like your usual spring stuff but then these great windburned cheeks pull the look well away from the shores of the ordinary. This is bold, beautiful blush. I love when a look conveys the idea of wearing too much blush on purpose. That is, not too much blush, exactly the amount desired. It seems to me this is the trick with anything outlandish or unconventional: to look as if you did it on purpose.

This is editorial, yes. I mean, this is a lot of blush. The look is so fierce, though. The icy blue of the eyes, such a cool color…probably terrible on me but it is so great here I want to secretly try it anyway. Did you see the Lisa Eldridge tutorial of Tippi Hendren’s make-up from Hitchcock’s The Birds? That was a look that stuck with me, that I also wanted to recreate faithfully, reminds me of this eye look. Pinned.

There’s something to be said for too much blush. It’s dangerous territory but with treasures to be unearthed for the adventurous, those who go beyond the rookie realm of gauche overapplication into that of decisive, savage color.

image via marie-claire.com

sick day

“The loose hair strands of beautiful women don’t have to be combed.”

                                                                — Rumi

Have a cold. Feeling like:

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Here’s my going to get orange juice ensemble.

IMG_6217I can’t believe we got up from our nap for this.

Madewell jeans, thrifted shirt, Libeco Home linen scarf (linen a great weight for early autumn), Skagen watch. Actually really liking this ultra-sheer lipstick, Lipstick Queen’s Medieval, about which not surprised at all given that it is the darker cousin of my can-do-no-wrong Jean Queen and was on top of this recommended by Lisa Eldridge in her gorgeous natural Downton Abbey makeup tutorial (ft. Laura Carmichael, Lady Edith), which: worth a look.

I put a little on my cheeks as well (a great success, texturally), and that’s all we’ve got going on here today.

On the bright side, I wore my new kicks.

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New Balance Stadium Jacket 574s. Really liking this quite green shade of turquoise since last summer or so? Or since forever or so.

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