Three Looks: Picking Inspirations

 Please ignore the hair. I'm going through an awkward growing out stage.

While my quick work makeup routine is nearly perfected, every now and then I like spending a bit more time in front of the mirror to prep myself for work. With the very few fancy weekend outings and tutorials lately, most of my makeup sadly becomes neglected.

Recently, however, I was feeling rather inspired and translated those inspirations into my makeup. They're not very special looks but I hope you enjoy the inspirations that come with it.

Read on to find out what inspired these three work looks!

Inspiration: Paris B of MyWomenStuff 

I was catching up on some [blog] reading when I stumbled upon Paris B's post on how to apply work-friendly makeup. Paris and I have different tastes when it comes to eye makeup but I always enjoy seeing how eyeshadow is applied to eye shapes different than my own. When I saw her look, I was keen to try it out on myself instead.

What I did was kept the lids rather bare with Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Juju on the main lid and Sin as highlight beneath the brow arch. To smoke out the outer corner I applied Urban Decay's Cobra (from the Black Palette) and tightlined with Urban Decay 14/7 Eye Pencil in Zero. I emphasized the liner on the outer V, connecting to the lower lash line, as what Paris did. On the cheeks I tested out Pearlescent Pink by Wet n Wild and wore a go-to lipstick, Clarins Joli Rouge in #726 Heather Pink.

Inspiration: The Beach 

I had just gotten back from a diving trip to Pulau Perhentian the night before and have been moaning that I want to move to the island. Besides the new tan, I wanted to bring a little bit more of the beach with me to the office. I opted for a classic summer look which is golden lids with teal on the lower lashline.

I used Urban Decay's Toasted, Half-baked and Buck (from the Naked Palette) on the lids and the Teal color from Smashbox's Hot Date Eyeshadow Palette. I also added a winged out line. If you're wondering why my eyes are looking a bit off it's because I forgot to apply mascara before taking pictures and was already late for work. I used a glowy bronzy shade on my cheeks (MAC MSF in Sunny by Nature) and a nude gloss (Dior Addict Ultra-gloss Reflect in #127)

Inspiration: The purple stripes on my shirt 

Now I can understand why an average woman can just own one eyeshadow palette and be perfectly contented. Because there's no need for colors other than browns! As much as I hate to admit it, brown or neutral makeup is what I would usually wear to work. I can apply it fast and it goes with whatever I'm wearing. One day, I just got very sick of browns and applied my makeup to match my shirt. I had purple stripes on my shirt so I did a plum/cranberry -ish look.

I used Benefit Cream Shadow in Stiletto as a base and MAC Heritage Rouge pigment over the base. After that, I darkened the outer corners with MAC eyeshadow in Spiced Chocolate, blended everything out and applied a black gel eyeliner. I can't remember what I had on my cheeks and the lips were bare.

Your Say: 

Do you stick to a safe classic look for work or would you experiment with different colors and styles?