fashion blog

GRWM: My 19th Birthday

carlymccullough

A step by step for the look I wore out on my 19th birthday.

A close-up shot of the minimalist’s go-to glam makeup look.

Prior to getting in to the steps of the look I created for my birthday evening, I must claim to the world that I am not now nor will I ever claim to be a makeup guru.

I know quite a bit about makeup, a la the hundreds of thousands of YouTube videos I immerse myself in to procrastinate other, more important activities.

I love makeup, and I think it is an incredible art form, but when it comes to my own face, I like to keep things simple.

Just in the past year or two, I’ve drastically cut down on the amount and combinations of makeup I prefer on my face – less is more, really. So here is what I decided to go for on my birthday last Thursday, July 20th.

1. THE BASE

Primer seems to be a pretty personal thing; some people swear by it and some don’t see the difference.

I don’t understand the latter.

This hydrating primerby Smashbox is one of my all-time favourites. I tend to have more dry skin, so this allows everything I’m applying on top of it to glide seamlessly onto my skin.

Another staple I literally never skip is applying a cream highlight under my foundation.

I don’t necessarily think this is the order these products were intended to be applied in, but makeup is about throwing the rules out the window… right?

I like to apply the highlighter to the high points of my face, just as you would regularly atop of your foundation, and blend with my fingers.

This highlighter stick is from Tarte, in the shade pearl, and works really beautifully with a lighter skin tone (calling all my pale people – I feel you).

This gives the most flawless glow under any foundation without ruining the blending on top or creating too harsh of a look. I’m really not even kidding when I say this technique has changed my life forever.

2. THE FACE

I whole-heartedly will always and forever believe that the foundation of any look is the most important part.

I hold a very special place in my heart for beautiful, glowing skin, and I believe it can literally make or break any look. It might even be a fetish, who knows.

Glowing skin is all the rage right now, and I can’t get enough.

Again, sticking with the “less is more” concept, I like to apply a thin layer of the one and only YSL Touche´Eclat foundation, in the shade B20, with a damp beauty sponge.

This foundation provides a medium, buildable coverage with Ruscus Extract to counteract dullness in the skin, providing a radiant, luminous glow.

This pairs perfectly with Urban Decay’s Naked Skin concealer. I like to use a small bit in the shade Fair Neutral to brighten my under eyes, and a touch of the shade Light Neutral over any blemishes I might have.

After letting that set onto my skin for a minute or so – I like to do a little dance in the process – I take my damp beauty sponge and apply the smallest amount of Neutrogena’s Shine Control powder under my eyes, around my eyes and around my mouth.

I then take whatever excess is left on the sponge and dab that over the rest of my face, just for good measure.

Next, onto my most-loved step of any makeup look: contour, highlight, and blush. The difference that these three steps can have on a face of makeup is so subtle, yet so wonderful.

I’ve gotten into a habit of using Too Faced’s Cocoa Contour palette in the shade Light to Medium. The contour shade has the perfect undertones of gray to where it doesn’t look to orange on my pale skin.

I also like to run the bronzer in this palette all over the borders of my face to warm up the overall look.

The only two components I need in my perfect makeup look are bronze and glow, and I will be one happy girl.

The blush I used in this look is the Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush by Tarte in the shade Peachy Nude. I find that these sort of nude-peach tones work best on my skin tone.

Now, if you were to for some reason go out and buy any one product from this entire look, I would 100% recommend it be the NARS Highlighting Blush in Albatross.

This shade it to die for. It almost looks white in the packaging, but provides the most beautiful golden sheen I’ve ever seen in my life.

This product also accents the Tarte cream highlight I’ve applied previously under my foundation, bringing the whole look together.

3. THE EYES

In moving on from the face, I always go straight to the brows – a close second to a flawless complexion.

I’m a huge fan of the more natural, almost crazy brow, and Benefit’s Gimme Brow tinted brow gel is the perfect way to achieve that.

It adds just a little bit of color (I use the shade 03 – Medium) to the sparser areas where you might need some help, while the fibers in this product amp up your natural brow hairs to get the perfectly undone brow.

Once my brows are as close to how I want them, I (big surprise) keep going with the “less is more” trend.

There was a time in my life where I attempted to get a full eyeshadow look every day I was wearing makeup. Sometimes, that’s the look I’m going for, but I’ve also learned to LOVE the one-color trend.

My favourite trick to do is swipe a bit of this YSL Full Metal Shadow in the shade Pink Cascade for the most beautiful sheen over my eyelids.

It still creates a bit of depth to your eyes as it naturally sits heavier in the crease, while still providing a glossy, highlighted look to the eyes with a touch of pink – a very loved trend of mine at the moment.

On a regular day, I’d throw on a bit of Dior Addict It-Lash mascara and call it a day.

For my birthday, though, I wanted to add a little something extra, so I took my Loreal Infallible Super Slim liquid eyeliner and created a little wing on the outer corner of my eyes.

I personally don’t think a larger wing suits my face shape because I do have relatively smaller features, so I like to create a tiny wing extending from the outer corner of my eyes, almost acting as an elongated lash on the end.

When utilising winged eyeliner, I think it’s important to remember that everyone has a different face and eye shape, so what works for someone else may not be what works perfectly for you. It’s all about finding what fits for you.

4. THE FINISHING TOUCHES

The only thing left to do now is add something fabulous to the lips.

Most of the time, I’d be happy with just adding a bit of chapstick to accent the natural color of my own lips.

For this look, though, I added one of my favourite nude shades by Clinique in a shade I can’t even share with you because I’ve had it for so long that the name has rubbed off the bottom.

A good alternative, though, is one of the Clinique Chubby Sticks – I love the shade Heaping Hazelnut. My favourite nude is one with a brown undertone and a semi-sheer finish.

A glossy lip gives off the illusion of a bigger lip, and since I’m working with what I’ve got, that’s what I love to do.

The actual last step in this, or any, makeup look of mine is to spritz this Cover FX Illuminating Setting Spray all over my face.

This is the only step where I might unintentionally throw “less is more” out the window…

I find that this product counteracts any of the excess shine control from the Neutrogena powder that I didn’t intend for, while adding a layer of protection to lock in my makeup all day.

Once this product sets, it finishes any look with an added luminosity to the skin, also great for the décolletage area.

And that’s it.

Thanks for reading.

Here’s to 19.

-C.M.

3 in 1 Lookbook: The 4th of July

carlymccullough

3 festive looks to throw together for the 4th of July with one easy-to-wear bodysuit.

This distressed denim and black belt combo compliment the bodysuit to create the perfect look for a casual day with friends or family.

There’s really no shortage of places to find outfit inspiration for a festivity such as the 4th of July.

From Pinterest and Tumblr to lookbooks on YouTube to even the social media outlets of the clothing brands themselves, the potential in wardrobe is near endless.

As a university student on a budget though, the reality is I can’t always afford to go out and purchase a new look for every event that comes around the corner.

My goal in this lookbook is to showcase the versatility of one basic piece, as this is a concept I utilise in my everyday style.

The bodysuit featured throughout this lookbook is from Express and can be found here. It’s one of my most-worn pieces of the season, without a doubt.

These Steven Madden booties not only add an extra pop of festivity with the blue velvet, but they add a great bit of height for an elongated leg and something a little unexpected – perfect for taking a day look to night.

One of my favourite things to do with fashion revolves all around the shoe; there isn’t a single look in my wardrobe that can’t be amped up with an unexpected accent of a cool shoe.

The full look shown above balances the laid-back look with a touch of sex appeal perfectly. Pairing a heel with a denim short is one of my favourite fashion tricks.

The black belt I’ve paired with this look is still available for purchase on Brandy Melville, along with the Steve Madden velvet booties, which are on sale at the moment.

Unfortunately, I bought my shorts from Pacsun about 4 or so years ago, but I’ve found some similar patchwork denim shorts on their site.

A simple tank with a pair of classic high-waisted denim shorts is such an classic look to throw on, though, that you could just as easily grab a pair from your own wardrobe to complete the look.

This look is a little more laid-back with a touch of my current favourite fashion trend: embroidery.

The next look is probably my favourite of the three.

Something about embroidery draws me in every time, and while the patchwork-virgin might do well with choosing one piece to focus on, I love the slides with the floral jean.

I think a ripped boyfriend jean is the perfect way to make denim jeans work in the summer – especially in Florida.

Paired with the plain tank and the floral pattern, it still has a touch of individuality while also including a low-key display of red, white and blue; it’s festivity without screaming it in your face.

The floral embroidery adds a bit of visual excitement to what would normally be a universally textured look.

My favourite pair of embroidered mom jeans featured in this look are from Topshop, which also happens to be my favourite place to buy denim (shout out to all my tall girls who can’t find a fitting pair of jeans to save their life).

The denim embroidered slides I’ve paired with this outfit are actually from a local shop in Santorini, Greece. I did some scouting around for a similar pair, though, and I found a few reasonable contenders.

These frayed denim slide sandalsfrom Forever 21 provide a good alternative to those who may want to dip their toes in the water instead of diving in head-first.

The brand also sells a pair of black embroidered slide sandals, if that’s the aspect you’re looking for, or a different version of embroidered denim slides, if you’re looking to stay closest to what I’ve shown.

Pro tip: posing with one leg in front of the other, versus standing straight up, will give the illusion of more height, adding length and angles to your body.

The last look strays away from the denim trend and steps into my next favourite look: the mini skirt.

Whether you’re 5’2″ or 6’1″, a mini skirt is the perfect accessory for a longer leg, and the longer, the better. It can flawlessly transition a good daytime to look to an even better night out.

The combination of the short skirt and a bit of a heel makes for the accessibility of showing some skin while still keeping it casual enough for a summer holiday.

The scalloped mini skirt adds a bit of flare to the look while balancing out the concept of red, white and blue in a visually cohesive way.

Colour coordination can be your best friend when working with plain pieces; it adds a bit of colour blocking to make the look more interesting to the eye.

The white scalloped mini skirt in this look is one of my favourite pieces. From Topshop, the possibilities of ways to wear it are virtually infinite.

This look would also do well with a white denim skirt, though. One of my highest priorities in my own fashion is to find new ways to wear the things I already own.

It’s like going “shopping” in your own closet; all you need is a bit of inspiration and a root around your wardrobe.

The leather mules I paired with this look are from Zara. On sale, they also sell a few other colours, if blue isn’t for you.

Keeping it simple: placing the focus on one sole aspect of the face makes for a more balanced look.

While a red lip certainly isn’t the most far-out choice on a holiday like the 4th of July, there can be something said for keeping it classic.

I’m usually more of a nude lip kind of person – a good lip balm is sometimes all you need.

I love pairing a bold lip with the illusion of a “naked” eye. For this look, I simply threw on a gold shimmer and my favourite Dior Addict It-Lash mascara.

The red lip in the photo is the Maybelline Colour Sensational Creamy Matte lipstick in the shade 685 Craving Coral. My favourite silver hoop earrings are from Express. It’s the easiest way to take a look to the next level.

If anybody knows the first thing about me, it’s that I love a good bit of luxury. I’d rather have a few really nice things than a ton of lesser items, but sometimes a good drugstore product is all you need.

Overall, I think the fun in fashion is putting your own twist on things. Finding multiple ways to wear one piece is the best way to utilise what you already have.

For more suggestions on what kind of cookbook to do next or information on any of the pieces featured, feel free to shoot me a message in the “Contact Me” section of my about page.

-C.M.