Friday, July 29, 2011

inner eye liner

inner eye liner
inner eye liner,
originally uploaded by painting faces.
Last summer, I wrote about lining the lower inside rim of your eye. This summer, I'm completely obsessed with lining the upper inside rim of my eyes to define my lashes without it actually appearing that I've taken to lining them.


Lining the upper inner rim with black or brown creates the illusion of fuller lashes. it makes a LINE without there being any visual evidence. When applying, I uses a standard black pencil - I've been loving the stuff by E.L.F. and NYC. Both brands are super cost effective, go on easily and stay! Especially if you are using the waterproof stuff.


Here's one trick, though. If your inner rims are moist, the liner won't stay. Lift your upper lid with one finger - I find it easiest to push up my brow with the non-applying hand. I use my applying hand, a free finger to gently drag across the rim and remove any access moisture. If you prefer, a tissue or cotton swab would also work fine.


Then, just as you would draw a line above your lashes, trace the eye pencil over the upper rim of your eye. Like I noted last year, eventually some of the color may shift. But the beauty of lining the rims of your eyes is that the color shifts outward...straight into your lash line! Creating the perfect, full lash illusion!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

stretching shoes

stretching shoes
stretching shoes,
originally uploaded by painting faces.
Happy Summer! It is a happy time in the Upper Midwest when the heat finally approaches the Tundra.

Unfortunately, there is a time or two when I go shoe shopping when it's still a wee bit chilly outside. My feet are all cold and ...well, smaller. Bringing on the heat brings on the foot swelling, too.

So I bought these lovely gems of Fergalicious shoes in late spring. They felt amazing in the store and stayed on my feet as I strutted up and down the aisles. Unfortunately, the first time I wore them out into the real world, I tore a bit of my heel off with every step I took.

NOTE: when breaking in shoes by "wearing" them, do bring many band aids and a pair of comfy flip flops or flats to relieve your feet with.

I haven't worn these since that first foot tearing day two months ago and the blisters/missing pieces of my foot have finally disappeared/reappeared.

The point of this purchase was for a friend's upcoming nuptials on her parents' lawn. Although I'm not a huge fan of wedges, I now own 3 pairs of varying styles. All black to match my dress. But although I have 2 others, this is really the pair that I would like to wear.

So tonight, I started my standard alternative to "wearing them in."

My trick to stretching a pair of shoes out quickly? Throw on a sock, shove your foot in, possibly down a beverage or two (adult if you're of age) and deal with some temporary pain. Tonight, I did dishes, watched some TV and worked a bit with this get-up on my tootsies. My feet are throbbing, but in the morning (after the swelling ceases), the shoes will likely fit and I'll be good to go for next weekend's festivities. I only suffered with socks for about two hours. If they're not ready tomorrow, we'll have another short go with the socks and be on our way.

Sure beats weeks of stretching them by wearing them for real. Many times, by the time my shoes are conformed to my feet, they're about worn out. Boo for that, Yay for speeding the process!