All posts filed under: FOTD

Made-Up History: Kazimir Malevich’s “White on White,” 1918

“White on White” is one of those works of art that I like whipping out to show people who just don’t get modern art. “Well, I could make that!” they decry, in a bubble of incredulity. The question is, did you? Russian artist Kasimir/Kazimir Malevich founded a movement called Suprematism around 1913. It focused on the rejection of the depiction of objects, opting for “the supremacy of pure artistic feeling.” This work is one of the most famous from the movement, as is another one of Malevich’s work, “Black Square.” Suprematism has been briefly, though wonderfully discussed on this Tumblr post by WTF Art History. Under the caption of “White on White,” WTF Art History writes, “A non-figural work, the White on White painting demands extended viewing in order to grasp the contrast between the white hues, the imprecise delineation of the inner square, and the effect such a painting has on you the viewer. Your response to the painting is what Malevich considered “the supremacy of pure feeling or perception in the pictorial arts.”

5 Product Face No. 5

Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur (Medium) // K-Palette Real Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow (101)* // Oslo Cosmetics Eyeshadow (Vela) // K-Palette 1 Day Magic Fiber Mascara* // Addiction by Ayako Cheek Stick (Rose Bar) Et voilà! The fifth 5 Product Face. 🙂 This was inspired in part by the beautiful eyeshadow I used for this look today, which is Oslo Cosmetics' Vela. It's a standard blue-brown duochrome shade, like MAC's Club, or that 2nd Definer shade on the Wet and Wild Comfort Zone Palette. The lowdown: I used the concealer on my under eye darkness, filled in my brows with the lightest shade I have, and slicked on the duochromey eyeshadow all over my lids. I defined my eyes and lashes with this amazing new mascara from K-Palette, and did the cheek and lip with the Cheek Stick. I love multi-purpose products! They make this series so easy to do. 😀 Anyway, I like this a lot and may redo it in the future. 🙂 * PR Sample Follow me: Bloglovin' • Twitter • …

Harry Potter Week: Spellbound

Okay, so for Harry Potter Week, I was thinking of things I could do instead of doing House- or Character-inspired looks, which I think tend to be more common when it comes to Harry Potter and beauty crossovers. I ended up thinking of making looks inspired by spells and charms! I picked 3 that have a distinct visual effect about them that are also widely used in in Rowling’s magical world, at least in Harry Potter’s timeline. Look 1: The Patronus Charm “This ancient and mysterious charm conjures a magical guardian, a projection of all your most positive feelings. The Patronus Charm is difficult, and many witches and wizards are unable to produce a full, corporeal Patronus, a guardian which generally takes the shape of the animal with whom they share the deepest affinity. You may suspect, but you will never truly know what form your Patronus will take until you succeed in conjuring it.”Miranda Goshawk

Made-Up History: The Unicorn in Captivity, ca. 1495-1505

For Harry Potter week, I thought I’d do a Made-Up History of an actual work of art I glimpsed in The Half-Blood Prince. This is a tapestry called “The Unicorn in Captivity,” and is the seventh in a series called The Hunt of the Unicorn or Unicorn Tapestries. I’m not sure where I first found out about this work—probably in a documentary I saw about restoration—but it was a great Easter egg for me when I saw it in that Room of Requirement scene in HBP: The artist of this series of tapestries is unknown, though it is widely believed to have been commissioned by Anne of Brittany, who became Queen of France twice.

5 Product Face No. 4

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly // MAKE Colour Post-Impressionism Palette, used Storm and Scarlet Oak // K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow in 102* // Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Abundance // bareMinerals Mineral Veil Yay, another 5 Product Face. I really love making these things. I mean, if I didn’t already say… which I did. HEH. Anyway, this is a pretty simple look that relies on colors for the drama. 🙂 I used Storm, which is a matte deep blue green, as a liner and I really exaggerated that wing. (As you can see.) For lips, I used Scarlet Oak, which is a warm red orange. These two came from the MAKE Colour Post-Impressionism Palette, so they’re technically from only one product. Do I count this palette as two products? I probably should—I wish I did without the paint pot (used just to neutralize the lids), if that’s the case. Let’s pretend I didn’t use it… please? Brows are by the K-Palette marker/powder duo* in the medium, warmer brown, 102, and cheeks are …

5 Things Friday: How to Do a Duo

Eye shadow duos are sort of the “no brainer” option in Makeup Land. The colours are pre-picked for you, and if you’re like me, you would intuitively place the lighter shade of the duo on the lid and then add the darker shade on the outer “v” of your eye. Et voilà—depth and complexity! Of course, not all duos are created equal. There are some that are not so easy to use and some combinations that look pretty together, but don’t make sense when used in the aforementioned way. Here are a few ways you can play around with a duo that has stumped you.

5 Product Face No. 3

bareMinerals READY 2.0 (The Scenic Route) // Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Mars) // BECCA Beach Tint (Raspberry) // NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (Dolce Vita) // K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Mascara (102 Natural Brown)* I’ll share something with you: I really enjoy coming up with these 5-product looks! I didn’t want to use foundation for this one (I had quite a large, bulbous cystic pimple on one side of my nose), so I blotted my face with an oil sheet and proceeded to use the aforementioned products. As you can see, my hair was a bit longer here, so to be honest, this is an old photo set. I just didn’t want to bombard y’all with 5 Product Faces. I hope you like these just the same, though!