31st Birthday Recap

I don't know if it will be possible to top 31. This has been a very trying year personally, but I truly believe that you have to go through some bad stuff to get to the good stuff - otherwise, you're stuck in the same place forever.  And even though change is hard and scary, being comfortable never wins any awards.

Not only did my husband go out of his way to make this birthday special, but we worked in time to pause and soak up each experience.  This included a trip to NYC, drinking really good coffee in beautiful parks, and two amazing concerts from my favorite band, Hanson (yes, as in Mmmbop...they've put out 5 studio albums since then and they are incredible!).

For my makeup, I went with the exact eye makeup from Monika Blunder's Kate Moss tutorial.  As you can see from the (poor quality...sorry) photo, my under-eye bags let you know it's late - but thankfully I've learned some tips for making foundation look great 12+ hours (a video will be out soon).

Being in my favorite place, with my favorite person, eating my favorite foods, during my favorite time of year, and listening to my favorite band play my favorite songs added up to be a completely epic experience.  I'm looking forward to 31.

Birthday Makeup - Part II

Now that our eyes are done, we move on to skin. So that the primer has time to soak in, I applied it before doing the eye makeup.  Also, for the sake of the video, I apply all of these products very quickly.  In real life, it takes me about 45 minutes to complete this look from start to finish – this leaves plenty of time to blend and let all of the products settle into the skin.  Otherwise, as you see in the video, the makeup gets streaky. Since we went out at night, I wanted soft, glowing skin that did not have too much color so as not to compete with the eyes. Check out the video here, and I’ll meet you next week for the final look.

Products Used:

Prep: Embryolisse Hydra-Mat

Foundation: Armani Luminous Silk in 6.5

Concealer: Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer in Light Golden

Contour: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder in Dark

Bronzer: Make Up For Ever Mat Bronze in 40

Setting Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light

Birthday Makeup - Part I

So earlier, I said I was planning a smoky eye with brown shadows for my birthday look…but I went with plums…because if you can’t change your mind on your birthday, when can you? This is one of my Go-To Glam looks, and it would be perfect for parties that pop up throughout the holiday season. When doing a really smoky eye, I do eyes first so when I clean up fallout, I don't take any foundation with it. In this three-part post, I’ll give you the full look from naked face to setting mist starting with eye makeup: click here for the video.

Products Used:

Eye Shadows: Dazzlelight, Tempting and Folie from MAC; Metallic Merlot from Stila

Eye Liner: MAC’s Smolder

Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills brow powder in Brunette; MAC Brow Set in Clear

Lashes: Ardell Wispies; Duo dark glue

Clean Up: Almay Makeup Eraser Sticks

Dirty Thirty

Today is my 30^th birthday.  And I am going to party like it’s my birthday.

Husband is taking me to NYC.  It’s where I turned 20 because I lived there at the time, and I suspect I’ll turn 40 there…and 50…unless we move back and I spend every birthday there…we shall see.  Anyway, I’ll be gorging myself on all the food I so miss eating, and maybe mix in some new things like a cronut.  We’ll also catch On the Town (husband’s first Broadway show!) and just meander around my old haunts.  I love New York in the fall.

For night-out makeup I’ll do a smokey eye with warm browns (NARS duo in Surabya) and my favorite nude lip (Armani Beige 100), but I’ll keep it fresh for the day. And since 30 is (at least supposed to be) a milestone birthday, I’ve decided to work on this list.  Here’s what I have so far…

Go-To Drink:

Champagne

Go-To Karaoke Song:

I don't do karaoke, but I'm one heck of a backup dancer

Uniform:

A tee and jeans with a statement necklace or scarf / pencil skirt and blouse / shift dress and heels

Hair Stylist I Love:

In VA, Sean at Gabba Gabba.  In MD, Leslie at GLOW.

Exercise Routine:

Running and ballet/pilates/yoga 4-6 times a week

Hobby:

Makeup. Duh.

Best Friend:

Husband

Healthy Sense of Self:

Still working on it, but I’m happy with me.  It’s been a hard-fought battle, but all things considered, I have nothing but gratitude for the past 30 years and hope for the next 30 (and beyond).