Dark eyes, red lips

According to the make up rules you should choose either dark eyes or red lips. The focus should be on only one feature of your face, for balance. The problem is that sometimes we feel greedy and we want everything. For those occasions when we are feeling bold and want to break some rules, I found that keeping the skin looking natural and fresh, and using matte (or lightly shimmery) eyeshadow and lipstick, make this look more wearable. So if you think this kind of make up suits you, let's have some fun!

For this specific look I used:

MAC Paint Pot in Blackground on my lids as a base, on top of it MAC Carbon eyeshadow, and then Wedge to soften the edges. Under the eyes close to the lashes Wedge again with a Zoeva 230 pencil brush. Paint pots dry very quickly, so the best way to use them is to finish one eye and then start the other. I used MAC 239 to apply it and then 217 to blend it and to apply/blend the eyeshadows.

MAC Strobe Cream as a primer

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation, applied with Zoeva 103 Defined Buffer brush

MAC Pro Longwear concealer on my brow bones as a highlighter...

... and under my eyes applied with fingers and blended with Real Techniques Deluxe Crease brush

To fill in my brows, I used Mac Eyebrows in Lingering, then Spike, and finished with By Terry Brow Mascara (a cheap option for this is Maybelline Brow Drama)

MAC Eye Pencil in Smolder on the upper waterline and between the lashes

Eye lash curler - always before the mascara

Maybelline the Colossal Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara in black

To prepare and moisturise my lips I applied Nuxe Reve de Miel with my fingers

The lipstick I chose was MAC Russian Red, a classic, and in my opinion one of the most flattering red lipsticks there are. I applied it with a small flat brush, but it can be any brush that works for you

After the lipstick I lined my lips with MAC Lip Pencil in Redd

On the cheeks MAC Cremeblend Blush in Posey applied with Real Techniques Stippling Brush, and a bit of Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul

On my t-zone I applied the amazing Lancome Poudre Majeur Excellence - 01 Translucide, that mattifies the skin but leaves it looking natural and beautiful

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in Nude on my lower waterline to brighten up the eyes

And finally a tiny little bit of Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder highlighter into the inner corner of my eyes, top of my cheek bones and cupid's bow