Eye Candy

Years of reading fashion and beauty magazines have trained my eye to admire a particularly polished kind of makeup look.  Perfectly groomed brows, softly blended shadow and flawless skin have become the air-brushed norm, making anything outside of this set of standards seem strange.  That's initially the word that came to mind when I flipped through this book at the library.  I could actually see real skin, eye shadows appeared to need a bit more blending, and brows were perfectly wild.  And after some time reading the artist's bio and learning her tips and techniques for different looks, I became intrigued and gave one try.  Let me say one thing:  never have I gotten more compliments on my eye makeup in one day.  It was astounding...  and flattering... and gave me the perfect opportunity to tout my latest beauty find.  So of course I had to share it here too.  Check out some of my favorite looks below...

famous makeup artist and author Linda Mason

this is the look I tried, called 'Lucky'

My favorite look from the Gap Holiday 2012 Lookbook

Fall doesn't seem too far off around here.  Like many summers in years past where I live, actual summer has yet to start.  Typically we get somewhat of an Indian Summer, with the weather really perking up mid-August thru the end of September... or beginning of October if we're lucky.

All the overcast has got me thinking about upcoming seasons, and since the holidays really are just around the corner I'm going to resign waiting for summer to start and just look forward to crisper days ahead.

This chunky sweater look above is what I anticipate wearing to keep warm, and it's my favorite from the Gap Holiday 2012 collection.  Check out the rest here.