Monday, November 29, 2010

Candice Swanepoel


Oh my God! First of all, this girl is just gorgeous; I love her blonde hair/blue eye combo even though I usually go for brown hair/brown eyes. But... just look at her. As if that wasn't enough, the youtube videos I've seen of her are so cute, she's got the tiniest little baby voice and her South African accent just makes it all the more adorable. If I were into women she'd be on the top of my list. Here's my favorite look on her and how you can get it yourself.

First step is to cleanse, moisturize and prime the skin. My favorite primer is Smashbox photo finish (what's yours?)! I find that makeup goes on smoother on freshly washed skin, moisturizer and primer will just help it glide into the skin perfectly.

Next, choose a foundation shade that perfectly matches your skintone and blend really well along the jaw and hairline. It's so important to blend, blend, blend. In middle school I was the girl with the tan face and white neck and, even though I was using a completely wrong shade, I might have been able to pull it off had I blended better. My favorite formulas for a look like this are creams. There are so many great ones: L'Oreal True Match compact makeup, Covergirl AquaSmoothers and, at Sephora, while not exactly a cream it's close enough, Stila One Step Makeup (which I'm dying to try).

Then, a pinky peach blush (I'm sure you've heard it before, NARS Orgasm definitely fits the bill here but there are tons of other options, just go with what you know and love) on cheeks. You can also, to save yourself a step, use MAC's Mineralize SkinFinishes as blush (or drugstore alternative Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips) on cheeks as a blush and forgo the next step.

Apply LIQUID or CREAM highlighter on the bridge of the nose, cupid's bow (center of the top lip), brow bone and tops of cheeks if you didn't already use a shimmery blush. You can also carefully use it to brighten the inner corner of the eye and reserve a dab for the middle of your bottom lip after applying a non-shimmery candy pink gloss. Honestly, my favorite glosses are Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush and they come in a huge variety of sheer colors and scents that you're sure to find one you love. Plus, they're always on sale 5/$20! Can't beat that price.

For the best part, the eyes, line inner rims with a white liner such as Urban Decay's Yeyo or Jane's Gliding Liner in Ice Breaker. If that's too intense for you, you can also use a flesh colored pencil for a subtle look or silver, for a more funky feeling.

Trace around the entire eye with silver shadow. My faves are Ooh and Aah from the Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland Palette, which also comes as a single, and Strip from Urban Decay (though both are a little more blue than the one Candice is wearing in her pic). If you want something a little more exact I'd go for Urban Decay Vapor judging by the picture on Sephora.com.

Line the upper eye with black pencil liner (I love Urban Decay Zero, see a theme here?)! Stay really close to the lashline and use a skinny line. You can skip this step altogether if you're going for a more subdued look.

Last but not least, fatten them lashes up! Use your favorite mascara, as many coats as you can comfortably stand and if you can handle it, you can add falsies. I would, but I need a lesson on how to do it first.

Good luck! I'd love to see pictures or hear about your experiences if you try this look out. It's perfect for work, nights out, even the holidays. Then again, if I looked like Candice Swanepoel, I'm pretty sure everything would look amazing on me.

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