Tag: halloween

Thursday Favourites: Halloween Edition!

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Best Halloween Makeup

Hey y’all!

This week I’m taking this post in a bit of a different direction — as it’s Halloween, I want to discuss ALL my favourite costume makeup! I’ve always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with crazy coloured makeup; I’m always so drawn to it when I see it in stores, but seldom buy any because I know I’m not going to have a lot of opportunities to wear it.

While I’m trying to branch out a bit, I almost never wear anything other than neutral, peach, smoky or gold eyeshadows save for Halloween, costume parties and music festivals. Still, it’s hard not to be tempted by bright bold palettes and shimmery duo-chrome eyeshadows every time you set foot in Sephora.

So, this week I wanted to share with you guys all the craziest coloured makeup I’ve ever bought that I consider to be the best of the best! That way, if you’re looking for a last minute palette to help create tonights look, or just LOVE crazy coloured makeup looks and are looking for something new, hopefully you’ll be able to find something for you from my list!

NYX Ultimate Brights Palette

NYX Ultimate Brights Palette

One of the biggest problems with colourful makeup is it’s hard to find a palette that covers the whole spectrum of colours without breaking the bank. It’s important to have something that covers every colour you’d ever need to ensure you can always blend out any look accurately. However, it seems wasteful to drop a whole lot of money building a palette of individual pots for this, as well, many colourful palettes offered at Sephora are expensive and only cover a certain range. This palette is AMAZING because it has so many colour options, as well as having an affordable price. The colours are bright and beautiful — they aren’t the most pigmented, but blend fairly well and can build up to look as bright as you need them to. If you’re looking for a good basic colour palette to cover all your needs, be sure to check this one out!

Check out this product here!

Huda Beauty Neon Obsessions Palettes

Huda Beauty Neon Obsession Palettes in Pink and Green

Okay. I am OBSESSED with these palettes (Get it?). Seriously though, even though I had no need to buy these, I knew I had to get my hands on them the moment I saw them. Huda Beauty eyeshadows are so smooth and pigmented, they blend flawlessly and always look fantastic. These neon palettes come perfectly fitted with colour combos that will help you nail ANY neon look, whether it’s for a Halloween costume or just a bold statement on a night out.

Check out this product here!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Single Pot Shadows

ABH Single Pot Shadows

These shadows are expensive, but oh-so worth it. Not only do they have SO many high quality options, but you can mix and match to create your perfect combo. Plus, they have duo chrome colours (!!!) which are one of my absolute favourite kinds of eyeshadow. These can really add that perfect colour and finishing touch to any crazy, colourful eyeshadow look. They’re so high quality, for crazy colours or natural smoky shades, you really can’t go wrong.

Check out this product here!

Chunky Glitter

Last but not least, chunky glitter is a MUST in your costume makeup collection. Not only does it instantly amp up any look — it has so many uses! My personal favourite is creating glitter freckles, but chunky glitter can also be added to your hair, highlight, collarbones, or even eyes and lips (given that it’s makeup grade and safe). A huge bonus on top of all that is that it can be super inexpensive. I own so much glitter, and most of it I got off Amazon, but if you’re looking for plain craft glitter you can find it in just about any Michaels or related craft store.

Check out this product here! (Or simply search Moon Glitter on Amazon for more options!).

I hope you all have a fantastic Halloween, whether you’re planning to go out, have a night with your family, trick or treat, watch horror movies or just have a nice fall-themed self-care night. If you’re dressing up, I’d love to hear all your creative costume ideas (or if you took inspo from my last-minute Halloween costume ideas, I’d love to see how they turned out!). I hope you’re all ready for November, and fingers crossed you achieve all your goals for the upcoming month!

Happy Halloween!

Meredith

Last Minute Halloween Makeup Ideas!

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Hey friends!

This upcoming week is one of my all-time favourite holidays: Halloween! I absolutely adore the 31st because not only is it a somewhat non-traditional holiday, but you get to be creative and dress as absolutely anything you want — and absolutely no one will question it!

Now, if you’re like me and EXTREMELY busy, you may not have had a lot of time to put thought into what you’re going to be this year, and that’s okay! If you want to dress up and have no idea what to be, or decide really last minute to go out this Halloween, I’ve got you covered. All the looks I’m sharing take an hour or less, and all of them can be done with supplies you have at home.

Past Halloween Costumes: Space Cowboy, Boxer, Snapchat Filter, Dead School Girl, Spring Breakers, Lifeguard

As someone who has attended a whole lot of costume parties in my lifetime — both for Halloween and not — I’ve gotten used to putting together costumes on the fly. There’s sooooo many articles out there on last minute Halloween costumes, but many of them are about outfits, not makeup. I’ve always found the thing that really nails any look for me is almost always the makeup, and the outfit can actually be rather secondary (especially if you’re just throwing together things you already have in your closet). So without further ado, check out some makeup looks you can use to look like you put heaps of effort into this years costume, even if you really didn’t!

The Joker

Joker Makeup

This one is going to be HUGE this year. The key here, if you’re going to make this costume stand out, is really nailing the makeup. The best part about this look is if you’re not a pro is the messiness only adds to the look! To really sell this costume, be sure to add a green wig or hair paint, as well as whatever clothes you can find that replicate Joaquin Phoenix’s iconic Joker suit.

Pennywise

Pennywise Makeup

2017’s classic revamped! If you didn’t get a chance to rock this costume when “It” first came out two years ago, now’s your chance. Drawing on the lipstick may seem daunting, but no one will be able to tell if it’s not perfectly symmetrical. Finally, to really amp up this look, add some cool colour contacts of your choice, a red wig or hair paint, and your best clown costume!

Dead (Insert Costume Here!)

SFX Blood Makeup

This one is a classic I decided to leave up to your interpretation. Any costume can be made creepier by adding a “dead” element to it, or you can even just go without any additional costuming and just the makeup! To start this one off, the most important element is the fake blood. Back when I was a film student, I had to do all my SFX makeup myself. While I’m no expert, I’ve certainly picked up some tips and tricks.

First of all, I’m going to share with you guys my personal recipe for fake blood that you can make at home! It’s edible too, so you can use it in/around your mouth — and it’s only two steps! All you’re going to need it chocolate sauce and food colouring, mix it together and voila! It looks incredibly real. If you need to thicken the consistency, add clear hair gel. To really add to the look, add black makeup underneath wherever you want the “source” of the blood to appear, and add purple, red and orange eyeshadow around the edges to mimic bruising.

For face makeup, all you’re going to need is a lighter foundation shade, and some grey/purple eyeshadow to mimic under-eye circles and a chiseled cheekbone look. To spice up this costume, you can go the classic route of making it a dead schoolgirl (like my costume above!), cheerleader, etc. or just add a twist to any other costume you were planning to wear! Coloured contacts and wigs really help to take this look to the next level as well.

Alien

Alien Makeup

SUPER on brand if you were into the whole “Raid Area 51” vibe this year. Make your silver eyeshadow look just like metal by wetting your brush before you apply it. You can really take this look in any direction you want in terms of secondary colours — you can opt to keep it all silver, or add green, blue, or even pink depending on what exact look you’re feeling. To top it off, add some glitter freckles like I did above if you’re into it. If you want, add a hat and boots to create a Space Cowboy; I did this last year and it was beyond fun! To bring this costume together, be sure to add metallic sliver EVERYTHING to your outfit — and maybe even a wig!

Leopard Cat

Leopard and Cat Makeup

A classic, but make it fashion. Being a cat seems so basic until your makeup takes it up to the next level — if winged eyeliner is your forte, amp it up with some crazy liner and smoky eye! If you’re not into the basic cat costume, turn it on it’s head by adding a leopard print vibe — it’s a lot easier than it looks and looks SO CUTE irl. This costume is so simple, really, just add cat ears and an outfit of your choice and just like that, you’re ready to go!

Hope you guys all have a fantastic Halloween, whatever your plans may be! If you got any last minute inspo from this post, I’d love to see how your looks turned out! And if you’ve put together something elaborate and super creative, I’d love to hear them. Halloween is the best because the possibilities are endless — it’s all so individual and completely up to you!

So have a great week loves, and happy Halloween! Stay tuned for next weeks post — and I’m sending you all positive vibes so you can start November off right.

Stay spooky,

Meredith

How To: Plan The Perfect Fall Self-Care Night!

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Hey y’all! Happy Sunday!

Fall is in full swing now, which certainly has its ups and downs. I personally love fall, because it means cute clothes, cozy vibes, my birthday and the holidays. However, it certainly has some rough patches too — cold weather (and rain, for my fellow PNW readers), work and school stress, seasonal depression, and cold and flu season.

The best way to make fall as easy going and enjoyable as possible is to ensure you’re taking care of yourself. And the best way to do that is to plan out a self-care night! Even with my crazy-busy schedule, I try to plan out a night for self-care every week or two. Especially with stressful times, it’s important to take some time to unwind and rejuvenate yourself — while it may seem worthwhile in the moment to spend all your time constantly working and pushing towards your goals, it can lead you to become tired, sick, and slow you down in the future.

Step One: Clean Your Space!

I’ve definitely gone over this one before, but it’s really just not possible to fully relax in a messy space — it’s uncomfortable and you’ll be worrying about having to clean it in the future. Start off your night by taking the time to tidy up, clean your sheets and towels, take out the garbage, and take a shower (or a bath, even!). Make sure to take care of all the little tasks stressing you out in this time as well — if it takes half an hour or less but has been causing you a lot of stress lately, just get it done! It’ll help to get you into a space where you can fully unwind and enjoy yourself.

Step Two: Pick Out A Fall Scent!

One of the best ways to eliminate negative vibes in your space and let go of the week’s stress is to light up a scented candle or use a diffuser. If you don’t already, try to go out and pick some fall scents to help you get into the seasonal spirit! Once you’ve cleaned up your space, this is the next step in fully reviving good vibes in your space and life. If you’re not a fan of scents, I find using a regular, unscented candle still has the same effect.

Step Three: Get Cozy!

For this step, you’re going to want to get into your comfiest clothes and do whatever you can to make your space as cozy as possible. Layer up on blankets, get some ambient lighting going, adjust your thermostat, play some music/ambient noise, whatever makes you feel the most comfortable and at ease.

Step Four: Make Some Fall Snacks!

This next step is to pick out a fall food and drink of your choice. One of my favourite snacks for a self-care night is this edible cookie dough recipe, but you can choose whatever you want — Pillsbury cookies, pumpkin flavoured snacks, even just popcorn, whatever it is your craving! Then, you’re going to want to choose a drink as well — maybe it’s just me, but I find that this is a huge aspect of self care nights. I’m personally a HUGE fan of tea, so I’d usually go for that (and make one of David’s Tea’s special fall flavours, just to make it festive)! However, you can pick anything you want — apple cider, chai tea latte, pumpkin spiced latte (or even just a nice glass of wine!).

Step Five: Choose A Self-Care Activity!

Now you’ve just got to pick out whatever activity (or activities) you want to spend your night on. If you want to get into the festive spirit, you can pick out a fall/Halloween movie or show — lately I’ve been watching Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural because it’s got the spooky Halloween vibes I’m looking for, without being actually scary. Otherwise, this is pretty much up to you — watch a movie, read a book, do a hobby, listen to some music, dance it out — whatever your heart desires!

Step Six: Unwind!

This step is just to ensure you’re completely relaxed before the end of the night, and ensuring you reap all the benefits of taking this night off for yourself. This can be done in any number of ways; you can meditate, stretch, listen to relaxing music, watch some relaxing ASMR — just be sure to end the night on a calming note to relieve any residual stress you may still be holding before bed.

Step Seven: Get Some Sleep!

For this final step, you’re going to go to bed early and get some rest. There’s no point in doing all this work to relax if you’re just going to wake up feeling exhausted tomorrow! On top of that, staying up late and pushing your body too hard makes it a lot easier to get sick, so as nice as it is to enjoy this time to yourself — get to bed early, rest up, and try to make time for yourself again soon.

And there you have it! Seven easy steps to the ultimate fall self-care night. I hope all of your October’s are going well so far, and you’re all out there working hard, achieving goals, taking care of yourselves and hopefully avoiding flu season! If not, I hope you get to put this list to good use soon.

Much love,

Meredith