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I work in a corporate setting, so going crazy with my make up is strictly out of the question. Finding ways to express myself through makeup becomes a bit more challenging. I want to look professional and be taken seriously, but makeup is my oxygen. I take pride in my skills and want to show them off (and I often get great compliments for them).

This is a look I recently wore to work. I took these pictures after I came home (and following a bit of touch ups as my work day is usually 10 hours).

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Eyes

I used the Sephora Urban Decay Urban Obsessions gift palette (I believe it is no longer available) for this look. I always wait for something irresistible to cash in my Sephora VIB points and this was it.

I applied Urban Decay’s Dope on the lid and Hoodoo in the corners. The transition color is Mat Desert Sand by KIKO Milano and I used an eye shadow palette by Flower Beauty (Drew Barrymore’s makeup brand) to highlight the brow. The highlighter came from the Secret Garden Shadow Play Eye Shadow quad. It’s such a beautiful plush color, mild enough to use every day (but doesn’t have such great lasting power).

Because I have hooded eyes, I prefer a more subtle, thin cat eye. A thicker line will completely cover my eyelid. The eyeliner I use is Hardy Candy Stroke of Genius in Oh Fudge. This is a brown color that gives me a more subtle line. I use it for every day looks and opt for black for more dramatic looks. This is a really great product. I find this felt tip pen lasts a lot longer than others, including Ecriture de Chanel.

I prefer keeping my brows natural looking, so you’ll notice that most of the time, they are not perfect. In fact, I use a shade for blond hair to fill them in from the Studio Pro Ultimate Brow Palette by BH Cosmetics. I’m also fortunate enough to have been blessed with thick brows that grow in without issue.

My current mascara is Too Faced Better Than Sex. It applies very well and makes your lashes really stand out BUT, as you can read in their reviews, it falls out throughout the day. At one point, there were so many flakes in my eye that I had to take my contacts off (and walk home from work practically blind). For it’s price point and the fact that it’s a high end brand, this really shouldn’t be the outcome. The product delivers on its promise of 1994% more volume, but it’s not worth the pain and discomfort.

Lips

The lipstick is what helped this look come together. Because the eye look is sedate, I felt I could go a little crazy with a dark berry lip. The lip liner and lipstick are both by NYX Cosmetics. My lips are lined with Slide On Lip Pencil in Dark Soul. The lipstick is from the Butter collection in Moonlit Night. This beautiful deep color really makes my eyes pop and gives me a much needed bit of glam to an otherwise toned down look.