Feb 25, 2015

FOTD - Warm Brown

Warm reddish brown is my archenemy color that usually makes me look drunk and unattractive. But those irrisitably gorgeous makeup looks on Pinterest often tempt me to try the unfriendly colors.
Soft tonal nude and brown are in for this spring as well as pastels, and there are always more than a few items that are begging for a stash shopping. Trying this look on a low key work day didn't seem a bad idea, either.

FOTD - Warm Brown
(My camera acts like a completely different animal with window light. It softens everything. Yet it accentuates every single flaw on my face under softbox lighting. Isn't it usually the opposite?! At least the colors are quite accurate in this picture.)



Makeup items used for this look
Stila Sunrise palette (Used Barefoot Contessa and Oasis)
Stila Kajal Eye Liner Amethyst
Clinique Almost Lipstick and Lip Gloss Black Honey


As always, my techniques are painfully simple, which is why I don't do standalone FOTD posts often (I don't find it very informative for my readers and I usually include them in my reviews anyway).

I filled my lid space with the Stila Kajal liner in Amethyst (it is a warm purple that blends in easily and makes a great base). I also used this lightly on my lower lash lines.
Stila eyeshadow Barefoot Contessa (medium reddish brown with satin finish) was packed on over the kajal liner to add depths. Oasis (yellow tinged light shimmery beige) was used to blend the colors and soften the harsh edges.
I tightlined with Marc Jacobs eye liner then finished off the look with L'Oreal Manga waterproof mascara.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Gracilis is a mauve-y cool pink that balanced the whole look. It does have a bit of cool brown undertones, so it blends in nicely.

I put on the lip gloss first then added the lipstick. This way it is not overly glossy and the color shows up better.


After trying this look, I must say I feel quite encouraged to wear warm colors more. 
Maybe it is the right kind of warm brown and the combination, but I wonder if it is my face that is inevitably changing as time goes by. 
But hey, as long as I am aware of the change and willing to experiment with new things, right?


Have you recently tried different looks and colors that are slightly out of your comfort zone?
How did you like them?





Join the conversation!

  1. Your perfect fair skin leaves me breathless, you are stunning! And this look is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your compliment, Dora. :)
      It is a lucky magic with my camera and good lightings, though. My skin is far from perfect. ^-^*

      Delete
  2. I think you can wear warm browns quite well! They're pretty on you! Love this look and yes! You should wear warm browns more often!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tracy. I still try to steer away from orange-y brown but will experiment more with other combinations. :)

      Delete
  3. ohmygosh! The look is beautiful - you wear warm browns so well! It always tend to age me, so I favour lighter colour lipsticks :) Maybe I'll this a shot over the weekend!!
    Stephanie | theFantasia.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the encouragement, Stephanie! :)
      Yes, I think the "aging" thing is another downside of wearing wrong brown shades for me, too.
      I think tonal reddish brown would looks very nice on you. :)

      Delete
  4. It's a beautiful look, Lena. I also love how Black Honey looks brighter against your skin tone. Warm browns suit you so there's nothing to be weary of. Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lily! :)
      Black Honey looks redder if I apply the lip gloss first. Which is quite interesting!
      I didn't believe this color looks different on everyone at the same time flattering, but maybe it's true. :)

      Delete
  5. I find warm colors hard to wear if I wear all warm colors. It's easier to mix them on my cool skin with some cooler toned shades. I usually opt for neutral lip undertones, warm cheeks, and cool/neutral shadows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. Some bridging colors are much needed to pull off these warm shades. Makeup is all about the balance, after all. :)

      Delete
  6. The eyeshadow look is so beautiful! I totally get you, I never used to wear pink and now pink lipsticks and blushes are all I want to wear, whilst the coral hues I was all about sit neglected in my stash. It's fun to experiment, and I have no doubt I'm going to change my mind again! ;) xx
    Gyudy's Notes Of Beauty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. :)
      Just like you (or the opposite), I'm trying to embrace coral and peach more. I also find pink with too much blue undertones look kind of aweful on me, which is interesting because I used to wear these like nobody's business.

      Delete
  7. Oh this works well on you, Lena! I get your fear of reddish browns tho. They make me look ill! I think you can definitely pull off warmer shades as well as you can with cooler ones, so have fun experimenting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sunny :)
      Maybe browns are just hard to pull off regardless of the skin tones. Thank God the 90's is behind us (or is it coming back again..?! LOL)

      Delete
  8. What a gorgeous look! Love that sheer plummy brown lip on you! :)

    -Jen

    www.vibrantbeautyblog.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jen. The black honey is some chameleon for sure. One day it looks red but plummy on another. :)

      Delete
  9. Reddish brown is a hard color to pull off for me as well. I have to get creative every time using it! That Stila Amethyst liner is gorgeous! It looks like a perfect shade for a soft, sultry eye look!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to know it isn't just me! :)
      I have two stila kajal pencils and they are very good quality. So soft and pigmented that I wish they came in a chubbier stick.

      Delete
  10. These look absolutely stunning on you! You wear it so well. Your skin is just flawless!
    xx
    Jenny // Mish Mosh Makeup

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jenny. My skin is behaving quite well lately, but it isn't all that. Thanks for the sweet words. :)

      Delete
  11. You looks very pretty I love a nuetral slightly smokey eye but I also love wearing glitter liner all year round. HAHA

    http://steph-g.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Stephanie. :)
      Nothing wrong with wearing glitter liners all year round! I enjoy using it near the lower lashes myself.

      Delete
  12. Beautiful FOTD! Love the window lighting you should use it more! I'm ok with browns but shy away from bright pinks though recently realized it can work under certain conditions

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Meiko. :)
      There are lots of things I need to learn about my own camera and basic photography. I just started reading some online tutorials. It is frustrating because the same setting worked nicely with my previous compact digital camera. Window lighting is nice but I also want to produce something realistic with accurate colors. :)

      Delete
  13. those stila kajal eyeliners are some of my very faves!! although i don't have your color and need to pick up for myself!! i've been trying to really step out of the box with my makeup these days now that hopefully spring is on the rise - so that means color color color!! love your look here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are so nice, right? I really like the soft even texture. I wish they were chubbier, though. It would be much easier to use it all over base.
      I just bought some pastel shades hoping to wear more colors for myself in the season, too. We will see how that goes. Right now I'm so fixated on neutrals. ;-)

      Delete
  14. I totally felt the same way about warm browns and reds, but I think I'm starting to love them lately, too. Funny how our tastes change!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You, too? That's interesting! I blame pinterest, but as I said, it might be my subconcious attempt to adjust to the changes in my face. :)

      Delete
  15. This is a lovely look and I, too, find it a little hard to wear warm dark reddish brown shades. I tend to just use a little as a way of smoking out a neutral eye. I tend to pair it with cooler neutral shades to balance it out. Recently, I tried Cranberry from MAC and while I didn't look like I had pink eye or was sick, I struggled to pair it nicely with another shade. BUT, I'm glad I moved out of my neutral bubble for once. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!
      And I am glad to hear about your own adventure with reddish brown color. I hear the MAC shade is quite beautiful yet requires certain blending skill and color pairings.
      My next goal is to wear orange and coral a little better for this spring. More adventures to come! :)

      Delete

© Lenallure. All Rights Reserved.