MIDSUMMER NIGHTS… RAVEN LYN

MIDSUMMER NIGHTS… RAVEN LYN


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“Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.”
― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Glossy skin, a simple wash of deep bronze around the eyes, a touch of bronzer to emphasize the cheekbones and a warm nude lip makes for the perfect accoutrement to July’s hot summer nights.  To create this look, I used long lasting cream formulas applied with my fingers.  Cream colors are gorgeous over summer skin since they have minimal texture and the new generation of long lasting formulas mean they stay put even in humidity.  In fact, Sisley’s Phyto-Eye Twists outlast most powder shadows (even over a primer!) in the heat.  I am also a fan of these kind of products since you can just toss them in your clutch or crossbody for easy touchups without brushes.

Note: Even though it’s a very modern look (with a smidge of disco), there is something quite romantic about it that calls to mind Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

MODEL // Raven Lyn
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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LAVENDER LIPS… AVERY THARP

LAVENDER LIPS… AVERY THARP


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When the weather gets so hot that your eye makeup starts melting (looking at you LA), reach for a statement lip color like this lavender shade from Tarte.  Pair it with dewy skin, nude eyes and messy brows for a grunge vibe.  I know that last item is going to upset the many people who are deeply attached to their perfectly drawn brows.  And while I do appreciate the well groomed look, there is something really cool, a certain je na sais quoi, about leaving your brows wild.

MODEL // Avery Tharp
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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ORGANIC MAKEUP, LOOK #1… BRAINA

ORGANIC MAKEUP, LOOK #1… BRAINA


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Recently I’ve had so many inquiries about organic makeup that I thought it would be fun to do a series of looks with it. This first look features RMS Beauty (along with one of my personal skincare favorites, Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil) on the always inspiring Braina Laviena. Briana is not only an upcoming model but also spends quite a bit of time behind the camera. You can check out her photography work by clicking here.

Note: As a disclaimer, the mascara is by Sisley Paris and while it contains many high quality natural ingredients (their entire line is amazing!), it is not certified organic nor does it claim to be an all natural product. In fact, I have not found an organic mascara that really “works”. If you have any suggestions, please email me at hello@beautyisboring.com.

MODEL // Braina Laviena
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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COLOR CLASH… ALEX BOLDEA

COLOR CLASH… ALEX BOLDEA


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This summer, why not skip the usual bronze, beachy shades in favor of wildly clashing colors.  One of my favorite combos is bright tangerine eyes with a pale blue-pink lip.  It’s unexpected but surprisingly pretty when paired with glowing skin, nude lashes and just a touch of white pencil on the bottom waterline.

MODEL // Alex Boldea
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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PURPLE HAZE, DAY TO NIGHT, PART 2… DEVAN NYKOLE MAYFIELD

PURPLE HAZE, DAY TO NIGHT, PART 2… DEVAN NYKOLE MAYFIELD


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I love a quick day to night transformation, especially for those evenings when I am going straight from the studio to an event.  In Part 2 of our Purple Haze look, I simply blended the deeper purple shade of the NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Joli Poupee directly over the paler purple color used in Part 1. Then with the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Stingray (a very intense black), I drew around the entire eye, tapering in the center and extending just a bit at the outer corners.  I also filled in the waterline, both top and bottom.  To give the liner a slightly softer effect, I smudged the edges by pressing gently with my finger.

MODEL // Devan Nykole Mayfield
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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PURPLE HAZE, DAY TO NIGHT, PART 1… DEVAN NYKOLE MAYFIELD

PURPLE HAZE, DAY TO NIGHT, PART 1… DEVAN NYKOLE MAYFIELD


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Dating back to Byzantine Empire times, purple has been the color of royalty.  Roman emperors, Persian rulers and even Queen Elizabeth I created laws that forbid common people from wearing it.  Most of the perceived value of purple was due to how expensive it was to create, the process involved sea snail mucus baked in the sun and took 250,000 of those poor snails to produce just a single ounce of dye. Luckily us “common” types have had access to the color since 1856 when an 18 yr old English chemist named William Henry Perkin created a synthetic purple dye on accident.

To celebrate our collective right to flaunt the royal shade, I created two looks on Devan.  This first look is a daytime version of purple, perfect for summer in the city.  Stay tuned for part two…

Note: I used the Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palette in Sunrise Splendor on the cheeks and dabbed it lightly on the lips.

MODEL // Devan Nykole Mayfield
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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A SUBTLE GLOW… JESI LE RAE

A SUBTLE GLOW… JESI LE RAE


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In the beauty world, the appeal of simplicity is often overlooked in favor of more extreme trends.  However when it’s done right, subtle makeup projects confidence and has a certain quiet sexiness.  It also has the added advantage of only requiring a few products and can be done in less than 10 minutes.  I tend to stay up late and then wake up about 30 minutes before I actually need to leave for the studio, meetings, etc.  So any look that gives me a bit of radiance and polish in a just a few minutes, makes my morning more civilized.

For this look on Jesi, I focused on creating glowing skin with washes of minimal nude shimmer across the eyelids and lips. Nothing fussy, nothing time consuming and most of it can be applied with your fingers.

MODEL // Jesi Le Rae
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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SUMMER ROMANCE… AVERY THARP

SUMMER ROMANCE… AVERY THARP


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The above look takes inspiration from the late 17th / early 18th century paintings that I saw on a recent visit to France.  The women are often depicted in pastoral or garden settings with loose curls, flushed cheeks, stained red lips and absolutely nothing on the eyes or brows.  Of course I always prefer to incorporate some modernity when I am taking cues from a historical style.  In the look above on Avery, I added a strong red lip and used cream contour under the cheekbones and in the creases of the eyelids for depth.  I love how it feels both romantic and a tiny bit grunge.

MODEL // Avery Tharp
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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REFINERY 29 X BEAUTY IS BORING… ALEX BOLDEA

THE COBALT EYE… ALEX BOLDEA


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It’s almost officially summer (the 2016 summer solstice is June 20th) and that means time to break out the blue eye makeup. Cobalt, indigo, neon, lagoon, primary, teal or navy, as long as it’s blue! Layer cobalt blue eye liner with deep blue mascara as in the above photo or for a more subtle look, simply apply a navy gel liner to your bottom waterline.

Note: This look was first featured in a recent Refinery 29 story about Beauty Is Boring. Click here to read it!

MODEL // Alex Boldea
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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ROCK-N-ROLLA… JENNA KLEIN

ROCK-N-ROLLA… JENNA KLEIN


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In this time of ubiquitous pop music, why not add a bit of rock n’ roll to your beauty routine! Take a day off from multiple eyeshadow shades, careful blending and perfect edges in favor of greasy, slept in, blacked out kohl eyes.

Note: Extra points if you pair your smudgy kohl eye with long, lash skimming bangs like Jenna!

MODEL // Jenna Klein
MAKEUP // Robin Black

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