Black Smokey Eye

Me today. 

Today has been a great day. I hope it has been a great day for you too. As for my day, I worked from 9 am until 5 pm. Then, went home and took the selfies I am sharing with you today. After wards, I had a wonderful shower. In spite of contemplating what to make for dinner, I must admit that pleasantly surprised at how great my black smoky eye turned out today and how well my makeup stayed on. 

I decided to go a little dramatic today for work. Truth be told, this is something that I don't normally do when I go to work, considering I work in a more office environment. I went with a light lip and dramatic black smoky eye. And considering most of my readers are either here for my beauty content or Morgan Ingram, I decided that I would share what I did to achieve this look. 

Amazing makeup is always supported with great skin care. When I woke this morning, I had a wonderful shower. My secret to amazing skin is always exfoliating. I exfoliate in the shower all of the time. I am in my late 30's and my secret to looking younger is exfoliating. When I just do my regular skincare routine too, I exfoliate also. I am obsessed with the Chuda Exfoliating Cleanser. If I had to choose a favorite right now, it is this one. It is not only effective, it's gentle and proves why it is the holy grail of face scrubs. At least, in my opinion. I also love that I can do everything in one step because this product cleanses and exfoliates. 

When I wake up, I love to moisturize. No matter what kind of climate it is, I like to have hydration. Hydration is super important, especially when you get older. I don't like to use face treatments on my face when I go to work, but occasionally I'll use a good serum. Serums and oils tend to sink into the skin faster than a cream or lotion, but have effects if you wear them under makeup which is why I try to avoid using them before I go to work. I do; however, love to use a good moisturizer in the morning before I apply makeup and head to my 9-to-5 work day. As I have tried many, I really love the Giorgio Armani Beauty Prima Glow-On Moisturizing Balm. It is literally a holy grail in moisturizers and makes my face feel ultimately amazing. 

Before applying makeup, especially heavier or more dramatic makeup I love to spray setting spray. Not everyone likes this, but I believe this is what prevents my makeup from fading throughout the day. A primer can only work so long. I love a lot of them, but right now I really love the Make Up For Ever Mix and Fix Makeup Setting Spray. It is probably my favorite right now if I had to choose. Although MAC's Fix+ is probably in a close second.

The rest of the products I used today include:

Japonesque Radiance Primer, LORAC POREfection Foundation in the shade PR3, Estee Lauder Double Matte Pressed Powder in Light, Rouge Bunny Rouge 'Seas of Illumination' Highlighting Liquid in the shade Sea of Clouds (quite possibly my favorite liquid highlighter right now) and KKW Beauty Cream Contour Stick in the shade in the shades Light/Medium and Medium II. (for face)

Smashbox Cosmetics 24 Hour Shadow Primer in the shade Barely There Sheer, KIKO Milano Glitter Shower Eyeshadow in the shade 01 Silver Champagne, OFRA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in the shade Exquisite, Kylie Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Jack Frost, Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow in M Black 990 A, Ellis Faas Lights in E301 Antique Silver (I love this eyeshadow), Lancome Cils Booster XL, and Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lash Mascara in the shade Black. (for eyes)

Benefit Cosmetics BROWVO! and Benefit Cosmetics Goof Proof Eyebrow Pencil in the shade in 5 (for brows)

Elizabeth Arden Lip Fix, Merle Norman Lipliner in Neutral, Lipstick Queen Ice Queen Lipstick and Ellis Faas Lights in E301 Antique Silver. (for lips)

In case you are wondering, the dress (although you cannot see it) is black and is from White House Black Market. I wore a blazer with it by NIC+ZOE. The shoes I wore with it (although you cannot see them) are from Prada. And the jewelry is from Totaram. 

For my hair, I used L'ANZA Shampoo followed by the L'ANZA Conditioner. Additionally, I used the Umberto Beverly Hills Hair Repair Mask (and I am almost out and this product is virtually impossible to find. If you see it anywhere on or offline please let me know), Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Mega Varnish with one of my favorite combs ever, the Cricket Ultra Smooth Coconut Detangler Comb. And I decided to use ZOYA Nail Polish in Genesis on my nails. 

Other products or things that I currently enjoy, that I am kind of obsessed with at the moment include: 

Goutal Paris Rose Pompon Eau De Parfum, Cosmedix Opti Crystal Eye Serum, La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, LeBody Form, VLCC Diamond Facial Kit, Sol Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, Evolve Toothbrush, The Eterno LED Red Light Therapy Device and everything from The Perfect V. And I know I am forgetting a few things here. (beauty)

Good food (although I think that is everyday), PUBG Mobile, PUBG on PS4, cooking anything Indian, making vegan smoothies, Lassi and doogh of all flavors, Serial Podcast, The Precor AMT 885 Adaptive Motion Trainer, Monster Energy Juice Drink in the flavor Mango Loco, taking pictures of my home garden, drinking pineapple juice before bed, oil pulling, Investing.com and anything political that deals with the conservative side of the spectrum. (non-beauty) 

And there you have it. Now, I have to make dinner and also decide what I am making (and baking) tomorrow for the fourth of July. As I love America, I think my favorite thing about Independence Day is the food. 

Why? Because I truly believe food is a need and really dictates and defines culture in it's diverse role. When you travel anywhere, you will notice the food is one of the first things outsiders tend to notice. And lets face it, nothing is better than enjoying wonderful food with family and friends. I am sure tomorrow will be a great day. 

Anyways, have a wonderful day!