The third and final look in my LORAC Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette Series is SMOKEY. The smokey look is all about being sultry, sexy, and sophisticated. You can still amp your eyes up in a sophisticated way with a neutral palette of colors by creating a gorgeous bronzed smokey eye. This look is inspired by the always gorgeous Olivia Wilde who is often seen in bronze and chocolate smokey eyes. If you have blue or green eyes, this look is going to make your eyes look even lighter, and if your eyes are hazel or brown, this look will make them look extra sparkly. To see how to achieve this look and plenty more photographs of the finished look, read more…

The second look in my LORAC Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette Series is all about being playful, colorful, and fun. Neutral eyeshadow shades are the perfect complement to some brightness, whether it be on your lips, cheeks, or even your eyes, in the form of a bold eyeliner. I decided to add some sparkling turquoise eye liner to give the look a major pop and create some fun. This is actually my favorite way to wear really bright eyeliner and I regularly pair nude eyeshadow shades with brights along the lash line.  To see photographs and a tutorial on this look, read more…

I decided to do a three-part series of makeup looks using the LORAC Unzipped Palette that I just reviewed and swatched here on Beauty Gala. It’s a gorgeous palette of shimmery and matte nude shades and the possibilities are endless! I decided my first look would be a “GLAM” look, the type you’d wear for that classic, bombshell, night-out-on-the-town face. To see the tutorial and plenty more photographs of the look, read more…

When it comes to foundations, I’m always trying the newest ones that come out and hoping they are the holy grail of product for me. Fortunately, I stumbled upon L’oreal True Match Foundation last year, and I have been loving it since then. Also, get this…you can actually download the L’oreal Matchmaster App for your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and get a personalized match to your complexion and skin tone, with notes about what type of undertones your skin has! Where will technology take us next? To see my review, photographs, swatches, how I apply this foundation, as well as some screenshots of the amazing Matchmaster app, read more…

My favorite way to wear my hair is “bombshell style.” Think Marilyn Monroe, or modern day, the Victoria’s Secret Angels. The hair is effortlessly sexy and chic, moveable, simple to achieve, yet undeniably glamorous. The Sultra Bombshell Curling Iron is the be-all-end-all curling tool for me. Clampless, you can wrap sections of your hair around the ceramic plated rod and create gorgeous waves and curls.

I decided to demonstrate this product live via a video review and tutorial above. I hope you enjoy the tutorial, and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below!

**Purchase the Sultra Bombshell Curling Iron here.**

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Trop50 has inspired me to get REAL in 2012, and come up with a strong action plan to list my resolutions/goals, organize them, and keep them. I am here to motivate and inspire you to do the same and make 2012 your best year ever! I’d love to hear your resolutions and goals for the New Year, so please leave them below in the comments! read more…

I recently swatched the Revlon Colorstay “Inspired” Palette, which the always gorgeous Olivia Wilde is wearing in the brand new Revlon advertisements. I decided to use the palette to show you how it looks on the eyelids, as well as give you an idea of how to wear such a bright, colorful palette of eye colors. Just because it’s the winter doesn’t mean you can’t wear colorful eyelids…in fact, it is often said that color can brighten up your mood! I ended up creating a mermaid-esque look with this palette, showcasing the teal, light green, and purplish-blue in a way that reminds me of the sea. To see how to achieve this look step-by-step, as well as plenty of photographs, read more…

After battling through being sick this week, I found plenty of stunningly beautiful makeup inspiration online, with my favorite being a recent photograph I found of Katy Perry at an event. Katy Perry is naturally eccentric, and tends to be bold with her makeup choices, but at this one particular event she looked absolutely radiant. Glowing from natural bronze and peach tones, she looked young, fresh, and doe-eyed. I decided to use this photograph as an inspiration for a makeup tutorial here on Beauty Gala. It’s perfect for the upcoming holiday season, and really great to wear for New Year’s Eve, especially if you tend to wear more natural, earthy tones. read more…

Around the holiday season, gift sets are in abundance everywhere, and for good reason. Gift sets, especially cosmetic sets, allow you to use everything you need in one. ybf Cosmetics is a newly discovered makeup brand that I am absolutely loving. I decided to use a ybf palette called Perfect Fit in “Fashion,” featuring four eyeshadow shades that blend together beautifully, as well as a lipstick and lip gloss. This palette allowed me to put together a gorgeous smokey eye that deviates from your typical black and silver eyeshadow.

The look is sophisticated, chic, and a little more subtle in color than your typical smokey eye. It’s perfect for any holiday parties you may be attending, and has the perfect amount of sparkle to it. To see how I achieved the look below, simply watch the tutorial above!

 
**Click here to purchase the ybf “Perfect Fit” Palette used in this tutorial**

The top selling eyebrow pencil in the US, UK, and Canada, ybf’s Eyebrow Pencil is undeniably a must-have product. Our eyebrows frame our entire face and can completely change the way a person looks, for better or worse. I have always enjoyed using a bit of product on my eyebrows because my natural hair color is dark blonde/light brown which translates into light eyebrows. Since I am currently a brunette and plan to stay that way for awhile, it really helps to have a no-fail eyebrow product that fills in and shapes my eyebrows, as well as darkens them a bit. The other extraordinary thing about this eyebrow pencil is that it comes in a universal taupe shade which flatters all complexions and hair colors. To see photographs, swatches, and a how-to on using this amazing eyebrow pencil, read more…