As overall Girl Friday and chuchu organizer at the office, I officially decreed the 2013 company Christmas party a costume party.
The Anchor: Black Tutu
It was the first time we held a themed event at the office and I had sooo many things I could wear. The people weren't super competitive and handmade or recycled costumes were encouraged. Random: somebody cosplayed as Sailor Moon, complete with wig, and it was AMAZING!
I settled on this little Forever 21 corset-tutu dress that I got for special occasions. I don't normally keep such flashy dresses but over the years, I've learned my lesson to stock up on them. I am just too big of a procrastinator and I always end up bonking my special-occasions-look with a what-in-whatever, fugly, last resort kind of dress.
The Anchor: Black Tutu
It was the first time we held a themed event at the office and I had sooo many things I could wear. The people weren't super competitive and handmade or recycled costumes were encouraged. Random: somebody cosplayed as Sailor Moon, complete with wig, and it was AMAZING!
I settled on this little Forever 21 corset-tutu dress that I got for special occasions. I don't normally keep such flashy dresses but over the years, I've learned my lesson to stock up on them. I am just too big of a procrastinator and I always end up bonking my special-occasions-look with a what-in-whatever, fugly, last resort kind of dress.
 |
| LBD for emergencies! |
I chose to go as Natalie Portman's Black Swan. More than anything, I wanted to do a costume that would involve much, much, much more makeup than I'd normally get to wear. My face was heavily inspired by this Youtube tutorial by CarrosBeauty. She says it was her first time doing it but her face looked very legit on the thumbnail so I chose her vid among the top searches.
 |
| poster by Etienne Ripzaad, deviantart.com |
The Look: Black Swan
 |
| Me with the bf, whom I spared from the dress code |
I didn't expect to post about it so I don't have a lot of showcase-y and good-quality photos but I love the look I ended up with! The eyes weren't as challenging as I feared; I started with a black-grey-silver-white smoke on the lids and filled my brows midway with really solid black eyeliner. I pulled the rest up toward the hairline and pulled the center of my brows halfway down the bridge of my nose. I connected that line to my tear ducts.
I made a mental outline of my "mask," and left the feathery part from below the eyes up to the long brow line. Starting above my lids, I drew veiny, feathery strokes bit by bit, making sure I left longer and more feathered strokes at the edges of my mask.
In the middle of the mask, I left holes in a somewhat lattice-like pattern and used NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk to fill in where I didn't have black lines. I intentionally went a bit over the lines so the smeared white would feather out to grey, and end with the black smudges. The creaminess of Milk was key to this look. It easily smudged with the black liner to create a striking gray, rather than a too-stark white.
For the lips, I did a drastic ombre by lining the outer edges of my lips with black eyeliner, and filling in the center with the deep, rose-hued NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo.
For the rest of the face, I used normal foundation, set heavily with the starchy Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Buff to create that stage makeup look. I would have contoured if I knew how to, but I didn't. I skipped blush and contour to leave me looking as pale as Natalie did in the movie.
Products Used:
I made a mental outline of my "mask," and left the feathery part from below the eyes up to the long brow line. Starting above my lids, I drew veiny, feathery strokes bit by bit, making sure I left longer and more feathered strokes at the edges of my mask.
 |
| Me with a grumpy Boots. He didn't like the noise. |
In the middle of the mask, I left holes in a somewhat lattice-like pattern and used NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk to fill in where I didn't have black lines. I intentionally went a bit over the lines so the smeared white would feather out to grey, and end with the black smudges. The creaminess of Milk was key to this look. It easily smudged with the black liner to create a striking gray, rather than a too-stark white.
 |
| Dad and I doing what we do best: being awkward. |
For the lips, I did a drastic ombre by lining the outer edges of my lips with black eyeliner, and filling in the center with the deep, rose-hued NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo.
For the rest of the face, I used normal foundation, set heavily with the starchy Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Buff to create that stage makeup look. I would have contoured if I knew how to, but I didn't. I skipped blush and contour to leave me looking as pale as Natalie did in the movie.
 |
| Derping up the stage. |
Products Used:
- Face
- BRTC Gold Caviar BB Cream
- Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Buff (to set)
- Mask / Eyes
- Missha Eyeliner Pencil, black (brows and 'feathers')
- Ottie eyeshadow in Grey and White (lids)
- NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Milk (lids and 'feathers')
- Lips
- Missha Eyeliner Pencil, black
- NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo
Aaaa! What a waste. I really wish I had better photos.