Faceday: Brick, Navy, Gold

Hello hello Lyfers. This is officially the first ever Hawaiian Faceday brought to you by yours truly. Let’s fuckin’ DO it.

The Inspiration
1. This shirt. Ugh. It’s so cute and feminine and comfy without making me feel like a child.
2. My residual salt at an interaction I had right before Halloween in which someone told me they hated my haircut because it makes me look like a boy. Um. Not a boy. Queer? Yes. Kind of masculine? Yes. Not actually a dude. Rude ass. So, because I’m petty above all else it’s time to cry about it get effin’ feminine.

Yeah But How Did You DO it, Buttnana
DON’T WORRY FAM. I got choo. This look is really easy and doubles for a look book page from the Urban Decay Smoky Palette, which looks like this in case you have dupes:

Source

1. Do your foundation and brows as you usually would. Because I wanted to look extra chiseled today, I contoured a bit more than normal and applied blush to the outsides of my cheeks rather than the apples. I also contoured along my jaw today because if someone’s going to say I look like a boy then I am at least going to be a handsome one.
2. Once your face is done how you like, note the palette above. Of course, you can do this however else you’d like to get the neutral/gold look I went for here.
   – I patted High (far left) all over my lid with my fingertip.
   – I then used a crease brush (mine is rectangular but you can use which ever one tickles your pickle) and swept Dirtysweet (second from the left) along the crease and a wee bit past the outer corners of my eyes.
   – Then, I used the fluffy side of the brush that came with the palette (pictured) and blended Dirtysweet toward my brows with Combust (second from the right).
   – After that, I swept Thirteen just beneath the outside halves of my brows, flicking off the excess powder with the fluffy brush and blending toward Dirtysweet. This creates a subtle transition effect with lots of dimension. Now we’re going to use a trick from our Lord and Savior Tati and amp up the depth.
   – Using the short side of the included brush, dab it in Radar (third from the left) and blend it into your crease on the outside 1/3 of your eyes. If it strikes you, you can also flick the brush toward the center of your lid to darken the very outside corners of your eyes. You can use the same short brush to blend it with Dirtysweet to avoid any harsh lines or you can go back in with Dirtysweet and soften anything that needs softening. The point is to cheat dimension where there previously may not have been much.
   – Line your upper and lower lids with navy liner. I used some REAL old kohl liner from Wet&Wild but you can totally use Dagger (sixth from the left) and a liner brush if you’re going for an even softer look. After all that business is done my eyes looked like this:

Lol @ the dog hair on my nose.

Now that your upper lids are done, let’s smoke out the lower lids.
– Grab a liner brush (I personally like the precision I get from a flat liner brush for this) and load it up with Dagger. Tap off the excess to avoid fallout like the unwelcome guest it is. Dab it on your lower lash line. Dragging it might be faster, but it might, again, cause fallout. Don’t panic at the harsh lines, we’re not leaving it like that.
– Load up a little more Dirtysweet on your Dirtysweet blending brush and smoke out your lower lash line. It will most likely take a minute to blend the two colors together because Dagger isn’t fucking around.
-With the short end of your included brush, dab it gently in Whiskey (third from the right) and smudge it on the outside 1/3 of your lower lashline. A little goes a long way here.
– Clean up the edges with your Combust brush but don’t load any more product on it. Use the residual powder to soften any Dirtysweet edges there may be. My eyes looked like this:

Now, add your favorite mascara and brick lipstick. If your lipstick is matte I would suggest dotting some lip balm in the center of your lips. This way, it’ll stick when you dip your finger into Dirtysweet and dab-blend it into the center of your lips. You can do as little or as much as you like. I ended up with this Gryffindor-looking ombre:

Not pictured: any bad hombres

I amped this look up even more with a special septum ring, a stacking ring (because that trend has found a safe home with me forever), black diamond earrings The Merman got me for Valentine’s Day, and a whole lot of attitude. Because crying on the inside is easier when you don’t want to fuck up your makeup.

Slay.

What are your favorite shirt-inspired looks? Let’s geek about them in the comments. 😀 😀

I’m off to try and warm up somewhere. They weren’t kidding when they said this was a cold shoulder blouse.

Stay classy (or not, I don’t know your life),
Buttnana

Faceday: Taking a Break

Why hello there, Lyfers. It’s Buttnana. For this week’s Faceday, we’re shifting gears.

I have acne. It’s hormonal, which means all the advice I get about water and green tea and not wearing makeup and wearing only some makeup and wearing makeup only on the third Sunday of the month when the moon is full and a virgin has been sacrificed by a good man to the gods of sebum…is bullshit. I take a testosterone blocker called Spironolactone because I’m hella queer and my body produces a shitload of testosterone even though I’m technically a cisgender woman. Spironolactone is what helps.

However. It’s not foolproof. And sometimes life happens. Which means I internalize all of my stress until it explodes out of my face.

Wow, Buttnana. That Was Graphic.
I know. Bear with me.

When this happens, I do not want anyone to see me at all ever because I’m fifteen years into my acne career and it is never not embarrassing. This is especially true considering part of this blog is about makeup.

So I’m giving myself a break. In a radical act of self-love, I’m going to adjust to my circumstances and I am going to give myself permission to step away from makeup for a moment.

What does that have to do with you?

Well, My Lovely Bunch of Coconuts…
It’s okay to give yourself a break with all of this. The prepping and the priming and the steady hand and the brushes and all of it. No one ever said to me “hey Buttnana…do you just want to not? Because it’s cool if you do,” and I feel like that would have been immensely helpful.

We’re often boxed into women who wear makeup vs. women who don’t as a lifestyle and it can be hard to step out of those boxes.

But the thing is…there are no boxes. Not really.

We are allowed to change our minds when it comes to makeup. The way we choose to express ourselves. It’s no one’s damn business but ours.

Sometimes I find I need permission, though. Because anxiety. Consider this your permission. I am giving you permission to look at your makeup bag or your train case or your entire vanity and give it the finger if that’s what you need.

My face is breaking out and it hurts. It’s what I need right now.

So This is My Buttnana Pledge to My Daaamn Self
When contouring becomes a source of stress, I’m just not gonna do it.

If I don’t feel like doing your eyebrows until they are fresh to death…I’m just gonna not do it.

I have eight billion eyeshadows. And I don’t have to wear them if I don’t want to.

When I look at my brushes and they stress me out, I’m just not going to deal with them.

I am allowed to look long and hard at my naked face until I am just as in love with it as my man is. Until I don’t see a problem with my freckles and dark circles and acne scars and enlarged pores.

I am also allowed to avoid any and all mirrors for a day if that’s what I want.

And you know what? It’s okay. It’s totally fine if thats what I need. ❤

It’s totally fine if that’s what you need, too. Life calls for adjustments. Adjusting is okay.

Taking a break is okay.

I, and you, will be okay. Please remember that.

Be kind to yourselves, y’all. I’ll see you Wednesday.

❤ ❤
Buttnana

Faceday: Using Eyeshadow to Contour

Heyyy Lyfers. Hope all is well. It’s time for another edition of Faceday where we talk about makeup and beauty and things like that. This week, I want to show you a trick that I use to contour my face because I am deathly pale but I still want to cut a fool with my cheekbones.

What the Hell is Contouring, Buttnana?
Contouring is darkening the preexisting shadows in your face and blending them to sharpen your features. However you choose to contour is your choice, so it’s cool to play around with it for awhile just to see what’s up. Because I’m so queer, most of the shadows in my face are already there so I like to sharpen the sides of my nose and hollows of my cheeks.

Okay Cool. So Why Eyeshadow, Weirdo?
Because I’m so, so pale almost all contouring shades are too dark and too warm for me. My coloring is very cool, so the shadows in my face are also cool. See how that works? Ideally, you want to see the shadows in your face as colors instead, and then find a contouring shade that looks like those shadows. And you know what comes in eight billion colors? Eyeshadow. Hello, custom contouring powder.

I’m using this NYX matte eyeshadow in the shade S.O.S., which they describe as being a “matte cool taupe.” Ideally, mattes are where it’s at because they don’t reflect light. Since you’re darkening/defining/carving out shadows in your face to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies, matte shadows won’t reflect light and make your contours disappear depending on the angle.

Now, this shade works for ME. For one Buttnana. Likely, this shade will not look quite the same on you and that’s totally cool. That’s what swatches are for. And speaking of, here’s S.O.S. next to The Balm’s “Balm Desert.”

See how S.O.S. looks much more subtle and cool next to Balm Desert? That’s exactly what I want because that’s what color the shadows in my face are.

Before We Begin
I WILL say that this shadow is super subtle so it takes some building. That doesn’t bother me personally but if you’re looking for a one and done sort of thing you might want something darker.

I also want for us to be good scientists, so I’m doing the rest of my face first so we can focus on what exactly contouring does. These are the products I used to do the rest of my face:

And this is what I looked like before I contoured:

How to Contour

After the rest of my face was done, I used these two brushes from BH Cosmetics. I use the smaller angled brush for the sides of my nose and the larger brush for the hollows of my cheeks.

In a perfect contouring world you want something that’s got sharp edges for maximum control in application. But if you get epic results with a fluffier brush then go for it. This really is more preference than technique.

I personally just load up the brush and draw on the lines. Observe my hawk nose:

And my Marilyn Manson cheeks:

Lololol I look ridiculous. BUT. This is what blending is for. Because we’re using something pretty subtle, this is the easy part. I used a flat top kabuki brush to soften the edges of my cheek contour, and I used my fingertips to pat in the lines on the sides of my nose.

Now, this looks kind of cool or whatever…

Until you check out the side by side comparison:

Yaaaas contour Queeeeen. Dat definition tho. Note how I literally became a bigger person after I contoured. And note how I don’t LOOK like I drew all over my face and then blended it in. I just have some definition where I didn’t before. Just a little somethin’ somethin’ extra. Because I as a person am a little extra.

So there you have it! You can achieve pretty dope contour with eyeshadow.This is an everyday look that doesn’t look like it’s trying but totes is. Just like my haircut.

Let me know if you want me to model contouring in different and more dramatic contours. I’m off to hit up a family dinner and then go see some old friends. Here, have this ultra rare Buttnana smile for the road:

Have a good one, y’all. Stay classy!

❤ Buttnana

Faceday: All Greige Everything

Ayyy lyfers. I’m Buttnana and it’s time for the FIRST EVER Faceday post. On point makeup doubles as self-care for me. Major inspirations for this look (All Greige Everything) include Tati Westbrook and SoCal as a region. Because I am not immune to the airy yet glamorous aesthetic.

Bonus Adventure!
Okay, so don’t judge me but I really needed new makeup. My foundation was making me too shiny, my blush game was nonexistent, I ran out of mascara and I was just really tired of not having any greige lipstick. Or nail polish.
I tried to not get on the greige train but I can’t help it. I need it.
So this morning, after I got up at five god damn thirty and ate breakfast, I showered and went to Walgreens for the first time ever. Yes. The first actual time ever. No shit. So this is my big naked face on the way there.

I was mad nervous on the way in because new places make me anxious. And I didn’t have high hopes because I’ve never had good luck finding makeup at the drugstore before. But I was wrong. Because I went in looking for foundation, concealer, blush, lipstick, mascara, and maybe greige nail polish. And I found it ALL at Walgreens save for the mascara.
After a quick trip to Rite Aid, I came home with my spoils, and I was ready to try out all of these new products at the same time. MEGA TRY ON.

I used these products beforehand, just so we’re all on the same page about how I prepped my face. I’ll keep y’all posted on how Imperialis works out for me. I just started using it again after we broke up for awhile.

Aaand here’s me after I did my hair because I have an annoying trendy haircut and I HAVE to do something with it or look a little fluffy up top in a not-cute way.

First Impressions of the New Products
Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless foundation in Classic Ivory
Application: I blended it with a dampened real essentials beauty blender. It gave me medium coverage (which is fine because my skin is mostly behaving for now) but it was super lightweight and I don’t feel like I’m wearing a heavy layer of makeup.
Notes: I have a hard time finding foundation that matches me because I’m fresh out of the grave pale, oily af, and also pretty pink. But this matches. Dope. We’ll see how it wears. Does anyone care about product reviews from a dirty queer like myself? Let me know.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles in Fair
Application: I was real skeptical of twisting the bottom to get the product out because I was convinced it was going to squirt everywhere (because I’m irrational today) and then I panicked because it looked super dark when it came through the sponge. I triangled it on under my eyes directly from the sponge because I fear no germs. Then I used the same beauty blender to pat it in. I used my finger to dab it in directly on the side of my nose because that’s where I’m the darkest and it blended out just fine with the corner of my beauty blender.
Notes: It works great thus far. It covered my dark circles. And. Girl. I have me some DARK CIRCLES. But it didn’t look cakey or thick so it didn’t exaggerate my burgeoning mid-20’s fine lines (which I love, I just don’t want to look like I’m wearing old age theater makeup).

Maybelline Fit Me blush in Light Mauve
Application: I used a pretty firm stippling brush to dab it on the apples of my cheeks and swept up my cheekbones. The fallout is minimal and it is matte with no shimmer.
Notes: I only ever used mauve blush for YEARS because, uh, let’s be real. I don’t have a whole lot of actual color in my cheeks. I fell off that wagon for years and let me tell you I am STRONGLY back on that wagon. It’s SO pretty. It’s subtle but flattering. It can stay.

Maybelline Loaded Bolds lipstick in Gone Greige
Application: From the tube, son. Straight from the tube.
Notes: Application was smooth but a wee bit patchy. Nothing a spot fix didn’t take care of. Because it’s a solid lipstick it’s not transfer proof. However, it is matte. Like matte matte. And it’s comfortable! It’s not drying out my lips or sliding around. It just sits there and is cute. Very impressed. Will keep. Such greige. Wow.

Covergirl Katy Kat Eye mascara in Very Black
Application: From the tube with the weird spiral brush I’m not crazy about. I had to work at it a little to get all of my lashes covered. I should mention that I have really long, plushy eyelashes so it legit takes me a minute to apply mascara to all of my lashes. BUT EVEN SO. Ridiculous. Do not love. I then went over the product with a (mostly) clean spoolie brush to sort of separate the product and even it out. I had some clumping. I think the brush makes product sit in uneven places beause it twists around in a spiral.
Notes: After I worked at the product (and I always have to work at it because my lashes love to clump due to the fact that I have eight billion of them) it looked like I was wearing false lashes. The Covergirl formula has always worked well for me and I think the brush, despite the weirdness, will prove useful once I figure it out. If you’re curious about the Katy Kat mascara I say, for $8 and this much volume and definition, give it a go.

essie nail polish in Chinchilly
Application: I used Sally Hansen’s Hard as Wraps as a base coat, one coat of the polish, and Nicole by OPI’s Top Coat Plus as a top coat.
Notes: essie is my favorite nail polish. I’m not going to post a picture today because my nails are a little stained from the polish I was wearing before and I’m not finna post some shit that makes the polish look worse. But it’s true to the color in the bottle (darker greige) and I’m in love with it. I highly recommend Chinchilly.

The End Result
At the end of the application, here’s everything else I used on my face.
Not pictured because I forgot I was doing this and put a couple of things back: the mascara and the lipstick. I did in fact wear them.

I pointed out the shades I used from from this old af Ulta palette. Petal makes an incredible highlighter. Heart eyes.

Aaand here’s what I ended up looking like after all was said and done! I liked the natural light pictures a lot more. These are filter-free pictures. Which I NEVER take. All in all I’m really impressed so far and I feel like I’m slaying my mid-20’s today.

Excuse me whilst I eat this Cobb salad and watch Nurse Jackie like the basic white girl I am.

Until next time, Lyfers. Stay classy. 😉

<3,
Buttnana