Halloween and the Amazing Amanda Chapman

Amanda Chapman is an amazing makeup artist and photographer from Alabama who is currently undertaking a 31 days of Halloween challenge on her Facebook page and Instagram. She has done the challenge every October since 2012, and the results are always amazing.

Jared Leto

 This is a before and after comparison, which shows how amazing her transformations are! 

Charlie Chaplin,

Norman Bates, and Edgar Allen Poe

I'm loving the black and white makeup looks a lot. The one on the right is Edgar Alan Poe, which is one of my favourites from this year. You can view a short video of the Edgar look in action here, and one showing some of the creation process here.

 Here are some of my favourites from 2012 to now. The quotes are from her Facebook page. 

 

Nosferatu

October 22 2014

"To my knowledge, Nosferatu was the very first on screen vampire. Bram Stoker's Dracula was the first novel (Stoker's widow sued the filmmakers because they did not get permission to make a movie based on the Dracula novel). The silent film was released in 1922 and to this day Nosferatu is one of the creepiest vampires in my opinion.

Products used:
Vampire Stack in gray
Urban Decay black eyeliner
Bald Cap & Vampire teeth from Halloween Express
Mehron Synwax for nose and ears
Black contact lenses"

Lydia Deetz - Beetlejuice

 October 18 2014

"Because I'm a photographer and so was Lydia...also I did the Beetlejuice character in 2012 so I thought I'd make it complete I have a collection of vintage cameras so it was nice to incorporate one of them into my series.

Products used:
Bare Minerals BareSkin foundation in Bare Natural
Make Up For Ever HD powder
Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette
Urban Decay black eyeliner
Benefit They're Real mascara
Rimmel Color Rush lip crayon"

Tina Belcher - Bob's Burgers

 October 5 2014

"If you know me then you know I'm a huge fan of animation...The Simpsons, King Of The Hill, Family Guy, American Dad and yes...Bob's Burgers! In honor of the new Bob's Burgers season 5 premiere tonight, here is one of my favorite awkward little animated characters, Tina Belcher!

Super simple makeup

Products used:
Revlon Colorstay Foundation
Urban Decay 24/7 black eyeliner
Mehron Paradise Palette in light blue and white"

 View more from 2014 here

Heisenberg/Walter White - Breaking Bad

 October 6, 2013

"I used a bald cap to cover my hair, Mehron's dark brown color palette for shading, contouring and facial hair. The glasses, hat and shirt are from Dollar General. "

 Larger version of the image here.

 

Coraline

October 5 2013

"I blocked out my eyebrows using layer upon layer of glue stick, concealer and powder. I also used the glue stick to attach the black button over Coraline's eye. Her blue starry top is actually my daughter's jacket from Target worn backwards and the yellow coat is mine."  

Larger version of the image here.

 

Bellatrix Lestrange - Harry Potter

 Oct. 14 2013

Larger version of the image here.

 

Little  Dead Riding Hood

Oct. 16 2013

"She didn't go down without a fight.

For the big bad wolf's (who ain't so bad anymore) claw marks I used Spirit scar putty...which I do not recommend. It's very sticky and difficult to work with. Then I shadowed the cuts with dark red and added a little fake blood. I had an old wolf mask just laying around (because who doesn't) and I purchased the red cape and dress from Walmart several years ago. I know she normally has blonde hair but I wanted to change up her look just a bit." 

Larger version of the image here. 

View more from 2013 here. 

 

Willy Wonka - Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

 October 26 2012

Lord Voldermort - Harry Potter

 October 30 2012

 

Sugar Skull

 October 1 2012

 View more from 2012 here.

 

 Isn't she just amazing? In case you want to go check her out but don't want to scroll all the way back up, here are the links again:

Amanda's Website

Facebook

Instagram

 

 
 

My Favourite Nail Art Posts of the Month from Reddit

I've decided to expand my favourite Reddit Beauty round up into multiple more specific posts - there is just so many cute manicures and makeup looks that everyone posts - all such great inspiration! So to begin with, these are my favourite nail art posts.

"Squirrel and Sparkles" by Manicurn_it

"Cherry blossoms on a French manicure gradient with a matte finish" by roflypenguingasm

Pretty Floral Nails by Stephsnails - for photos of the process or just because she's awesome, you should check out her blog!

True Blood Logo Nail Art by PiggieLuv. This is so amazingly detailed and awesome. I wish I was this talented. She also has a post about it on her blog, which you should totally check out :)

Awesome vampire fang nails by Kimberlykitty. These are such an awesome idea - especially with Halloween approaching. Kimberllykitty says "The black and white polishes are just plain Wet and Wild cream black and french white. The two middle fingers (and my thumb) have one layer of black topped with one layer of Kleancolor's Chunky Holo Scarlet. :-)"

This is another great manicure for Halloween -a dripping poison look by -Diet-Cokehead-. She says that "I used Nautilus You Say So by Different Dimension for the green and OPI's matte top coat over the black. The skull and crossbones is a nail vinyl from Lou it Yourself's Halloween set. Here's a link to her store http://louityourself.storenvy.com/ she has some really awesome designs" and also explained how she did the drips: "What I did was lay down the green color first and then top coat it and make sure it was completely dry. I then used a super fine black sharpie (this worked since I was using black as the background color) and drew out the outline for the drips. I wasn't happy with one of them so I took the sharpie off with rubbing alcohol and drew it again. Then it was just a matter of staying within the lines. I've also seen some tutorials where people use a dotting tool for the bottom of the drip and then connect the dot to the top part if that makes sense". She also has an instagram that you should check out. :)

This is a simpler but still fabulously adorable 1930s-esc manicure by atxlacquerista. Cedricsmiles also did a very similarly awesome look in red and white.

Awesomely fantastic Totoro nails by Kikidiwasabi. So well done, and so very cute. I'm a bit of a sucker for Studio Ghibli.

These super cute "Autumn Owls" are by Esperanza.

Sandwich bag galaxy nails by Panduuhh. I think they look like an exotic marbled stone. So pretty. She says: "Basically you put drops of nail polish on a sandwich baggy and fold the bag on top of the wet polish and smoosh it around a little bit to make the colors get to know each other and once its dry, you can peel it off like a sticker and apply it to your nail". She also has a tumblr full of nail art that you should check out.

"Blue sparkly mosaic mani" by DoctorCrafty. There are more pictures on her blog, which you should check out.

This cute Jupiter inspired nail art look is only one of a set of all nine planets in our solar system by PeanutMonkey. The post hyperlinked above includes all nine. She also has a blog called Pretty Girl Science (the planet series of blog posts can be found here).

This adorable floral mani is by adcherub. Her instagram is @bwlblogger.

"Fall Equinox Mani: Gradient Chevrons Inspired by Fall Leaves" by Missus_b. I love this, and also the inspired manicures by Publicidentity and Remalin. Missus_b listed the polishes she used here.

This absolutely adorable fox nail polish is by Felinewarrages. It was apparently inspired by One Nail To Rule Them All. Felinewarrages said: "I used Surprise I'm Drunk by Vapid Lacquer for the base, Rose Bowl by Cult for the fox color and flowers, bikini so teeny by Essie for the blue flowers, Alpine Snow by OPI for the white flowers, Mahima by Julep for the middle of the flowers, and last but not least is Innocent by Sinful Colors for the leaves. Topped it off with a matte coat, but a glossy top coat looks cute too!"

Dia De Los Muertos Sugar Skull Makeup Tutorials

As both Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos are getting closer, I thought I'd do a round up of awesome sugar skull makeup tutorials. First up are some picture tutorials, followed by some video ones.

This pretty look is by Lillian Fogel and was posted on Emma Magazine.

This in-depth picture tutorial was done by Misty Spinney for Brit+Co

This adorable look was done by Annabella Lingis and was found on Crown Brush UK's blog. Annabella Lingis can also be found on Pinterest.

This look was done by The Crafty Woman


Video Tutorials:

Sugar Skull 'Identity' Makeup Tutorial  by courtneylittleCHOREO.

 

M∙A∙C Rick Baker - How To Create the Day of Dead

Sugar skull Day of the Dead Halloween makeup tutorial. By Lara Christina

More Halloween Ideas Here

Snow White Makeup Tutorial

I think this look would look better with fake lashes, but unfortunately I'm allergic to eyelash glue. Also, in hindsight the cheeks should be a little rosier. I also didn't have a red bow, so I used a white one (which also helped with the white balance, actually).

Product list:
Eyes:
Face of Australia Eye Primer Matte
Too Faced Pretty Rebel - Dainty and Gangsta
Maybelline XXL Volume + Length Mascara
Rimmel Volume Flash Scandal Eyes Mascara
Stilla Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Alpine
MAC Fluidline in Blitz & Glitz
Unknown eyeshadow brush
ELF smudge brush
ELF eyeliner brush
Essence blending brush
Unknown eyelash/eyebrow brush

Face:
The Face Shop Face it Primer Velvet Skin
Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Light Porcelain 010
Unknown powder foundation
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
Essence Silky Touch Blush in 50 Sweetheart
Bourjois Paris Blush 34 Rose D'or
Starlet Loose Powder Translucent Finishing
Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in Ivory 001
Precision Beauty stippling brush
Essence blush brush
Sportsgirl blush brush
Ultraceuticals Kabuki brush

Lips:
ELF Lip Primer & Plumper (primer used only)
Savvy by DB Lipliner in Berry
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Matte in 006 Really Red

Halloween Ideas: Modern Day Disney

Modern Day Disney:

There are multiple artists online who have done modern day designs of classic Disney princesses and other characters. I think this is a great, simple idea for a costume - and all the pieces of clothing can be worn again with other outfits! It's simplest to go with a character with similar hair and skin tone to you, or you can simply have  your version be a beautiful blonde Snow White or a gorgeous dark skinned Cinderella, its completely up to you. Just ensure you maintain the characters key colours, patterns, and other recognisable features - such as Snow White's red hair bow, or Rapunzel's very long hair.

For Example:

This cute picture is by user Joebasara on Deviant Art, and can be found here. I think its a great example of a modern day princess outfit. To start with, the red hair bow/head band is a must, as with keeping the general colour scheme - the royal/dark blue and yellow (with hints of red and white). But there is multiple ways to go about this - A cute blue dress or shirt with yellow tights or jeans is one way.  You could go for a cute yellow pencil skirt, or one that's flared, or even shorts. You could have a blue jacket over a red shirt, or have a red belt. If you want to add some colour and creativity to a simple blue top or dress, you could add red or white trim to the sleeves or hem (like this or this, for example), or if it's low cut like above, you could wear a lacy red or white singlet or crop top underneath so that it shows across the cleavage (like this sort of look) or add something like this to the neckline. Cute red shoes with an apple necklace or other accessory could complete the look.

This outfit found on Pinterest would also make a cute Snow White, if it had a redder hair bow.
Also, Scathingly Brilliant's brilliantly adorable Snow White inspired outfit.

Remember: you can tailor the outfit to your style, but be sure to keep enough key elements to ensure the costume is recognizable. If you are crafty, you can buy simple statement pieces and add extra features - like sleeves in another colour - or even make items of clothing yourself that are reminiscent of the princess or character of choice, but with a modern twist - such as a shorter skirt. You could also include another character - like Flounder if you are Ariel, or Mushu if you are Mulan - such as on a piece of jewelry, an iron or sew on patch, or even just carry around a cute toy version.


More Inspiration:
"Modern Day Princesses: Prom Addition" by Misses Dressy
"Fasion Princesses" Artwork by Viria13
"Modern Disney Girls" by Tinysnail
"Disney High" by Nina D Lux

Modern Day Anna from Frozen outfit
Tinkerbell inspired outfit by Scathingly Brilliant (Just add wings!)
Mulan inspired outfit by Scathingly Brilliant

Lastly,
Leggings like these would be great with a purple top or dress for Ariel!