Ushering in the New Year with Femme Boulevard

I was SO excited when the Femme Boulevard ladies invited more bloggers to participate in their December look to ring in the new year! Now this was a bit of a challenge for me, as I do not have a remotely suitable place to photograph myself for something like this. (Working on it!) I'm also no makeup artist, and I am definitely not particularly skilled in applying makeup for it to translate well in photos. I am much more of an everyday casual makeup sort of girl - the more natural, not perfect, and non-makeupy it looks, the better!

So this month's look posed an interesting challenge for me - do I go all out with an intense metallic/shiny eye and bold lip, or do I make it more of low-key everyday version?

While I had some ideas for a contoured look with a shiny, glossy eye, I decided to choose the low key version. It is just more me, I suppose, and I thought it would be fun and a more practical look for me to explore and share. (What do you think? I was so indecisive! What would you have chosen?)

femme boulevard december 2012, holiday fotd
Becca Resurfacing Primer, Becca Radiant Skin Foundation, Armani Maestro Eraser #4, diorshow maximizer, fairydrops scandal queen, stila smudge crayon in smoke and black, jouer creme eyeshadow in cashmere, jouer tint in tiare, tom ford crimson noir li…
femme boulevard december fotd

I hope you like the look - do let me know what you think of it! :)

Sweater from Madewell 

Face: I paired Becca Resurfacing Primer with Becca Radiant Skin Foundation in Buttercup, which is perhaps just a smidge too light on me, but still a pretty nice, light foundation. I dabbed on a bit of Giorgio Armani Maestro Eraser #4 on my undereyes, and left the rest of my skin as is. It isn't in the best condition right now, which is lame, but whatever - that's life, right? I wanted to use Becca Bronzing Skin Perfector for a bit of subtle contour, but I couldn't figure out where I put it! I also dabbed on Jouer Highlighter in Tiare* on my cheekbones and inner corners of my eyes. Eyes My eyes are pretty simple here - I lined along the top with Stila Smudge Crayon in Black, and along my lower lashline with Stila Smudge Crayon in Smoke. I can't believe I had forgotten how much I like these smudge crayons until recently! My lashes are coated in the amazing duo of Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum and Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara - really, I think this combination makes my lashes the LARGEST they can ever be. I ought to curl my lashes and fill my brows, but that isn't an everyday thing for me, and while it SHOULD be, I thought I'd be more true to an everyday routine. Then I smeared on some Jouer Creme Eyeshadow in Cashmere* - I just love this shade! Lips Last but not least, I coated my lips with Tom Ford Lipstick in Crimson Noir. While I'm a big Burberry and Guerlain fan, I do like all of the Tom Ford lipsticks I've experienced so far. So pigmented and creamy, I thought this would be the perfect shade to top off this warm holiday look!

... And I just realized that in this entire process, I did not use a single makeup brush! I don't know how I feel about that, LOL!

Do take a look at the brilliant looks from the other lovely ladies participating this month. I'm so excited to see what they come up with, and I can't wait to hear what you think! :)

A Little Bit Of Everything
Beaute Fabuleuse
BellaChique
ChloeAsh
Eye Heart It
Joey’space
Messy Wands
Mostly Sunny
Musing On Beauty

P.S. This whole process has given me quite a heavy to do list for the new year! I need to practice my posing skills, which seem to have fallen by the wayside along with my makeup skills... skillz? Haha. I also need to sort out some lights and a place to take these face shots! Any tips in these areas are quite appreciated!

Products marked with an * were provided for review.