You better work!

I would like to apologize from all three of us on the total lack-of-updating around here. I've been working at a new job and traveling, and I'm just about to take off to Japan, just after Karen's left, and so things are in that pre-big trip craziness I've already had twice this year.

But because I've been working, I've actually been wearing a full face of make-up every day. Craziness! The thing I've learned, though, is that because I'm forever eating or drinking (I get to the office at 8 am every day, so hello caffeine!), I've been leaving off the lip gloss. However, I've been wearing a lot more eyeshadow. Really!

For work, it's generally a good idea to keep the entire look, including shadows, subtle, but because I've got glasses, I can get away with some color on my eyes. And because I've got hazel eyes, I've been playing more with pinks and purples, as well as some greens. The eyeshadows I've been reaching for are:

- MAC eyeshadows in Shroom (a classic staple of pretty much any MAC addict; soft golden taupe), Jete (from last year's Danse collection and still available on maccosmetics.com; a great not-too-frosty gold-coral to go with green/hazel eyes), and Mercurial (mineralized eyeshadow from Flashtronic; a combination of purple, chestnut, and gold -- light enough for work, but easy to build up with an additional purple shadow). What can I say? I am a MAC fan.
- Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Scratch. I now own three UD Deluxe eyeshadows, and this is the least dramatic of the three. I walked around Sephora comparing shimmery pink eyeshadows, including several cream shadows, and this was the one I decided to take home. In fact, I am wearing it today!
- CARGO duo eyeshadow in Oregon. The lighter shade is a great olive khaki color that manages to not be too matchy-matchy with my eyes -- I got highlights again, which makes my eyes much more gold than green, so I've been reaching for pink and purple shadows to balance and make my eyes more green. I bought this ages ago, saying, "Oh, it's named Oregon, I have to have it!" and I'd yet to wear it until I brought it to my latest trip to (surprise) Oregon. I love it. While I haven't worn the darker shade yet, it would be great for the color-smoked eye look that's in for fall.
- Benefit cream shadow in Skinny Jeans. Easy for a soft smoky eye that's work-friendly.

Sephora is currently offering a "Perfect Face" kit by Stila that features Kitten, their classic gold-pink eyeshadow; while I found it a bit too shimmery for my liking, it's a well-beloved favorite of many. It's a good starter kit for "the office face", I think, and when you're wearing make-up every day, it's always good to have both a jumping point to build off of as well as something you can rely on when crunched for time.

Take it from me, a non-morning person who's got her face on by 7:30 am every day now -- make friends with eyeshadow. And don't forget your Urban Decay Primer Potion! While the office day can go by quickly or drag on forever, you don't want to lose your eyeshadow before lunch.

images from sephora.com