So, this is my seventh (and last!) Halloween makeup look for 2018. While it’s not as elaborate and excruciatingly detailed as my final Halloween makeup look last year, I’m still pleased with how this turned out (…and how my face turned out because maaan the placement of those cogs contoured the heck out of my big cheeks!!). After all, I’ve been wanting to create a steampunk makeup look for aaaages…or at least after I became fixated with BioShock Infinite!

I’ve thought about making myself look like Elizabeth…

…but that only involved wearing my eyebrows thin and painting my lips red (because I sure as hell kennaaaat venture into the cosplay territory, given my sewing skills!) Not very groundbreaking makeup-wise, no? I could’ve made fake wounds as if someone aimed a Skyhook on my face…but how many times will my face get scratched, really?! Painting cogs on my face was not an option either, since I’m the type who can’t draw a symmetrical flower on the first try…so, I just let my steampunk makeup idea stew inside my head…for years…until my Shopee addiction (and my newfound, I-wanna-buy-a-casting-kit-so-I-can-mold-my-face-and-make-it-easier-for-me-to-do-DIY-prosthetics obsession) recently led me to this super sweet online shop that sells teeny tiny metal cogs and aaaall the glitters I can use for a unicorn makeup look (once I’ve molded the perfect horn that is). Oh, it is so ON.

What I did…

…for the face:

1. I prepped my face with Urban Decay’s Optical Illusion Complexion Primer, then applied Maybelline’s Fit Me Liquid Foundation in Natural Beige with a damp beauty sponge, then drew inverted triangles under my eyes with  Maybelline Liquid Concealer in Medium. Bleeeend. Then I dusted a bit of bareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder to really make my skin seem poreless as hell.
2. I didn’t go crazy with the contouring since my cheeks will be covered with bloody junk anyway so I just defined my nose with the lighter brown shade from Fashion 21’s Contour Kit. But I did try adding a hint of pink to my cheeks (Gloss Skin and Beyond’s lip & cheek tint in Sangria) just so my skin won’t look too one-dimensional since hey, I’m not a mestiza who flushes pink naturally lol. Highlighting game is still extra af with Sleek’s Highlighting Palette in Precious Metals over Benefit’s watts up highlighter used on my nose, browbone, and cupid’s bow.

…for the eyes:

1. I shaped and groomed and filled my brows with Nichido Browmaster in Gingerbread and Coastal Scents Brow Palette. Then I defined it further by dabbing liquid concealer around my brows. Bleeend.
2. For the eyeshadow, I started with bareMinerals cream eyeshadow in Soft Shell as the primer because it already has that rosy shade. Then I dabbed Garnet (a shimmery rose-gold shade) all over my lids (and lower lashline), Deep Purple (a shimmery purple-gray shade) over the crease, and Gold on the center of my lids–all from the Lorac Pro Palette.
3.  I tightlined using a black NYX Retractable Eyeliner, created a winged eye using LifeFord Hi-Precise Eye Pen, and finished that off with #BT03 Bohktoh falsies that I applied using my favorite Nichido eyelash glue.

…for the lips:

This was a trial-and-error thing. First I applied Urban Decay’s Blackmail lipstick, which is a reaaaally reaaaaaaally dark purple shade that made me look like a Linkin Park-listening emo kid. So I pressed my lips on a tissue paper to remove some of its color (some of it anyway since Urban Decay matte lipsticks are dry as hell) then layered my darkened lips with a creamier and redder lipstick (Loreal’s Pure Brick). I was satisfied with the shade I created but I wanted my lips to look more bronze-y so I carefully dabbed a gold lipstick (Loreal’s Pure Gold) on the center of my lips.

…for the cheeks:

1. I drew the curvy rectangles on my cheeks using a white NYX Retractable Eyeliner (because it’s easier to erase and blend out the mistake if you’re using white).
2. I filled the curvy rectangles with a layer of tissue paper, applied with Graftobian Liquid Latex (because the cogs will stick better to the tissue than your actual skin).
3. Once the liquid latex is dry, I painted the tissue papered layer with black Snazaroo facepaint. And once the black facepaint has set, I dusted a bit of metallic orange, metallic brown, and metallic green eyeshadow shades from the Coastal Scents Creative Me #2 palette so that area won’t just look flat and black.
4. I hurt my neck while trying to arrange and stick the metal cogs with more Graftobian liquid latex…oh and if you’re missing a Family Mart retractable pen, please let me know so I can replace it since I also stuck the pen’s spring on my face lel
5. Then I carefully highlighted the border of the curved rectangles with the white eyeliner so they will look more three dimensional.
6. I finished the look by dabbing Graftobian Blood Paste on the cogs, and letting Graftobian Blood Gel drip from my cheeks.