Courtney Couture: A Vintage Hollywood Icon Collection

If you’re a fan of Beauty by Charlie or Kiss & Makeup you may have seen our newest matte collection. Courtney Couture is a collection of mattes made specifically for Courtney’s Vogue contest.

The collection features 4 matte shadows and 2 lipsticks. The colors were requested by Courtney of Kiss & Makeup, Elizabeth of Dotty Ann, and Lacy (who’s been poking me for mattes for ages). A big thank you to all of them for the inspiration!

To name this collection we had vintage Hollywood movie stars in mind. I still believe nothing says old school glamour like a classic Hollywood starlet. Audrey Hepburn was always the height of class and a lady, Marilyn Monroe was an iconic beauty, Elizabeth Taylor was gorgeous and bold, Ava Gardner was charming and mysterious, Grace Kelly was her namesake; graceful, and Sophia Loren was a fiery, exotic beauty.

Shadows:

• Audrey – Black
• Elizabeth – White
• Ava – Nude
• Grace - Cream

Lipsticks:

• Sophia – Pink
• Marilyn – Red

You can find the Vogue High Fashion contest by clicking here. Its currently ended but the collection will be available soon.

Too Late for Love: A Valentine Collection

While I was unable to release the Dark Heart Valentine collection in time due to health reasons, the new collection will still be available. This year’s collection features two sparkly shadows and our first two matte shades that we’ve ever released.

When I made the V-day collection I had HIM’s song St Valentine playing in my head. In case you’re not familiar it, this is the chorus:

“Hey baby let me be your Valentine, St. Valentine...
Suck the sorrow out of you and try to keep the lie alive.
Like St. Valentine”

I decided to theme the whole collection based on some of my favorite HIM songs, two being themed towards lighter, uncomplicated types of love while the other two are darker in theme and color.

• St. Valentine – A matte pink with a very subtle twist of lavender
• In Joy and Sorrow – A shimmery beige-gold
• Heartkiller – A deep matte brown
• Wicked Game – A shimmery copper-brown

A few special editions of this collection came with two of our nail polish prototypes. They may return when we’re able to work on the polish line exclusively.

Swatches are by Ashley of ~Randomly Me~. The left is with flash and the right is without.

Where to buy:

This collection will be available primarily through Ebay’s Giving Works charity listings. I’ve wanted to donate and be involved with charities for a while now but I get so busy its hard to keep track of the funding. I want to make sure things are legitimately going to the charities they should be. By listing with Giving Works, they take care of all that and all I’ll have to do is set up the item and ship it once its sold.

I thought limiting this collection to charity would be a great way to support some good causes and make it even more special. Some sets will also be sponsored by some of your favorite artists.

The first set is sponsored by Katie Alves. You might know her from her amazing makeup scenes like the following:

You can find her sponsored collection listing here, where 60% of the final price goes to the Humane Society: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Too-Late-For-Love-A-HIM-Inspired-Handmade-Cosmetic-Collection/171034209432?ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1&ih=007&category=36865&cmd=ViewItem

September Promotions at Dark Heart

 

September promotions:

• Color of the Month ($2.99): Siren’s Song
• Discount of the Month: Free Shipping on orders over
  $10 with code "SeptFree"
• Free Product of the Month: A randomly chosen color of the new Liquid Shine collection.

http://darkheartdesigns.storenvy.com/

5 Beauty Videos You Must Watch

1. Cosmetic Viking: Pixie Epoxy

If you’ve ever wonder what eye shadow primer, or Pixie Epoxy is, and how to apply it, just ask Brian of Cosmetic Viking! In his video, Brian explains a little about primers, how to use them, and what they do.

 

2. Enkore: Colorants 1 & 2

Have you ever wonder what your eye shadows are made of? Koren Zander of Enkore Make up explains different types of pigments, their uses, how they react to water (which has been a somewhat popular scandal with pigments and some make up companies), and other valuable information. It’s a recommended watch for anyone who buys indie make up

Part 1

part 2

3. Glitter Glossary: Clean Brushes

Keeping your tools clean is an important part of keeping bacteria out of your cosmetics. This video from Elle Fowler is a nice little example of how to clean your brushes. Especially good for beginners!

4. Expert Village: How to Apply Mineral Make Up

This is great beginner tutorial for anyone who hasn’t used mineral make up before. It has a nice demonstration of how to get the most from your mineral application.

5. Petrilude: How To Use Pigments

Josh or Petrilude has an excellent video on pigments, and all the fun things you can do with him. It’s a great video to learn a little more about your make up, and to get some fun, unusual idea. Definitely a must watch in my book.

I hope you all liked the videos! If you know any good ones you think everyone should watch, just add them to the comments.

-Tina

Other Uses for Loose Eye Shadow Pigments

It was recently brought to my attention by April of Blacksburg Belle, that most people might not know that eye shadows can be used for more than just your eyes. Now, this is the important part: you need to be very certain that your eye shadows are approved for use on other areas of your face!

Our Dark Heart Designs eye shadows are approved for use on lips, eyes, face, and nails. Here’s a few simple ideas:

Lips: Mix your eye shadow with lip gloss or lipstick for a sparkly, shiny lip

Face: Shadows can be used as a different color blush, or to create fancy designs, like I’ve done here:

Nails: Add your shadows to clear or colored nail polish to make a new color, or change the shade of one you already have.

Here’s a few videos to help you get an idea on other uses for our shadows:

Petrilude’s video on how to use pigments:

One way to use pigments in nail polish:

 

I hope this post gives you some ideas on all the uses for our eye shadows. Please be aware that this post is only for Dark Heart Designs shadows. If you’re going to use another brand, please make sure that it is approved for the area you’ll be using it in. Thanks for reading everyone!

-Tina

5 Beauty Blog Posts You Must Read

I’ve managed to come across a few really good, useful posts while browsing around the beauty blog community. Now I want to take a minute to share those with you, and tell you why I think you need to read them.

5. Diva Digest: Custom Formula or Repacked Mica?

This short post by Lorraine of LA Minerals is an easy way to educate yourself on how to sniff out repackaging (which is taking wholesale mica, putting it into smaller containers, and reselling it at a higher price). While I think people sometimes get carried away, starting witch hunts for innocent businesses, it’s good to know a little bit about the issue, and how to avoid it. If you’re not sure about a cosmetic company, trying asking them first. The company can probably give your mind some ease before buying, or samples to help you decide.

4. The Eyes Have It All: Finding Your Skin Undertones

In this post from Amanda, The Snarky Princess, she highlights information from Essential Daily Spa on how to find your skin undertones. If you were like me, you have no idea what they are. This post tells you a simple way to determine what color, if any, undertones you have. Learning what your undertones are will help you pick out your foundation, and other make up colors that will compliment your tones.

3. The Painted Mask: Makeup Safety-Eye/Lip Safe Product Usage

Nolie of The Painted Mask talks about product safety usage in her post, and how to be smart about it. You should really be aware of what you’re wearing, and if you’re wearing it in an area that it’s approved for. If you still want to try something that’s not approved, this post has some tips on how to be a little smarter about trying out products (could be applied to trying products from a company you’ve never purchased from too).

2. Lipsticks and Lightsabers: Brush Basics

If you’ve ever wondered what that funky shaped brush you’ve seen in the makeup section is for, Anastasia of Lipsticks and Lightsabers can tell you. Her post on brushes is extremely extensive and detailed. She tells you which brush does what, why she uses that brush, examples of that particular style, and where to find dupes (cheaper products that are essentially the same). I highly recommend reading if you’re confused about brushes, or if you just want to see some alternatives to popular styles.

1. Beauty’s Bad Habit: My Favourite...Eyeshadow Bases & Primers

What is eye shadow primer? Lily of Beauty’s Bad Habit answers that question in her post. She explains primers, bases, and gel bases. There are plenty of photos, and explanations of what each does, and their effect on the eye shadow when you use them. She also lists prices, and where to purchase each product.

I hope you enjoy the resources and take a moment to read over these wonderful posts!

-Tina

New video and product sneak peak!

Hello again! I hope you're all having a great Friday. I know I'm ready for the weekend. I wanted to post a few things to hold you all over until I get back Monday. I finally got around to making a video for DHD. It's nothing big or jazzy really, it's just a simple video of one of our eye shadows. I wanted customers or potential customers to be able to see what they're going to get from Dark Heart Designs before they order. I know it's hard to decide on something that you can't actually see in person. I'm hoping this video will give people a little more confidence in me and my store.

I'd also like to give you guys a little sneak peak of things that will premiere in the shop soon. The first is two new lip slick (gloss) shades, featured here with the brown/gold Deadly Lullaby, and the light pink Teenage Dream: (the two on the bottom are the new shades)

Another little sneak peak is one of five new eye shadow colors called Howl. Howl is a bright, pale yellow shade.

Keep your eyes out for more new goodies from Dark Heart Designs!

All of our products are available on our Etsy store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/darkheartdesign. I can often be talked into selling someone a new shade if they ask for it :) Have a good weekend everyone!

Stencil Tutorial Part 2 - Using the Stencil

I realize this is a little overdue, but here is the second part of my stencil tutorial that will show you how to use the stencils you made in this post.

First off, you're going to want to apply the stencil sticker to your bare face. If you have any make up on under it, the adhesive will pull it off. I go ahead and finish my make up on every part of my face except for the area that I use the stencils on. I find it's easier to complete your eyeshadow before adding the design.

Now, place the trimmed stencil on the area of your face that you'd like to put the design on. I usually do this around my eyes or on my cheeks. When I'm ready to use the eye shadow for the stencil, I get a small plate or lid to dump a small amount of powder on. I then mix water into the shadow, a drop at a time until I have a thick, liquid consistancy. It's important that you do not add water to your eye shadow jar. Always get another container and dump a small amount out. If water gets into your shadow, it will cause bacteria to grow in it.

While the shadow is still wet, brush it over the main area of the stencil. Do this until you have enough shadow on there to cover the area like this:

Let the area dry for a moment and then slowly peel the stencil off. It should look something like my stars here:

The silver is a little difficult to see. If you use a darker color, it will be a more prominent design when you're finished. Now that I've finished with the stencil, I use a brush to touch up my foundation around the area & add some lip gloss.

If you use a darker color it will look more like this:

If you need to touch up your lines, use a damp brush with a fine line. I've had the designs smudge on me when I get clumsy enough to rub my face.

Halloween Contest Details

Mardi Gras

Jes & Ame wearing Nymph, Crash Love, & Charmed

 
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the excuse to dress up in crazy costumes and make up. It's the one day out of the year that you can be anything you want. A beautiful faerie princess or a gruesome ghoul. The only limit is your imagination and that includes your make up.

Faerie

Megan wearing Siren's Song, Surrender, & Rave

I encourage you all to put on your prettiest pout and your spookiest shadows so you can win some free goodies from DHD! I'll be giving away two full size shadows of your choice and one new Lip Slick gloss to the winner. The rules are simple. Use our shadows to create a look for Halloween and submit it to us. The deadline for all submissions is November 5th by 5:00 pm est. Don't have any DHD shadows? Problem solved! Message me at tina [at] darkheartdesigns.com with your address and the colors you'd like to try for free samples. Take a photo of your completed look and email it, post it on our facebook page, or upload it and link us. The entries will be judged and announced by November, 7th.

Vamp

Me wearing In The Dark, Shudder, & Vampire Heart

If I have enough entries I'll be adding other runner up goodie packs. I hope you'll all take the time to participate and win some free things from us. Some photos have the possibility of making it into our promotional materials. Please notify us if you don't want your photos used in brochures or flyers. Thanks for reading!

Good Witch

Kari wearing Starstruck, Paparazzi, Siren's Song, & Twisted Metal

Until next time...
-DHD