Summer Lovin’, Myself

I’ve always been pretty preachy about self-love. And it’s because I think it’s genuinely the most important factor in growth as people. Having a strong sense of self-love has kept me from toxic relationships, kept me authentic in my journey, and optimistic about my future. I do this thing, where I fuss at my friends and family if they speak down on themselves. And I would like to believe, my gruff encouragement has helped them. But it has come the time that I take some of the advice I have been forcing on the world.

I am a confident gal. I can wear green lipstick without shying away. Because I love color. I can wear short shorts and be completely comfortable. Because thickness is the wave and my juicy thighs are life. I can smile a flirty smile at whoever I want. Simply, because I am fly and I am the only one who needs to believe that. But there is one thing that I have had an exceptionally hard time with….my cute lil tum tum. See…if I speak positively about it, it can only help me get to a good place.

It is time for me to practice all that I preach. I understand that we all have our insecurities, but what I won’t accept is my fear holding me back from what I want. And what I want is to look like a stylish angel. ESSENTIALLY, I want to wear a crop top. They fit so well into my personal style (lookbook coming soon), that I don’t want to miss out on slaying because of an ounce of self-doubt. I have bought two, and only had the courage to wear one. Step in the right direction, and I have only kind of worn it. I wore it to take photos and shamelessly share with the world wide web. I do have plans to wear it out, but it’s kind of a going out look…and I rarely go anywhere. So once I find somewhere to go, I am going to pull that crop top on and prance about proudly.

I, of course, took some eye-catching photos courtesy of my BFF, Alexis Schwallier.

Thank you all for reading, I really feel encouraged to love myself boldly because of this blog. Until next time!

The topic of ME.

Time for the final post of this anniversary month. And the one I have been most excited to share. In this past year, I have become more and more of the woman I want to be. I know myself, love myself, and most importantly I have become more patient with myself. I owe most of, that discovery to this blog. This blog. InconspicuousGlamour is mine. Completely mine. Watching my words and skill unfold and grow has been wonderful. And to celebrate this year of complete self-love I did a photo shoot with my special angel, Alexis. I will share those photos at the end of the post, but first I want to talk a little bit more about myself. *Insert sly face emoji*

I am not a shy person. Sometimes awkward, yes. But not shy. Shy isn’t for me. I would find it completely difficult to hide. For one, my laugh is the most conspicuous thing about me. I laugh (cackle) like there will never ever be anything funny in this world again. My laugh comes from deep in my soul like my body has something to free. I come from a family of laughers, so when I laugh it’s nostalgic. I can picture my mom, grabbing hold of her stomach because the laugh hurts so good and wiping a tear from under her eye. I love my laugh. I love to laugh.

I believe most people that really know me, would say that I know myself well. The way that I learned to know myself was to spend time with alone. Time reflecting. Time crying. Time singing. Time alone. I had to learn to enjoy being with me. And that’s not to say I don’t enjoy company, but I can have a grand ole time drinking a Shiner Bock and watching the Golden Girls by my lonesome. I have also had to accept the not so good about myself. I am impatient, stubborn, and I have a quick mouth. I acknowledge those traits because I know I need to work on them. But I don’t let that alone weigh me down. Because there is so much of myself I enjoy. I find myself hilarious, generous, and goofy. I can be serious when the time comes because…adulting. I find taking life too seriously or being negative about things that haven’t happened yet to be pointless. I am already anxious about if my contour is blended out well, I don’t need to additionally fixate on something out of my control.

Lastly. My most favorite and least favorite trait of myself is my ego. I think I am a Bad Bitch. Nothing wrong with that. But my ego can get in the way. I am not talking about the time-consuming selfies. I mean more on the lines of not texting a boy first or not apologizing right away when it was probably due. I am prideful. And I know I need to work on it. My ego has also brought wonderful things into my life. I have a sense of self-worth and I know what I need to be happy. I want everyone to have a well-balanced ego. It is because of my ego that I concocted the theme of this shoot with Alexis. Y’all. I did a boudoir shoot. YES.

Y’all. I did a boudoir shoot. YES. YES, I DID. Because I wanted to feel sickening. AND that goal was achieved. I felt sexy and silly. Which is definitely my aesthetic. All in all the photos turned out great. I am excited to share the PG ones here and admire the more R-rated myself. We did two different looks and both of them were completely me and fun and I am rambling on because I am so so so so excited.

These are the sexier, sassier ones. The bodysuit was sexy but goonish…again my aesthetic.

This is essentially what Alexis and I  would have been doing this weekend anyway, just a tad more slayful. I love these photos because they are so many little things that are me. I am always cold hence the blanket. Napping and feminism are life. Also not pictured earrings that say “EWW”.

AND for the last surprise. If you have lasted this far and got past me gushing about myself and the many pictures, it is time for me to tell you that I am hosting an Anniversary Giveaway! Rules for entry…follow my Instagram, InconspicuousGlamour. Comment on the giveaway photo with what you most love about yourself. OH and like the photo too. The last day to enter will be March 12th. The winner will be chosen randomly the following day. This giveaway is open internationally!

The giveaway includes some of my favorite things, and a couple of other little knick knacks.

• Too Faced, Better than Sex Mascara.
• Heroin Matte Lipstick by Mac
• Three Morphe Eyeshadow Brushes. M508, M534, M210.
• A Crown Highlighting Brush
• Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator
• Purminerals flat shadow brush & Au Natural eye shadow palette
• Oscar Bland Dry Shampoo Spray
• Adesse New York Nail Treatment Essentials
• Two Royal and Langnickel brushes
• Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Fig
• Pur Minerals Eye Pencil in Peridot
• AND A 50 DOLLAR SEPHORA GIFT CARD

Please enter. Share with your friends. Thanks so much for reading. Until next time!!

Growing into the Slay

Before last year, the only month I cared about was April. I like the spring and more importantly its my birth month. April 28th more precisely if anyone wanted to send me an egift card…but now I love February. February was the month I decided to make the leap and write this blog. I didn’t know if I would be received or if my tone and voice would come across. At this point in my journey, I have realized a few things. Mainly, I love this blog and myself and am writing it for me but I welcome all who want to read. Secondly, my tastes and makeup style have changed and a good pair of lashes can upgrade a look and my spirits. Lastly, I will not force inspiration. I will let it come to me. I believe that is how my good auntie, Viola Davis, does things and I trust her implicitly.

This month is going to be so so much fun, y’all. I am going to post quite regularly. And I my wit and beauty is incomparable so that’s gonna be a blast for all of us. This is known. Watch out for the last post of the month, it is going to come with a bomb ass photo shoot. AND a cute lil giveaway.

SO after that lengthy but beautifully phrased intro, lets get into the meat of the post. I want to chat about my change stylistically in my makeup choices. At first I was like, “Tori, you cannot change your style…your started this blog to be a voice for those that wanted to slay on a lesser scale”. But then I discovered lashes and stopped being so shy with my highlighter and could not turn back. There was no fighting it once my own selfies were shaking me to my very core. But growth requires change and development. And that is exactly what I am doing and loving every moment of it.

Here is a lovely example of my slay development. Lashes. Matte full coverage foundation. Vampy lip. And an cute nose highlight.

With all that being said, my “mission statement” has changed a tad. I want to create an environment for any and everyone that loves makeup to come and join in on a productive discussion. I am not going to just talk about makeup, and never have… I have a lot to say about quite a bit. I am super proud and happy to be the owner of InconspicuousGlamour! Thanks for reading, until next time!

Dreadlocks aren’t for you, Sally.

Wayment (Wait a minute). Yall. We still doing that thing where Non-Black people try to rock Black hairstyles? I am really ready for this trend to die out. Sadly, that trend is racism….sooooooo we are kinda at an impasse. Unless there is some simultaneous switch where everyone suddenly acknowledges their privilege and the events of the past five centuries. But since that is super unlikely to happen in my lifetime, I’m just gonna go ahead an address on my blog.

It should be simple.  Sample conversation with a Non-Black person: “Hey Tori, I really like your dreadlocks. I am thinking of getting some, what do you think?” To which I would respond, “Thank you, don’t do that. Cultural Appropriation.” At this point, the conversation ends with the other person graciously thanking me for saving them from an outward expression of racism AND endless roasting by me and other members of the Black community. Alas, it’s never that simple. Sally Anne Margaret usually claims reverse racism (it doesn’t exist), does a whole bunch of whining, and goes and gets her hair locked-resulting in her looking like a sad fool. Now, before we get any further. I want to make sure the term “cultural appropriation” is understood. The Oxford Dictionary defines cultural appropriation as “the adoption of elements of one culture by members of a different cultural group, especially if the adoption is of an oppressed people’s cultural elements by members of the dominant culture”. There are some key words here I want us to pull out…OPPRESSED and DOMINANT. So in my world, the White culture is the dominant one and Black people are those being oppressed due to the hundreds and hundreds of years of systematic and institutionalized racism.

Alright. Moving on. To break it down further. If that explanation isn’t thorough enough for you, check this out. Black people are constantly crucified, judged, and called derogatory names for the same styles you are wearing and being praised for. And simply put. That’s not fair. Next. We aren’t getting any recognition for our ingenuity and creativity. Rihanna wore Bantu Knots and no one uttered a peep. Some white chick in a fashion magazine TRIES to do Bantu Knots and the whole world stops breathing because it’s the coolest thing they have ever seen. Like, what?! And the last thing I have to say about it is, Black people wearing straight hair or wigs or weaves is not the same thing. Eurocentric beauty ideals have been shoved down our throats since the day we opened our eyes. AND Furthermore, the dominant culture cannot be oppressed.

I am blessed to be Black and find so much beauty in it. So I can understand the desire to want to be able to experience it just a bit. Just experience it without exploiting it. Have open conversations with the Black people in your life about it. Recognize our struggles and praise our successes. And who knows, you may get invited to a Sunday dinner at a Black friend’s house…that’s pretty much a like a golden ticket to the Chocolate Factory.

Two of my favorite black women! My sister and mom. Their crowns are beautiful. 

 

Thanks for reading, until next time!!!

She’s back!

Y’all. I have been so incredibly slack with posting. And I miss it but I am obnoxiously busy. And I have been struggling to find some inspiration. And I wasn’t about to serve y’all with some half-baked posts. But now I am back and ready to be in this again!

This post is gonna serve as a life update and an update on the products I have gotten my hands on in this last month.

First. Great excitement. I was featured in an online publication. Beingbonded. It was founded by an amazing pair of women, Brittany and Sam, that wanted to explore the dynamic of the female friendship and just empower women as a whole. You can find the article here…Tori Evans: Flawless Face and Friendship That Sparkles. And while you are there check out the entire website, its worth the time. Promise.

Next. I got a new job. The only crucial thing about that is the amount of expendable income I will have for makeup, food, and beer.  OH, and I dyed my hair purple, so that’s fun!

Lastly. I got to do something super duper awesome. I got to work with a local non-profit, Peek a Boo Pretty Girl. They hosted a Girl’s Day and  had about 20 high school girls there for a day of self-love and self-care. I got to participate in the makeup workshop portion. I had a blast and would love to do it again. It felt wonderful to align my passions with some volunteer work within the community.

On to the fun part, and the beauty part. Purchases made!

Let’s talk about the not so great purchases.

1. RCMA Makeup VK Palette. I got both palettes ,10 and 11, for client makeup. I had a client recently and I used it on her. It was hella chalky and didn’t warm up at all to blend. I added moisturizer to it in hopes that the consistency got better…but it didn’t. That’s gonna be a return.
2. I have never ordered from Lime Crime before and didn’t have a problem with my order. But the product I received did not work for me. I have been on the market for a good burnt orange lipstick for awhile. And after I saw Iris Beilin wearing Pumpkin in a look, I fell in love. When I got the color it was a bit patchy and I ended up passing it on to a friend.

THE GOOD STUFF

1. I ordered a couple of limited edition palettes from Morphe. Coffee Toffee and Awesome Blossom. I always expect the best from Morphe and they definitely delivered!
2. I have never ever been more pleased with the coverage of a foundation than with the Marc Jacobs Beauty, Re(marc)able Full Coverage Foundation Concentrate. They were not playing around! My face is beattttttttttt! And the match is perfect. My only critique would be to expand the line into deeper shades.

Here are some pictures from Girl’s Day! As always the photographer is, Alexis Schwallier.

 

Oh and the Purple HAIR! HEYYYY!

Feels good to be back! I got the juice again! Until, next time!

 

Go forth and Slay…makeup tips!

Hey, frans!

One of my most favorite things about the beauty community is the tips we share with each other on the way. I have picked up things from friends, YouTubers, fellow bloggers and it makes my day to day makeup ritual seamless. So here I am, sharing some lil tid bits that I have picked up along the way.

1. If at all possible do your makeup in the same lighting every day. Once you have gotten the light the way you want it, stick to it. It’s all about knowing your lighting. Like, you may think that foundation is blended and matches perfectly or you have brushed all of your setting powder away and you don’t look like a sad ashy mess, BUT that may not and probably isn’t the case if you have switched your lighting up recently. Once you get used to lighting you know exactly what to do with your makeup, it aids in the muscle memory. I needed to take my own advice a couple weeks ago, but I was rushing and convinced myself it didn’t matter. Ya girl was all the way wrong and had to take my makeup off and didn’t have time to reapply. Sad mess.
2. Layer your mascaras. I am not a false lash girl but I do like thick and full lashes. And to achieve that effect I use two maybe three different mascaras. Usually, I combine Too Faced Better Than Sex and Stila Huge Extreme Lash. Trust me, do it. Go forth and slay.
3. I know nobody wants to talk about this. But we must in order to help ourselves. Facial hair. We all have it, its okay. Mostly, I think it’s cute and soft little fuzzies. But just because I choose to find it adorable doesn’t mean I want it to disturb my foundation. So, the best way to combat that is to brush downward while you are blending your foundation. DONT BRUSH DOWNWARD WHILE BLENDING A CONTOUR. I cannot stress that enough, that will create a shadow beard. Not cute.
4. When picking your concealer to highlight with, consider your undertones or the undertones in your foundation. My undertones are neutral so if I have a perfectly matched foundation (NARS All Day Luminous Weightless in New Guinea) it doesn’t matter what undertone I choose its preference. But my Lancome Teint Idole runs a bit golden so I counteract that with a pink/beige concealer. I love this trick because it brings the perfect balance to your face.
5. Everyone likes to glow. To intensify that glow, place your highlighter on the highest point of your cheeks. Then, spray your setting spray. As it is about to dry, bless your cheeks with a bit more highlighter and you blind all that see you for the rest of the day.
6. This last one is just a bit of self-care. Take selfies. Do it, look at yourself in the mirror and smile. Please please recognize the growth you’ve made in your artistry or in yourself. It’s a little difficult when you aren’t where you want to be, but keep at it! And keep inspirations around you, my desktop always looks a complete mess bc I have several things that make me smile or fuel my creativity.

Alrighty! That’s all I have for now. I think I am gonna make this a two part post because I didn’t want it to get super long. Comment below with some tips of the trade you have found to be helpful. Thanks for reading! Until next time!

 

This is my desktop! I know it looks like a chaotic mess but it keeps my inspo going!

 

When you are capable of this…

 

But created this not even 48 hours later. That different lighting was a crucial misstep.

 

 

 

 

 

Ride Or Die Makeup!!!

Here I am. Bringing another challenge created on Youtube to my blog. Jaclyn Hill created the “Ride or Die Makeup Challenge” and I saw a couple of my favorite YouTubers create the challenge on their channels. Alissa Ashley’s was super cool, and she made it into a tutorial.

I loved doing this! As a makeup lover, I am always exploring new products and trying them out. But there is always a favorite, one that sticks out. When I began my blog, I mentioned my favorites so this is an excellent time to update my favorites and explain to y’all while I LURVE them.

First things first. The base.

• Foundation: NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in New Guinea. This foundation is EVERYTHING. It is so incredibly light weight and pigmented, I can hardly stand it. It lasts all day and the match is perfect.
• Concealer: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC45. This is the concealer I use to highlight. I have only been using it for a little more than two months, but the use has been religious. Generally, one pump of the concealer covers all of my highlighted areas and my sad, sad dark circles.
• Bronzer: Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep. Bobbi Brown, girl! You did that! I searched high and low and side to side for a bronzer that actually brought color to my face. I love this bronzer, and I fear the day I hit pan.
• Contour: Makeup Geek Contour Powder in Half Hearted (Warm Medium) and Koyvoca’s Contour Stick in Aphotic. If I am going full tilt I cream contour and set it with the Makeup Geek Powder. I love the effect of cream contouring and feel slayful when I do it.
• Setting Powder: Sacha Buttercup. NEED I SAY MORE. And for the rest of my face I use Mac Studio Fix Powder in NW45 and that adds more matte coverage for me.

Eyes.

• Shadows: I always go to my Morphe 350. I know its famous upon the blogger community. But I adore a 3 step nude eye look with a wing.
• Liner: For the aforementioned wing I use Kat Von D tattoo liner. Enough said, I will never use any other liquid liner.
• Mascara: I am devoted to Too Faced, Better than Sex BUT in recent weeks I have stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara has captivated me.

 

I am not sure this is what Jaclyn Hill intended but I felt like a badass all day. There is something about wearing products that you know work for you that makes you feel like the shit. And I mean that is usually how I feel anyway, but I digress… I took some cute pics of myself on the way to work! Here they are!

 

I will save my brush favorites for another post, AND I was thinking of doing the “How I Did My Makeup in High School” Challenge. I think that one will be hella funnnnn. Thanks for reading, until next time!!!!

Sunset Mama Glitter!

Y’all. I always have like two back up posts written, because that’s the kind of bomb ass blogger I am. But sometimes I have to take pictures and that’s where I get lazy. Oop. But anyway, I am here to talk about a look I did and introduce you to a product that I am super proud of.

I love this blog and my beauty Instagram, I even dedicated a whole post to it. But I wanted to do more, sink my hands a little further in the beauty world. So, I decided the best way for me to do that was to make cosmetic glitters. I am not manufacturing the glitters in my home, but I am mixing crazy cool colors at my makeup table like a mad scientist.

I have three shades so far, but I am planning to do many more. They are up on my etsy store, GlamWizard, for 6.25 a piece and they are made to order. I am super excited, and will keep my blog family updated as I add more colors.

Now, on to the look I created. I used my glitter, Sunset Mama, named for a close friend of mine that loves sunsets and her son deeply. I am a vane person, not selfish…but vane. ANYWAY. My vanity causes me to be my toughest critic but I also acknowledge when I slay. And boy did I slayyyyy this look. The warm tones of the glitter were absolutely perfect for a fun summer look. I wore a nude lip because I rocked it in the day time, but I am sure you could vamp it up with a bolder lip for evening. I would do a ombre red lip. Correction. I WILL do an ombre red lip. All of the orange tones are from the Morphe 35O Palette. I have been drooling over the Anastasia Beverly Hills, Modern Renissance Palette and Sunset Mama would go with so many looks from that palette. (Sidenote: Isn’t it funny how the makeup obsessed will do anything to justify a purchase.)

Alright, I suppose we all want some evidence of the slay. Here goes…

Fun.Silly.Glamourous. My tagline. Hehe.

I was tryna be sultry. Did I do it?

This is an actual swatch of the glitter, Sunset Mama.

Oh also! Go check out my beauty Facebook page, InconspicuousGlamour. Thanks for reading! Until next time!

Thank you, Makeup

This is my thank you to makeup. If I was a poet, it would be my Ode to Glamour. If I were a songwriter, it would be a love song. If I were a playwright, it would be some long drawn out musical where the entire cast wore fuchsia lipstick. But anyway, on to the point of the post…

I sit at my cluttered table, light a candle, and start a video of my favorite youtuber (Jackie Aina, Alissa Ashley)  for inspiration or play some loud music. There is no dearth of goofiness ‘round here, so often times there is talking to myself, dancing, or lip syncing that goes down. A lot of this is chronicled on snapchat (taevans18). All of these extra nonsenses that have been added to my routine usually extend my makeup application to about an hour. Now, to some this may seem like an unnecessary amount of time, however; if you are me its perfect. The ritual of putting on my makeup gets me through the day. I don’t wear makeup everyday, but its like my little bit of therapy when I do. Its basically for me what yoga is to yogis. If I am having a particularly rough day or week I place makeup on like its my armor.

Makeup has done so many things for me in the past year. It has given me a true outlet for self expression and my creativity. And it has given me a skill to grow with and feel confident in. The power and confidence I feel in myself has reached a level that I didn’t expect or think was possible for me. And its not a superficial thing. Yes, it feels good to look in the mirror and like what you see-I do. But the beauty world has given me focus and determination. I had become complacent in who I was and I wasn’t trying to constantly learn or develop. But in the beauty world there is so much to know. So much that is new and things that are already established. Sometimes, I can get discouraged because there are plenty of people out there that don’t believe this is a valid hobby or even career. But I am happy. Posting on this blog and on my Instagram (Inconspicuousglamour) makes me happy. I love sharing my journey and all my fun discoveries with fellow beauty lovers. Thank you all for reading my blog and being a part of this fun for me.

These photos are just a small sample of my silliness and vanity!

Thanks for reading! Comment below with what your makeup routine looks like! Until next time!

The Progressive Glo Up

Remember the first time you did a Full Face Glam look? And no one could tell you anything, you just knew you were BAD. Snapping selfies left and right. Posting those same selfies on social media with all the confidence in the world. But now a year later, six months later, shoot-a day later…you look at those photos and think “What was I even thinking”. That happens for me fairly often. I started this blog back in February and had been wearing makeup way before that. But my growth in the past year has been chartable.

So here is a list of five things I have learned based on personal experience…

1. No one wants to see a stubby wing. If you can’t do a winged liner, leave it alone. Please, practice at home but leaving your house thinking you are cute with one millimeter of wing sticking past your lash line is not the business. If you have hooded lids like me, check out Alissa Ashley’s winged liner tutorial. 

2. Your contour and highlight should be friends, there should never be an obvious, stark wall between them. BLEND. No harsh lines, its not cute.

3. Pairing a bold lipstick with a bold eye look detracts from one or the other. I am writing this one, as if I don’t do it still. I know a bright eye is best paired with a nude lip, but I can’t really seem to stop.

4. Set your face. Makeup is fun, but it is not a game. Do you want your foundation sliding off your face two hours after its applied?

5. The tools you use are just as important as the products. Don’t skimp on your brushes or sponges! You get wack application with wack tools.

This was 9 months ago. I know I thought I was cute. Screaming YAS KWEEN as I applied that lipstick. (Echo by KVD)

Me today. I am sure there is lots to learn and I am still taking car selfies but we have come a long way!

Thanks for reading! I know plenty of my makeup enthusiasts can relate. Comment below with your most memorable whoopsie! Until next time!