# Amaranth's 1st Tutorial: SOLAR FLARE (Extremely Picture Heavy!)



## Amaranth (Jun 20, 2007)

Baah! Sorry for the extreme amount of photos, but I sort of do things weird and I wanted to make a really in-depth tutorial so that a) you awesome folks could understand my weird methods and b) anyone new to make-up or MAC can try out my look and understand perfectly how to do it. So hopefully this is easy to understand and do, I tried hard!! I have new respect for the people who make tutorials, this took like 3 hours from beginning to the point where I posted this topic.

I've always wanted to make a tutorial, but I was waiting for the right look. Someone on the FOTD board asked me to make a tutorial for my Flamespot look, so I figured the time was right 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. This isn't EXACTLY the same, I improved upon it a bit (at least I think so), which is why I gave it a different title. Also, people are always asking for ideas on how to use Flammable paint, so here you go!! Highly necessary for this look!

Also, a variety of brief thunderstorms rolled through while I was taking pictures, so that explains why some pictures are darker than others.

This tutorial is so long I have to do it over a few posts, so please bear with me and wait until I'm done posting everything before replying. Thanks!

So here we go! You ready to get sexy?

What you'll need:

Eyeshadows in Pots and Palette:
MAC Firespot
MAC Orb
MAC Carbon
MAC Rummy
MAC Phloof!
MAC Goldmine
MAC Gorgeous Gold

Eyeliner:
MAC Fluidline in Blitz & Glitz
MAC Fluidline in Brassy

Mascara:
L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara

Paints:
MAC Bare Canvas
MAC Flammable

Lips:
MAC Viva Glam V Lipstick
MAC Snowgirl Lipglass

Face:
MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation (Mine is C3)
Revlon Skinlights in Bare Light
Revlon Powder Blush in Smoky Rose
CoverGirl Bronzer
MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer (Mine is NC20)

Brushes:
MAC 187
MAC 219
MAC 217
MAC 180
MAC 239
MAC 208
Estee Lauder Blush Brush
Some crappy no name brush I use exclusively for Paints

All of which can be seen here:




Now start with a bare face...because you know that if I hadn't included this step, I'm SURE you would have done this look right over top of whatever make-up your already wearing, haha.
And OH NOES, it's blurry...that wasn't intentional...mwahhaa



Dab on some concealer wherever you may need it, likely under the eyes, around the nose. I then use my handy-dandy finger to blend it in. This is also likely the point where most people would apply their liquid foundation, but I don't wear that (my skin is decent, Studio Fix gives me enough coverage). So if you're a foundation kind of person, apply that now if you wish.



Get your Bare Canvas Paint and jam a TINY little bit onto your hand



Then use your finger to apply to to the entire eye area, from the lashline to your eyebrow, it's gonna be your base to help everything stick and keep it from creasing.



Next, put some Carbon eyeshadow onto your hand (I used the 219 to tap a bunch on, but you can use whatever), and add a wee bit of Flammable Paint right next to it...



Then mix those bad boys together until you get something that resembles this (you should make it a teeny bit darker than you would like it to be in the end, we're going to put more Flammable Paint on top so it won't look quite as dark as it does now):



Just use your finger to place it in the outer corner of both eyes. Doesn't really matter if it looks crappy at this point. If your Flammable/Carbon is not dark enough for your liking, just jam some more Carbon on top like I did in this picture. More Flammable will be going on top soon anyway.



Get your crappy brush that you don't care about killing and load it up with straight up Flammable Paint (from the tube, not the one mixed with Carbon). 



Apply it to the outer V of your eye, and into the crease. It's hard to see on me, since I have no eye crease, so I guess you'll have to use your imagination. Place it over the stuff with the Carbon on it we just applied, and once your brush starts running out of Paint, really squish the brush around the edges to "fade" it out. Paint are hard to blend, and once they're on there, they ain't moving. So do this before it dries.



Now since I made such a mess (purposely, it's no biggie), use a Q-Tip to a) create a sharp line at the outer edge going up toward the eyebrow (where you would make a cat-eye with liner) and b) blend in the Paint some more. For once, it's a good thing that Flammable stains the skin red, because you can use the Q-Tip to really rub it around. You can remove some of the Paint, but it'll leave a red stain on your skin that makes it look all fade-y and that's what we want! Once again, works best if you do this before the Paint dries.



Should look something like this...doesn't look too awesome, but trust me!! See what I meant by the sharp edge at the outer corner?



Now get your 239 and Firespot eyeshadow. This is from the LE Moonbathe collection, so you may not be able to get it if you don't have it already. Just use any midtoned orange shadow if you dont have it.



Use the shader brush to really pat the Firespot onto the lid, applying it all the way from the inner corner to about midway through the Flammable Paint.



Should look like this:



Now load up your 219 pencil brush with Goldmine eyeshadow.



Apply it over the Firespot in the inner corner, and stop about halfway into the Firespot. This applying halfway into another colour trick will make the shadow look more blended right away; less blending with the 217 later 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






Like this (kinda hard to see):



And now some Gorgeous Gold with the same brush:


----------



## Amaranth (Jun 20, 2007)

And once again, start in the inner corner, and apply it about halfway into the Goldmine eyeshadow.



Should resemble the following:



Blend everything together with the 217:



Now get your 239 again and the Orb eyeshadow



And apply it above what you've already applied, and just barely over it. I would normally apply this as a base colour _before_ doing anything else, but I do it at this point for this look because it makes the Flammable appear softer at the edges, and as a result, more blended.



And now the 219 and Phloof!



And apply to the upper browbone as a highlight



Yay! Eyeshadow done! Does it look ANYTHING like this? Ok fine, well besides the fact that you're probably better looking than me, I mean...



Now to fill those brows, use whatever colour works for you, I use Rummy eyeshadow and the 208. I see a lot of people using Espresso. And additional tip, which I did not demonstrate here: if your eyebrows have hair that is "invisible" (which mine do, at the inner parts closest to my nose), you can try using MAC's Brow Finisher stick. make sure you get the tinted one, or this tip is useless...the stick is waxy and really adheres to the hairs, but not too much to the skin. So what I do if I wanna keep my brows looking more natural than they do here, is I just jam on some brow finisher where I have invisible hairs. It'll coat the hairs with tinted wax so they ain't invisible no more, but it'll barely colour the skin below. Plus it's fairly waterproof...I wear it to go swimming when I don't want people to see my lack of full brows.



Use quick, short strokes like your drawing in little hairs. It'll probably look weird if you just draw on a big blobby thing. And there you go, now you all know my awful, bone-chilling secret...all those times you guys complimented my on my eyebrows, LOOK HOW MUCH I FILL THEM! BONE-CHILLING!!



Me with filled eyebrows, looks weird without any liner on...though it probably doesn't help that I'm making that face:



Now some Blitz & Glitz and the 208



And line the upper lashline, thickening the line toward the outer corner. 



Also line the lower outer corner, once again, thicker towards the outer corners then taper it off around the middle of the eye:



Like this:



Apply Brassy with the 208 to the inner corner of the lower lashline.



Looks like this:



Now here is where I apply my Studio Fix Foundation with the 187. You should also apply your mascara now, I didn't take a picture for that since I already had so many, and I figured you all knew how to apply mascara. The only tip I can give you for the mascara is to not apply TOO much to the lower lashline...since we didn't line it in black all the way around, too much mascara will make you look like some sort of hideous spider is making sweet sweet love to your eyes.



Like deees:



Now I get my bronzer, I use CoverGirl because it's cheap and works well (just about the only CG product that works well, IMO), and I also use the brush that comes with it. The MAC contouring brush is also good, but the CoverGirl one that comes in the package is quite stiff and precise, and I like getting a fairly defined line so it'll still contour my face later on once I blend everything together.



Make the fishy face and apply it to the hollows that form, like this:


----------



## Amaranth (Jun 20, 2007)

Now get your face highlighter, I use Revlon Skinlights in Bare Light. Adds a really nice natural-looking glow and it sticks well.



Use those fingers, and apply it to the upper cheek bone. Blend it from the part of your face near your nose outwards towards the temple. If you have a hard time finding it, smile really big and apply the highlighter to the part where the apples of your cheeks recedes to your eyes...so basically from in between the part of the cheek that sticks out the most, almost to your eye.



Haha, fan it until it's dry. Those hands/fans are just a blur! It you use a cream and it's not dry, your blush will stick to unflattering places and   it'll look like you have a horrible disease.



Now get a blush brush and your blush



And apply it to the apples of your cheeks between the highlighter and the bronzer. A lot of people smile and jam it on the parts of the cheeks that pop out, I make a different face. Whatever works for your face shape.



Now, at this point, you're probably thinking, Amaranth, you made me put waaayyy too much crap on my face considering how crazy the eye make-up is. Well fear not, mon frere...



The Kabuki Brush saves the day! (Unless you don't own one, in which case I actually just screwed you over...haha just kidding, see the next step)



Blend everything together in a circular motion, it should help remove any excess. If you don't have a 180 brush and you just added a huge amount of blush to your face until you look like a...well you get where I'm going with that...you can just take your 187 brush and put a tiny bit more foundation on top. Just a bit though! Or else you'll cover up all your hard work and your foundation will be approximately 3.954 inches thick, and it'll be back to looking like a...ahem.



Now a dash of Viva Glam V...a coral lipstick would look AMAZING right now, but I don't own anything close to a coral. Viva Glam V is luckily one of those shades that looks good on pretty much everyone, and it's not overly colourful so you can pair it with quite a bit.



And some Snowgirl on top, just add a dab to the centre of your lips and smush your lips together until its spread.



And we're done!



Yaaaaaaay! You're ready to go pick up some hotties at the club, or...go mow the lawn and go grocery shopping like I did today 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm just far too cool for school. I suppose the important thing is that SOMEONE saw it. 



And my sizzle picture of FOTD fame...not from today's look, but the general mood of the look is there 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I can't get this line to be not underlined.




So there we have it! Hope you liked my first tutorial EVER! If anyone tried it, please post a picture, I wanna see!  

You may now post if you wish


----------



## MsCuppyCakes (Jun 20, 2007)

Thanks for the tutorial Amaranth. I know they are time consuming and really appreciate your time. Great tutorial/steps. Assuming that's a picture of you on your avatar, you look great as a blonde and brunette.


----------



## lipshock (Jun 20, 2007)

You are such a great girl!

Thanks for being so in-depth and detailed.  These things I believe are important in making a successful tutorial and you've done it.  I want to try this out because it looks super fun!


----------



## makeupgal (Jun 20, 2007)

This is really nice!  I love how you do the outer portion.  You kinda look like Lauren Conrad from "The Hills" in your avatar.  Thanks for doing this tut.


----------



## AfricanaEyes (Jun 20, 2007)

I concur!! This is a GREAT tut. I went through and read everything....your blending skills are impeccable!

And ohhhh.....that's you in the avatar? I could have sworn in was that chick from that show? What's her name?---ummm.....LC!! From....what's the name....oh Laguna Beach! You favor her in that picture!


----------



## entipy (Jun 20, 2007)

Great tutorial, Amaranth! One of the best I've seen, I think. Thorough and entertaining with LOTS of pics!! I would SO try this look if I had all the stuff to use. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Alas, no flammable paint for me.


----------



## Amaranth (Jun 20, 2007)

Thanks ladies!! I'm really glad you liked it, and I had fun doing it, I don't wanna make it seem like those hours were spent on something I didn't wanna do 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. And that is my in my display picture, taken in university before the residence water killed my blonde hair 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Those were the days...


----------



## glam8babe (Jun 20, 2007)

i love it! =D


----------



## lazytolove (Jun 20, 2007)

wow, you look like Nikki Hilton. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. Very pretty


----------



## HayleyVengeance (Jun 20, 2007)

love it


----------



## SuSana (Jun 20, 2007)

such a good tut!


----------



## Amaranth (Jun 21, 2007)

Thanks!!

And uh...was this always in the Tutorial Contest Forum? I'm not sure if it was moved or what, I mean if you guys want it there, I'll take it, but I meant to post it in the other one


----------



## ginger9 (Jun 21, 2007)

You look fabulous, flamable really brings out your pretty eyes 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Thanks very much for taking time to do this wonderful and fun tutorial. Your efforts and skills is much much appreciated


----------



## Holly (Jun 21, 2007)

I love this


----------



## makeup_wh0re (Jun 21, 2007)

Congrats on your first tutorial...you are a cutie pie. I would love to do one but i have a son so I don't ever have time to do anything lol.


----------



## c00ki312 (Jun 21, 2007)

haha loved reading this tut. great look! id like to try but im scared of wearing red...


----------



## Brianne333 (Jun 21, 2007)

The colors look so pretty with your blue eyes!


----------



## applefrite (Jun 21, 2007)

Thank you for your tut !!!


----------



## glittergoddess27 (Jun 21, 2007)

Great tut and I am SOOOOO glad to see the 180 brush getting some love,....


----------



## Simi (Jun 21, 2007)

Thanks for the great tutorial.......


----------



## Amaranth (Jun 22, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *glittergoddess27* 

 
_Great tut and I am SOOOOO glad to see the 180 brush getting some love,...._

 
I personally LOVE the 180 brush, though I know a lot of people hate it. I find that it especially helps if you're a little too heavy-handed with the blush like I am 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 and it also just makes everything look so smooth and polished.

PS - I had to go out while I was still finishing off the 3rd post, so I'm going to go back now and fill it in in a few places where I think it could use a little more detail. I was strapped for time, when I started it, I thought I had the entire night free, but that wasn't the case. So here comes an update! 

Also, if you ladies have any suggestions on how I can improve or go into more detail for my next (yay) tutorial, please let me know! I made this to help y'all out, so if I can do better, I'll gladly do what I can!


----------



## Jayne (Jun 22, 2007)

wow, the final result is simply GORGEOUS 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



thanks for sharing !! 
great tut', so complete


----------



## breathless (Jun 23, 2007)

now i want flammable paint ... 
great tut!


----------



## witchery-woo (Jun 23, 2007)

thanks for the tutorial.  that was really easy to understand and super FUN to read!


----------



## trip75 (Jun 23, 2007)

*Fab!!! I love it. Great detail and your pics were  a riot!  *


----------



## Motoko Kusanagi (Jun 24, 2007)

Loved this look!!! Great tut!!!


----------



## Bybs (Jun 24, 2007)

This is a fantastic, detailed tut. I adore the faces you pull.


----------



## Amaranth (Jun 24, 2007)

Thanks everyone! I'm soooo glad you all like it!

And I looked hideous at so many stages of the tut, I figured I should try to make it look like I was TRYING to be hideous by making those faces...yeah, that's it...you buy that, right? If not...would you believe...I just wanted to make you guys smile? Is that excuse better? Hahaha.

But seriously though...to all the people who don't own Flammable or are afriad to wear it...I suggest you go to your nearest MAC and try it out. I was scared of it for so long, and I wondered why anyone in their right mind would wanna put red on their freakin EYES in the first place. But I caved a little while ago, and it is actually, by far, my favourite eye anything. It works on a lot of skin tones, and it really looks especially beautiful on people with green or blue eyes. And the colour REALLY stands out on me because I'm so ungodly pale, so if you're really scared of it because of how bright it is on me, the lighter your skin is, the brighter it'll seem. I'm not saying you can't see it on darker skin tones, because I've seen it in action and it still looks amazing, but colours tend to look extra crazy and wild on lighter skin tones. And also, just because you own red eyeshadow doesn't mean you have to use it all over, you can use it in a more subtle fashion. So everyone give Flammable a chance, it's hard to find an eye safe red, so we're lucky MAC makes one, and in such a beautiful SHADE of red at that. One of the good things about MAC is that you can try stuff out before you buy it, so you have nothing to lose!


----------



## Hilly (Jun 24, 2007)

Beautiful!


----------



## Backseat_betty (Jun 25, 2007)

This tutorial is HOT! I love it!


----------



## stevoulina (Jun 26, 2007)

Awesome!!


----------



## stephie06 (Jun 28, 2007)

Fantastic tutorial! I going to try this out for sure! Great job and I can't wait for your next tut


----------



## snowkei (Jun 29, 2007)

so pretty love the eyes


----------



## mariposasoy (Jun 30, 2007)

wow!  what a great look, especially on you!  i love flammable and i just got firespot


----------



## pookus (Jun 30, 2007)

really great tut!  i enjoyed it as much for the humor as the great instructions 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  and you came out looking fabulous!


----------



## lethaldesign (Jul 2, 2007)

great in depth tutorial! i def need to get flammable pain. its been on my wishlist for months.


----------



## Kelaia (Jul 2, 2007)

Fun tut! Very informative 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 And the end result is great!! I was a little scared at first when I saw that red e/s on your eye, but with everything else put together it looks amazing


----------



## Amaranth (Jul 2, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Kelaia* 

 
_Fun tut! Very informative 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 And the end result is great!! I was a little scared at first when I saw that red e/s on your eye, but with everything else put together it looks amazing 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
Haha, yeah, Flammable paint is a bit scary on its own on skin as light as mine. If only I had a nice deep tan, I've seen it alone on darker skin tones and it doesn't look nearly as freaky.


----------



## BinkysBaby (Jul 3, 2007)

Wow.  Really nice.


----------



## tiramisu (Jul 3, 2007)

you look absolutely great, and I love the tut, made me laugh while I could follow it easily!!


----------



## greeneyes (Jul 6, 2007)

Gorgeous and amazing! Thanks for your Tut, I'm one of the new in MAC world 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





I found also very interesting the way you used the Q-Tip 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





Grazie!!


----------



## Amaranth (Jul 6, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *greeneyes* 

 
_Gorgeous and amazing! Thanks for your Tut, I'm one of the new in MAC world 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I found also very interesting the way you used the Q-Tip 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





Grazie!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
Thanks! I don't usually really use Q-Tips for anything besides removing excess make-up in very rare situations, but the Paint won't blend with a regular blending brush. I needed something I could really rub in there and not have to worry about ruining. Glad you liked it!


----------



## s_prev (Jul 7, 2007)

OMG loved the colours, and you did an awesome job...thanks for the pics b/c for new mac lovers, and makeup users like me it really helps! cant wait to try


----------



## Amaranth (Jul 21, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *s_prev* 

 
_OMG loved the colours, and you did an awesome job...thanks for the pics b/c for new mac lovers, and makeup users like me it really helps! cant wait to try_

 
Thanks! Well I knew the Q-Tip thing was sort of odd, even for me (since I only use it for this look), so I wanted to make sure people got what I meant. Also, I'm not the best at explaining, so I figured if people didn't get what I meant, they could just look at the picture and hopefully figure it out.


----------



## tsukiyomi (Jul 22, 2007)

Hahaaha, I love your sense of humour and this is a nice tutorial.


----------



## star07 (Jul 23, 2007)

so complicated but it looks great on you!


----------



## Amaranth (Aug 6, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *star07* 

 
_so complicated but it looks great on you!_

 
Aaah! No way! It's definitely not hard, you don't even really need any blending skills for this since the colours are pretty much blended when you apply them. I probably made it look a lot harder than it was by putting in so many steps, but I only did that to make it easier. You should try it anyway, if I can do it, it's not that hard.


----------



## nunu (Feb 14, 2008)

great tutorial!!!
thank you!!!


----------



## elleread (Feb 15, 2008)

Fantastic tutorial - you made me laugh too- can't wait to see more! i'm a bit scared of red but you inspired me to try!


----------



## mreichert (Feb 17, 2008)

I love this look- gotta try it now 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  You have such beautiful blue eyes! So jealous.....


----------



## jdepp_84 (Feb 20, 2008)

I love it! You are just too darn adorable!


----------



## ilovecheese (Feb 21, 2008)

Yay! Great tutorial - very entertaining 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Hehe. Looove the look - it is so pretty! You look gorgeous. Would we pair the extended cat eye liner with this?
Edit: I love the lips - I think it "cools" the "warm" eyes hehe. If that made any sense. Your skin is fab.


----------



## Amaranth (Feb 22, 2008)

Thanks everyone! I wasn't sure if anyone even looked at this anymore.

 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *ilovecheese* 

 
_Yay! Great tutorial - very entertaining 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Hehe. Looove the look - it is so pretty! You look gorgeous. Would we pair the extended cat eye liner with this?
Edit: I love the lips - I think it "cools" the "warm" eyes hehe. If that made any sense. Your skin is fab._

 
Thank you! I think a cat eye liner would be HOT. I would probably do the entire lower eyelid in Brassy if you chose to do the winged liner, or at least bring the Brassy Fluidline out more (like, so that it takes up about 3/4 of the lower lash line) before starting with the black. But that's just me...if you try it, let me know how it turns out!


----------



## friend_of_MAC (Feb 22, 2008)

thanks!!! you sure made that look fun!!! lol


----------



## lizardprincesa (Feb 22, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *makeup_wh0re* 

 
_Congrats on your first tutorial...you are a cutie pie. I would love to do one but i have a son so I don't ever have time to do anything lol._

 
_*I so relate. HUGS *_


----------



## lizardprincesa (Feb 22, 2008)

_*OMGoddess! Amaranth! You are amazing! You gave me lots of giggles, & some excellent tips.....& I wish I'd  have been able to see your  wonderful tutorial *before* my  5 minute-alotted-m/u time Today, as  I focused on  reds/oranges, using Mi'Lady as my main character....I  also used Carbon in there somewhere. Not like you did, tho 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




   You are great!*

*     your eyes are gorgeous, &  you know how to enhance them without looking overdone (I have yet to master this). *

*      Besides being a beautiful & talented m/u artist, perhaps you might want to consider stand-up comedy, or maybe a talk-show of your own?*

*      THANK YOU for doing the tutorial(s). I sooo enjoyed!*

*smiles for you! CherylFaithxx*
_​


----------



## deadSAVVY (Feb 22, 2008)

you are stunning! this is one of my favorite tuts..made me want some Flammable paint!


----------



## Amaranth (Feb 29, 2008)

Yaaaaay! Thanks everyone!

 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *lizardprincesa* 

 
_*OMGoddess! Amaranth! You are amazing! You gave me lots of giggles, & some excellent tips.....& I wish I'd  have been able to see your  wonderful tutorial *before* my  5 minute-alotted-m/u time Today, as  I focused on  reds/oranges, using Mi'Lady as my main character....I  also used Carbon in there somewhere. Not like you did, tho 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




   You are great!*

*     your eyes are gorgeous, &  you know how to enhance them without looking overdone (I have yet to master this). *

*      Besides being a beautiful & talented m/u artist, perhaps you might want to consider stand-up comedy, or maybe a talk-show of your own?*

*      THANK YOU for doing the tutorial(s). I sooo enjoyed!*

*smiles for you! CherylFaithxx*
​_

 
Thanks! And funny you should mention that, a friend of mine used to have a city-wide radio show and he would make me come on when he couldn't get any actual famous guests. I always thought I was just being a moron, but apparently someone liked it.


----------



## riacarolina (May 8, 2008)

awesome tut!


----------



## cuiran (Jun 4, 2008)

beautifu


----------



## iluffyew769769 (Jun 5, 2008)

I love it!!!


----------



## cuiran (Jun 16, 2008)

Very pretty!


----------



## ab5inth7 (Nov 16, 2008)

loving this tutorial, very detailed 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




and the look u've created is awesome,
sooo colourful 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



keep it up <3


----------



## pinkstar (Nov 18, 2008)

Gorgeous look


----------

