Artemis

Inspiration

Continuing on my track of Greek goddesses, the next one up is Artemis. She's the goddess of the moon, the hunt, and maidens. She was said to have eyes as luminous as the moon, and to be fierce in protecting those loyal to her.  She was one of the twin archers, sister to Apollo, god of the sun. Artemis was the younger of the two, but the fiercest, never hesitating to tackle the greatest challenges. Along with her group of hunters, the girls who pledged themselves to her service, she was said to have rid the world of many an evil creature. It is also said that Aphrodite despised Artemis for shunning love and the company of men. The two did not get along, as Aphrodite's more feminine nature clashed with the maiden hunter's stance on life. 

Intent

My intention was to mimic the colors of the moon, and the simplicity of the lifestyle Artemis was said to have led. She was fierce and strong, and stuck to her guns, and clearly she wasn't the type to wear makeup, or to spend time on stuff like that. Given that fact, (Which I find totally ridiculous! Who doesn't love makeup??) I think even the goddess of the hunt would make time for her beauty routine if it included just 4 easy steps.

Outcome

 I thought the silvery-grey shade of eye shadow was a perfect modern representation. I was thinking soft and diffused, like the light from the full moon, and a little bit of shadow, so my eyes didn't look like reverse raccoon eyes...anyway, I think the general look was successful! See, luminous? The blending was extremely necessary, because otherwise it would have been an awkward line of grey...anyway. I like it.

 All silver and glowy...and look at my eyelashes! I have another picture of my mascara down further

And I figured that if she was the goddess of maidens also, the eyes could be glowy and the lips could be plain...simple simple.


Tools & Techniques

 To do the shimmery moon-thingy, I used Urban Decay's eye shadow in "Uzi" which is the top row, second from the left. It looks like a shimmery white, but it's actually glittery, with pieces of glitter. I love the effect, but I really do hate glitter because it gets everywhere and never comes off, not even with epic amounts of makeup remover. Anyway, aside from my prejudice against glitter, I think the effect of the silver is pretty. Use a fluffy blending brush to make sure the line isn't too harsh against your skin.

To do the blending on the outer corner, and make my eyes look something other than flat, I used Urban Decay's eye shadow "Gunmetal" which is the top row, second from the left. Again, with the fluffy brush: the moon's glow has no harsh shadows.

These are the other two products that I used. The bottom one is Fresh "Sugar" lip balm, which is amazing (if pricey...) and I figured that I wanted to keep everything simple so chapstick seemed good and healthy. The top is Maybelline's new mascara called "Illegal Length" and I love it! It gives literally no volume (so if that's what you're after this isn't the mascara for you) but for length it is amazing! I applied 3 coats, and my lashes are so much longer than without it. Get it, get it, get it. You will love it, just like I do.

I think I did Artemis proud. Doesn't everyone look at the full moon and think about how beautiful it is? I do. This look represents some of the way I feel about the light from the moon, and the beauty that Artemis was said to have possessed, inspiring many men to try, and fail, to win her heart.