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https://www.essence.com/beauty/holiday-makeup-trends-beauty/

PeopleImages / Getty Images By Celeste Polanco ·Updated November 22, 2024

It’s almost that time again! Your whole family will be gathering for holiday dinner. You enthusiastically sit at your vanity, reaching for your favorite red lipstick and gracefully move it across your lips. This is, of course, before you add a glitter shadow that hasn’t been touched in ages. The finishing touch is timeless, reminding you that getting ready for the holidays is at once fun and nostalgic. 

In other words, it’s a time to embrace colors, glitters, and more to express our joy for the season. Makeup trends can also help us step outside our comfort zone and try different looks we otherwise might never think of. Kelly Bellevue and Halle Tims, known as Halle J, are two makeup artists who live for the latest makeup trends.

Below for their hot take on what to expect this season. 

Lip Color

Regarding lip colors, both women agree that this year is all about deeper reds. “Bordeaux is one of my favorite colors for the holiday season. It’s deeper and richer than the red we all associate with the holidays, but it feels very luxurious,” says Bellevue. To complement the deeper tone of red, she uses Mac Lip Liner in Vino because who doesn’t love a little red wine on their lips? 

Glitters vs. Colorful Liners

Glitter is known for having a bit of extremism attached to it. When we hear glitter, most of us want to scream at the idea of glitter getting in our eyes or transferring to someone after greeting them. However, with a good setting spray, glitter can be a nice touch to this year’s trends without overdoing it. 

“I don’t think graphic glitter liner will be as prevalent as highlighting the inner corner of the eye with high-impact fine glitter/shimmer or washes of glitter over the center of the lid,” says Bellevue. She recommends achieving this, beginning with Laura Mercier Caviar Stick and topping it off with Patrick Ta’s Major Dimension Eye Illusion Eyeshadow Palette. 

For those who aren’t into the glitter vibes this season, you’re not alone. Tims is also not a fan of the trend and recommends beauty enthusiasts supplement this with fun eyeliner. She says, “Colored liner is great for a pop of color and something different.” Adding a bright or deep red eyeliner can create interest in the eye area. Deep green tones are also a big hit this season and can be a fun touch to any makeup look. 

Blush

Would a holiday be complete without blush? Our experts don’t seem to think so. Blush had a huge moment last year with the strawberry trend; luckily, that is still on par for this year, along with other blush trends. Continuing the theme of reds, Tims believes red blushes are on the rise. However, unlike lipsticks, red will differ for everyone’s skin tone. Plum blushes complement deeper tones, while brighter reds can do well with yellow undertones. We highly recommend spot-testing what tone of red will work for you before commenting on a color. 

Contour 

There was a time when the heavy contour was mandatory with every look. Are we the only ones who purchased every contour palette in 2013? It’s time to crack open those contour palettes because the trend is back. Bellevue has confirmed that one of the trends that may surprise us most is heavy contour.

If you’re not a blush girlie, or even if you are, a heavy contour look can bring back an old tradition for holiday’s sake. However, If you want to have a side of blush with your contour, you may want to be mindful. Bellevue says, “Blush is still big, but I wouldn’t do it with harsh contour. Both are still trending.”

TOPICS:  Holiday Makeup

The post These Holiday Makeup Trends Will Fill You With Glee appeared first on Essence.

https://www.themarysue.com/leigh-whannell-talks-wolf-man-and-bringing-original-movies-back-to-the-big-screen/

Werewolves don’t get nearly enough love. Sure, there are some werewolf supporting characters in larger horror stories, and there are even one or two quality werewolf-centric films, but vampires and zombies seem to get most of the attention. Director Leigh Whannell might just change that with his latest project.

You might know writer/director/actor Leigh Whannell as the writer of Saw, Cooties, and Insidious; or as the director of 2020’s awesome Invisible Man. Now, Whannell is bringing a classic Universal monster back to life with his upcoming film, Wolf Man.

https://www.essence.com/beauty/beauty-influencer-holiday-self-care-guide/

Instagram By Celeste Polanco ·Updated November 22, 2024

The holidays are a time for us to become closer to our loved ones. They are also a time for women to be overburdened by the season. We are expected to cook, clean, decorate, get the children dressed, and attend Thanksgiving dinner as if we didn’t run on anxiety the whole day. 

Still, we sit at the table enjoying our prepared meal while catching the shade our family member threw us. Deeply exhausted, we suck it up for the sake of “getting along.” Meanwhile, we are drained beyond belief and counting down the hours for our guests to leave so we can release ourselves from the shackles of our makeup, bra, and wardrobe. 

Dear women, it is okay not to do it all this holiday season. Permit yourself to say no to the party or cook for a guest list of 20. Fight the urge to be the “strong woman” when someone says, “But you always make the turkey; you’re so good at it.” It’s okay to choose to be good to yourself instead. 

Self-care is a surface-level term that receives pushback for being mainly material. But it’s not just about the face masks. It’s about taking the time to exhale the stresses of being a woman and inhale everything that makes us feel aligned. It’s also our greatest survival tool when life becomes a bit overwhelming. 

One of the most remarkable healing tools we can give ourselves during this time is to lean on other women. The women in our village can serve as a guiding light. The women we follow on social media can comfort us sometimes, too—giving us tips and tricks that relieve us. 

In that spirit, we’ve chatted with a few influential women about how they care for themselves during the holidays. Their stories below. 

Tina Meeks  View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tina Meeks (@herlifesparkles)

Time is scarce for Tina Meeks. She spends it caring for her four children, creating content, hosting holiday parties, and organizing charity events. She describes this time as “mental gymnastics,” as she balances the joys of pregnancy and life’s obstacles. “Our family calendar is nuts during this time of year, so for me, it’s a busy time,” Meeks expresses. Her survival kit for this season has been having the strength to say no and not compromise her boundaries. 

Meeks centers herself by marking days “off” on her calendar. This allows her to do nothing at all or the freedom to do what brings her joy. It is a moment of pause that gives Meeks the strength to continue. “I’ve learned that if I’m not centered, neither is my family because my kids will feed off my energy. Therefore, I must protect my peace when I have too many things on my plate.” 

Kay Davenport View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kay Davenport•DMV >

Anxiety is something Kay Davenport knows all too well during the holidays. Balancing a household, career, and hosting two families during the holidays can be overwhelming for anyone. “Just the thought of planning and prepping can easily make me anxious,” says Davenport. 

Despite this, preparation is also a way of bringing her a sense of ease. She believes staying two steps ahead can minimize stress. “Preparing helps me prioritize my calm during a season that can bring excitement and other emotions.”

Davenport sees preparation as a way of regaining her power. It is her secret weapon for controlling her emotions. She also advocates for taking time to breathe. “My husband and I tap out and find a quiet place to breathe and simply take a break while we are hosting.”

Dr. Robin Barrett  View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dr. Robin Barrett, Pharm D., NASM-CPT (@dr.robinb)

As an entrepreneur, Dr. Robin Barrett is always on the go. Between balancing work, family, and her fitness goals, time is limited. Still, she finds a moment to spend with her loved ones during the holidays. Family time target="_blank"> View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Oyin Edogi (@sweetlikeoyin)

This time of year, Oyin Edogi feels the pressure of perfectionism. She strives to provide the perfect holiday dinner, travel, and overall experiences. Naturally, living up to this standard can feel overwhelming and as if time is against her. Just when it all becomes too much, Edogi reminds herself of the simple aspect that brings her joy during the holidays—her family. She inhales this truth and exhales the unnecessary pressure she placed upon herself. 

In addition to family time, Edogi also finds it essential to make time for herself. “Whether it’s reading a book, taking a warm bath, or simply enjoying myself in silence, these moments allow me to recharge and find peace,” says Edogi. Implementing these practices has decreased her stress levels.

As a woman living with anxiety, she is aware of the importance of calming the voices that carry with her throughout the day. “Taking care of yourself first is the most important thing because you can’t pour into others if your cup is empty. Remember, it’s important to protect your peace and create boundaries to prevent burnout and enjoy the holidays to the fullest.”

TOPICS:  holiday self-care wellness

The post These Beauty Influencers Share How They Keep Stress Down During The Holidays appeared first on Essence.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/beastieball-early-access-review/

I was browsing my BlueSky timeline when I saw my friend, Josh Boykin over at Intelligame (go check him out) had reposted a series of Steam reviews from an account for Beastieball.

Curious, I went to the account and saw that Beastieball was in fact a turn-based volleyball RPG where you coach monsters and that it was in Early Access. At which point, I dropped everything I was doing, spent $25, and immediately found myself in a surprisingly robust character creator that let me select my pronouns which I loved and is more than I will ever expect from a Pokémon game, but that’s neither here nor there.

What is on the table is the fact that neither in my wildest dreams would have I wished for what is essentially Pokémon x Haikyu. Now that I have it in my hands, anything feels possible and nothing will ever be too niche to find a surprisingly large audience.

You start Beastieball in the Rustile Nature Preserve where Beasties are out roaming and playing volleyball with ball mushrooms and meet your friend Riley. You find your starters and learn the basics of the game’s combat. Then, there’s a time skip that takes you to the main story where your nature preserve is about to get demolished to make way for a new stadium. At its core, the game knows that it is in fact a sports anime (even going so far to ask you if you have ever seen a sports anime during this tutorial) before giving you some jerseys to recruit some Beasties and set out to become the number 1 ranked coach in the world and maybe stop capitalism from displacing the local beasties.

The bones of Beastieball most closely resemble Galar of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Not quite the open world of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Paldea region, but not quite as strictly linear as Red & Blue. You start out with the ability to sprint as well as jump over ledges and onto small extrusions as well as toss balls all of which end up being used to solve a variety of overworld puzzles to progress throughout the game. But ultimately, if you’re played a “mon” game, you know how this works: travel regions, make friends, challenge other teams, work your way to the top and get stronger. Whereas the skeleton may be the same, the beating heart of the game is very different.

While there are three starters that introduce the typing (physical, soul, and mind), these three are in fact the only typings in the game and Beasties design is wildly varied as a result. There is a very clear visual dictionary that is easy to pick up after interacting with a few different Beasties, and rather than having strict type advantage, the system is oriented around a streamline power/defense system. Individual beasties have their own baseline stats that can be influenced with training and playing games with other beasties, not unlike the individual and effort values found in Pokémon. This does mean that while you still need a variety of Beasties, you’re not quite as beholden to finding a ringer for a particular gym.

The capture mechanic is also completely deterministic. As you play matches against unteamed Beasties you will complete research. After enough back and forth, you are told the recruitment condition and if you satisfy it, you can offer them a journey and a spot on the team. Your team consists of five Beasties, and the rest of your menagerie can either join an away team to get experience, or otherwise vibe in their home habitat. You can even have practice matches with them in the overworld.

The battle mechanics are easy to learn, difficult to master. While most times you will probably find yourself doing the conventional “get the health bar to zero,” you can also score points by carefully aiming the ball in undefended areas of the court which allows you to out strategize opponents who may have otherwise put you in difficult positions. If you’ve played any sort of Pokémon game in recent memory, you’d recognize clear design inspirations. There’s a move that’s essentially Close Combat. One is clearly Spikes. One ability will resemble Protean, and another resembles Mummy. But because there is a positional element, some of the moves don’t have quite as clear counterparts. It also leads to situations where you have some basic actions (move, free ball, volley) that are shared across all move sets. This leaves you only three different moves to work with and learning how to mix and match offensive tactics, defensive maneuvers, and support coaching has just the right level of depth.

The game also encourages you to stick with the same team once you find a configuration you like by having your Beasties bond with each other. They can be rivals, partners, besties, or sweethearts. These dynamics have gameplay benefits while also adding some sports anime scenes as you progress.

Beastie stamina is also normalized, although the relative power isn’t. If you find yourself revisiting an earlier route with higher level Beasties, you’ll see egregiously high damage numbers as a result. And as you progress, you’ll find that the game takes great effort to introduce several varieties of battling to the game. Some are super gimmicky, but some are interesting pivots that basically change up one key element and force you to adapt.

The game has several great quality-of-life features including the ability to see all available information on opponents as desired, an auto-battle option if you want to turn off your brain a little and trust the surprisingly competent AI, and the ability to adjust your moveset on the fly. It’s great that you’re able to adjust the level of engagement so easily.

So, now that we’ve sufficiently gone over the bread and butter of the monster centric RPGs systems, let’s talk some gravy. The artistic style is great, striking pastels with strong contrasts, good environmental design, and cute animations. Characters are varied, and the music is absolutely enchanting. The story takes the stock standard cues from any other piece of sports media, but it manages to execute these cues well at every turn and takes the time to subvert a couple expectations here and there (namely, a clever environmentalist bent seeded in the beginning).

It feels like a lived world. It’s one where Beastieball is integral to life, but there are several characters who have unrelated hobbies and interests that you get to engage with in various degrees. The social link system runs on a cute social battery system, and while not every social link is fully fleshed out, the events are sweet moments and I bonded with several characters.

The early access took roughly 13 hours to beat the main campaign at a reasonably brisk pace. I didn’t delve into every single nook and cranny and definitely stopped worrying about recruiting Beasties for a good chunk of the midgame once I discovered my core players. The post-campaign had a couple fun reveals, and I look forward to revisiting the game when more content gets added. It’s not without fault. Some of the overworld puzzles were a little tedious, some of the pathfinding was a little hard to understand, there was a degree of wild logic that for certain sections didn’t quite map to any semblance of sense, but these are minor gripes.

Beastieball was exactly what I needed. A breath of fresh air that takes the familiar and remixes it into something that feels new and fun. It’s a tribute to my favorite things and I’m excited to see where it goes. If this is the approach, I can’t wait to see the view from the top.

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The post ‘Beastieball’ is ‘Pokémon’ Meets ‘Haikyu’ and a Prime Example of Why I Love Indie Games appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.