Look of the Day Gemstone Series: Opal

I thought it would be fun to do a makeup challenge involving look of the day posts inspired by gemstones.  I thought I'd start off by featuring October's birthstone: opal!

Quoting the American Gem Society page on opals: "Opal is a formation of non-crystalline silica gel that seeped into crevices in the sedimentary strata.... The opal is composed of particles closely packed in spherical arrangements.  When packed together in a regular pattern, a three-dimensional array of spaces are created that give opal its radiance."  Opals are soft gemstones and need to be handled with a certain amount of care.

I tried to capture the flashes of color in an opal.  Fiery opals have varying shades of blue, green, gold, copper, and sometimes red.

photo:  American Gem Society

Some opals have a more milky appearance overall than the one in the above photograph, but still contain flashes of color.

photo: gemstones-guide.com

I used turquoise, green, gold, and copper eyeshadows.

Eyes:  Urban Decay eyeshadows --
               Peace (turquoise) on inner 1/2 of lid
               Graffiti (green) on outer 1/2 of lid
               Shattered (turquoise with gold shimmer) middle of lid
               Mildew (moss green with gold shimmer) outer corner
         Smashbox Smashing Mirror Image eyeshadow trio -- copper in crease
                                                                                     gold in inner corner
         Fyrinnae Velvet Vampire (sparkling red) -- liner on upper lashes
         Too Faced Eyeshadow Luxe in Socialite (copper with silver glitter) -- liner
         Bare Minerals Eyeshadow in Opal (shimmery cream) -- all over lid (gives sheen)
         Milani Liquif'Eye Liner in Gold -- lower lash line
         Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow -- lower lash line
         Benefit They're Real Mascara

Cheeks:  Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush

Lips:  Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Lovelight
          Rimmel 3-D Stay Glossy Lipgloss in Lights, Camera, Action

daylight bulb

From left:  Urban Decay shadows in Peace, Graffiti, Shattered, Mildew
                 Smashbox Smashing Mirror Image trio copper and gold colors
                 Fyrinnae Velvet Vampire loose shadow
                 Too Faced Luxe eyeshadow in Socialite
                 Bare Minerals eyeshadow in Opal
                 Pixi Endless Silky Eyeliner in Copper Glow
                 Mialni Liquif'Eye liner in Gold

flash

daylight bulb

From left:  Too Faced Sweethearts blush, Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Lovelight, Rimmel 3-D Stay Glossy lipgloss in Lights, Camera, Action

flash

If you would like to join me in the gemstone challenge, please link to your posts in the comments!

Have a wonderful day, and thanks for visiting!