Happy New Year, mes chéries! How have your first weeks been? It’s been a while since we chat! The last few days of 2018 were a chaotic mess as I was prepping for the New Year’s Eve event I was co-hosting with friends. Then, I was immediately struck with food poisoning at the start of the new year followed by a half-pint blood test nightmare when dehydrated (trust me, you don’t want the details) and two birthday bashes I had to somehow survive through. I’ve barely slept because my building’s intensely high and dry heat has completely messed with my nasal passages and throat and just found out I’m allergic to something in my office. Let’s just say I am in dire need of rest and a redo of the new year… 🤣

My last post of 2018 ended up being my more personal Thanksgiving post, “Thank U, Next.” I thought about doing Blogmas again or at least releasing a holiday gift guide, but I took a short hiatus because:

1. I started my YouTube channel with my friend Jenny (if you haven’t seen it, check it out here!)
2. I feel like holidays and gifts are personal, and it’s difficult for me to make gift suggestions when I usually cater presents to specific people’s personalities or needs.
3. There was honestly way too much going on that I didn’t even have time to enjoy the fun holiday things around the city and buy presents, let alone write about them.

Despite all the bodily challenges 2019 has thrown at me, I’m not letting anything stop me. So for my first post of the new year, I am incredibly stoked to present the first release of my year-long series, The Zodiac Lookbook! This is my first ever beauty lookbook on the blog and will feature a makeup look each zodiac season based off of the colors, personality traits, and ruling planets of the sign. As you might know, I shamelessly love makeup and astrology.

For the last few months, I’ve been curating as much information as I can about birth charts and the stars to share with you all. For those of you who always felt like your sign doesn’t actually describe you well, your questions just might get answered by reading your complete birth chart. At the bottom of each post, you will also be able to find the basics about birth charts, the ruling planets, and other fun facts about astrology.

Although the zodiac technically starts with Aries, my sign, we’re starting with the sign that kicks of the calendar year and the sign of many of my close friends, Capricorn!

Capricorn: December 22 – January 19

Symbol: The Goat
Element: Earth
Quality: Cardinal
Color(s): Black, Brown
Ruling Star: Saturn
Greatest Overall Compatibility: Taurus, Pisces, Cancer

Since the start of the new year is the time for resolutions and goals, it only makes sense to talk led Capricorns lead the way during this time! Caps are humble, analytical, responsible, disciplined, wise, patient, and hard-working. It makes them some of the best people to work with in the workplace. Not only does this sign represent responsibility, good work, and time management, people born under this sign are also masters of accomplishing whatever they set their minds to no matter how hard or long they have to work at it. Furthermore, set realistic goals and create solid, achievable plans. They’re professional and poised both at work and at play and don’t always understand how others don’t take life seriously the way they do. Since they are the most practical sign, they are also the least likely to believe in horoscopes.

Being a Cardinal sign, meaning a sign that focuses on action and pushing for new beginnings and change. Capricorns want things done efficiently and practically. They’re great to have on your side in a debate because they can handle pressure well and deliver an opinion or perspective in a cool collected manner. They know how to protect themselves and are usually right.

However, this means sometimes they tend to come off a bit cold, emotionally distant, and too serious. When managing people, Caps could also seem like a know-it-all and possibly condescending. Their sense of humor is very dry and can find amusement or humor in situations where others might not be able to. They tend to avoid laziness, jealousy, or inefficiencies as they find them useless towards their goals.

Capricorns value family and make loyal friends. They hold traditions near and dear to their hearts, so you’ll notice they find comfort in family holiday traditions or maybe even annual traditions with friends. Like most earth signs, they’re also materialistic meaning they pay attention to materials. Caps have a detail-oriented eye and won’t settle for things of lesser quality or craftsmanship than what they deem the best bang for their buck. And while they like a lot of things, because they’re picky, you’ll notice they probably dislike everything at some point.

How To Get The Look

In true Cap fashion, this look is a very neutral. Not only is a great every day and work-friendly makeup look, it’s manageable with no frills, just like a Cap! In fact, I wear it every day to work and can complete it as little as five minutes.

The Base

The steps are simple. I primed my face with toner and moisturizer. After it dried, I dotted foundation on my face and used a brush to swirl it out. Next, I dotted concealer in my problem spots, blended it out, then set my face with setting powder.

For my cheeks, I lightly dusted a flesh-toned blush (Becca Honey) and contoured my face ever so slightly using Benefit Hoola Bronzer. I brushed a bit of Hourglass Ambient Brilliant Strobe Light Highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, and my chin to give my face a little lift when the light hits it. You can choose how much of each to use, but I kept a light on the hand in the spirit of Capricorn.

As for eyebrows, everyone has their own brow routine so I would stick to yours but keep it the bare minimum. The more natural and cleaner the look, the better. Mine is using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Promenade and brushing it through my brow hairs.

The Eyes

Always prime your lids to start. For me, that’s covering my eyelids with foundation. For others, that’s using actual eyeshadow primer. Then, I take an eyeshadow (Flower Child) that matches my skin tone and apply it all over my lid up to my eyebrow. Next, I dip a fluffy brush into an eyeshadow shade that is about one and a half to two shades darker than my skin tone* (Smarty Pants). I lightly swirly this back and forth in my crease with this shade. Taking a brush with a tapered end, I dip it into the same shade and dust it along my lower lash line.

*Note: Since I have a neutral undertone, I can go for a warm or cool shade. You can tell if if you’re warm or cool tone by looking at the veins in your wrist. If they look more green, you’re warm toned; if they look more blue, you’re cool toned. In this look, I did something a little bit warmer.

Afterwards, I take this same tapered fluffy brush and dip it into a dark brown shade (Rebel) of the same undertone (warm in this case) just a teeny tiny bit to pick up a slight bit of product. I tap this gently into the corner of my eye and feather it out, blending it into my crease. I add this to the outer end of my lower lash line as well

Last but not least, I add on winged liner (optional of course), curl my lashes, throw on a few coats of mascara, and add a nude, nude pink, or subdued red lip. Since my lips are naturally light pink, I chose to use Bite Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glace which matches my natural lip color.

Just like that, you have your perfect Capricorn look!

 

About Astrology: The Birth Chart

In this beauty book, each makeup look will be followed by information about astrology! For our first look, I’ll be teaching you guys about the components that make up your birth chart. Friendly reminder that reading horoscopes and learning astrology is fun and interesting, but do NOT define your life decisions based off of it. There is a lot more to life and decision making than what the moon was doing when your mother decided to push you out of her.

Your natal chart, or birth chart, tells you where all the stars and planets were relative to the location and time you were born. It consists of the planets, your rising sign, and the position of the planets in the houses. It is said that the signs in your Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars are the most personal. The key characteristics of the sign in that a particular planet on your chart will influence the respective aspect of your life.

In order to fully map out your chart, you need your birthday, time of birth, and town of birth. You can easily generate a heavily detailed chart via CafeAstrology*  website. For a simpler and more streamlined chart with daily astrological updates, download the app Co-Star! You can even compare your chart with friends to see where you are compatible/not compatible.

*If you do not know what time you were born, you can still run half of your chart on CafeAstrology.

If you really want to get into the details of your chart, you can see what planets are in stellium (cluster of planets in one sign), the aspect or the angles between two planets (sexual: 60, square: 90, trine: 120, opposition: 180, conjunction: same degree) and your lunar node (North: determines something to grow into, South: your comfort zone and past lives).

Tarot cards and weekly horoscopes are fun to read when you have a query but a fleshed out chart can tell you so much about personality, drives, fears, relationships with parents and significant others, family dynamic, relationship with future children, psychological patterns, and much more. Better yet, it doesn’t even require a question to be asked!

The Sun

Your Sun sign is the sign you probably know based on your birthday. For example, I’m an Aries because my birthday is April 2. This sign is the one you select when you read your horoscope. It speaks to your Ego and personality traits and how you identify yourself.

The Moon

The Moon governs your emotions. I describe it to my friends as the sign you identify with when you’re alone with your emotional self. It often rules your decision-making (sometimes even subconsciously) and is not a side of you that many people see. Your moon sign can tell you what you need to feel safe and nurtured or where to go when you’re in need of direction.

The Rising Sign

Your rising sign is the constellation that was on the horizon at the time of your birth. This sign represents what others perceive you as when they first meet you as well as how you interact with the world around you. Mine is Leo! This means upon first impression, I resemble the personality traits of a Leo. Keep in mind that the rising sign changes every 2 hours, so it is crucial for you to input a birth time as close to accurate as possible.

The Inner Planets

It is said that the inner planets are the most personal as they govern your core traits, behavioral tendencies, needs, desires and so forth.

Mercury: affects the way you communicate

Venus: informs the way you love and show affection

Mars: influences the way you deal with conflict, your energy levels, and your sex life

The Outer Planets

On the contrary to the inner planets, the outer planets (less Jupiter) have wide orbits and therefore govern a generation more than an individual. Where these planets are placed in the sky during your birth suggest what you have to look forward to in these areas throughout your life.

Jupiter: associated with luck, progress, boundaries, fears, and self-discipline

Uranus: represents innovation and rebellion or change in general

Neptune: represents dreams and the unconscious as well as how you heal

Pluto: signals power and transformation

The Houses

The sky is divided into 12 houses with each house representing a specific aspect of life. The signs in each of these houses rule that aspect of your life.

The First House: where your rising sign is, represents first impressions, your demeanor (especially in groups), new beginnings, and leadership

The Second House: rules material security and values, finances, personal possessions, and self-esteem

The Third House: represents communication and community, social and intellectual learning, how you share and process information, where you find a sense of belonging in your early life

The Fourth House: deals with home, security, family, deep self-worth, and personal roots

The Fifth House: rules self-expression, creativity, romance, risks, pleasure, can reflect your need for drama or attention

The Sixth House: covers health, helping others, order, service

The Seventh House: represents one-on-one relationships and partnerships in work and in life

The Eighth House: rules emotional security, birth, death, and intense sexual activity, touches upon the most universal experiences

The Ninth House: deals with exploration and belief, learning, inspiration, luck, religion, and philosophy

The Tenth House (Midheaven): represents public image and achievement, often indicates the work one will do as he/she grows older and finds his/her place in society

The Eleventh House: rules invention, science, social justice, humanitarian causes, how you relate to the rest of humanity

The Twelfth House: deals with imagination, subconscious minds, inner growth, hidden agendas

The Elements

Each sign has an element associated with it, and these elements informs the sign’s general temperament and compatibility with other signs. The elements are fire, air, earth, and water. While every sign has a different personality type, signs that are under the same element are similar in these ways:

Fire: (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) great leaders, often intense, excitable, energetic

Air: (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) social, can come off as “flighty” or “head in the clouds,” often very intellectual

Earth: (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) reliable, practical, strong sense of self, great with finances

Water: (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) sensitive, in touch with their emotions, highly creative

The Qualities

Every sign also has an assigned quality. The signs with the same quality have this commonality despite their different element.

Cardinal: (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) natural leaders and trendsetters who value originality, pioneers, the first sign of the season (and of the zodiac for all the fellow Aries out there!)

Fixed: (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) trusty and goal-oriented, organized, have solidified ideas, often the second month of the season meaning they focus on maintaining that season and are fixed in their core values and traits

Mutable: (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) adaptable and flexible, can either add or destruct, usually the last month of the season and help prepare for change or can add finishing touches to something

 

That’s all for now, mes chéries! I hope you enjoyed the first installment of my first ever beauty lookbook. Although this one was a little tamer, I have many inspiring looks ahead for certain wild signs. You know who you are ;)! Thank you so much for tuning in! Until next time, bisou bisou…

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

Refinery29: https://www.refinery29.com/2016/11/129929/birth-chart-analysis-natal-astrology-reading

Zodiac Site: http://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com

Banner Image: https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/astrology-horoscope-zodiac-signs/the-zodiac-sign-capricorn-symbol-personality-strengths-weaknesses