Am I a superhero kind of person? Not really. I've seen my fair share of superhero movies over the years, because my husband enjoys them and because some of them are decent. (I like the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the occasional Spiderman film.) But despite that, I am not exactly a fan. So, it felt kind of strange to purchase movie tickets a month in advance for the opening night of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Truth be told, I only watched the first Aquaman movie very recently...and I only watched it because I am currently working my way through the filmography of Amber Heard. Despite not totally loving superhero movies, it was important to me to see the new Aquaman movie right away, to support a recognized survivor of domestic violence - a survivor who faced one of the most horrific smear campaigns in modern history. I will always stand with survivors, publicly, privately, and even when I head to the movie theatre. Though I have known about Amber for many years, thanks to my obsession with the 00s television show, Hidden Palms, I didn't become a fan until more recently. First, I supported her simply because it was the right thing to do. (Disagree? Read the Amber Heard Open Letter signed by literally hundreds of domestic violence experts and feminist organizations, read the UK judgement, where her ex husband was found to be a wife beater, or look at the mountain of evidence in her favour.) However, as time passed, I became a fan of her as a person thanks to her long history of charitable endeavors, her outspoken stance against injustice, and her dedication to standing with survivors. I also became a fan of a lot of her work on television and in movies. So, for me, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was a movie I needed to see on opening night. It was only right. Going in, I knew that I wanted to create Mera inspired makeup.
Mera, the character, is easily the best part of the first Aquaman movie. (And let's be real, the second movie as well. The only parts worth watching were the ones where she was on screen. The whole buddy comedy angle with Aquaman and Orm was....eh.) Mera is powerful, passionate, and strong. She has incredible abilities and fights for what is right. With her red hair and blue-green outfit, Mera stands out in every conceivable way. So, when it came to a Mera inspired makeup look, I knew that I needed to do something different and embrace colour. On the eyes, the products used were Tarte Tarteist Pro Remix Eyeshadow Palette, NYX Epic Ink Liner, Cover Girl The Super Sizer Mascara, and Lise Watier Eye Glitter Liner in Smokey Gold.
The amazing green colour, Color Explosion, was applied all over the lid. The gold colour, Outside The Lines, was applied underneath the brow and in the inner corner. The sparkly black, Beat Drop, was used to deepen the outer corner. And lastly, the warm red, Graffiti, was applied heavily on the lower lash line. Then there was the NYX liner used and The Super Sizer Mascara. To incorporate some of the gold seen in the crown that Mera wears, the Lise Watier glitter liner was applied just above the black liner. It was a subtle addition, but I wanted to make sure all the main Mera colours were incorporated.
Next, it was time to tackle the cheeks and lips. The Mera comic book that I have, which is shown above, is something that I found recently and decided to treat myself with for the holiday season. The images often show a heavily blushed cheek...so my mind immediately went to the Rouge Romance Matte Blush Palette. Especially the shade Ever After. That was applied on the apples of the cheeks for an extra dash of colour. On the lips, I wanted a nice matte red to contrast the shimmer on the eyes. I just love the Rare Beauty Matte Lip Cream in Inspire, so that was selected to mirror Mera's bright and bold red hair.
The finished look, shown above, incorporated all of the must have Mera colours: red, green, and gold. I have to say that I felt a whole lot more powerful stepping out with my Mera makeup for this #FOTD. It might have been a bit much for a night out at the local movie theater, but this was definitely an occasion to get glam and enjoy a little more colour than usual.
So, there you have it...my Mera makeup look. As we approach the end of the year, my thoughts continue to shift back to the inspiration behind the creation of beauty is art. In my very first post, I said "this blog is dedicated to the beautiful things that keep me dreaming." My idea of what is beautiful has certainly shifted over the years. I know now that it is so much more than makeup and fashion and all the rest - though that stuff is certainly a whole lot of fun. Beauty to me means doing what is right as often as possible. Standing with a survivor of domestic violence in every way that I can will always feel right to me. That is the reason that I saw Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and that is the reason this Mera inspired makeup look exists.
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