Annabel Lee- Edgar Allan Poe Series

If you came up to me randomly on the street and asked me who my favorite poet was, I would immediately, and without an ounce of hesitation, respond: Edgar Allan Poe. Even since I was a little kid I've loved Poe. In 5th grade we were told to memorize a poem and recite it in front of the class, and being the Hermione that I am, I selected 'The Raven', and recited it. The whole thing. Needless to say, I don't think I could repeat that feat as an adult. Why? Because I'm getting old...well, older. But Poe was not just a master poet, but a master storyteller with a great command for tragedy. So, I found it rather fitting to take inspiration for my Halloween Lead Up series from his works, the first of which is Annabel Lee.


The story of Annabel Lee, is a bittersweet one. The narrator tells of the love that he and Annabel Lee shared, and how it was so deep that the angels were jealous and they sent a wind that chilled her to death. But the narrator never lost his love for the beautiful Annabel Lee, and he firmly believed that his love for her was stronger than the grave.

I have always pictured Annabel Lee as a blond, so I ask that you bear with the fact that I am not.

I wanted to try and achieve the look of cold, with a slightly gray pallor to the skin and "frost" tipped eyelashes and eyebrows, not to mention blueish lips.

Products Used:

• Silver cream makeup all over the face and neck. (You can get this at any Halloween or party supply store. It does has a bit of a shimmer, though.)
• N.Y.C. Smooth Skin pressed powder in 'Translucent' (use what ever fits your skin tone) pressed heavily all over the skin.
• All the eyeshadows used were from the BH Cosmetics 120 Eyeshadow Palette (which you can order here). All around the eye socket I applied a light cool toned gray. To give the eyes a more sunken appearance I applied a mushroom brown under my eye and also under the brow bone and down the nose. On my eyelids I applied various shades of gray, from darkest to lightest and creating a gradient effect, over a black kohl pencil. I used a combination of the mushroom brown and the cool toned gray to contour around my temple, cheekbones, and jaw. I used a combination of sky blue and medium blue eyeshadow as a blush.
• For my lips I puckered them and dabbed NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk' all over and blending it out. I added a tiny amount of red lipstick to my cupid's bow and the edge of my lower lip. I then patted a dark blue eyeshadow over the center of my lips.
• I lined my upper and lower waterlines with Rimmel Soft Kohl eyeliner in 'Jet Black' (this is the same liner I used as a base for the eyeshadows).
• I curled my lashes and applied Maybelline One By One Mascara. 
• I lightly went over my eyebrows and the tips of my upper and lower lashes with NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk'.

^o^ ^o^ ^o^

As I was removing the face makeup, I realized that I really quite liked the eye makeup, so I left it. I just added a little bit of a matte gray eyeshadow ('Stake' from TfTB) all over the lid, and blended it all out with a matte tan ('Dusk' from TfTB)- I also reapplied my mascara.

I hope you have enjoyed this look, and I can't wait to get the other looks in this series up. Especially since when this series is finished, then it's on to the Halloween looks.

See you soon my freaky darlings. <3