Why you should consider a side hustle-unless you like living paycheck to paycheck! Before I get started, let’s talk about what a side hustle is exactly. Instead of getting a second job, a high number are starting their own businesses. It is not necessarily a […]
Are you ready for the truth about professional beauty brands and how it’s affecting the industry? Have you been following my “Evolution of the Beauty Industry“? This series has been in the making for quite sometime and I finally decided to take the plunge and […]
Do you practice proper makeup sanitaiton? The more that I educate, the more I realize that makeup sanitation needs to be talked about more. The makeup artists that I teach ask, because it’s something that they want to learn. And honestly it is THE most […]
Shopping for the perfect foundation can be a challenge for most people, and so many settle for the wrong one. Everyone deserves to find their perfect match!
It can be difficult to determine whether you have a normal, dry, oily, combination or sensitive skin type. These steps will help you find your skin type.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve always longed for a flawless face. I have struggled in the past with acne and oily skin, and that combination is not one that usually yields a flawless finish. Luckily for you, I’ve tried just about everything out there, and if you haven’t realized by now-I share everything I know with my readers! Check out my 7 steps to a flawless face.
The first step in the process is using a primer. I’m assuming that you’ve done your skincare regimen though 😉
The function of a primer is to help fill in imperfections. With your pores your skin is like an orange peel. Primer will make it smooth like an apple! If you start with a smooth surface, it’s easier to create a flawless finish.
Does your makeup disappear by the end of the day? Primer creates a barrier between your skin and the foundation so it doesn’t just absorb in.
My Fav: Complexion Perfection Primer-An innovative formula that targets pores, fine lines and wrinkles, Complexion Perfection Face Primer visibly reduces the appearance of imperfections for even-looking skin that is prepped and primed. This oil-free, smoothing formula extends the life of your foundation for the perfect, flawless look.
Ok, back to analogies. But if you had a crack in your wall you’d fill it in with sparkle before painting it right? You should do the same thing with your fine lines and wrinkles with a makeup filler.
My fav: Instasmooth-A powerful formulation that minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while perfectly smoothing the skin. This formula creates a veil over the skin’s surface, providing a soft focus effect. Antioxidant ingredients promote healthy skin while the mineral pigments reflect light away from fine lines and wrinkles.
Don’t just cover your imperfections, correct them! Use color corrector to conceal dark circles and discoloration, counteract redness, and brighten dull skin for an instantly-luminous, even-toned complexion. You’ll have better success correcting instead of caking on the makeup or concealer.
My fave: Color Correction Quad-All-in-one quad to color correct discoloration, conceal under-eye circles and minimize the look of imperfections. Delivers professional-quality results by neutralizing the look of skin tone to achieve a flat out flawless application. Available in two color combinations that can be mixed and matched to address any imperfection on any skin tone. It’s a creamy formula that is buildable and easy to blend, allowing you to customize your finish.
On to foundation! Notice this is the fourth step? I bet some of you just grab your foundation first as step one…trust me, the first few steps really don’t take much time. Foundation should match your neck and create a flawless finish for the rest of your products, so it’s important that you get this right! Get color matched by someone like me, or ME. I will also help you pick out the perfect formula based on your desires and skin type.
My fave: Custom Blend-You can literally create the PERFECT color, with any finish, coverage, and texture you desire for YOUR skin type. It seriously is THE best thing for your skin too and made JUST FOR YOU!
I get asked this question often: Should I use concealer before or after my foundation? Always apply your foundation before applying concealer. Think about it…when you apply foundation first, it covers up a lot of imperfections on its own, cutting down the amount of imperfections you need to go back and spot conceal. If you had applied the concealer first, you would have ended up using a lot more concealer than you would have needed to and done twice the work. Also, if you apply foundation with a brush or sponge, you can move the concealer that you’ve already applied off of the targeted area (such a waste of time and product!).
Concealer can get heavy and cakey if applied too thickly so first see how much of the dark circles/blemishes/dark spots that the foundation can knock out on its own. Then take a step back and see if you need to go back with a thin layer of concealer directly on the areas. You might be surprised how little you need!
My fav: Long Wear Liquid Concealer-Lightweight liquid concealer with an invisible, matte finish. Crease-resistant, long-wear coverage conceals the look of under-eye circles for younger-looking, brighter skin. A skin perfecting favorite, experience flawless-looking skin everyday.
Setting powder is a godsend. It locks in foundation and concealer so that it doesn’t move and prevents creasing. Wearing it makes your makeup look even more flawless.
My fav: Luminous Translucent Loose Powder-A loose powder that provides a light, silky veil and the perfect luminous finish for your foundation. The texture is beautifully smooth and can also be applied directly onto the skin. It is suitable for all skin types, even very dry skin.
Setting spray (also finishing spray, makeup setting spray, finish spray, or makeup spray) is a cosmetic product designed to preserve applied make-up for long periods of time. Setting spray is applied by spritzing mist over the face, keeping the make-up application moist for several hours.
My favs: Yes I have 2 because it depends on your skin type. For normal to dry skin-10 Years Younger is my choice. A setting spray that mists on weightlessly to reduce makeup slippage and keep skin looking beautifully flawless. Save up to 50% of makeup usage with this unique spray. Keep your skin looking fresh throughout the day.
If you have combination or oily skin, No More Shine is for YOU! A setting spray that mists on weightlessly to control oil, deflect surface shine and keep skin looking beautifully matte. Oily skin has met its match! Keep your skin looking smooth — but never shiny — with this spray.
The beat thing about them BOTH is they make your makeup last for at least 16 hours!!
The beauty revolution continues as the Motives Beauty & Business Academy (MBBA) leaves its mark on the east coast in Portsmouth New Hampshire! Motives Beauty & Business Academy This 4 day academy is the answer to so many struggles happening in the beauty industry. Every […]
National Lipstick Day encourages you to wear your best color, and with so many lipstick formulas to choose from it can be hard to know which is best.
This month I have been covering “All Things Lips”. With fuller lips being all go the rage right now, I have to ask: Are you looking for a way to get fuller looking lips with out injections? Ladies today I am here to teach you about lip contouring! Yes girl, there is such a thing and every single one of you can do it!
If you have been following this blog, you have learned how to properly prep your lips, how to achieve the perfect lip shape, how and why you should use lip liner, along with how to choose the best lipstick color. If you haven’t been following a long, you can go back and catch up. Today, I want to share with you ways that you can enhance your pout with a little lip contouring.
The first thing that you will need to do is pick out the lipstick color that you would like to wear. Once you have the perfect color, choose a lip liner that is 1-2 shades darker. Choosing lip liner that contrasts slightly with your lipstick will bring out the shape of your lip and make your lips look fuller by creating contrast and shadowing.
If you aren’t sure which shade of lipstick to pick, try a lipstick color that complements the undertones of your skin.
There are many different techniques that can be used to get a fuller look on your pout, so I scoured social media, and picked out the best lip contouring pictorials out there to give you a better idea of how you can enhance your natural lips.
I love this visual created by Huda Beauty. It’s a slightly different version of the basic lip lining you learned last week.
Before you start, make sure that you enhance your natural lip shape for the perfect pout!
I love this lip contouring pictorial by @makeupbyliha. This is a great example of how you can use a darker lip liner to shade in the right areas to give the illusion of a fuller lip.
Using a lighter lip color in the center brings the middle of her lips out for the perfect pout!
This artist added some highlighting to her cupid’s bow up to her nose as well as under her lower lip. Notice how she put just a touch of dark there too.
A little bit makes a big difference but it still looks natural.
In this lip contouring pictorial, the artist used concealer to cover up her natural lip line to create a new shape to her lips.
Notice how she also added a bit of a darker concealer under her bottom lip to give the illusion of a plumper pout.
In this contouring pictorial, I loved how she used a lighter highlight color first on the Cupid’s bow and down the center of her lip, followed up by the lip liner.
This technique can be used with any color combination and creates a beautiful pout.
For this lip contour, first she used a lip pencil to give the illusion of a plumper lip, then she used a light lip gloss to blend everything together.
I would suggest using a pout plumper to get a little more plumping action 😉
In this contouring pictorial, the artist didn’t use a lip liner. She used a pencil highlighter on her Cupid’s bow then went right for her lip color. Using a lip brush will give you the control to get an even line.
I love how she added just a pop of shimmer highlighter to the center of the lower lip to add just the right amount of volume.
HOW to use that lip liner to enhance your pouts. Lined lips have staying power, and lining the lips will also help to prevent your lipstick from bleeding.
What color lipstick works best for your skin tone? I am going to walk you through which shade ranges and undertones will best compliment your complexion.
Do you know your undertone? Your skin tone, aka undertone, is different from your complexion, which is the depth of your skin (light, medium, dark). Your undertone will remain the same no matter how much sun you get, even if you’re pale in the winter and tan in the summer. There are three different undertones – cool, warm, and neutral. Determining your skin tone can be helpful in many ways–it can help you choose the best blush or lipstick color, help you know which hair color is most flattering, and even which color clothes you should wear to really look like a million bucks!
Before I help you determine your skin tone, let’s cover some basic color theory about cool and warm colors.
Alright, now that we have those basics covered are you ready to determine your skin tone is once and for all? Follow these steps:
Start with bare skin. Your skin should be clean and free of makeup and lotion. Make sure you wait about 15 minutes, as your skin may appear pink from scrubbing and make it difficult to see your true undertone.
Different lightbulbs can change the way your skin looks. They are usually warm or cool and they may cast different colors on your skin, and interfere with the appearance of your skin tone. Choosing a spot by a window to look for your undertone will prevent you from misjudging what you see.
Look at the color of the veins on the inside of your wrist. This is a quick way to determine your undertones-if your veins are visible. Hold up your arm in the natural light and determine the predominant color.
If your veins appear green, you likely have a warm skin tone.
If your veins appear blue or purple, you likely have a cool skin tone.
And if you can’t tell if your veins are green or blue, or you see both colors-you may have a neutral skin tone. If you have an olive complexion, you likely fall into this category.
Do you tan easily? Do you burn or get freckles? The amount of melanin in your skin determines how it reacts to sun exposure and can help you determine your skin tone.
If you tan easily and rarely burn, you have more melanin and you likely have a warm or neutral skin tone.
If your skin burns and doesn’t tan, you have less melanin and therefore a cooler skin tone.
Some women with very dark, ebony skin may not burn easily but still have a cool skin tone. So keep in mind that you may have to try a few more steps to determine your undertone.
Looking in a mirror, look at how your skin looks against the white paper. It may have a yellow cast, a blue-red or rosy cast, or it may not appear to be either, but be ashy or look like a gray color instead.
Aren’t sure? Hold a sheet of gold foil in front of your face so that it reflects light back on your skin. Note whether it makes your face look grayish or washed out, or if it enhances your skin. Then try with a sheet of silver foil.
If you have acne, rosacea, melasma, or another condition that might mask your skin tone, have someone look at the the skin directly behind the shell of your ear or backside of your neck, as this area is less likely to be affected. You can even look at your inner wrists.
Have them look at the skin right in the little crease behind your ear.
Your eye color can be a key to determining your undertones. Lighter eyes like blue and pale brown usually mean you have cool undertones, while gold flecks usually indicate warm undertones.
Let me ask you again…do you know your skin tone? After going through each step above, I hope that it finally answered this question once and for all!!
Use makeup to enhance thin or shapeless lips. With the right products, you can create the perfect lip shape that you have always wanted.