makeup

MAC FIX PLUS

Saturday, January 30, 2016


I first heard about Mac Fix Plus when I started watching makeup tutorials on YouTube. I would mostly see beauty gurus use this spray to wet their brush before using a glittery eyeshadow, and I would think "yeah, but does that really do anything?" Yes honey, it does.

The MAC website describes Fix Plus as "A lightweight water mist that gently soothes and refreshes skin and finishes makeup." I would by no means call this a makeup setting spray, because I don't believe that the use of this product prolongs the wear of your makeup. But Fix Plus does something important that I don't believe any makeup setting spray does: spray this on your face as the last step of your makeup routine, and you'll find that all traces of that powdery finish or that cakey makeup look will disappear.

The real marvel of this product is it's effect on shimmer eyeshadows. I was recently gifted the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, and while the shimmer shadows are beautiful in the pan, I found that they didn't transfer to the lid with the same amount of glimmer. Enter Fix Plus, whose second ingredient is glycerine. Pack some shadow onto your brush, give it a spritz of Fix Plus, and watch the magic happen. Apply the shadow on your lid, and you'll find a much more pigmented, almost foiled shadow emerges.

Top swatch using Fix Plus, bottom swatch without

This spray is also great to use as a primer before applying your makeup, and throughout the application process by spraying your foundation brush or Beauty Blender before application. This stuff will be a definite repurchase when I run out.

Do you use Fix Plus?

foundation

L'OREAL TRUE MATCH FOUNDATION

Sunday, January 24, 2016




I just want foundation to sit on my skin and not look or feel like I'm wearing foundation. That's probably a little unreasonable.

This is what I'm thinking when I try out a new foundation: I want to apply this to my face to cover my redness and even out my skin tone, but I don't want to feel it and I don't want it to look like I'm wearing makeup.

That's probably too much to ask, but I do have some foundations I absolutely love (here's lookin' at you, L'Oreal Infallible!) so when I try a new one, I want it to be as good, or better than my current favorite.

I had heard so many good things about L'Oreal True Match foundation, and I finally gave into the hype a few months ago. I've been reaching for it more now that we're in the colder months; I found that using matte foundations every day was drying out my skin. Girl. Girl. This foundation is great, and I'll tell you why.

So, the packaging isn't anything fancy - but the formula is amazing. There are 24 shades, and 3 different skin tone variations to choose from within those shades (W - Warm, C - Cool, N - Neutral) so that you can find the perfect shade to match your skin tone.

This foundation has a liquid consistency, and goes on smooth when applied with a brush or damp sponge. It's is oil free, but also has a moisturizing and nourishing quality. This foundation won't cling to any dry patches, and can be sheered out or built up to a medium-full coverage. As always, you should set this foundation with a powder to ensure it will last all day.

Want to see this foundation in action? Click here!

makeup

NEUTRAL EVERY DAY MAKEUP

Wednesday, January 20, 2016


I tend to keep things pretty simple when doing my makeup every day. Now, "simple" to me, means that the look looks simple. Ha.

There are many steps to my every day makeup routine, but that's because I love doing makeup. I carve out 20-30 minutes each morning to sit and do my makeup (whilst watching YouTube videos and drinking coffee). I find this time relaxing, and while others might just sit and watch TV while drinking their coffee in the morning (that's what I used to do) I just throw my makeup routine in there at the same time.

I reach for warm neutrals every single day for my eye makeup. Something light on the lid, warm in the crease, is just what I'm looking for. While I'm not one to suffer from breakouts, I do have a lot of redness on my skin, so I wear foundation every day. You do not need to do this. I also wear highlighter every day so....yeah.



Products Used:
>Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment
>Make Up For Ever Step 1 Primer - Hydrating
>Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Powerless Foundation - 112 Natural Ivory
>Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer - Eden
>Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - Fair
>Make Up For Ever HD Setting Powder
>Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette
>NYX HD Blush - Amber
>Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed - Opal
>NYX Micro Brow Pencil - Ash Brown
>NYX Brow Mascara - Brunette
>Tarte Tartelette Palette
>Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
>Kat Von D Tattoo Liner - Trooper
>BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Palette
>Revlon HD Lipgloss - Pink Sapphire 

I hope you find this routine helpful, and can maybe incorporate some of the techniques into your every day routine if you were looking to change it up a bit!

liquid lipstick

Review: Sephora Cream Lip Stain

Sunday, January 10, 2016


I was going to do a post dedicated to this lip color during the holiday season, but my life got busy and before I knew it the holidays came and went. Then I got some questions about this product on Facebook and even in person, and thought this might still be helpful to many of you.

It seems like liquid lipsticks took the makeup world by storm in 2015. Almost every high-end makeup brand offers one, and they've even made their way into the drugstore market. 

Liquid lipsticks are intended to be a matte, long-wearing formula. Because they are highly pigmented, and liquid, application can take some practice and precision. Sephora has done a great job with their formula. The great thing about these lipsticks is that they go on, and stay on. Since they're a matte formula, they can be a bit drying (but not nearly as drying as others I've tried). A good way to combat this is to use a lip exfoliator before application (try this one) and to wear a bit of lip balm underneath. 

I wouldn't wear something like this on an every day basis, but for parties and special occasions, it's nice to apply a lip color (a bold one, at that) and not have to worry about touching up multiple times. 

My favorite shade of this lip color is the one pictured above, Always Red. There are 14 shades available at Sephora, ranging from matte to satin finishes.

Do you use liquid lipsticks? What brand is your favorite?

THANK YOU

Saturday, January 02, 2016

I started watching beauty gurus on YouTube and reading blogs during the first half of 2014. It almost became an obsession...I read blogs on my breaks at work, I watched YouTube videos during lunch, and set up my iPad at home to watch them as I made dinner in the evening. Inevitably, my husband would hear and watch some of what I was watching and say, "You could do that. You should start making videos", to which I laughed and just kept watching.

The more time went on, and the more he encouraged me, I thought "hey, maybe I could do this..." then somehow I would quickly convince myself that I was being ridiculous and that I should just continue to be a viewer. So, back to my subscription box I went.

It was a conversation with a friend that really motivated me to take action. We were talking about ideas I wanted to write about, and she was so enthusiastic and encouraging, saying that she would read what I had to say, an felt that many others would, too. I knew I didn't have the money to  invest in the fancy equipment that is used by many of the YouTubers I watch, but I knew that I had thoughts and opinions on beauty and makeup, and that a blog might be a better way to start. On a whim, on a Sunday morning, I tried a new facial cleanser and decided to write about my experience.

As I reflect on 2015, I want to say thank you. Thank you to my friends and family who have been supporting me by reading this blog and watching my videos (even my dad...who clearly has no interest in makeup). Thank you to the people I have never met who found my blog on a google search, or through another blog or YouTuber, and continue to come back.

Being a blogger is much more difficult than I ever thought. I absolutely love the moments when I am absolutely motivated to write, or when I take photos for a post that turn out so much better than I could have imagined. The feeling I get when the writing and photos come together to "say" what I was envisioning is so satisfying. The best feeling is reading the comments I get - real people telling me that what I have written has helped or impacted them. This is the reason I blog.

Thank you for your support in 2015. I am looking forward to continuing my blog and YouTube channel in 2016, improving and learning along the way.