simple makeup

THE DRUGSTORE B.B CREAM YOU NEED TO TRY!

March 1, 2017 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Some days I get super excited to do my makeup and want to do a full face of makeup but other days I just want (or need) a go-to that is fast but leaves me with a pretty look that lasts all day.

L’Oreal Skin Beautifier B.B Cream

This B.B cream claims to prime, correct, hydrate, and perfect. With “beautifying beads” inside are encapsulated pigments infused with an ultra-light lotion with antioxidant Vitamin E. This comes out of the tube as a white lotion transforms to your perfect shade.

Why I Love It

This is easy to apply with your fingers or a foundation brush (I like the Sigma F60). I love that this gives me a natural look that looks like bare skin. This is easy to apply in only a minute and then a little under eye concealer and boom you’re done! I have combo/oily skin so when I saw this said “hydrates” I was nervous but it wears very well on me, even my oily prone t-zone! I have been using this product for three years, and originally included it on this blog in 2014 (here and here).

My Routine

I still use a primer when I use this (I use Benefit PoreFessional) but then I dot this on my face and then blend it in with either my fingers or a foundation brush. You can also apply this with a sponge (I like the Beauty Blender). I do set this *lightly* with loose powder (I use Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder) and if you want a little more coverage you could use a powder foundation. I wear this in the shade fair, but it is also available in light, medium, and deep.

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Thank you, as always, for reading! Please let me know in the comments your favorite B.B cream or C.C cream : )

HOW TO CLEAN AND DRY YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES QUICKLY!

February 20, 2017 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope that you had a great weekend, and if you’re off today that you’re enjoying your long weekend! If you’re like me and you put off washing your makeup brushes until all of your brushes are dirty and you can’t put it off anymore then this post if for you. We all know that washing your makeup brushes is important because not only will your colors muddle if the brushes are dirty, but it isn’t sanitary and can lead to skin breakouts which nobody has time for.

Products I Use To Wash My Brushes

My favorite way to wash my makeup brushes is with the Beauty Blender Cleanser Solid, I also will use the Beauty Blender Cleanser but prefer it for my sponges and the solid for my brushes. It is also fine to wash your brushes with a foaming antibacterial hand soap, and if I run out of my Beauty Blender Cleanser Solid I will do this.

My Routine

I set my brushes on the left side of my sink and a clean towel on the left side of my sink along with my Benjabelle Sunflower Brush Tree. I have blogged about the Benjabelle Sunflower Brush Tree here. If I am washing a larger brush I do it by itself, but I will wash smaller eye shadow brushes a few at a time. I wet the brush and then swirl it into the Beauty Blender Cleanser Solid or I put a little soap into my other hand and swirl the brush in circular motions in my hand. I rinse the brush until the water runs clear. I then hang the brush from the Benjabelle Brush Tree. I love the Benjabelle Brush Tree because it helps the brushes to dry much faster, but if you do not have one you can roll one end of a hand towel and lay the brush so that the brush head is angled down. *Note: Never tilt your brush so that the bristles are up after washing because if water gets into the barrel of the brush it can damage your brush. You can read more about that here.

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NATURAL CREAM CONTOUR MADE EASY!

February 8, 2017 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

In the summer I tend to stick to a powder contour since I have combination/oily skin, but lately I’ve been loving doing a very subtle bit of contouring with cream products to help define my features. I have used several products, and for every day use I have found my favorite that I keep going back to because one product gives me my contour, highlight, and blush.

Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Palette

Why I Love It

This product contains four .08oz cream products to contour your face and you only need a tiny bit of product to get a lot of impact. I like to apply these products using the Beauty Blender Blusher (the medium sized Beauty Blender) or with brushes. When I use brushes I use a brush like the Cover FX Dual Ended Contour Brush for the contour and highlight and a small stippling blush like my very favorite cream blush brush the E.L.F Small Stipple Brush (the BEST $3 investment you’ll make all month, promise!) to stipple on the blush. I personally tend to use the brushes more because I find it easier to not mess up my foundation this way, but the sponge technique does blend seamlessly which looks airbrushed and lovely.

My Routine

After setting my foundation and concealer with a loose power (I like the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder) I use the the contour color to contour my cheekbones, nose, and temples, the matte highlight when I want to highlight the bridge of my nose or between my cheekbone and jawline, the shimmery highlight for the tip of my nose, cupids bow, and cheek bone, and the blush to brighten the apples of my cheeks.

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If you have any questions, as always please ask! I love talking to you in the comments! Please don’t forget today is the LAST DAY to enter my giveaway!! You can enter to win a Target Gift Card and ChapStick goodies here!

HOW TO DO A ONE COLOR BOLD EYE SHADOW LOOK IN 2 MINUTES!

January 16, 2017 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday! And Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Lately, on days like today, when I’ve been rushing to get my makeup on before rushing with the kids out the door I’ve been wearing a super easy eye shadow look that I want to show you how to easily recreate today.

The Look:

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What You’ll Need:

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-One bright color of your choice! Have fun I’ve been loving pinks, purples, greens, and even blues! (I used Wet n’ Wild I’m Getting Sunburned Trio the top pink/purple shade for my look today)

-A basic shadow brush (I used the Sigma Shader E60)

-A blending brush (I used the Sigma Blending E25)

Optional:

-A cream or ivory eye shadow to blend (I like Bobbi Brown in Bone 2 or Wet n’ Wild Single Shadow in Brulee)

-An eye shadow primer or base (I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink)

How To Get the Look:

Apply your base or eye shadow primer if you choose to use one. Take any basic eye shadow brush and apply the eye shadow of your choice on your lid all the way up to your crease or just above your crease. I do not use pat it onto the lids to avoid too much fallout with eye shadow falling onto the rest of your skin. If you do get eye shadow on your skin simple brush it off with a brush or makeup sponge. Then take a fluffy eye shadow brush or blending brush to soften any harsh lines and blend the edges of the eye shadow. If you wish, you can use the ivory or cream eye shadow to blend the eye shadow instead of blending only wish a clean brush. I then applied a slight winged liquid eye liner (I used L’Oreal Lineur Intense) and mascara (I used Covergirl Super Sizer in Water Resistant).

I hope you liked this look! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below!

NATURAL EFFORTLESS FOUNDATION FOR EVERY DAY! MAYBELLINE DREAM MATTE MOUSSE

December 21, 2016 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

The winter months include lots of social functions with friends and family starting with Christmas and holiday celebrations continuing on with things like Super Bowl parties, where I find myself wanting to look put together but not in a full-on multi step makeup routine. I have been “shopping my own stash” of makeup lately (which is how I found my current favorite Too Faced Snow Bunny Bronzer which I blogged about here). I recently rediscovered Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation and had to share it with you today!

Why I Love It:

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This foundation is one that I used years ago and had honestly forgotten about until I saw one of my most trusted beauty YouTubers, Emily Noel, mention it recently and I decided to give it another shot. This foundation gives me a great medium coverage without much work at all and I don’t mind the need to touch up much during the day. I will say that this isn’t as full coverage as some of my favorite foundations, but that is why I’ve been loving it lately…it’s EASY, no-fuss and looks very natural. I do like using a primer with this as I do all foundations, but I don’t find this to sink into my pores horribly if I do skip a primer. I do set this with a loose setting powder (my current favorite is the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder). I like applying this was an ever-so-slightly damp Beauty Blender, but it does also applying nicely with your fingers which is AWESOME when you’re in a rush or feeling a little lazy which is completely acceptable in these cold, dark months ; )

Please let me know your favorite easy, no-fuss foundation(s) in the comments! I LOVE trying new foundations, especially at awesome drugstore prices!! I hope that you have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS if you celebrate! Thank you so much for your support and love, it truly means the world to me! xx

HIGHLIGHTER 101: HOW TO HIGHLIGHT SIMPLY IN A HIGHLIGHT HEAVY MAKEUP WORLD! EASY STEPS!

July 11, 2016 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Highlighting, contouring, strobing, baking, and color correcting are all makeup terms that you may hear a lot right now because there is a huge trend of strong contours and BAM highlighting. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to contour and highlight, but I feel like it can be very intimidating to see a YouTube video with 10 steps or a Pinterest picture with tiger stripes all over a face diagram. So, today I want to share the exact products you can use and what you can do to get a subtle, beautiful highlight for summer. If you’d like something similar for color correcting, baking, or contouring please let me know in the comments : )

HIGHLIGHTER 101:

What You’ll Need:

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First you will need a highlighter of your choice, I prefer powder highlight most days and suggest that for when you’re first starting out. I love Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powder Highlighters like Champagne Pop, but you can also get a beautifully look much cheaper using Reserve Your Cabana from Wet n’ Wild.

You will also need a brush to apply your highlighter! I like to use a tapered highligher brush like the Sigma F35 but any dome or tear dropped shaped similar brush will work just fine. You can also use a fan brush for highlighting, and these often come in brush kits so you may have a few laying around.

What To Do:

After you have applied your blush and bronzer (if you choose to wear them) and set any foundation or concealer that you are wearing you want to put your brush into your powder highlighter and tap off the excess. Then from your cheek bone (usually about an inch below the outer part of your eye) up to the outer edge of your eyebrow you want to *lightly* apply the highlighter in a crescent moon shape. Be sure to blend this in with the brush so that it isn’t a harsh line of product. Ta-da! You are beautifully sun kissed! If you want to get extra fancy, you can apply a bit to the cupids bow above your top lip, or down the center of your nose.

I hope that you enjoyed this post! If you would like a more detailed post on highlighting let me know! I hope that you’ve found this helpful! You can “Pin” this onto your Pinterest (just hover over any picture or use the share buttons on the bottom if this post!) or share if on social media! Have a wonderful start to you week! xx

Still Can’t Keep Up? 5 Ways to Simplify Your Makeup (Drugstore Edition)

July 27, 2015 & 4 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I got a positive response from last Wednesday’s post, Can’t Keep Up? 5 Ways to Simplify Your Makeup (High-End Edition), and so today I am sharing my drugstore picks. So, here are the drugstore items I would pick if limited to 5 to get an amazing look!

1. Revlon ColorStay Makeup For Oily/Combo Skin

This is my favorite drugstore foundation for days when I want a full coverage, flawless look that will not budge. A little goes a very long way, and I like to stipple it on, but a beauty blender or fingers work fine, too. They do have a dry skin version of this, as well as a whipped version.

2. E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzer in St. Lucia

I love this set for traveling because the blush is gorgeous, the bronzer is beautiful and although it is a tad orange, is still usable as a contour color on my fair skin if I use a light hand. This also has a huge mirror, which I think is so handy.

3. Maybelline The Nudes Palette

This is an awesome value, and if you can’t justify an expensive neutrals palette, this is the way to go. I also have The Blushed Nudes Palette from Maybelline which I do love, but this I feel is overall better quality and you can get a bigger range of looks out of this.

4. L’Oréal Lineur Intense Brush Tip Liquid Eye Liner

This is a great liquid liner for everything from a fine line to a big wing. I love the brush tip because it is easy to control, and the color is very dark black.

5. CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara

I absolutely always have this mascara on hand! I personally like the water resistant formula. I use this daily! It is always on my bottom lashes, and I like to use this on my top lashes after curling to keep the curl. For more nautral days, I wear this alone, and for more dramtic looks this is a great layering mascara.

Please let me know what your favorite items from the drugstore are in the comments! Commenting is easy (just click by link under the title of each post!) AND it makes my day!! ; )

Have a beautiful week! I will see you Wednesday!