Beauty Blender Review

I've been using the beauty blender for almost 7 months now, and I must say I LOVE it. I love using it more than my brushes. I had tried another beauty blender from a drug store but personally, the original Beauty Blender is much better. I guess because it's way more spongy and bouncy. But I have not tried every single blender out there so I could be wrong. 

Okay so what exactly is a Beauty Blender?

It's basically a makeup sponge. You can use it to apply your makeup bases such as foundation and concealer. It also helps you to build the coverage you want. So lets say today you want minimum coverage, you can go over your face with your sponge once and have minimum coverage, or you can go over multiple times to help you build up to full coverage. I guess it all truly depends on the amount of foundation and pressure you use. 

How Do I use the Beauty Blender?

All you have to do is run you blender under warm water until it doubles in size and becomes dark pink, then you squeeze out as much water as possible. Since the blender is wet, it will soak up less of your foundation and help the blending process better. Next apply your foundation to your face and then press with the beauty blender and blend out. I promise you that the finish is FLAWLESS. Also the process is soooooo much faster than it is with a brush.

To clean the blender you can use the Blender Cleanser and if you do not have that on hand, you can use baby shampoo. 

I really recommend everyone to get a beauty blender. it makes makeup application THAT much easier. 

New NAKED Palette

Urban Decay has created an all new Naked palette. This palette has 6 all Matte colors that work perfectly together. Perfect for a natural every day look creation. The 6 colors range from light cream colors to browns and black.
I love this new matte idea especially since i LOVE matte shadows more than makeup itself. Matte colors always work well. No matter what kind of eye shape or type you have, it never fails to be fab. For only 27$ this palette can work wonders- without shimmer, glitter and all that messy stuff. It makes me happy- i hate glitter and shiny makeup. :P

previous photoshoot

Please Excuse my lack of posts my lovely readers. I am a slave to my current job. I am currently employed by Zara, the biggest clothing line in the United States according to some research I did. hahaha. Anyways, I am really going to push myself to try and post during my lunch break or something :p. 

Okayyyy. So my post isn't really on anything special, just a few photos from a photoshoot I did about a month ago. I though I'd share it with you. :)

Soon I will have updates on latest makeup news and ideas I have up my sleeve. Thank you. 

happy holidays xoxo

Homemade Beauty Creations

Heeeeeeeeeey! So I was going over some of my notes and I realized I had so many homemade beauty recipes. I decided to fill you guys in with all these awesome and easy recipes that will help you in so many ways.

Sugar and Honey Scrub

As I mentioned before, a mixture of brown sugar and honey can create a great and well scented scrub that can remove dead skin cells. The amount of ingredients that you want to add is totally up to you depending on what body part you are exfoliating. For a facial exfoliator you want one part honey and two parts sugar. So it is safe to say the ratio of Honey to Sugar is 1:2.

 *If you wish you can substitute the honey for any kind of Oil (e.i. Almond Oil; Olive Oil; Coconut Oil.) Also you can add a Vitamin E pill or baby oil.

Coffee Body Scrub

Coffee body scrub has originally gained fame as a cellulite natural remedy. There is a supposed connection between caffeine and cellulite in that caffeine is able to pull out the fluid that is found between fat cells. By doing so, it decreases the appearance of the dimpled skin leaving it even and smooth.

This is only one variation of the coffee scrub recipe. You can add olive oil to it, egg or only egg white, crack open a Vitamin E pill, or even add oatmeal, sea salt and brown sugar.

This Scrub is AWESOME for morning use. The aroma will instantly wake you and your body up.

2 cups of coffee grounds

1/2 cup sea salt or 1/2 cup of brown sugar

2/3 tablespoon of massage oil (Any plain, cheap massage oil will do). I used Almond body oil.

Eye Makeup Remover

Ran out of your makeup remover towelettes? Try this! Easy and super fast.

1 cup of water

1 1/2 tablespoons of Tear-Free Baby Shampoo

1/8 teaspoon of Baby Oil

 Pour it into a container and store in your vanity. It's Gentle and awesome.

Shake Well before every use !

 

Toning/Tightening Lemon Mask

This mask refreshes your skin and keeps your skin intact. [Makes 1 application]

Juice from 1/2 a lemon (strained)
1 egg white
Beat together the egg white and lemon juice for 3 minutes.
Apply directly to your face, avoiding the eyes.
Leave on for 30 minutes.
Rinse off with warm water.

Tomorrow I will be posting the continuation of homemade recipes. :)

Top Three Skin Care Tips for a Winter Day

It is Snowing in NYC today. I hope this storm is not as bad as Sandy. Here are my top three quick tips for keeping your skin safe and healthy for this type of weather (or any weather at that). 

*** DO NOT FORGET THE USE OF SPF ***

Believe it or not, the sun my not be visible on a cloudy or snowy day, but it's Rays will still affect your skin. Just because summertime is over does not mean your sunscreen has to go away. If sunscreen is just way too much of a heavy product for you make sure your facial moisturizer, foundation, or skin lotion has SPF in it. This is very important. The sun may be a beautiful feature BUT it can cause lots of damage.

*** INVEST IN A GOOD LIP CONDITIONER ***

During the winter our lips become chapped or burned. Avoid all that pain by just simply having a lip Balm/Conditioner at hand. What this does is it LOCKS in moisture to your lips.

*** DO NOT FORGET TO EXFOLIATE ***

I cannot stress this enough. Exfoliate Exfoliate Exfoliate. Exfoliate your face, your body, and your lips. This process will remove all the dead skin cells off your body. I promise you that you will feel like a brand new person after exfoliating. You can create you own homemade exfoliating scrub. Some brown sugar and honey would make a great exfoliating scrub.

What's Your Skin Type?

Hello my lovely readers. Today's post is all about skin types. I'll be giving you tips and tricks to look your best no matter what skin type you have.

DRY SKIN

If you have Dry Skin that means that your skin lacks Oils and tends to flake.

- The best type of foundation would be a liquid or cream based type. 

- Also remember to NEVER use too much powder on Dry Skin.

OILY SKIN

Oily skin means there is an over production of oil in your skin. You most likely always have a shiney T-Zone (forehead, nose, chin). 

- Best thing is to Avoid Alcohol based products and use alcohol-free toners. 

- Primers and Mattifiers are great products to help reduce the oil during Makeup Wear.

- Water-based products work best.

SENSITIVE SKIN

By far the most problematic skin type. Sensitive skin is very fragile and prone to breakouts. This type of skin need special attention because different temperatures, makeup, and atmospheres can cause it to have different effects.

COMBINATION SKIN

Combo skin means you have a mix of two or more skin types. This is the most common skin type. Usually you have a shiney t-zone and dry cheek area. 

- Make sure too use products that are SUITABLE for Combo skin

- More of a moisturizer product for dry areas and alcohol-free toner for Oily areas.

Tips to consider no matter what type of skin you have are to Cleanse; Exfoliate; Toner; and Moisturize. You want to let your pores breath. You want to make sure that all the dead skin on your face is not causing you to break out. Exfoliate at least once a week. I promise you that after exfoliating, your face will feel brand new.

Eye Diagrams to help you Apply eye makeup

Applying eyeshadow is a technical thing when it comes to a Makeup Artist. Eye shapes and sizes vary from person to person which is why it is important for a makeup artist to know what ways they can apply a shadow that will enhance and work well with the client's eyes. Below are some diagrams that will help you figure out what eye shape you have and what techniques to consider while applying your eye makeup.

Eyeshadow TIPS:

- Shimmer shows off wrinkles, so please use less of it.

- Don't forget to BLEND your makeup so that there are no harsh lines.

- Use a Primer/Base to keep the eyeshadow on longer and for better pigmentation (color).

- White eye shadow/eye liner on your inner will help your eye look brighter and help it seem bigger (LOVE THIS!)

The importance of knowing the minimum about makeup

My lovely readers, I apologize for not posting yesterday. I was so busy running around looking for face paint for a party I'm doing in about a week. I did download the blogger app so I will be posting more often, probably even twice in one day. Nevertheless, I was sitting on the super packed train and this lady walks in looking like a hot mess [makeup wise]. I really wanted to stand up and give her my card, but that probably would've came off as rude. Don't get me wrong, she was a lovely girl, but her makeup was a mess. Honestly I believe you can be the prettiest girl and if your makeup is a mess, FORGET ABOUT IT. Her foundation was not her actual tone causing her real skin tone to stand out from under the light foundation. You can tell she was trying to hide a couple pimples on her cheek by apply lots of concealer. Her eyeshadow was creased and the eyebrow powder she used was way off. I know I'm critizing so much but I swear there's a purpose. Anyways, the lesson here is that if you are going to wear makeup just make sure you know the minimum about the stuff you use:

- Know your Foundation Color/Number (Remember that your skin tone changes between seasons)

- Know what eye shadows flatter you the most (If you're scared of color go NEUTRAL)

- Make sure your Brow pencil/powder matches your natural color

- If you want to prevent creasing on your eyelids, consider purchasing a primer. ELF has a great quality eye primer for an extraordinarily cheap price. Urban Decay also has a great set of eye primers.

- If you want to cover acne or pimples the worst thing to possibly do is to cake that area with makeup. The only thing that does is enhance the pimple and make it more obvious. Try dabbing a tiny bit of concealer before applying foundation and then a little after applying foundation.

Had her foundation at the very least match her tone I'm sure I wouldn't be posting this. The foundation is what sets a common ground for the makeup. It evens your face and gives you a flawless finish. I honestly believe that if you have your foundation tone on point, you're good to go.

I hope this helps you and saves you from leaving your house looking like a hot mess (I care about you guys way too much). :) 

Brown Eyes

HAPPY HALLOWEEN :) I hope you all have a safe and fun night!

Today's post is about the eyes and what suits us best. If you were lucky enough to have brown eyes you are blessed with options to wear any color in the color wheel and it will flatter your eye and make it appear even more appealing than it already is. 

Metallic in gold, bronze, browns and pinks help brown eyes stand out in the most attractive way. 

If you want to achieve a natural look for brown eyes, you can try eye shadows in neutral colors such as browns, taupes, peaches, etc. 

When selecting eyeliner, you can go with dark browns for a natural look and black for a more intense look. 

Deep shades of blue and brown, plum, blue gray, vanilla, gold, shades of violet and purple, nutmeg would be the best choice for brown eyes.

  
Don't be afraid to play around with color. Experimenting can lead to some great creations on your eyes. Buy a palette that includes different color eye shadows, sit in front of your mirror and apply. I promise that you'll have fun. You'll learn exactly which colors flatter YOU the best.

 In the upcoming days I will be posting a post about eyeshadow application and eye shapes. STAY TUNED :)

Eyeliner hell and Tips to save your life.

I HAVE SURVIVED HURRICANE SANDY!!!! *Crowd cheers and goes crazy*

This hurricane was a tremendous one and did lots of damage to New York City. Trees collapsed, buildings fell, windows were shattered, cars were ruined, streets were flooded, power was out, anything that can possibly go wrong- WENT WRONG. It's was something out of the usual here in NYC. I hope everyone is safe and sound!

My apologizes for blabbing about Sandy, back to topic- EYELINER.

A

We all have trouble after trouble when it comes to applying eyeliner- even me! As a Makeup Artist, my job was to master my eyeliner application since it is such a big part of my daily routine. We all hear that "practice makes perfect" and I cannot stress it enough on how accurate that saying is when it comes to eyeliner. I must say I am one very impatient person at times, and applying eyeliner just happened to be one of those 'impatient times'. Please please please do not make the mistake I made as a beginner of trying to rush an eyeliner application UNLESS you are a master. Rushing it can just amount to a big mess, especially with liquid and gel liners.

- The trick to applying gel liner or cream liner is using a fine-thin brush and start with a THIN application on the middle of the lash line outward (#11A), then finish the line from the inner corner of the eye to the middle (#12A).

 If you do this on both eyes WITH PATIENCE, you will have an even line and should end up with a something like in photo number 3A.

- Too create a winged eye follow these steps ::

B

 

- Too ensure that your wing is equal on both eyes, you can use a piece of TAPE and place it along the lower lash line like like in photo numbers 1B/2B. 

- To make sure your liner stays on longer, use an angled/slanted brush and dab a small amount of black eyeshadow.

I truly do hope this post can help you guys save yourselves from eyeliner issues.

Believe in yourself

Hey Guys,

So I was watching Oprah not too long ago and it was an episode of her speaking about how the only person you need to believe in you, is ultimately- YOURSELF. It got me thinking about my own life. Ever since I decided to leave college to attend Beauty School I have been judged, spoken about, criticized, anything YOU NAME IT. I am not going to lie, I was hurt at what everyone was saying for a long time. But I honestly do not think its right to let anyone tell you how to live your life. It is YOUR life. You choose how to live it. It took me a couple crying sessions to realize that I was only making myself feel worse. So I stopped all that nonsense and took all the self confidence in me and began to feel way better about myself and my goals. I believe in myself and I believe in my career. I'm going to make myself happy doing what I truly love. We have to remember one thing, if you are not happy, it's pointless. God has you hear for a great meaningful purpose and he wants you to be happy at all times. Have faith and dont ever feel less about yourself.
My grandfather always told me "you have to believe that you are the smartest person in the world. The most beautiful person in the world. And the greatest person in the world. After all, there is nobody like you roaming this world."

How to Choose the CORRECT Foundation

Choosing a foundation can be tricky for many people, especially if you're buying it from a drug store like Rite Aid or Duane Reade where there isn't anyone to help you determine which one is the right one. So I decided to create some points to help you determine which is the correct one for your skin. 

- First of all I believe that everyone should purchase their foundation at a department store or their local Sephora/MAC mainly because it's easier for you to try it on before you buy. Also you can learn about all the different variations of foundations. IF you do buy it at a drug store MAKE SURE it has a return "Liberal Return Policy" just in case you don't like how it looks and wish to return it.

-Ask yourself: what is my skin type? Believe it or not you can spend $50 dollars on a foundation and if it does not suit your skin type, that would be $50 dollars you just flushed down the toilet. There are foundations for all skin types. If you have Oily Skin make sure that the product you buy says 'Oil-Free' 'Oil Control' 'Mattifying'. These products will suppress the oils on your face and take away some of that unwanted shine. Have Dry Skin? Look for products that say 'moisture-rich' or 'hydrating'. Combo skin? determine whether you're more dry or oily, then go from there. Lastly for sensitive skin I would recommend a Mineral Foundation. Knowing your skin type will make Makeup shopping much less complicated.

- Choose what type of foundation coverage you desire. If your purpose for foundation-use is to cover up uneven skin tones or blemishes consider a Medium to Full coverage foundation. If you just want to even a few spots on your face consider a light coverage.

-  Determining what is your skin undertone can be difficult for many of us. To figure out what is your skin undertone flip over your arms and observe your wrists in natural light. If the veins in your wrist look bluish, you have cool undertones, if they look greenish, then you have warm undertones. 

FINALLY, after figuring all of the points above, grab the foundation and make a couple strokes on your jaw line and cheek. With a mirror, stand by a window so that you can get a better lighting for you face, and BLEND. If the foundation completely disappears, you have successfully found your foundation. 

I hope this helps.

xoxo

MUST HAVE BRUSHES

Makeup enhances the beauty that all of us have, but regardless of how expensive or how great a product is, if you do not have the right tools, all of that is useless.

Having a good brush is the key to making sure your makeup looks even, precise, and appear as if you have Hollywood appealing skin. Others say they rather use their fingers but personally I believe with a brush everything will be spot on and will evenly distribute the "expensive" and "awesome" product I just bought. I created a list to tell you what are the TOP MUST HAVE BRUSHES that you should consider owning and having inside of your makeup bag. 

MAC 190 Foundation Brush

This brush is used to apply the base of the makeup whether it's

moisturizer or your foundation. Its purpose it to give you

a flawless finished look.

Sigma SS150 Powder Brush

This brush will evenly distribute translucent/setting powder.

Sigma Tapered Blending Brush E40

 The blending brush can be used to blend out concealer,

eyeshadow crease, and setting powder for under

the eyes.

Real Techniques Shading Brush

Eye shadow brushes are great tools that help

PACK on the eyeshadow, which supply

you with the best application and intensity of color.

BH Cosmetics Angled Brush

An angled brush can be used for many purposes.

One of them being applying gel liner, another being applying 

concealer to clean the edges of your mouth or eyebrows

after applying lipstick and/or brow powder.

MY FIRST BLOG POST

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! I actually managed to grow some guts and create a blog. My ultimate purpose for this blog is to provide tips, tricks, comments, reviews, photos and anything else you can think of regarding MAKEUP and BEAUTY. So yes, this is a BEAUTY BLOG. I'm sure there are many awesome beauty blogs out there but I'm sure one more wouldn't hurt. I am also engaging with this on a daily basis and writing whatever I see, hear, think, and so on and so forth about beauty. I came up with the name after an entire day of going over so many different words and phrases. I had to make sure nobody else had it, i had to make sure it was unique and awesome. Meykuhp is MAKEUP spelled the way its pronounced and Flair means talent.

 

I had sooooo many ideas and things to say about beauty/makeup but I never really thought about creating a blog because I was afraid nobody would read it or keep up with it. BUT I WAS WRONG. Many friends and fans of mine actually recommended it to me because they were really interested in what I had to say. Finally my best friend and her roommate pushed me towards seriously creating one, now here I am. I am ready to tell you guys anything and everything I know about beauty and keeping you guys updated at all times. 

Thank You so much and enjoy :) 

xoxo