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!)