Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Winter Lip Care

Hi All,

So I've been noticing more and more with clients this season their struggle to keep their lips soft and supple. Many are dealing with chapped, dry, cracked lips. 

Here are some tips to prevent this from happening or to repair the damage. 

When the temperatures drop and the wind picks up (especially in the mid west!), it can become increasingly difficult to keep your lips moisturized. 

1. Don't lick your lips! 
Your saliva contains acids that help break down food which can irritate your lips' delicate skin. Licking your lips only adds to dehydration. 

2. Drink TONS of water!
I am very guilty of not drinking enough water this time of year. To help prevent dryness, it's important to stay hydrated from the inside--out! Make yourself drink 2 glasses upon waking up and going to bed. Making this a ritual will help with dehydration.

3. Apply Lip Balm at night.
You lose so much moisture at night! Especailly since most of us sleep with our mouths open (glamorous as it is), it's extremely drying. By applying a balm before bed, it helps to slow that process. When purchasing a lip balm, beware of ingredients such as, eucalyptus, menthol or camphor-- these can cause dryness or irritation. 
My favorite: 

          
With all natural ingredients that work, this balm tops the charts for me!

4. Exfoliation.
I preach about exfoliation often! It makes such a huge difference! There are a couple different ways to handle it, I'm splitting it into 2 parts. 
Part One: 
I am a big fan of home remedies, mostly because of sensitivities, but also because they work! If your lips are dry, but not cracked, you can give this trick a try once every week to two weeks. 
Take a little sugar with some oil (coconut, olive, etc), and create a paste. Take your finger and gently scrub this mixture in tiny circular motions on your lips. This helps to gently scrub off any dead skin, and the oil helps to moisturize. Once you finish, take a dry rag and wipe off the sugar, apply some balm and voila! soft supple lips! 

Part Two: 
Another exfoliation trick, that's a little more gentle and easy to do, is to take your toothbrush after brushing your teeth, and gently brush your lips. This helps stimulate blood flow and gently removes dead skin. This is something you can mindlessly do every day. 

If you are suffering from severe cracked, dry lips with pain or bleeding, you can seek out a medicated treatment to get them under control, and then try some of the above tips for upkeep. 

Hope this helps you as we slowly but surely make our way into spring with lots of bright lipsticks! 



Wednesday, February 12, 2014

3 special Valentine's looks...

Hi Loves 

Valentine's Day is almost upon us, so I figured it'd be fun to give a few quick makeup ideas for your night out. 

Whether you're going to dinner, seeing a show, spending time with a special loved one, or friends, these 3 looks are quick, simple, pretty and very valentine's inspired! 

Photos c/o the talented, Stephanie Bassos Photography

Let's get started!
The base for all looks begin the same with moisturizer, primer, MUFE HD foundation, concealer where needed, and eye shadow primer (and eyebrows!)

Pretty in Pink
I wanted to keep this look really fresh faced and pretty. It's perfect for those who are a little makeup shy, to do something a little more special for the occasion.


   
Key words for this look: 
Sweet, Pretty, and Soft.

Eyes:
I used MAC's Girlie all over my lid, up to the natural crease. I then took MAC's Naked Lunch and placed it on the inner corner of the eyes and just under the brows. 
From there, I used MAC's Cork (really soft brown), and placed it in the crease with my pointy crease brush. I followed that by buffing with a blender brush gently to get rid of any harsh edges. 

I then took Urban Decay's Pencil in Bourbon (a sparkly brown tone), and drew it along the top lash line. For the bottom lash line, I used a purple pencil. I liked the romance of the purple- keeping with the softness around the eyes, it added another dimension and an extra pop of color.



To finish them off, I curled the lashes and put one coat of black mascara. 

Cheeks:
To keep with this ethereal look, I wanted pretty pink cheeks with a bit of a glow, so I used The Balm's blush in Hot Mama. 

Lips: 
Sealing the deal with Makeup Forever (MUFE) Aqua Lip in 1C all over my lips, followed by MAC's Plink. To add an extra oomph, I topped this lip with POP Aqua Lacquer in Flowering Fuchsia. 



Products/Tools Used
(with links)

The Balm's Hot Mama, POP aqua Lacquer in Fuchsia, Maybelline's Full 'N' Soft, MAC lipstick in Plink, MAC shadows in Naked Lunch, Girlie and Cork, Shu Umera Eyelash Curler, MUFE Aqua Lip in 1C, Covergirl Vivid Liner in Cabernet, Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon
Brushes: Tight bristle crease brush, a flat shadow brush and a fluffy blender.  


Smokey and sultry
This is a pretty variation on a smokey eye. I wanted to show how to do a quick and easy, foolproof smokey eye look- with only two shadows, I think this is something everyone can do!


Key words for this look: 
Daring, Sexy, and Mysterious. 

Eyes: 
To start this off, I took MAC's Deep Damsen (a beautiful deep maroon tone), and swept it over the lid, into the crease with a flat brush. Then take a fluffy blender and buff the crease to soften. 

From there, I used Urban Decay's Maui Wowie on the inner corner's of the eyes and softly blended them inward. If you want, you can swipe a soft iridescent shade under the brow- I used MAC's Shroom. 
Then, I took MUFE's Aqua Eyes in 0L on the waterline and tight lined the top lash line. 
*Tightlining is when you fill in the gaps between the lashes to create a fuller lash line. HERE is a great article from Beautylish with a detailed description!
Using the same pencil liner, I drew it along the bottom and outer upper corners of the eyes-- take a Q-tip and softly smudge. 


Curl those lashes and put two coats of Cover Girl's Flamed Up Mascara on the top and bottom lashes. 

Cheeks: 
I wanted to keep with the sexyness of the look, so I contoured the cheekbones with a little bronzer on a fan brush. Sweeping the product into the hollows of the cheeks and around the temples. 



Lips: 
I kept the lips simple, using Tarte's Lip Surgence Lip Tint in Grateful. 

 

Products/Tools Used
(and links)

CoverGirl Flamed Up Mega Curl Mascara, Tarte lip tint in Grateful, Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, CoverGirl Queen collection bronzer in Brown/bronze, MUFE Aqua Eyes 0L, MAC shadows in Deep Damsen, Shroom, and Urban Decay's Maui Wowie. 
Brushes: Flat shadow Brush, Fluffy blender, Q-tip, Fan brush.  

Romantic in Red
This is for my bold lip babes. I am a big lipstick person, so I had to include a look where lips were the focus! And what a better color than the classic red. 


Key words for this look: 
Romance, Bold, and Flirty.

Eyes: 
Since lips are the focus, I wanted to keep the eyes super easy and subtle. I started by taking MUFE Aqua Cream #14 (chocolate brown with soft shimmer), and placed it across my lid, blending it across my eye with my fingers.


From there, I took a blending brush with MAC's Mulch eyeshadow and worked it into the crease. 

I then took MUFE's Aqua Eyes in 0L (very black), and lined the inner rims of my eyes (both top and bottom)
For lashes I used Maybelline's Full 'N' Soft mascara on both the top and bottom. 
If you were really feeling saucy, you could throw on a few lashes :) 

Cheeks: 
I wanted to add a soft color on the cheeks, but nothing too bright. I settled on MAC's Tenderling. Dust it right on the apples of the cheeks and blend up and out towards the hair line. I then topped the cheekbones with a highlighter for some extra oomph!

Lips: 
Our statement piece of the night!
Take a waterproof liner that matches the red you choose- Outline your natural lip shape and continue to fill in with the liner. Lip liner helps prevent the lipstick from bleeding, but also helps your lip color to last longer.
Next, apply your red lip color of choice with a brush for a flawless finish.



Voila! 






Products/Tools used
(and links)
Hope you enjoyed these! I had a lot of fun playing with these three different looks. What will you be doing for Valentine's Day?! Which look is most like you?!